Bay Area Sea Kayakers (BASK) is a non-profit 501(c7) sports club of several hundred sea kayakers who live throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Our interests include flat-water paddling, kayak-surfing, expeditions, and playing amongst the rocks, in conditions that range from mild to wild. Our club exists to bring paddlers together for companionship, safety, education, exploration, learning, and great food and drink! We're committed to safety both on and off the water, and our club holds insurance through Paddlesports Risk Management. We offer an inexpensive annual Skills Clinic to members, as well as numerous free clinics on skills, rescue, and safety throughout the year. We welcome as members all individuals interested in kayaking. We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive paddling club and to sharing our enthusiasm, skills, and knowledge to increase equity and access to our sport.
BASK trips range from local to international, and are all member-initiated with shared responsibilities for safety. BASK does not supply boats or equipment, although some members are willing to share their equipment. You have to be a member or a guest of a member to participate in on-the-water BASK events and a signed activity waiver is required. Follow the links to learn more about the benefits of membership and to join BASK.
We invite you to attend one of our monthly meetings, either online or in person. They are free and open to the public; in-person meetings include food (suggested donation $8-10). The format of each meeting may vary a bit month to month, but they tend to include members sharing stories, featured speakers, club news, and information about upcoming events. It’s a great way to meet club members and learn about paddling opportunities. For more information see the Events page!
Would you like to speak at a BASK meeting or have an idea for a speaker? Contact the Speaker Seekers. Interested in what type of speakers we’ve had in the past? See a representative list of previous general meeting topics.
BASK Health Guidelines
For the safety of participants at all BASK paddles and other in-person activities, please stay home and join us another time if:
- You're experiencing symptoms of any communicable respiratory illness
- You're testing positive for COVID-19, even if you're feeling well
- In the past week, you've been exposed to someone with COVID-19 via shared air
If you develop COVID-19 symptoms or test positive for COVID-19 within a week of attending an in-person BASK activity, please let the event initiator know. This will allow the initiator to inform other participants, who can then choose to self-test or take other precautions such as obtaining pharmaceutical COVID-19 treatments if they develop symptoms.
Next BASK General Meeting: Sunday, July 27 (In Person)
Time: 6:30-8:30 pm. There may be a dinner from 5:30-6:30, but check Currents for updates on this.
About: We are hosting our May in-person General Meeting on June 1st to reduce conflicts with other BASK events in late May. Join us to get the scoop on upcoming BASK plans and activities, reconnect with or meet new paddle buddies, and take in a lively presentation delivered by this month’s featured speakers. Lunch will be provided after the meeting.
Location: The Loch Lomond Yacht Club, 95 Loch Lomond Dr., San Rafael
About In addition to the usual announcements and fun updates, our featured presentation will be by Meg Marriott, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for San Pablo Bay and Marin Islands National Wildlife Refuges. Meg will talk about wildlife, management, and restoration of these National Wildlife Refuges, providing a background about the USFWS before describing the wildlife and ecosystem resources of concern. She'll describe some of the habitat restoration projects currently underway at the Refuges, and how they are incorporating climate change adaptation elements to anticipate sea level rise.
Meg Marriott has been a Wildlife Biologist with the USFWS for over 20 years. For the past 14 years, she has worked at the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge and the Marin Islands National Wildlife Refuge—two of the seven Refuges in the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex. She specializes in tidal marsh restoration, Baylands ecosystems and threatened and endangered species of the North Baylands. Meg received her B.S. in Biology/Animal Behavior from UC Davis, and her Master of Science in Natural Resources Management from Humboldt State University. Her favorite species is Reithrodontomys raviventris halicoetes—the salt marsh harvest mouse.
Be sure to look for all the details and latest updates on Currents and the BASK Calendar.Have an item to present you want added to the agenda? Got ideas for meetings or locations? Contact Brad Findlay, BASK President, brad.findlay@bask.org.
