Valley Wide Kayak Club

The Mission of the Valley Wide Kayak Club accounts for much of our success and explains our purpose well: "Valley Wide Kayak Club is dedicated to the safe and continuing enjoyment of the paddle sport of kayaking by maintaining a standard of excellence in: educating its members in areas of safety, paddling techniques, proper attire and rules and regulations of lakes and waterways; encouraging the exploration and recreational use of lakes and waterways by sharing knowledge, providing and developing leadership, and scheduling activities; promoting goodwill and understanding of kayaking and fostering its development; encouraging, assisting, and providing direction to the conservation of water resources and adjacent lands for recreational purposes; creating an awareness of lakes and waterway systems through community education programs, news media, and presentations."

Valley Wide Recreation and Parks District in San Jacinto sponsors our kayak club where we hold meetings the first Monday of each month at 6:30 pm. We are a member of the Hemet/San Jacinto Chamber of Commerce. Our membership has grown to just under two hundred members in the past nine years and consists of all age groups, including single adults, married couples, families with children, and senior citizens. A few of our members are disabled and enjoy the freedom that kayaking provides them. The experience level of our members ranges from beginning paddlers to paddlers with many years' experience. Experienced members help our inexperienced members learn to kayak. Most of our members have touring/sea kayaks; a few have recreational kayaks or sit on top kayaks.

Did you know that the Valley Wide Kayak club worked with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to get kayaking approved on its beautiful reservoirs, Diamond Valley Lake and Lake Skinner? Certain rules apply: Kayaks must be the sit-inside type (with cockpit and bulkheads – no legs exposed) and 10’ or longer. No sit on tops. They need to be inspected before entering these lakes. Go to www.dvlake.com for more details.

After a successful presentation to the Board of Directors of the Lake Hemet Municipal Water District, we were granted a 60-day kayak trial in March and April of 2001 on beautiful Lake Hemet in the San Jacinto Mountains. Their board voted to add kayaking as an additional water recreational choice at Lake Hemet year round. The requirements include: 1) sit on top kayaks 10’ or longer – no sit on tops or inflatables and 2) passing a Kayak Rescue Safety course, which is offered to non-members of the club for $50, members pay $30.00 plus annual membership of $24.00. The Safety Training classes are held at Lake Perris – Sail Cove, the Saturday after the monthly VWKC meeting. For information on Safety Training, go to http://www.valleywidekayakclub.org/safety For the Safety Training Calendar, go to www.valleywidekayakclub.org/events

To find out more, please come to one of our Valley Wide Kayak Club Meetings. They are held the first Monday of each month at Valley Wide Recreation and Sports Center, 911 W. Esplanade Ave., San Jacinto, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. If a holiday falls on the 1st Monday, we meet the following Monday. We meet the Sunday after the meeting at Lake Perris, Sail Cove from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for safety/rescue training classes. Monthly outings: We have either a day trip, an overnight camping trip, or an extended paddling trip. Click here for current events www.valleywidekayakclub.org/events