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Non-members are welcome to come along on trips. We hope you will enjoy the group enough to join.

WARNING: The outings listed here are NOT guided trips or lessons. Our volunteer coordinators do not necessarily have training in water safety, first aid or any other outdoor or boating skills. They do not necessarily carry any emergency equipment. Boating and other outdoor activities always involve serious risk. All participants are responsible for assessing the appropriateness of their physical condition, skills and equipment for a particular trip and using their own judgment about potentially dangerous situations. If you are not sure that your skills or equipment are adequate, discuss this with the coordinator before the trip date. Participate at your own risk.  See About our Trips for more information.  

Want to sign up for a trip; Contact the Trip Coordinator at least a couple days prior to trip for details. Before puting on the water you will be asked to sign a liability waver. Each participant must have a properly fitting PFD with them and should be wearing it under most circumstances. 

Have a favorite trip you'd like to coordinate for the club? Contact Justin Morse to schedule it. JuMorse@Comcast.net

This page last updated 08/17/2015

2015 Schedule
Check close to the scheduled date for changes.
 

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*** Kidd Lake Campout 2015 ***
 Friday, June 26 thru Friday, July 3

See Trip Report Below

An annual event since the 1960s, we rent a entire campground on a small lake in the Sierras for 7 days. Stay as many nights as you want. Swimming, canoeing, hiking, happy hour and fun in general. Great for kids. Sign up early. For details contact Dee Simmons deesimmons@sbcglobal.net.

 

2015 Photo Album

2014 Photos   More Photos 

 

MCKC and MeetUp

MCKC members have started a MeetUp group called Canoe and Kayak Paddlers. We hope to meet new paddlers and attract some of them to the club. It should also create more paddling opportunities for our members. Some MCKC events will be published via the MeetUp group in addition to our MCKC mailing list.

Canoe and Kayak Paddlers

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Saturday February 14, Gallinas Creek - San Rafael

We will launch from the kayak dock at McInnis County Park on Smith Ranch Road in San Rafael. We will paddle through the creeks to Santa Margareta Island and back. This is a short easy warm up for the new season paddle, about 2 miles each way. 

Arrive by 9am, on the water by 9:30. This paddle is tide dependant, we must leave on time.
Location:     John McInnis County Park at the end of Smith Ranch Road, San Rafael.

 
Coordinator:   Bob Skapura   Cell: 925.639.9700     rskapura@gmail.com

Trip Report: We had a large group to kick off our paddling year and the new MeetUp group. Some organization was requried to get everyone launched off the small dock but soon we were all paddling up Gallinas Creek. When we reached Santa Margarita Island it seemed questionable if there was enough water to go around it. Only one paddler tried and he made it but it was touch and go in places. We had the current in our favor heading back. Once back at McInnis we had a great lunch on the picnic tables by the dock. We met lots of new paddlers from MeetUp.

Saturday, February 21, Napa River

Kennedy Park to Napa Wine Train Depot - lunch downtown

Launch from Kennedy Park boat launch. We will paddle north past downtown Napa to the Napa Wine Train depot. On the way back we will put in at the Riverfront Wharf - designed low for canoes and kayaks. After a quick lunch at one of the many shops we will paddle back to Kennedy. Total distance is about 6 miles.

Trip Report: Another large group, mostly due to MeetUp folks. We headed upriver from JFK Park beyond   downtown Napa. The main group turned around at the Wine Train Depot and a few went farther up the river. We all met back at the downtown dock. Some of us stayed on the dock for lunch and others explored Napa for a good place to eat. We found a place with a great view of the river. Back at the dock after lunch we chatted with some fokes who are restoring an old military tug boat resued from the Mothball Fleet near Benicia. They were out crusing in it. We paddled back to JFK park against a little wind.

Saturday, March 14, Cosumnes River Preserve

In the Central Valley between Sacramento and Lodi  Visit their website

Some of the last of the original Central Valley riparian habitat is preserved in this lovely area. Paddle through narrow, quiet tree lined channels. Otters and beavers are often seen along with Sand Hill Cranes and lots of other birds. This will be a slow paced paddle around 6 miles round trip. Lunch stop requires clamoring up a bank.

Trip Report: A beautiful day in the valley. A variety of boats and paddlers showed up for the tour de Cosumnes, visiting the confluence with the Mocolume, the big side slough, Bear Slough and the slipery take out at the Tall Trees, where we had lunch. There was an exciting little maneuver in Bear Slough where we tried to get around a little dam and go black berry thorns for our trouble. Not as many birds as we sometimes see be it was fun anyway.

Saturday, April 4, China Camp to McInnis and return
San Rafael

China Camp State Park in San Rafael is a great place for easy paddles into San Pablo Bay. This area is better protected from wind and waves than most parts of the Bay. We will launch from a beach. We will paddle north, past Rat Rock, and up Gallinas Creek to McInnis Park kayak dock where we will have lunch on picnic tables before paddling back to China Camp. Bring lunch and drinks. After lunch we will paddle back to China Camp.
 
Trip coordinator: Bob Skapura

Trip Report: An interesting trip all right. We headed to China Camp SP to find a marathon going on and the park closed. Bob brilliantly redirected everyone to Buck's Landing, which was full of bicyclers, but we managed to launch okay. We replanned our route, heading to Rat Rock, then to McInnis Park and finally back to Buck's. There was a steady breeze but it was coming from our side most of the way so not too bad. Pretty nice day on the water.

Sunday, April 19, Estero Americano
West Marin/Sonoma

This is one of the most beautiful paddling spots in the Bay Area. Paddle through pasture land, hills and wild marshes to a gorgeous little beach on the Pacific that can only be reached by small boat. Lunch on the beach - bring something to sit on. Optional dinner at fabulous Dinnunci's Italian Dinner after the paddl

Coordinators: Alan and Roberta Dunham 

Trip Report: The weather was overcast with high fog in which the sun only broke through for a moment. There were light head winds on the way to the beach which were welcomed on our return.

There were 3 canoes, 5 kayaks and 12 paddlers; a nice number. The group was composed of Marin Canoe and Kayak Club and the Meetup Canoe and Kayak Paddlers members.

The scenery was, as always, very beautiful as the fields were green with grazing cattle and sheep and the trees were all showing their spring foliage. The quantity of fowl observed was less than previous years, however we did see pelicans, egrets, sandpipers, black birds, mallards, hawks, cormorants and others. An otter was  spotted by one couple.

We had our favorite sheltered picnic area at the beach for lunch and conversation. The cliffs, rocks in the ocean and surf were all very dramatic plus there were numerous wildflowers and grasses on the beach, including a groundcover with beautiful pink flowers. As always, the drama of the paddle is extraordinary; starting from under the bridge, then winding thru the pastures and hills until turning the final bend and having the view of the sand dunes of the ocean and beyond open up.

As a finale, many of us stopped at Dinucci’s Italian Restaruant and shared stories over refreshments and a delicious family style Italian dinner.   - Alan and Roberta

 

Saturday, May 2, Tomales Bay
Nick's Cove 

Nick’s Cove (officially Miller Boat Launch) is a very popular four acre site on the east side of Tomales Bay, between the little towns of Tomales to the north and Marshall to the south. It provides good access to the northern part of Tomales Bay. It has a paved launch ramp. Depending on the weather (mostly wind), we could paddle across Tomales Bay and lunch on one of the beaches on the west side of the bay. Or we could paddle north or south on the east side of the bay. Bring lunch and drinks.

Organized by Bob Skapura.

Trip Report: We had 10 boats including Cliff's Hobie tri-hull outriger peddle powered sailing some kind of boat, which looked like a lot of fun as he zipped around the bay. We got off pretty much on time and paddled from Nick's Cove to White Gulch where some of us checked out the sea caves on the north side. Regrouping we headed south along the Pt Reyes shore for a couple of miles. We had lunch at Tomales Beach - we there the only ones there which is unusual. We had a picnic table to eat on. The wind was picking up as we crossed back to the east side of the bay, with enough wave action to be either fun or worrisome. It was a tail wind though so we were moving along.  The whole paddle was around 6 miles. Back at Nick's we had drinks and snacks at the restaurant and everyone said they'd had a good day on the water.

 

Saturday, May 2, Oakland Estuary/Arrowhead Marsh
 

Tidewater Boating Center, MLK Regional Shoreline  

4675 Tidewater Avenue, Oakland, CA   

Trip Report: Nice weather again. We launched from the great low dock at Tidewater Boating Center and headed south. When we reched the Arrowhead Marsh area we took our time watching the many birds in the area. Rounding the tip of the Arrowhead we crossed to the MLK Shoreline Park and had a nice lunch on the picknic tables there. We then paddled up the the bridge between Alameda and Bayfarm Islands before returning to Tidewater. A nice day on the water. 

Organized by Dave Fitzgerald

Saturday, June 7, Lake Solano and Putah Creek

Trip Report: The weather was perfect. This was the first day in three weeks that the wind was not blowing. There was only a slight current in Putah Creek and if anything, it was almost too warm. We were all on the water by 10:30am, so the kayak rentals did not not slow us down. We paddled west first, up to the fork where the water from Lake Berryessa gets very shallow. We then turned around and paddled east back past the put-in toward Lake Solano but then took a little side paddle into a slough. It got narrow and the branches and reeds made the paddling a little challenging. But it was beautiful and calm, and a number of people thought that it was the highlight of the whole paddle. We then paddled into Lake Solano looking for a place to beach. We were disappointed and could not find a place for 10-plus boats to put in, and where we could sit around and have lunch. So we paddled back to the original put-in, where we found picnic benches in the shade of some big old trees.  Organized by Bob Skapura

 ripReport:


Saturday, June 28, Loch Lomand Marina to McNear's Beach

17 paddlers made it to Loch Lomond for the paddle to McNear's Beach. The weather prediction was for 5-to-7 mph winds. As soon as we cleared the breakwater, we realized that the prediction was seriously wrong, at least at that part of the Bay. The strong winds, whitecaps, and the waves made paddling tricky and difficult. At the first mile, two paddlers in a canoe and one in a kayak turned back. Later one of the kayaks flipped, and although three boats quickly assisted her, she turned back because she was completely wet and the wind would be chilling. About halfway there, Ralph called a meeting on the water and explained how far we had yet to go and the wind would probably be worse after lunch. We voted to turn back. The waves were just as punishing on the return.

Afterward almost everyone drove to McNear Beach for the lunch we thought we’d have when paddling there. Only three miles from Loch Lomond, the water was calm and filled with paddle boarders and there was no wind. Nuts!

Organizer: Bob Skapura



Friday, June 26 thru Friday, July 3 Kidd Lake Campout 2015
Trip Report: The weather was especially nice this year, with daytime temperatures around 80 degrees most days and warm nights. We usually had a pleasant breeze, not much strong wind. We had a few minutes of very light rain on Sunday afternoon but it cleared up quickly. 
The lake was about the same level as last year, low, but there was plenty of water to swim and paddle around in. We were glad we got a week early in the season since the water level will go down. The water temperature was warmer than usual and the swimming was great. We had a beautiful moon all week and amazing, colorful sunsets. 
Otherwise, the kids ran around and climbed on rocks, the happy hours were fun (but we ate too much before dinner), and everyone put a lot of serious effort into relaxing; all the things that Kidd Lake has come to mean to us over the years. Steven brought an historic volleyball net that had been used at Kidd Lake for many years and we had a spirited game. The girl scouts were not in attendance next door so it was nice and quiet. 
The osprey nest, which we have watched for years, was active. We saw two mature birds tending the nest and exchanging places on it. 
We are not exactly sure when the club first camped at Kidd Lake but those who had been around the longest agreed that next year, 2016, could very well be the 50th anniversary.  
Importantly, we collected more than enough from camping fees to cover the $1300 it costs to reserve the campground. 

Organizer: Dee Simmons  
For a special set of Kidd Lake photos click here:  Photos


Sunday, July 19, Lake DelValle
5301 Arroyo Road, Livermore, CA

  • DelValle is a large lake nestled in the hills south of Livermore. Swimming is great here - we plan to paddle 2 or 3 miles to our favorate little cove, have lunch and get wet. 

    Organized by Enid Pollack.

    Trip Report: It was a lovely day yesterday at Lake Del Valle with pleasant temperatures and just a light breeze. We were expecting it to be hot but a cloud cover kept things really nice as we paddled up to the dam, then back to our favorite picnic spot. The water was high, clear and just right for swimming. We had four canoes and only one kayak starting out on this nice calm lake. Due to some confusion about the location of the launch site on the Meetup page Miguel and his friend Roberto didn't make the launch time and only caught up with us later in the paddle, just before lunch of course. 
    Some pictures are in our album:  MCKC 2015

Lake Hennessey Recreation Area. 
Sage Canyon Road, Rutherford, CA

  • Lake Hennessey offers a peaceful retreat for canoe and kayak enthusiasts. It is surrounded by an abundance of striking scenic views and rolling foothills. It’s the water source for the city of Napa, and a prohibition on large boat motors makes the lake a perfect quiet destination for flat-water kayaking and canoeing.Organized by Dave Fitzgerald  

  • Trip Report: We lucked out with a perfect summer day, just right temperature and just a light breeze. Lots of birds on the lake too, many with young. We paddled up Chilies Creek, under and around brush, till the water ended, then up to the other end of the lake for lunch. A very nice day and a nice group too.


    • Sunday, August 30, Foster City Lagoons and Canals

      Foster City Boat Park      899 Bounty Drive, Foster City, CA 

      This is an “urban” paddle. Foster City’s crown jewel is its beautiful Lagoon with its extensive water ways lined with beautiful houses and gardens. Since they have their own pumping station to keep the Bay water level constant, tides are not a factor.

      Meet at 9:30am, on the water by 10:00am. We will paddle to the far western end of the lagoon and then back - about 6 miles. For those who want a longer paddle, they can continue paddling east to the pumping station and then back to the launch, making it 8 miles.

      The launch shares parking with a dog park. With access from Bounty Drive, Boat Park is a 3.2 acre boat launching facility, including parking, picnic tables, and a lawn area.

      Parking and launch are free. You can drop your boat at the boat ramp and then find a parking space. There are restrooms near the launch. Bring lunch and drinks (and you can leave them in your vehicle), and we will use the picnic tables at the launch.

      If you get lost: Robert Skapura, (925) 933-4257

       

      The launch shares parking with a dog park. With access from Bounty Drive, Boat Park is a 3.2 acre boat launching facility, including parking, picnic tables, and a lawn area.

      Parking and launch are free. You can drop your boat at the boat ramp and then find a parking space. There are restrooms near the launch. Bring lunch and drinks (and you can leave them in your vehicle), and we will use the picnic tables at the launch.

      If you get lost: Robert Skapura, (925) 933-4257

       

       

       

      The launch shares parking with a dog park. With access from Bounty Drive, Boat Park is a 3.2 acre boat launching facility, including parking, picnic tables, and a lawn area.

      Parking and launch are free. You can drop your boat at the boat ramp and then find a parking space. There are restrooms near the launch. Bring lunch and drinks (and you can leave them in your vehicle), and we will use the picnic tables at the launch.

      If you get lost: Robert Skapura, (925) 933-4257




      September ?, San Francisco Waterfront

      Details coming soon

    • Parking and launch are free. You can drop your boat at the boat ramp and then find a parking space. There are restrooms near the launch. Bring lunch and drinks (and you can leave them in your vehicle), and we will use the picnic tables at the launch.

      If you get lost: Robert Skapura, (925) 933-4257

    • Saturday, October 17, Tomales Bay Oyster BBQ 
    • Launch site to be announced
    • A club tradition for many years, we paddle to a beach in Tomales Bay and have an oyster roast/potluck lunch. Its always fun. Bring food and drink to share and something to sit on.