News and Events
2023 Training-Day
June 10, 2023
It’s Back! MASKGI’s PreSeason Training Day is Back! Conducted by some of the best instructors in the U.S., Training Day combines a full day of on-water skill development in a friendly, supportive environment with a delicious dinner and a chance to get to know fellow Maine guides. This year’s event will be held on Saturday, June 10th at the Pemaquid Historical Site in Bremen, Maine. Registration will open April 15th, so save the date.
New this year will be a gear-swap for MASKGI members. The dinner and gear swap are open to all MASKGI members, so even if you can’t make it for training, consider coming just for the food.
2023 Winter Pool Sessions
We'll be holding sessions in both Portland and Boothbay this year. Sessions can be scheduled online at EventBrite. This is a great opportunity for those new to paddling who would like to practice essential self-rescue and assisted-rescue skills, others who want to work on bracing and more experienced paddlers who wish to develop the muscle memory for bombproof Eskimo rolls in a safe indoor pool setting. Although formal instruction will not be provided, the mix of people with different skill levels will allow for the sharing of tips and techniques.
Sessions will be $25 for members. ($35 for non-members) Boats must be cleaned before launching into the pool. Hoses may be available at each venue. For more information or questions regarding the Portland sessions contact Kyle Martin at kyle.martin.8080@gmail.com. Boothbay sessions contact Matt Lutkus at mattlutkus@hotmail.com
Best of Maine!
Two of our business members are in the running for "Best Of" in everything that makes Portland great. Nanuk Kayaks (https://nanuqkayaks.com/about/) and Portland Paddle (https://www.portlandpaddle.net/). To help them win, go to www.vote207.com. For Nanuk click SHOPPING, then SPORTING GOODS, then NANUQ KAYAKS. For Portland Paddle click things THINGS TO DO, then TOUR, then PORTLAND PADDLE. You can even do this once a day over the next several weeks. Thank you in advance for your votes! Let us know if there are other towns in Maine doing the same for your businesses and we can support you too!
2022 Member Training Day
13 members along with 4 of our member instructors completed our first annual Training Day. We'll have more about the event soon, but I wanted to get some of the photos up on the site. Big thanks to Rose Weggler for taking the photos!
2022 Spring Member Meeting
Hard to believe the spring member meeting is upon us!
When: 5/14 @ 2pm
Where: Portland, MITA office
Optional activities:
9:00- paddle option at the East End by Portland Paddle
9:30- launch
1:00- pre meeting pizza lunch at MITA
2:00- meeting
4:30- meet up for drinks at a brewery (TBD)
Please email kyle.martin.8080@gmail.com if you are interested in meeting up for the paddle.
An email will be sent out soon with this info and an agenda will be sent out a few weeks before the meeting.
Looking forward to seeing many of you there
2022 Portland Pool Session
We’ve scheduled 3 days of pool sessions at the Riverton Community Pool in 2022. Similar to last year, we will only be allowing 6 people in the pool at a time. Members get the first session free. (Additional sessions are $15 each.) The cost for non-members is $25/session
The sessions will be split up into 2 groups. 6 people from 1:00-2:30 and 6 people from 2:30-4:00. Masks are encouraged at all times except while in the pool. There are also a couple of forms to fill out before attending. For these reasons and for all of us to stay as safe as possible, please RSVP to Kyle at kyle.martin.8080@gmail.com to secure your spot as it is a first come first serve basis. The dates are as follows:
January 9th
February 20th
April 24th
Big thanks to Portland Paddle for sponsoring the insurance coverage for these sessions!
Fall Member Meeting Nov, 13
The fall meeting is scheduled for Saturday, November 13th at the Waldo County Technical Center in Belfast from 2:00 – 4:00 PM. If you wont be able to attend in person, but would like to attend virtually, just send us an email and we’ll send you out a meeting invite.
Cold Water Safety
Up here in Maine things are finally starting to warm up. Beautiful weather expected all this week, with temps touching 80 some days. If you or someone you know is heading up to New England just remember that the water is still deadly cold.
Please dress appropriately and always wear a life jacket. http://www.coldwatersafety.org/Rule2.html#rule2Case1