BASK is proud to be an American Canoe Association Paddle America Club. 
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Find recorded meetings and other videos on the BASK YouTube channel. | Frequently Asked QuestionsQuestion Categories
Joining BASK
Membership Dues Payments
Family Memberships (Bundles)
Member Profile
Member Directory/Privacy
Logging in as a Member
Currents Forum
BASK Monthly Newsletter
Forms
Using the WebsiteOne Last QuestionJoining BASKQ: I'm not a member of BASK. Can I come to a BASK meeting to see what kind of people are in this club before I join?A: Certainly! You don't need to be a BASK member to attend our monthly general meetings. The meetings feature news of upcoming trips and events, trip reports, announcements, and welcoming of new members. If you've never been to a general meeting, come introduce yourself! Each meeting has a feature presentation by a guest speaker. For more information, check out our BASK Events page.Q: The meeting was interesting and I'd like to paddle with BASK! Now how do I join?A: Visit the Join BASK page on the BASK website, agree to the membership waiver, fill out the membership application, and pay your first year's dues, either online or by check.Q: Is agreeing to a waiver online the same as signing a paper waiver form in ink?A: Yes. By clicking the “I agree to the selected Membership Waiver” check box, you're affixing your electronic signature to the waiver and agreeing to all the terms that it contains. Your electronic signature has the same force and effect as a written signature.Q: I thought I already joined BASK on Facebook. Why can't I log in?A: Joining the BASK Facebook group, which is free and open to anyone on Facebook, is not the same thing as joining the club, which requires membership dues. The Facebook group is just for letting the world know what's going on with BASK, and we never post trip details there. To get the full benefits of membership, including access to the BASK event calendar, BASK's Currents forum, and the member directory, join BASK!Q: I share an email address with another member. Why do I have to provide a unique email address?A: Our membership system requires each member to have a unique email address so that automated dues notification emails and other message can be sent out to each member as needed. You can opt out of showing your email address to other members in the online directory.Membership Dues PaymentsQ: What payment methods does BASK accept for membership dues?A: BASK accepts the following payment methods:
BASK no longer accepts PayPal.
Q: If I join online, will BASK store my credit card or bank account information?A: No. For security reasons, all payment information is handled through a third-party payment processor (Personify Payments) associated with our membership system on WildApricot. Personify Payments can save your credit card information if you select the Store card details for faster checkouts box before paying.Q: When will my membership expire?A: Your membership will expire one year after your join date. If you let your membership lapse and then renew, your subsequent renewal date will be one year after your latest renewal date.Q: If I renew early, will that affect my membership expiration date?A: No. If you renew early, your membership will be good for one year after your current membership ends. In other words, if your current membership started on September 8, 2026, your current membership would expire on September 8, 2027. If you renew early on August 25, 2027, your renewed membership would expire on September 8, 2028. You can renew starting 14 days before your scheduled renewal date.Q: Does BASK plan to offer a multi-year membership?A: Not at this time. Automated reminder emails will help you remember to renew each year.However, if there is sufficient interest from members, BASK might decide to implement automatically renewing memberships based on credit/debit cards. Contact MembershipTeam@bask.org with feedback. Q: Can I get a refund on my membership dues?A: No, BASK does not offer dues refunds if you change your membership level or decide to leave the club. The best time to change your membership level is during the renewal period, which starts 14 days before your membership expires. If you change levels before then, you'll end up paying for two levels of membership within the same year.Q: At what age do I qualify for the senior discount?A: When you decide that you're old enough to call yourself a senior, then you can consider yourself a senior.Q: I'm taking a class. Does that qualify me for the student rate?A: No. You must enrolled and working towards a post-high school degree to qualify as a student.Q: Can I pay BASK dues electronically if I don’t have a credit or debit card?A: You can pay by bank transfer (ACH/Automated Clearing House) using your bank account routing number and account number.Q: Can I pay by check when joining BASK or renewing my BASK membership?A: Sure! If joining BASK, go to the Join BASK page, agree to the waiver, and fill out the application information. Then, on the payment page, select Manual payments, and click the Invoice me button. Check your email for a message that says "Membership initiated at Bay Area Sea Kayakers" and follow instructions in that message to send a check. If you change your mind, you can also pay the invoice online. The process for renewing by check is similar. You can renew from your profile starting 14 days before your expiration date and select Manual payments/Invoice me. Check your email for a message that says "Renewal initiated at Bay Area Sea Kayakers".Q: I already paid through my bank (ACH) or sent a check to join, renew, or change my membership level. Why am I getting an invoice?A: For bank transfers: It can take from several hours to several days for a bank transfer to settle. Check your Membership status in your profile: if it contains the word "Pending", you already initiated the transfer. For checks sent through the mail, it can take several days for the check to arrive and be recorded by BASK. For both bank transfers and checks, you should receive an email confirmation of payment when the payment is settled or recorded.Q: While joining or renewing, I changed my mind or wanted to look at other payment options, and now I can't get back to the payment screen.A: If you back out partway through the payment process, the system will invoice you. You can find the invoice in your member profile and pay it.Q: I didn't receive email confirmation about joining, renewing, or changing my membership level.A: If you were expecting a confirmation email and you didn't receive it, notify MembershipTeam@bask.org.Q: Can I change my membership level?A: If you have an individual, senior, student, or out of state membership, you can change your membership level. The best time to change levels is during renewal, because you'll be charged the fee for the new membership level regardless of when you last paid your dues. Family members cannot change levels while they are linked together as a family (bundle). If you you want to change levels outside of the renewal period or if you have a family membership (you're a primary family member or additional adult), ask an administrator for help changing levels by contacting MembershipTeam@bask.org.Q: Under Membership details in my profile, it says my Member renewal type is Manual. Can I change it to Automatic?A: BASK does not support automatic (recurring) membership renewals (based on stored credit card info) at this time. If this interests you, contact MembershipTeam@bask.org.Q: Do I need to agree to the membership waiver when I renew?A: You need to agree to the membership waiver once a year, independent of your renewal date. Look at your member profile. When you see a big red button that says "Waiver Confirmation Required", it's time to click the button and agree to the waiver.Note that the membership waiver is separate from activity waivers used for BASK trips and other events. Q: When I pay my dues by credit or debit card, what name, mailing address, and phone number should I use?A: Your billing information might differ from the contact information you entered for the BASK member directory. Enter your billing information on the payment screen.Q: How can I make the dues reminder emails stop?A: The easiest way is to renew your membership, if you want to renew. After you pay for your renewal, the reminder emails should stop.Note: If you click the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of membership-related emails, this will not stop this type of email, since it's automated. The link is there for compliance purposes. Q: I don't plan to renew my membership. Can you stop sending me reminder emails?A: If you have decided not to renew your membership, please contact MembershipTeam@bask.org and let them know so that they can note this in your member record.Family Memberships (Bundles)Q: What's a bundle?A: "Bundle" is the name for a group such as a family in the membership service used by BASK. The primary family member, who pays the dues for the family, is called the "bundle coordinator" and additional adults and children in the family are called "bundle members".Q: I'm an additional adult on a family membership. How do I renew?A: The primary family member (the member who paid for the family membership, or bundle coordinator) must renew the family's membership.Q: I'm listed as an additional adult. Can I switch to being the primary family member so that I can pay the dues?A: Make sure the current primary family member agrees with this change, then send your request to MembershipTeam@bask.org along with your names.Q: How do I sign up additional adults in my family?A: As a primary family member, you can add additional adults who live at your address. Log in and go to the Bundle summary area of your member profile. Click Add Member, enter the additional adult's contact information, and select Additional Adult as the Family Member Type. Additional adults join for free, and their membership gets renewed or expires when yours does.Q: How do I sign up children in my family?A: As a primary family member, you can add minor child members (children under age 18) who live at your address. Log in and go to the Bundle summary area of your member profile. Click Add Member, enter the child's contact information, and select Child as the Family Member Type.Children join for free, and their membership gets renewed or expires when yours does. If you want your child to have access to the members-only content on the BASK website, you can help your child reset the password associated with their email address. If you grant your child access, the child will be able to edit their own profile, change their own password, and alter their directory visibility. You can also control these settings, if you prefer. Q: I tried to add another member to my family membership, and it tells me "Email is already in use"A: You can only add people who are not yet BASK members to your family membership. To add an existing BASK member to your membership (which is not uncommon), contact MembershipTeam@bask.org.Q: Does BASK offer a senior family rate or out-of-state family rate?A: No, not at this time.Q: Can I switch to a family membership from another membership type?A: Yes. Log in to the BASK website, and in your profile, click the Change membership level button. We recommend that you change your membership type at renewal time, to avoid having to pay the full family rate on top of the rate that you already paid for the current year. You can add other family members to a family membership as long as they are not already BASK members. To change levels at a different time of year, or to add an existing BASK member to your family, contact MembershipTeam@bask.org.Q: I have a family membership. Can I change it to another membership type? What if some of my family members have moved away?A: Contact MembershipTeam@bask.org so we can assist you (and any other family members, if needed) with changing levels.Q: I joined BASK a while ago as a family member, and I recently renewed. I don't see my family members listed.A: For issues with family memberships, please contact MembershipTeam@bask.org.Q: How do I protect myself and BASK from liability if I initiate an activity involving minors?A: In California, minors (children age 17 or less) cannot sign waivers. If you initiate an activity involving families with minor children, you must have adult family members sign the BASK family activity liability waiver (PDF). In certain limited circumstances, minors age 16-17 can participate in activities without their parents. See the family activity liability waiver for details.Member ProfileQ: For a family membership, who can edit family members' profile information?A: The primary family member (bundle coordinator) who pays dues for the family can edit the profile information and select privacy settings for all of their family members. However, additional adult and child family members can also make changes to their own information and privacy settings.Q: What is the maximum size for a profile photo?A: Portrait photos will be stored at a maximum size of 110 x 110 pixels regardless of the original uploaded image size. If the image isn't square, the proportion will be maintained and one of the dimensions will be less than 110 pixels. So the best aspect ratio for your portrait photo is square or close to it.Q: I tried to upload a portrait to my profile and it came out sideways. How do I fix this?A: The website is picking up information embedded in the graphic file about the orientation originally used to take the photo. (You or someone else turned the camera sideways.) Rotate the photo in a graphics editing program and try uploading it again.Member Directory/PrivacyQ: Can I examine my entry in the BASK membership database? What if I find a mistake?A: If you need to make any corrections, you can update the information in your profile. After logging in, click the Profile icon in the upper right and then click Edit Profile. When you're done, click Save to save these changes to your profile.Q: Can I hide myself in the online member directory??A: The BASK online member directory is only visible to current, logged-in members. It's possible to hide your entire profile in the directory, but we encourage you to at least show your name/state/country, so that paddle and class initiators can confirm that you're a member if you sign up for an event. You can use your profile settings to hide various pieces of personal information such as street address, city, phone numbers, and email.Q: Can I hide my personal information in the online member directory?A: You can use your profile settings to hide the following pieces of information: email, phone numbers, street address, city, ZIP/Postal Code, ACA number, family member type, linked bundle (family) members, and profile photo. To hide a piece of information, select No access in its row. The Anybody column is not used because the BASK directory is not visible to the public.Q: Can I sort the online member directory?A: No, the directory is not sortable. Try using the Advanced Search function.Q: How can I find other club members who live near me?A: Log into the BASK website and select Membership > Member Directory in the left nav. Click Advanced search and enter a value for City or ZIP/Postal Code.Logging in as a MemberQ: Can I log in with my BASK username?A: No, you'll need to log in using the email address listed in your member profile.Q: I forgot my password for the Members section of the website. Can you tell me what it is?A: For security reasons, we don't store passwords in human-readable form in our database, so we couldn't tell you what your password is even if we wanted to. However, you can request a password reset on the log in page by clicking Forgot password.Q: I just joined. What are my username and password?A: Going forward, BASK is using email instead of username for login. BASK doesn't send passwords to members, so you'll need to request a password reset. Check your email (and your spam filter) for a message with the subject "Bay Area Sea Kayakers Email/Password Reset URL".Q: I requested username or password assistance, but never got the email. Why?A: Make sure you're checking your email for the account you used to join BASK. If that doesn't work, check your spam filter. If you still can't find it, contact MembershipTeam@bask.org.Q: What are BASK's guidelines for creating a password?A: Passwords need to meet the following criteria:
Q: I think I know my password, but I still can't get in. Can you help?A: Here are some things to check:
Q: I've changed email addresses, and I can't access messages sent to the old one, so I'm not able to request a password reset. What do I do?A: If possible, try logging in with your old email address, update your profile with your new email address, and then request a password reset. If this doesn't work, contact MembershipTeam@bask.org for assistance.Q: How do I change my password?A: After logging in, click the Profile icon in the upper right and then Change password. Enter your current password, then enter your new password in the New password and Confirm new password boxes and click Save. Log out and log back in to test your new password. Be aware that the system will not let you reuse any of your four most recent passwords.Currents ForumQ: What is the Currents forum?A: Currents is BASK’s interactive communication platform. Learn about last-minute paddles, read trip reports from recent BASK paddles (often with photos), and learn how to sign up for club trips to Mendocino, Monterey, and beyond. Have a question about the best boat for rock gardening or how to replace a wrist gasket on your dry suit? Write a topic on Currents and you’ll get lots of help. Keep up with local environmental news, whale sightings, new launch locations, and much more. Currents is only accessible to BASK members and it uses common social media features such as likes, replies, tags, and watching.Q: Who can access Currents?A: Anyone who is a current BASK member in good standing (with membership dues paid) can log into Currents. If your membership lapses, you won’t be able to log into Currents, view topics, reply to posts, or contact other members through Currents.Q: How do I log into Currents?A: Follow this link: https://currents.bask.org. If you’re already logged into the BASK website in the same browser, you’ll be logged in automatically. If you’re not already logged into the BASK website, enter your email and password in the forum login. If you’re having trouble with your website credentials, see the Logging in as a Member section of the website FAQ.Q: Do I have to receive every message posted to the Currents forum?A: No. Currents topics are categorized, so you can opt in to receiving emails about new posts in the Currents categories that interest you, and you can ignore the others. The Currents system will only send emails to you if you set up notifications on particular categories or topics.Q: Is the Currents forum moderated?A: Yes, the Currents Support Team (admins) help oversee the Currents forum, helping to ensure that users and content are in line with BASK’s published Code of Conduct and forum guidelines. However, we expect the BASK community to be self-regulating to a large degree.Q: Is my personal information visible in Currents?A: Unless you type this information into a post, Currents does not show your email address or other information from the BASK online member directory, except for your name and profile picture. However, you can send direct messages to other Currents users.Q: What's the difference between a "topic" and a "post"?A: To start a new discussion on Currents, any member can create a new topic by clicking the +New Topic button; this creates the initial post in the topic. Each topic should go in an appropriate topic category. Other members can post replies to the initial post, as well as post replies to other replies. The posts within the topic form a threaded conversation.Q: I see a topic that’s in the wrong category or that has inappropriate content. What should I do?A: You can click the Flag button on a post that seems inappropriate to you. When you do, you’ll have the option to either send a private message to the person who posted the message, or to flag a forum admin. If you choose to flag a forum admin, you can indicate that the post needs to be moved, is inappropriate, is spam, or something else. Be sure that you don’t flag posts by accident, to avoid extra work for admins.Q: Can I change my Currents forum settings in my member profile?A: Currents runs on the Discourse platform. It was implemented before we switched to the WildApricot membership system, and you cannot change your Currents settings (other than your Currents user name) through your member profile. The Email subscriptions > Forum subscriptions section of your profile doesn't apply to Currents. See the other Currents Forum items in this FAQ for more information.Q: I have other questions about Currents. Who can help?A: If you haven’t already done so, watch the 12-minute introductory Currents video to get an overview of the forum. You can get answers from other users of Currents by posting your question to the Currents Help category. If you don’t get a response there in a timely manner, please contact the Currents Support Team at currents@bask.org; the team will do their best to assist you.BASK Monthly NewsletterQ: How is the BASK Monthly Events & Announcements newsletter different from Currents?A: On the interactive Currents forum, BASK members can discuss all manner of topics relating to sea kayaking and the club. BASK Monthly Events & Announcements is an edited newsletter that is sent out once a month and features only upcoming club paddles, other club events, and announcements from club officers.Q: How do I get on the BASK Monthly Events & Announcements newsletter mailing list?A: All currently paid adult members of BASK have been added to the list, and new members will be added shortly after they join. If you're not on the list, but think you should be, log into the website and navigate to BASK Resources > BASK Monthly Newsletter to sign up, or write to newsletterlistmanager@bask.org.Q: I'm on the BASK Monthly Events & Announcements list, but I didn't get the latest newsletter. Why?A: You can find out whether you're still on the recipient list by writing to newsletterlistmanager@bask.org. If you find out that you're still on the list, check your spam filter to see if the newsletter ended up there. If you don't see it in your spam filter, try searching for "BASK Monthly Events & Announcements".You can also try adding the newsletter email address to your receiving whitelist. Here's how to do it for Gmail.
Q: How do I stop the BASK Monthly Events & Announcements emails? I no longer want to receive them.A: You can unsubscribe from BASK Monthly Events & Announcements newsletter by clicking the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of the monthly newsletter email. You can also unsubscribe at any time by visiting the BASK Monthly Newsletter page (BASK Resources > BASK Monthly Newsletter), where you can find an unsubscribe link.Note: Please do NOT try to unsubscribe from the newsletter by editing the Email Subscription section of your member profile; this will not work, because the newsletter mailing list is managed through MailChimp. Q: Is there an archive of BASK Monthly Events & Announcements newsletters?A: No. Because the information in the newsletters is available in a more current and detailed form on the BASK calendar, BASK monthly newsletters are not being archived.Q: Why don’t the links in the newsletter work?A: If the link points to members-only content on the website, such as the BASK Calendar, you must log in to the website before clicking the link. Otherwise, you'll see the page that tells you something is amiss. If a link still doesn’t seem right even after you log in, contact newsletter@bask.org.Q: What if I have questions or comments about newsletter content?A: Write to newsletter@bask.org.FormsQ: I've initiated a BASK trip. Where can I find a copy of the BASK activity liability waiver form to bring to the put-in?A: You can download the BASK activity liability waiver (trip waiver) (PDF) for printing. This is a separate waiver from the membership waiver, which must be agreed to yearly.Q: I've initiated a BASK trip or activity that involves families. Where can I find a copy of the BASK family activity liability waiver?A: You can download the BASK family activity liability waiver (PDF) for printing. This is a separate waiver from the membership waiver, which must be agreed to yearly.Q: How do I download a membership form for a friend?A: Send your friend to bask.org, where they can click Join BASK in the left nav. The application can be filled out online; payment can be online (by credit/debit card or bank transfer) or offline (by mailed check).Q: Can I sign a trip waiver electronically?A: Yes. Trip waivers are for specific events, and they are separate from the annual membership waiver. Make sure you're logged into the website and go to Trips > Initiating Trips. Under Resources, click the Signing BASK waivers link. That page has instructions on how to sign a waiver using the free Adobe Acrobat Reader program.Using the WebsiteQ: Why doesn't the website look right on my browser? I think there are graphics missing.A: If you're using an old version of a browser, some items on the website will not be rendered correctly. We recommend that you upgrade to the latest version of your browser, or try a different browser, if the site doesn't look right. If you still have problems, contact the BASK webmasters.One Last QuestionQ: I have a question that's not answered above. Who can help me?A: Send email to info@bask.org. |
