The following newsletter was emailed to all members June 13 2017
The spring has gotten off to a great start, and it’s great to see so many of you on the water!
We are already at 1252 members. This is ahead of last year. With this many members we are interested to know how frequently there are no boats available when you go. Please send your feedback to president@saskatooncanoeclub.org
Upcoming dates
June 17 Mayor’s Paddle Palooza is a family friendly day of paddling ending at Rotary Park. There are three different lengths you can select from. Donations from this event will go to Meewasin to help keep their canoe launches upstream of the city open for the season.
https://raceroster.com/events/2017/13018/mayors-paddle-palooza-2017
There will be no club-sanctioned Paddle Palooza trip due to the lack of anyone volunteering to lead the trip. Club members may still take out a boat and paddle up to meet the group, but cannot take a boat by vehicle to a launch point of the Paddle Palooza and cannot leave any boat unattended.
June 25 It’s Not Just Water Under the Bridge
In partnership with the other clubs in Victoria Park, the SCC wants to show the City of Saskatoon and the general public just how special the river in Saskatoon is for human-powered activities of all kinds. The City’s plans for a motorized boat launch in Victoria Park directly threaten the safety of these activities. Starting at 1 p.m., we want to have as many canoes, kayaks, rowing shells, and stand-up paddleboards on the water in front of the boathouse as possible. Details will be announced soon. Let’s get every SCC boat onto the water at one time!
July 1, 2017 Canada Day - Berry Barn to Saskatoon Day Trip
Starting your day at 8 AM, paddle downstream on Canada’s 150th Celebration. The trip is expected to take 4-6 hours depending on water speed and the pace we travel. This is a great opportunity to enjoy our unique part of ‘The Great Trail’ - Chief Whitecap Waterway.
Bring your own food and water supplies, SCC will take care of the rest. A fee of $5 per adult for use of the club equipment applies to this trip.
Email Eithan at recreation@saskatooncanoeclub.org if you’re interested in joining us!
July 13 - 15, 2017 Saskatoon River Rendezvous 150 is a celebration of the South Saskatchewan River, a Canadian Heritage River that flows through Saskatoon. The three-day River Festival is an exciting combination of on-river heritage activities and competitions combined with creative interpretations of the river through the arts. Throughout the River Festival there will be public education and awareness of the beauty and importance of the river. More details can be found here.
Marathon News
First off, a big thank you to all the veteran marathoners who are helping mentor and coach our new paddlers. Your help is very appreciated! We have a keen group this year and are getting an average of ten boats on the water every Wednesday night. It’s great to see new and returning paddlers improving each week, and helping each other out is what we are all about.
The Wednesday night Points Series Races are ramping up! They will be getting a little longer and more varied as the season goes on, and the fight is ON for top 3. Keep your eye on the results page here http://sccmarathon.weebly.com/wed-night-points-races.html.
And… it’s finally race season! Even if you are new to Marathon, you are welcome to try racing. If you have any questions about it please don’t hesitate to contact the Marathon Director. Here is a list of upcoming local races:
June 17: Lumsden Race, Craven SK
July 15: Cranberry Punch, Saskatoon SK
July 16: Eb’s Classic, Saskatoon SK
Aug 5-7: Marathon Nationals, Sudbury ON
Aug 18-20: The Pas Races, The Pas MB
Sept 9: Rec & Rookie Race, Saskatoon SK
For more information, please check out our events calendar:
http://sccmarathon.weebly.com/calendar--events.html
Finally, if you have any questions or concerns about what we do as a club, please contact me. I am always open to questions, feedback and suggestions. This is your club and my goal is for everyone to have a positive experience with marathon paddling.
Edith MacHattie, SCC Marathon Director
marathon@saskatooncanoeclub.org
Group Paddle Reminder
Don’t forget about the group paddles. They are a great way to meet other club members and learn from each other. If you don’t have a partner you can be paired up with someone else. The recreation division group paddles are Thursday at 6:30pm. The marathon division meets Wednesday at 6:30pm and Sunday at 10:00am. For more info email the division directors. Eithan recreation@saskatooncanoeclub.org or Edith marathon@saskatooncanoeclub.org
Parking Lot Closed
The three parking lots in Victoria park will be closed June 17 from 8-11am to accommodate the Brainsport Kids Of Steel Triathlon. Our facilities will remain open for member use.
Washing Kayaks
When washing kayaks the inside only needs to be hosed down if it is significantly dirty. For minor dirt inside the kayak we would prefer that you use a wet sponge instead so that the seats stay dry. The outside should always be given a thorough washing.
Please be aware of others wanting to use the hose, and be as efficient as possible so they are not kept waiting too long.
Equipment Maintenance
If you have an accident or notice something that needs repair please email equipment@saskatooncanoeclub.org We are more interested in getting the equipment fixed than assigning blame.
High Water Levels
The river may rise when the mountain runoff reaches town, so keep an eye on the levels and don’t paddle if you are unsure. Please stay off the river if the flow exceeds 800 m³/s. You can check river levels here:
New Discount
The Saskatoon Racing Canoe Club is now offering our members 50% off their “Learn To” programs. http://www.saskatoonracingcanoeclub.com/pages/programs.html
Kayak Sale
Our club is replacing three kayaks this month. It is club policy to give members advanced notice of sale of any boats being sold. Advertisements will be posted on Kijiji at noon on Friday and sale will be first come first served. For info email kayak@saskatooncanoeclub.org
Meewasin Reopens Canoe Launches
The Meewasin Valley Authority has decided to reopen the Fred Heal, Poplar Bluffs, and Paradise Beach canoe launches upstream of Saskatoon that it had closed earlier this year. Anyone interested in helping take care of these sites should visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/760895960757922/.
Update on Motorized Boat Launch
The City of Saskatoon continues to refuse to release the report from its $22,000+ River Access Study. What we do know is that the report identifies Victoria Park as “the most suitable location” for a motorized boat launch, in the area of the river that is currently a “no power boat zone.” On May 23rd, the SCC, the Saskatoon Rowing Club, and the Saskatoon Racing Canoe Club issued a joint press release to draw the public’s attention to the City’s mishandling of this issue. Most of the major local news outlets picked up the story. We have started a petition requesting the City to release the River Access Study report and conduct a proper evaluation of where to locate the motorized boat launch. A hard copy of the petition is available next to the hose reel in the boathouse and an electronic version is at https://www.change.org/p/city-of-saskatoon-river-user-s-safety-on-the-south-saskatchewan-river Follow https://www.facebook.com/paddlesafesaskatoon/ to keep up to date on all things related to the motorized boat launch.
Volunteers Needed for Inventory
An inventory of paddling safety equipment will be done this coming Monday evening (June 19) to take stock of what should be replaced and updated. If you wish to help, please contact kayak@saskatooncanoeclub.org
Volunteers Needed for River Rendezvous 150
The first annual Saskatoon River Festival is looking for volunteers to assist with various programming on Thursday, Friday and Saturday July 13 -15th.
You could help with the BBQ on Thursday, assist as attendants at the arts-related events throughout the 3 day event including the concerts and dance performance at River Landing, the educational display area or at the late night River Café at the Shakespeare tent. We may also need someone with a motor boat operator licence to assist with laying out the race course for the voyageur canoe sprint races on July 13 afternoon.
For further information and to volunteer please contact Jack Walton by June 25: jrjwalton@gmail.com
