https://ballardelks.org/membership/ballard-elks-paddling-club-bepc/

Ballard Elks Paddling Club, 6411 Seaview Ave NW, Seattle, WA (2026)

06/08/2026

Tonight is the inaugural June Gloom Invitational (aka: Race #6).

Yes, it's a made-up event name. Silly? Admittedly, yes. Clever? Nominally at best. Did we put our best foot forward with this one? I mean, hard to say, but, probably not, if we’re being honest. At this point, though, the BEPC Scribe has committed to the bit and we feel obligated to support him. But……look out the window. You have to admit that he was onto something.

Made-up name aside, this is a VERY real event. BEPC Race #6 is on, people!

Weather (see what we did there?) you're chasing the front of the pack, chasing a personal best, or simply looking for a reason to get out on the water on a Monday evening, we'd love to have you join us.

The Details: - Check-In: 6:00 PM -> Mandatory Safety Meeting: 6:30 PM -> Race Start: 7:00 PM (We’re starting at 7 PM sharp, remember?)

The course, you ask? We can assure you that there WILL be one. But we can further attest that it will NOT be selected until the Race Boss gets there, squints, and stoically gazes at the sea while the June Gloom wind dramatically blows through his flowing mane of hair (so majestic!).

Regardless of the route, all paddle craft and experience levels are welcome. Speaking of all paddle craft, our policy this year is to use number tents affixed to said craft. Why? Simply put, it just makes life so much easier for our Timers. They don’t have to memorize faces and names. It makes the whole process less intimidating, which expands our pool of potential volunteers. Feels right, doesn’t it?

Weather forecast? You still ask about that? So, um, the whole theme of the race IS the forecast. That was kind of the whole gag.

The BEPC Elves have become a tad OCD about this, so let’s give ‘em what they’re after, shall we? They very much want you to register here by 6:40 PM this evening: �https://www.webscorer.com/registerseries?seriesid=427450

And now, Race Motto time: Be Safe. Be Kind. Have Fun. Race Well. (in that order)

Secondary Race Motto: Low Clouds Optional. High Spirits Mandatory (like the Safety Meeting).

See you on the beach (but probably in the parking lot first).

06/05/2026

The Ballard Elks Paddle Club is proud to announce its first ever June Gloom Invitational (aka: Race #6 on Monday June 8th), which is intended to celebrate the Pacific Northwest’s low-cloud traditions of June.

Wait. It’s an invitational? Yes. Gives the race some gravitas, don’t you think? A certain jes nes se quoi, if you will (Enchante!). Ultimately, we just like the way that sounds. And, if we’re being honest, we’re trying to put a positive spin on this PNW weather phenomenon (remember how nice last Tuesday was?…sigh). Despite the name, though, all are invited.

But, is this an official thing? Gosh, you sure ask a lot of questions. Well, it’s officially race #6, yes. “June Gloom Invitational,” however? Well, that’s entirely a figment of the BEPC Scribe’s imagination. He thought it was amusing. Nothing more than that, really. Let’s not overthink it, OK? Moving on…

Join us Monday, June 8th at the Ballard Elks for an evening of paddling, racing, blah weather, and the sort of camaraderie reserved for people who willingly exercise atop cold saltwater. Well, hopefully atop.

Don’t remember the deets? No worries. We’re only six weeks into the season. You can’t be expected to pattern match just yet. (Dripping with sarcasm? You decide.) Said deets are…

Check-in: 6:00 PM -> Mandatory Safety meeting: 6:30 PM -> Race Start 7:00 PM

Wait, hasn’t race start been 7:05-ish? Yeah, but that’s becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. Before you know it, we’ll be starting these things at 7:45 PM. Let’s say 7 PM sharp, shall we? Great. Thank you. Good talk.

All paddle craft and experience levels are welcome. Whether you’re at the front of the pack, chasing the front of the pack, chasing personal glory, or simply looking for a way to elevate your heart rate (all the above?), this event is for you. Truly.

Register (pretty please) here: https://www.webscorer.com/registerseries?seriesid=427450

Current forecast: You DID see the name of the race, right? ‘Nuff said…

Race Motto: Be Safe. Be Kind. Have Fun. Race Well. (in that order)

Secondary Race Motto for this week: Low clouds optional. High spirits mandatory.

06/03/2026

It’s that time again. What time is that, you ask? The time where we plead for volunteers for the next race. It’s actually about a day ahead of that time, but we’re trying to get ahead of things. We’re not proud, but we ARE diligent. You could be worse. But we’re not here to talk about us. We’re here to talk about YOU. So, back to pleading.

As you’ve heard the Scribe chirp before, we can’t…we repeat, we can’t…put on a race without sufficient volunteer coverage. There’s a minimum critical mass that is required. At the moment, we are below that critical mass for the June 8th Race (the yet to be branded race #6). So here we are pleading on a Wednesday morning.

What do we need? Thank you for asking! First and foremost, we need another volunteer for Registration/Check-in and Timing. Stacey has signed up for that task, but we need another set of eyes, ears, and hands to help her. Never done it before? Fret not! She hadn’t either until last week and, leveraging our carefully-written how-to instructions (she showed up prepared), she crushed it! You can, too. We believe in you.

We also need another Safety paddler. And, if there’s to be a Social Paddle, we need somebody to lead that, too.

The BEPC Elves work very hard behind the scenes all week to ensure we can have a race on Monday evenings. They thank you in advance for your willingness to help! Rumor has it they’re already singing Better Midler’s rendition of “Wind Beneath My Wings” in your honor. They’re a sentimental bunch, those elves.

06/02/2026

Well, Race #5 is in the books! As you surely recall, it was branded “The Post-Seventy48 Recovery Race” for those silly…er, we mean, badass…enough to race again so soon after such a Salish Sea Saga (oh how the BEPC Elves love alliteration).

Before we get into race stuff, though, let’s first acknowledge our volunteers: Lambert, Stacey, Bruce, and Chris. What a well-run race! If you haven’t already, please take a moment to thank them personally. Unverified accounting suggests this was Stacey’s first time volunteering and did so having never raced. Whoa! She’s already volunteered to help again next week (thank you, Stacey!), but we’re hoping to lure her onto the water as a racer at some point. Goals.

Also, we have to note that Jackson from the SURF BALLARD posse joined for his first race. Right on, Jackson! Let’s get you out there again next week. We love having you as part of the crew, Amigo.

Regarding the course, if you didn’t race and are curious about the route or DID race yet want to mentally relive the route (cue Bruce Springsteen’s “Glory Days”), take a look at the (not to scale, but riddled with curious nuggets) course map. Not a visual learner? That’s OK, we’ll granularly describe the route here: Start, Downwind, Upwind, Downwind, Upwind, Oliver’s Twist, Finish. Too much detail? Sorry. We can be verbose. Regardless, great job, Race Boss!

By now you know where to find the results. You’re busy, though, so tap/click here: https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=434491

Mike’s PaddleRace data here: https://pnw.paddlerace.org/bepc-summer/results/2026-06-01-05.html

Way to go Waleed, Eric, and Dan! By the way, the Scribe would like a funky moniker for this data. He doesn’t feel like he’s giving it the glow it deserves. “How YOU doin’?” Maybe. “Me, Myself, and I?” We already made that joke and it bombed (you can be a tough crowd). Ugh. The Scribe and the Elves are flailing over here. Give us your ideas, please.

With that, onward and upward. We’ll see you all next Monday. Current forecast is…blah. But that won’t stop you! And it might serve as fodder for the next race theme. Stay tuned…

06/01/2026

The POST-SEVENTY48 RECOVERY race is tonight!

By now, some members of the BEPC community have successfully traversed 70 miles from Tacoma to PT under human power. Others are processing what they experienced and/or witnessed. Still others are wondering why anyone would voluntarily do such a thing in the first place. Friday night sounded challenging. Just sayin’. But whatever your relationship to the Seventy48, tonight's race is for you.

If you raced this weekend and somehow still feel compelled to tape a number on your vessel and paddle around some buoys, we respect how you choose to recover. This race is first and foremost for you.

If you spent the weekend tracking racers, refreshing updates, and worrying about everyone (Did they get a donut? Did they NOT get a donut?), this race is for you, too.

And if you have absolutely no idea what we're talking about (“What’s this nonsense about donuts?”), that's okay. Just nod knowingly when someone says “Colvos Passage" or occasionally say “epic” at random times and you'll fit right in. The point is: This race welcomes all.

We'll celebrate the brave souls who accepted the Seventy48 challenge, hear a few stories, and—almost as an afterthought—conduct a perfectly respectable BEPC race. The Race Boss will choose a course that is considerably shorter than 70 miles. We promise.

Set GPS to Ballard Elks and synchronize watches.

Check-In: 6:00 PM
Safety Meeting (it’s mandatory, remember?): 6:30 PM
Race Start: 7:05 PM-ish (those cats aren’t getting any easier to herd on the water)

AND…don’t forget that the BEPC Coin came up HEADS, which means there’s a Skills Clinic at 5:30 PM led by our fearless leader, Alex. Join him!

For the love of all things big and small, please register here: https://www.webscorer.com/registerseries?seriesid=427450

We’ve left registration open till 6:40pm, so you can literally do it in the parking lot after you arrive. The BEPC Elves remain hopeful that you'll do so before showing up. They’re optimists, bless their hearts.

Be Safe, Be Kind, Have Fun, Race Well (in that order). See you on the beach.

05/30/2026

OK, so, the BEPC Scribe forgot to check the Magic 8 Ball to see if there is a Skills Clinic this Monday (June 1st). And now the Scribe can’t find the Magic 8 Ball. Uh oh! New plan, let’s flip a coin. Heads means there’s a Skills Clinic. Tails means there isn’t. Here goes. It’s heads! The Skills Clinic is happening!

5:30pm sharp. 30 minutes (give or take) of instruction before check-in starts at 6pm. Check-in always starts at 6pm. Remember? You know that because you always dutifully read the heads-up posts the BEPC Elves pump out.

What’s the focus you ask? Well, again, we can’t find the Magic 8 Ball. So, we’re going to leave that a mystery for now. But if the Scribe knows anything (insert joke at the expense of the Scribe’s intellect here), it’s that Alex will come up with something that will surely benefit you, regardless of your skill level. See you there and then!

05/29/2026

Hey there. By now you know the pattern. We send out a heads-up post for Monday’s race on Friday morning. In that post you find all the relevant info (check in/safety meeting/race start time, a festive theme, a passive-aggressive…yet whimsical…nudge to register, blah, blah, blah). But that’s not what we’re here to talk about just yet. Huh? What? Why?! BECAUSE IT’S SEVENTY48 TIME, PEOPLE! That’s a HUGE thing to happen between now and Monday’s race. We can’t ignore that! So we’ve christened race #5 “The Post-Seventy48 Recovery Race.” (Rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? Put THAT on a hat!)

Let’s give props for a moment. Several members of the BEPC community will spend this weekend participating in this legendary human-powered race from Tacoma to Port Townsend. No matter the conditions, 70 miles will be traversed in less than 48 hours. That’s a LONG saga on the Salish Sea. The timid need not enter. With that, we say: Go Sarah, Jamie, Chris, Mike, Shad, and Travis! (Hopefully the BEPC Elves didn’t miss anybody on the list). No matter the outcome this weekend, we are already proud of you.

Back to Monday’s race (there WILL be a race cuz Monday’ll get here eventually).

So, if you raced the Seventy48 and, in spite of all that, you want to race again Monday (you crazy glutton), this race is for you. Didn’t do the Seventy48, but you’re exhausted from fretting about the safety of Seventy48 racers (you’re such an empath), this race is for you. Have no idea what the (blank) we’re talking about (“What’s the Seventy48 and why do they smash letters and numbers together like that?”), but will be there Monday? Great news! This race is for you, too.

Join us Monday night at the venerable Ballard Elks for an evening of paddling, recovery, storytelling, and witty assessment of whether anyone is still capable of making good decisions.

You know the drill: Check-In: 6:00 PM, Safety Meeting: 6:30 PM, Race Start: 7:00 PM (give or take). Register (please, please, PLEASE register) here: https://www.webscorer.com/registerseries?seriesid=427450

The BEPC Elves thank you in advance.

05/27/2026

Good news: We’ve got one volunteer for Registration & Timing. Thank you, Lambert!

Bad news: We need another.

More news: We are officially rolling out the BEPC Volunteer Signal. Check it out, y’all!

It’s a lot like the Bat Signal from the famously campy 1960s TV show. Are you old enough to remember that particular piece of cultural history? Let’s pretend you are.

The main difference is that instead of summoning a masked vigilante with a tragic backstory and unresolved emotional trauma, we’re simply trying to summon a few good people willing to help put on a paddle race.

No cape required. No utility belt required. Nominal organizational competence preferred.

Volunteer roles are straightforward and help keep race night running smoothly:

- Registration/check-in
- Timing/results
- Instructions provided ahead of time, if desired (Robin not included)

Bonus: The first two volunteers for Registration & Timing get a free meal and drink (well drink, beer, or soda). This is a weekly thing.

If you can help this coming Monday (6/1), please let us know in the comments or message the club directly.

05/26/2026

Well, Race #4 is in the books. Attendance was a bit more intimate than usual (Memorial Day weekend will do that), but, hey, that made it easier to get a table on the patio. BONUS!!!

First and foremost, a huge thank you to our volunteers: Jennifer M., Jeremy S., and the whole Ahmed H. Family. As has been noted previously (and will likely get etched in granite), these races only happen because people step up. We appreciate you!

Related, we prototyped a new number tent system (all craft/racers using same system). It worked brilliantly. Kudos to Mike (What CAN’T he do?) Liddell for his engineering efforts.

We also had a special guest on the start line, with Peter Allen making an appearance from Vancouver, BC to join us (“Elbows up!”). He’s always felt like an honorary BEPC member, so it was great to have him out there with us.

The weather? (Clearing throat) Well…the forecast suggested one thing. Nature delivered another. In the end, conditions were considerably milder than advertised. Total nothing burger. Whether that was a blessing or a disappointment depends on your personal relationship with DW’ing. Some of us were hoping for an epic run back from the Lighthouse. And the BEPC Scribe had “Stormy Monday” cued up as theme music for this recap. Alas, not to be.

The PNW likes to keep us on our toes, does it not? Though, come to think of it, standing on your toes is generally ill-advised whilst SUP’ing. And you’re not even SUPPOSED to stand whilst in an OC or Surfski. Uh oh. This stupid metaphor has gone off the rails. But we’ve typed this far and we can’t find our “backup-thingy” (Delete?) Button, so we’re stuck with it. You understand what we're getting at, though. Changing subjects…

The Race Boss put together another fun course. Everyone who showed up got what they came for: a right proper lovely evening on the water with a like-minded community (Shangri-La on Shilshole!). Missed the race and want to know the route (or raced but now can’t remember the route)? Take a look at the hand-drawn graphic (We’re training the BEPC Elves to draw. It’s a process.).

Race Results: https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=433549

As always, be sure to check out Mike's PaddleRacer site to see how you performed against your personal par. The goal isn't just to see who finished first—it's to celebrate improvement wherever it happens. Those results cab be found here: https://pnw.paddlerace.org

And with that, we close the books on Race #4. See you in a week!

Ballard Elks Paddling Club

06/08/2026

06/05/2026

06/03/2026

06/02/2026

06/01/2026

05/30/2026

05/29/2026

05/27/2026

05/26/2026

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