Ballard Elks Paddling Club

The days are getting shorter (hey, don’t shoot the messenger), so recall that it was decreed that we would pull things forward thirty minutes for week number 18 (as well as through the end of the season). So…check in starts at 5:30pm, the mandatory safety meeting is at 6pm, and the race will begin at 6:30pm (give or take…you know the drill). Webscorer notes show these deets, as well.

ANNOUNCEMENT!!! BEPC MEMBER MIKE HODEL IS GOING FOR A LITTLE SWIM FRIDAY.

By “little,” we mean 10 miles across Puget Sound and back to raise funds for Puget Soundkeeper. Because apparently that’s what passes for a casual Friday when you’re Mike Hodel.

If you don't know Mike's swimming résumé from just this summer, here’s the abbreviated version:

June: Kenmore to Renton — 18 miles down Lake Washington in 8.5 hours, setting a new record�July: English Channel — 21 miles�August: Around Manhattan — 28.5 miles�September: Catalina Channel — 20 miles, still to come

You know. Normal summer stuff. But this Friday’s swim is a little different. How? Read on…

Mike and fellow BEPC member Joyce Hodel have organized Swim for the Sound, a fundraiser benefiting Puget Soundkeeper Alliance and the waters that all of us at BEPC spend an awful lot of time paddling upon, talking about, and generally appreciating.

Mike will start at Ray’s Boathouse, swim across to Fay Bainbridge Park, and then turn around and swim back. If you’re trying to do the math, we’ll do it for you. That’s 10 miles (we kinda pointed that out up top, of course). Across the Sound and back. In roughly 58° water. Mic drop!!! (Different than a Mike drop)

We feel compelled to point out that BEPC members have perfectly serviceable paddleboards we could loan him. Mike is apparently aware of this and has chosen swimming anyway. Stubbornly dedicated, this guy.

Want to support Mike, Joyce, Puget Soundkeeper Alliance —and, most importantly, our home waters? Of course you do! Donate and learn more here: https://www.wagives.org/story/swimforthesound

And because no feat of endurance is truly complete until somebody orders a beverage, their plan is to celebrate afterward at Happy Hour at Ray’s, then migrate over to the Ballard Elks to continue the festivities.

This is one of our own doing something pretty extraordinary for a place that means a whole lot to this club. Let’s get behind him.

Go Mike! Swim safe, Have Fun, and Swim well (we’ll let you choose the order, though we’re goin to insist to the “safe” part being first on the list).

BEPC is celebrating it’s 10th anniversary with a Luau! Ten years ago, the Ballard Elks Paddling Club got its start with a pretty simple idea: get some Elks members together, get out on the water, and have some fun paddling from one of the best waterfront locations in Seattle. A decade later, there are a lot more boards downstairs, a lot more paddlers on the water, and considerably more stories to tell.

So, we're throwing a party.

Sunday, September 20 | 2–6 PM�Downstairs at the Ballard Elks Lodge

We're celebrating with a full-on luau, taking over the downstairs, patio and waterfront for the afternoon. The plan includes all the Luau fixings you’d expect. And because a luau deserves more than a Bluetooth speaker, Na Hilahila will be joining us for two live sets of Hawaiian music between 3:00 and 5:30.

Weather permitting, we'll be outside enjoying the water, palm trees and whatever version of tropical weather Ballard decides to provide us. If September has other ideas, we'll move the festivities under cover and indoors.

There'll be plenty of BEPC history, paddlers past and present, food, music and general celebration of ten years of a club that has become a pretty special part of the Ballard Elks community. We just might have a raffle, as well.

Whether you've been part of the Paddling Club for all ten years, joined last week, or have simply wondered who all those people carrying ridiculously long boards around the Lodge are, come help us celebrate.

Ten years. Countless paddles. One very good reason for a luau. Tickets ($40) available here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/bepc-luau-and-10yr-anniversary

It’s Friday, which means it’s time to announce the theme for Monday’s BEPC festivities. There isn’t one. Yep. BEPC Week #16 is going commando (theme-wise that is; take it easy, people!).

After 15 weeks of carefully curated themes, tortured premises, dubious cultural references, questionable graphics, and explaining jokes that were’t funny, the Scribe has arrived at an uncomfortable possibility: Maybe nobody actually cares about this drivel.

There. We said it. Did you really need the Number 12 to sponsor Race #12? Probably not. Did Race Season actually need to become a moody teenager for Race #13? No. Was the Cascadia Classic really a classic? Absolutely not. Beach Mode? We needed Orcas to save that one.

So we’re stripping things back to the essentials. No clever name. No elaborate backstory. No need to Google an obscure reference buried three paragraphs into Friday’s post. Just BEPC Week #16.

There is one thing worth noting: Monday is another USA SUP affiliated race, so USA SUP members can accrue points toward their season standings. If that’s your jam, excellent. Get those points! If it isn’t your jam? Also excellent. Come paddle anyway! We’re a paddle club, not a SUP racing club, remember? You do? Sorry…we repeat ourselves sometimes. Anyway…

The perfunctory bits: Week #16 schedule is: Monday, August 17th -> Check-in – 6:00 PM -> Mandatory Safety Meeting – 6:30 PM -> Race – 7:00 PM (ish)

As always, register before arriving and use the Zeffy payment option in the Event Notes if you can. It makes life easier for the volunteers at Check-in, which makes Monday better for everyone (Reminder, our Monday Series event is open to Club Members and their guests): https://www.webscorer.com/registerseries?seriesid=427450

And while the theme gets the week off, the Race Motto does not: Be Safe. Be Kind. Have Fun. Race Well. (In that order.)

See you Monday for BEPC Week #16.

Announcement!!! There is no Social Paddle this Monday (August 17th). That’s right, we’re skipping a week to catch our breath. We’ve been on a tear! Thank you all for supporting our reboot! But, this Monday is a USA SUP affiliated week (more on that in Friday's club post), so Shannon is going to divert her attention to helping us with that. We’ll get back to our regularly-scheduled Social Paddle programming the following week. We thank you in advance for you support.

Another week has gone by, which means it’s time for the Scribe to beg for Volunteers. And, yes, we need somebody to chip in to help Stacey with Reg/Check-in and Timing. But this time around, we also need dedicated Safety Paddlers to raise their hands. Preferably folks that are NOT racing (dedicated eyes for Safety are better…the bestest, in fact). More specifically, we’re looking for a Safety Paddler to serve the role of Sweeper. No, not the Grim Sweeper that pulls people from the course if they’re too slow (let’s be honest, this isn’t a serious race, folks; don't fear the Sweeper!). No, we mean the type of Sweeper that purposefully hangs back behind all the participants to ensure they all make it in safely. Any takers? C’mon…you know you wanna. DM us or comment here, please.

Well, we had an entire Beach Mode recap planned (dirty little secret, sometimes the Scribe has much of it pre-written). There were going to be jokes, themes were going to be revisited and narrative arcs were going to be resolved.

And then the friggin’ Orcas showed up at the Elks! ORCAS!!! So...does anything else even matter now? Seriously. Orcas. Right there. Before the race. Minds collectively blown.

For those unfamiliar with our little corner of Shilshole Bay, this is decidedly NOT a normal occurrence. Seals? Sure. Sea lions? Absolutely. Herons? Constantly. Naked guy on the rock? Most of us have never seen him, but, apparently, sometimes.

But orcas? Nope. Yet there they were, putting on a pre-race show that your Scribe is going to go ahead and declare the undisputed highlight of BEPC Week #15.

We did, though, go ahead and have a race. Huge thanks to Dan, Sonia, Greg, John and Richard for making the evening happen. Orcas generate excitement, but they’re absolutely useless at Registration, Timing, and Safety. So we are grateful for our volunteers.

The course was Pretzel 3.0. The Scribe didn’t bother to sketch it (you’ve seen it before). Instead, he put his effort into repurposing this old Orca sketch for the recap. You’ll have to settle for that.

Results? You still care about those after the whole Orca saga? Wow. OK…here you go: Standard Results: https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=443130 MondayMe Results: https://pnw.paddlerace.org/bepc-summer/results/2026-08-10-15.html Well done Greg, Lambert, and Kerri! And kudos to Kerri and Ayman for having weekly streaks posted. Bravo!

And that brings Beach Mode to a close (recall that WAS the theme, but that’s hard to remember now). Next Monday is BEPC Race #16. The Scribe isn't bothering with some dubious theme invented several days beforehand, but it is a USA SUP affiliated race, so there are points on the line for those chasing such things. For everyone else, it'll be another Monday night doing what this whole thing is actually about: Getting together and paddling. Perhaps with orcas (unless you’re Ahmed F who’s yet to ever see one).

See you next Monday.

Reminder: It’s Monday, people. Time to switch over to BEACH MODE (AKA BEPC week #15)

How do you know when Beach Mode has been activated? Glad you asked. Here are some clues:

Salt air, some friendly competition, and a Social Paddle? Beach Mode. Some dude named Ken asking you, “Do you even Beach?” Surprisingly, also Beach Mode. Hanging out on the Elks patio afterward with beverage in hand (coconut cup with umbrella, naturally)? PEAK BEACH MODE. You get the idea.

Frankly, we're not entirely sure Beach Mode is a real thing. But try telling THAT to the BEPC Elves. They’ve been humming “Tiki Torches at Twilight” all morning whilst willing the sun to come out this afternoon (let’s see how that goes).

Regardless, tonight we've got the whole beach scene rolling: Skills Clinic at 5:30, followed by Check-in at 6:00, the Mandatory Safety Meeting at 6:30, and the Race at 7:00 PM (ish).

Not racing? No prob. The Social Paddle will also be heading out for a decidedly more relaxed version of Beach Mode. If we're being honest, the Social Seshers may understand the assignment better than the rest of us. No clock. No frantic buoy turns. Just a summer evening on the water followed by the patio. Showoffs.

One small request before you grab the Coppertone and head our way: register before you arrive. Webscorer registration plus advance payment through Zeffy makes life beachier for the folks working Check-in. You do NOT wanna harsh their vibe, so register here: https://www.webscorer.com/registerseries?seriesid=427450 As a reminder, the BEPC Summer Event Series is for Club Members and their guests.

Finally, remember this, Beach Mode demands that you: Be Safe. Be Kind. Have Fun. Race Well. (In that order.)

The Scribe abides. See you tonight.

***FULLY STAFFED!!!!***

Well, we spent most of the weekend thinking we had enough volunteers for Reg/Check-in & Timing for tomorrow's race (8/10). Turns out we were wrong. We need HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!



PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We promised you a theme that wouldn’t attract the attention of intellectual-property attorneys. After minimal consultation with BEPC Legal, we're pleased to announce that Monday's Race #15 will be: BEACH MODE

What’s that? You say that name reminds you of another "Mode" famously associated with a certain beloved Seattle sports figure? Um…we have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. None.

Also, don’t confuse it with À la Mode (though also delicious), or Dark Mode (whatever that is), or Airplane Mode (flight attendants are checking), or Depeche Mode (which…actually, we're not making a joke about that one; our attorneys are already nervous).

Nope. This is BEACH MODE. Why? Because we like the way it sounds, OK? (and we already had a sketch mostly ready, if we’re being honest)

Also, Beach Mode is less a race format than a state of mind (so Zen!). It's what happens when Monday afternoon starts winding down, the sun is out (hopefully not obscured by a smoky haze), Shilshole is calling, and you realize you'd rather be holding a paddle than doing pretty much anything else. (cue the reggae music)

Get your flip flops ready, cuz here are the deets: 8/10/2026 -> Skills Clinic – 5:30 PM → Check-in – 6:00 PM → Mandatory Safety Meeting – 6:30 PM → Race/Social Paddle –> 7:00 PM (ish)

As always, please register ahead of time on Webscorer and take advantage of the new Zeffy payment option in the Event Notes. It makes Monday evening just that much beachier. Trust us.

https://www.webscorer.com/registerseries?seriesid=427450

And remember that mode that never changes: Be Safe. Be Kind. Have Fun. Race Well. (In that order.) See you Monday!