PFD's (life jackets) must be worn and zipped up on all CT AMC Flatwater/Coastal Paddling trips.

June 1, 2008 (Sun)

Menunketesuck River. A 3-hour morning paddle in a delightful coastal marsh in Westbook/Clinton. Contact Leader for launch time and directions. Canoes welcome. Drysuit or wetsuit suggested for anyone not liking cold water. Leader: Jean Trapani , 203-606-9459 (best time to call: before 9 pm) flatwater@ct-amc.org

June 7, 2008 (Sat)

CT River Creeks, Hadlyme.A part of National Trails Day. Paddle CT River to Whalebone & Seldon Creeks. Rain cancels. Open water experience necessary. Meet at ferry landing on EAST side of river. Contact Leader for launch time. There will be two sections to this trip. One section will return to the put-in in the afternoon. Leader: Barry Gorfain 860-739-6622. Co-Leader: Robert White, 203-453-3727 (robertswhite @ comcast.net)

June 7-8, 2008 (Sat-Sun)

CT River Creeks, Hadlyme. Overnight Camping. A part of National Trails Day Paddle. CT River to Whalebone & Seldon Creeks. Rain cancels. Open water experience necessary. Meet at ferry landing on EAST side of river. Contact Leader for launch time. Open water experience required. There will be two sections to this trip. The second section will camp overnight on Seldon Island. The leader will provide dinner and breakfast. Cost will be shared. Leader: Robert White, 203-453-3727 (robertswhite @ comcast.net). Registration is required for the overnight trip.

June 14, 2008 (Sat)

Beginners Paddle on Saugatuck River - A part of the Connecticut Water Trails Day and also for the Nature Conservancy’s Saugatuck River Watershed effort Beginners paddle on lovely coastal river in Westport at a leisurely pace. Meet at public boat launch ramp under I-95, contact leader for time and directions. Leader: Jean Trapani 203-606-9459 (best time to call: before 9 pm) flatwater@ct-amc.org

June 15, 2008 (Sun)

Charles E. Wheeler State Wildlife Area, Milford. Peaceful 4-hour paddle through quiet salt marsh away from the buzz and wakes of powerboats on the Housatonic River. Registration required by Thurs. June 12. Trip size limited. Some paddling experience required. Leader will e-mail all trip details, including starting time and meeting place. RSVP sooner, rather than later. RSVPing does not obligate you to come if your plans change, but do let the leader know if you can't make it, so he can open the trip to someone else. L: Tom Ebersold, bikehikekayak123@sbcglobal.net

June 15, 2008 (Sun)

Mystic River, Sea Kayak Trip Level II. We will paddle the Mystic River out to Mason Island. Total length of 5-6 miles. At the Mystic Seaport, there will be a sea music festival and we can listen in. We will offer a pre-launch safety drill. Anyone who has not paddled in a CT-AMC sea kayak trip must attend the safety drill and do a wet exit. Please review skill level and required equipment at http://www.ct-amc.org/flatwater/SeaKayakGuidelines.htm#A. If you have participated in a CT AMC sea kayak trip, you may e-mail the leader to register. Call leader if this is your first trip. Leader:Robert White (robertswhite@comcast.net or 203-453-727). Co-Leader: Barry Gorfain. 860-739-6622. Registration is required for this trip.

June 29, 2008 (Sun)

Lake Lillinonah, Newtown, and the Shepaug River, Bridgewater. Meet at 10 a.m. at Pond Brook Boat Launch Ramp, 160 Hanover Rd, Newtown, for an expected launch by 10:20 a.m. Moderately paced 5 hour paddle in the quieter end of Lake Lillinonah with an excursion up the Shepaug River to Roxbury Falls. PFD required. You must provide your own boat. The leader does not have any loaners, nor does he have any information on rentals. Contact a shop that sells kayaks to see if they rent them. Bring lunch, snacks, and water. Directions: I-84 Exit 10 to Route 6 West for 0.6 miles. Right onto The Boulevard (becomes Hanover Rd.) and travel for 3.4 miles. The launch is on the right. You do not need to register for this trip. Rain cancels, so contact the leader if the weather looks threatening. L: Tom Ebersold, bikehikekayak123@sbcglobal.net

July 6, 2008 (Sun)

Paddle with the Norwalk River Watershed Association - Norwalk River 9:30 am to noon. Urban Discovery Tour of Norwalk River and Harbor with the Norwalk River Watershed Association. Contact Jean Trapani, 203-221-7439 flatwater@ct-amc.org to register. Registration is required for this trip.

July 12-13, 2008 (Sat-Sun)

Norwalk Islands, Sea Kayak Level III, Norwalk, Overnight Camping. We will paddle from Westport to the Norwalk Islands and camp overnight. 4-5 mile paddle in each direction. There will be time to paddle around the islands, swim or relax. The leader will provide dinner and breakfast. Cost will be shared. We will offer a pre-launch safety drill. Anyone who has not paddled in a CT AMC sea kayak trip must attend the safety drill & do a wet exit. Please review skill level and required equipment at http://www.ct-amc.org/flatwater/SeaKayakGuidelines.htm#A. Leader: Robert White. 203-453-3727. robertswhite@comcast.net. Co-Leader: Jean Trapani. 203-221-7439. flatwater@ct-amc.org. Registration is required for this trip.

July 19, 2008 (Sat)

Farm River State Park Paddle.Paddle a hidden gem in Connecticut's newest State Park Farm River State Park near the East Haven/Branford town line. Flatwater estuary paddle in a vast tidal marsh. Meet 9:30am at the gate at 41 Mansfield Grove Road, E.Haven, south off Rte142, Short Beach Rd. PFD (lifejacket), whistle & paddle float required. Heavy rain, lightning/thunder, high winds (>15 knots) cancels. No dogs. Paddlers under 18 only with parent or guardian. If in doubt, call leader the night before.

Leader: Bruce Ross 203-378-9780 Bruce2sail@aol.com Registration is not required for this trip. However, you may wish to contact us if you have any questions.

July 27, 2008

Place: TBA. Have some fun practicing your canoe skills! Leader is an ACA certified canoe instructor. More details from leader and closer to the event. Leader: Barry Gorfain. 860-739-6622.

Sat, August 2- Fri, August 9, 2008

Wilderness Canoe Camping 7 day canoe camping in Reserve La Verendrye, an interchapter trip, 170 miles northwest of Montreal. Start with 5 day wildness canoeing, lake to lake, moderate pace with short portages. There will be plenty of time to relax in camp, swim, look for loons and ravens. We will finish the trip with 2 nights in a fully equipped cabin. We plan to offer gourmet camp meals. Rental canoes available. Shared cost will include food and supplies, camping fees, cabin rental. Call or email for detailed information. Contact Leader Robert White at robertswhite@comcast.net or 203-453-3727. Co-leader Jean Trapani.

August 17, 2008 (Sun)

Place: TBA. Have fun practicing various skills with your kayak! Beginners welcome. Contact leader closer to the event date for details. Leader: Jean Trapani. 203-221-7439. flatwater@ct-amc.org.

September 7, 2008 (Sun)

Thimble Islands, Sea Kayak Level II, Branford, CT. We will paddle into the Thimble Islands and explore some of the coves. Total length 8-10 miles. We will offer a pre-launch safety drill. Anyone who has not paddled in a CT AMC sea kayak trip must attend the safety drill & do a wet exit. Please review skill level and required equipment at http://www.ct-amc.org/flatwater/SeaKayakGuidelines.htm#A. If you have participated in a CT AMC sea kayak trip, you may e-mail the leader to register. Call leader if this is your first trip. Leader: Robert White. 203-453-3727. robertswhite@comcast.net. Co-Leader: Barry Gorfain, 860-739-6622 Co-Leader: Jean Trapani. 203-221-7439. flatwater@ct-amc.org. Registration is required for this trip.

Completed trips

CT AMC Flatwater Pool Sessions 2008!

These sessions are for anyone who wants to learn or practice the basics of kayaking, Eskimo rolling, bracing, self rescue or just keep the rust off their paddling skills. Everyone is welcome! We encourage you to join AMC but membership is not required.

Two kinds of activity will be held in the pool at the same time. One activity is an informal group participation event where we share what we know with other paddlers. This has been our format for the last few years. A second activity, formal lessons with an ACA certified Sea Kayak instructor, is being offered through AMC and the fee structure is more. Michele Sorensen of Kayak-Adventure.net will be offering formal lessons at some sessions which must be arranged with her separately at 203-852-7295, kayak-adventure@earthlink.net ahead of time.

Sunday mornings Jan. 6, 13, 20, 27
Feb. 3, 10, 24 (no meeting on the 17th)
March 2, 9
YWCA of Greenwich, 259 East Putnam Ave.
Greenwich, CT
http://ywcagreenwich.org

Be there at 8:45 am to sign waiver form. Door opens at 9:00 am. In-water time is 9:00 - 11:30 am. Pool deck must be clear by noon of boats & gear. Use of facility includes showers & locker rooms. Per session fee of $20.00 per person for the group participation event charged to cover pool rental. Anyone arriving AFTER 9:00 am will be charged an additional $5.00.

Please contact Jean Trapani 203-221-7439 or 203-606-9459 or flatwater@ct-amc.org if you are interested in attending or for cancellation info due to inclement weather. We are limiting the number of boats in the pool to about 20. First come, first served. You can still WATCH for free on the pool deck. Watching has always been free.

Please bring your own boat, PFD, paddle & gear Everything must be CLEAN! Use parking lot in back of the building.

Pool rules:
• Clean Stuff! All boats must be washed just before getting into the pool, so even if your boat was in the pool and no where else the previous week, you should rinse it off before each session. Bring a small bucket and a rag! The Y has a hose but we must use it sparingly, too much water on the grounds could hurt the landscaping.
• Cover your head! All paddlers must wear bathing caps. Swimmers do! Hair clogs the filters which makes us unwelcome. Neoprene hoods are also fine!
• Cover the sharp stuff! If your boat has a rudder, it must be covered with padding so the blade will not hurt someone else or the pool. The plastic "noodles" in sports stores cut to fit and lashed on to the rudder with string do nicely. Used, clean tennis balls are good for capping any very pointy bows or sterns.
• Be very careful with carbon paddles, do not let them hit the sides or bottom of pool. The Y staff has spent too many hours scrubbing black marks off the pool bottom & sides.
• Leave no trace of mud & grit on the pool deck, it's yucky. Take off your street shoes after you enter the building. Use the benches on the left.
YWCA of Greenwich

Driving Directions
From Merritt Parkway South bound
Exit 31 North Street. Turn right onto North Street. Follow to the end, approximately four miles and turn left. Go to traffic light and turn left onto Putnam Avenue, also called US 1 or the Post Road. YWCA is 1/8 mile on the left just beyond the Junior League building on the left side of the road and across from Christ Church on the right.

From Merritt Parkway North bound
Exit 31 North Street. Turn left onto North Street. Follow to the end, approximately two miles and turn left. Go to traffic light and turn left onto Putnam Avenue, also called US 1 or the Post Road, YWCA is 1/8 mile on the left just beyond the Junior League building on the left side of the road and across from Christ Church on the right.

From I-95 North bound
Exit 4, Indian Field Road. Turn left onto Indian Field Road, cross over I-95 and at second light turn left onto Putnam Avenue, also called US 1 or the Post Road. Go straight for three traffic lights, top of hill with Old Church Road on right. Temple Sholom and Christ Church on left. YWCA is the first driveway on your right.

I-95 South bound
Exit 4, Indian Field Road. Turn right onto Indian Field Road, and at first light turn left onto Putnam Avenue, also called US 1 or the Post Road. Go straight for three traffic lights, top of hill with Old Church Road on right. Temple Sholom and Christ Church on left. YWCA is the first driveway on your right.