Hello everyone!

It's been a long, snowy winter, but spring is almost here. We have a lot of great events planned for spring and summer this season, and we hope to see a lot of you out on the water.

The DVK will be at the Paddlesport Expo March 26-28 in Somerset NJ. If you can make it, come say HI and check out all the deals on boats and gear. And bring me chocolate, I'll probably need it after 3 days of manning a booth!

Your organizers have been working hard to make this group as safe and as fun as possible. The group has been growing at an amazing rate, and because of this you may see a few changes in the next few weeks.

Below are some of the important safety changes/updates you need to be aware of:

• Unless otherwise noted, the times posted on the event page are the LAUNCH TIMES. Please plan to arrive with enough time to unload and gear up before the launch time. It is unfair to the group members to delay launch times because of stragglers, so please be courteous and be ready to launch at the designated time.
  
• For river and open water trips, there will be a short (~5 minutes) meeting before the launch to discuss the route, any obstacles or hazards, and to make sure the group is aware of the point and sweep people.
  
• River and open water trips will have a designated point (leader) and sweep (end paddler), larger groups may also include several 'helper' paddlers in the middle. These people are there for your safety. Please do not paddle ahead of point or behind sweep. These designated paddlers will be identified at the pre-paddle meeting, and will be available for assistance at any point in the paddle.
  
• PFDs, PFDs, PFDs! We strongly encourage the use of PFDs on ALL of our paddles. This is not only for YOUR safety, but also for the safety of those in the group who will be helping you in the event of a capsize or other event. Please, wear your PFD!
  
• Please read the paddle description carefully. Event Organizers will post if there are any specific requirements in terms of boats or gear. If you have any questions about the gear needed for a trip, please contact the organizer for that event.
  
• Your organizers will be posting contact information for paddles and events so that in case of emergency or change of plans, you can let them know.
  

We also have a lot of camping trips planned for the year. For those of you new to camping with our group, we've put together a camping FAQ that explains how our camping trips work, and what gear you should bring. You can view the Camping FAQ here.


Last but not least, although the days will start to get warmer and longer, please remember that the water temps are still VERY cold! Cold water gear (wetsuit, drysuit, or similar) will be REQUIRED for many paddles still, and this will be enforced. We want everyone to stay safe and paddle with us for a long time.

Stay safe, and see you on the water,
Meri