Announcements
These announcements are to keep members and friends informed of current
events. For details, maps and links please see the full listing on our Schedule page.
Next Meeting: Our next meeting is on August 15 at Captree State
Park at the kayak launch site on Captree Island. Paddlers Forum begins at 6:00 pm. We will be holding the drawing for our Summer Baseball
raffle for tickets to a September Metz game. Please bring your tickets with you to the meeting. Our
program is a paddle in the intertidal marshes north of Captree Island. There will be a social time after the meeting, location TBA.
Activities Schedule: Our Summer Schedule is posted and
contains three pages of summer activities, including a special addendum on local training.
Details of our activities along with links to maps, directions and flyers may be found on our
Schedule Page.
FW & AFW Skill Assessment: Level 1 & 2 Assessments are scheduled
for Saturdy, August 2 at Timber Point Park, Great River, New York starting at 3:00 pm. Candidates are
advised to arrive early as assessments start promptly. Please be prepared with all proper gear and
equipment. Those needing equipment or guidance on preparation and requirements should contact NACK
Training Chair - Elizabeth O'Connor at 631-563-6654 well in advance. ACA Skill Ratings are available
for a additional registration fee with advanced notice.
ACA Strokes and Maneuvers: This class is excellent preparation for
NACK Inner Coastal (Level 3) Skill Assessment. It is offered by Sea Kayaking Skills and Adventures.
Class runs from 9-am to 4-pm stating on August 3 at Sebonac Inlet, Tuckahoe, NY. Call 631-563-6654
for information and registration.
IC Skill Assessment: A Level 3 Assessment is scheduled
for Sunday, August 10 at Timber Point Park, Great River, NY. Start time will depend on the number of
candidates. Candidates are advised to arrive early as assessments start promptly. Please be prepared
with all proper gear and equipment. Those needing equipment or guidance on preparation and requirements
should contact NACK Training Chair - Elizabeth O'Connor at 631-563-6654 well in advance. An ACA Skill
Rating is available for a additional registration fee.
NACK Paddle: NACK will sponsor paddle for members with Inner
Coastal and higher rated skills. We will be crossing to Sunken Forest on August 15 leaving from Timber
Point Park, Great River, NY beginning at 10:00 am. Plan to bring a lunch and footwear appropriate for a
short hike through Sunken Forest to veiw the ocean. Call Gordon at 631-580-0719 for details and
registration.
NACK Demo Team: The NACK Demo Team will hold a practice session
on Tuesday, August 19 starting at 6:00 pm at Timber Point Park, Great River, NY. Team members should
all join us as we prepare for our demonstration at the LI Maritime Museum Seafood Festival on Saturday
and Sunday August 23 & 24. Call Dan at 631-981-0890 or Ann at 631-285-8782 to register.
Leadership Training: SKSA is offering a level 3 combo course,
"Navigation, Strokes and Maneuvers for the Trip Leader" on August 23 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. A
special rate is offered for NACK members interested in becomming leaders or merely working toward their
IC level assessment. Call Elizabeth at 631-463-6654 to register.
LI Maritime Museum Seafood Festival: This full day event is
scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, August 23 & 24. NACK is staffing an outreach booth and our Demo
Team is scheduled to perform both days. Come join us for some great food, interesting displays, and
help reach out to unaffiliated paddlers with our message on safe and responsible paddling. Call Tom
at 631-240-9957 to support this event.
Articles Posted: We have some new material on our Library page. Our roving reporter,
Sandy Noyes has started a series of articles based on his paddles near and far. A professional
photographer, avid birder and serious paddler, Sandy also has a flair for writing. These articles
make a nice resource if you are thinking of following in his wake.
Pictures Posted: Check out the great material on our Gallery page.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, here you will find many pictures and some good words as well.
Thanks to all who took pictures and forwarded copies and text to the Web Master!
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Congratulations and Thank You's
Shinnecock Bay Outreach & Paddle: This outreach training event
was led by our Director At Large, John Weickert on July 12. We put on a demonstration, lecture and led a paddle
for approximately 20 paddlers local to Shinnecock Bay. The event was a huge success. Thanks John!
Founders Day Barbeque: Also on July 12, our Director At-Large
graciously offered his summer home on Shinnecock Bay for our first-ever Founders Day Barbeque Dinner.
It was a wonderful time for all attending and lasted to the wee hours. After dinner President, Steve
McDonald presented the first-ever, NACK Honorary Life memberships to Elizabeth O'Connor and Gordon
Dayton in honor of three years of tireless effort and exemplary persistance in founding and building
our club. Congratulations Gordon and Elizabeth!
New Instructors: Congratulations to the following hard-working
members who have recently completed Instructor Development Workshops and Instructor Certification
Exams through the American Canoe Association and have received new, upgraded or updated certifications:
- Roy Baillard - Essentials of Kayak Touring Instructor (EKT-L2)
- Gordon Dayton - Open Water Coastal Kayak Instructor (OWCK-L4)
- Gordon Dayton - Essentials of Touring Canoe, Solo & Tandem Instructor (ETC-L2)
- Gordon Dayton - Essentials of River Canoe, Solo & Tandem Instructor Update (ERC-L2)
- Buddy Ficarelli - Introduction to Kayaking Instructor (IK-L1)
- Doug Ford - Coastal Kayak Instructor Update (CK-L3)
- Steve McDonald - Essentials of Kayak Touring Instructor (EKT-L2)
- Elizabeth O'Connor - Open Water Coastal Kayak Instructor Trainer (OWC-L4-IT)
- John Weickert - Essentials of Kayak Touring Instructor (EKT-L2)
New Trip Leaders: Based on the above new Instructor Certifications
in conjunction with Leadership training and mentoring through NACK the following mambers have been
awarded NACK Leadership Status or Status upgrades. Congratulations to the following members:
- Roy Baillard - NACK Advanced Flat Water Kayak (AFW-K) Trip Leader
- Gordon Dayton - NACK Open Water Coastal Kayak (OWC-K) Trip Leader
- Gordon Dayton - NACK Advance Flat Water Canoe (AFW-C) Trip Leader
- Steve McDonald - NACK Advanced Flat Water Kayak (AFW-K) Trip Leader
- Elizabeth O'Connor - NACK Advance Open Water Kayak (AOW-K) Trip Leader
- John Weickert - NACK Advance Flat Water Kayak (AFW-K) Trip Leader
NYS Paddlecraft Safety Check: Our thanks to all NACK members
who participated in and supplied support for this, the first event of it's kind in our state. Its
timing was set at the beginning of National Safe Boating Week. Special recognition goes to our
own Elizabeth O'Connor who organized and managed this event with the support of the New York State
Department of Parks, the NYS Office of Boating Safety and the US Coast Guard Auxilliary. Our Demo
Team put on a fine show under the leadership of Dan Troup. Thanks again to all involved!
Heckscher Spring Festival: Special thanks to those hearty
souls who manned the outreach booth on this dreary weekend. We met some wonderful participants,
supplied some needed public awareness education and hopefully reached some prospective members.
L.I. Paddle Sport Symposium: The 5th Annual Public Symposium, organized by
Elizabeth O'Connor with support from Sea Kayaking Skills and Adventures, the US Coast Guard,
NYS Office of Parks & Recreation - Marine Services Unit, NACK and Dowling College was a
resounding success again this year. The new location at Dowling College was absolutely
beautiful and attendance exceptional with a high level of interest and good energy. Thanks
to all our members who helped at our booth, supported the symposium, made presentations and
braved the heavy winds at the on-water demonstrations for this worth cause!
Wilderness First Aid: NACK recognizes dedicated members Cliff, Elizabeth, Gordon, Ivan, Lesley,
Mike, Mike, and Steve, who received certification this month through SOLO in WFA and American Heart
Association CPR. This training can make a critical difference if help is not immediate at an on-water
location!
Holiday & Awards Dinner: Our thanks to Barb for her organization
of this fine social and to Steve for organizing the Awards committee decisions. Congratulations to Ivan
for receiving the Training Award, to John for the Most Valuable Paddler Award and to Roy for the
President's Award; well done all! Thanks also to Elizabeth for providing updated skill certificates to
all assessed members! And thank you all for attending and making the dinner a success.
L.I. Recreational Fishing Show: This year's show, hosted by the Montauk
Surfcasters Association, was held at Farmingdale University in Roosevelt Hall on January
26 & 27. Our NACK booth saw many of the 1500 attendees and welcomed some serious potential
members. Thanks to Tom for organization and to Elizabeth, Steve, Pete, George and Cliff for
staffing our booth.
Winter Raffle: Our Winter Hockey Raffle
is complete. Congratulations to Cliff for selling the winning ticket. Thanks also to John for
donating the seats and helping us improve our Training Fund by over 30%.
NACK Honored by ACA: We are pleased to announce that NACK has been awarded the ACA Stroke
of Achievement Award for excellence in program development. This is one of ACA's highest awards and
was presented to NACK at the ACA Annual Meeting on November 4, 2006. Please turn to our
Articles section for details on this prestigous honor!
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