About us
With Canoe and Kayak Paddlers strangers are welcomed as friends and friends become like family. We are the only FIVE STAR rated paddling Group in the SF Bay Area. Our group is good for recreational canoe and kayak paddlers. We feature paddling with friendly folks once you know the basics. We are not a guide service therefore you must already have basic paddling skills.
Our trips are intended to be friendly and social for people who have paddling experience. Trips vary from easy, appropriate for almost anyone, to trips which require a moderate level of physical fitness and Intermediate boating skill. We seldom do "advanced" level trips. However, all paddlers must expect and be prepared for sudden changes in weather and currents which are common in the SF Bay Area.
Most trips are appropriate for canoes and kayaks. Canoes of 15 to 17 feet are common and touring kayaks not less than 12 feet, our trips do not allow folding boats, inflatable boats or SUP's. Our trips are four to six hours long and between six and twelve miles in length, and include a lunch stop along the shore. We paddle reservoirs, lakes, rivers, SF Bay, creeks, sloughs, and estuaries.
To join us you need basic skills including getting in and out of your boat, paddling in a straight line and being able to steer and control your boat in windy conditions. You should be in normal physical condition, able to paddle at an easy pace for an hour or two at a stretch without a real break. You need to be able to climb unassisted in and out of your boat in a variety of places, including steep banks, high docks, etc., and you must be able to keep pace with other paddlers.
Canoe and Kayak Paddlers is totally non-commercial. We are not a guide service. All activities are simply opportunities for boaters with appropriate skills to paddle together. The trip coordinators are not required to have training in boating or outdoor safety or carry emergency equipment. We are not experts.
All water sports are potentially dangerous. Participants must assess the appropriateness of their own physical condition, skills, and equipment for any activity, and make their own decisions about safety. If you are not sure if your skills and equipment are appropriate for a trip discuss it with the trip coordinator before starting on a trip. We recommend that all paddlers take lessons in boat handling, safety, and rescue. A life jacket must be worn while on the water.
Our goals:
· Share paddling as a safe, enjoyable, and congenial experience
· Introduce members to new places to paddle
· Create opportunities for members to increase their paddling proficiency
· Offer a central communication hub through our website
· Provide social, informational, and recreational gatherings associated with the sport of paddling
Upcoming events
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Tidewater Aquatic Ctr to Crown Beach, Rated L2 (explained below)
4675 Tidewater Ave, Oakland, CA, USTo paddle with Canoe and Kayak Paddlers you must be a member of Western Sea Kayakers Club and have signed the annual waiver:
Join club: https://www.westernseakayakers.org/content.aspx?page_id=60&club_id=391318
Waiver: https://form.jotform.com/JLAagency/western-sea-kayakers-waiverMeetup 9 am, on the water 9:30 am
Nearest address: 4675 Tidewater Avenue, Oakland CA 94601No inflatables, folding boats or SUP's. Minimum boat length 12 feet.
The trip will be from Tidewater Aquatic Center in Oakland, into SF Bay with lunch stop at Robert Crown State Beach then return to Tidewater Center. The trip offers exceptional views of the San Francisco skyline as well as the SF Bay. Distance is about 9 miles round trip with a lunch break at Crown Beach. Expect light wind in the afternoon.
Launching will be from a dock, the lunch stop will be a beach landing. Restrooms are available at both locations. If you have wheels, bring them, as the dock is a short distance from the parking lot. Touring kayaks are appropriate.
DIRECTIONS: From I-880 or I-580. Exit on High Street and head south. Before the High Street Bridge to Alameda, take the last possible left onto Tidewater Avenue (alongside the restaurant supply store). Just before the first stop sign, turn right into the EBRPD Tidewater Boating Center driveway.
PLEASE READ THIS: The organizers of this trip are not experts, not professional paddlers and do not necessarily have safety training or carry any safety equipment. Each paddler must have the training, experience and equipment required to complete this paddle safely, and must assume all personal risks. A Coast Guard approved life jacket or Personal Flotation Device must be worn by everyone while on the water.
Rain or bad weather may cancel this trip. Check your email Friday evening for updated information and changes.
This trip is sponsored by Wester Sea Kayakers Club
Trip Rating L2 explained
This trip is good for Experienced Beginners with light chop on the water and wind less than 10 mph. The trip may challenge the forward progress and directional control of novice paddlers. We will stay within ½ mile of a shore line, where currents will be less than 1.5 mph and waves less than 8 inches. Total distance 7 to 10 miles with a short break for snacks or lunch.Recommended skills are Forward and Reverse strokes, sweep, draw and bracing strokes are helpful. Paddlers should be able to perform deepwater rescue as both swimmer or rescuer in calm water, maintain a 2.7 mph pace for up to 1 hour, and have basic piloting skills.
Level 2 Paddlers plan to stay in mostly calm conditions but have the skills and knowledge to venture beyond swimming distance from shore and may tour along a shoreline with many easy landing options. You can enter and exit your boat without assistance. You can manage a little wind and choppy water, but plan to head to shore for protection if the wind is greater than 12 mph. You can perform deepwater rescue with assistance
8 attendees
Encinal Beach, Navy Fleet and Crown Beach- trip rated L1, EASY 7.5 MILES
190 Central Ave, Alameda, CA, USTo paddle with Canoe and Kayak Paddlers you must be a member of Western Sea Kayakers Club and have signed the annual waiver:
Join club: https://www.westernseakayakers.org/content.aspx?page_id=60&club_id=391318
Waiver: https://form.jotform.com/JLAagency/western-sea-kayakers-waiverMeetup 9:00 am, on the water by 9:30 am.
Nearest street address: 190 Central Ave., Alameda, CA. 94501 (Next to the Alameda Community Sailing Club).
No inflatables, folding boats or SUP's. Minimum boat length 12 feet in SF Bay. Limited to 20 paddlers.
Photo credit:Jennifer Wilkins!
This trip should be on everyone's bucket list, as a place to paddle often.
Great views of the SF skyline, historic Navy ships, great beach, mostly easy.We will launch from the beach next to the Encinal Boat Ramp, paddle within the break-wall near the USS Carrier Hornet. After visiting the Navy fleet we will paddle south around Bellena Island to Robert Crown State Beach, for lunch, then return to the Encinal Boat Ramp through the harbor. This trip is rated EASY, suitable for kayaks and canoes. The trip offers exceptional views of the San Francisco skyline as well as the SF Bay. Total distance is about 7.5 miles round trip.
Launching and our lunch stop will be at the beach. Restrooms are available at both locations. Pack lunch, stool and water. Our takeout will be at the boat ramp. If you have wheels, bring them. Adjustments may be made to the route, based on current conditions and experience of the paddlers.
Directions: Next to the Alameda Community Sailing Club. Check Google maps and follow the road to the end near the boat ramp. The boat ramp can be difficult to find, so review Google Maps for destination and directions.
Additional Parking at: W. Hornet Ave. and Skyhawk St, 94501. walk thru the park to get to the beach and boat ramp. From Central Ave, turn north Oriskany then west on Skyhawk St.
Bring wheels.PLEASE READ THIS: The organizers of this trip are not experts, not professional paddlers and do not necessarily have safety training or carry any safety equipment. Each paddler must have the training, experience and equipment required to complete this paddle safely, and must assume all personal risks. A Coast Guard approved life jacket or Personal Flotation Device must be worn by everyone while on the water.
Rain or bad weather may cancel this trip. Check your email Friday evening for updated information and changes.
This trip is sponsored by Western Sea Kayakers Club
Trip Rating L1 explained
This trip is good for Beginners or experienced senior paddlers wanting flat water with light breeze within swimming distance to shore, no current and waves less than 4 inches. Total distance 5 to 7 miles with a short break for snacks or lunch. Paddlers should be able to enter and exit their boat unassisted from shore or boat dock and have a Forward and Reverse stroke. All types of boats are welcome, paddlers should be able to maintain a 2 mph pace for up to 1/2 hour.Level 1 Paddlers plan to paddle only in calm, protected area, such as lakes, lazy rivers, sloughs, paddling near the beach and not actually go anywhere or “touring.” If the wind begins to blow, you plan to head for shore. You do not wish to do deepwater rescues, so your safety depends on staying within easy swimming distance of easily accessible shorelines.
9 attendees
Elkhorn Slough to Kirby Park and back – Trip rated L1 EASY March 21
Monterey Bay Kayaks – Elkhorn Slough at Moss Landing, 2390 HWY 1, Moss Landing, CA, USTo paddle with Canoe and Kayak Paddlers you must be a member of Western Sea Kayakers Club and have signed the annual waiver:
Join club: https://www.westernseakayakers.org/content.aspx?page_id=60&club_id=391318
Waiver: https://form.jotform.com/JLAagency/western-sea-kayakers-waiverMeetup: 10:15 AM, OTW by 11:00 AM sharp to ride the tide
Address: 2390 CA-1, Moss Landing, CANote: This trip limited to 15 paddlers
NO inflatables, folding boats or SUP’s. Minimum boats length 12 ft.We will paddle from Moss Landing Marina to Kirby Park and back, about 11 miles round trip.
Elkhorn Slough is a magical place, harboring the largest tract of tidal salt marsh in California outside of San Francisco Bay. This biologically rich estuary, at the mouth of the underwater Monterey Canyon, provides habitat for a diversity of resident and migratory birds, plants, marine mammals and fish, and is identified as a Globally Important Bird Area by the American Birding Conservancy.
More than 125 Southern sea otters reside here, along with hundreds of harbor seals and a number of California sea lions. As part of the Pacific flyway, tens of thousands of birds migrate through every year. All told, over 340 species of birds are identified in and around the slough. There will be great photo opportunities.
We will paddle from the beach behind Monterey Bay Kayaks, in the Moss Landing North Harbor to Kirby Park, where we will eat lunch. On the return, we will include a side trip to through of Rubis Creek. Overall, it’s about a ten-mile trip.
Afternoon winds can be strong and, in that case, will trump any favorable tide. Consider your stamina to paddle into the wind.
The county parking lot fee is $16 bring small bills as you cannot get change where you pay to park. Water and toilets available at the Moss Landing. Port-o-poddy at Kirby Park.NOTE: The organizers of this trip are not professional paddlers. Each paddler must have the training, experience and equipment required to complete this paddle safely, including for self-rescue, and must assume all personal risks. A Coast Guard-approved life jacket or Personal Flotation Device (PFD) must be worn.
Trip Rating L1 explained
This trip is good for Beginners or experienced senior paddlers wanting flat water with light breeze within swimming distance to shore, no current and waves less than 4 inches. Paddlers should be able to enter and exit their boat unassisted from shore or boat dock and have a Forward and Reverse stroke. Paddlers should be able to maintain a 2 mph pace for up to 1/2 hour.Level 1 Paddlers are just getting started or desire to paddle only in calm, protected area, such as lakes, lazy rivers, sloughs, paddling near the beach.” If the wind begins to blow, you plan to head for shore. You do not wish to do deepwater rescues, so your safety depends on staying within easy swimming distance of easily accessible shorelines.
6 attendees
Past events
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