2016 Point Pelee Circumnavigation

Pelee Wings Kayaks, Canoes & Paddleboards, and the Windsor Essex County Canoe Club (WECCC)

will host a joint outing along the shores of Point Pelee National Park, Lake Erie

and a Pond Paddle. Sunday July 17th

This year we will be having two events at the same time for a different skill and equipment level of paddler. The longer and more skilled level will be the circumnavigation of Point Pelee, which will be about 15km on the open lake. The second group will paddle in the pond for those not ready to take on the 15km journey.

After both events, everyone is invited back to Pelee Wings for a post paddle meal. (Food, snacks, sides and cold beverages will be provided, all at a nominal cost of $10 per). We will need a count a few days before to ensure we have enough food on hand, if you require a vegetarian dish please let us know. If there is any money left over it will be donated to a Food Bank.

If you can, we would like ALL participants to donate a few can goods for this event or a donation which will be donated to a Food Bank. This is part of our clubs community outreach program we are providing.

Everyone must preregister through email; indicate if you will be staying for the barbecue and how many, weccc.org@gmail.com. All participants must sign waivers when you arrive at Pelee Wings. Our social committee will be organizing the food and will need to give them an accurate count by Thursday night July 14th.

If your boat does not have bulkheads, deck lines and spray skirt consider renting a touring kayak from Pelee Wings. Recreational kayaks and canoes will be fine in the Pond.

The Circumnavigation participants meet at Pelee Wings Store, 636 Point Pelee Drive Leamington Ontario at 10:00am for a pre trip meeting to discuss float plan.

The pond Paddlers can stop in at Pelee Wings to sign waivers, shop and pay for the BBQ between 10:30 and 11am before heading to the Boardwalk Launch site inside the park. Since the pond paddle is shorter we will depart at 11:30.

Everyone should bring hats, sunglasses, sun screen, drinking water, snacks and a shore lunch for the outing. Dress for cold water conditions, the water temps should be in the 60’s by June. Pack dry clothing in a watertight bag.

Please do not bring any children along unless you are staying in the pond with them.

The circumnavigation is not an outing to test your limits; this is a very long paddle, with no access to roads once we are on the east side of the point. Also, this is not a good time to learn how to do rescues; you should know how to do a rescue and have practiced being rescued before joining this trip.

The Pelee Peninsula offers various options to paddle regardless of wind and weather conditions. Generally if one side has wave conditions the other side will be calm. We will make changes to the trip as we see fit, for the safety of the paddlers at the Shore meeting at 10am.

- The tentative itinerary for Sunday July 17th is a 'Circumnavigation of Point Pelee National Park'. This route starts on the west shore of the park from the south parking lot of 'Northwest Beach'. This parking lot is directly across from the 'Marsh Boardwalk' parking lot. The float plan involves kayaking down the west shore to the tip of Point Pelee, Approx 7-km. There will be a short lunch stop and photo op. near the tip. From the tip we kayak north up the east shore to a narrow beach separating Lake Erie from Lake Pond. approx. 6km. Short portage into Lake Pond where you will meet the Pond Paddlers. From there we paddle to the take out at Marsh Boardwalk Viewing Tower parking lot.

The pond paddlers will launch at 11:30 from the Marsh Boardwalk and paddle around the marsh until we meet the other paddlers at approx. 2:30pm on the east beach of Point Pelee. From there we paddle back as a group to the takeout and finish the day off at Pelee Wings for an after paddle bar-b-que, social and a swim in Pelee Wings heated pool - weather permitting.

Warmest regards

Mike Malone Pelee Wings

Roger Chauvin WECCC