Living in New York state can be boater's nirvana for kayak owners. It could take more than one lifetime to exhaust the kayaking opportunities the state offers. With whitewater, flat-water, streams, lakes, canals, rivers and the ocean at hand, the only question is where to find the right kayak club. If you are a newbie to muscle-powered boats, competent instruction is easy to find.
How to Begin
Kayaking and canoeing usually are done at the same clubs, which may also have rowing hulls and perhaps pirate boats. Probably the easiest way to find club information is to ask at local stores selling kayaks. The American Canoe Association (ACA) has a nationwide Paddle America Club program that has affiliated kayaking clubs throughout the state of New York. Paddlers who belong to one of these affiliated clubs have the benefit of ACA liability insurance when participating in club-sponsored kayaking activities.
Kayak Subgroups
The Appalachian Mountain Club and Cornell Outing Club are boat clubs with kayak subgroups that offer training and organized trips. The Wetdawg online magazine lists New York clubs by name, from Ahwaga Canoe Club to Zoar Valley Paddlers.
Popular City Clubs
If you are looking for more than just a place to keep your kayak, many clubs offer exercise and locker rooms with showers and social facilities in their boathouses. Many paddlers come every day for training, workouts and recreation. The Yonkers Canoe Club, founded in 1886 on the Hudson River in Yonkers, is an example of this type of club. Another is the Sebago Canoe Club, in Brooklyn, which has a long tradition of training Olympic kayak and canoe athletes. Its members paddle on Jamaica Bay and include many sea kayakers. Both Sebago and Yonkers also use the ACA canoe and kayak camp at Lake Sebago, as do those of other affiliated clubs.
Whitewater
The Youth Kayak Club is part of the Genesee Waterways Center in Rochester and is popular because whitewater is available all summer. Despite its name, the club accepts members of all ages for paddling and training. If whitewater is what you seek, the Kayak and Canoe Club of New York maintains an online list of water release places and dates for each month, along with the expected whitewater classification of difficulty. This club also provides special swift-water rescue training programs.
Training
All kayak clubs have a commitment to developing the skills of its members so they can enjoy this type of outdoor recreation safely. Kayaking experiences that leave paddlers with treasured memories and a desire to go again are the reason clubs provide comprehensive training programs taught by ACA certified kayaking instructors.
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