Paddling Around

They'd like to teach the world to boat

Comments (0) Wednesday, Oct 15 2003

SAT 10/18

Paddles up at the Sea Trek Regatta.

Retired flight attendants strut their stuff in '70s gear.

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It's a giant kayak party! Everyone who can grab a paddle and sit down is invited to get in the water at the Sea Trek Regatta & ETC Adventurers' Paddle-a-thon. In fact, if organizers have their way, a lot of people who weren't sure they had those skills will glide through the waters around Angel Island. The seagoing fiesta is an inclusive day of fun put on by Environmental Traveling Companions, a nonprofit dedicated to getting everyone out on the waves. Although the race has a professional, competitive element, its variety of courses ensures that beginners feel welcome; participants with disabilities are paired up with trained paddling partners. Live bluegrass, a barbecue, and a benefit auction follow the race, which begins at 9 a.m. at Schoonmaker Point Marina, off Liberty Ship Way, Sausalito. Registration is $50-60; call 474-7662 or visit www.etctrips.org.

-- Hiya Swanhuyser

Come Fly With Me

SAT 10/18

It was 100 years ago this year that Orville and Wilbur Wright first lifted off at Kitty Hawk, and Crissy Field (once the West Coast's air travel hub) celebrates that momentous event with Centennial of Flight, an afternoon of activities and exhibits for aviation aficionados both junior and senior. Visitors can watch former flight attendants model archaic Pan Am uniforms, stroll through a replica of the Wright flyer, and take a gander at vintage and state-of-the-art planes. The festivities begin at 11 a.m. at Crissy Field, Halleck & Mason, S.F. Admission is free; call 561-5500 or visit www.crissyfield.org.
-- Joyce Slaton

Soldier On

Really military pushups

SAT 10/18

Though many folks spend time off working out their drinking arms, the truly wise use their unfettered hours to tune up their bodies. In fact, a growing number of those are so enamored of Army-style exercise discipline they're joining "boot camps" -- programs offered by upscale gyms in which exacting instructors demand that a group of lowly maggots drop and give them 20. Boot camps are typically multiweek affairs, with students paying dearly to hire an authoritarian who'll scold them into five more sit-ups. But you can get the same pleasurable punishment at Golden Gate Fitness' Free Boot Camp in the Park, offered to all brave comers every second Saturday. The sweating starts at 10 a.m. (and again at 11:30 a.m.) at Golden Gate Park's Big Rec Ball Fields, MLK & Seventh Avenue, S.F. Admission is free; call 682-8911.
-- Joyce Slaton