January 2025 HCKC Newsletter

BOAT, SPORT & TRAVEL SHOW

Greetings Fellow Hoosier Canoe and Kayak Club Members!

The 70th Annual Indianapolis Boat Sport & Travel Show will be from February 14th through 23rd this year.  The HCKC will be hosting a large booth this year - showcasing the entire club!  We will have boats representing every fleet including educational areas featuring safe paddling practices and the benefits of being a member of our multi-faceted club.  If you are a member in good standing and want to be a part of this event, we need volunteers to man the booth and talk paddling to anyone that come up and wants to learn more.  Dwayne James has stepped up to be our volunteer 'wrangler' and will be organizing the volunteers.  Dwayne's phone number is 317.956.7691 - give him a call!  Our volunteers get free admission to the entire show for the day for free as well as free parking!

So...my question for you is would you like to come spend 4 hours with other club members to talk paddling with people and see some amazing stuff?  Its always fun to meet new people and talk about what we love...we hope to see you there!

Many thanks,

John Gates

Hoosier Canoe and Kayak Club

UPCOMING TRIPS & EVENTS

SUGAR CREEK ICE FALLS TRIP    FEB. 15

This trip on Sugar Creek goes from Deers Mill Covered Bridge at the East edge of Shades State Park to the Narrows Bridge at Turkey Run State Park. A very pretty paddle, but very dependent on weather and flow conditions.  Please check out the requirements on the website, and register if you wish to attend.  The trip may need to be cancelled and rescheduled if conditions are unfavorable.

HCKC SK  2025 Spring Trip North Carolina       April 11-19

Trip Level: L3

Trip Sponsors: Jim Heichelbech & Linda Decker

Location: Camping at Cedar Point Campground in the Croatan Coastal National Forest (Recreation.gov) Discounts with Senior Pass  Campsites may become difficult to reserve. It is recommended that you reserve a site asap if you are considering participating.

Itinerary:

Friday April 11                      Arrive and set up camp

Saturday April 12- Thursday 17      Paddling destinations based on conditions

Friday April 18                   Depart

Trip Level: Level 3 

Training: On this trip we will work with interested participants on skills related to tides and currents for our daily paddles, navigation and using Marine Radios/PLB for communications

Equipment Requirements:

15’ or greater Kayak with bulkheads, Sprayskirt. PFD

We are looking forward to returning to this coastal area. This is a excellent campground and a fun area to explore. The campground is at the junction of the White Oak River and Bogue Sound, near the North Carolina Crystal Coast.

Nearby Beaufort Inlet has many paddling destinations and is rich in history. We plan to paddle to a few of our favorite destinations like Bear Island that has an amazing beach and Carrot Island to catch a glimpse of the wild horses. We hope to adventure to Cape Lookout Lighthouse, Ft. Macon and other islands in the area. There is great nearby hiking and bike riding on Emerald Isle.  

Please register on the HCKC Site

Linda Decker lsdecker2018@gmail.com

POOL SESSIONS AT THATCHER PARK

Thatcher Park Pool 4649 W Vermont St, Indianapolis, IN 46222

HCKC Pool sessions at Thatcher are organized to allow HCKC members and guests to learn and practice paddling skills in a safe environment with other paddlers, some of which are ACA certified instructors but we all try to help each other get better and safer for when we venture out to the water!  

Pool sessions will be Saturday mornings 10:00 - 12:00 through the remainder of January and February (at least).  Sometime later the sessions switch to Wednesday evenings so as to leave weekends open for trips.

Participants must sign in each session and pay $10.00 per individual or $15 per family per session to cover pool rental.

Please check out more information on the website.

WE JUST HAD OUR ANNUAL TRIP PLANNING MEETING AND SHOULD BE POPULATING OUR CALENDAR SOON.  WATCH THE WEBSITE FOR TRIPS TO APPEAR.  ALSO, THERE WILL HOPEFULLY BE SEVERAL MORE TRIPS ADDED THROUGH THE YEAR.  THE CANOE AND KAYAK FLEET IN PARTICULAR HOPES TO ADD SHORT NOTICE TRIPS WHEN CONDITIONS ARE GOING TO BE FAVORABLE FOR STREAMS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO FORECAST FAR IN ADVANCE.

FROM THE SKIPPER

NOTES FROM THE SKIPPER   JANUARY 2025

Greetings Fellow Paddlers:    Let’s not lose hope that our frozen rivers &

lakes will thaw to make way for a stellar paddling season. As skipper, I

can’t promise an early Spring but, I can forecast a robust calendar of

paddling trips and events for all sections of our club: 25 enthusiastic HCKC

members participated in our recent Trip Planning Meeting, creating paddle

trips and events that may eclipse our previous year.

LET’S GET READY!

Here are some important things we can do in preparation for the 2025

paddling season:

• ·         Inspect gear and safety equipment
• ·         Research and plan paddling trips
• ·         Watch online paddling training
• ·         Work on fitness goals
• ·         Work on that roll at the pool sessions
• ·         Volunteer to work on HCKC initiatives

Hoosier Canoe and Kayak Club serves many members in a wide variety of paddlesport activities. Committees have been established and tasked with areas of focus for 2025. If you are interested in working on one of these committees, please contact the chairperson for that committee or  lsdecker2018@gmail.com  

We would love to have your participation and input!!

TRAINING & SAFETY COMMITTEE Chairperson: Duane Garloch

Members: HCKC Trainers

• Support recruitment of new instructors and development of current instructors for moving, flat and coastal water paddling.
• Continue to offer a variety of training opportunities and educational resources

HCKC EVENTS COMMITTEE  Chairperson Mariann Davis

• Plan club-wide events that bring members together. This may include the Annual Planning Meeting, Picnic Demo Day, The Annual Meeting, or Club-wide paddles.  

TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE  Chairperson Jan Rugaber

Update the website and make it easier to use

Implement electronic waivers

Determine the best use of social media for club communications

TRIP PLANNING COMMITTEE Chairperson Kyle Wills

Members: Fleet Chairpersons

Work with all three fleets to offer a wide variety of paddling opportunities for all skill levels

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE Chairperson Dave Ellis

                Recruit new members and welcome them into HCKC

I’m looking forward to working with all of you on HCKC initiatives, welcoming new members into our club, providing training and enjoying time on the water.

Linda Decker 2025 HCKC Skipper

TRIP REPORT

HCKC Seakayak Trip Apostle Islands National Lakeshore   August 3-10, 2025

Sponsor: Linda Decker

Leads: David Nord, Jim Heichelbech and Andy Thieneman

Ten HCKC paddlers gathered at Little Sand Bay on Lake Superior. The group base camped at Little Sand Bay for three nights. Day paddles included the Mainland Sea Caves and an out and back trip to the Sand Island sea caves. The weather was sunny and mild and we had a grand time exploring and paddling through various caves.

On Monday morning we headed out for South Manitou for our first night camping on the islands. Originally, we planned to camp on Oak Island but, it was closed by the park service due to bear problems. Manitou was the only choice. Conditions were challenging but our tired group made it to our first site safely.

Tuesday morning we headed to Rocky, planning to use our campsite there as a basecamp for a paddle to Devils Island sea caves the next day. After checking the weather , Thursday looked like a better day for the 15+mile round trip to the seacaves so, we circumnavigated Rocky and made a visit to South Twin Is.

Thursday morning weather check revealed a change in the earlier forecast and a storm system was predicted to move into the area later in the day and remain for several days. The group decided that the safest plan would be to paddle 14miles back into Sand Bay, rather than to go to Devils and risk getting weatherbound at Rocky for several days. The forecast proved to be accurate as conditions were building as we made our last crossing back to Little Sand Bay.

For more pictures, check out the Sea Kayak Forum on the HCKC website.

SAFETY NOTE

Apple iPhone as a Satellite phone - contributed by David Nord

I also have friends that carry an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon).

If you do not have either of these, or need an alternative communication method, you may be able to use your iPhone.

If you have an iPhone 14 or newer you have the option to call for help via satellite even when you do not have cellular service.

Here is a summary of how to use Emergency SOS via satellite on an iPhone:

1. Open Control Center by swiping down from the top right corner of your iPhone
2. Tap the Cellular button (on my iPhone it is the antenna icon) You can also find Emergency SOS within your settings.
3. Tap Satellite
4. Select Emergency SOS via satellite
5. Step someplace outside with a clear view of the sky and follow the on-screen instructions
6. Let your phone guide you on which way to turn to find the satellite
7. When you're connected, answer the emergency questions

There are other helpful pre-sets that you can do to make this process easier for you AND more efficient for medical responders.  

Of note, you can setup a personal Medical ID in the Apple health app that includes identifying emergency contacts.

Visit the link below for more instructions on how to set up your iPhone AND to test the satellite emergency feature:

 https://support.apple.com/en-us/101573

Happy Paddling!

David Nord

CANOECOPIA 2025

This year's Canoecopia will be held March 7-9.  This paddlesports trade show has a lot to offer, and one of HCKC's own, Lisa Yoder, will be presenting: How To Find People To Kayak With.  Please use the button below for more information on this non-HCKC event.

Get the Wild Apricot App

If you want to quickly look at HCKC Events that are scheduled, trip details, who is registered for the trip, find HCKC members or update your profile, this App is a handy tool to add to your mobile device.

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