Coming Soon To SC&K

Little Tybee Paddlers Beach Sweep - Sunday, July 15 In conjunction with Clean Coast.org.. We will be meeting at Alley #3 for a 9am departure to Myrtle and Buck Beach. Picking up all that blots the L.T. landscape, we'll throw everything in the Clean coast skiff for quick and easy removal. Find the Wassawsaurus and you'll win a gift certificate for a kayak class. We will be supplying 10 free cockpits for those that do not have kayaks. Call to reserve a space if you need it.

Whitewater Weekend to Bryson City - August 10-12 We'll be loading up the van and heading for the hills in August for a weekend of whitewater skills and river running. We hope to hit Bryson City for some instructional based freestyle and river running techniques with ace boater Jason McClure and friends on the Nantahala River. We may also be taking a tour of the famous Pyranha HQ and meeting with legendary kayak entrepeneur Jim Hager. The all inclusive weekend will include transport, accommodation, equipment and guides.

Tybee Kayak Races - Saturday, September 15. Moved back to September to coincide with the Ocean Exchange gathering, in it's 14th year this ever popular and classic kayak event will not want to be missed. With the addition of new racing regulations and the inclusion of the stand up paddling community, large crowds of brah's, dudes and the regular tybee paddler low life are expected.

Gear Swap and Flea Market - Saturday, September 29. In the parking lot of the SC+K headquarters we'll once again be rolling out the tables and ground cloths to sell our used and unused kayaks and outdoor gear. We want you to bring all your outdoorsy crap also. With the addition of live music, doughnuts and plenty of paddlers paraphenalia, this year's sale will be memorable.

4th Annual Tybee Island Paddle Surf Jam - Oct 20.Yes, it is happening for one more year. It's fun, it's fresh, and it's our opportunity to give away a kayak to a deserving member of the paddle surfing fraternity. A new category this year will be added...'Open Canoe'.

Skin on Frame Boat Building Workshop - Nov 3-10. West coast boat builder extraordinaire Brian Schultz will be lending his expertise and guidance for 6.5 days. At the end of this time you will own your own traditional style kayak, weighing in at a mere 25lbs, and a skinny stick paddle. Not only will you have made your own kayak, but you will also gain a greater understanding into the roots of paddling.

Hello It's Yellow

If it's yellow, it's on sale.

Kayaks, paddles, and accessories will be anywhere from 10-20% off until the end of the month.

Next Sunday - Beach Sweep

In conjunction with cleancoast.org there will be a clean up session on Little Tybee.
Launching at 9am from Alley 3 we will head to Myrtle and Buck Beach, the heaviest used parts of Little Tybee. There is also a chance to win a gift certificate if you come across the Wassawsaurus, as pictured in our flyer. We should be done by 12 noon. We have ten free cockpits if anyone needs them. Just call the shop to reserve your spot.

American Canoe Association Programs

New on our 2012 schedule are a series of ACA trainings and workshops.
Specializing in what we do best, sea and surf kayaking, the courses will provide a solid foundation for the avid paddler looking to go places, increase your skills, gain new ones, teach and guide others. Trainings days are 6-7 hours long, and assessments are 3-4 hours approx.

July 7: L2 Sea Kayak Training
July 14: L3 Sea Kayak Training
July 21: L4 Sea Kayak Training
July 28: L2 Sea Kayak Assessment

Sea Kayak Instuctor Development Workshop....

August 4-5: L2 Sea Kayak Instructor Development Workshop
August 18: L3 Sea Kayak Assessment
August 25: L4 Sea Kayak Assessment

September 1-2: L2 Sea Kayak Instructor Certification Exam
September 14-16: L3-L4 Sea Kayak Instructor Development Workshop

October 6: L2 Surf Kayak Training
October 7: L3 Surf Kayak Training
October 12-14: L3-L4 Sea Kayak Certification Exam
October 27: L5 Sea Kayak Training

Surf Kayak Instructor Certification Workshop

November 9-11: L2 Surf Kayak Instructor Certification Workshop
November 10: L5 Sea Kayak Assessment
November 17: L4 Surf Kayak Training
Check the ACA website to see what is involved in these classes and courses.

June Ogeechee Audubon Society Meeting

Confused about warblers? The June Audubon program will be an illustrated primer on Neotropical Warblers, showing them singing in their preferred eastern nesting habitats. The program will be held on June 19th, at 7:00pm, at the First Presbyterian Church, 520 Washington Avenue, Savannah. The program is free and the general public is encouraged to attend. For more information call Beth Roth at (912) 658-6136.

Sea & Surf Sprouts Dates on Schedule

The dates for our Sea Sprouts programs have been announced!
Session 1- June 20-21
Session 2- July 24-25
We have two sessions of the ever popular Sea Sprouts.
These sessions are for boys and girls age 8-12 years old.
The location is the ever fabulous Skidaway Narrows.
The first session, for which we have 10 spaces available, runs June 20 & 21, from 9-1pm. Cost is $55 per person per day.

The programs are loosely based around kayaking and emphasize self confidence, team work, on-water safety and fun. But more importantly, we will be playing all the old favorites like Muddy Buddy, Shakey Monkey, and Women and Children First.
The second Sea Sprouts session is July 24 and 25 at the same location and time. There are only 5 places left for this session.

Surf Sprouts - June 6-7.

For the older kids we have Surf Sprouts.
This program is geared more towards personal skills growth in the sport of kayaking, and more specifically in surf kayaking. We use sit on top kayaks and work the beach break on Tybee. We wear helmets and the kids can expect to take a beating.

Surf Sprouts moving into position....

Ogeechee Riverkeeper - This Thursday May 3rd

Please join us this Thursday evening as we are pleased to host Dianna Wedincamp from the Ogeechee Riverkeeper.

As Riverkeeper, Dianna actively monitors our rivers and streams for pollution, advocates for pollution prevention and clean water in our communities, conducts educational programs on preventing pollution, and promotes stream restoration. Dianna's expertise in outdoor recreation is a great asset to the organization, and she often leads paddle trips down the rivers. At Ogeechee Riverkeeper she helps to train stream monitoring volunteers, Get the Dirt Out (www.getthedirtout.org) volunteers, research pollution problems on the rivers, respond to citizen complaints, and conduct educational programs for civic clubs, schools, and at local festivals.

Dianna is a native of Emanuel County, Georgia. She has a B.S. degree in Recreation with emphasis in Natural and Cultural Resource Management and a minor in Geographic Information Systems from Georgia Southern University. Dianna lives in Emanuel County with her family.

Shred Sleds 101 - Intro to Kayak Surfing

By Kelly D.
On the calendar this week, in addition to the usual sea kayak tours and classes, we've got surf kayaking levels 1 & 2 on Saturday and Sunday.
Surf kayaking packs a high adrenaline punch into those days when you want to make the most out of limited time. Just park, unload, walk down the beach and you're at your destination - the waves. Last summer, I decided to take the plunge to the frontside for Surf Kayaking Level 1. It reminds me of a haiku I had to read in school:

Surf kayak lesson
After week in cubicle
Let go on shred sled

Here's how my class went:
We met at the south end of Tybee beach and staked out a spot on the sand. Our class figured out pretty quickly over introductions that we ranged in ability from seasoned tour guide to flat water rolling junkie to total paddling novice - no matter because we were all surf kayak newbies. The agenda was set out for the class - be safe, learn how to catch a wave, and enjoy the ride!
After selecting helmets, strapping on our pfds, and adjusting the thigh straps of our sit on top shredders, we plunged into the waves for some drills. Diving - what you do if you're standing in the water and a kayak is speeding towards you. Handstands - good for holding your breath under water. Capsizing and releasing from the thigh straps - a.k.a. the sit on top wet exit. Holding on to the boat in the waves - very important so you're not the guy whose kayak levels the kid bobbing in the water by the shore. Getting back on the kayak after falling off - pretty key as we will all fall off a lot on our first waves.

Next, we partnered up - one person stood waist deep, holding his partner's kayak in position and gave him a little push to catch a wave. This was followed by a joyful whoop during the ride, then a clumsy capsize and mad grab to hold on to the boat. Balance was crucial, and we put those early drills to use.

We took a break on the beach for a lesson on basic strokes, waves, and surf lingo like "soup," "outside," "riding the daybed," or "surfing the attic door." Soon after we grabbed paddles and boats and headed back out. The short paddle shafts and fat blades felt different, but gave us more oomph to paddle over the breaking waves to the outside. We made it, and the shredding began! Lots of adrenaline, lots of cheering, and lots of perfect waves just missed. After a good ride or a near miss, we all agreed - we wanted to paddle back out to try again.

Some of us ended the day just catching rides and hanging on, others were already learning to carve. Carve, you say? More about that in level 2. It was hard work paddling - but well worth the effort when you let the wave take over. At the end of the lesson we gulped down water as our instructor recapped the basic safety lessons and surfing principles again. Finally, we left the beach to refuel on the deck at Hucapoos and relive our best rides.

So, still don't think shredding waves on the frontside is for you? That's ok, the tide is perfect this weekend for tours through the less traveled Little Tybee cuts. Join us for a full day in the marsh on Friday, or through "Mosquito Run" on Saturday. Whatever your speed, we hope to see you on the water!

East Coast Kayak Festival in Good Shape.

Charleston's East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival continued to ride the spilling wave of optimism washing over the land.
From Bonaventure to Canoecopia, it's been a promising start to this election-year paddle season, as people have decided that life, and paddling, must continue regardless of regime change and economic melancholia.

This was our first year not in attendance as either instructors or vendors at ECCKF. We did pay a quick visit on Saturday just to say hi to friends, paddlers, and countrymen, old and new.
We were greeted by a healthy dose of activity both on and off the pond. Class attendance on the lake looked great, as was the attendance of the paddlesports manufacturers around it. The SUP trend continued it's mighty conquest, with lots of loud splashes as the SUP groms bit the dust time and again. Even Dubside cruised past in commando stance (didn't know he could stand), as somebody shouted out "roll that -ucker".
The P&H crew were cooking up a storm, as always, with the ever popular Cetus and Delphin ranges.
The Tiderace booth was also swamped with test paddlers eager to experience the newest Tiderace Extra... looking super hot in it's NASCAR paint job.
The Hobie Fishing team were also frying hard, and won top marks for UV protection attire and branding. The pedal revolution continues to turn.
Epic Kayaks were blowing out some nice looking blades...not as cheap as last year, but still some good deals to be had. Commander Josh kept it all in order, as he buzzed about the park on his new Segway and high vis helmet.
And surf kayaks, you ask ?....well, not a single one to be seen anywhere. Imagine that!.

Staff Gear Picks from The Shop

Kokotat Destination Paddle Wear Hand Covers UPF 40+
If you live in the south, this product makes a lot of sense. We love the sun, but it doesn’t always love us back, and the backs of the paddlers hands really take a beating. In the past we've tried wearing extra long shirt sleeves, old socks with thumb holes cut out, and we have even wrapped our hands with grapefruit rinds.
So, we were very interested when we saw this product from those great folks at Kokatat watersports wear. These lightweight hand covers are great for summer paddling, when sunscreen washes off quickly and gloves interfere with gripping the paddle comfortably. For touring and casual paddling these hand covers offer the highest level of sun protection on a high UV intensity body part.


Exped Cargo Drybag

We love Exped camping gear. It's well thought out, designed and constructed.
Anyway, The Cargo Bag... A multifunctional, padded splash bag, will keep your packed lunch from getting crushed, or protect your binoculars from getting scratched. The water resistant zipper opens the bag up with a wide mouth for easy access to its contents, and a shoulder strap comes in handy when you get out of the kayak to roam the beach. It comes in three sizes. The smallest one holds an SLR camera with a standard lens. The middle size (pictured) will hold binoculars or spotting scope and small camera, and the largest size will take it all. Great for kayak and canoe.

To check out these and many more paddler specific products, swing by the shop.
We are on the way to the cemetery !