SDCA Winter Conference - January 2008

The South Dakota Canoe/Kayak Association held its winter conference at the Outdoor Campus in Sioux Falls on Saturday, January 26, 2008. About 50 paddlers attended the three-hour program, some traveling from Pierre, Chamberlain, Watertown. Vermillion, Brookings, as well as Sioux Falls and other areas.

Using a PowerPoint format, I presented an overview of paddling opportunities in southeastern South Dakota that featured the sites that have been described on this blog.



Dick Davidson took the audience along on one of his solo trips to the Arctic through the Northwest Territory of Canada, illustrating the voyage with a slide presentation of the waterways, landscape, and animals seen on the trip. Rick Johns and Gary Van Ert shared their passion for boat building and offered tips on getting started on such a project. Two types of handmade kayaks built by Rick Johns and Gene Grabin were on display in the lobby of the building.





Paul and Adam Livermore shared their experiences in fishing from a kayak. Their PowerPoint presentation offered tips for working with fishing gear, the effect of varying water and wind conditions that might be encountered, and safety considerations while handling fishing gear and navigating the kayak.



Gene Preston, the club president, provided another PowerPoint assisted presentation on navigation hazards that might be expected on the streams of eastern South Dakota, especially sweepers, wire across the creek or river, falling banks, and low-head dams.



During the business meeting, a slate of officers to guide the organization through the next year was presented and approved by the membership. Dick Davidson was recognized by President Gene Preston with a special award commemorating his long service to the SDCA. Dick was the founding president and has been involved as a key leader throughout the life of the SDCA, usually serving as president. He has been an inspiration to many paddlers who dream of expeditions to the far north.



Seven SDCA sponsored trips for the 2008 season were announced to the membership and extend from April through October. There may also be other trips included for the season; the membership was urged to consider other possibilities that might be considered for inclusion on the agenda of outings. Those seven announced to date are the following:

The Upper Reaches of the Big Sioux River
The Vermillion River
The Missouri River
The Lower Reaches of the Big Sioux River
The James River
The Big Sioux River through Sioux Falls
Split Rock Creek

In addition, there will be the usual Canoe/Kayak Clinic provided by the organization, probably at Lake Alvin.

The newsletter will be redesigned this year for distribution both through the mail and through an e-mail attachment. A SDCA website is under consideration for this year as well.

Those who have not renewed their membership or joined the SDCA are invited to do so at this time. The membership is $10.00 for an individual, $12.00 for a family, and $25.00 a contributing membership. You may initiate or renew membership by sending your check to Director of Membership, SDCA, P.O. Box 90227, Sioux Falls, SD 57109-0227. With the check, please send your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address.

Membership in the SDCA is an act of affiliation with paddlers of the area and access to information regarding events of the organization. It is a pretty inexpensive way to be part of the paddling network within the state.

SDCA Winter Conference

The South Dakota Canoe Association will hold its annual winter conference on Saturday, January 26, 2008, from 12:00 noon until 3:00 p.m. at the Outdoor Campus in Sioux Falls. The Outdoor Campus is located at 4500 S. Oxbow Ave., east of Louise and just south of 49th Street at the intersection of S. Oxbow and 49th Street.

The conference program of presentations is as follows:

12:00 Opening Remarks
Gene Preston, President SDCA
12:05 – 12:30 Exploring Waterways in Southeastern South Dakota
Jay Heath
12:35 – 1:00 An Arctic Adventure by Canoe
Dick Davidson
1:05 – 1:30 Kayak Fishing
Paul and Adam Livermore
1:35 – 2:00 Boat Building
Rick Johns
2:05– 2:30 Navigation Hazards on Area Waterways
Gary Harpster and Gene Preston
2:35 – 3:00 Business Meeting
Gene Preston
Election of Officers and a Look at Waters Ahead


The conference is free of charge to the public. This is an opportunity for paddlers to network and share experiences. It is also a time for those considering an entry into kayaking or canoeing to learn more about paddling possibilities. There will be an opportunity to join the Association or renew membership at the conference.



I hope to see many of the blog readers at the SDCA Conference on July 26. As I look out my kitchen window, I can see my "beater" kayak covered with snow just waiting for the right moment to get out on area waterways in March or April. One kayak is crowding the cars in the garage, another is in the shed, and this one is braving the elements while the countdown to spring takes place. At the conference, we have the chance to talk kayaking and laugh it up with others sharing our hobby. Many of us will learn of new opportunities for paddling and broaden our personal network of fellow paddlers. It is also a good mid-winter vicarious escape from all the ice and snow surrounding us.

Kayaking into Geezerhood

I do most of my kayaking alone on area waterways. As I have gotten older, I have been concerned about the strength needed to wrestle my kayak up onto the roof rack of my car. When I was in my 40s and 50s, I just heaved the kayak up through brute force, and that wasn’t much of a problem. Of course, its also an easy way to throw a person’s back out, and I have had my share of painful and enduring back pain. As I passed the midpoint of my 60s, I wondered how long I would be able to continue hauling my kayak around, especially by myself.



Right after buying my first rigid kayak, I purchased a Yakama roof rack. The rack has special kayak attachments that include a cradle at the front of the rack into which the kayak slips. At the rear, I have a set of rollers that enables me to slide the kayak up onto the rack. For a long time, when alone, I still heaved the kayak up over the side of the car onto the rack. One day, though, I talked with Dick Davidson, the long time president of the South Dakota Canoe Association and a great arctic adventurer, about how he managed to get his big decked Loon canoe onto his roof rack. He told me that in younger days, he used to just heave the canoe up and onto the rack, much as I used to do; as got he older, however, he began using an old burlap bag to drape over the trunk of the car so that he could slide the canoe up onto his rack.




Well, I thought that this would be a good adaptation for me to try. I went to one of the big hardware stores and bought a 3 x 5 foot rubber backed floor mat that I could easily roll up and put in my trunk. It cost me less than $10.00. I also found that the hardest part about carrying the 58 lbs. kayak from the car to the water’s edge was the pain in my hands from the rim of the cockpit. So, I also got a pair of gloves to keep in the trunk and to use for carrying the kayak.



My method for loading the kayak is now to first get the straps for the roof rack ready and lay out the mat along the top of the trunk. I then, with gloves, carry the kayak out to the rear of the car and lift the bow up onto the mat. I can then just slide the kayak on the mat onto the rollers and push it up into the cradle. I then use the two straps that came with the rack to secure the kayak. Being cautious, however, I also have two rope lines that I use in addition to secure the kayak onto the rack. One end of the line is secured to one side of the rack, and I have a loop at the other end that I use to secure to the other side. So, there are really four attachments: two straps and two rope lines. One of my straps goes through the car above the rear windows so that the rack itself has an additional anchor to the roof itself. Even with all this, though, I am sometimes hesitant to drive on the Interstate for fear that the suction from a passing semi will jerk the kayak off. Over time, I have grown more confident that the kayak is securely fastened to the roof; still, though, I usually travel on secondary roads to my kayaking haunts.



There are some alternatives to using a roof rack on the car. I do have a Folbot, a fabric covered collapsible 12-foot kayak, and that company makes a full line of really nice boats that can be transported in one or two bags and carried in the trunk or back seat of the car. I like this craft, but it is quite expensive. I have toyed around with the idea of getting the larger tandem model, especially as I get older. I have also seen trailers made especially for transporting kayaks and canoes advertised in magazines. There is also a company in Hull, Iowa, that makes such trailers and will customize one to meet the needs of a customer: one kayak, two, or more. I like the idea of a trailer, but I don’t like the idea of storing another piece of gear around my house. I don’t want to dedicate the garage to kayak gear and leave the car in the driveway. Or, perhaps, it is my wife who doesn’t want to see the garage used in that way or to see a trailer left on the lawn alongside the driveway all summer.



For now, I will keep using the roof rack as illustrated in these photos and find adaptations to accommodate my journey into geezerhood. I think that the next adaptation will be a wheeled contraption that will allow me to lift the kayak and just roll the it to the water’s edge, and such a device is readily available for under $100.