A New Future for Canoeing and Kayaking on Green Lake
In 2019, the Seattle Canoe and Kayak Club celebrated its 50th year of operation. A vital part of the water sports tradition at Green Lake, the Canoe and Kayak programs have produced world class and Olympic athletes while fostering a love of paddling and lifelong fitness in youth and adults alike.
The new Green Lake Community Boathouse, slated to begin construction in 2020, will bring many benefits for all the programs at the lake. For canoers and kayakers especially:
- The northernmost dock and launch area will become dedicated space just for paddlers. Having an exclusive dock and beach access is an exciting plus for our paddling programs.
- The existing Massart Shellhouse will be completely renovated to provide new and spacious storage for canoeing and kayaking equipment, increasing room to modernize the fleet and for workout machines as well.
- The new dock and launch space will be a highly visible location, bringing more prominence to the paddling programs among the general public.
- Similarly, the new building will allow the community a better perspective on all the water sports programs run through the facility.
All of the amenities of the new building will benefit the paddling programs, including:
- the new locker rooms and personal storage,
- showers and restrooms
- kitchen
- laundry
- meeting spaces
The new Green Lake Community Boathouse will allow the continuation and growth of our paddling programs and give a new generation the chance to access these life-changing sports at Green Lake for another 50 years. For more information on the plans for the new facility, please see this page.
The Eric Hughes $50K Challenge
As part of our fundraising efforts for the boathouse, we are proposing a special challenge to paddlers to raise funds in Eric Hughes’ name. Eric Hughes, a paddler, coach, and teammate, was an integral part of the boathouse for decades, and we would like to honor his legacy with a bench or space within the boathouse named for him. We would love to honor his memory in this way.
We invite you to take part in the fundraising challenge for Eric. Giving can be a simple one-time gift via credit card, check, or stocks, or you can make a pledge and spread your payments out over time. Please check out the challenge here to make your credit card gift today.
We have engraved brick pavers available which would also count toward the Eric Hughes challenge. To make a pledge spread out over time or to contribute via check or other means, please click on our Donate page. All donations to the Eric Hughes challenge will automatically count toward the Race for the Boathouse.
If you know someone else who might want to honor Eric, please feel free to share this information. Please help spread the word!
“Go Seattle! Team Points”…
Thank you so much for your willingness to help honor Eric in this way and for supporting the future of paddling at Green Lake.
