WSK Meetings

WSK Meetings are held monthly, generally on the first Wednesday of each month from 7:00-9:00 pm. (In January, February and March 2012, meetings will start at 7:30 instead of 7:00) Meetings are open to members and non-members alike. We share ideas and experiences, talk about trips, learn about kayak related issues in our communities, discuss safety topics and listen to wonderful guest speakers. See below for more information on upcoming meetings.

Upcoming Meetings

• March 7 - we will hear from the US Coast Guard.
• April 4 - we will meet at the Presbyterian Church in Sunnyvale.

Meeting Location

Most meetings are held at the Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church, 728 West Fremont Avenue, Sunnyvale. Sometimes meetings are held at a local reservoir and usually the December meeting is replaced by a Holiday Party.

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Typically, light refreshments are provided at the meeting. For those wishing something more substantial, there are many nearby restaurants: at Fremont and Mary, Fremont and Sunnyvale Saratoga Rd, Hollenbeck/Stelling and Homestead or along El Camino Real.

The church facility is a large, multi-building campus. Normally, we will meet in Fellowship Hall in Building 300, near the southeast corner of the parking lot. See the campus map below for additional guidance.

Previous Meetings

• February 2012 - featured presentations by Jessie Raeder, Director of Paddle to the Sea, and Karen Carlson of NOAA on "Seabirds in our Sanctuaries".
• January 2012 - Itay Bahar talked about his trip to the Seychelles Islands
• December 2011 - Holiday Party
• November 2011 - featured presentations by Dick Ryon (Bay Access Sojourn) and Anders Landin (paddling the Lost Coast).
• October 2011 - featured a set of presentations by WSK members on local paddling spots.
• September 2011 - included Kim Grandfield describing his paddling adventures in Patagonia.
• August 2011 - featured Andy Walters recounting his kayak trips in the British Isles.
• July 2011 - was our annual WSK Picnic in Half Moon Bay with paddles and a potluck.
• June 2011 - was our annual "new paddlers" meeting with information about boats, gear, clothing, rentals, etc.
• May 2011 - featured Sean Morley talking about paddling the Channel Islands
• April 2011 - featured a presentation by Peter Donohue on his 10 day, 150 mile paddle down the Columbia Gorge to the Pacific Ocean.
• March 2011 - featured a pictorial retrospective of the year in WSK.
• February 2011 - Mai Maheigan talked about the work that the National Marine Sanctuary is doing to protect the seabirds and sharing with us ways in which kayakers can help to keep the colonies safe.
• January 2011 - we had a talk and video presentation by Kim Grandfield, Dick Ryon and Dick Lampman about their paddle through the scenic and wild Kenai Peninsula in Alaska.
• December 2010 - Holiday Party
• November 2010 - featured LaRhee Webster sharing her experience in paddling the Isle of Elba in northern Italy.
• October 2010 - featured Doug Connor talking about kayaking in Honduras.
• September 2010 - featured WSK member Doug McLean talking about paddling in the Channel Islands.
• August 2010 - featured kayaking author Roger Schumann talking about some of his paddles in South America.
• July 2010 - we had our annual WSK picnic at Parkside Aquatic Park in San Mateo.
• June 2010 - featured WSK member Dick Ryon talking about his six week kayaking trip to Glacier Bay.
• May 2010 - was our annual "new paddlers" meeting with information about boats, trips, gear, etc.
• April 2010 - featured videos, pictures and discussion of surf kayaking.
• March 2010 - Bryan Burhardt shared highlights from his recently completed paddling documentary and Jessie Raeder talked about the Tuolumne River Trust's Paddle to the Sea paddle-athon.
• February 2010 - Mai Maheigan and Sage Teajack talked about the work that the National Marine Sanctuary is doing to protect seabirds.
• January 2010 - was a social "Tips, Tricks and Tales" meeting.
• December 2009 - Holiday Party
• November 2009 - featured slides from WSK Members on their trip to the Queen Charlotte Islands last summer.
• October 2009 - Barbara Kossy talked about Bird Identification of Interest to Kayakers.
• September 2009 - we had a talk on Wood Kayak Construction Techniques presented by WSK boat builders.
• August 2009 - James Martin talked about his book, "Islands of San Francisco Bay."
• July 2009 - we had our annual WSK picnic at Erckenbrack Park on the Foster City Lagoon.
• June 2009 - featured a Bahamas Paddling Slide Show by Kim Grandfield and Steve Harrington and a discussion of paddling opportunities in Israel with Joshua Teitelbaum.
• May 2009 - we had our annual "new paddlers" meeting with information about boats, trips, gear, etc.
• April 2009 - we had a talk by Kenny Howell about the Molokai Challenge.
• March 2009 - we had a presentation on pre-paddle weather assessment by Andy Walters and Ray Carig.
• February 2009 - featured a presentation on the finer points of GPS usage by Cass Kalinski.
• January 2009 - featured a talk by Barb Lundhild about her Fjords of Ellesmere Expedition.
• December 2008 - Holiday Party
• November 2008 - featured a talk by (WSK Member) Anders Linden on his experience and lessons learned in saving a fisherman whose boat capsized near Pillar Point.
• October 2008 - we had a slide presentation by Kim Grandfield on Kayaking Greenland.
• September 2008 - we had a presentation about packing your boat for a week-long expedition and a discussion about night paddling.
• August 2008 - Al Painter from Integrate Fitness (http://www.integratefitness.com) talked about kayak-specific core training.
• July 2008 - We had our annual WSK Picnic at the Foster City Lagoon.
• June 2008 - Tamara Shear from Santa Clara County Parks discussed the current mussel issue, lake closures, boat inspections, and how this will all affect the kayaking community.
• May 2008 - We had our New Paddler Meeting featuring a variety of advice and support for new paddlers and people interested in joining WSK.
• April 2008 - We had a discussion of access issues and a report on the Surf Kayak Festival.
• March 2008 - We had a very informative talk on the history of Surf Kayaking and other related topics by Dennis Judson, the organizer of the Santa Cruz Kayak Surf Festival.
• February 2008 - This month featured a report on "Team Ocean", "Good Gear Gone Bad", and a screening of "Pacific Horizons".
• January 2008 - A social meeting including sharing and discussion of kayaking related New Year's resolutions.
• December 2007 - Holiday Party
• November 2007 - Our November meeting featured a slide show (set to music) of pictures taken by club members.
• October 2007 - Our October meeting was an Oktoberfest themed social meeting.
• September 2007 - Andy Walters spoke on "The many faces of the Colorado".
• August 2007 - Buck Johnson spoke on "what makes a good trip participant".
• July 2007 - We had our annual WSK picnic at Stevens Creek Reservoir.
• June 2007 - Mark Pastaic from Kayak Connection talked about Shared Adventures Day on the Beach.
• May 2007 - During our new paddler meeting, we provided a variety of information useful to new paddlers and people interested in joining WSK.
• April 2007 - The United States Coast Guard joined us to talk about safety, paddling in the San Francisco Bay and other interesting subjects.
• March 2007 - Mark Sponsler, Mavericks surf forecaster and surf forecaster for stormsurf.com talked about his passion for predicting surf.
• February 2007 - Lisa Emanuelson of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary talked about the Sanctuary and volunteer opportunities.
• January 2007 - Dick Ryon gave a very interesting presentation on his recent Channel Islands trip.
• December 2006 - Holiday Party
• November 2006 - Our guest speaker was Sara Polgar, NOAA Coastal Management Fellow 2005-2007 for the San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail Project. The water trail comprises a series of launching and landing sites for human powered and beachable watercraft. By linking and enhancing existing and planned access points, a water trail will be established that is suitable for an enjoyable boating experience on and near San Francisco Bay.
• October 2006 - This was primarily a social meeting starting off with a beer tasting in honor of Oktoberfest. Also discussed were upcoming elections and other club business.
• September 2006 - The guest speaker for the evening was Al Painter. Al is a certified trainer affiliated with the Los Altos Training Studio (http://www.loyolalats.com/). He specializes in joint pain elimination, functional fitness, weight loss and performance improvement. Al's talk included lots of audience participation. Thanks so much for an interesting presentation.