BASK - Previous General Meetings

To give you an idea of what types of presentations we have at the BASK general meetings, here are some of our previous speakers and their topics:

Date	Speaker	Title	Description
Mar 29, 2026	Dan Arbuckle	A History of Sea Kayak Lineage: From Arctic origins to the modern sea kayak	Dan covered the history of sea kayaks by looking at three lineages; the Greenland, British, and North American. Starting with the deep roots of sea kayaking in Iniut hunting vessles of the Arctic region, Dan introduced the Greenland kayak (or qajaq) with its signiture low rear deck, narrow beam, and hard chines. He explained how the Britsh sea kayaks evolved from the Greenland kayak roots, incorporating new safety feature such as watertight bulkheads, perimeter deck lines, and a retractable skeg. Finally he covered how the Aluet baidarka influenced North American designs with larger volume, longer waterlines, and rudders for tracking control.
Feb 25, 2026	Steven Dobbs	Geology of the Bay Area Coastline - a.k.a. Cools rocks you can now point to next time you go kayaking	Dr. Dobbs discussed how California was born in the Mesozoic era (330-65 MA) when the Pacific Plate was moving under the North American Plate, forming the Coast Range and the Sierra Nevada. He used graphic animations to illustrate plate tectonic processes in California, why we have earthquakes where we do, and how sea level changes in the Bay have affected the coastline. He then a provided a modern geologic overview from Tomales Bay to Monterey Bay, covering what types of rocks and landform features kayakers can expect to find along different sections of the coast.
Jan 24, 2026	Kame Richards	What kayakers need to know about tidal currents in San Francisco Bay	Kame talked shared a time-laspse video of currents and also countercurrents on the Bay Model. Using aerial photographs of the Bay, he showed how the currents interact with wind and landforms along the coast. He mentioned that sea state changes when you cross current lines, so it is important to know where you are relative to prominent currents. Finally, Kame explained how the Bay Model was designed to work, and how you can use pepper flakes to see how the water is moving.
Oct 29, 2025	David McGuire	White Sharks and Human Interactions in California	David talked about Sharks common to Central and Northern California, and explained Sharktober, a period of increased white shark activity and human interactions in the Red Triangle. David also discussed some insights on preventing human-shark interaction, and he covered threats to sharks and shark conservation efforts by his organization Shark Stewards.
Sep 21, 2025	Ellen Simms and Tom Colton	Wildlife Encounters by Kayak in British Columbia	Tom and Ellen shared their experience paddling 20 days along the BC coast in June 2024. They shared their experiences kayaking and camping, stories and media of amazing wildlife encounters along the way, and discussed at lengh some unfortunate wolf behavior, offering kayaker safety precatuations for others.
Aug 27, 2025	Jenny Zhang and Justin Smith	Ten Days, 220 Miles: Self-Supported Kayaking in the Grand Canyon	Jenny and Justin described their May 2025 ten-day, self-supported kayak trip down the Grand Canyon with four other paddlers. They talked about how they planned the journey, what daily life on the river was like, and the campsites, side hikes, and wildlife they experienced along the way, sharing memorable moments from traveling the canyon without any raft support.
Jul 27, 2025	Meg Marriott	Marin Islands National Wildlife Refuge	Meg discussed the wildlife, management, and restoration of the National Wildlife Refuges, giving background on the USFWS and outlining key wildlife and ecosystem concerns. She described ongoing habitat restoration projects and explained how they incorporated climate change adaptation to address future sea-level rise.
Jun 25, 2025	Dallas Smith and Liz Wilhelm	Circumnavigating the SF Bay Area Water Trail by Kayak	Dallas and Liz described how they planned and completed their circumnavigation of the Bay Area Water Trail, including gathering information, selecting gear, choosing campsites, managing weather and challenges, and recalling memorable moments from the trip.
Jun 1, 2025	Brian Alger, Kris Chebul, & Paul Randall	BASK Joins La Bufadora Swim Team	Seven BASKers and two Pacific Northwest kayakers joined Bill Vonnegut for five days of rock gardening and surfing in La Bufadora, Baja Mexico, including five first-timers. They shared trip highlights, personal stories of challenges and accomplishments, and their initiation into the La Bufadora Swim Team.
Apr 28, 2025	Amber Champion	Sea Kayaking Adventures in Antarctica	Amber talked about her experience working as a sea kayaking guide in Antartica, giving an overview of in the day in the life of a kayak paddle guide there including daily operations, stories of wildlife encounters, as well as scenery and sights from Ushuaia, Falklands, South Georgia, South Shetlands, and Antarctica.
Mar 29, 2025	Joe Weber	Tule Boat Journey and the Ancestors Who Made It Possible	Joe Weber spoke about his heritage and Tule boats, sharing his Pomo–Lakota background, his training from his uncle, and his 11 years as a Tule boat instructor at the Big Valley races. He also highlighted his advocacy for Native rights, environmental stewardship, and his service as his tribe’s Housing Committee Chairman.
Feb 25, 2025	Larry Moss and Steve Goldfinger	Kayaking Trips for Mere Mortals	Larry Moss presented a talk on kayaking in Santa Cruz Island and Channel Islands National Park, highlighting the diverse experiences and essential planning for an outdoor tour suitable for all skill levels. Steve Goldfinger described a 2021 weeklong paddling trip on the Colorado River between Hoover Dam and Lake Mohave, where he and three friends escaped the pandemic, explored two stunning canyons, and endured triple-digit heat.
Jan 26, 2025	Paul Steinberg and Noy Davis	The South Sound Traditional Inuit Kayaking Symposium	Noy and Paul described the roots of Arctic paddling, the boats and tools used, and introduced the South Sound Traditional Inuit Kayaking Symposium (SSTIKS). They explored the millennia-old traditions of Arctic peoples and discussed the diverse cultures, crafts, tools, and techniques they developed. The talk also addressed the impacts of colonialism on traditional Arctic culture and showed how Arctic kayak technology shaped the modern kayak.

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