Connecticut Coastal Kayaking - memories of CONNYAK and MASK trips

Thimble Islands (2010)

Mystic CT (2006)

Around the time I started sea kayaking in the early-90s, I encountered few other paddlers on the water in the western end of Long Island Sound. Plenty of motor and sail boaters, but few (if any) other paddlers. To find other sea kayakers, for reasons of camaraderie and safety, I combed through the advert sections of magazines (ACK, Sea Kayaker), checked brochures at local paddling shops, and inquired of folks I encountered during kayak instruction classes, pool sessions, etc. I quickly became aware of the two principal sea kayaking clubs in my region -  MASK (the Metropolitan Association of Sea Kayakers) and CONNYAK (Connecticut Sea Kayakers). Yes, there were other paddling clubs in the area (Sebago Canoe Club in Queens, Touring Kayak Club on City Island, and Long Island Paddlers may have been around then) but these other clubs were either more locally-focused or had membership requirements as a condition of joining trips.  By contrast, MASK and ConnYak were open to all and advertised paddling trips further afield throughout Connecticut and New York so were just what I was looking for.

The mid-90's being pre-internet days, I relied on monthly (or quarterly) paper newsletters from MASK and ConnYak sent via snail-mail.  These newsletters typically included short articles on paddling and most critically their list of upcoming paddling trips. Trip calendars had to be published and mailed months in advance – so we all waited for these newsletters with great eagerness.

MASK: I only attended a few MASK paddles and perhaps one or two club meetings which were fun events that sometimes included guest speakers.  I remember “Captain Al” Ysaguirre being a lead organizing figure and the club having a strong Greenland paddling bent. Although very active for years, I believe MASK is now inactive, hopefully it will come back to life (formerly at www.seacanoe.org).

CONNYAK: Regarding ConnYak, I paddled with them a lot over the years.  Am not sure how I initially hooked up with ConnYak – could have been through Norwalk’s Small Boat Shop (another hugely prominent force in the local sea kayak scene, now closed, RIP) or from people I met at rolling sessions I attended early on with AMC’s whitewater paddling chapter at the YMCA pool in Stamford, CT.  ConnYak was, and remains, a fantastic resource for paddlers eager to explore the varied habitats and conditions of coastal Connecticut.  One thing I will say is that the membership of ConnYak, and therefore the location of most trips, was (is) mostly comprised of individuals from central and eastern Connecticut. So as a Westchester County paddler I was a bit of an anomaly.  I had to do a lot of driving East - which was fine, I paddled the western end of the Sound on my own all the time so enthusiastically looked eastwards for variety.  Later, in the 2000’s, I hooked up with a rough water "subgroup" of ConnYak who focused on paddling out of Stonington CT, around Napatree Point and the Fishers Island tide races - places I became very familiar with while paddling with Atlantic Kayak Tours (AKT) in the early 2000's.

Connyak’s a great, open resource – their website has replaced newsletters and they’ve put all their launch sites on the web – an excellent resource: CONNYAK Launch Sites