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WINTER 2011
PM 41687515
Touring Tasmania
Discover a magical world of snakes, wombats, devils and, yes, even kayaks
Join us online: www.coastandkayak.com
Advanced Elements, Current Designs, Dagger, Nimbus, Necky, Perception, Wave Sport, Wilderness Systems, Stellar, Venture, Jackson and Hobie.
COAST&KAYAK MAgAzine
Winter 2011
Contents
u Tasmania
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Regular features:
First Word .........................................................................4 News ....................................................................................6 Skillset .............................................................................. 22 By Alex Matthews Adventure Resources ...................................... 26-29 Paddle Meals ............................................................... 30 Wildlife............................................................................. 36 By Chuck Graham Touring ............................................................................ 38 Gift Guide ...................................................................... 42 Reflections ....................................................................44 By James Dorsey Books/DVDs .................................................................46
Writer and world explorer Sandra Lucas drops in on the Freycinet Peninsula, and finds some unusual denizens.
Desolation
39 Setting sail 32
u
We add various sail options to our kayaks and get some mixed results.
A tour through Desolation Sound provides a setting to prove that Captain George Vancouver got it wrong when he first surveyed this area back in the 1790s. The name, it turns out, is vastly inappropriate for such a grand location.
Winter 2011
COAST&KAYAK MAgAzine
by John Kimantas
Coast&kayak maGaZINE is an independent magazine available free at hundreds of print distribution sites (paddling shops, outdoor stores, paddling clubs, marinas, events, etc.), and globally on the web. Also available by paid subscription. Articles, photos, events, news are all welcome. Find back issues, articles, events, writers guidelines and advertising information online at coastandkayak.com
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ISSUE AD DEADLINE DISTRIBUTION Spring 2012 Jan. 27 Feb. 27 Summer 2012 April 27 May 28 Fall 2012 July 2 Aug. 1 Winter 2012 Oct. 1 Nov. 6
A product of:
Im at the stage where I consider myself a kayaking veteran, with the confidence to stay upright in a kayak in most conditions and the accumulated wisdom to know when to stay off the water to avoid worse. So a simple winter day trip to Denman Island shouldnt have posed a problem. It was a bright, sunny day with barely a breeze. That we had to crack ice on the water with our paddles to get offshore was simply an amusing diversion. All was well, and we planned to be back well before the short winter day would end. Usually there is no one single factor that leads to trouble. Typically its a cascade of failures: being underskilled, failing to check weather conditions, failing to take proper safety gear and finally failing to take communication devices. Most or even all of these are invariably necessary before a trip goes truly sideways. But on this trip it was one simple thing: not checking batteries. Well, maybe more than one. I waited until I was in the kayak before firing up the GPS to mark a waypoint for our launch site. Only then did I discover the GPSs batteries were dead. Then instead of going back for batteries I shrugged it off. What experienced kayaker will need to rely on a GPS on a clear, calm day in protected waters anyway? We left Ship Point and chipped through the icy water to skirt Denman Island till the very early afternoon, then decided with darkness not many hours away we should probably head back. At about that time a thick fog bank rolled along the Vancouver Island shore. Now with no GPS and no way to gauge the opposite shore, wed have to cut across and guess at the launch site. I had a mental image of where I thought the launch site should be. Another mistake. It wasnt. Circumstances now conspired. Once at the Vancouver Island shoreline, the tide was so low that coupled with the fog we could see no distinguishing shoreline features from the kayak. No problem, I figured. Id simply land, walk to the Island Highway and get my bearings to figure out if we were north or south of the landing. But an odd thing happened. I found a dirt road leading from the beach and followed that, but no paved road appeared. This was impossible, from my perspective. The highway hugs the shore. There should have been the main road within a few hundred metres at most. There wasnt. The track led nowhere. So we had no choice but to continue skirting the shore by paddle, with nothing visible and daylight running out. Our luck came by way of a helpful fellow digging for clams who loomed in through the fog. He pointed us to Fanny Bay, then as the last of the daylight sank away he took his truck to the dock with his lights on and horn honking till we showed up. Blame it all on not checking batteries, then not considering the consequences. And never believe youre too experienced to be beyond the need for the helping hand of a friendly low-tide clam digger. - John Kimantas
editor@coastandkayak.com
Enjoying a slice of paradise on an unusually quiet BC coastline this summer. Fall 2011 Winter 2011
COAST&KAYAK MAgAzine
Winter 2011
COAST&KAYAK MAgAzine
news
taG, tHEyRE It u tracking whales A tagging program last year involving a Western Pacific gray whale ended up chronicling one of the most remarkable and unexpected journeys of the natural world. The tagged whale, Flex, surprised observers by travelling 8,586 kilometres from Russia across the Bering Sea to Alaska, then down the Pacific coast off Vancouver Island to eventually have the tag fall off near the coast of Oregon. The 13-year-old male whale was first tagged off Sakhalin Island in Russia, in October 2010, with contact lost off Siletz Bay on Feb. 4, 2011. By that time Flex had travelled an average non-stop speed of 5.73 km per hour. He has since been seen in good health. This year the collaborative program involving the Oregon State University (OSU) Marine Mammal Institute, the Kamchatka Branch of the Pacific Institute of Geography and the International Whaling Commission, has expanded its tagging program. The newly tagged whales include females Varvara, Svetlana, Bud and Agent with males Kol and Blaze (whose tag has already apparently fallen off). and will take three eight-month legs with four-month breaks between to complete the 24,000-km journey on her 50th birthday on May 10, 2014. By mid-October Freya had covered more than a thousand kilometres including an epic 135-km, 35-hour crossing of the San Matias Gulf from Rio Negro to Chubut. Freyas remarkable journey around Australia is now available as a book, Fearless, by Joe Glickman. u casandjonesy.com.au u freyahoffmeister.com moVING oN u Dan Lewis Clayoquot Sound kayaker Dan Lewis has been contributing columns to Coast&Kayak since it was first printed on newsprint as Wavelength Magazine 20 years ago. Lewiss From the Rainforest provided insights into kayaking and ecology that can still be read online at coastandkayak.com. Meanwhile, Lewis is stepping away from his column to concentrate on duties at Friends of Clayoquot Sound, an organization in a few fierce fights at the moment that involve logging, fish farms and mining, including strip mining the iconic Catface Range. u www.focs.ca
OSU website screen capture
Flexs route from Russia to Oregon. The whales can be followed in their journey, expected to begin in January for those that leave Russia, on the OSU website. u mmi.oregonstate.edu/sakhalin2011 EXPEDItIoNs u southern agendas Justin Jones, 28, and James Castrission, 29, who made a name for themselves kayaking across the Tasman Sea in 2008 are turning their attention to another challenge this time to hike the Antarctic coast to the South Pole and back without assistance. The expedition is expected to take three months and cover 2,000 kilometres. Meanwhile, super-human kayaker Freya Hoffmeister is in the midst of tackling her second continent: this time South America. Freya left Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Sept. 1,
Designed by veteran wilderness paddler John Lockwood. Built by you. Voted the top kit kayak in North America. Visit us in Port Townsend, Washington 360.385.6143
w w w. py g my b o at s . c om
news
Three images of the new Bakyak by Klepper: as a kayak, as backpacks and in pieces. BaCkPaCk kayak u klepper German folding kayak manufacturer Klepper has unveiled its new Bakyak, a versatile new design that breaks apart, can be kayaked as a tandem, individually, as a catamaran pontoon float and even used as a skiing sled. u www.backyak.de/index.php/en WINNER u school kayak raffle One of the few high schools to have a kayak program on its curriculum is Ucluelet Secondary, a program provided with support from the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust. To help fund the program, a raffle was held for a new Seaward kayak. Collecting it, though, is now a bit of an international dilemma. The winner was Alexandra Meier of Switzerland, who returned home after a visit to Vancouver Island to hear the news. The Clayoquot Biosphere Trust conducts and supports research, education and programs which advance conservation in the Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve Region. Meanwhile, next classes for the lucky Ucluelet kayaking students start in January. u www.clayoquotbiosphere.org
Winter 2011
COAST&KAYAK MAgAzine
Destinations
by Bob Kandiko
lAskA is a big state and paddling there seems to generate big stories. Bears, whales, otters, sea lions, eagles and seabirds can all be seen on one trip. Tidewater glaciers send bus-size bergs crashing into the sea. Flowers are prolific where wind and poor soil prevent forests from taking hold. There is no one best paddling location in the state, and certainly no bad kayaking locations. I follow the mantra that one picture is worth a thousand words. sometimes one picture on a postcard has been enough to initiate my trip
planning. After 15 trips to Alaska I put hundreds of images together in the book Sea Kayaking in Alaska: Ketchikan to Kodiak. like a selection of pictures showing possible a la carte options at a restaurant, these images give the viewer a sense of the possibilities along the Alaskan coast. I hope these will inspire people to look north for destinations. Once a kayaker has narrowed down their choice, they can search for the available guides, shuttles, rentals, maps and books to start their adventure. There are so many destinations and so little time.
Main photo: Mt. st. Elias towers over Icy Bay; left: kayaks idle during a break at Endicott Arm; right: drying out camping gear on kuiu Island. 8 COAST&KAYAK MAgAzine Winter 2011 Winter 2011
Alaska
Why Alaska?
Photographer Bob Kandiko shares his reasons for returning year after year.
COAST&KAYAK MAgAzine
The ice.
Destinations
Glacier Bay had been our initial exposure to Alaska and had set the standard for ice, until years later we flew into Icy Bay from Yakutak to see entire fiords ice-choked. We paddled across open water on our first day and slept in the gentle rain but awoke to a brisk wind that had shifted the icepack onto our beach. With no option of leaving we entered a surreal world of blue-greens as the misty clouds descended
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to the icy surface. Bergs popped and bumped as they were shifted by the tides. In anticipation of the forced paddle ahead, we duct-taped our bows to push through the sharp ice. Three days later the clouds cleared, the wind shifted, and we paddled away into a wonderland of glistening white ice and blue skies under the St. Elias mountains. We had found a new ice standard.
Alaska
Karen Neubauer glides past the Nellie Juan Glacier; top right: Yale Glacier, College Fiord, Prince William Sound; middle right: calving at the John Hopkins Glacier; lower right: an ice sculpture at a beach in Endicott Arm. Winter 2011 COAST&KAYAK MAgAzine 11
The wildlife.
Destinations
the bears: Deep in the sheer walls of Misty Fiords we located a sliver of gravel beach for a quick lunch. The creek filled the air with the loud sound of water tumbling off the mountainside. With lunch bags emptied on a drift log,
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Alaska the whales: The snowy summits of the Fairweather Range filled the horizon over the rolling seas of Icy Strait as our four kayaks slid over the gentle swells. The first whale exploded upward in a spectacular breach then crashed back, sending a spray of water towards our boats. Then another whale breached, then another. We set up camp at Point Adolphus and stayed three nights. But there was little sleep as the 12 humpbacks exhaled and breached with thunderous claps.
Whales off Point Adolphus.; other denizens including an eaglet on Kodiak Island, a sea otter, a humpback and a grizzly.
Karen glanced left to see the bronze hump of the bear moving towards us through the high beach grass. We stuffed the food into the bags and stood just as the massive head emerged. A loud snort and it was upright on its hind legs, all seven feet of him. He shook his head and sniffed the damp air. Somehow, frozen
in fear, we stood our ground and shouted, Hey bear. After an eternity, or maybe five seconds, the grizzly dropped to the ground, turned and disappeared into the grass. He was gone, but as we took our steps to the kayak we dropped to our knees as our legs buckled from the moment of terror.
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Destinations
The bounty.
Joe Catellani biting off more than he can chew. Inset: rubber raingear and celebrating a 50-pound halibut in a downpour.
Decked out in full rubber raingear we pushed the double kayak through the kelp as our wives called out for us to bring back fish large enough so bones would not be a problem. We paddled a mile back to a spot where we had hooked and lost a fish two days before. We slumped in the boat and jigged the lures as raindrops bounced inches off the surface. Jacks pole jerked, bent, and then stayed motionless. He pulled for 45 minutes thinking a bottom rock may be the cause until we finally
saw movement. Soon the boat was being moved and then we saw a flat form, one-third the kayak length, gliding under the hull. As the halibut rested alongside, we lassoed the tail with the stern line and started the paddle back to camp. We felt like the Old Man and the Sea as seals slid in for our prize. Back at camp a hatchet was the only tool large enough to kill the 55-pound halibut, but there were no bones at dinner, or breakfast, for many days.
Paddling is
Fun!
Winter 2011
Self Rescue Use a Throw Bag Paddle in Wind and Waves Paddle in Tides and Currents
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Alaska
The mountains.
I came north for the mountains, the really big mountains. Those peaks required monthlong climbing expeditions hauling 30 days of food to oxygen-deprived altitudes. The alpine goals fueled my adrenaline. The attraction of the coastline came as a complete surprise. On the first trip to the St. Elias Range I traveled via the Alaska Ferry up the Inside Passage. Once past Ketchikan, the snowy peaks of the coast range seemed to soar into the sky. The vertical relief from sea level had more impact than the view from base camps higher on the glaciers. Glacier Bay cemented the attraction of kayaking in Alaska. From deep up John Hopkins Inlet, we almost leaned backwards to stare up at the lofty Fairweather summits rising 15,000 feet above us. Primeval in geologic mood, we paddled through a raw, exposed landscape that resembled the shores of Antarctica or Greenland. No other coastline rivals the uplift to the heights of the Alaskan coastal mountains. Nothing compares with the sensory impact of staring up at icy peaks, three miles high, while dipping a paddle into the sea. One feels the immensity of nature and one feels so small.
Winter 2011
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Destinations
by Sandra Lucas
t 5:30 I wake up to a horrifying squeal. Its a sound somewhere between a child screaming in agony and a football hooligan whose team just won the World Cup. My heart skips a beat and I hold my breath. Outside the tent something is scratching a dry bag. The bag tips over and the sniffing and scratching continues. I try to keep as quiet as possible, not quite sure what is on the other side. Then Chris, my travel partner, unzips his nearby tent and I hear the creature bolt towards the bushes. Chris? Did you hear that? I yell, the words sounding somewhere between fear and excitement. Chris cant recall what it was that woke him up. But I know. Or at least I am pretty sure. There is no other animal in the world that can scream like a devil. I tell Chris of my hunch and we keep quiet for a moment, listening for sounds in the distance, hoping to see the creature once more. The devil never returns, but the encounter leaves
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us no doubt we are now truly in wild Tasmania. We are in Freycinet National Park, a peninsula of green off the East coast of Australias southernmost island. The 169-squarekilometre park contains some of the most rugged coastlines found Down Under. Here three metre-high, steel-blue waves crash against granite cliff seashore. Australias Nine television network ran a top100-try-before-you-die list. Kayaking Freycinet earned the number four position. However, its not all roaring waves and high tides. Some of the worlds most beautiful beaches frame the national park. For example, Wineglass Bay, a pearly white shoreline capped by gum tree and eucalyptus-forested mountains is one of Tasmanias iconic destinations. While paddling along the shoreline, little bays enclosed by red rock bluffs, wattle and heath trees offer great places to rest up and enjoy the view over the turquoise sea. u
Tasmania
landing in a small inlet near Hazards Bay allows a clear view over the jade green and azure blue waters that surround Freycinet National Park.
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Destinations
Paddling alongside the foot of the five peaks of the Hazards Range.
The sanctuary offers a home to a variety of mammals and marsupials such as the pademelon wallaby (a small kangaroo), several species of possum and quoll (a catlike marsupial), the wombat and the echidna (a spiny, football-sized anteater). Tasmanian devils once were common to the park, but due to an aggressive facial tumor disease their numbers have declined sharply, leaving the black-and-white marsupial almost extinct in these woodlands. Chris and I arrive in Coles Bay, just north of Freycinet National Park and rent our kayaks from an operator aptly named Freycinet Adventures. The small settlement
of Coles Bay is a starting point for anyone wanting to explore the national park and paddle its western shores. If you are deemed experienced enough by the crew at Freycinet Adventures, youre free to cruise the waters independently with a minimum of two persons. But beware. Those who dare venture out here had better come prepared. It takes experience and good conditioning to be able to paddle the capricious currents. Alternatively, you can ask for a guide to come with you or partake in Freycinet Adventures sea kayak tours ranging from one-day paddle trips to multiple-day expedition tours. The tour operator doesnt
allow its kayaks to be paddled along the eastern shore of Freycinet as the coastal terrain there is considered too exposed with only a few landing spots. However, if you are bold enough, you can bring your own boat and launch from nearby Sleepy Bay. Chris and I paddle from Coles Bay to a beach called Hazards Bay, named after the captain of a whaling ship. This five-mile trip takes us along the shoreline of the five peaks of the Hazards Range Parsons (331 metres), Baudin (413 metres), Dove (485 metres), Amos (454 metres) and Mayson (415 metres). The water in the bay radiates a jade green glow while some gentle waves
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Tasmania reflect the skys blue. Gannets and southern seagulls fish for snacks, plunging deep into the water, as white-bellied sea eagles cry in the distance. The promise of dolphins leaves me staring out over the water as I paddle on. We land our boats at idyllic inlets hidden by granite rocks and paddle some more until its time to set up camp. In the distance lies Schouten Island, the distinctive hallmark border isle of Freycinet National Park. This barren land, approximately 24 km from Coles Bay, was named after a member of the Council of the Dutch East India Company by discoverer Abel Tasman (who also gave his name to Tasmania). Schouten Island looks as inaccessible with sheer granite and dolerite cliffs rising from the whirling Tasman Sea. There are no tranquil beaches here. Schouten is a rugged 70-square-km terrain with jagged rock borders formerly used to mine for coal. There is, however, one landing spot on the whole island which allows one to land on Schoutens rocky shores and enjoy the sight of visiting Australian fur seals. After we set up camp, Chris and I take a leisurely stroll along the Isthmus track, a 2.5-km trail that leads from Hazards Bay to Wineglass Bay and back. Almost everywhere in the park can you land your kayak on a beach and hike a trail. Some trails lead to easily accessible lookout points, others to paradise-like shorelines where the sand crackles and squeaks underneath your feet because of its unique grain structure. u
A white-bellied sea eagle, one of the largest birds of prey that use Freycinet National Park, on the hunt.
Destinations
If you go:
Rentals: Single kayaks can be rented from Freycinet Adventures for CAD $55 per day and doubles for CAD $110 per day. tours: Freycinet Adventures also offers three-hour paddle tours along the national park (CAD $95.00). Larger groups can be catered to if conditions allow. To contact Freycinet Adventures go to www.freycinetadventures.com.au or email info@freycinetadventures.com.au Fees: Freycinet National Park fees are $12 per person per day. accommodation: There are few hotels or lodges around Coles Bay. Book in advance to be assured of availability. For example, try the more up-scale Freycinet Lodge bordering the national park (www.freycinetlodge.com.au). Tent and caravan sites are more widely available; however, during peak season, even these sites can overflow. For more information: Visit the official site of Freycinet National Park at www.parks.tas.gov.au/index. aspx?base=3363
Whenever on shore exploring the park, I keep a wary eye open for some friendly locals. Australia, and thus Tasmania too, has always been famous for its ferocious creepy crawlies. While on the Isthmus trail I see some people stopped dead in their tracks and pointing at the tall grass right next to the path. They whisper nervously, folding their hands in front of their mouths, eyes fixated on whatever is in that grass. As I come closer I see a two-metre black snake slithering through the vegetation. It
sticks its forked tongue in the air and steadily heads for the bush cover. Its a tiger snake, one of three deadly snakes that inhabit Freycinet Is that a dangerous snake? one woman asks. Of course, another answers. You are, after all, in wild Tasmania.
< Sandra Lucas is a resident of The Netherlands currently traveling in Mauritius. She can be reached at satoya82@yahoo.com
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Winter 2011
Skillset
by Alex Matthews
While your head points toward the stern, hook the leg closest to the surface into the cockpit.
leg closest to the bow of his boat into the cockpit. With his leg now in the front of the cockpit, his head will be pointing towards the stern of his boat. Reaching across the stern of his boat with the hand closest to its bow, he gets a good solid grip on the far perimeter line of his kayak, or even the line on the rescuers boat. Note that up to this point, the swimmer is not yet attempting to lift his weight. He is content to float until he has established the posture and grip across the boat that will provide the leverage needed to get him up onto his stern deck. With his leg hooked in the cockpit and with a good grip stretched across the stern deck, the swimmer is now ready for the crux move. Using the purchase from his foot in the cockpit, he extends his leg as he focuses on sliding his pelvis up and over onto the stern deck while remaining as low
Winter 2011 Winter 2011
as possible. Once atop the stern he places his other leg into the cockpit and then twists into a seated position. As with any re-entry from the stern deck, any clutter on the back of the kayak will make the maneuver more difficult something worth remembering when contemplating securing bulbous bags or other bulky gear behind the cockpit. For this reason some kayakers also prefer to carry their spare paddle on the foredeck, where it will be out of the paddlers way in the event that an assisted re-entry requires climbing across the stern. As already noted, the heel hook maneuver requires more suppleness and technique than raw upper body power. For this reasons its often a particular favorite with females. If youve struggled to muster the upper body strength needed to haul yourself up out of the water and onto your stern deck, or even if you havent, the heel hook might just become your go to re-entry technique.
< Alex Matthews is the author of Sea Kayaking Rough Waters available at www.helipress. com. For more of Alexs Skillset articles visit www.coastandkayak.com/Articles_skills.html
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With your leg in place, reach across your stern deck to secure a grip on the far side of the boat.
Place the other leg into the cockpit and twist into the seat, again keeping your center of gravity low throughout.
Using the leverage provided by your leg in the cockpit and your grip across the stern, slide your pelvis up onto the stern deck while staying as low as possible.
Once seated comfortably, get your spraydeck back on the cockpit rim and retrieve your paddle.
Winter 2011
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Adventure
in Yukon
We take paddling very seriously here in Yukon. After all, this is the land of the Yukon River Quest, the worlds longest annual canoe and kayak marathon that challenges paddlers to race from Whitehorse to Dawson Citythe same distance as Toronto to Quebec Citywith next to no sleep. Fortunately, we dont put every paddler through that. Timid beginners and well-seasoned pros will nd exactly what theyre looking for here. And then some. Take the rivers of the Peel River Watershed for instance. You cant get farther away from it all than this. One of the worlds largest intact ecosystems, it can only be reached by oatplane. Once within, youll see no roads or houses, but plenty of mountains, moose, sheep, caribou, to some of the worlds most active glaciers, so youre almost guaranteed the spectacular sight-and-sound show
Travel ideas:
Daily ights land in Whitehorse from Vancouver, and there is regular service from Edmonton and Calgary. Average ight-time from those cities is 2.5 hours.
of one calving. Hike up a glacier and take a oat in an iceberg- lled lake for a truly unforgettable day. And then theres the shing. Some say the waters are so crystal-clear here you can see your lunch swim by. Lake trout, Arctic grayling, northern pike, Dolly Varden, salmonwhats your game? Weve got em. You might want to hit the gym rst: most people Yukons high altitude and catch at least one sh over 20 pounds, semi-arid climate make and 45-pound northern pike are not for warm summers with unusual. Can you imagine casting o at midnight when the sun still lights temperatures getting up the sky? Now thats shing. to 25C or more. So bring But all the fun doesnt happen in your sunscreenand summer. Come winter the lakes freeze sunglasses as the sun is over and thats when we release the houndsor in this case, dogs. Jump out 24 hours a day! on the rails, hang on, and become one with the rhythm of the sled as your team pulls you along ancient grizzlies, and fast water. Novices gold rush trails, across mountainshould stick to the Wind River; hard cores not afraid of Class V rapids can ringed lakes, and over parts of that other infamous marathon of ours, the head to the Bonnet Plume. Why not share the paddling duties Yukon Quest International Sled Dog and the thrills on a rafting adventure Race. ats the Yukon for youwe turn everything into an adventure. down the Alsek River? Its home
Travel information:
Packages include all meals and equipment, as well as transportation in and out.
CANOEING
8 days from $5,575: Paddlers of every level will nd their river here. Hard core? Try the world-class rapids of the Alsek or Tatshenshini. Like it a little slower? The Big Salmon and Teslin oer friendly, scenic oatswatch for grizzlies, moose, and bald eagles as you go.
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Advertising Feature
DOGSLEDDING
single-day from $100: Enjoy the ride as a team of friendly, eager dogs takes you on a short day trip across a beautiful, frozen lake. Or go for a multi-day and pretend youre in the Yukon Questthe northern lights will be your nightlight.
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Adventure Resources
Saturna Lodge
An elegant yet casual inn with six individuallyappointed ocean- or garden-view rooms. Cozy common room and lovely grounds. Full breakfast included in rates. Visit our website for details. Web: www.saturna.ca Email: innkeeper@saturna.ca Phone: 250-539-2254 or 1-866-539-2254
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Winter 2011
great adventure?
Make your dream trip a reality.
u Haida Gwaii
Kayak Desolation Sound
Rent kayaks from waterfront locations in Lund or Okeover Inlet. Try the Famous Aquarium Kayak Tour or snorkel at Urchin Alley. All-inclusive multi-day trips into Desolation & Mountains. Phone: Toll free 1-866-617-4444 Web: www.bcseakayak.com Email: info@bcseakayak.com
Winter 2011
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Adventure Resources
Private one-of-a-kind Island... Wondrous Lodge in Kyuquot West Coast of Vancouver Island Unforgettable Retreat... On the Edge of the Pacific A very Unique Holiday... Best Fishing & Adventures on the Wild Pacific Coast.
Odyssey Kayaking
BC Ferries port; Gateway to Northern and Central BC Coast destinations. Sales, Rentals, Lessons, Trip planning. 8625 Shipley Street (across from the Post Office) Port Hardy. Phone: 250-949-7392 or cell 250-230-8318 Email: odyssey@island.net Web: www.odysseykayaking.com
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u Tropical / overseas
Baja Villa Getaways
u Instruction
Hooksum Outdoor School
West Coast Outdoor leadership Training. Quality skills training and Hesquiaht traditional knowledge for those pursuing a career or employment in the outdoors. Certification courses include: Paddle Canada Sea Kayaking Levels I & II, Introduction to KayakingInstructors Course, Advanced Wilderness First Aid, Lifesaving, BOAT & ROC(M). Visiting Kayak & Hiking Groups: Base your Hesquiaht Harbour adventures from our Longhouse. Meals and overnight stays available. Phone: 250.670.1120 Web: www.hooksumschool.com Email: info@hooksumschool.com
Private eco-villa is off-thegrid, modern and elegant in a remote bay north of Loreto, Baja. Getaways include kayaking, shing, hiking, snorkeling, and SUPing. www.bajakayakadventures.com
u Alaska / North
Kayak Academy (Seattle) Kanoe People Ltd.
Explore Yukon's great rivers and lakes! Rentals, sales, guided tours and logistic services. Cabin rentals summer and winter on the scenic Lake Laberge. Outfitting on the Yukon for over 35 years. Web: www.kanoepeople.com Email: info@kanoepeople.com Phone: 867-668-4899 Experience IS Necessary! Since 1991, the Kayak Academy has been providing the best sea kayak experience you can get. Count on us for all your paddling gear. Phone: 206.527.1825 or toll-free 866.306.1825 Web: www.kayakacademy.com Email: info@kayakacademy.com
W W W. N I C . B C . C A
u For Sale
Eclectic Eco-Adventure company for sale on Salt Spring Island in the spectacular Gulf Islands of British Columbia, Canada. Established in 1991, this successful enterprise emphasizes ocean kayaking but also offers surfing and mountaineering programs. Our slate of options include day tours, overnight expeditions, accredited wilderness adventure youth camps, outdoor education programs for schools & interest groups. . . Options available for purchase of commercial oceanfront space in the islands main town. Also: selling idyllic lakefront property including home office, a main house plus a 3 bedroom rental cottage or full separate in-law accommodations. Email: escapades@saltspring.com Phone: 1 888 KAYAK 67 Web: www.islandescapades.com
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Paddle Meals
by Hilary Masson
point to admire the obsidian bands through the large lava flows. Looking back at the point we heard Ryan start to hoot and holler, and watched as he and his fully loaded kayak were towed to windward. It lasted about 10 minutes until the fish tired enough to allow Ryan to play it up to the kayak. A large rooster fish was pulled out of the water, knocked on the head and put into a plastic bag that Ryan keeps under his seat just for this purpose. Once ashore the task of filleting the fish and cooking it is the fun part. The head and guts go back to the sea and the dark pink, delicious flesh is for our kayak group. A great way to eat the rooster fish is to thinly cut some pieces sashimi-style and squeeze lime on it. The raw fish has an amazing flavor, better than any tuna youll get at a sushi restaurant. Then another classic way to prepare tuna-like fish is seared titake style, where the outside is crispy and the inside still opaque and slightly raw. This Japanese recipe is commonly thought of as the best way to enjoy tuna, but suggest this enticing sauce to
Heat sesame oil in a large skillet or fry pan over high heat on your camp stove. Place steaks in oil searing until brown on the outside and opaque on the inside, about 2 minutes per side. Place cooked steaks on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. the coconut sauce: 2 tbsp butter 1/3 cup green onions, sliced cup cilantro, chopped 3 cloves garlic, chopped 2 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and chopped 6 tbsp Tamari (soy sauce) or lime Winter 2011
complement the seared fish: shiitake coconut cream. The garlic, ginger and soy sauce combination with the strong nutty flavour of shiitake mushrooms and creamy coconut creates a full-bodied flavour to impress even the most seasoned foody of the group. Dried mushrooms are another great ingredient to carry in your camping food provisions. There are so many varieties of dried mushrooms that can enhance any meal, be it spaghetti, risotto, omelette or quiche. Shiitake mushrooms add a lot to this Asian-inspired sauce and compliment the seared fish.
< Hilary Masson is with Baja Kayak Adventures.
The rice:
(Serves 5 people) Best way to cook rice on the beach: 2 cups rice 2 cups coconut milk 2 cups water Add rice, coconut milk and water in a medium pot with a lid. Bring to a rolling boil until the rice creates little craters, then remove from the heat and place the closed pot into the sand. Surround the pot of the way up the side but not near the lid using the sand as insulation. Leave for 20 minutes. This saves gas on your camp stove, frees up your burners to move onto the next part of this recipe and works remarkably well to cook rice too.
flavoured soy sauce called Ponzu 1 cups coconut milk 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced 1 fresh lime, juiced Lime wedges and cilantro for garnish In same skillet, add butter, green onion, cilantro, garlic and ginger. Saut quickly until fragrant, add soy sauce, coconut milk and mushrooms then simmer until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice. Serve rice on each plate, then a fish steak on top of the bed of rice, scoop sauce over entire dish and garnish with lime wedges and cilantro.
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COAST&KAYAK MAgAzine
oceanriveradventures.com
Tours Courses Rentals
Winter 2011
COAST&KAYAK MAgAzine
31
Setting sail
new gear
by John Kimantas
Ryan Masson of Baja Kayak Adventures, who offers that rare mix of sailor and kayaker, helped Coast&Kayak test various sails, and demonstrated his relative comfort under power with the KayakSailor, something the non-sailors among us did not necessarily share.
gREAT kAyAkINg ADvENTuRE is a circumnavigation of Nootka Island. The most common route is counterclockwise to take advantage of the prevailing northwest winds down the exposed outer coast of the island. But imagine this scenario. youre ready to leave your campsite in the shelter of Nootka sound in the spanish Pilot group before rounding the island. A calm morning is forecast. so this becomes the plan: take advantage of the calm weather, run the island clockwise, camp in the safety of Nuchatlitz that night, explore the area the next morning then use the afternoon inflow winds to sail down Esperanza Inlet. literally. Sail down the inlet. If it seems like a cheat to sail, keep in mind this 166-km trip had to be completed in less than 72 hours. It was an aggressive agenda, and a 20-km free ride was not just pleasant but a major factor in completing the trip. Purists will no doubt scoff at even considering a sail for a kayak, as the whole point is to paddle. If you want a sailboat, they do make those. But just as they make surf kayaks to fill the role normally played by surfboards, adding a sail to a kayak can add a whole new dimension to the kayaking experience. COAST&KAYAK MAgAzine Winter 2011 Winter 2011
It can also be a great tool. Heres an example. Theres a wonderful picnic area on the far end of a lake. Its your reasonable days limit just to get there, making it a two-day trip. But the prevailing afternoon winds blow down the lake back to the launch site. so instead of paddling back you sail back, allowing an otherwise impossible day trip by leaving in the morning before the winds rise then riding them back. That sort of a plan is apt to go astray, of course, as winds are highly variable and generally unpredictable, especially as prevailing conditions dont prevail near as often as you might like. As an example, the first test of one of these sails was to be the final quarter of a circumnavigation of Nigei Island off the top end of vancouver Island. Mid-afternoon, hitting goletas Channel, the hope of taking advantage of the everpresent westerlies in goletas faded when the wind didnt materialize, which turned the day into a 55-km slog instead of 36 km of paddling and a free ride back. When is it ever dead calm in goletas Channel in the mid afternoon? A: The time you plan to use a sail, it turns out. We tested three sails in a variety of conditions to get a feel for how they perform, and this is what we found.
32
Kayak Sails
comfortably place in the cockpit or stow in a hatch. In other words, transport is an issue. AE users wont have that problem, but they may notice this. When deployed, the design is such that it sits flush to the deck directly in front of the kayaker, which means a good deal of the wind is blocked. A good feature is the amount of clear plastic that leaves relatively unobstructed views ahead. But for performance, running side by side with the KayakSailor, it quickly lagged. Id credit this with the lower placement on the deck and the fairly rudimentary sail design, which is about as basic as you can get: just unfold, set and let whatever wind hits it propel you forward. But that and its durability are perhaps its strong points as well. Your frustration quotient will be correspondingly low.
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Winter 2011 COAST&KAYAK MAgAzine 33
new gear
The WindPaddle Sail in action, holding its own against the KayakSailor.
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While a downwind sail only, the WindPaddle can accommodate a fair bit of side wind and still benefit the kayaker with some forward thrust (after more than about 30 degrees, though, it becomes questionable whether the sail will maintain the hold of the wind, as often on a side wind the wind will shift a bit and the sail will invert). In a good downwind it flies, and gusts only help performance. Theres no pushing to the side to upset balance. When it gets a good gust it tends to bob up and down as if energized like an eager dog pulling a leash, and you can feel the kayak being pulled forward. Its exhilarating, but beware of spoiling yourself. The ease and speed might leave you disappointed when you actually have to paddle again. And thats not a good thing. So dont forget to reconnect to the harmony of your paddle after using the sail. If I had a single suggestion to improve it, it might be the window, which could either be larger or lower, as in most conditions when fully deployed the horizon will be blocked. I was also left wondering how to best manage the sheet, or guide line (shown above simply being held). A convenient method that allows paddling is a carabiner on your PFD, with the caveat that clipping yourself to your kayak is not the greatest safety step. Simply holding it is no great burden, but that does stop you from being able to paddle along while sailing. I have yet to try this option, but when the opportunity arises it will be fun: running the WindPaddle sail between two kayaks. Imagine drifting downwind, watching the scenery pass in close company with your partner, maybe having lunch on the water while the miles pass by. Its relaxing just thinking about. The design of two latches makes this extremely simple, with the benefit of nobody in front of the sail. Probably best for that purpose is the Cruiser sail, the largest of the WindPaddle fleet with a 56-inch diameter when deployed about 50 percent more power than our tester, the Adventure, which has a deployed diameter of 42 inches. The entry-level option is the Scout, which has the same sail size as the Adventure, but with a softer batten making it a design best for recreational solo kayaks.
Kayak Sails
of the downwind sails. To the contrary, you are put constantly on edge, literally and emotionally. The worst (no doubt for us newbies) is when the wind comes up above your comfort level. The halyard and mast control lines need to be dropped to get the sail down. This means putting down your paddle in conditions you may want to be ready to brace. Fumble with the rigging at your peril when caught like this. And be prepared to fuss. A regular issue in raising the sail is having the shroud caught around the leeboard control knob. That
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6/29/11 12:23 PM
35
Wildlife Destinations
by Chuck Graham
Beleaguered by vanishing habitat, the snowy plover remains a useful gauge of the health of coastal ecosystems
their brood, the snowy plover is one that remains year-round. This leaves them more exposed to threats, especially while tending to their nests and chicks. For this reason the snowy plover is a good indicator for gauging the overall health of coastal ecosystems. Way of the West Western snowy plovers need barren to sparsely vegetated sandy beaches, dry salt flats in lagoons and dune habitat to breed and have successful nests.
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Its estimated that about 2,000 to 3,000 plovers inhabit approximately 150 current or historical breeding or wintering locations where they try to survive amongst dwindling habitats. Besides the usual threats of raccoons, coyotes, foxes, crows, gulls, owls, falcons and hawks, plovers reluctantly share nesting areas with beachgoers, dogs, kite flyers, off-road vehicles and bikers. All of these threats force snowy plovers to leave their nests exposed to predation. Typically plovers occupy habitat between the wrack line and the upland portion of beaches, says Al Donner, assistant field supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Sacramento, CA. Unfortunately, people enjoy its habitat too. Because of this degradation, plovers along the Pacific coast have been listed as a threatened species since 1993 under the Endangered Species Act. If youre a beachgoer and you dont see western snowy plovers, you know the beach has been heavily used and is no longer suitable habitat for plovers to thrive. Once plovers are gone from the beaches, it tells us something about our beaches,
Snowy Plover says Dave Lauten, a biologist specializing in the western snowy plover for the Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center, namely that they are not necessarily in good health. Freshly Brood Western snowy plovers live dangerously. Because they prefer beaches with little or no vegetation, they breed above the wrack line and their nests are out in the open. Plovers dont make nests; instead they use natural or scraped depressions in the sand. Many nests are lined with natural resources found on the beach including pebbles, shell fragments, fish bones, mud chips, scraps of vegetation and invertebrate skeletons. Eggs are about half the size of the parents. They have a buff background and are lightly covered with small spots and scrawls. A clutch is usually three eggs. Chicks are extremely mobile once theyve hatched. Theyre born with feathers and open eyes, with fully grown legs ready to run and forage within hours after their down dries. Once the chicks are hatched, the females typically desert their mates and chicks and promptly initiate a new breeding attempt with a different male. Its not uncommon for females to have two and even three broods with different mates in a single breeding season. This makes the males the primary caregivers after the chicks hatch. Chicks feed themselves after their fathers show The dark patches under each breast, the dark gray to black legs and the pale brown upper body make them almost impossible to spot in their coastal habitats unless theyre forced to flee. The western snowy plover is distinguished from other plovers due to their small size. They weigh about as much as a 25 cent piece, or 1.2 ounces to 2 ounces (34-56 grams), and are 5.9 to 6.6 inches long (15-17 cm). One thing plovers are is tolerant. They are very tolerant of quite a bit of human harassment, says Lauten. That does not mean it is good for them, nor does it mean that they like to deal with it, but they do it. As a persistent northwest wind blew sand and brittle fragments of dead seaweed across the beach and over my kayak, a plover rose with its two fuzzy chicks, the windblown sand becoming too much to absorb. The chicks quickly scampered after their parent, eventually taking shelter behind a thick piece of driftwood in their rugged habitat.
Baby snowy plovers are born eyes open and just hours from being able to forage for food.
them where to find insects, but they require periodic fatherly care for many days after hatching. This is only true of the West Coast population, says Lauten. Other populations do not necessarily do this. This is because the chicks are mobile from day one and there are plenty of food resources on the beach. one tough Little shorebird Western snowy plovers show tremendous resilience as their habitat slowly vanishes and is overused. They typically wont move from their depressions until they absolutely have to, instead relying on camouflage as a defense.
Winter 2011
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Touring Destinations
Adam vallance / Powell River sea kayak
Enchanting
by Joan Boxall
Hats IN a name? Some history apparently, as surveyor Captain George Vancouver came to the British Columbia coastline from Hawaii in 1792 to update Captain James Cooks charts. Vancouver idolized Cook, and he modeled and later adapted much of his own leadership style after the famous British explorer and cartographer. Theyd been to the Pacific Northwest 12 years earlier when Vancouver served as Cooks midshipman, but bad weather hampered their mapmaking attempts. In spring 1792, Vancouver, in his new role as captain, resumed where theyd left off, painstakingly surveying every strait, sound, passage, channel, arm and inlet of B.C.s 27,000-kilometre coastline. It took three long summers (wintering in Hawaii), using rowboats to maneuver where his vessels, the Discovery and Chatham, could not. Fueled
38 COAST&KAYAK MAgAzine Winter 2011 Winter 2011
Desolation Sound
Desolation
From our ancestors come our names, from our virtues our honours.
Proverb
by the hope of finding a western access to the Northwest Passage, each outlet became instead an impenetrable wall, rising up as formidably as a drawbridge to a castle. These castle walls with their steep drops from peak to ocean floor filled Vancouver with woeful isolation, and he named the area accordingly: Desolation Sound. His discouragement was not shared by us as we welcomed the quiet campsites and open vistas during our week-long tour with Powell River Sea Kayak. Vancouver certainly knew how to navigate by sail and rowboat, but for him, it was an arduous job in his last health-harrowed years. For us, the area presented a jade jewel set in aquamarine. We ballasted off from Okeover Inlet, bellies full from Laughing Oyster seafood topped up with Cedar Lodge B&B pancakes and plum sauce that morning.
Vancouvers hardships were not our own. Facing Kinghorn and Station islands, we reminisced over Vancouver meeting the two Spanish vessels, Sutil and Mexicana, under the leadership of captains Galiano and Valdes. They proceeded to collaborate on and share coastal charts and supplies. Vancouver, wearing his diplomatic tricorn hat, was authorized to meet with Commissioner Bodega y Quadra in Nootka Sound to settle damage claims from the Nootka Convention, signed in 1790. Their friendly rivalry at claiming coastline was unmistakable in the geographic names chosen for here, with Spanish roots for the islands of Redonda, Cortes, Quadra and Hernando; and English along Capt. Vancouvers water routes in the channel approaches (Pryce, Waddington and Lewis) and the inlets (Jervis and Bute) where theyd hoped to secure trade routes east.
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We, too, developed a cooperative spirit while making the crossing to Martin Islands. At Hope Point, we were within striking distance for our own circumnavigation of Cortes Island. We hugged coastlines in protected eddies ready to benefit from wind and tide. Our guide, Bill Ricksons mantra of long, low, loose leverage served us well. Long in the reach; push and pull. Low in the trajectory to go the distance. Loose in allowing the breath to torque-torso as we took in sea, sky and salty splashes. We lingered on South Rendezvous Island amid Douglas fir, western red cedar and Canadas only native broad-leafed evergreen, the arbutus. Ocean breezes dried off the dew and our drizzle-dampened gear while clearing skies heralded a predominantly fine-weather front. Piles u
COAST&KAYAK MAgAzine 39
Touring
Bute Inlet Sonora I. Okisollo Channel Hole in the Wall Maurelle I. 8 Pryce Channel South Rendezvous I. 8 West Redonda I.
Ho
Octopus Is. 8
hannel yC f ra
Seymour Narrows
East Redonda I.
Surge Narrows
Read I.
Lew
e nn ha is C l
8 Hope Pt.
T T
VANCOUVER ISLAND
Desolation Sound 8 Marine Park DESOLATION 8 SOUND 8 8 Malaspina Inlet Okeover Inlet
CAMPBELL RIVER Adapted from the Desolation Sound Recreation Map, 22x36 inches, available at retailers or order on page 40. Not all campsites and launches listed.
LUND T Savary I.
Rapids/strong currents
of purple, leather and mottled sea stars, mother harbor seals training their mewling pups, a mink sighting and myriads of gulls, kingfishers and oystercatchers, all took their turns in the tide. Were we the future ones Capt. Vancouver hoped might realize this
regions magnificent beauty? Wind and tide at our backs, we settled down and let the protective coastline fall away, flowing with it. Low tide at Sharks Spit, a natural extension of Marina Island, was where a
five-meter tide carried the boats 500 meters to a lively herring gull serenade. My job was to float with them, pulling them gently up and over the shoal, steering clear of barnacles. Part way around Marina, the framework
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COAST&KAYAK MAgAzine
Winter 2011
Desolation Sound
Adam Vallance / Powell River Sea Kayak
GALIANO KAYAKS
Beaches can be hard to come by at some of the Desolation Sound locations, but suitable rock ledges can make equally enticing rest areas.
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A Week in Paradise Calm Waters and B&B Dec April, since 1988
of an ancient village with canoe berths and clam grounds became evident in the rockitecture. More recent marks of 1920s logging camps lay in the frayed and rusted cables still attached to large beams. We ate a Mexican black bean salad at the high tide mark, warming our backs against an age-old midden while reflecting upon the cultural contrasts which had transpired over the ages. The eagles soared above us and the ravens along the shore cawed and screeched it out amongst one another. Looking west to Quadra and Vancouvers Island (as it was known until it was shortened to Vancouver Island) with its chain of snow-capped peaks, we looped past the reef where seals, loons and harlequin ducks played in the wind-churned surf. From Sharks Spit, the Gorges Cortes
Island petroglyphs put on a show. Redorange stickmen waved their catch in the golden light. A starlit night, we took the fly off the tent to view the Perseid meteor shower, visible from mid-July to mid-August for the last 2,000 years. We awoke to a calm pastel shoreline; sandpipers and sanderlings on beach patrol. Buoyant with salinity and serenity, Desolation Sound merited our adulation. A rose by any other name would sound, taste, smell, look and seem as sweet.
< Joan Boxall is a North Vancouver-based freelance writer who has done kayak trips in BC and abroad. For travel planning options in this region, see page 27.
kayak@gulfislands.com
250-539-2442 www.seakayak.ca
Winter 2011
COAST&KAYAK MAgAzine
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gift guide
BC Coast Recreation Maps
This oversize map series offers details for six regions of British Columbia that the charts just wont tell you about: launch sites, rest beaches, campsites, regional highlights and more. All maps are full color both sides, in highly detailed 22x36 inch size. Areas include: 114. Broken Group Islands / Barkley Sound 140. North Coast Trail (Hiking Map) 160. Clayoquot Sound 564. Desolation Sound / Discovery Islands 630. Broughton Archipelago / Johnstone Strait 690. Gulf Islands $9.95 each +shipping $2.50CDN/$4US Subscribe to the online edition of Coast&Kayak Magazine. Theres no cost, plus you qualify for great benefits including the chance to win this Kevlar Titan VI courtesy of Atlantis Kayaks. Draw date is Dec. 1/11
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Kiska, Nimbus Paddles most popular paddle, is a long-range, week-long touring paddle. Generally for a high angle stroke. Quinsam, our other mid-size blade, is a little fuller in the tip and works well for a lower stroke angle. Wavewalker is a large Euro size blade with more modern styling. Great for powering through surf or playing in tidal rapids. High angle stroke.
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335. Freedom of the Seas teaches navigation, sea state and weather. $24.95 + shipping 180. The ultimate guide for exploring North and Central BC coast. $29.99 + shipping 185. The ultimate guide for exploring BCs south coast and east Vancouver Island. $34.99 + shipping 330. A handy largeformat map guide for the West Coast of Vancouver Island. $40 + shipping
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Winter 2011 COAST&KAYAK MAgAzine 43
Reflections
by James Dorsey
paddling a log. The littoral is a transitional zone where my world of dry land meets that of creatures who dwell just beneath the sea, in the shallow coming together of two separate realities, and where strange beings thrive in both air and water. The littoral is the area between tidal exchanges that occur twice daily, thus alternating between wet and dry and making the area one of the most challenging spots on earth in which to exist. That also makes it a great spot to paddle. Few of us know the paths our lives will
Winter 2011
take at a young age, and I had no idea at the time how that book and the word littoral would dominate my world for years. Since that time I have not only become a certified marine naturalist, but an avid kayaker who has paddled the rim of fire from southern Alaska to the southernmost tip of Baja. I have divided most of that time between studying cetaceans and the littoral, and more than once have been surprised to find them together. I have friends who are into long-distance paddling, making regular crossings of the
Reflections Santa Monica Channel, where I live, to Catalina Island and back, a 30-mile-plus paddle, and they love to tease me about being a sissy paddler, hugging the coast instead of testing my mettle against the raging sea, and I am fine with that. While they are fighting rolling seas and headwinds, I am learning behavioral habits of tiny creatures most of the world does not even know exist. For me the most interesting paddling has always been in coastal waters for numerous reasons. First of all is clarity. Even in waters clouded by pollution, wave action usually keeps the littoral clear. It is a simple matter of positioning to keep the suns illumination at the correct angle that allows me to paddle over what amounts to my own private aquarium. I have spent hours floating in one spot while a veritable metropolis of life goes about its business mere feet from my station. Watching my own shadow pass over the ocean floor was my first lesson in how some littoral dwellers run for cover at the first sign of a predator from above while other certain small fish use a shadow as cover, hiding beneath my boat. It is how I learned that crabs will pick up a shell and use it as a shield if caught in the open, and how I first realized a sting ray will strike out at a shadow, possibly giving the answer to the death of naturalist and television personality Steve Irwin. It was the clear littoral that first allowed me to witness the lightning speed with which a sea star can attack its prey, devouring it in seconds as one of the oceans top predators in spite of its diminutive size, and how I first saw anemones extending their barbed lances in defense of my shadow passing overhead. A kayak has been both transport and tool for my entry to this world, allowing me to glide silently past, absorbing it while not intruding upon it. My kayak has served as a resting platform for exhausted sea birds, landing on my deck for a breather, and more than once a baby eagle has sought refuge there to get away from a relentless mother intent on teaching it to fly. Being part of their natural environment has allowed me to observe sea birds in a way impossible through books. I once found myself inundated with anchovies jumping out of the water. Many landed on my deck followed closely by a
Wild Coast Publishing The intertidal bounty of a rock in the Broken Group Islands, selected for those who might have some spare time and want to count the creatures.
very aggressive pelican who had trouble differentiating between the silver delicacies and my fingers. I can also say that pelicans are very ungainly while walking the deck of a kayak! On two separate occasions I have had to fend off frightened sea lions attempting to board me while being pursued by orcas, and for those who may think this a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, I can honestly say I have always paid it heed, never invading an animals comfort zone, but allowing their own innate curiosity to bring them to me. Harbor seals are regular companions and sea jellies often collect on my paddle blades. To most creatures I am simply an errant log being carried along by the tides. Not like Steinbecks log, but a log nevertheless. I have had dolphin swim next to my boat in three feet of water and playfully chew on my bungee, and have watched young gray whales frolicking in the surf line less than twenty yards from human surfers. More than anything, I have had close contact with gray whales who, being the slowest swimmers of the cetacean world, hug the coastline during their annual 12,000mile migration from Alaska to Mexico using natural rock formations, kelp beds and wavestirred sand as cover to evade their natural predator, the orca. Most people think little happens within the surf line but I have found it to be a place of non-stop action, and on a good day I find myself wondering why every paddler on the water is not hugging the shore. Yes, I do venture out into the open ocean
Winter 2011
for prolonged paddles, sometimes for a week at a time, but while most paddlers are intent on reaching a destination, for me it is the journey that is more important, and it is always the ever-changing coastal world that is the dessert to the meal.
< To visit James Dorseys website, visit www.jamesdorsey.com
COAST&KAYAK MAgAzine
45
Books / DVDs
up to tidal races and rock hopping. Volume 2 covers the safety aspects with assisted rescues, self-rescues, technical landings, tows, rescues and rough water skills. For extra enticement, the second volume is filmed in St. Kilda, a set of remote islands off Scotlands Outer Hebrides, a world heritage site and fitting background with its dramatic rocky shores, sea stacks and caves. You can even bypass the instructional portion at the main menu to select the travel segments, which are a show in their own right. Both DVDs can be ordered online, downloaded or purchased in North America thanks to distribution through Active Paddles in Washington State. u www.seakayakwithgordonbrown.com the political, social and even bureaucratic factors that have affected the parks over the last century. So from a historical perspective it provides great insight, but from the perspective of someone hoping to find out about BCs best parks, it will simply be a picture book. u www.harbourpublishing.com BRItIsH CoLUmBIas maGNIFICENt PaRks, James D. anderon The 100-year anniversary celebrations at BC Parks may be coming to a close at the end of 2011, but the legacy of British Columbias parks lives on, including in this tome of historical information written from BC Parks insider James Anderson published by Harbour Publishing. It is wonderfully illustrated by photography to augment the text, but it is not a catalogue of the various BC provincial parks, as some might hope. Rather it is a chronology of the history of the development of BCs parks in terms of a FIELD GUIDE to EDIBLE mUsHRooms oF tHE PaCIFIC NoRtHWEst, Daniel Winkler Harbour Publishing expands on its line of waterproof pocket-sized guides with this latest entry illustrating dozens of edible and not-so-edible mushrooms (with other similar guides covering whales and nudibranches, to name a few), plus what to do with them. Aided by photos, it raises the question: do you trust a little pocket guide enough to tell the difference between a black morel and a false morel, with the latter being deadly poisonous? Thats the hope of author Daniel Winkler, but... please read carefully!
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accommodation: See listings in Services Directory ............... 26 Broughton Archipelago Paddlers Inn ......41 associations: Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC.................23 Destinations: Bellingham.org .......................................................19 Yukon Wild ............................................................... 24 Directories: Instruction/Education ...................................... 29 Adventure Resources ........................................ 26 kayak manufacturers: Advanced Elements ........................................... 37 Delta ...............................................................................5 Klepper ....................................................................... 18 Nimbus .......................................................................40 Peregrine Kayaks .....................................................3 Pygmy ............................................................................6 Seaward ........................................................................7 Valley ........................................................................... 20 Waters Dancing Boat Kit Company ...........41 Gear manufacturers: BC Recreation Maps ........................................... 42 Cascade Creek ....................................................... 33 Coastal Waters ....................................................... 33 Danuu Canoe & Kayak Covers ..................... 33 KayakPro ....................................................................46 Lasso Security Cables........................................ 33 Natural West Coast Adventure Gear ........ 33 Nimbus Paddles.................................................... 42 NRS ...............................................................................48 Solo Rescue Assist ............................................... 33 Suspenz Storage Racks .................................... 35 Wild Coast Publishing ....................................... 43 Instruction: Instruction/Education Directory ................ 29 North Island College .......................................... 29 Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC.................23 Paddle Canada ...................................................... 14 Repairs: Blackline Marine ...................................................34 Retail outlets/Dealers: Alberni Outpost .................................................... 47 Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe ........................... 45 Comox Valley Kayaks ......................................... 21 Deep Cove Outdoors ...........................................2 OceanRiver Sports............................................... 31 Ottawa Paddle Shack ...........................................6 Western Canoeing & Kayaking .......................2 tours: Coast Mountain Expeditions .........................41 Gulf Islands Kayaking..........................................41 Adventure Resources ........................................ 26
sEa kayak WItH GoRDoN BRoWN, VoL. 2 Better known no doubt in Scotland where he runs Skye Adventures, Gordon Brown is gaining wider renown in North America with his growing set of instructional kayaking DVDs. Volume 1 covered the foundations: forward paddling, turning, edging, and on
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David Blue/NRS
Ninjas ge The NR t to wear paja m S Ninja PFD m as all day, whic reason akes pa s. No o th ddlers h h makes them and you er life jacket appy fo happy. is r can we ar it ou as comfortable the very sam e tside w or unr ithout u psetting estricting, your m om.
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