- Wavelength Magazine

Editorial
Editor
Alan Wilson
The Greater Classroom
Assistant Editor/Office Manager
Diane Coussens
Associate Editor
Laurie MacBride
Associate
Howard Stiff
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Marty Wanless, Herb Clark,
Rajé Harwood, Frank Murphy
Bookkeeper
Margaret Dyke
Advisor
Mercia Sixta
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SAFE PADDLING is an individual responsibility. We
recommend that inexperienced paddlers seek expert
instruction and advice about local conditions, have all the
required gear and know how to use it. The publishers of
this magazine and its contributors are not responsible for
how the information in these pages is used by others.
Published by
Wave-Length Communications Inc.
© 2002. Copyright is retained on all material, text and
graphics, in this magazine. No reproduction is allowed of
any material in any form, print or electronic, for any purpose,
except with the expressed permission of Wave-Length
Communications Inc. (unless for private reference only).
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government
of Canada, through the Canada Magazine Fund, toward
our editorial costs, to promote Canadian writing.
A
s this issue shows, paddling is for all ages and abilities. Although we focus mostly
on children, it’s also about parents—about families exploring a new world together, learning more about themselves and one another in the process.
Most children like paddling, especially the feeling of autonomy and control. But it’s
not just kids who feel this. A sense of freedom is one of the main reasons people of all
ages and abilities like to paddle—freedom to move in any direction on the trackless
sea, experiencing the great, surging life forces on this water planet.
Paddling is a powerful educational tool, and the lessons are fundamental—feeling
buoyancy, learning balance, taking responsibility for yourself, seeing the effect of your
actions, feeling the energy of your body, learning efficiency. And let’s not forget the
impact of discovering the marine world with all its amazing creatures!
I spent the best part of my youth and young adulthood in classrooms. I even became a teacher for awhile, but I’ve never been in a better classroom than a kayak.
Every time I go onto the water, I see something new, something wonderful. I learn
lessons stretching back to the earliest incarnations of life, of liquid flow, of briney
beings—lifeforms of all shapes, sizes, colours, motions, surviving and thriving.
It’s all out there for you to discover. And this magazine is full of the products and
services of the paddling community to help you get there. Each of the ads, large or
small, whether for non-profit associations or commercial operations, is in essence a
‘listing’, together creating a catalogue of opportunities.
For your convenience, most of the ads about educational opportunities—including
family lessons and tours—are grouped towards the front of the magazine.
Almost all the advertisers have great websites with extensive information, and each
site is hotlinked from the corresponding ad in the web edition of our magazine, which
is found at www.WaveLengthMagazine.com.
•••
Please note, we are now offering a FREE print subscription to WaveLength if you
buy a new kayak from one of the advertisers in this magazine. See page 45.
WaveLength is a member of TAPS, the Trade Association of Paddlesports. Ph: 360-855-9434.
INSIDE
Volume 11 Number 6
6 Nature’s Disneyland
DIANE BISARO
8 Getting Started
CHRIS LADNER
10 Guiding Kids to Nature
CINDY ROSS
12 A Family of Paddlers
SHEILA HAGGERSTONE
13 Exploring with Dive Kayaks
BARB ROY
15 Dream Come to Life
PHIL HOSSACK AND TERESA DAVEY
17 Madness or Family Fun?
STEVE CROWE
COVER: Taryn and Sprite
by Sheila Haggerstone
30 I Am a Kayaker
CODY SHORT
31 Kilarney Kids Cook
DEB LEACH—COLUMN
32 ‘Family’ Gatherings
ALAN WILSON—COLUMN
34 Going Down to Robson Bight
STEVE SCHMIDT
35 Humming with Herring
ALEXANDRA MORTON—COLUMN
37 Welcome to our Forum
TED LEATHER—COLUMN
38 UNCLASSIFIEDS
41 NEWS
19 Building Dreamboats
MARTIN D. TREES
42 REAL ESTATE
21 A Family that Paddles Together
46 Fish Farm Fiasco
JACQUELINE WINDH
23 Adventure Therapy
COLIN MACNEIL
26 Creative Solutions
CHRISTINE LOWTHER
28 Staying Out of Deep Trouble
DAN LEWIS—COLUMN
SUZANNE CONNELL
48 Kayaking with Kelp
BRYAN NICHOLS—COLUMN
50 NEW KAYAKS & GEAR
52 BOOKS
54 CALENDAR
Nature’s Disneyland
Diane Bisaro
Y
ou’ve never been to Disneyland?”
Although it’s a question, it sounds like
an accusation.
My daughter shakes her head and helps
herself to a cookie.
“Nope. My mom’s never even been
there,” she says.
“That’s soooo weird,” her playmate exclaims. She looks at me aghast, like I’m from
another planet.
My daughter shrugs her shoulders.
“We do other stuff,” she says.
“Like what other stuff?”
“I dunno. Hiking, kayaking....”
She stuffs the remainder of her chocolate chip cookie in her mouth and jumps
up.
“Come on, let’s go outside and play.”
Don’t get me wrong. Considering that
70% of Americans have visited Disneyland,
it must have something going for it. For me,
it’s more about following tradition. Every
tribe has its own traditions and patterns for
raising children. My parents never took me
to Disneyland and their parents never took
them. Never mind that this may have had
something to do with a limited budget, I
like to believe that my ancestors possessed
great insight and inherently knew that family vacations void of long line-ups, malls
and fast food joints were a good thing. My
parents took me to wild places instead
where nothing stood in orderly rows. I
learned to play in the mountains, rivers,
lakes, and the sea.
Since the birth of my own two daughters
Sandi Munro photo
“
Happy times at Spring Island.
(currently aged 11 and 13), I have looked
for wild places to play as a family outside
the confines of our own backyard. This has
been of particular importance given that we
live in the city. In an urban setting, outdoor
experience is too often limited to parentally supervised play in paved-over playgrounds and organized sporting events,
leaving little time for adventure and spontaneity. Children need spaces to climb on
rocks, balance on logs, play in streams, dig
in the earth. Needless to say, I am a strong
believer that play in wild places makes for
a sound mind, body, and spirit.
As a family, we have wandered with dairy
cows on the lush slopes of the Dolomites
in Northern Italy, swum among brilliantly
colored tropical fish in the azure waters off
Akumal, searched for berries and made bull
WEST COAST EXPEDITIONS
Educational Nature Tours since 1974
Sea Kayaking in the Kyuquot Wilderness, BC
Toll Free 800-665-3040
www.island.net/~nature
•Basecamp comforts
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6
kelp horns in the shadows of the ancient
totems at Ninstints on Haida Gwaii, and
stroked the underbelly of an enormous
Mola-Mola on our annual paddling trip to
Kyuquot on the untamed West Coast of
Vancouver Island. There is always a story,
an adventure, and a lesson about the power
of nature.
And while there are countless places that
make for adventure—hushed valleys, towering snow-topped mountains, tree-lined
lakes, fast-moving rivers—the sea and the
shore are definitely among our family’s
favorite playgrounds. And what better way
to explore than by kayak? Every summer,
we paddle and explore in Kyuquot Sound,
a wildly beautiful area on the northwest
coast of Vancouver Island.
We first visited Kyuquot in 1994 when
we were invited to join friends and their
children on an eco-tour called ‘Sea Otter
Odyssey’. The tour should have been called
‘Downpour Odyssey’ because we spent the
entire week wandering in the rain and the
thick fog made it almost impossible to discern sea otters from driftwood. But for everyone in our group, it was a great adventure.
We spent hours exploring the incredibly
rich tide-pools. Decorator Crabs, Gum Boot
Chitons, Hooded Nudibranchs, Moon
Snails, Sunflower Stars, Purple Sea Urchins,
Aggregate Anemones, Sculpins, and
Penpoint Gunnels. We saw Eagles, Cormorants, Oystercatchers, and Pigeon Guillemots. We hiked along lush, unkempt trails
and walked on secluded windswept
beaches. We feasted on fresh salmon and
visited with people from the remote village
of Kyuquot. We heard stories about their
ancestors who roamed the area long before Juan Perez and Capt. George Vancouver ever set sail on the Pacific. And on the
day of our departure, the sun skulked from
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April/May 2002
April/May 2002
WaveLength
Sandi Munro photo
behind the clouds and we leapt at the opportunity to go paddling. The experience
was magical and from that day on, we were
hooked.
Going to Kyuquot has since become
ritual, a pilgrimage—a Shirley MacLaine
sort of thing—but fortunately not too many
people know the route. Our journey typically begins in Campbell River where we
rendezvous with Rupert Wong, a biologist
who runs West Coast Expeditions. Our
group is intimate, our family and friends
who share our love for the outdoors. The
route from Campbell River to Kyuquot
Sound is roughly three hours on dusty logging roads and a half-hour boat ride on the
exposed West Coast. Indeed, the ride itself
is an adventure.
Rupert makes base camp on Spring Island, one of the many islands that dot
Kyuquot Sound. Spending time on Spring
Island is like taking a step back in time, from
the modern world to an ancient, more enduring one. We happily exist without the
material trappings of urban life. Our homes
are tents, nestled on beds of moss under
canopies of massive Douglas Firs and Western Red Cedar. The children have complete
freedom. They climb on rocks and up trees,
play in the waves, dig in the sand, explore
and learn. All of us, but especially the children benefit from our trips to Spring Island
and our cherished relationship with Rupert.
He has taught the children life-long outdoor skills and shared insight and knowledge, fueling our fascination and respect
for nature.
Furthermore, Rupert has shared his love
of kayaking and, consequently, we have
become enthusiastic paddlers. Our day trips
have allowed us to explore much of the
rugged, unspoiled coastline and many of
the picturesque islands in the Sound. The
water teems with life and we often watch
sea otters feeding and rafting in the kelp
beds. The place is untamed, the encounters unexpected. Like the day we encountered what we originally suspected was an
injured porpoise. The animal appeared to
be in distress, flipped on its side and flapping its pectoral fins on the surface of the
water. Quietly, we nosed our kayaks towards the animal. It immediately became
apparent that this animal was definitely not
a member of the dolphin family! The fish
was upwards of 12 feet long and must have
weighed at least a ton. Its gigantic head was
almost a third of its total body length. We
were absolutely wide-eyed. It was a most
curious looking creature. My daughter
Megan, who was eight at the time, instinctively reached out her hand and stroked the
great fish’s belly.
“It’s so smooth and slimy!” She squealed.
“What is it?”
Nicole tries the hands-on approach.
“An alien fish,” one of the kids in our
group announced, “and I bet the slime is
poisonous!”
“Touch it, Mom,” prompted Megan.
“No way, I think it’s a pig fish,” my daughter Nicole exclaimed. “Half pig, half fish.
It’s Pygmalion!”
“Actually, I think it might be a MolaMola,” suggested Bill, our guide. Although
he had never encountered a Mola-Mola in
these waters, he had seen them in Baja.
Back at Spring Island we learned that the
Mola-Mola, or Sun Fish as it is also known,
was likely doing what Sun Fish do—floating on the surface of the sea in an attempt
to absorb some heat from the sun. And no,
the slime was not poisonous! It was a
memorable paddle, a bunch of kids and
adults bobbing up and down in kayaks, the
sun, the sea-smelling air, the banter, all of
us in awe of a big fish.
Our yearly visit to Kyuquot Sound always
includes an excursion to the Brooks Peninsula, northwest of Kyuquot. The Brooks is a
raw and untamed tract of land that juts out
into the Pacific. It’s an incredibly unique
place, existing outside the confines of time.
An endless stretch of secluded white sand
pushing up against impenetrable brush and
old-growth forest, mountains shrouded in
mist, waves pounding against the sandy
shore. Here we pass the day hiking to the
falls in the Nasparti Inlet, beachcombing,
digging in the sand, sun bathing on the
smooth warm rocks, and riding the waves.
Boogie boarding, surf kayaking—what an
adventure! Surrounded by emerald green
water, waiting in anticipation for the sea to
swell, the surf gathering speed and force,
the frantic attempt to climb aboard the wave
and finally, the rip-roaring ride into shore.
The sensation is intense and unforgettable
and so too is the majestic beauty of the
Brooks Peninsula.
I am grateful that my parents took me to
play in wild places. The mountains, forest,
and sea. Unpredictable places that touched
my soul and shaped my attitudes. And while
I cannot predict whether a sense of wilderness will stay with my own children, I know
their insights and experiences would be
very different had they hung around the city.
By playing in wild places, they have had
time to climb, tunnel, dig, and wander. They
have learned that the world is diverse and
in nature, diversity is the norm. I can only
hope that this understanding will help them
to be tolerant and forgiving, fundamental
requirements for living life in harmony. And
one day, they too might look for wild places
to play. Places that fortify the mind, body
and the spirit. ❏
© Diane Bisaro is a writer and outdoor
enthusiast who lives with her family
in Vancouver, BC.
West Coast Expeditions: 1-800-665-3040,
www.island.net/~nature.
7
Getting Started
Chris Ladner
ids love to be in a kayak. It’s a wonderful experience for them to be on the
water, seeing animals in their natural environment.
Start with a short experience of an hour
or two. Try renting some kayaks for an afternoon on a calm day. But both parents
need to be comfortable paddling as kids
will pick up on the tense vibes if you feel
out of your element. Gain some confidence
through comprehensive lessons that include
basic strokes, capsize recoveries, chart
reading, navigation and weather interpretation. On the water, be sure to let the kids
dictate the pace and duration. Make an effort to point out the reasons for being there:
seeing birds, listening to the quiet, feeling
the ocean underneath you, being together,
having fun, and so much more.
EQUIPMENT
There are many kayaks suited for families. Doubles are the safest and easiest. Some
come with a center hatch capable of seating a small child or even two. Larger cockpit single kayaks can accommodate an adult
and small child, but this requires more parental paddling skill and would be awkward
for the long haul. Kid-specific kayaks are also
available but may only fit for a few years.
Another route is a smaller adult boat they
never need to trade in.
From a couple of months old to about
three years, kids can be in the front cockpit
of a double with one parent, while the other
Ecomarine photo
K
Chris Ladner and family in their double Feathercraft.
parent steers and provides propulsion. From
about three to seven, they can be in the
middle cockpit of a double. From about
seven to twelve they can be alone in the
front of a double. From twelve on they can
be in their own kayak for short trips, after
proper training.
Having a kid in your lap in a wider single with a longer cockpit is possible if they
weigh less than 25 lbs. A Stacey skirt with
two tubes is available for the parent/kid team.
Practice with it. The criteria for a kid to have
a sprayskirt is the ability to release it under
their own initiative.
Putting a kid in the back hatch of a single works. The back hatch is great place for
kids to fish from and sleep. But there’s no
sprayskirt, so you’ll need to monitor them.
Any time you’re needing the kids to pro-
vide power, their stamina is great at the beginning—but be prepared for rapid burnout. This means having to tow their kayak
or, in a double, be ready for a workout.
Kid-sized paddles work in the front of a
double or in their own kayak, but the middle section of a double is too wide.
Personal Floatation Devices for kids are
available in 20-30 lbs, 30-60 lbs. and 6090 lbs. When kids get older they want to
be seen in an adult PFD. Any kid’s jacket
must fit, function and be comfortable.
ENTERTAINMENT TOOLS
Keeping kids entertained in the kayak is
the secret to success. You will need to fill
your tool box with small things that float,
songs, jokes, stories... well, you know the
routine. Planning your departure around
Coast Kayak Symposium 2002
May 17-20, Thetis Island, BC
$425 Cdn includes all meals, expert instruction, accommodation,
the charter vessel from Vancouver, and lots of GOOD FAMILY FUN!
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8
mercias@telus.net
Learn • Rent • Tour • Race • Condition
On-the-water in Renton & Bellevue
425-430-0111
www.canoe-kayak.com
WaveLength
April/May 2002
nap time is a good idea. Keep travel time to
less than three hours. Have some contingency plans for stops. Check the charts to
plan ahead.
Nature interpretation is an asset for both
you and the kids. Creating enthusiasm for
intertidal life and sea creatures will stand
you in good stead for years to come.
Have lots of snacks and drinks ready. Put
an extra life jacket on the floor of the cockpit for them to lie down for naps and for
you to get some lap relief.
Small aquarium nets, magnifying glasses,
and clear lexan containers with wide mouth
screw lids are great for mini-aquariums and
ideal for carrying home mementos.
CLOTHING
Fleece and capilene (polyester) is the
underwear for paddling. It’s warm when wet
and dries quickly. Avoid cotton as it saps
away heat and takes too long to dry. Good
rain gear is essential, even two sets. Plus
gum boots (Teva sandals in warmer conditions). And have warm hats for when it gets
snotty. When you come off the water, first
change the kids into dry clothes, and give
them shelter and warm drinks if you see
they are cold.
Wetsuits work best if they are snug fitting. Capilene underneath will help. A
sleeveless john with adjustable shoulders
is best. This allows for growth and clothing
options.
HAZARDS
Even though capsizing is rare in a double, wet exits and capsize recovery practice should be done each season. These are
exercises for the parents to begin practicing
on their own, before introducing the concept to the kids. Your children can begin
their practice on a calm warm day in shoulder depth water. Try without the sprayskirt
for the first couple of tries. Then ensure that
your kids can open the sprayskirt with their
eyes closed and in a hurry. Have them hold
the pull tab before the capsize. And practice getting back in the boat as a family. ❏
© Chris Ladner runs Ecomarine Ocean Kayak
Centre, Granville Island, Vancouver:
1-888-4-C-KAYAK. www.ecomarine.com.
Kids Kayaking Checklist
CLOTHES
___ warm fleece top and bottom
___ rain jacket and pants
___ windproof jacket
___ warm fleece hat
___ rain boots
___ Tevas
___ sunscreen
___ big brim hat (white with chin strap)
___ sunglasses and safety strap
___ lightweight scarves
ENTERTAINMENT
___ aquarium net
___ small floating toys
___ screw top containers
___ sand toys
___ laminated song book
___ magnifying devices
___ books, books, books
KAYAK STUFF
___ lifejacket (that fits)
___ first aid kit
___ kids paddle
___ tow rope
SUMMER/TROPICAL THINGS
___ mask
___ snorkel
___ fins
___ mesh collecting bag
___ sunscreen
CAMPING STUFF
___ sleeping bag
___ Thermarest
___ Kids Crazy Creek Chair
___ clear dry bag (20 litre)
___ whistle
___ water bottle
Vancouver Island Paddlefest 2002
at Transfer Beach, Ladysmith, BC
June 21-23
paddlefest@paddlecentre.com
250-245-4246
“Recreation for Everyone”
www.PaddleCentre.com
EVENTS INCLUDE:
Workshops & Demonstrations
Voyageur War Canoe Challenge
New Boats & Equipment Trials
Trade Show & Displays
Destination Presentations & Slideshows
Feature Speakers & Dance
Cardboard Kayak Race
Music at Amphitheatre & Kids Entertainment
April/May 2002
WaveLength
9
Guiding Kids to Nature
Cindy Ross
L
ook how fast we’re going, Mom, and
we’re not even paddling!” my daughter
Sierra yelled from her tandem kayak. She
and her father were using their paddles and
outstretched arms as sails to move down
the Kouchibouguacis River to our campsite.
“Did you order this particular wind direction just for us?” I said, teasing our guide,
Victor Savoie, a naturalist and interpreter at
Kouchibouguac National Park in New Brunswick, Canada. Victor owns and operates a
guide touring business, with his wife Nicole
Daigle, an award-winning naturalist.
Victor was leading me and my husband,
Todd, and our two children, Sierra (12), and
Bryce (10), to barrier islands where up to 500
Grey Seals live. And to the largest Common
Tern colony in eastern North America (over
6000 nests). Here is a place that fewer than
1/2 of 1% of park visitors get to experience.
Our family enjoys going off on our own
kayaking adventures, but we felt this particular outing could only be enhanced with
Victor’s presence and expertise. Over a
couple of days, Victor would teach us all
sorts of interesting things about the marine
ecosystem and the natural history of this
beautiful place.
We have a budding natural scientist in
the family and Todd and I like to expose
our children to rich learning experiences
as well as good family fun. Victor would
show us the correct behavior to approach
the seals so we could view them without
disturbing them—a feat we’d never have
been able to accomplish on our own.
Cindy Ross photo
“
Sierra and Todd ‘sailing’ their kayak in a tail wind.
We set up camp on the tip of the mainland, with the barrier islands just a short
paddle away. Victor unloaded supplies
brought in by a supply boat: drinks and fresh
food, including lobsters.
Victor showed us how to dig for soft-shell
clams and the kids excitedly tried their
hands at it—hoping to make a contribution
to supper. They crawled in the shallow water on all fours and shouted with joy when
they found one.
Another reason we chose to bring our
family to Kouchibouguac is that the sheltered lagoons have the warmest water north
of Virginia.
Paddle Sports Professionals
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250-381-4233
since 1981
10
We walked along the shore and learned
to identify sea parsley and taste its tangy
flavor. We learned about the Micmac people who have been living here for thousands
of years and to her delight, eagle-eye Sierra found a ‘worked’ point. Victor showed
the kids how to handle a jellyfish without
being stung and how to stick a finger into
its harmless muscular mouth.
My son, Bryce, found clay along the bank
and the kids dug up balls of it to bring back
to camp to sculpt. It’s never difficult to be
entertained in this big outdoor playground.
Although we enjoyed Victor’s company
and relished the knowledge he shared, he
1437 Store Street
(in Market Square)
Victoria, B.C.
1-800-909-4233
• Recreational Courses & Exams
• Intermediate Sea Kayaking Training
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WANT TO BE A GUIDE?
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For dates and prices, call us at 250-381-4233
or check out our courses on the web at:
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WaveLength
April/May 2002
Family Paddling Tips
Maintaining your children’s interest is
probably the greatest challenge on a
paddling trip. Mine become somewhat
bored when crossing open expanses of
water or paddling wide rivers where they
don’t “feel” the shore. Narrow, winding
streams and small rivers are their
favorites, or trips involving wildlife viewing, such as Kouchibouguac Park.
Bring fishing rods, and nets for catching minnows. Take lots of breaks. Build
sandcastles with them on sand beaches.
Pull over and take walks. Swim. Play ball
between kayaks.
If you want to enrich your adventure
or don’t feel skillful enough to be on you
own, book a paddling trip with a guide/
naturalist.
—Cindy Ross
Cindy Ross photo
also gave our family space and private time.
We cuddled, watching the sunset, listening to the howling seals, knowing the best
was yet to be.
The lagoon was still as glass next morning and the children bent over, mesmerized
by the open book beneath them. The clear
shallow water showed fish, crabs and
moonsnails creeping along, and all sorts of
delicate sea greens undulating gently in the
tide. Victor asked the kids if they had ever
seen a clamshell with a tiny hole drilled in
the top at the thickest part.
“Yeah!” Sierra replied. “We string them
into necklaces through those holes.”
Victor explained that that hole is made
by the moon snail. “It attaches itself to the
clam and drills through in order to suck it
up and eat it!”
We headed towards Tern Island and crept
slowly along its shore. Victor pointed out
wobbly, downy chicks that probably won’t
make it to adulthood.
“Predator!” he yelled as about 10,000
terns rose from the island to attack and defend their colony from an eagle, who
Checking out a jelly fish’s mouth.
nabbed a chick just twenty feet away.
I saw my children’s eyes open wide.
Off in the distance, we saw the seals
beached on a sandbar, so many hunkered
together it looked like an island.
“As we approach them,” Victor warned,
“the children should stop paddling altogether and you and Todd paddle very low
on the side away from them.” Victor handed
Sierra his binoculars and from then on they
remained glued to her eyes.
We stayed a respectful distance from the
curious creatures, but close enough that we
could smell their fishy aroma. A few playful seals surfaced right by our kayaks and
snorted water from their nostrils, surprising
the kids. For half an hour we floated peacefully among them, watching the morning
sunlight shine on their bobbing heads, content to be in each other’s presence. There
aren’t many experiences in life that come
close to this type of communion with the
natural world… a world only revealed
through the power of your kayak paddle. ❏
Victor Savoie can be reached at Kayakouch,
Inc., Saint-Louis-de-Kent, New Brunswick,
(506) 876- 1199. www.kayakouch.com/
For information on Kouchibouguac National Park, contact Parks Canada at 800414-6765 or 506-876-1277. www.parks
canada.com/
© Cindy Ross is outdoor travel writer from
Pennsylvania who loves to paddle, cycle and
hike with her family. Her sixth book,
Scraping Heaven—A Family's Journey Along
the Continental Divide, (Ragged Mtn Press,
Maine), is the narrative adventure of the family's
llama hike along the 3100 mile National Scenic
Trail (coming September 2002).
ECO-ADVENTURES IN BEAUTIFUL
COASTAL BRITISH COLUMBIA SINCE 1991
Sea Kayak Tours in the Gulf Islands,
Johnstone Strait & Clayoquot Sound
Customized Family/Group Excursions
Accredited Wilderness Youth Camps
based out of Salt Spring Island, BC
1 888 529-2567 or 250 537-2537
www.islandescapades.com escapades@saltspring.com
April/May 2002
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11
A Family of Paddlers
Sheila Haggerstone
F
Sheila Haggerstone photo
amily paddling? You bet! We all paddle—even the dogs come
and paddling skills and independence grew. Our goal is to all besometimes. We’ve managed to squeeze kayaking into the ‘famcome strong competent paddlers in single kayaks.
ily recipe’ and make a success of it, although I’m afraid we draw
With our lovely boats, we've had many adventures—returning
the line at the two cats—they stay home.
home from evening shoreline paddles, by moonlight with sleeping
Our kayaking family consists of my husband, our three children
children curled up in cockpits; wonderful campsites; warm waters
and myself. Born and raised by two adventurous parents, my siband intricate shorelines. And none of us will ever forget the water
lings and I spent our summers exploring the BC coast. Bruce, my
fights: what child when put in a boat with a paddle doesn't spontahusband, originally from Revelstoke in the Columbia Mountains,
neously perfect the most important stroke of all, the ‘splash stroke’?
spent his youth scaling mountains,
More than once we've ended up at the
but he’s now adapted his outdoor
beach, soaking wet and giggling as we
skills to coastal life.
drain the boats and squeeze out our
Our oldest daughter, Sarah (aka
wet clothes.
Sally), is currently enrolled in an ExWhen the water is warm we take
periential/Outdoor Education Grade
advantage of the ‘play’ energy and of10 program and a keen outdoors enten try to incorporate some capsize rethusiast. Travis, 14, fisherman
covery skills. It’s amazing the techextraordinaire, aspires to become a
niques kids will use for getting back
pilot so he can fish any body of wainto a kayak.
ter suitable for floatplanes. Taryn,
Through all the years of paddling,
now 12, celebrated her 3rd birthday
we've always put safety first. We have
on one of our early trips. And of
taken courses, learning strokes, rescourse, the dogs, Tessie and Sprite,
cues, weather, radio, currents, etc. I've
ever anxious to be included in our
always kept my first aid up to date.
adventures, have willingly submitted
And because I'm such a keener I have
to being squeezed behind seats or
pursued my love of kayaking into the
stuffed into damp cockpits. Much to
industry and worked with the local
their disappointment though, we ofkayaking company on Bowen as a
ten decide that it's safer for everyone
guide/instructor over the last several
if they are left behind on solid
summers.
ground.
I have to admit that occasionally our
So how do we do it? It’s expensive
family has misjudged the conditions
to get started, but once you have the
and we’ve experienced rougher wagear, the annual costs are minimal,
ters than we would like. Thankfully,
nothing like the annual expense of
these experiences have taught us lots
maintaining a sail or powerboat. Like
and become ‘exciting memories’. Bemany paddlers we’ve scrimped and
fore heading out for anything other
saved, buying equipment slowly over
than a ‘putzy’ little shoreline paddle,
the years, always taking advantage of Sheila’s daughter Taryn is our ‘cover girl’ for this
we always check the weather and
rental fleet sales, second-hand oppor- issue.
tides. If conditions look dicey, we wait
tunities, gear swaps, etc. Initially we
or change our plans. ❏
started with an ex-rental double, adding a second ‘huge’ double
© Sheila Haggerstone is an Administrative Assistant at Island Pacific
with a large centre hatch for Taryn. Since then, we have bought
School on Bowen Island and guides for Bowen Island Sea Kayaking. She
and sold boats, always tweaking the combination as legs stretched
can be reached at: sheila@islandpacific.org, 604-947-9311.
Middletons’ Specialty Boats
SALES • RENTALS • INSTRUCTION
Ph: 604 240-0503
TOURING KAYAKS •Formula • Perception • Necky
GEAR: Aquabound & Harmony paddles. Salus & Serratus PFDs.
Brooks & Navarro wet wear. North Water safety gear.
2095 Flynn Pl. North Vancouver BC
david@middletonsboats.com www.middletonsboats.com
12
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April/May 2002
Exploring With Dive Kayaks
Barb Roy
T
PORTEAU COVE
After securing our dive kayaks on the roof
racks of our car and loading the dive gear
into a travel container, we stashed the
books, microscope, and photography
equipment inside, leaving just a small spot
for Tallen in the back seat.
We found Porteau Cove Provincial Park
easy to access, via Highway 99 which borders the east side of Howe Sound. A popular year-round dive site among Vancouver
locals, the park offers picnic tables and
summer camping.
In 1981 the area became the first underwater park in BC and in 1994 it was designated as a marine sanctuary.
Our day was blessed with bright sun and
favorable weather reports. As we carried our
kayaks down a set of concrete stairs, a couple in sea kayaks were just paddling in. They
commented on a mild surface current but
said the coastline was very calm.
Tallen put her snorkeling gear on and
began studying a small plastic, marine life
Barb Roy photo
here are many fun activities you can do
in the Pacific Northwest, but my husband Wayne and I always find trips more
rewarding when we can take our 14-year
old daughter, Tallen, with us. Since Tallen
is home-schooled, we are always looking
to include history, science and a bit of research in our excursions.
Recently, after searching the Internet for
places of interest, we selected Porteau Cove
in BC, and Orcas Island in Washington
State, as two destinations to explore.
A lovely day at Porteau Cove in Howe Sound.
identification slate as Wayne and I brought
our scuba gear down. We secured the gear
onto two, 12-foot sit-on-top dive kayaks,
in open compartments behind the seats.
Tallen has a smaller kayak, a bit under 8
feet, which suits her well for snorkeling as
it is light enough to pull around.
Tallen headed along a shallow pebble
sandbar looking for rock crabs and hermit
crabs while Wayne and I paddled out to a
huge float marking the Nakaya, a 136-foot
long YMS-Class minesweeper from World
War II, sunk in 1985.
Loaded with gear, the kayaks sat low in
the water, but maneuvered well. Mask,
snorkel, fins and gloves were stowed near
the bow, along with my underwater cam-
era system. Although it’s rare that we ever
venture into rough water—and rolling this
type of boat is almost impossible—I still find
myself clipping everything to the kayak out
of habit.
We already had our dry suits on and our
weight-integrated buoyancy vests. Now we
simply slipped on the scuba units and ➝
WILDERNESS KAYAKING
only 30 minutes from
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on the shores of
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in Deep Cove.
Rentals
Lessons
Tours
DEEP COVE CANOE & KAYAK CENTRE
North Vancouver BC CANADA
Ph: (604) 929-2268
April/May 2002
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www.deepcovekayak.com
13
Barb Roy photo
Kayaks await paddlers on one of Orcas’ gentle beaches.
donned the rest of the gear. Once the kayaks were secured to the
float, we descended a line attached to the stern of the sunken vessel.
Years of deterioration were evident throughout the deck and hull,
with great chunks breaking away, leaving access to the ship’s interior for fish and other small residents. Carefully we moved forward
along the the starboard side. Three separate white masses caught
my attention—nests of eggs. A large, dark lingcod loomed above
them.
I remember Tallen and I had studied lingcod not long ago at the
Vancouver Aquarium. We learned that the males remain on guard
for the eggs, not the females. What a concept!
This male kept a watchful eye on me as I photographed his brood,
then we continued on, finding an assortment of invertebrates covering the wreck, but none so memorable as the giant ling.
Tallen was waiting when we surfaced, anxious for a report. Upon
hearing of our ling encounter and the egg masses, Tallen helped us
fill out a ‘Lingcod Egg Mass Survey’ data collection sheet for the
Vancouver Aquarium.
After unloading the dive gear, we went for an afternoon exploration paddle around the cove. Tallen and Wayne practiced their
navigational techniques and I photographed shorebirds. It was great
getting away from the big city hustle and bustle, yet close enough
we didn’t need to stay overnight.
ORCAS ISLAND
Our trip to Orcas Island began on a car ferry out of Anacortes,
Washington. Tallen scanned a map of the island, reporting Mount
Constitution was 2405 feet high, and noting that the elegant Moran
mansion, at Rosario Resort, had a museum worthy of investigation.
Once off the ferry we drove to the crescent-shaped beach next
to the Resort’s harbour, overlooking Cascade Bay. The crystal clear
water glistened in the sun as some divers prepared to enter. Tallen
forgot she didn’t have her dry suit on and went wading into the
water to see the small crabs, anemones, starfish and long orange
sea cucumbers while Wayne and I unloaded the kayaks. As I stood
beside my kayak in the shallows, a small octopus made its way
between my feet, chasing after a hermit crab.
The whole bay turned out to be an awesome aquatic nursery.
Although currents can be treacherous in some areas, Orcas has
several sheltered bays and coves to explore with kayaks and
snorkeling gear.
During our four-day stay, we studied the behavior and interaction of various critters and photographed both marine and shore
wildlife. I was amazed at how many Bald Eagles resided around
the island, as well as the Great Blue Heron population. And below
the emerald, nutrient rich water of Orcas Island we found natural
reefs teaming with life.
Since our kayaks are sit-on-tops, we turned them into mini-study
platforms. By anchoring the kayaks or wrapping kelp around them
(like an otter does) we could freely snorkel the area, bringing critters
back to place in large clear plastic zip-lock bags for temporary
observation. Tallen recorded the species and enjoyed a closer look
at what the decorator crabs were wearing.
Betty Pratt-Johnson, author of three dive guidebooks and several
kayaking books, joined us one day for a dive at Rosario Wall. It was
interesting to hear how she is updating two of her books. At age 71
she’s still going strong!
Overall our adventure was once again as fun as it was educational for all involved. Tallen is already planning our next outing,
so Wayne and I will just have to wait and see what unfolds. ❏
© Barb Roy is an outdoor adventure photojournalist living in Vancouver,
BC. She travels the West Coast, sometimes with family in tow, exploring
the underwater world with scuba gear and topside with dive kayaks.
Editor’s Note: Sinking old ships as ‘artificial reefs’ is controversial.
See www.GeorgiaStrait.org for more information.
14
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April/May 2002
Dream Comes to Life
Phil Hossack and Teresa Davey
V
ictoria Jason, a grandmother from
Winnipeg, Manitoba, was the first
woman to kayak the Northwest Passage
starting in the summer of 1991, completing her odyssey alone in 1994.
Her award-winning first book Kabloona
in the Yellow Kayak (Turnstone Press, 1995,
ISBN 0 88801-201-2) chronicles the experience of her 7500-kilometre journey over
the four summer seasons it took to complete the voyage. She began a second volume titled Kabloona Returns—Arctic Summers in Pelly Bay, which was to be published this year.
Victoria found the Arctic exhilarating and
fell in love with the history and people of
the north.
In 1996 she returned to the hamlet of
Pelly Bay (now Kugaaruk) in Nunavut, welcomed by swarms of children asking questions about her kayak “Windsong”, each
wanting and then getting a turn at paddling
the craft. When she questioned locals why
the kids were playing basketball instead of
paddling kayaks, a new partnership
emerged.
In 1997 Victoria and Michael Hart, then
manager of the Koomiut Co-op in the Hamlet, purchased and brought four new Current Designs kayaks to the community. Instead of learning about their heritage from
books in the school library, each child in
the hamlet had the opportunity to paddle a
kayak on the waters of Pelly Bay. Young and
old waited for their turn to try what was
once their tradition.
Victoria’s kayak, ‘Windsong’, attracted swarms of Inuit children.
The reintroduction blossomed. Local
guides were trained, a fleet of kayaks obtained and the paddling season of 1998 saw
the first ever tourists arrive in the hamlet.
Victoria and three Inuit guided the group
of Americans and Canadians on a week
long kayak tour on Pelly Bay itself.
Early in 1999 Victoria was diagnosed with
a brain tumor. Surgery and chemotherapy
left her unable to participate in further
northern sojourns. She passed away in May
2000 at the age of 55.
Last summer, Victoria’s daughters Angie,
Debbie and Teresa returned their mother’s
ashes to the north that had captured her soul.
The sisters kayaked part of the route that
had brought Victoria to Pelly Bay. At one of
Victoria’s favorite camps, the Isuqtuk river
drains into the Arctic Ocean. The stone fish
weirs nearby speak of the Inuit history on
the land. There they unveiled a plaque
erected by the Inuit community in their mother’s memory.
The daughters drank from a waterfall at
Qutairrurjaq, another of their mother’s
campsites. They visited the summer camp
of Indigo Kukkuvak and his wife Maria.
There, in a tent ring Victoria had left, they
built a stone ‘inukshuk’ facing into the north
wind she loved to feel on her face.
➝
SEA KAYAK GUIDE
TRAINING
April/May 2002
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15
Victoria Jason’s smile was infectious.
University of Sea Kayaking
presents a 2-Volume Video Set
(120 minutes each)
Capsize Recoveries
• Assisted Recoveries
• Solo Recoveries
• Double Recoveries
• Sit on Tops
In each of these special places they
spread her ashes.
In her passing, the seed of Victoria’s
dream has germinated. Children now paddle on the waters of the bay and hamlet
elders participate in a program of kayak
building, stretching synthetic skins over traditional frame kayaks.
Victoria’s youngest daughter, Teresa
Davey, and partner Phil Hossack have now
teamed up with the Koomiut Co-op in
Kugaaruk. The embryo of an Arctic touring
company with Inuit guides from Pelly Bay
has begun to grow with their help and support from the community.
Both Teresa and Phil have strong paddling
backgrounds and teach sea kayaking skills
for the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. Phil paddled with Victoria often and
spent the 1998 season with her, paddling
on Pelly Bay.
Their long term goal is to leave the Hamlet of Kugaaruk with its own locally operated and guided touring company.
Equipment and people in Kugaaruk are
ready and willing, and they hope to continue teaching the children firsthand about
kayaking.
Victoria’s dream continues to grow. ❏
© Story and photos by Phil Hossack and
Teresa Davey, of Manitoba, Canada.
hossack@mb.sympatico.ca
Kugararuk (Pelly Bay) is located at 68°32N,
89°49W on the southwest shore of the
Simpson Peninsula where the Kugaardjuq River
enters St. Peters Bay. It is 300 km north of the
Arctic Circle and very close to the centre of
Canada’s newest and largest territory, Nunavut.
Nunavut
Rescue Procedures
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Pelly Bay
Get your set and one for the partner who’ll save you.
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KAYMARAN ADVENTURE TOURS
Eco-Tours on the Fraser River, Ladner BC
Guided Tours, Mothership Paddling, Family Rates, Rentals
Phone (604) 946-5070 kaymaran@vancouver-bc.com
www.vancouver-bc.com/kaymaran
16
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April/May 2002
Madness or Family Fun?
W
“
tion of paddlers,” says Don, who has been
paddling for about twenty-five years and
teaching for almost as long. “The people
who got into it in the 1970s now have children who are getting into it. In Europe,
where kayaking became popular earlier,
families are putting their third generation
into boats.
Sea Kayak Association of BC
1308 Everall St., White Rock, BC V4B 3S6
Trips, training, monthly meetings,
newsletters, paddling contacts
http://skabc.org/
Ph: (604) 535-7985 in White Rock
Ph: (250) 391-0331 in Victoria
www.kayak.bc.ca nwcakayak@telus.net
membership@skabc.org
604-669-4492
Box 751, Stn. A,
Vancouver, BC V6C 2N6
April/May 2002
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Steve Crowe photo
hitewater kayaking... for families?
Are you crazy?
There is a common misconception about
whitewater paddlers, that they have a degree of madness in their psychological
make-up. Hurtling down narrow, boulderstrewn creeks in a chaos of churning, frothing, exploding water surely indicates a predisposition for masochism and mayhem.
But it isn’t so. In fact, many of us hardly
even like masochism.
In reality, whitewater is only as difficult
as the river you choose to run. Although it’s
true that if you find yourself in a liquid tempest beyond your skill level, terror can seize
your spine and throw off your balance
(which can lead to a nasty swim), it’s also
true that a run within your comfort level
can give rise to a giddy, joyous pleasure that
seizes your whole body and puts you in
tune with the flow (which can lead to a
mellifluous paddle). It’s those times you
would be crazy to miss.
“Okay,” you might say, “but I have a family. I want to pursue a sport my whole family can share. Surely whitewater kayaking
doesn’t fit that requirement?”
To that I would respond: meet the
Jamiesons.
Don, Paula, Kyla, and Brodie Jamieson
live in Squamish, BC on Howe Sound.
Many paddlers know the Jamiesons from
their twelve years teaching paddlers at their
Sea to Sky Kayaking School. Don also made
a name for himself with the development
of his ‘Sea to Sky roll’.
I visited them at their shop early in February while they were loading boats in
preparation for one of their popular Saturday evening pool sessions, and I asked if
they felt like an anomaly, being a family of
whitewater kayakers.
“In North America, we’re now beginning
to see the emergence of a second genera-
The Jamiesons, a whitewater family.
“More parents these days want to do
something healthy with their kids. Parents
want to share an outdoor activity that is both
fun for themselves and cool for their kids.
Whitewater paddling fits the bill, so while
there aren’t many families doing it yet in
North America, it’s growing.”
Natural West Coast Adventures
• Kayak Instruction • Tours • Rentals
Steve Crowe
At just eleven years old, Kyla is already a
veteran, having begun paddling six years
ago. She was doing Eskimo rolls and hand
rolls in a pool at age six. At age seven she
was on her first river. “I want to be the
youngest kid to ever do cartwheels,” she
states confidently, referring to a difficult
maneuver that involves spinning her kayak
on the vertical axis, much like an airplane
propeller.
As a demonstrator, she now helps her parents teach new paddlers.
“People are often nervous when they’re
on the water for the first time,” says Don.
“But then they see this little girl doing what
I have just asked them to do and they think:
‘If a kid can do it, why am I so scared?’
Then they do it.”
Brodie, at nine years old, has been playing in boats since he was a baby, but has
been paddling for about four years. He also
enjoys it, but with less of his sister’s enthusiasm. “I like hockey the most. But also
kayaking, soccer, baseball, hockey, figure
skating and golf.” It’s such a long list I wonder when he finds time for school. Kyla interjects that she also likes figure skating,
dance—jazz, hip-hop and ballet—and golf.➝
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and much more!
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“Brodie’s not that ‘into’ paddling,” says
Don, “but he sure likes to help out when
we’re giving lessons on the lake. He gets
into his boat and patrols the area, letting us
know when someone is in trouble, and
helping with rescues.”
“Kayaking has to be fun for kids,” Paula
says, “or they just won’t do it. Whenever
we go on holidays, we bring the boats. The
kids associate kayaks with fun and get accustomed to having them around. In fact,
when Brodie was very small we used a
kayak for a playpen at the beach because
he couldn’t get out of it.
“Right,” agrees Don, “We don’t put any
pressure on the kids. We just want them to
be competent paddlers. That’s enough.”
I ask Kyla if she enjoys kayaking, or if
she feels pressured to do it.
“Sometimes I have to be talked into going,” she says, “but I always have fun once
I’m out there.”
Paula says, “I think it’s important for families that want to make kayaking a family
affair to organize holidays around the activity. For example, we took the kids to Long
Beach recently and Brodie was out surfing
on the waves. Letting kids play in the water
from a young age eliminates one of the largest stumbling blocks that adults have: the
fear of water.”
So I ask: are ocean waves a good place
to teach kids whitewater? “They can be,”
says Don, “but the most important thing is
the quality of the instruction. Just because
someone is a good paddler doesn’t mean
they’re a good teacher.
“We encourage families to get lessons
together,” he says, “so that they all develop
the same foundation of skills. That way,
when they’re on a river later, they’re speaking a common language and can help each
other improve.”
Don points out that manufacturers are
now making products specifically for
women and children, including boats. I
look around at the adult boats on display
inside the store and find it difficult to imagine kids’ kayaks being even smaller.
I ask what a good age is for kids to begin
paddling.
“With the new kids’ boats coming out, I
would say around seven or eight,” says Don.
“If they’re exposed to kayaking from a young
age they will pick it up quickly. Kyla learned
to roll almost entirely on her own from
watching us do it since she was three. One
day she just said ‘let me try’ and with a
couple of practices, she did it.”
“But you can’t put a kid on a river until
he has a competent roll,” Paula notes. “It
only takes one scary episode to turn a kid
off forever.”
I remember the four swims I took on my
first-ever river in my late twenties and am
still amazed that I ever got back in a boat.
Paula’s advice is sound.
I ask them which rivers near Vancouver
would best suit a family that has practiced
sufficiently on flat water and is ready for
some of the moving kind.
“Mamquam, Lower Cheakamus, and
Chilliwack below Vedder Crossing,” they all
agree. “And the Lower Seymour in North
Vancouver,” adds Don, “although it’s a bit
shallow and doesn’t have a lot of eddies to
rest in.”
Then they have to go. There is a bunch
of eager new paddlers awaiting instruction
down at the pool, few of whom, I’m sure,
would consider themselves mad. Just adventurous. ❏
The Jamiesons can be reached for lessons and
tours at www.squamishkayak.com,
s2skayak@direct.ca, 604 898 5498.
© Steve Crowe co-authored Whitewater In
BC’s Southwest: A Guide to Accessible Runs
for Beginner to Advanced Kayakers, available
at book and paddle stores and through
scrowe69@hotmail.com.
Coastal Kayak Leadership Training Course
(2 sessions) April 19-28 and May 3-12, 2002
Malaspina University-College offers an intensive 10-day ocean kayak course with
JOHN DOWD and JOHN DAWSON, providing participants with the knowledge
and skills necessary to lead groups of kayakers in coastal waters. The course takes
place on the west coast of Vancouver Island and includes basic training followed by
an expedition into unprotected coastal waters. Also offered: 6-day, Wilderness
First Aid/Emergency Response for Kayakers & Leaders—April 19-24, 2002.
For more information contact Learning Connections
(250) 740-6160 or email: learning@mala.bc.ca
Nanaimo Campus
900 Fifth St.
Nanaimo, BC V9R 5S5
18
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April/May 2002
Building Dreamboats
A
Martin Trees photo
fter teaching a 12-year-old boy to build
a canoe, Ray Klebba realized he had
done something special. “He was from a
single parent family,” Klebba says. “His
mother asked if I could help him build a
canoe to give him some direction and self
confidence.” Two years later the troubled
youth is a straight-A student.
The experience that turned this young
man’s life around had such an effect on
Klebba that he immediately repeated it.
“The local high school’s Special Education program places disadvantaged youth
with me,” says Klebba. “One boy comes in
every Tuesday after school. He’s helping
make a small canoe to get an idea of how
one is made.” Ray hopes he can help children find something positive in their lives
before they get into serious trouble.
Ray Klebba’s business, White Salmon Boat
Works, is a modest venture, a place where
people come together to build their own
wooden canoes, kayaks and rowboats. In
three years, the small workshop has become
a community attraction and gathering spot,
but it actually began unintentionally.
“I was looking for a place to build a canoe,” says Klebba. “I rented a building that
had a lot of windows in front and people
would come in out of curiosity. Eventually
I had so many people coming in asking if
I’d show them how to build a boat, and I
kept saying yes, that I had to start charging
for materials.”
Martin D. Trees
The striking looks of wood strip kayaks.
The wood strip boats, so named for the
fine strips of cedar, redwood, mahogany
and other contrasting woods used in their
construction, are finished with a heavy gloss
lacquer which enhances their striking good
looks. With such a visible product word
quickly spread about the man who could
make dreams come true. “I call my business Dreamboats because many people
dream of building a boat,” Klebba says. As
space in his classes is limited he has a waiting list of people hoping to build the particular boat of their dreams.
Klebba’s reputation quickly traveled as
far north as the Yakama Indian nation who
enlisted his boat-building skills. “A youth
instructor wanted a group of kids to build a
canoe,” Klebba says. “Historically, I believe
they had cedar dugouts, but we picked a
classical Indian canoe.”
Word also spread west to the suburbs of
Portland, Oregon. “I’ve had people from as
far away as Sandy and Scappoose,” Klebba
says. The 120 mile roundtrip drive doesn’t
deter these city folk who have discovered
a special service not offered in the metropolis. Dreamers of all kinds have built canoes
and kayaks under Ray Klebba’s guidance
“I’ve had people aged twelve to seventy,”
he says, “including father-son and motherdaughter teams, and all skill levels.”
About half of the people Klebba has
guided through building their first boat have
been women and he hopes to attract more
female customers. “I’ve had a lot of women
build canoes and I think it’s important for
younger women to give them self-confidence, so they can say, ‘I can make something.’ Boys tend to do things like this, but
girls don’t.”
➝
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ence
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Haida
From $490-$1075 Cdn
See itineraries at www.gck.ca
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ADVENTURE
OUTFITTERS
Trips to...
• Gulf Islands
• Broken Group
• Clayoquot Sound
• Queen Charlottes
• Broughton Archipelago
• Nootka Island—Nuchatlitz
• ...and Baja, Mexico!
www.gck.ca
910 Clarendon Rd., Gabriola Island, BC CANADA V0R 1X1
PH: 250-247-8277
April/May 2002
WaveLength
FAX: 250-247-9788
19
Martin Trees photo
Sea Kayak Guides
Alliance of BC
The Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC is
a non-profit society which upholds high
standards for professional sea kayak
guides and operators in BC. Through ongoing professional development and
certification, the Alliance strives to ensure
safe practices on an industry-wide basis.
SPRING 2002
GUIDES EXCHANGE
UCLUELET BC, APR 19-21
LEAD GUIDE EXAM
APR 26-28
ASSISTANT GUIDE
EXAMS
MAY 11-12 JUNE 22-23
Info—Adventure@oceanriver.com
WWW. SKGABC.COM
PRESIDENT:
Michael Pardy <michael@oceanriver.com>
VICE PRESIDENTS:
Colin MacNeil <oskayak@shaw.ca>
Kerry Orchard <kolokayaks@shaw.ca>
SECRETARY/TREASURER:
Tracy Morben <majestic@island.net>
COORDINATING DIRECTOR
Camillia Brinkman <cjbrink@hotmail.com>
MEMBERS AT LARGE:
Jack Rosen <escapades@saltspring.com>
Piper Harris <piper.harris@gems2.gov.bc.ca>
Kirsten Musial <musial@islandnet.com>
Kayak Lessons, Rentals & Tours
Custom Classes/Tours
Bud and Sheryll Bell
Ladysmith, BC
250-245-4096 or
1-877-KAYAK BC (529-2522)
Klebba has seen firsthand how his boats
change peoples’ lives, from the straight-A
student to the many adults who find lasting
friendships with fellow students in his workshops. He, too, is affected by each newly
created boat. “They feel like my children.
I’m like a proud daddy,” he says. “We have
picnics a couple of times a year to celebrate
the boats ‘cause we’re all friends—we all
helped build them.”
Klebba credits the success of his
Dreamboats business to the people of the
region. “White Salmon is an outdoor community with windsurfers, mountain bikers,
snowboarders, boat sailors, and more,” he
says. “I’m successful because of the people who live here.” ❏
© Martin D. Trees, a freelance writer and
essayist, lives in the Columbia River Gorge, in
Washington. Ray Klebba can be reached at
509-493-4766, www.dreamboats.com.
www.SealegsKayaking.com
info@SealegsKayaking.com
tion
In ac years!
5
for 2
www.IslandOutdoorCentre.com
610 Oyster Bay Drive, Ladysmith, BC
250-245-7887
LAND AND WATER BASED
• 14 week semester programme
• Outdoor Education Practicum
Phone (250) 286-3122
www.colt.bc.ca
SKGABC Membership
To become a member of the Alliance, mail
this form and a cheque to the address below.
___ Company Membership—$100/year
___ Individual Membership—$35/year
___ Associate Membership—$25/year
___ Alliance T-shirt—$20 each
___ Information and a copy of the
latest newsletter—FREE!
Name__________________________
Address________________________
______________________________
Phone_________________________
Email__________________________
P.O. Box 1005, Station A,
Nanaimo BC, V9R 5K4
250-381-4233
michael@oceanriver.com
20
WaveLength
April/May 2002
A Family that Paddles Together
Jacqueline Windh
T
he Martin family have
and selling their canoes.
been paddling for thouGisele Martin, Joe’s
sands of years. They’re memdaughter, has been padbers of the Tla-o-qui-aht
dling with her family for as
(Clayoquot) First Nation,
long as she can remember.
from the village of Opitsaht,
She was probably not more
in Clayoquot Sound. Tla-othan five when she first
qui-aht are one of sixteen
paddled with her father in
tribes that make up the Nuua “big canoe” for three
chah-nulth group, the
days, from Tofino to Hot
coastal people of the Pacific
Springs Cove. From this
northwest who include the
early trip flowed a succesMakah of Neah Bay, Washsion of other family padington and most of the tribal
dling trips, including a cagroups that occupy the outer
noe voyage down the outer
coast of Vancouver Island.
coast of Vancouver Island
Early theories about the
from Tofino to Victoria, with
migration of the first peoples
her father and several unto North America surmised
Gisele Martin and her father Joe, wearing traditional regalia, share a cles and cousins, for the Inthat they arrived in central
digenous Games in 1997.
laugh at the canoe gathering in Vancouver last summer.
Canada about 11,000 years
Last summer, the annual
ago on foot, via a land bridge
First Nations Canoe Quest
that was open at the end of the last ice age, eventually moving west
was hosted by the Squamish Nation, and the gathering took place
over the Rockies and settling on the coast. More recent archaeologiin Vancouver. Participants paddled dozens of canoes from northcal evidence indicates native people were already living on the west
ern BC, Vancouver Island and Washington to meet at the mouth of
coast by the end of the last ice age, and were totally adapted to life
the Capilano River. Gisele, Joe, Carl, and several other family friends
here—travelling in small watercraft, and surviving on an entirely
paddled in Joe’s elegant 34’ canoe Sa-sit-qwe-is across Georgia
marine diet of fish, clams and marine mammals. The evidence sugStrait in Vancouver. The journey took two days, and they battled
gests that these people migrated from the area around Siberia in small
stormy weather, cold rain and headwinds before finally arriving in➝
boats, between 15,000 and 10,000 years ago.
For the Tla-o-qui-aht, carving canoes and paddling them have
always been a family affair but the knowledge has largely been lost
by west coast native communities. Men traditionally learned skills
such as canoe-carving and hunting from their fathers and grandfathers, but disruption of family structures by the government forcing
native children to attend residential schools broke the links in the
chain of hereditary knowledge.
Joe Martin and his brothers Carl and Billy were fortunate to spend
enough time with their grandfathers that this traditional knowledge
has remained alive, and they are now some of the master canoe
carvers of the west coast. In total, Joe, Carl and Billy Martin, along
with their father, have carved over thirty canoes. They are now teaching canoe-carving skills to neighbouring tribes up and down the coast,
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April/May 2002
WaveLength
21
Gisele and Doug help Joe to shape
the hull of a 22' canoe.
Vancouver Harbour under sail on the second morning.
After the journey, Joe presented the canoe Sa-sit-qwe-is to his daughters Gisele
and Marie-France.
22
The Martin family’s long-standing tradition of paddling together continues today.
Gisele and her boyfriend Doug are now
starting up a business called Tlaook Cultural Adventures, offering tours in the dugouts. They will use the canoes that Joe has
carved, and many of the guides will be family members: Gisele, Joe, Doug, her sister
Marie-France, her uncle Carl, and some of
her cousins. The family has extensive experience leading interpretive tours through
their traditional territories. Gisele has
worked as a cultural interpretive guide in
the rainforest, Doug has worked as a seakayaking guide, and Joe and Carl have led
whale-watching tours in Clayoquot Sound
for years.
Gisele explains, “This is something I have
wanted to do with our canoes, to share with
people our culture and the environment it
flourished in. Our land and water deserve
to be introduced and known with more
depth, through First Nations eyes.”
Gisele and Doug plan to offer day-trips
for now, and hope to be running longer,
overnight tours in the future. This year’s
tours include a trip to an ancient whaling
village site where guests will be treated to
a traditional salmon barbeque, and a “Wild
Grocery Walk” on Meares Island.
Paddling is a time for contemplation
and communion with nature.
Gisele can be reached on 250-725-2656
or at tlaook@hotmail.com. ❏
© Text and photos by Jacqueline Windh, a
freelance photographer living in Clayoquot
Sound (jwindh@hotmail.com). Her work has
been featured in past issues of WaveLength.
WaveLength
April/May 2002
Adventure Therapy
Colin MacNeil
D
aralyn is sixteen years old but in her
sixteen years she has experienced
physical, emotional and psychological
challenges beyond most of us. She is now
two years in cancer remission.
We’re paddling on the spectacular east
coast of Lyall Island in Haida Gwaii (the
Queen Charlotte Islands). This is her first
kayaking trip. She’s a natural, a guide’s
dream. She loves it, she’s strong, vibrant.
In wonderful rythmn we paddle effortlessly,
silently. I look over. She looks at me, smiles
and says, “You know, two years ago I
couldn’t even walk”. Then she plunges her
paddle into the sea and moves on.
I had the good fortune to be offered a
very special kayaking experience last summer. I was asked if I would be interested in
running an expedition for ten teenagers in
cancer remission and recovery.
The Tip of the Toes Foundation, based out
of the Université du Quebec in Chicoutimi,
has been running adventure therapy expeditions for such youth since 1996. I have
been guiding kayak trips for 15 years and
working with teenagers for 30, so after approximately two and half seconds of
thought I knew this was a perfect fit, a unique
April/May 2002
WaveLength
How a group of young paddlers became a ‘family’ on Haida Gwaii.
opportunity and jumped at the offer.
The first hurdle was permission to run
such a trip with a group of nineteen. After
some negotiation, both Parks Canada and
the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of British Columbia gave the go ahead as long as regu-➝
23
lar industry safety standards could be met.
The group would consist of the ten teenagers, a medical team of four, four guides and
Annick Dufresne, managing director of the
Foundation. Participants were selected
through various oncology departments from
Children’s Hospitals across Canada, both
English and French.
It requires tremendous funding and organization for an expedition of this magnitude to be the safe, rewarding experience
we were all so determined to provide for
this extraordinary group of kayakers. I have
run kayak trips in the Queen Charlottes for
twelve years and did not hesitate to call
upon my support systems for help—the Seaport Bed and Breakfast for lodging and
Moresby Explorers for logistical support.
Both were immediately behind the project,
working at cost and providing invaluable
assistance.
This was to be the first expedition the
foundation had run in Western Canada.
Haida Gwaii was the perfect choice. The
south island, Gwaii Haanas (Moresby Island) is a healing place, an environment so
rich in life you absorb its energy simply by
being there. And being there, you become
an integral part of that ecosystem, no less,
24
no more important than all the life surrounding you. It is both a humbling and
empowering experience.
As kayakers, we all know, each in our
own way, the therapeutic value of paddling
in such rich, remote environments. Would
these kids, with their history, their special
needs, have that experience? Could they
handle the physical stress, the emotional demands, the new people, cultures, food and
many unknowns? None had ever met each
other, never kayaked, camped, flown on a
plane or been away from their families.
Three were still on chemo-therapy, one
was a diabetic and one had lost her leg to
cancer. They had all been stigmatized, lost
self esteem and physical abilities. Could we
begin to give it back?
It didn’t take long before the answers to
these questions became apparent. Once the
whole group had arrived, it was clear that
positive energy and excitement were the
dominant emotions. We had one day in
town to meet each other, go over the maps,
the goals, the clothing lists and make final
preparations. We had our first feast of venison and crab, generously provided by the
bed and breakfast.
We all know that 6 a.m. is not a teenag-
ers’ favorite time of day, but it was now Day
One, and time to set out on our journey.
The weather had been cool, grey and wet
for over a month, but on that morning the
sun was shining and warm in a clear blue
sky. It stayed that way for seven days—truly
a blessing. Whatever fear or apprehension
the kids might have had that morning was
not evident as we loaded mountains of food
and gear and set off.
Group dynamics are always a major factor in the quality of a trip, and never more
so with a group this size brought together
by such extraodinary circumstances. Obvious from the start was the common
bond—caring for each other.
On our first exploratory paddle to assess
strengths and capabilities, we stopped for
lunch on a beautiful beach. This site has a
stream running down to the sea through
spectacular old growth cedar forest. A short
hike in the forest by the stream brings you
to a waterfall that the kids enjoyed immensely, snapping photos, clamouring up
the falls, in short—feeling free. One of the
girls, Analyn, had lost a leg to cancer and
had a prosthesis. She was not to be deterred
on this hike, determined to have her photo
taken at the base of the falls, to share in the
experience. Adults and teens alike helped
make this possible, as she scrambled along
the trail—up, down, over and under. It was
a magical experience and I understood, at
that moment, that the group dynamics
would be a very positive force for the next
week.
On this hike, someone asked Analyn if
she needed a hand. Not missing a beat, she
replied, “No—I need a leg!”
Humour would provide positive energy
all week long.
For years, our welcome at the Haida village sites has been a special part of the trips.
This was certainly so that week. The Haida
Watchmen who staff the sites could not
have been more generous with their time
and interest in these young paddlers. The
group was allowed extended hours at Hot
Springs and feasted on halibut and other
goodies baked by the Haida elders. They
were taught how to weave with spruce roots
and cedar bark. Equally generous were the
Watchmen at Windy Bay and Tanu, introWaveLength
April/May 2002
ducing our group to traditional foods and a
culture that has existed in Haida Gwaii for
some ten thousand years.
Each day brought new adventures, new
challenges. Never will you have a large
group with equal paddling ability. On this
expedition we had six doubles, six singles
and a small zodiac support vessel. Rotating the group between singles and doubles,
trying to find the perfect combination (impossible) was the subject of nightly guide
meetings. Try as we might, for any number
of reasons, it seemed one of the kids would
struggle each day. But instead of complaining or getting discouraged, it only seemed
to strengthen their resolve to push through
the fatigue, aches or pain. At no time in the
week did anyone choose to ride in the zodiac.
One of the boys, Alexandre, who, as a
result of his cancer has a permanent leg
disability, put it this way: “The thing that
was hardest for me in my sickness was to
learn that I could no longer play sports. So
when I first got into my kayak and started
to paddle I felt a passion for the sport. I
could feel my muscles working, and even
when I was tired I kept going because I
loved the feeling it gave me. Also, the expedition made me realize something—despite my disability I can still push myself
beyond the limits I thought were there. That
gave me a lot of self confidence.”
We paddled through caves, we paddled
on moonlit evenings, we witnessed the remarkable marine and intertidal life of Gwaii
Haanas. We played on the beaches, slept
in the forest, soaked in the hot springs. We
spoke English and French, we laughed, we
cried, we supported each other. It was more
than just a holiday or memory, it was a healing time, a time of renewal, of growth, a
celebration of life. It was adventure. It was
therapy.
As Analyn says, “When we were together,
we weren’t kids with cancer, we were just
us. Plus we could talk about our disease so
openly. Share, laugh, and even cry about
what we’d been through. It’s not often people like us get that chance. It’s not often
that we get opportunities to show our
strength in something other than fighting
our disease.” ❏
Beach games
added to the
fun and
friendship of
the group.
WWW.BOUNDARYBAY.COM
Re-opens
April 15th!
On the beach at
Ambleside Park
West Vancouver
7 days a week
9 am - 8 pm
If you wish to learn more about the Tip-of-theToes Foundation, or help support future
projects, contact: Annick Dufresne 555, boul.
Universite Pavilion des Humanites Chicoutimi,
Quebec G7H 2B1. www.tip-of-toes.com
info@pointe-des-pieds.com
© Story and photos by Colin MacNeil.
Colin runs Ocean Sound Kayaking:
17 East 23rd Ave. Vancouver, BC V5V 1W8
Phone/Fax 1-888-736-0377
www.oceansound.net.
April/May 2002
WaveLength
Ambleside Paddling Centre: 604 913-3079
Ambleside is easily accessible from Vancouver or from Horseshoe Bay by Blue Bus.
Boundary Bay Water Sports Store: 800 960-0066
25
Creative Solutions
Christine Lowther
few years back, when I was commuting
to work each day by kayak, I developed tendonitis in my right arm. First, I had
to start taking a motor boat to work, and
eventually I had to leave my job. Then my
partner figured out that he had tendonitis—
in both arms. Suddenly one of our favourite pastimes was under threat.
We had been used to escaping Tofino’s
summer tourist mayhem, enjoying the freedom of slipping into the water, crossing the
harbour, and paddling an hour and a half
to God’s Pocket in a gigantic Nature Bowl
of ocean, mudflats, islands and mountains,
topped liberally with sky.
Other than us, there’d be a few motor
boats, a fellow paddler across the inlet, a
distant group of kayakers on their way to
the Big Tree Trail. We always felt smug with
environmental and physically-fit correctness as the tide swept us along, cruising up
Lemmens Inlet with the balmy breeze stirring up diamonds and little waves that
whacked the sides of our boats and made
me feel like singing.
Sometimes we’d share a walkman, taking turns checking out CBC radio, or listening to music. Only very particular music suited our order of Wilderness-to-Go
(Vivaldi’s Four Seasons is one that works).
Often we would reach our floathome totally blissed out, and find the bay’s resident
otter had left the remains of her crab dinner on the dock. Smiling at the thought of
her, we’d get busy watering the tomato
Warren Rudd photo
A
Poised for power with pedal or paddle.
plants in the floating greenhouse while
lunch heated up in the solar oven.
But with our tendonitis, the outlook was
bleak. I could only drift around the small
bay where our floathouse is anchored, and
Ren decided he couldn’t paddle at all
anymore.
I was aghast, and on the edge of panic.
Have you ever imagined having to give up
paddling? For me, it was the end of an important form of independence, as well as a
vital way of being together in nature—our
form of ‘family paddling’.
Then one day Ren came back from Vancouver with a big surprise. In fact, two surprises—two Hobie pedal kayaks.
“We’re going to develop our leg muscles,” Ren informed me, and before I knew
it we were pedalling all over the bay, steering with a tiny handle on the kayak’s right
side. I had to take several breaks because
my thighs tired quickly at first. I wasn’t used
to the recumbent posture—it’s not like riding a bike. As for Ren, he was literally causing a wake as he zoomed around like a
wind-up toy, grinning from ear to ear.
Wild Orca Kids Camp
Ages 12-17. July / Aug for 5, 8, or 12 days
Kayaking trips for families: expeditions,
sailing/mothership trips, and base camps.
26
WaveLength
April/May 2002
Each boat came with a paddle that attached to the left side—a bonus for me, as
my tendonitis has since subsided. Another
bonus is that a person can squat, even stand
up on these Hobies. We just step right off
our dock. No spray skirt is necessary, although in the rain we wear rainpants or
wetsuit.
The open cockpit has some drawbacks,
admittedly. Any waves or chop tend to
whack against you, making for a somewhat
noisy and even bouncy ride, but there’s no
fear of tipping. Our Hobies also raised a
few eyebrows among the ‘serious’ ocean
kayakers around here, but these folks didn’t
realize they were looking at a creative solution to our new disability.
If it weren’t for his Hobie, my partner
wouldn’t be able to kayak at all, and we
wouldn’t be able to do our ‘family’ thing,
which is to kayak together. ❏
Editor’s Note: ‘Water Marks’, a special about Christine Lowther, her mother Pat Lowther
and her sisters will be shown on CBC TV’s “The Passtionate Eye” in April.
DESIGNED TO PERFORM
© Christine Lowther is a freelance writer and
author of ‘A Cabin in Clayoquot’
and ‘New Power’.
With each stroke you are more convinced.
A brilliant kayak, sunshine on the side.
Fresh food instead of canned or dry.
A taste of Thai, Porto on the side.
To discover just how easy owning a BORÉALDESIGN kayak can be,
contact www.borealdesign.com to learn of the dealer nearest you.
Telephone: (418) 878-3099 Fax: 1-866-30KAYAK
170, Rotterdam, Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Quebec, Canada G3A 1T3
April/May 2002
WaveLength
Photos: Guillaume Paquin
The crème de la crème, you’ve got it!
27
From the Rainforest
Staying Out of Deep Trouble
O
ne of the reasons that sea kayaking
appeals so much is that almost
anybody can do it. I’ve taken friends’ kids
out for a little tool around the bay, and I’ve
taken out folks well into their seventies. I
believe that ocean paddling provides an
opportunity for everyone to get out there
and re-connect with Nature.
With some basic skills training, and
sound judgement, people of many differ-
28
ent abilities can enjoy paddling in their own
style. For some, this might be relaxing, poking around sheltered bays, and checking out
the marine life; for others, this might be the
adrenalin rush of surfing through an ocean
rock garden. It’s important to recognise and
understand your own style, so you can articulate it to others, and find people who
want to enjoy paddling in the same way
you do.
Dan Lewis
When paddling styles are not compatible, a compromise needs to be reached. If
the folks you paddle with refuse to stop
pushing you beyond your limits, find someone else to paddle with—likewise, if they
are constantly holding you back. Sometimes
a trade-off needs to be made; for example
if the other party is your spouse, and you
like to spend time camping with them, even
though they don’t like white-knuckle paddling.
A key here is to make commitments, and
to keep them. Over time, Bonny and I realised that in order for her to feel safe paddling with me, we had to agree to always
stay together, no matter how frustrated we
might be. Now, we always paddle side-byside, about one boat length apart, so we
can carry on a conversation in calm conditions, or at least hear each other when paddling in winter gales.
When we look at incidents that happen
in the sport of sea kayaking, we tend to focus on equipment, paddling conditions,
and hard skills. We often fail to consider
the group dynamics which may have played
a role in the situation. Maybe the couple
was having a big argument that morning,
or the person really didn’t feel comfortable
going, but didn’t want to ruin everyone’s
day by holding the group back.
In our courses, we teach consensus
decision making. It is beyond the scope of
this article to describe it fully here. Basically,
WaveLength
April/May 2002
it means that when discussing trip plans,
everyone’s voice is heard. The group jointly
arrives at a plan that everyone feels
comfortable with.
Typically, the strongest voices in the
group are the keeners, those who feel up to
a given challenge, and ready to go. But the
most important voice to hear is actually the
dissenting voice, the one which quietly
says, “I don’t think I will be able to cope if
the wind picks up as forecast”, or, “I’m feeling bagged today, so I just don’t think I will
be able to make this crossing”. Most often,
this person simply remains silent.
Of course, no one wants to ruin a trip by
expressing doubts. At the same time, if
someone doesn’t feel comfortable, it would
be best to figure that out, and change plans.
This way, you never get into the desperate
situations that call for using any of the rescues that we practise. By all means practise rescues until you’re blue in the face,
but don’t actually put yourself in situations
where you need to use them!
It’s really important to have a group
agreement that it is safe to say “I’m afraid”
(or tired, or injured). If anyone actually finds
the courage to admit they don’t want to go,
their feelings must be respected, and the
group must cheerfully alter plans to make
that person feel safe again. Chances are, if
one person in the group is having doubts,
they’re not the only one. If someone actually speaks up, you will often notice the
relief on other people’s faces, as the concerns they dared not utter are voiced.
This simple method of consensus decision making, with an atmosphere where it’s
okay to be honest about your fears and concerns, and with a solid respect for “no
means no”, can help prevent accidents from
occurring. No one need be scared away
from a fun sport that has so much to offer
such a wide range of people. ❏
© Dan Lewis and Bonny Glambeck operate
Rainforest Kayak Adventures in Clayoquot Sound.
1-877-422-WILD, mail@rainforestkayak.com,
www.rainforestkayak.com.
For WaveLength ads, subs,
or bulk orders: 1-800-799-5602.
Diane Coussens
San Juan Islands
Luxury Mothership Based
Sea Kayak Weekends
1-888-270-4829
April/May 2002
WaveLength
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Adventures. Specializing in Luxury
Mothership Based Adventures into
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29
Natalie Short photo
I Am a Kayaker
Cody Short
M
y name is Cody Short and I am a kayaker. Kids should start
kayaking because they will learn their water safety. My mom
dragged me out when I was going to sleep in. I felt like a grown-up
when I could guide the people to the beach. I would like to do a
self-rescue now because I never did it. I like it because I like flipping my boat. And I like it because it is a fun sport. I am only eight
years old and I still like it. And I have been paddling for one year. I
think other kids should start kayaking too!”
“
Mom’s Comment
Natalie Short
C
ody has come a long way in his paddling skills. He still has a
lot to learn, as do I, but I can see him being into white water
by the time he is a teenager.
I’ve been told that I have ruined his life, and when questioned
on this, he says he “will end up a guide now!”
I think that’s great. If he ends up guiding, maybe one day we will
work together as a team.
I’ve learned that he is pretty amazing, and that with a little encouragement, he can do whatever he puts his mind to. I still
have to remember that he is just a kid, and that’s hard sometimes,
I admit. But to see him zig-zagging his way around on the water
makes me pretty darn proud of him. I also know that he is getting
more out of being out there with me, than sitting at home. I have
tested him a few times, and I am amazed that what I am saying is
actually sinking in! I have to admit, there are times when I have
under-estimated him.
30
Cody and his mother Natalie paddle in Ladysmith
Harbour. Natalie manages the Island Outdoor Centre.
I hope that one day he will appreciate what I have taught him. I
hope that he grows to love the sport, and cares about nature the
way that I do. ❏
For more information: www.IslandOutdoorCentre.com
WaveLength
April/May 2002
Paddle Meals
Killarney Kids Cook
A
nne Rathbun is a part-time science
teacher at Killarney Secondary School
in Vancouver who enjoys taking students
in the Killarney Outdoor Club on adventures.
For the past seven years the Club has exposed students to the wilderness through
paddling, hiking, cross-country skiing and
rock climbing. Keen individuals are encouraged to join other groups to master their
skills. Since many youth are active in environmental issues, these outings show them
what we are trying to protect and why.
Here’s how Anne describes it.
It’s all about patience and study in personalities—both camping with kids and
teaching. You see who puts their “S’more”
(see recipe) at the edge and waits til the
chocolate is melted ‘just right’—gooey and
warm. And who puts it right in the fire to
turn black.
Camping is a great way to hang out and
have the time to talk with teens. At first they
don’t say much to us—they just grunt like
they do in the hallways. As time goes on,
their ideas, stories and opinions come out.
It’s also good for them to see us in a different light—teachers with bed hair.
I genuinely love teenagers. They’re trying to sort out the world—and they make
me laugh non-stop. These kids will need
much of what I teach in Grade 12 Chemistry, but they also need to know that they
are valued and valuable. Teachers can have
a major effect on kids—that’s why I’m a
teacher.
Gesa von Keyserlingk and I are science
teachers who joined the Club 4 years ago.
For the year-end kayaking trips we do the
shopping and help them get gear together.
We’re chefs that make it up as we go.
We pack the meal ingredients and give out
verbal directions about what to do next, especially if they’ve never camped before.
We buy foods in bulk (e.g. dried vegetables, dried tomato paste, cheese powder)
from an outlet like Famous Foods. We rehydrate dried foods with water in a zip lock
bag at lunchtime. Toss the bag in the bottom of the kayak and it’s ready to add to
the pot for dinner.
Each camper has a 4-cup measure which
serves as a mug, bowl and plate. These are
very sturdy, as long as you don’t sit on them.
We divvy up all the food and clean the pots
right away to boil water for tea and
dishwashing. This seems the fairest and reduces hassles.
April/May 2002
WaveLength
Students voted these recipes ‘the best’.
DAL BAHT (Black Beans and Rice)
This curry is tasty, but not too spicy. No
ingredients will spoil so it is ideal for near
the end of a trip, especially for ski touring
or hiking when weight is an issue and you
want to conserve fuel.
Per camper:
1/2 cup black bean flakes
1/2 cup Minute Rice
2 tbsp dried vegetables (to be rehydrated)
1 tbsp dried coconut milk powder
1 tsp curry powder
1-2 tbsp raisins
1-2 tbsp cashews or peanuts
At home—combine the bean flakes, rice,
coconut milk and curry powder in a zip
lock bag. At noon rehydrate the vegetables
in a separate bag. At dinner—put all the zip
lock ingredients in a pot. Cover with boiling
water, bring back to a boil. Take off the heat
and let sit 5 minutes for the rice to cook. To
serve—sprinkle with raisins and nuts.
TUNA SURPRISE
This dish starts with pasta of any kind—
spaghetti takes up the least space. Or you
can build on Kraft Dinner.
Per camper:
200 g pasta (or 1 box KD)
2 tbsp dried peas—to be rehydrated
2 tbsp dried corn—to be rehydrated
(or 1/4 can of each vegetable)
1/2 can tuna
1/4-1/3 cup dried cheese
1/2 cup milk
3 tbsp butter or margarine
20 g cheddar, grated
At noon—rehydrate dried vegetables. At
dinner, cook the pasta. Drain and mix in
drained vegetables, cheese mix, milk and
butter. Top with grated cheddar.
Anne Rathbun with Deb Leach
S’MORE A RAMA
Traditional recipe.
Per serving:
1 marshmallow
1 square of chocolate (e.g. Dairy Milk)
2 Graham wafer squares
Roast marshmallow then sandwich it
between wafers with the chocolate. Wrap
the S’more in aluminum foil and heat over
the coals. ❏
© Deb Leach coordinates
‘Paddle Meals’. She and
her paddling gear are
based in Victoria.
Anne Rathbun is pursuing
her Masters in Leadership at
Royal Roads University.
GWAII HAANAS
A serene and wild place where
natural processes occur
unimpeded, where humans
accept they are a part of this
natural order...
http://parkscan.harbour.com/gwaii
For information or reservations:
1-800-HELLO BC (in North America)
1-250-387-1642 (outside North America)
31
Mothership Meanderings
‘Family’ Gatherings
ake a look at the map of the Pacific
Northwest and you can immediately
see how intimately related the waters of the
USA and Canada are. There is no division
between Puget Sound and Georgia Strait
other than the dotted line shown here. The
Vancouver
same birds, fish and marine mammals roam
the area. We share the same ecosystems,
the same issues, and will will inevitably
share much the same future.
There is an enormous amount of crossVictoria
border traffic by land, sea and air, as citizens
Port
(and animals) of both countries travel back
Townsend
and forth between British Columbia and
Port
Angeles
Washington. There are countless examples
of cross-border relationships, from the daily
Seattle
commerce between the counPuget
tries, to joint environmental
Sound
stewardship projects (such as
the Orca Pass initiative—see
www.GeorgiaStrait.org).
Vancouver
Gabriola
And there are hundreds of
Hundreds of
thousands of pleasure boaters,
thousands of
Nanaimo
including powerboaters, sailboaters call
boaters, and paddlers who all
these waters
Thetis
ply this region, enjoying the
home, on
Ladysmith
natural beauty of each other’s
both sides of
home waters.
VANCOUVER
the border.
The enormous bulk of VanISLAND
couver Island shelters these
waters, creating an Inside Passage for boaters to travel north from Puget
careers, Laurie and I have plenty of opporSound, up Georgia Strait to Desolation
tunities—or excuses—to go boating. And
Sound and Johnstone Strait. Some continue
this allows us to reconnect with our longon up the BC coast to Alaska.
time friends and colleagues.
I’ve lived pretty much my full life on this
Each spring for the last several years we
coast (nearly—gulp—half a century now)
have headed down from Gabriola to Thetis
but there’s far more than a lifetime of exIsland to the Coast Kayak Symposium on
ploration here. Not only is the region vast
the Canadian May long weekend (this year,
and its byways complex, but everytime you
May 17-20).
go on the water, it’s different—different
The event, which is organized by the Paweather, different tides, different wildlife.
cific International Kayak Association (PIKA),
Fortunately, with our marine-oriented
is directed by WaveLength’s Industry Advi-
32
sor Mercia Sixta. PIKA is a good example
of a cross-border partnership, linking
paddlers from BC and Washington.
Each year, many Symposium registrants
come up from the States, especially from
the Whatcom Assocation of Kayak Enthusiasts (WAKE), to join their Canadian counterparts on Thetis. The Symposium (formerly
run under the auspices of the Sea Kayak
Association of BC) is a non-commercial
event and in our opinion the best learning
environment around. It was this event
which inspired our WaveLength Ocean
Kayak Festival for 5 years in the mid-1990s.
We still enjoy dropping in for a few hours
to say hello and meet old friends like Mercia,
Bridget, Dennis, and the gang of volunteers
who’ve been putting it on for 17 years.
One of the highlights of the Symposium is
the private ferry PIKA charters for the trip
Alan Wilson Photo
T
Alan Wilson
Paddle designer Werner Furrer and
daughter Melinda pose on the steps of
the dining hall at the Coast Kayak Festival
on Thetis Island.
WaveLength
April/May 2002
LPW KAYAK POWER SYSTEMS
Laurie MacBride Photo
Laurie MacBride Photo
across Georgia Strait from downtown Vancouver. If you’ve never
seen the loading of kayaks and
gear, it’s a thing to behold. (604597-1122, mercias@telus.net).
Thetis Island, of course, is a
good destination for boaters and
paddlers at other times of the
year. Telegraph Harbour is a very
sheltered spot and has two marinas (with fuel and services). Paddling around Thetis inlcudes traversing a long, narrow canal between Thetis and Kuper Islands.
Trying out a kayak for size at
Tent Island, near the southern
the Vancouver Island
end of Kuper Island, is another
Paddlefest in Ladysmith.
lovely spot. And you’re not far
from what many consider the
premier paddlers’ campsite in the Gulf Islands, Blackberry Point
on Valdez Island.
Another of our ‘excuses’ to get on the water is the Vancouver
Island Paddlefest at Ladysmith in June. Ladysmith is located just a
few miles from Thetis Island. It was here that Seaward Kayaks relocated its kayak plant from the BC Interior and, working with SeaLegs
Kayaking and others in the community, established the Paddlefest
three years ago.
We always anchor our boat across the harbour from the Paddlefest
site, in the shelter of a pretty little group of islets, and paddle across
to join the festivities.
This event is similar to our Ocean Kayak Festival, a blend of
commercial and non-commercial interests, designed to bring the
whole paddling community together—including designers, manufacturers, retailers, guides and recreationalists. It’s kind of a family
reunion.
This year’s Paddlefest will be held June 21-23 (Paddlefest@
PaddleCenter.com, 250-245-4246).
However, neither of these events is the first of the year in the
region. That honour goes south of the border, across the Strait of
Juan de Fuca, to the Port Angeles Kayak Symposium (April 13-14)
on the Olympic Peninsula (888-452-1443, www.raftand
kayak.com). There’s a ferry from Victoria, or you can boat over.
Similarly the final event of the season—the world’s largest—is also
in Washington, the West Coast Kayak Symposium, organized by the
Trade Association of Paddlesports in Port Townsend, (Sept. 20-22).
Port Townsend, of course, was a mecca for wooden boat building long before paddlers ever came to town, and remains so.
At the Port Townsend Symposium, commercial and recreational
paddlers from around the United States and Canada mingle as one,
demonstrating the brotherhood and sisterhood of paddlers, and
A
nother of the Festivals
which emerged in the
wake of WaveLength’s Ocean
Kayak Festival is the annual
Okanagan PaddleFest, instigated by our friend Wendell
Phillips. It’s set on Okanagan
Lake, a couple of hundred miles
inland from Vancouver, in the
arid BC Interior. This year, after
three successful events, Wendell
has handed on the organizing to
Dave and Susan Bain of Nimbus
Paddles, and the event will be
held in beautiful Summerland,
June 15-16. 250-862-804.
susan_bain@telus.net.
Family threesome launch at
the Okanagan PaddleFest
the strength of the paddling industry in North America (www.go
paddle.org, 800-755-5228).
So there you have it, some of the big events of the year for our
little part of the globe. We hope you can find time to travel to one
or another however you can—by boat, kayak, car or ferry.
Come meet the Family! ❏
© Alan and Laurie travel the Pacific
Northwest by boat and kayak.
Editor’s Note: If you’ve got a High Performance spirit, try the San Juan Challenge race in Washington (May 18-19) or the Necky Series races in British
Columbia (June 8, July 14, July 27).
www.klepper.com
amscgyca@cadvision.com
Ph: 775-882-2535 www.LightPerformanceWorks.com
2000 E. Clearview Dr. Carson City, NV 89701 Fax: 775-882-2760
April/May 2002
WaveLength
Average time of assembly
33
Going Down to Robson Bight
F
riends call me Nimpkish, but I’m christened A33 of the orca group A12.
Mostly I live in Queen Charlotte Strait above the deep Pacific shelves.
But now I'm going down to Robson Bight, to rub across the gravel bar,
To indulge in tactile pleasure, and socialize with others from near and far.
There are seven in our family as we enter Blackfish Sound,
But as the channel narrows, other pods will soon be found.
The squeaks and whistles announce that they are near,
Then orca groups A35, A8, and C10 suddenly appear.
The tide has passed its slack as we gather close.
In Blackney Passage, we roll about and play the flows.
The sea slides smoothly past my dorsal fin,
As I weave among my friends and kin.
Steve Schmidt
The seals and pups are ever wary of our presence,
Seeking shelter in the kelp and praying that we are Residents.
Porpoises scurry from our path with fright.
Needlessly they worry—we're absorbed with going down to Robson Bight.
The salmon leap and bound amid the frothy waves.
Normally they’re tasty fare a hungry orca craves.
But today the porpoises and seals can feast to their delight,
As we socialize, cavort, and pass harmlessly out of sight.
An eagle soaring overhead,
Forages diligently for its daily bread.
The gulls mill about with ever-watchful eyes,
Quickly snatching any spoils with brazen cries.
The passage narrows and rock walls capped by trees close in,
Causing the sea to profusely eddy, swirl, and spin.
Mist and clouds cap the mountains and hang deep in Johnstone Strait,
Siring a gloom-encapsulated day, the kind that mariners hate.
A swarm of fishing boats with poles spread wide since dawn,
Plod slowly cross our path, hoping to hook salmon on its way to spawn.
Spyhopping, I can barely see the Bight ahead,
Beyond a line of kayaks strung like a brightly colored thread.
A white leviathan, a cruise ship Alaska bound,
Shakes us as it rumbles through Blackney Passage into Blackfish Sound.
On the decks a few hearty souls brave the early fog and mist,
And with cameras hope to capture our escalating joy and bliss.
All the others yearn to scratch but I wait my turn to go.
There is a ‘poosh’ beside me and mother A12 rises from below.
We have all come to Robson Bight, to rub across the gravel bar,
To indulge in tactile pleasure, socialize, and then to say au revoir. ❏
The author, Steve Schmidt©, lives in New Mexico. He writes: “The idea for this poem came one afternoon when lying on the beach at Owl Island. I wanted
to describe what a kayaker would experience when making the paddle from Alder Bay. As I scratched my back on the beach rocks, I thought of the orcas at
Robson Bight and suddenly realized that orcas and kayakers share much the same experiences when passing through Johnstone Strait.
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34
WaveLength
April/May 2002
From the Archipelago
Humming with Herring
Alexandra Morton
T
Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans
he archipelago is humming its soft,
of these species light up in response to dissweet song of spring. It’s hard to hear
turbance and so become apparent as you
in February, more an expectation than a full
travel at night.
fledged rhythm, but on my hydrophone, just
All winter the only subsurface lights to
before the first light of dawn, I can hear
be seen were large chunky bursts, one every
them coming. Their voices ripe with life, a
4-5 cubic meters. When I traveled north to
swishing, juicy sound like a lemon
Bella Bella in mid-February, these chunky
squeezed over salmon. It’s the sound of tons
lights were rolling along dark seas there too.
of herring coming home to spawn.
But when I got home by the 16th of FebruAlthough vast as a herd of caribou or
ary, Kingcome had suddenly bloomed. The
wildebeest, the sign of herring on the move
chunky lights were still there, but in the
can be easily missed from topside. But no
hundreds per square meter, plus microbiomass this immense can pass unnoticed
scopic lights were exploding into pools of
if you recognize their sign upon the sea.
brilliance, just in time to feed the female
On the cusp of
herring and their
dawn and dark the
ripening burden of
fish move up and
life.
down. At night they
Herring, like
rise to feed on sursalmon, feed the
face plankton laymasses in their act
ers, at dawn they
of procreation. Undive to escape the
like us mammals,
beaks of birds and
who must hide
teeth of dolphins, Pacific herring grow to 25 cm (10”).
away our rare and
and their air bladprecious young, the
ders must adjust. Billions of tiny bubbles
herring cast them upon the sea in numbers
are released on each of these vertical miwhich they hope are too great for even the
grations and these produce a distinctive
greedy. The moons summon these fish. They
sheen on the water’s surface. These are the
can feel the ebb and flood growing larger,
“footprints” of the gift of life, an immeasurbuilding to the full and new moon tides and
able fecundity which turns on the inlets of
this is when they spawn. As tiny as a herthis coast—one by one in northerly progresring sperm must be, so much is released by
sion.
these spectacular males that the shorelines
But the herring aren’t the only life that
blanch white and opaque. The eggs adhere
has revealed its presence under the dark
to the seaweeds in layers so thick it looks
moons of February. At night on water, each
like snow when the tide recedes. The gulls,
paddle stroke, or the turning of a propeller,
hungry from the winter months, paddle
excites the myriad of life we call plankton.
contentedly along these drifts. Peck and
Plankton is not an animal, but rather a comswallow is all they need do now to regain
munity that exists only where the water
their prime condition.
column is penetrated by light. In the plankSeals and dolphins escort the herring.
ton float the plants—the phytoplankton—
Eagles swoop and dip them out of the sea.
and the animals—the zooplankton. Some
Chinook salmon swirl in bronzy, lethal➝
April/May 2002
WaveLength
35
flashes, storing a richness they will bestow
pink. The other is the way it sticks its head
upon the forests high above the tidal mark
out high above the surface with every
when they spawn later in the year.
breath.
As I hear the swishing song of herring on
I watched a whale being born once, and
my hydrophone, I expect the March
it became clear there was a message enwhale—the humpback Iwama. Somewhere
coded deep within its mammalian DNA—
far from here I am pretty sure Iwama can
“breathe with mom.” The little whale was
hear the herring too, perhaps with his ears,
nearly helpless, its flukes folded together
perhaps with his memory, and I scan many
like butterfly wings, its dorsal keel, or fin,
times a day for his dark flukes and steamy
flopped over to allow its birth, but when
blows.
the mother opened her blowhole, the little
It’s not easy to be a baby in the sea. Young
whale did too—instantaneously.
fish of many species are forced to take a
As whales mature they learn to roll
dangerous tour of duty at the surface. It is
smoothly at the surface, but when they are
truly sink or swim. Pilchard, our local stocks
newborn, one or two sputtering inhalations
of sardines, simply release
of seawater make them shy
their eggs into the plankof choking and they exton layer. You can only surplode at the surface, exposIt’s
not
easy
vive this if your parent’s
ing their chin and back to
to be a baby
generation was hale and
grab a breath before slaphearty and there are
ping down again.
in the sea.
enough cousins floating
Baby seals are born quite
with you to hide you from
precocious and able to
a thousand hungry jaws.
swim not long after birth,
Once I sat among feeding gulls, trying to
but baby sea lions take longer to become
see what they could possibly be eating,
seaborne. Little mergansers trail their mothlooking at what appeared to be an empty
ers, tiny fluffy shadows beneath protective
sea. After my eyes had adjusted by looking
cedar bows; they must avoid the eagles.
down instead of only at the surface, I saw
Young guillemots flop unceremoniously
what resembled a tadpole. Every several
from their spartan cliff-perched nests into
cubic meters a fat-bodied fish with brilliant
the cold water and take life in hand from
orange fins struggled clumsily along. I
there. Baby humans fall asleep upon the
scooped one and found a sucker on its chin.
sea; the gentle rocking no doubt reminds
Clearly this was a bottom dweller, dethem of their recent home, a sea within their
signed to attach to rocks. But the fish in my
mothers.
bucket was in a phase so juvenile I couldn’t
There is no better time than spring. The
find it in a reference book. What was this
whispers of the herring vanish with the rislittle fellow doing on surface? He didn’t
ing sun, but I will listen to them tomorrow
have the silver sides or high-speed moves
because for this place, an archipelago berequired by for surface dwelling. I intended
tween the inlets, their’s is the song of life—
to preserve my sample, but my six year-old
where there is herring there is hope. ❏
deckhand was incensed, “Mummy, that fish
© Alexandra Morton is a
is much too cute to kill.” And she was right,
marine mammal scientist
I photographed my tadpole fish and sent
and writer in the
her back among the hungry gulls.
Broughton Archipelago
of British Columbia.
There are two ways of recognizing that
wildorca@island.net
an orca is very young. One, its white
patches are a distinctive shade of orangey-
Build your own heirloom wooden kayak from a kit
by a new Canadian kit boat company—West Coast Wooden Kits Ltd.
Ph: 250 245-5199
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All designs from
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36
WaveLength
April/May 2002
Web Paddling
Welcome to Our Forum
Ted Leather
T
he internet has proven to be a real boon to those hungering for
information on practically every topic of interest. But it’s far
more than just a passive search for information. The power of the
internet is the ability to actively share that info with others.
One of the most popular ways to offer two-way communication
is a ‘Forum’. In a Forum, the Moderator creates different discussion
groups and you have the ability to read any of the posted messages. If you decide to add to the discussion, you can either respond to someone’s message or ask a question of you own. Or you
can start a new topic.
I have just finished creating a Forum for the WaveLength website
and invite you to join in. At present their are nine discussion groups
which I’ve set up just to get us started.
• Great Paddling Locations
• Paddling Skills
• Paddling Gear
• Safety
• Health and Medical
• Food
• Environmental Issues
• Suggestions
• Dialogue on Recent WaveLength Magazine Articles.
More discussion groups can be added if the interest is there.
To start a new topic, click on the appropriate discussion group
and click the “New Topic” button. Enter the subject and your message. To reply to a message in a discussion group just click the
“Reply” button.
It has always been our aim at WaveLength to promote paddling
and develop the paddling community in an atmosphere of friendship and cooperation. We are starting this Forum with the same
ideals. Let’s share our knowledge, be constructive in our feedback
and respectful of our fellow paddlers.
To join in the discussion go to <http://www.wavelength
magazine.com/forum/index.php> ❏
Editor’s Note: While you’re on our site, be sure to check out our
new and much improved ‘Search’ function.
Ted Leather is the WaveLength Webmaster and
operates Clayrose Internet Creations, an internet
services company specializing in website design
and management.
Gabriola Island
Waterfront Kayak & Dive Shop
Open 12 months a year.
Day and overnight trips to remote island.
Kayak rentals—$10/hr. Daily rates available.
Call 250-247-9753
www.hightestdiving.com
April/May 2002
WaveLength
ENDANGER
ED!
Photo by Bryan Nichols
Only 80 southern resident Orca whales
remain in Georgia Strait and Puget Sound.
Pollution, the collapse of salmon
runs, and human disturbance are
all taking a toll. Canadian scientists
have declared the whales
“ENDANGERED”. In the US,
citizen groups are petitioning
to have the Orcas listed under
the Endangered Species Act.
Gulf Islands
San Juans
ORCA PASS
INTERNATI
ONAL STEWA
RDSHIP ARE
A
THE TIME IS SHORT
In a study last year, scientists said there is an 81% chance of
total extinction within the next few generations. Even one
major oil spill would raise these odds to 94%.
Canadian and US citizens’ groups are working together
to urge our governments to establish the
ORCA PASS INTERNATIONAL STEWARDSHIP AREA
to protect marine life in the transboundary waters between
the Gulf Islands and San Juan Islands.
Ride the Wave to Orca Pass!
ACT NOW!
www.GeorgiaStrait.org
Georgia Strait Alliance
250 753-3459
www.PugetSound.org
People for Puget Sound
206 382-7007
37
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KAYAK RENTALS • KAYAK LESSONS
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Lead guide applicants must be fully qualifed and
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Call to reserve
Call Sea Kayak Adventures at
604-947-9266
Your home base for
Exceptional GULF ISLANDS Paddling!
Kayak Rentals, Lessons and Wildlife Tours.
8 Fully equipped cottages.
1-800-616-1934 Fax resume: 208-765-5254
info@seakayakadventures.com
www.BowenIslandKayaking.com
www.bluevistaresort.com
877-535-2424
Gwaii Haanas
Tree Island Kayaking 3025 Comox Rd.
SPIRIT BEARS! WHALES!
“Place of Wonder”
Six-day Wilderness Voyages
Mothership Kayaking
Archipelago Ventures Ltd.
Queen Charlotte Islands Haida Gwaii
www.island.net/~archipel
Toll free 1-888-559-8317
SECHELT INLET
Paddlers’ Paradise
Courtenay, BC
V9N 3P7
tree@island.net
www.island.net/~tree
May to October
1-866-339-1733 or 250-339-0580
Rentals • Lessons • Tours • Necky Sales
Established
in 1991
Accessible wilderness only 2 hrs
from Vancouver. Free camping.
Escape by the hour, day or week.
Kayak, canoe rentals, sales, lessons, trip planning.
Book ahead 604-885-6440 or 1-866-885-6440.
pedals_paddles@sunshine.net
www.sunshine.net/paddle
Explore Princess Royal Island and the
Kitasoo/Xiaxais Traditional Territory
on the Central Coast of BC
Fully inclusive kayak and wildlife/culture tours
Kayak rentals, transportation, accommodation
Klemtu Tourism
1 877-644-2346
tours@kitasoo.org
www.kitasoo.org
VARGAS ISLAND INN
Affordable Wilderness Resort accommodatio
in Clayoquot Sound on Vargas Island beachfront.
• 5k N.W. Tofino • Ideal for kayakers • Inn &
cabins • All self-catering • Passenger & kayak
transport from Tofino available • Lots to do!
CALL 250-725-3309
KAYAK NOW, PAY LATER!
Anchorage Marina is offering special financing on all remaining
2001 Current Designs Kayaks! Don’t pay until April 2002!
O.A.C. So start enjoying all that kayaking has to offer NOW,
and don’t worry about paying until April. Call for details.
Best prices of the year on all 2001 Current Designs Kayaks!
1520 Stewart Ave., Nanaimo, BC V9S 4E1
Phone: 250-754-5585 Fax: 250-754-7144
anchoragemarina@home.com
America’s Importer of
Germany’s Pouch Boats.
50 years of experience building
single and tandem folding boats
tough enough for the military, yet practical in
more casual use. Efficient under paddle or
sail, Pouch Boats go on family outings and
arctic expeditions. www.PouchBoats.com
Ralph@PouchBoats.com Ph: 425 962-2987
Outdoor Adventures, Gear & Clothing
for Paddling, Camping, Surfing, Skateboarding, etc.
Excellent options for Kayaking, Sailing, Hiking, Cimbing
161 Fulford-Ganges Road,Salt Spring Island, BC
1 888 529-2567 or 250 537-2537
www.islandescapades.com
escapades@saltspring.com
MAYNE ISLAND
ECO-CAMPING & TOURS INC.
Located on Seal Beach
Showers•Hot tub•Kayak Sales•Instruction•Launch
2 bedroom Cottage available daily, weekly or B&B.
PO Box 40 Mayne Island BC, Canada V0N 2J0
www.mayneisle.com/camp
camp@mayneilse.com
Ph/Fax: 250-539-2667
NORTH ISLAND KAYAK
Port Hardy & Telegraph Cove
Rentals & 1-6 Day Guided Trips
Toll Free 1-877-949-7707
www.island.net/~nikayak
nikayak@island.net
Baja Sea Kayak Adventures
with Nahanni Wilderness Adventures
Explore Baja’s beautiful desert
islands in the Sea of Cortez.
Local guides/interpreters.
Based at Villas de Loreto.
Call Toll Free: (ph/fax) 1-888-897-5223
Email: adventures@nahanniwild.com
Website: www.nahanniwild.com
1-800-889-7644
The Villas de Loreto Difference!
Kick off your shoes & make
yourself at home. With our resort’s
intimate size and friendly staff,
you’ll feel like family. New at Villas, a
restaurant where dining is as casual as you are. The
activities are Kayaking, Diving, Fishing, Cycling and Whale
Watching. Come join us. Ph: 011-52-613-135-0586
www.villasdeloreto.com
NEW ZEALAND
SEA KAYAK TONGA WITH
FRIENDLY ISLANDS KAYAK CO.
Seakayak & Cycle Tours & Rentals
RENTALS TOURS TRANSPORTATION
TRIP PLANNING
ADVENTURE & WHALEWATCH WEEKS
Natural High, Adrenalin Dealers
Nootka, Kyuquot, Bunsbys, Brooks
in the peaceful tropical Kingdom of Tonga.
Sea kayak, mountain bike, snorkel,
whalewatch, sail, dive with
FRIENDLY ISLANDS KAYAK CO.
tours@fikco.com www.fikco.com
WWW.SeakayakNewZealand.com
WWW.CycleNewZealand.com
adventure@natural-high.co.nz
64-3-5466936
64-3-5466954 fax
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A NEW
SEA KAYAKING DESTINATION?
BC, BAJA, TUSCANY & BEYOND...
Saltspring Kayaking
ZEBALLOS EXPEDITIONS & KAYAKS
Paddle the Breathtaking West Coast of Vancouver Island
PO Box 111, Zeballos, BC V0P 2A0
Phone 250 761-4137
kayak@netcom.ca www.zeballoskayaks.com
Come and explore the hundreds of forgotten
and remote islands of British Columbia's
North Coast with Spirit Wind Expeditions.
" We explore the unexplored."
Spirit Wind Expeditions Ltd.
1-403-283-3943 info@spiritwind.ca
www.spiritwind.ca
BROWNING PASS HIDEAWAY
Kayakers’ cabin rentals right out in Queen Charlotte
Strait. Rustic floating 1 & 3 bedroom cabins, plus an
8-bed kayakers’ hostel with full kitchens, bath/showers, lounges. Amazing day paddles right out the front
door, or great for stopovers in multi-day Gordon
Island trips. Kayak rentals & transport from Port
Hardy plus all-inclusive pkgs available.
GALIANO ISLAND KAYAKING
877 725-2835
BC’S BEST SPRING KAYAKING. Daily Guided Tours.
Costa Rica Sea Kayaking since 1987.
2 for 1 Gulf Island paddle: Tues. & Sat. through June.
Ph/Fax: 250/539-2442
kayak@gulfislands.com
www.seakayak.bc.ca/tour
CATALA KAYAKING
Mason’s Motorlodge in ZEBALLOS
info@clavella.com
Located “on the bay” in Port Hardy BC
Toll Free 800-515-5511
Rentals & Transportation
Bed & Breakfast
www.catalacharters.net
info@catalacharters.net
• Deluxe Accomodations • Kitchenettes
• Reasonable Rates • Open Year Round
• Family Owned & Operated • Fishing
• Kayaking • Beachcombing
• Sightseeing Charters available
info@masonslodge.zeballos
www.masonslodge.zeballos.bc.ca
Ph: 250-761-4044 Fax: 250-761-4074
203 Pandora Ave. Box 10 Zeballos, BC VOP 2AO
SPECIALIZING IN MARINE AREAS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
15 MAPS AVAILABLE
Bella Bella, Hakai Passage, Johnstone Strait, Broughton
Archipelago, Kyuquot, Desolation, Nootka, Barkley &
Clayoquot Sounds, Gulf Islands, Georgia Strait, Sunshine
Coast, Esperanza Inlet, Quatsimo-Goletas Channel.
EXPERIENCE BOUNDLESS LAKES & WATERWAYS IN THE KOOTENAYS
OF BC’S INTERIOR • VIEWING OSPREY, EAGLES AND ALL WILDLIFE
www.coastalwatersrec.com
info@coastalwatersrec.com
BARKLEY SOUND CABIN RENTAL
on private island off Bamfied, BC.
Sleeps six. Check our web site
www.seaside.net/homepage/ainlet
or e-mail us at ainlet@seaside.net
for more information.
ADVENTURE CENTER
Kayak Rentals & Tours
Oufitting, motherships & kayak transport
8635 Granville Street Port Hardy, BC
Toll Free 1-866-902-2232
Adventure-ecotours.com
Daily Tours, Rentals & Sales
Ph/Fax: 250/653-4222
sskayak@saltspring.com
www.saltspring.com/sskayak
2923 Fulford-Ganges Rd., Saltspring Island, BC V8K 1X6
Sea kayak trips amid tropical
coral reefs & white sand beaches
of a Caribbean wilderness isle.
Tel: 831-439-6984
info@westpeakinn.com
www.westpeakinn.com
Captain Morgans
Marine B&B
Genoa Bay
Vancouver Island, BC
Ph/fax: 250-746-4559
Built 1889. Oceanfront Suites. Full Breakfasts. 41’
sailboat in Grand Room. Native Art & Antiques.
Prices: $125 dbl summer/$100 dbl winter.
CaptainMorgans@uniserve.com
Adventure Kayaking
on BC’s North Coast
5-day trips to the beautiful
Kitlope Valley, our newest park.
Low prices, new Seaward kayaks, customized
trips, catch your own dinner, maximum group
size 5. Check out www.blackfish.ca
or call toll free 1-877-638-1887
Go Paddling! Guided Ocean
Kayaking for the Adventurer in You!
• Broken Group, Gulf Islands,
Johnstone Strait,
Clayoquot Sound
• Full Day Tours
• Sunset Tours
• 3 Hour
Ph/Fax: 250 951-0433
Tours
Toll Free: 1-877-752-8693
www.intothecurrent.com
KAYAK LEARNING
Many companies offer kayaking experiences for children, as you can see from the
ads in this issue. To whet your appetite, here
are some details on a few of them:
• Ecomarine Ocean Kayak Centre at
Granville Island, Vancouver, offers courses
for kids from 8 to 16 using specialized
instuction and equipment. Kayaking Kids:
Chapter One is an introduction to kayaking
for children aged 8 to 12. In Kayaking Kids:
KAYAK RENTALS
BROKEN GROUP
ISLANDS
AND
BARKLEY SOUND
UP TO 8 SCHEDULED
TRIPS PER WEEK
FROM PORT ALBERNI
RATES:
$35 per day Singles
$50 per day Doubles
SECHART WHALING
STATION LODGE
Rooms & Meals from $60
per person per day
based on 2 night minimum
RATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Water Taxi Service
from Toquart Bay
For pickup ph: 250-720-7358
Chapter Two, they learn more skills which
allow them to have more fun on the water.
Youth Week on the Water is a 5 day (Monday to Friday) introductory program for kids
13 to 16. Paddling with Children is an informal evening with other parents who have
tips for traveling with young kids in a kayak.
604-689-7575. www.ecomarine.com.
• Boundary Bay Water Sports offers
kayaking, canoeing and fishing field trips
which fit into the curriculum guidelines of
most elementary and secondary schools.
They offer a full day introductory kayaking
course on Boundary Bay, a half day paddle
on the Nicomekl River, a half day paddle
in the Fraser estuary, and a 3 hour paddle
to Dundarave Park from the Ambleside Paddling Centre.
• Latitudes Active Adventures offers Wild
Orca Kids Camp for kids aged 12-17, this
July and Aug for 5, 8, or 12 days, plus
kayaking trips for families. www.explorelatitudes.com. 1-888-707-4811.
• Bowen Island Sea Kayaking offer Youth
Kayak Camps . www.bowenisland
kayaking.com. 1-800-60-KAYAK
• Island Escapades of Salt Spring Island,
BC offers accredited Wilderness Youth
Camps. 1-888-529-2567 or 250-537-2537,
w w w. i s l a n d e s c a p a d e s . c o m ,
escapades@saltspring.com.
By the way, Island Escapades has also
now opened Island Escapades “Unlimited”,
a store featuring outdoor gear and active
wear. Competitive prices, well respected
brands (North Face, Sierra Designs, Outbound, Billabong, O’Neill), friendly staff
and a very quaint space with lots of local
artistry, await you. Summer stock will include guys’ and gals’ clothing, dry and wet
suits, neoprene booties & gloves, paddles,
tents, sleeping bags, candle lanterns.
TERRA OUTDOOR PROGRAM
TERRA is an Experiential Education program for grade 10 students in Coquitlam,
Port Coquitlam, Port Moody and Maple
Ridge, BC. The program was developed
with the intention of placing the student in
as many learning situations as possible in
the community and wilderness while still
delivering the required Education Curriculum. As Program Director Michael McGuire
says, “I see the program as ‘a classroom without walls’ where students ‘live the lessons’.”
The TERRA program runs for an entire
semester at a student cost of $100/month
and is based as Archbishop Carney Regional Secondary School in Port Coquitlam.
McGuire says “We try to get out in the
wilderness and on the water as much as
possible. Our Program runs two kayak trips
of 2 days and two kayak trips of 5 days.
Present destinations include Indian Arm,
Gulf Islands and the Broken Island Group.
In addition, we run two 2-day canoe trips
in our backyard which is Pitt Lake/Widgeon
Creek area just north of Port Coquitlam.
“It is during these trips that the real metaphors of life are born, as the students engage in paddling, route finding, physical
exertion, group dynamics and soul searching. We find that such wilderness trips on
the water are the modern day equivalent of
‘the rites of passage’.” Ph: 604-942-7465.
www.acrss.org/terra/
SKABC IS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Originally formed as the Vancouver
Ocean Touring Kayak Association in 1981,
the Sea Kayaking Association of British
Columbia (SKABC) is now a thriving club
of 350. SKABC offers a comprehensive
schedule of training courses ranging from
basic instruction through to leadership
training. Courses typically incorporate dry
land training, pool sessions and open wa-
For More Information
Phone: 250-723-8313
Fax:
250-723-8314
M.V. Lady Rose & M.V. Frances Barkley
located at Argyle Pier,
5425 Argyle St., Port Alberni, BC
CANADA V9Y 1T6
TOLL FREE RESERVATIONS
(April-Sept.) 1 800 663 7192
www.ladyrosemarine.com
40
WaveLength
April/May 2002
EXPERT KAYAKERS LEAD COURSE
Expert kayakers John Dowd and John
Dawson are instructing Coastal Kayak Leadership Courses at Malaspina College this
spring (April 19-28, May 3-12).
John Dowd is a veteran sea kayaker with
many epic voyages to his credit. He is the
Author of Sea Kayaking, A Manual for Long
Distance Touring, founder of Sea Kayaker
Magazine and Ecomarine Ocean Kayak
Center, and has written many articles on
the sport. He has also done commercial
photography since 1973, and will be shooting a series of kayaking videos around
Gabriola Island this spring and summer.
John was a founding member of the Trade
Association of Sea kayaking and has been
a regular speaker on the symposia circuit.
John Dawson has thirty five years experience in outdoor education and has been
a professional cameraman for over twenty
years. He has combined these dual passions
to produce some remarkable outdoor videos, specializing in high altitude camerawork for extreme expeditions. His most recent project has been the filming of the
AquaDynamic photo
ter activity. SKABC has a year-round schedule of trips ranging from day paddles to
multi-week expeditions. The shorter trips
are on local waters such as Howe Sound,
Indian Arm and the Gulf Islands while
longer trips range from Alaska to Baja California. Weekend trips with a theme such as
bird watching, sketching and kayak cuisine
are very popular. The club has monthly
meetings September through June that combine both the social and the informative.
membership@skabc.org. 604-669-4492.
www.skabc.org.
Kenny Lord, here age 3, began paddling his
own kayak when he was 2. When he gets tired
or in rough water, he reluctantly allows his
kayak to be tethered to Mom or Dad's boat.
Kenny's kayak is an AquaDynamic Cadet 11
(11'3" long and 24lb).www.AquaDynamic.com.
Seven Peaks on Seven Continents Expedition. His new video is based largely upon
the sea kayaking program he developed in
conjunction with Dan Lewis and Malaspina
College. For further information on the
Malaspina course: 250-740-6160, learning
@mala.bc.ca. ❏
NEWS
KAYAK GUIDES RETURN TO JAPAN
Dan Lewis and Bonny Glambeck, operators of Rainforest Kayak Adventures in
Tofino BC, returned to Japan for a second
visit in February. The tour was organized
by the Friends of Clayoquot Sound, a conservation group based in Tofino. Bonny and
Dan’s wilderness kayaking slideshows were
hosted by Patagonia Japan. They also met
with companies which buy wood from International Forest Products (Interfor), to ask
them to join the global shift to ancient forest-free products.
Interfor is currently logging in Clayoquot
Sound, the largest area of ancient temperate
rainforest left on Vancouver Island, and site
of mass protests in 1993. Interfor is currently
planning to dramatically increase their rate
of cutting in Clayoquot, and wants to build
13 kilometres of road into Sulphur Pass, a
pristine area which was the site of protests
in 1988. Dan and Bonny can be reached at 1877-422-WILD, mail@rainforestkayak.com,
www.rainforestkayak.com
TOURISM CONFERENCE
The University College of the Cariboo
and partners, The Canadian Tourism Commission and Tourism British Columbia, are
holding their third annual Canadian Adventure Tourism Industry Conference, a threeday event, April 26-28, 2002, at the University College of the Cariboo in Kamloops
BC. Workshop include marketing, technology, risk management, business development, etc. Special events include a silent
auction with great gear at great prices to
raise funds for the Student Scholarship Fund
on Friday evening, and a banquet and keynote address Saturday evening, as well as
excellent entertainment. Ph: 250-3715843, advgconf@cariboo.bc.ca, www.
adventureconference.com.
PADDLING CENTRE RE-OPENS
Boundary Bay Water Sports, in partnership with West Vancouver Parks and Community Services, are pleased to announce
that the Ambleside Paddling Centre will
re-open for summer operations in April
2002. The Ambleside Paddling Centre
opened in July 2001 and operated seven
days a week until October. Ph: 604-9133079. www.boundarybay.com
Continued on page 43
North Island Kayak Rentals & Tours
Two Locations:
Telegraph Cove and the
Port Hardy Adventure Center
Wilderness Tours
Day Trips & Expeditions
Waterfront Lodge
in British Columbia
April/May 2002
WaveLength
1-6 day Guided Trips & Rentals
Toll Free 877-949-7707
nikayak@island.net
www.island.net/~nikayak/
41
Real Estate
Business Opportunities
Business Opportunities
COZY HOME/RECREATION RETREAT
Small 2 bdrm house on .42 acres in Black
Creek, Vancouver Island. Includes Guest Cottage/Office and Studio/Workshop. 5 min.
walk to Miracle Beach. Within 30 min drive
to: ski Mt. Washington, hike Stathcona Park,
8 golf courses. Kayaker’s paradise. Salmon
Capital of Canada. $115,000.00 Cdn. Call
250-337-1729.
ARTISTIC ENTRYWAY WELCOMES YOU
to deluxe 3425 sq. ft. executive family home
located 25 minutes from Vancouver in lovely
neighbourhood of New Westminster. Steps
from tennis courts, hockey arena, park.
Landscaped, private back yard with pond, and
garden boxes. Nanny accommodation or
separate 400 sq. ft. private office. Hot tub with
a view! Hot water heat, hardwood floors,
vaulted ceilings, heated double garage with
lane access. $599,000 Cdn. 1-800-535-1737.
DREAMING of affordable RETIREMENT?
‘Garden Homes’ on Gabriola Island offers
state-of-the-art seniors’ suites designed with
comfort, lovely common areas and a
supportive community of friends. Enjoy the
quiet island lifestyle. Stroll to nearby shops,
doctor, pharmacy, etc. Come and visit us at
500 Argyle Lane or call Sandra Hill of Island
West Realty at 250-247-8711 (877-247-8711)
for information. Only six units left!
PRIVATE AND PEACEFUL, rustic, one room,
furnished cabin with loft, outdoor privy, solar
shower and cold running water on Lasqueti
Island 4 hrs from Vancouver; ideal for kayak
getaway. Winter rates start at $150/wk., summer $300/wk. Call Susan at 250-716-8376.
Book early before the best times are taken.
42
DENMAN ISLAND LIFESTYLE! 10 acre
property, mostly treed, very private, in ‘downtown Denman’ area, close to an excellent alltide kayak launch site in protected Baynes
Sound. Property has a country style 2-storey
4+ bedroom home with huge river rock fireplace, open floor plan, attached office, expansive sun decks, large pond and hot tub. Also a
small cottage. A serviced summer RV site and
a 24’ by 20’ shop are used by the owner with
house and cottage rental income of $1200/
month from excellent yearly lease tenants.
House, cottage and RV site private from each
other. Owner operates a woodworking shop
and seasonal kayak rental business during
summer months. Price $239,000. Kayaking
equipment negotiable separately. Contact
Allan Mather at: allanmather@hotmail.com
for further information.
LOCATION. LOCATION. LOCATION.
Waterfront Kayak Rental-Cappuccino
Business for sale/lease. Outdoor seating,
turnkey operation with kayak loading slips,
advertising,
signage in place,
ample parking,
near BC Ferry
terminal
in
Nanaimo, paddle-right-in business: $5,000 or
$450 per month.
Jim 250-7540695 (home),
250-618-1351
(cell).
ECOTOURISM BUSINESS FOR SALE
Kayak rental/guiding business and B&B on
Malcolm Island, Broughton Strait, stunning
vistas, near principal orca grounds. 10 mostly
wooded acres, georgous 2,800' custom built
house with unique features, separate kayak
building, and 33' motherboat available. Contact: Cormorant Seakayaking Ltd. tel: 250973-6033,lulin@island.net. US$299,000.
Open House May 18-20, 25-27.
Help Wanted
KAYAKING INSTRUCTORS NEEDED
Summer outdoor travel program for teenagers needs 1-2 sea kayak instructors for short
3-4 day trips throughout Canadian Gulf Islands
during July. 717-567-6790. Longacre Expeditions. Longacre@LongacreExpeditions.com
Kayaks For Sale
For Sale: 4 yr old Necky Nootka Plus (double). Kevlar. Fresh water used only, kept indoors out of sun when not in use. $4,350 or
best offer. ian.c.james@rbc.com
Feathercraft K-1 Expedition for sale. Much
loved, very good condition: 250-725-2484
List your house, property or
business in WaveLength to reach
potential customers worldwide.
All ads appear in both our
PRINT and WEB editions.
ARGONAUT II
Immaculate, elegant, 73’ heritage vessel, former Thomas Crosby IV, a Mission
Ship built in 1922 for the daily rigours of the Pacific coast. Powered by a 6L.3
Gardner diesel. Built of 2” Port Orford cedar, carvel-planked over bent oak
frames. Teak house. Fir decks. Gumwood stem. Current owner wishes this vessel
to remain in BC waters. Contact John West: 250 382-9298, Victoria, BC. Price:
$225,000 Cdn. Photos and text at www.WaveLengthMagazine.com
WaveLength
April/May 2002
NEWS
continued
RACE SERIES
If you’re into racing, don’t miss out on
the Necky Races Series (Calendar page 54.)
Additionally, Ecomarine Ocean Kayak
Centre in Vancouver is having a Wednesday night race series at their new facility at
Jericho, from May 1 to Sept 25. $2 entry
fee with your own boat, rentals are half
price with an advance reservation. The focus is on fun. For more information: 604689-7575. www.ecomarine.com.
NEW PADDLING STORE IN NANAIMO
Alberni Outpost has now opened a second location in central Vancouver Island,
in Country Club Mall, Nanaimo, in addition to the Port Alberni store. They are the
exclusive dealer for Necky, Voodoo, and
Seaward kayaks for Nanaimo and the West
coast of Vancouver Island. Nanaimo store:
250-760-0044. Port Alberni store: 250-7232212. ww.albernioutpost.com
BOREALDESIGN CELEBRATES 10TH
BorealDesign, founded in 1992, celebrated its 10th Anniversary with an Open
House this March in Saint-Augustin-deDesmaures, Quebec, providing tours of
their new rotomoulding factory and officially ‘launching’ two new designs.
BorealDesign was founded by Nathalie
Simard and Eric Blouin, both mechanical
engineers, who share a passion for sea
kayaking. Their success over the past decade is attributed to the technical expertise
they have used to design and build safe, highperformance sea kayaks and accessories.
418-878-3099. www.borealdesign. com.
PAGE’S RESORT MARINA
Silva Bay—Gabriola Island, BC
Cottages, Campground, Fuel, Moorage,
Laundromat, Showers, Diveshop,
Artwork, Charts, Books and
PRIME PADDLING!
near the Flat Top Islands and
Drumbeg provincial park.
KAYAK REPAIRS, CUSTOM MODS
Pacific Oceaneering and Design of
Nanaimo, BC specializes in structural and
cosmetic repairs to all composite kayaks as
well as custom modifications and installation of rudder assemblies and other options.
Contact them toll free at 1-888-310-0222
or at 250-754-2400.
WAVELENGTH EXPANDS... AGAIN
WaveLength has expanded its distribution in Canada’s largest city, Toronto, employing the services of a distribution company to supply the magazine to stores in
the sports and recreation sector, in addition to the usual bulk mailing system used
for the rest of North America where we have
over 500 print distribution points. For bulk
orders, please call 1-800-799-5602.
BROKEN GROUP RESORT
Eaglenook Resort in Barkley Sound has
a fleet of fiberglass Seaward Kayaks and is
offering guided day trips in addition to its
accommodation services. 1-800-760-2777.
www.wildernessgetaway.com.
NIGEL FOSTER GOES SEAWARD
Seaward Kayaks is now the exclusive distributor and manufacturer of kayaks designed by Nigel Foster, the well-known international kayaker. Seaward is carrying
three models, including the Shadow, the
Legend, and the Silhouette. 1-800-5959755. www.seawardkayaks.com.
Walden Sports have distributed Foster’s
sea kayaks in North America over the last
two years, but have decided to concentrate
their energies fully on their main strength,
roto-molded craft.
U.S. OPENING
Simon River Sports of Morin Heights,
Quebec, is opening its first USA Sales Office. Tom Foti has joined the SRS team to
spearhead the company’s US sales effort,
where his responsibilities will be to create
a network of dealers in the American market. “Tom will be a tremendous asset to add
momentum to this young company, and
create a niche in the US market for performance paddles and kayaks”, says Karen
Lukanovich, president of Simon River
Sports. 1-877-529-2518. www.simon
riversports.com.
CONGRATULATIONS, MOYERS!
Congratulations to Lee and Judy Moyer
of Pacific Water Sports who this February
celebrated 30 years in business. PWS, of
Tukwila, Washington offers their own make
of kayaks and others, plus lessons, sales and
service of kayaks and gear. 206-246-9385.
www.pwskayaks.com.
REVISED MAP AVAILABLE
The revised edition of the Cascadia marine Trail Map is available from Washington Water Trails Association. To obtain a
map contact the WWTA at 206-545-9161
or wwta@wwta.org.
APOLOGIES
Our apologies to Ed Gray of Ecomarine
Ocean Kayak Centre in Vancouver, BC for
calling him Ed ‘Day’ in the article he did
for us in our last issue. Perhaps our excuse
is that during the winter around here, we
tend to associate ‘gray’ and ‘day’.
Continued on page 44
Is it wild or farmed?
ALWAYS ASK.
Netcage salmon farming pollutes
the environment and threatens
the survival of wild salmon.
Go Wild!
Call 250-247-8931
mail@pagesresort.com
www.pagesresort.com
April/May 2002
WaveLength
Georgia Strait Alliance: 250-753-3459
www.GeorgiaStrait.org
Photo: Wild BC spring salmon by Alexandra Morton ©
43
NEWS
continued
KAYAK & CANOE RENTALS INC.
DISCOVER THE BEAUTIFUL GULF ISLANDS
from our single and double kayaks,
mainly Current Designs and Necky.
GROUP DISCOUNTS. BEGINNERS WELCOME.
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Complimentary ferry pick-up and drop-off.
C-54 Miners Bay, Mayne Isand
BC, Canada V0N 2J0
Tel/Fax: 250 539-5599
maynekayak@gulfislands.com
www.maynekayak.com
KILDONAN LODGE
BARKLEY SOUND, BC
Near the Deer Group & Broken Islands.
Located on 9 acres of old-growth forest.
Catch the M.V. Lady Rose from Port Alberni
and enjoy the 2 hr trip up Alberni Inlet to
our lodge, or come by water taxi, float plane,
or your own boat. Rates from $80 Cdn/
night/person including meals.
1-800-336-3155
250-726-8393 cell
www.island.net/~pepper
pepper@island.net
HAIDA SUE FOR ABORIGINAL TITLE
The Haida First Nation launched a legal
battle in the Supreme Court of British Columbia in early March for ownership of the
Queen Charlotte Islands, traditionally
called Haida Gwaii, some 5,800 square
kilometres of land off Canada’s West Coast.
The Haida Nation are attempting to establish aboriginal title and rights to the lands
and the surrounding waters.
The Haida move is in part to block the
provincial government’s desire to press
ahead with offshore oil and gas drilling in
waters off the Queen Charlottes.
“We don’t believe offshore oil and gas
can be safely obtained—the technology
doesn’t exist and we are not prepared to
see offshore oil and gas drilling in any waters within a 200-mile limit surrounding
Haida Gwaii,” said Guujaw, president of
the Haida Nation. “With the provincial
government refusing to negotiate with us
or recognize our aboriginal title, we have
no choice but to take the title case to court.
“With industry like logging or mining, we
are prepared to negotiate and accommodate but we oppose all offshore oil and gas.”
“We got a leaked Liberal document that
revealed they were going to go full-steam
ahead with oil and gas, and forestry and
mining, and basically trample aboriginal
rights,” he said.
Lawyer Louise Mandel said there should
be no difficulty establishing aboriginal title
over the entire Queen Charlottes.
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“It is an inescapable fact that the Haida
were the original settlers of the Islands and
continue to reside there,” she said.
The Haida never signed a treaty with the
government, and never gave up their rights
to the land.
Aboriginal title would grant them a role
in almost every aspect of land use there.
‘DISCOVERY’ VISITS GABRIOLA
The crew from “Canadian Geographic for
Kids” TV show on Discovery Channel flew
out from Toronto to visit the southern Strait
of Georgia in early March. Georgia Strait
Alliance staffers Bryan Nichols and Mike
Richards took the two young hosts and camera crew out to see some of the sights of
local marine habitat off Gabriola Island.
CLIMATE CHANGE SPEEDING UP
The Earth Policy Institute is reporting that
the planet’s ice cover is melting faster than
predicted. The Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) now has the ice melt
data from the 1990s and will need to revise upward its projected rise in sea level
for this century. New studies show that sea
levels are rising twice as fast as earlier
thought, and new studies by the US Geological Survey indicate accelerating glacial
melting around the world.
Studies also show Arctic Sea ice at the
north pole has thinned 42 percent in 35
years. Together, thinning and shrinking have
reduced the mass of sea ice by half. A team
of Norwegian scientists projects that the
Arctic Sea could be entirely ice-free during
the summer by mid-century, if not before.
Our generation is the first to have the
capacity to alter the earth’s climate. We are
also, therefore, the first to wrestle with the
ethical question of whether the capacity to
change the planet’s climate gives us the right
to do so.
See: http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/Update8.htm
Additional data and information sources
at www.earth-policy.org.
Clip or photocopy this form (or subscribe on-line at
WaveLengthMagazine.com) and mail with a cheque
to: WaveLength Magazine, 2735 North Road
Gabriola Island, BC Canada V0R 1X7
All subscription information will be kept confidential.
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44
AM02
WaveLength
April/May 2002
Leisure Works Images
COASTAL COMMUNITIES CONFERENCE
The 10th anniversary Conference of the Coastal Communities
will be held on May 2-4, Port Alberni BC, co-hosted by the AlberniClayoquot Regional District and Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council.
This will be an important opportunity to network with local, first
nations, federal and provincial government, and coastal community Leaders. Information and registration for the Conference are
available at http://www.coastalcommunity.bc.ca/html/forms/
forms.html. Ph: 250-383-1923. Email: coastcom@island.net
FISH FARMS GET GREEN LIGHT
The BC government’s recent decision to lift the moratorium on
new fish farms has been met with a storm of protest. This is one of
a number of bad decisions being made which we must work together to reverse. See Suzanne Connell’s article, page 46. Please
get involved. ❏
OUR NEXT ISSUES...
Necky Kayaks’ Dave Vanderveen shows his stuff on the
water. Necky, WaveLength, Ecomarine Ocean Kayak
Centre, Deep Cove Kayak Centre and Bowen Island Sea
Kayaking are co-sponsoring a Race Series this spring and
summer. For more information, see the ad on the inside
back cover of this issue or the Calendar, page 54.
CANOE MUSEUM EXPANDS
The Canadian Canoe Museum in partnership with the Ministry
of Natural Resources’, Ontario Living Legacy has announced an
major initiative to build a new outdoor cultural heritage activity
centre.
The Outdoor Learning Centre will encompass more than 20,000
square feet, featuring a 45' x 90' paddling pond surrounded by a
naturally landscaped environment. Visitors and school children will
experience aspects of Canadian culture and heritage through a recreated Aboriginal encampment, an early prospector and surveyor’s bush camp, a traditional skills area where canoes are constructed, and a paddling area where visitors can paddle various
canoes and kayaks. “Our objective is to make history come alive,
make it relevant”, says Jon Grant, chair of the Canadian Canoe
Museum. Estimated date of completion is spring / summer 2004.
The Canadian Canoe Museum, in Peterborough, Ontario is home
to the world’s largest collection of canoes and kayaks.
www.canoemuseum.net.
• June/July: ‘Mothership Paddling’, deadline April 20th.
The trend of kayaks being carried aboard power and sailing
vessels; compact kayaks; mothership adventure trips, etc.
• August/Sept: ’Paddling Photography’, deadline June. 20th.
SEND US YOUR PADDLING PHOTOS—72 dpi jpeg previews
to Alan@WaveLengthMagazine.com. Alternately, you can send
prints or slides with a self-addressed return envelope and Canadian
postage to 2735 North Rd., Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1X7.
RETAIL•RENTALS•LESSONS
We specialize in touring, white water and recreational kayaking.
Authorized dealer for Necky, Wave Sport, Riot and Trinity Bay kayaks.
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250-338-8844
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April/May 2002
WaveLength
45
Fish Farm Fiasco
Suzanne Connell
T
Laurie MacBride photo
he BC government has decided to throw
caution to the wind and lift the province’s seven-year moratorium on finfish
farming (salmon and non-salmon, marine
and fresh water). This will mean that as of
April 30th there will be no limit on the
number of fish farms in the province and
as a result, the industry is expected to at
least double or triple in size.
The government defends its decision to
expand fish farming by promising new
“standards” for fish escapes, fish waste and
fish health. But not surprisingly, almost all
of the “New Era” Liberal government’s significant policy decisions have been developed to suit the needs and interests of the
fish farming industry. For example, the proposed waste management regulation establishes a high tolerance level for pollutants
and the anticipated regulation on fish escapes
is even weaker than the existing version.
The government’s shortsighted decision
to expand fish farming has caused the level
of public concern around this issue to reach
an all time high. Many people are concerned about increased threats to wild
salmon stocks. Every year thousands of
farmed fish, including non-native Atlantic
salmon, escape into the wild where they
compete with wild Pacific salmon for habitat, disturb wild spawning beds and eat food
that is required by juvenile salmon. As recently as January an estimated 8,000 adult
Atlantics and an unknown number of juveniles escaped from the Pacific National
Suzanne Connell is the Georgia Strait Alliance’s fish farm campaigner.
Aquaculture site on Saranac Island in
Clayoquot Sound.
If the industry is allowed to expand, wild
salmon stocks will also become more
threatened by diseases that can spread from
fish farms. In February of this year, for example, the provincial government confirmed seven cases of deadly Infectious
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SALES, LESSONS, RENTALS and a full line
of accessories, plus hiking and camping gear.
46
Hematopoietic Necrosis (IHN) outbreaks
on Vancouver Island. In one case 1.6 million Atlantic salmon infected with IHN were
removed from a Heritage Aquaculture farm
site and composted at a facility near
Courtenay. Questions about the removal,
transport and disposal of diseased fish also
raise many environmental concerns.
VIKING
ADVENTURE
TOURS
• Kayaking • Sightseeing
• Diving • Fishing
Explore the Beautiful
British Columbia Coast
54' Mothership MV VIKING 1
Skipper: Ken Lund
(250) 755-9175
info@vikingadventuretours.com
www.vikingadventuretours.com
WaveLength
April/May 2002
Tip of the Iceberg
An important issue related to the lifting
of the moratorium involves BC’s rapidly
growing tourism and recreation sector. People from around the world come to this
province to experience its wild and undeveloped coastline and to enjoy its whales,
wild salmon and other marine life. With
increased industrialization due to fish farms,
more of the province’s pristine marine environment will be lost. For kayakers, boaters and other recreational users this will
mean fewer stretches of shoreline and less
access to sheltered anchorages.
The government’s decision to expand
netcage aquaculture in BC is ill-thought and
irresponsible. Contrary to what industry and
government would like us to believe, the
problems of fish farming are increasing.
Time is of the essence: before April 30,
please write or fax Premier Gordon
Campbell, your own MLA, and John van
Dongen (BC Minister of Agriculture, Food &
Fisheries) to urge them to maintain the moratorium and to adopt a deadline for requiring
all fish farms to be converted to safe, closed
containment systems, preferably on land. (Ed.
Note: US citizens are also encouraged to fax
the Premier: 250-387-0087.)
To find out more or to get involved, contact the Georgia Strait Alliance. ❏
Suzanne Connell joined the staff of the
Georgia Strait Alliance in January as Salmon
Aquaculture Campaign Coordinator. You can
reach her at GSA’s Victoria office, 250-3818321 or suzanne@georgiastrait.org.
Much more information on this topic is
available at www.georgiastrait.org.
Editor’s Note: May we point out that your visit
to small communities (eg. Port Hardy, Alert
Bay, etc.) helps them achieve more environmentally sustainable economic activity than
fish farming. We all have a role to play in
keeping our marine environment healthy.
A
t the same time as the BC government
is planning to lift the moratorium on
salmon farming, it’s making deep cuts to
provincial staffing and services across the
board, including cuts that will gut the valiant efforts of citizen groups over the past
decade to protect and restore wild salmon
runs along our coast.
Since the Liberal government came to
power last spring, it has axed Forest Renewal BC, the primary agency that funded
the restoration of watersheds damaged by
logging, along with Fisheries Renewal BC
and the Environmental Youth Team, which
provided critical staffing for watershed assessment and restoration projects.
The Urban Salmon Habitat Program,
which over the past seven years worked
with 32 local governments and hundreds
of community groups on over 125 projects
in watershed assessment, protection, enhancement and restoration in the Georgia
Basin, has lost its entire staff. As a result,
local governments will lose their environmental coordinators, and the volunteer efforts the program generated—estimated at
over 400,000 hours and $4 million in
value—are largely down the drain.
These cuts are just the tip of the iceberg
in terms of what’s happening in BC—a drastic shift to deregulation, privatization and
reduced government oversight that is rolling the province back 30 to 40 years in
terms of environmental protection.
Regulations are being relaxed to facilitate “industry competitiveness”. Provincial
staff that analyse the potential impacts of
proposed development projects on wildlife,
fish and habitat have been cut and referrals
are being eliminated. In other words, there
will be no planning for environmental protection.
Resources for dealing with “low and medium risk” pollution sources are being cut.
Monitoring and enforcement are being drastically chopped, leaving most of it up to industry. Indeed, the scale of the cuts is such
that every ministry will likely be unable to
meet many of its statutory obligations.
In such a context, it’s no surprise the
Campbell government is planning to lift the
salmon farming moratorium and, likely, the
20-year moratorium on offshore oil and gas
exploration and development. Increasingly,
BC citizens are starting to look to the federal government for help and for enforcement of existing laws such as the Fisheries
Act, which makes it—at least on paper—
illegal to pollute or alter fish habitat in
Canada. ❏
Laurie MacBride is the
Executive Director of the
Georgia Strait Alliance.
laurie@georgiastrait.org
GIVE US A CALL if you’re planning a paddling trip
on Northern Vancouver Island or the Central Coast.
ODYSSEY KAYAKING
Alert Bay, BC
Toll Free
1-888-792-3366
the friendliest little island in Johnstone Strait
See tall totems, visit the world famous
U’Mista First Nations’ museum, enjoy
historic landmarks, browse gift shops,
stroll boardwalks and nature trails.
Ph: 250-974-5024
www.village.alertbay.bc.ca
Laurie MacBride
or call 250-902-0565
PORT HARDY
odyssey@island.net
http://www.island.net/~odyssey/
WELCOME TO THE 2002
PADDLING SEASON!
April/May 2002
WaveLength
47
Know Your Neighbours
Kayaking with Kelps
K
elps are big brown algae. When people
think of seaweed they are often thinking of kelps, though seaweeds can be red
or green algae as well (last issue’s checklist
#23). The Northwest has all sorts of interesting kelps to paddle with, and a couple
of them get big. Tree big. Forest big.
Kelp forests are one of the niftier coastal
habitats in the Northwest. From shore,
they’re tangled mats or a bunch of bobbing
brown balls. From a boat, they are helpful
markers of reefs, areas to be avoided.
Ah, but from a kayak—yowsa! You have
to love them. Anchors on demand. Protection from swell and current. And best of
all, there are oodles of critters to be found
in them. Aim your boat into the smooth
brown fronds and park. Slide a couple under a deck bungee. Get comfortable, and
stay alert. Below and around you, the world
of the kelp forest will come out of hiding.
Greenlings moving below, seals patrolling
the edges, crabs scuttling across the fronds,
schools of herring taking refuge.
All Northwest kelps are attached, usually by a structure called a holdfast that
looks something like a small disc, a bunch
48
of spaghetti—or perhaps a clump of tiny
fingers. The main part of the kelp is typically a stipe (stem) and one or many blades.
As with most algae, taxonomy gets a bit
blurry. Many can be easily identified only
to genus, not species. And common names
are a mess—few books use the same name
for the same kelp and food sources often
apply Japanese names, sometimes incorrectly (I’ve used the common names from
the new Pacific Seaweeds). There are brown
algae (like sargassum and the rockweeds)
that often get called kelp, even though kelps
are more officially all in Order Lamiariales
(the first three on this list aren’t). Different
kelps can look very similar, and the same
species can look remarkably different, depending on where it grows. That’s one of
the reasons there are so many birders and
so few kelpers, I suppose.
Kayakers can experience kelp forests like
no other boaters, so check them out in serene bays, current swept passages and the
open coast. Be careful of course—especially in large swell and strong current. Big
kelps have evolved to hold fast in some
pretty extreme conditions, so don’t be lulled
Bryan Nichols
into a false sense of security. But paddle in, poke
around, gently pull up a frond or two. It’s a
whole new world under your boat. ❏
© Bryan Nichols (brynichols@wildmail.com)
loves floating on and diving under kelp forests.
He has never whipped anyone with bull kelp—
unless they deserved it.
BOOK REVIEW
Sea Vegetables, Harvesting Guide &
Cookbook, Evelyn McConnaughey
Naturegraph, 1985, 239 pp, $9.95 US
ISBN 0-87961-151-0
velyn McConnaughy is a biologist from the
University of Oregon. She has good grounding for this book—a dietician mother, a marine
biologist husband and five children to test meals
on. She obviously loves both the ocean and experimental cooking, and is able to convey her enthusiasm and knowledge in print. As for the recipes, there are lots of them, of all different sorts
including vegetarian (she’s a fan of soy, especially
tempeh), snacks, desserts, sauces, salads, hors
d’oeuvres and plenty of pickles. The recipes are
influenced by various ethnic foods, from
jambolayas to spanakopitas. There’s something for
everyone to appreciate in this collection. ❏
E
WaveLength
April/May 2002
CHECKLIST #24—Northwest Kelps
ROCKWEED
(Fucus & Pelvetiopsis)
Rockweed and dwarf rockweed are probably
the most noticeable seaweeds for kayakers.
They grow so abundantly they form that familiar brown band in the upper tidal range. The
swollen tips contain a clear mucous that has a variety of alleged
properties (some more credible than others) including sunscreen,
moisturizer, fat burner and healer of everything from headaches
and high blood pressure to gout, gas and goiter.
SEA CAULIFLOWER
Leathesia difformis (Leath’s contorted )
Sometimes called brainweed because it looks
like a collection of small brains on the beach.
Cauliflower or brains—what shall we eat tonight, dear? It often grows attached to other
seaweeds and can be locally abundant.
SARGASSUM & BLADDER LEAF
Sargassum muticum & Cystoseira geminata
These similar looking algae form thick beds,
usually in shallow, more protected waters.
Bladder leaf is native and has pointy little
floats. Round-floated sargassum hitched a ride
with Japanese oysters way back at the turn of
the century. It has successfully spread again, hitching another
ride from here to Europe in the 1970s.
TANGLE
Laminaria sp. (thin leaf)
A couple of species of Laminaria (often
called sugar kelp) grow long, oval shaped
brown blades, sometimes with wrinkles and
sometimes with torn ends and splits. They
can cover the bottom just below the low
tide mark, hiding all sorts of different things. On open coasts,
“split kelp” or L. setchellii is common and easy to recognize by
its deeply split blades on short stipes. Called kombu by the Japanese, Laminaria species are used extensively in cooking. Legend has it if you add a blade to your pot of beans you’ll have a
more romantic evening.
SEA CABBAGE
Hedophyllum sessile
(seat shaped and stalkless)
This wrinkled brown kelp grows right off
the holdfast but its final shape depends on
the location. Somewhat small and mangled
looking in surf, the blades become large
(80cm) and wrinkly when protected. It can be thick in the lower
tidal ranges.
WALKING KELP
Pterygophora californica (bearing wings)
How can you resist a kelp that walks? And
might reach 25 years old? The name comes
from First Nations noticing that this kelp often moved. Walking kelp attaches itself to bits
of cobble but when it grows big enough, waves
will move the kelp and the rock with it.
April/May 2002
WaveLength
WINGED KELP
Alaria sp. (wing)
Alaria species (there are about 7) all have a
long brown blade with a cluster of projections near the base, presumably the wings.
These are sporophylls, special blades that
have patches of reproductive spores on
them. It’s a popular food kelp on both coasts, sometimes called
wakame after a similar Japanese genus (Undaria).
FEATHER BOA
Egregia menziesii (Menzie’s remarkable)
This big (to 15m) kelp looks like a fashion
accessory run amok. It gets thick enough
to form beds in shallow water and prefers
areas near (but not in) wave action.
FIVE RIB KELP
Costaria costata (rib)
With three ribs on one side and two on the
other, this kelp is aptly named—especially
since the big blades themselves look quite different depending on how wavy the area is. In
sheltered waters the blade is long and narrow
while in surf it grows in a big, wrinkled egg
shape.
SEA PALM
Postelsia palmaeformis (Postel’s palm shaped)
Looking remarkably like little groves of palm
trees growing at the top of the tide zone, this
hardy kelp loves the surf and can take a
pounding. The fronds are tasty but you’ve got
to be wary of surf to get near them.
BULL KELP
Nereocystis luetkeana (mermaid’s bladder)
The kelp forests found in protected waters
inside Vancouver Island are composed of
bull kelp, which has a single, large float at
the top of a long smooth stipe. Remarkably, individuals are almost all annual
though they may reach 36 meters—that’s some fast seasonal
growth! If conditions are right bull kelp will form a solid canopy
over reefs by the end of summer. Washed up on the beach, the
long, whiplike stipes have contributed to many Indiana Jones
fantasies.
GIANT KELP
Macrocystis integrifolia (large bladder)
You have to like giant kelp. Growing out
on the open coast in huge beds, it’s popular with sea otters and a host of other
critters. Our species (there is another in
California) grows to 30 meters, forming
dense and diverse underwater “forests”.
© 2002. Text and graphics: Bryan Nichols.
No reproduction without permission.
49
New Kayaks
Put Our
Footwear
Between
You
and the
Water
Eddyline’s Whisper CL has long been a
favorite double. Newly re-designed for
Carbonlite 2000 construction, all the loved
features have been retained or improved.
This easy to use kayak sports large cockpits
for easy access and improved comfort. The
Whisper CL is a lightweight, easy paddling,
easy carrying, two person kayak with a rudder. It comes fully equipped with hatches,
bulkheads, carrying toggles, re-entry
bungies and front deck lines. The cost in
Carbonlite 2000 is $2495. www.Eddyline.
com. 866-445-7506 (in US) or 360-2992300.
VORTEX SOCKS
NEWT BOOTS
Seaward’s new double, the Gemini, is a
speedy, lightweight tandem with a stable
hull, comfortable for both new and experienced paddlers. The cockpits can accommodate paddlers of all sizes, and fiberglass
bulkheads separate the cockpits from the
storage compartments. The Gemini is excellent for an afternoon cruise or a multiday trip. www.SeawardKayaks.com, 1-800595-9755.
If you want room for two paddlers, but don’t
want a huge boat taking up garage space,
Necky’s Sky II ought to fit just right. Each
seat slides fore and aft (enough to get comfortable, or even to paddle solo), and the
hull provides the kind of performance a rec
kayak should. Length: 12’-7”. Width: 28”.
Weight: 68 lbs. Cockpit: 39” x 17.5”.
www.Necky.com, 866-632-5987.
BorealDesign’s Pakesso is designed for the
smaller kayaker. It is 14' 6" long and 22.5”
wide, aimed at the smaller paddler. It comes
with the same rudder as the Ookpik, with
recessed deck fittings, has a chine, and is
characterized by impressive performance
despite its diminutive size. Pakesso is the
Abenaki word for ruffed grouse, or North
American partridge, with a wonderful red
or grey plumage. First Nations’ people used
to call it “carpenter bird” because of the
sound it makes with its wings at springtime.
1-866-30KAYAK. www.borealdesign.com.
AMPHIBIAN BOOTS
Take the first step
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We’re in the water with you
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Toll Free 1-888-986-3441
Fax: (604) 986-3443
e-mail: info@brookspaddlegear.com
www.brookspaddlegear.com
50
WaveLength
April/May 2002
Great Gear
The TravelPack has become popular with
women who use small boats such as canoes and kayaks. It enables them to urinate
in a safe and discreet way when out on the
water. The small kit is washable and
reuseable and in most cases eliminates the
need for toilet paper or other disposable
materials. It won a prestigious “Medical
Design Excellence Award” at the Javitts convention center in New York City in 2001.
www.travelmateinfo.com/
Brooks Wetsuits Ltd. have launched a new
line of paddle wear—the ‘Elaho’ series. The
3mm paddle wear line includes men’s and
women’s vests and unisex shorts and pants.
The Elaho series is designed with the glued
and blindstitched seam construction which
offers the maximum dryness for superior
warmth and can be purchased in different
sizes for top and bottom—advantageous for
people who have a difficult time finding a
comfortable fitting wetsuit. Shorts and Vests
$33 US/$46 Cdn MSRP. Pants $55 US/$75
Cdn MSRP. 1-888-986-3441. www.brooks
paddlegear.com.
New Tough Duck covers protect your kayak during transport, in winter storage and in the
summer (avoiding damaging UV rays). The covers are made out of the Odyssey 3 fabric, a
polymeric impregnated polyester, combining light weight with excellent tensile and tear
strength. It’s water and dirt repellent as well as mildew and UV resistant. Sixteen colours to
choose from (see www.marchemcoatedfabrics.com). Up to 3 colours in each custom cover.
All are reinforced on the bow and the stern, come with paddle holders, and have protection plackets under the zippers. Contact: Tough Duck Outdoor Products, Ltd: 1-888-2463850, Chemainus, BC.
Accessorize your kayak with matching gear. Natural West Coast
Adventures Gear manufactures a full line of hand-crafted, quality safety gear for ‘peace of mind’ on the water. Paddle floats,
pump sleeves, and throw bags are just some of the pieces available. For more information, contact 250-391-0331 (Victoria, BC).
nwca@kayak. bc.ca, www.bckayaks.com.
Have you got a NEW KAYAK
or some GREAT GEAR
you’d like our readers to know about?
Give us a call at 800-799-5602.
Native Cultural Tours, Store, Books,
Native Art, Snacks, Local Products,
Fresh Seafood, Camping and
Kayak Transport.
Historic Village Island
British Columbia
www.villageisland.com
villageisland@telus.net
Ph: (250) 282-3338
April/May 2002
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Books & Videos
The Complete Sea
Kayaker’s Handbook
by Shelley Johnson
Ragged Mountain
Press, 2002. ISBN 007-136210-X
Softcover, B&W, 281
pp. $18.95 US
This book covers it all
and covers it well.
Courses, clothing, accessories, technique, navigation, weather, trip
planning, maintenance & repair. Shelley Johnson
has been paddling for years; she’s done her
research and presents the material in a practical
and straightforward manner. Enjoyable reading,
excellent illustrations, great information.
Cradle To Canoe:
Camping and Canoeing
with Children
by Rolf and Debra Kraiker
Boston Mills Press 1999.
ISBN1-55046-294-6,
softcover, Color, 167 pp.
$19.95 Cdn. $13.95 US
Rolf and Debra Kraiker believe you’re never too young
to start paddling. In Cradle to Canoe, they provide excellent advice on training and entertaining young paddlers, selecting camping gear and
clothing, providing sufficient food, campsite selection, and safety. Although this book is written primarily for canoeists, it’s very useful for
kayakers paddling with children.
The Kayak Roll—VIDEO
Performance Videos
55 minutes, $29.95
www.performancevideos.com
The Kayak Roll demonstrates and
explains a smooth and effortless
roll with crystal clear underwater footage and animation. The
progression section presents
step-by-step instruction. The diagnostic section
offers solutions to master or teach the roll. Designed for every skill level, beginner to instructor.
Rowing to Latitude
by Jill Fredston
North Point Press 2001.
ISBN 0-374-28180-7,
hardcover, color, 289 pp.
$24. US, $38.95 Cdn.
This is the enchanting story
of Jill Fredston and Doug
Fesler, who have paddled together for more than 20,000
miles. Alaskan avalanche specialists during the
winter months, they prefer to spend their summers exploring the rugged coastlines of the northern latitudes—Alaska, Canada, Greenland and
Norway. A wonderful book about lives full of
adventure, challenge and companionship.
Send us your books
or videos for review
The Zen of Wooden Kayak
Building—VIDEO
Chesapeake Light Craft
60 minutes $29.95
www.clcboats.com
John Harris takes you step-bystep from a pile of parts to the
launch of an elegant varnished
Chesapeake 16 kayak. Epoxyfiberglass work and varnishing techniques are
clearly demostrated, so that the techniques can
be transfered to any stitch and glue boat. Excellent information and engaging wit.
Cougar Attacks, Encounters of the Worst Kind
by Kathy Etling
The Lyons Press, 2001. ISBN
1-58574-221-X, hardcover,
236 pp. $24.95 US
Kathy Etling presents a chilling array of cougar attacks,
284 in all from the 1830s to
the present, while acknowledging the rarity of
these events and the importance of cougars. She
includes information on cougar biology,
behaviors and body language, management techniques and common-sense advice on staying
safe in cougar country. An interesting and useful book.
Salish Sea Handbook
by Holly Arntzen, Daphne Macnaughten, Briony Penn and Gloria Snively
Parks Canada. 2002. ISBN 0-660-18596-2, B&W, 108 pp. $30 Cdn
The Salish Sea Educator's Handbook is a beautifully illustrated companion to
the Salish Sea CD, which features local children's choirs singing with Holly
Arntzen about marine conservation. The Handbook provides over 40 music,
science and social studies activities that are linked to the song lyrics and fulfill
prescribed learning outcomes for grades K to 7, with black line masters, and a
section on field trips. Includes CD with 11 songs. Parks Canada is now running
wokshops for educators. Contact Artist Responce Team: 250-544-4006. ❏
Send $20 ppd. for 21/4 hr video
Sailing is for everyone
with Easy Rider’s
2 lb. spinnaker.
“The Wonderful World
of Easy Rider”including
112 page brochure package
on Sailing, Outrigger & Catamaran options, Custom
Outfitting and Accessories.
This video makes you an
educated buyer. It shows
the various models in living
color and action, and gives a
complete overview for anyone
planning to purchase a
paddlecraft.
52
WaveLength
April/May 2002
WaveLength is available at over 500 outlets around North America, and globally on the web.
RITCHIE Kayaking Compasses...
®
Ideal for Weekend Exploring or Serious
Off-shore Navigating
Ritchie Kayaker™
Kayaker
Model S-59W
Ritchie Trek™
Ritchie SportAbout™
SportAbout™
Model X-11Y
Kayaker Tie-Down
Model K-TD.2
(Compass not included)
Call, write or e-mail
for a FREE Catalog of
our Complete line.
RITCHIE NAVIGATION
®
Since 1850. Your Most Important Instrument
243 Oak Street • Pembroke, MA 02359
Telephone (781) 826-5131 • Fax (781) 826-7336
http://www.ritchienavigation.com
Now Available In A Kayak.
SportAbout™ Kayak
Tie-Down Model X-TD
(Compass not included)
Wet Notes Model W-50,
the perfect waterproof
notebook.
Phase3, the new, patent-pending,
three-way adjustable seat from
Wilderness Systems, lets you easily
adjust the seat’s recline, back height
and thigh support – to find the perfect,
customized fit. Shift-on-the-fly to relieve
fatigue on long paddles, or lock-in for
carved turns and rolls. Phase3
represents the ultimate in comfort
and control. And it’s standard on almost
all of Wilderness Systems’ touring,
recreational and sporting kayaks.
Experience it for yourself: visit
wildernesssystems.com to
find a dealer near you.
Ahh, the cleansing breeze, the soothing rhythm of the waves . . .
the numbness in your butt. There was a time when the wonders
of kayaking came with a price.
Not anymore.
The Ultimate In Comfort And Control
www. wildernesssystems .com
US 800 311-7245 / Canada 613 382-2531
April/May 2002
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WAVELENGTH CALENDAR
APRIL 13-14, Annual Port Angeles Kayak Symposium, Port
Angeles WA. 888-452-1443, www.raftandkayak.com.
Apr 19, Spring Guides Exchange, Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of
BC. adventure@oceanriver.com
Apr 20-21, Columbia River Paddle Festival, Vancouver Lake
Park Vancouver WA. 503-285-0464, www.aldercreek.com.
Apr 22, Earth Day. Please celebrate Life wherever you are.
Apr 26-28, Canadian Adventure Tourism Industry Conference,
Kamloops BC. 250-371-5843, advgconf@cariboo.bc.ca,
www.adventureconference.com
MAY 4, Bellingham Kayak Demo Day and Swap Meet,
Bloedel Donovan Park: 360-756-7553, trekkin@fidalgo.com.
May 10-12, The GO Show, Tradex, Trade and Exhibition
Centre in Abbotsford, BC. 1-877-603-1763. www.goshow.ca
May 11-12, White Squall Symposium, Nobel ON.
info@whitesquall.com
May 17-20, Coast Kayak Symposium, Thetis Island BC. 604597-1122, mercias@telus.net.
May 18-19, 6th Annual San Juan Challenge Kayak Race,
Anacortes WA. 360-299-2300, www.sjcraceandexpo.org.
May 31-Jun 7, Jersey International Sea Kayaking Symposium,
UK. Ph: 01534 639390, flyingturtles@localdial.com,
www.jcc.org.je/symposium.
JUNE 1, Ecomarine Demo Day, Jericho Beach, Vancouver
BC. 604-689-7575, www.ecomarine.com.
Jun 8, Necky Race Series—3rd Annual Round Bowen Kayak
Race, Bowen Island BC. 604-947-9266,
www.bowenislandkayaking.com.
Jun 14-16, Adirondack Museum’s No Octane Regatta, Blue
Mountain Lake, NY. 518-352-7311 (ext. 130),
www.adirondackmuseum.org.
Jun 15, Ripple Rendezvous fundraiser, East End Beach,
Portland, ME. drjforgit@yahoo.com, www.rippleffect.net
Jun 15-16, Okanagan Paddlefest, Powell Beach Park,
Summerland, BC. 250-862-8049, susan_bain@telus.net.
Jun 21-23, Vancouver Island Paddlefest, Ladysmith, BC. 250245-4246, www.PaddleCentre.com
Paddlefest@PaddleCentre.com.
Jun 22-23, Great Lakes Sea Kayaking Association’s Spring
Rendezvous, Parry Island, near Parry Sound, Ontario. 905986-4583, don_donna@sympatico.ca.
Jun 23, Sacramento PaddleFest, Lake Natoma, CA.
answers@calkayak.com.
Jun 26-29, 5th Annual Elba Island ‘MareMaraton’, Italy. 50mile sea kayak race and circumnavigation tour.
bkossy@igc.org.
JULY 14, Necky Race Series—Ecomarine BCMTA
Ocean Kayak Marathon, Vancouver BC. 604-689-7520,
www.ecomarine.com.
Jul 27, Necky Race Series—Deep Cove Marathon, North
Vancouver BC. 604-929-2268, www.deepcovekayak.com.
Jul 28-Aug 3, 4th Annual Lake Champlain Sea Kayak
Institute, Plattsburg NY. www.Plattsburgh.edu/adx/lcski.cfm,
518-564-5292.
AUGUST 22-25, 15th Annual Wooden Boat Festival,
Granville Island, Vancouver BC 604-688-9622,
Jan@pragmalLtd.com.
Aug 22-25, Rippleffect Kayak Regatta 2k2 Adventure,
Castine Harbor Lodge, Castine, ME. drjforgit@yahoo.com,
www.rippleffect.net.
SEPTEMBER 20-22, West Coast Kayak Symposium, Port
Townsend, WA. www.gopaddle.org, 800-755-5228.
Photo by: Leisure Works Images
54
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April/May 2002
A Wo r k o f A r t . . . m a d e f o r L i f e !
Yo u r L i f e . . .
Yo u r T i m e . . .
Yo u r K a y a k .
Visit y o u r authorized dealer...t o d a y.
Toll free: In Canada 1.877.655.1822 In USA 1.866.638.2844
w w w. c d k a y a k . c o m
WaveLengthMagazine.com
Races in British Columbia:
April/May 2002
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