(Absolutely required to paddle Boiling Creek)
We are a group of people who enjoy paddling and sharing our experiences with others. We are not a formal organization. There are no dues, no application forms, no membership lists. All you have to do to "join" our "club" is show up at a paddle, come to a meeting, or just decide you're a member.
Please, remember to update your email address on Yahoo Groups if it changes.
The volume of information and e-mails we receive in connection with the club websites and e-mails is very high. Here are some ways you can make all our paddling lives a little easier. :-)
Checklist for announcing paddling trips
We suggest you print the following checklist, keep it near your computer, and bring it to meetings so you can refer to it if you plan to announce a paddle at that meeting.
If you e-mail a trip announcement to us, and if that trip announcement is longer than three sentences, please list the requested information in the following order so we don't have to sift through your creative writing to find the basic information we need to know to join your paddle. Items marked with an asterisk/star are always "required." The last few, un-starred items of information are not "required," but it helps all of us if you let us know whether they are relevant to your particular paddling plans.
We encourage anyone who can paddle a boat to lead trips consistent with their skill level, but it helps everybody if you communicate your plans clearly -- regardless of how skilled you are! (Remember, paddlers on all club paddles always paddle "at their own risk." Each club member is responsible for getting the information they need to make their own decision whether they will enjoy or can safely participate in any given trip, based on their personal paddling skills.)
*Date: [And day of the week.]
*Time: [Or, just say a general time of day (afternoon, evening, and "Call the trip leader for the exact time." Some trip leaders like to do this so all participants will have to contact them and they will know for sure who is planning to come.]
*Place: [Meeting place, put-in, and/or destination, described in such a way that people either know how to get there or know they should call you for driving directions. If you don't write out your driving directions or explain them at the monthly meeting, we won't publish any driving directions.]
*Fee: [If you are launching from a private facility that charges a nominal fee for launching kayaks.]
*Contact/Leader: [Regardless of whether you want folks to let you know they are coming, we need your phone number and/or e-mail address so we won't be bombarded with questions members should be asking you.]
Length: [Give a rough estimate or a firm deadline, as you please. If you don't know (or care) how long the paddle will last, just say so! It will save us a lot of questions.]
Directions: [Provide directions to the launch site, address, or request that paddlers contact you as trip leader for more info.]
Skill level: [Beginner, moderate, or strenuous? Big-boy or sissy :-)? Speed/training or leisurely? Are any special skills required, such as self- or assisted-rescue? A minimum speed? A maximum speed :-)? Is there anything folks might like to know about the expected conditions or environment? If you don't know (or care) about the expected skill-level, just say so! It will save us a lot of questions.]
Special gear or supplies: [--If any. You don't have to tell us about the "usual" gear. The "usual" gear is a boat, a paddle, a PFD, and drinking water. But if the paddle should not be undertaken without a touring boat and spray-skirt, or if paddlers should bring self-rescue devices, swimsuits, sleeping gear, hiking boots, lights, lunch, potluck, etc., please say so.]
Comments: [--If any. This is where you get to include all the "creative writing" you want -- at the end of the paddle announcement, please. Do you want to brag about any expected highlights of the paddle (the x-flowers are in bloom, the current is swift, the water is clear, it was fun last time, we've never paddled here before, etc.)? Dinner plans for after the paddle? Is it likely you will make a last-minute changes in paddling plans? Is there a limit on the number of paddlers who can participate (due to camping space or leader preference)?]
Please don't be offended if we change the first-person singular ("I") to plural ("we") or third-person ("Ellen led a paddle here last month"). Readers tend to assume that a written "I" refers to me (Webmaster), then they correspond with me instead of with you, which is a hassle for everybody. We will do our best to convey trip leaders' enthusiasm and details while maintaining a consistent editorial style. We recommend against your saying "I" when you write paddle announcements.
We love fan mail! Keep those letters and raves about the kayaking experience coming. We treasure this club, the paddling experience, and correspondence with you. Please forgive us, however, if we don't respond to or publish all the dozens of e-mails we get each week from our 200+ members. You'd probably be surprised by how many judgment calls we have to make each week about whether club correspondents intend to communicate with personally, or with the club as a whole. It helps if you tell the webmaster when you e-mail whether your e-mail is intended for publication to the club.
We appreciate plain-text e-mails, HTML e-mails, rich-text attachments, MS Word attachments, or WordPerfect attachments -- all with minimal formatting. If I don't have the software with which you write your e-mail attachment, I can't read it, and I can't pass it on to the membership.
We prefer that you send us links to photo's hosted on a separate website, many of our members have a dial-up connection. If you send photos to be attached to a trip report or for sale advertisement, do not be surprised if the photo is cropped and reduced in size, if it is included at all.
Include a description of the boat desired or for sale (type, make, model, length, weight, age, condition, accessories included, etc.)
We get a lot of inquiries about where to buy a used boat – the answer is that if we know about a used boat for sale, we post it on the website. If it’s not posted, we don’t know about it.
Apart from “want ads” from individuals, we don’t advertise. We mention a few businesses in these FAQs because those businesses actively support our club, are owned by and employ club members, and/or are the only local sources we know about for particular paddling products.
You should bring a PFD and drinking water on every paddle. You should also bring whatever you think you’ll need in the way of snacks or meals, if anything. If we will be on the water after dark, you are required by law to bring a single, white light. (But don’t turn it on unless you need it for safety and/or the trip leader tells you to. White lights ruin night vision.) We also appreciate paddlers who choose to carry a trash bag to collect litter along the way. They make it nicer for everyone.
There is a link to our invitation form on the Home page. Click on that link and enter the requested information. Once you have completed the form click on the submit button and your paddle information will be forwarded to the webmaster for review. The webmaster will then post the information to the website.
You may submit your paddle via email. Just be sure to include the required information. A link to the webmasters email address is at the top of the Home page.
Eglin Air Force Base
Natural Resources Division, ACC/EMSN
107 Highway 85N
Niceville, FL 32578
Specify the number and type of permits desired together with the proper payment and proper identification, or a copy of anything with a date of birth on it, or your old permit. Payment of $12 should be made by money order, certified or cashier's check payable to AFO Eglin AFB, Florida. Personal checks are also accepted, with proper identification.
The Natural Resources Branch of Eglin is open Monday through Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. only. They are closed on Sundays and all Federal Holidays. Information may be obtained by calling Jackson Guard at (850) 882-4164.
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