So why should you join the Greater Baltimore Canoe Club?
All Levels of Paddling
·The GBCC membership has people of all skill levels, from novices through advanced paddlers.
·Paddlers have a diverse range of interests including canoe camping, sea kayaking, scenic and relaxing easy moving water, fun intermediate white water, and advanced adrenaline rushes.
·Membership provides the opportunity to meet many paddlers.
Paddling Trips
·The club offers coordinated trips throughout the year. A schedule is on-line and in the newsletter.
·The web site provides a forum for meeting with people for last minute, or "pick-up", trips. Many club trips are organized on the web site, because of the difficulty in predicting water levels in advance.
·Many trips are in the Greater Baltimore area, as well as frequent trips in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Free classes
·The club offers beginner kayak and canoe classes to members. Both are an excellent introduction to flat or white water paddling. Classes begin with the basic strokes, learning how to control the boat on flat water. These skills are then applied when learning the techniques for moving water. The classes are a lot of fun and a great way to try out the sport.
·The advanced white water class is for intermediate skilled people looking to try harder rivers with the guidance of experienced paddlers.
·A safety class provides knowledge that everyone can use.
·Traditionally a river-oriented first aid class is offered to add to the safety curriculum available.
Roll sessions
·The club rents a pool in the winter so people can learn and practice their roll. Experienced club members help those new to the sport learn the technique of rolling.
Club Meetings
·Meetings every other month feature interesting speakers, relevant to paddling. We have had world famous paddlers, authors of books on rivers, and presentations on the history of kayaking.
·The annual ‘Best of the Rest’ features club member’s video of their trips (including video from the crazy people). GBCC member’s productions from past years have included the world premier of commercial videos and entries from The National Paddling Film Festival. The ‘Best of the Rest’ is the meeting with the highest attendance and a ‘must see’.
·The meetings are a great place to check out the club and meet the people that are the GBCC. They are open to the public so you don’t have to be a member to check us out.
Supporting the Environment
·River Clean Up – Every year the GBCC runs a river clean-up to improve our local resources.
·Donations – We donate money each year to several local environmental groups. We choose organizations with a specific interest in boating and rivers.
Directory
·An annual membership directory is mailed to all club members. Members have the option to include specific interest areas and contact information.
Informal races
·The races the club sponsors are informal but a lot of fun. Our race has been covered on the front page of the Sunday Baltimore Sun.
Parties
·A holiday party is held every year. This is a great time to relax, eat, socialize, and participate in the annual raffle to win great stuff.
·In the summer we have a picnic/grill out. The entertainment is provided by ‘Throw Rope Follies.’
General Policy
Club outings are cooperative adventures among participants. The group is collectively responsible for conduct of the outing, and each individual is responsible for judging his or her qualifications and for his or her safety on the river. By participating in a club outing, you release the Club, its members, trip coordinators, and fellow paddlers from any and all damages resulting from any injuries due to any negligent act or omission or to any intentional act intended to promote your safety or well being
Club History
Bill Robinson is clearly the founder of our club. He was the manager of the Appalachian Outfitters store in Ellicott City in the 1970's. He was in the Sierra Club and organized canoe classes for Sierra Club members in 1973 and 1974. We started to have an organized trip schedule in 1974, initially on the Patapsco, Gunpowder, Deer Creek, and Muddy Creek. By 9/74 we started meeting as a group, at the main Red Cross Bldg. downtown. We were formally incorporated as The Greater Baltimore Canoe Club, Inc. on 16 Mar 76. Our Lawyer/paddler Pete Lareau, drew up the Articles of Incorporation. Bill was our first president, and the other officers and trustees included Warren Therien, Ronnie True, Elizabeth Large, Carol Moore, Mike Fetchero, Ken Price and yours truly. We were incorporated as a non-profit organization to promote responsible recreational canoeing and kayaking, to develop a water safety program, and a conservation program. In 1976, our schedule included a race on the Patapsco through "Suicide Rapids", canoe campers on the Cacapon and in the Pine Barrens, and trips to the Lehigh, Staircase, and Hopeville Canyon.
The earliest Roster in my possession is for 1980 and shows exactly 200 families in the club! I would be interested to know if any earlier rosters exist. Today there are well over 300 families in the Club. We are especially active on Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Virginia rivers, with frequent excursions from Maine to Florida, and occasional trips to Canada (some crossing the Arctic Circle) and to Central and South America. We also have kayak rolling sessions in the winter, and canoe and kayak classes in the late spring and early summer.
