About CCPAC
The Cherry Capital Paddle America Club

Who We Are & What We Offer

Cherry Capital Paddle America Club, Inc. (CCPAC) was formed in 1998 to promote the sport of kayaking and canoeing through the sponsorship of educational clinics, recreational paddle events, and symposia on safe kayaking and canoeing.

Our club has an annual membership meeting and is governed by a Board of Directors and By-Laws. Special committees reflect the varied interests of our members and accomplish the organization of paddling events, education, newsletter, membership, and other functions. Your participation is welcome! Refer to our membership information page for more details.

What We Offer

Numerous Day Trips (Seasonal)

We offer a wide variety of paddling trips on local lakes and rivers. Trips are planned to accommodate all levels of paddlers from novice to advanced, using both canoes and kayaks. Outings take place both on weekdays and weekends, as well as some weekday evenings. All official club outings are collected by the outings chair, and subsequently they appear in the Northern Paddler, the CCPAC newsletter. They are added to the website as soon as they are approved by the outings chair. Any club member is encouraged to share their favorite paddle with the club and help coordinate these trips. Trips can be added to the schedule at any time, but should generally be submitted by the 17th of the preceding month.

Weekend Events

Weekend events will allow for longer paddles and may include camping and other recreational opportunities.

Safety & Education Workshops

Safety and eduction sessions are offered in local swimming pools and lakes. Instruction includes: getting outfitted (what every paddler needs to be prepared), basic paddling techniques, wet exits, self and assisted re-entry, and kayak rolls.

National Affiliation

Membership dues to the CCPAC also provides membership in the American Canoe Association (ACA) Paddle America Program. This dual membership fosters local, regional, and national cooperation for the betterment of paddling in America. Our members will receive the benefits of the local club including regularly scheduled trips--short and long, quality local educational programs, the club newsletter, and various social activities. Additional benefits include those offered by the ACA: six issues of Paddler magazine, the bimonthly American Canoeist newsletter, access to ACA sanctioned paddling events, member-only discounts, and use of Sugar Island, the ACA's private island paddling-base in the St. Lawrence Islands National Park.

The ACA affililiation also provides the club access to the Paddle FREE Program to assist paddlers in addressing environmental concerns and access issues; the ACA Safety Education and Instruction Programs; the ACA Information Network of books, maps, films, etc.; and the ACA Event Support Program and liability insurance for our club members and volunteers.

For more information about the ACA, paddling news updates, schedules of workshops and events, and general paddling information, visit their website at www.acanet.org.

Guests of CCPAC Members Are Welcome!

CCPAC outings are intended for its members. Guests of members are welcome at the discretion of the outing host, and must sign a waiver of liability, and pay a $10 fee for each paddle they join.

CCPAC occasionally holds paddles open to the public. Please check the CCPAC events listing for specific dates.

Both CCPAC members and guests must wear PFD's--see the CCPAC Paddling Guidelines for details.

Come Join Us!