Recap of meeting on Tues. with Pete Marotta and Jim Halla of Mountain buddies/outdoor pursuits in Hudson, professional kayak guide. But we've got a nice start...here's what is happening:

pilot program will likely be 4 dates, mostly mid-week, one night in Saugerties, one in hudson (when HITS not in town)

two-night pilot midweek or weekend, a possibility

package to include accommodation, meals, equipment, and guide service
initial number of participants not to exceed 8 boats, 6 preferable, with 2 guides
for safety reasons, pilot program will not allow own equipment...kayaks must meet river standards

pete marotta and jim halla will be meeting with hudson b & b's, restaurants. our next action item is to identify, and meet with, restaurants and participating inns. so far, montgomery definitely on board, bluestone also, but prefers a two night. tamayo on board, and I think they're ok with one night midweek, but they're away at the moment, and of course, smythe house. as the touring group is purposefully small, we can arrange lodging choices for each date, to assure that all inns get to participate. since july is relatively free of horse shows, we can offer two dates then, mid-week, and also one in sept., one in early october. we can work out the dates, and decide when a two night package would work best. two night would involve paddling to a location, then coming back to saugerties, then next day, paddling up to hudson.

tentative schedule:

day one, participant drives to saugerties, checks in at b&b; free time in village or wherever, depending on arrival time; dinner at participating restaurant; overnight

day two, mountain buddies guide arrives at inn to pick up participants, brings them to waterfront park (chorvas, east bridge street)

boxed lunch from another participating rest. included

guides help guests into equipment; they embark from park to river, for an approx. 6 hour paddle, with breaks, to hudson, arriving mid-afternoon

hudson trolley picks up guests, brings them to their hotels in hudson, where they'll have time to shop, dine, and overnight mountain buddies service picks up guests in morning, brings them back to their cars in saugerties.

target market: greater metro, albany. participants will most likely have some experience in kayaking, but probably not extensively on river. that is why providing river-worthy equipment is necessary. we want experience to be totally convenient for participants. all they need to bring is themselves!

also, I have spoken with supervisor and mayor about importance of having kayak launches at our waterfront, and they are in agreement. ideally, two launches at each river access point...but for this pilot program, two at chorvas waterfront park in village is key. I believe village will install one, to be determined. would chamber have resources to match that? they cost around 2k each. according to jim halla, having actual kayak launches would put saugerties in great position. the only other public launches are at state facilities in peekskill. town should put at least one in glasco mini-park; another at malden. I would like to invite jim to speak at next chamber meeting. this is a great opportunity to build a sustainable, eco-friendly industry utilizing our river as a resource. as business grows, not only will more tourist $$$ come to saugerties, but more guides will be needed, thus providing a great opportunity to turn recreation into paid employment.