About Float Your Boat: Chicago Area Kayak Meetup

Hello Fellow Paddler,

Back in April of 2007, we decided to organize Float Your Boat (FYB): Chicago Area Kayak Meetup because there was a long list of people waiting for such a meetup group. At the time, I was too busy planning a job change and a move to Evanston (from the "middle of nowhere" Illinois Valley), so Monica took the reins. Soon after that, Monica's writing career took off and the group was leaderless, so I stepped up and helped to get things rolling with the help of an awesome team of assistant organizers.

Tom, Brian, Rich, Vic and I personally invite you to come out and join us for some kayaking fun this year. We are doing our best to offer a variety of events, for beginners and more advanced paddlers alike, including boat sharing and rental events where the "boatless" members can try out different boats and see what they like before buying their own.

Do you have some ideas about trips you'd like to take? Or questions about specific rivers or lakes? Or maybe you are a beginner looking for your first float. Please feel free to email our group at kayaking-163@meetup.com and let us know what would float your boat. Or, you can contact anyone on the leadership team directly by clicking on their name at our welcome page.

Although outdoor paddling events will be rather infrequent after the May-October season, we still plan to get together for social functions over the winter months. Meeting up with more experienced paddlers is not only a way to meet new friends who share your enthusiasm for the outdoors, but also a great way to learn about kayaking by asking questions.

I hope our group really does "float your boat."

Cordially,
Jon

P.S.- We are asking for a minimal contribution of $5 from new members because we have to pay Meetup.com a subscription fee to keep this group going and utilize the wonderful networking tool they have set up for us! Please pay via Paypal at our welcome page, or bring it to one of our events. This will help to keep the group going. Thanks! :)