Wavelength Kayaking Magazine: Jan. 2009

WaveLength Your complete kayaking resource

MAGAZINE

Volume 19, Issue 1

January 2009 FREE at select outlets or by subscription

Warm water: Join us for a paddle in sunny Belize

PM 41687515

Our 2009 kayak giveaway: someone faces a very tough choice.

Page 24

Plus: • BoréalDésign Epsilon review • The state of orcas • Introducing biyaking

Patagonia Kayak journey charts new frontiers

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WAVELENGTH MAGAZINE

JANUARY 2009

A Work of Art Made for Life

The only real difference is Da Vinci never intended the Mona Lisa to get wet. Designed by artist, assembled by sculptors, paddled by YOU. Visit our website to see our 6 new models for 2009, inlcuding the Infinity and Isle.

JANUARY 2009

WAVELENGTH MAGAZINE

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The First Word

by John Kimantas

WaveLength World's troubles melt on water MAGAZINE

January 2009

Volume 19, Number 1 PM No. 41687515

Editor John Kimantas [email protected] Copy Editing Darrell Bellaart Advertising sales Frank Croft [email protected]

Writing not otherwise credited is by WL staff. Cover Photo:

Patagonia copyright Cristian Donoso

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. WAVELENGTH is an independent magazine available free at hundreds of print distribution sites (paddling shops, outdoor stores, fitness clubs, marinas, events, etc.), and globally on the web. Also available by subscription. Articles, photos, events, news are all welcome. Download back issues and articles online at www.wavelengthmagazine.com

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Wild Coast Publishing 2101 Cinnabar Drive Nanaimo, B.C., Canada, V9X 1B3 Ph: 1-866-984-6437 • Fax: 1-866-654-1937 Email: [email protected] Website: www.wavelengthmagazine.com © 2008. Copyright is retained on all material (text, photos and graphics) in this magazine. No reproduction is allowed of any material in any form, print or electronic, for any purpose, except with the permission of Wild Coast Publishing.

What an awful fall for doom and gloom. I'm a faithful newspaper reader, but I'm not your regular news junkie. My eye tends to scan for the things of particular importance to me, which is a fairly narrow band of interest. Things like the talk of tankers being allowed along B.C.'s Inside Passage, salmon stocks at risk, killer whales starving to death, logging of ancient trees alongside Cathedral Grove, mining of the Catface Range in Clayoquot Sound – the types of things that are going to affect us well into the future, well beyond the latest schemes by politicians trying to fix all the things they've been unable to fix in the past. But lo and behold the regular news was suddenly starting to have an impact on my daily life, and on the lives of the people around me. With the credit crisis and the stock market plunge, confidence in just about everything dried up. d This drop in confidence hit the kayak industry, which logic would seem to indicate would be recession-proof. But no – doubt kept retailers from booking advance orders, creating uncertainty for manufacturers; tour planners worried about a weak dollar. Doubt naturally meant cutting back on marketing; so lo and behold welcome to a leaner Wavelength than we've had in a while (noting it will return to regular size in the next issue). The gloom couldn't last though. A new president meant a new outlook for the U.S., and oddly for the rest of the world too. Gas prices tumbled. Despite the naysayers, a bright future began to emerge. I wonder how long it will be before people realize doom and gloom is a self-fulfilling prophecy? Lose confidence in the stock market and prices plummet. Lose faith in the economy by spending less and the economy crumbles. And so it goes. We here at Wavelength found our own way to insulate ourselves. At the height of the gloom, my partner Leanne and I snuck out of the office early to take two shiny new Epsilons out for a test ride. Everything changes when out on the water. Even the air becomes a natural rejuvenator. Add a fresh ocean breeze, exercise and communing with nature and sensibility returned. Just a little more than an hour on the water and every care in the world seemed to melt away. This suddenly-remembererd freedom took me back to 2005 and my longest kayaking trip (92 days along the B.C. coast). I often went days, nearing weeks, without talking to another soul. In the end only four things really mattered: staying warm, staying dry, staying fed and keeping hydrated. Beyond that everything else was simply clutter. The stock market, world conf lict, even what day of the week it was – those became distant and ultimately unnecessary memories. It's so easy to get lost in the things that are f leeting, important at the time but of little consequence in the long run. We take on cares and pressures that are artificial, that we create for ourselves and use to bind ourselves down. Quite often we end up living a lie based on false expectations of what we think we want. Need a cure? Go kayaking. And the longer the trip the better. - John Kimantas

Cert no. SW-COC-002226

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Leanne Chetcuti photo

Some elements in maps in this magazine are reproduced with the permission of Natural Resources Canada 2008, courtesy of the Atlas of Canada. Also, our thanks to Geobase for some elements that may appear on Wavelength maps.

JANUARY 2009

Cares melt away off Newcastle Island, Nanaimo, BC.

Contents

This month's features:

Regular columns:

8

Fish and Ships: The Columbia River Water Trail Marine Trails 12 by Peter Donohue

6

News

26

New Gear

Cover feature: Patagonia

30

Skillset

12

The wonders of remote Chile

by Alex Matthews

by Paul Jeffrey; photos by Cristian Donoso

20

34

Into Shallow Waters: Belize Warm-water paddling

28

by Lyn Hancock

28

40

Meet the New Epsilon Family Review

Introducing biyaking Options

42

Day Trip #4 California caving at Shell Beach

36

46

by Bryan Nichols

36

Fishing Angles by Dan Armitage

by John Kimantas

32

Conservation/ecology How bad can it be: the state of orcas in the strait

Books and DVDs This is the Sea 4 and Paddling Washington

Conquering Vancouver Island People: Sean Morley

46

by John Kimantas

JANUARY 2009

Events

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News

Green groups set 2009 priorities the Wilderness Committee. B.C.’s at-risk species was picked as a priority because B.C. is one of only two provinces in Canada without a stand-alone law to protect at-risk species. Meanwhile, it has more endangered species than any province or territory. Climate solutions championed by the group include ensuring industrial greenhouse gas emissions are subject to a carbon price; that a portion of B.C.’s budget surplus should go to improvements to local transit service; and the creation of an independently-managed fossilfuel ‘Innovation and Legacy Fund’ to benefit communities and low-income families. The group is also urging a turn away from coalbed methane, a gas trapped in underground coal deposits. Priorities for Environmental Leadership is seeking a 10-year moratorium on coalbed methane drilling to resolve impacts to watersheds, rural communities, wildlife and the environment.

British Columbia’s leading environmental groups have teamed up to tackle a new set of priorities for 2009: at-risk species, climate solutions, coalbed methane and salmon farming. The consortium of 14 environmental groups, Priorities for Environmental Leadership, has picked four issues to champion for the year – the goal being to advocate for a small number of high-impact priorities that can be lobbied to become public policy, meaning a better chance of success. Member groups are the B.C. Sustainable Energy Association, Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (BEST), Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society’s B.C. Chapter, Dogwood Initiative, Ecojustice, Forest Ethics, Georgia Strait Alliance, Greenpeace Canada, Living Oceans Society, Pembina Institute, Sierra Club of Canada’s B.C. Chapter, Society Promoting Environmental Conservation (SPEC), West Coast Environmental Law and

Other fossil fuel development is also being targeted. The fourth issue being sought is a $10 million allocation to establish a Closed System Aquaculture Innovation and Development Fund to leverage investment from industry and accelerate development of closed containment technology for salmon aquaculture. Open pen aquaculture has been widely blamed on sea lice contamination of wild salmon stocks.

Donoso eyes state of Arctic Th is issue's cover-story explorer, Cristian Donoso, is heading on a 550-mile exploration of the Palmer Archipelago and the Danco Coast to study wildlife density and explore the effects of global warming on the Antarctic coast in December 2008. Donoso will be joined by Juan Pablo Ortega and Roger Rovira. The hope is to inform the public about the effect of global warming on the Antarctic coast. Visit www.antarctickayak.com.

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News

Cascadia trail nears federal protection U.S. Representative Jay Inslee recently introduced legislation that would begin the process of giving the Cascadia Marine Trail status as a National Scenic or National Historic Trail. The Washington Water Trails Association submitted a letter of support for legislation that would further protect and elevate the status of the Cascadia Marine Trail. “Puget Sound is a national treasure both for its recreational opportunities and natural resources,” said Inslee, a resident of Bainbridge Island, WA, who serves on the House panel with jurisdiction over the Department of the Interior. “Th is designation would help ensure that generation after generation of Americans can enjoy the history and culture of these waterways.” A trail has to go through a long approval process before it becomes a National Scenic or National Historic Trail. Inslee started the process in August when he introduced legislation providing funding for a feasibility study. An avid kayaker, Inslee thinks the Puget Sound deserves the national recognition that

this designation would provide, as well as the greater protections that would result. Following a study, additional legislation will be required to authorize the trail designation. Finally, the National Park Service will create a management plan that will make the trail designation a reality. To be successful it will take a large amount of community support and engagement. Visit www.wwta.org/trails/cmt/

Remains reinterred on island A Tseshaht First Nations ceremony at the Broken Group Islands in late October was a happy ending for a case of poor judgment by kayakers in the 1970s. But questions remain about how to best handle possible future intrusions into native history in the national park. A child's burial box with remains, glass

JANUARY 2009

beads and copper ornaments estimated to be about 200 years old were replaced in what is believed to be the original burial cave from which they were taken by the kayakers. The bones of two teenagers were also re-interred at the October ceremony. The kayakers gave the remains to the Royal B.C. Museum in Victoria, which returned them to the Tseshaht earlier this year. The ceremony was a tricky one, as burial caves are considered sacred and are not meant to be entered. The entrances were blocked after the ceremony. The incident has raised concerns by the band about how to protect burial caves and other sacred sites in the national park. One idea put forward is to have Tseshaht members act as park wardens. The case highlights the need for kayakers to be aware of the cultural potential of visited locations on the B.C. coast, to respect the sanctity of cultural areas and to avoid removing objects of any type with a historic cultural significance. Caves should also be avoided.

WAVELENGTH MAGAZINE

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Marine Trails

by Peter Donohue

The Columbia River Water Trail offers extremes – in some cases the need for care to stay out of the way of deep-draft ocean freighters, in others paddling through pristine gorges.

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Columbia River

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riends of mine save up their annual vacation time so they can take a twoweek-long adventure. They had been considering a kayak trip along the Big Sur Coastline of California, but were a litt le put off by potential risks from waves and limited landing points. But then they heard about the Columbia River Water Trail, which goes about 150 miles (240 km) from Bonneville Dam to the Pacific Ocean. And after a bit more research and some preparation, we fi nd four intrepid explorers – Brian Lucido and Janet Wagner in the double, and myself and my partner Sylvia Wu in our singles – trying to puzzle all our gear into our kayaks at the launch ramp just below the dam. Th is river was made famous when Lewis and Clark traveled down it on the last segment of their overland route to the Pacific. They picked up one of the tributaries to the river at the Rocky Mountains near Glacier National Park, following it down an increasingly large river – much larger. No surprise, as the Columbia is the watershed for most of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho (and pieces of other surrounding regions). We launched from the river on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend and started our way

downstream amongst the sturgeon fisherman and barge traffic. Our first day was easy, both because we only covered around 10 miles (16 km), but also because the current was flowing at 3-4 knots. We had strong currents, sometimes up to 5 knots, for the first third of our trip. Many of the islands along the river are open for camping. For our fi rst night we stayed on Skamania Island. Being Labor Day weekend, many of the prime camping spots were already in use, but we still found a nice spot with a view of Multnomah Falls in Oregon. Our second night was an upgrade. After paddling about 13 miles (20 km), we stayed on Reed Island, which had pit toilets, picnic tables and a fi re ring (prett y high class, for free camping). Also, being the Monday of Labor Day, the crowds started disappearing. We got to the site early, and then did some extra kayaking. Sylvia’s kayak is a Chatham, and we were directly across from Chatham Island, so a trip there was a natural. Unfortunately, I found my front hatch flooded – not with water but with port. I earlier salvaged a Mylar bag from a box of wine. Too useful to discard, we couldn’t use it for water, as it held onto the wine flavor. And if we transferred more wine into it, the wine would

likely go bad (the bag not being sterile). So I thought we had a winner of an idea of using it to hold port. Th is worked fi ne until we found out the hard way the valve could open when pressed into a tight space (like a packed hatch). Even to this day, my front hatch smells like port. The next day we paddled 14 miles (22 km) to Government Island, with a view of Portland Airport. The campsite was semi-developed, as free campsites go, thanks to a fi re ring and pit toilet but no picnic table. Plenty of nearby blackberry bushes provided a garnish for our oatmeal breakfast. Past here the trip morphed into a new phase. Between Portland and Longview the river became more industrial, with our fi rst glimpse of deep-draft ships. For our fourth day we headed to Alder Creek Kayak and Canoe (which can be hard to fi nd from the water) so we could confi rm that they would handle our return shutt le. We then paddled alongside the area's many house boats. We had to wait to cross the Willamette River, as many tugs and deep draft ships were passing. We realized we were out a bit late in the day when we saw the kite surfers playing in the wind. No islands were in the area, so we camped on shore on the Oregon side. Our total X

JANUARY 2009

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Marine Trails distance for the day was about 18 miles (29 km). The next day we made a side trip to Scappoose Bay Kayaks. We had heard about this awesome hot dog place next door, but unfortunately it was closed for the season (a big letdown). The folks at Scappoose Bay Kayaks were nice enough to allow us to use their showers, and gave us lots of good information for the remainder of the trip. On their advice, we stayed at the island off of Saint Helens. Once again, high-class free camping. A bonus was this island was basically one big blackberry patch with campsites mowed out, so we overdosed on those scrumptious litt le berries. Our total this day: about 16 miles (26 km) Day six was 15 miles (25 km) down to the southern tip of Cottonwood Island, where we camped with a view of a decommissioned nuclear power plant across the river. We had a wonderful fresh salmon dinner, despite our lack of fishing gear. Brian, who we had nicknamed MacGyver because he was

constantly sprucing up campsites with tables and chairs made out of drift wood, used his skills to get a fisherman’s truck out of some sand during our lunch stop. A road construction crew couldn’t do it with brute force, so Brian solved it with drift wood. In appreciation, the fisherman offered us up a whole fresh-caught salmon. It was more than we could possibly eat, and we didn’t have any ice, so we happily sett led for a meal-sized fi llet. Day seven was a short day – only 12 miles (20 km). We poked along, stopping in the town of Ranier to get some supplies (though it turns out there isn’t a grocery store there, so we did our best at a convenience store). We also found the LST Washtenaw County, a military landing craft that was highly decorated in the Vietnam War, which is now stored in a side channel. We ended our day at the west end of Long Island, where we once again ate lots of blackberries. Here the personality of the river changed again. We left behind much of the industrial area and were gett ing back to bald eagles flying above us and other signs of nature. We also found that tide was becoming more of a factor. By starting our trip on Labor Day weekend, we

Above: waiting out tanker traffic. Top: Fresh fish, a just reward for a helping hand. 10

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JANUARY 2009

saved a vacation day and avoided the summer crowds. Unfortunately, we didn’t factor tides in. If we had scheduled based around the tide, we could have had an ebb tide for the whole trip. Tides are about an hour later every day, but if you move downstream about 20 miles each day, the tide will be an hour earlier – offsett ing each other to give you high tide at the same adverse time each day. Oh, well. The next day was another 12 miles (20 km) down to a small island off of Wallace Island. A highlight was seeing a beautiful bald eagle at water level while going through Bradbury Slough. We started our ninth day with the goal of reaching Skamokawa Kayak Center for more local advice and some fresh food from

Columbia River the local grocery. After the mid-day break, we headed to a beach campsite that Skamokawa recommended, totaling just over 18 miles (29 km). The fi rst nine days were all under mostly sunny skies, with just a litt le bit of drizzle one day. But that night the fog announced itself in a big way. We were camping on the beach at Jim Crow Point, with the shipping channel less than a quarter mile away. At about 2 a.m., we heard one very loud fog horn. The fog had sett led in, and a passing freighter started his fog horn blasts just offshore from our campsite. That was a rude awakening. From that point on, it felt like we were always paddling in fog. Thankfully it was only two more days, as my solar battery charger wasn’t able to get much juice in the fog to recharge my GPS batteries. The blackberry bushes also prett y much disappeared – oatmeal just wasn’t the same after that. The next day was a 20-miler (32 kms) to the Deep River area. We had made the decision at Skamokawa to stick to the Washington side, which pleased me. If we went on the Oregon side, we would have stopped at Astoria, a litt le short of the ocean. Instead we were now

headed to Cape Disappointment and the ocean’s edge. Only on our last day of paddling did we fi nally enter salt water, just before the Astoria Bridge. We stopped at the town of Chinook for lunch as we waited for the tide to turn. We then headed out to Bird Islands to see if we could fi nd a campsite (camping is allowed on the larger one). Huge flocks of sea birds such as cormorants live on these islands. We didn’t fi nd anything that looked good for a campsite, so paddled on to Cape Disappointment State Park, where we checked in to the bike and hikein campsite. Unfortunately, this campsite was a half-mile from our boats at the ramp. Brian tried to MacGuyver a transport solution, but in the end, one of the park’s rangers was nice enough to transport our boats to the campsite on a flatbed truck. 

Peter lives in San Francisco and over the past six years has paddled many places along the west coast between Baja and the San Juans. To pay for his kayaking and bicycling, Peter owns a consulting company focused on helping Japanese companies do business in America.

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Cover Feature

by Paul Jeffrey

Five-month expedition reveals wonders of remote Chile

Watched in Trinidad Channel.

The Lautaro Glacier and Lake Greve. 12

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JANUARY 2009

Patagonia

Chilean explorer Cristian Donoso has completed an ambitious expedition to one of the most inhospitable and least known places on earth, the labyrinth of fjords and islands of western Patagonia . The journey, which lasted five months, took Donoso and his companions through stormy waters and across ice-clad ridges. The expedition has provided a unique window into the region that will help the world appreciate the wonders of Patagonia and encourage them to support protection of one of the earth’s natural treasures. Cristian Donoso.

The last day of navigation before mounting Campos de Hielo, entering the Exmouth Fjord in front of the Brüggen Glacier. JANUARY 2009

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Cover Feature

T

HE DAUNTING labyrinth of rocky islands, sinewy channels and icy fjords of western Patagonia has long made this isolated region of southern Chile one of the least-explored areas on earth. Nestled between massive glaciers that hug the slopes of steep Andean peaks and drenching storms that blow out of the southern Pacific, the harsh environment provides litt le to welcome those who venture near. Yet lawyer Cristian Donoso has embraced Patagonia ’s considerable challenges. In the process he has given the citizens of Chile and the wider world a glimpse of the region’s rugged majesty and a unique chance to learn about the imminent threats it faces. An associate laureate of the 2006 Rolex Awards, 32-year-old Donoso planned and led a 155-day, 1,200-mile (2,000-km) odyssey through the region. The expedition had three separate stages between January 17, 2007 and February 24, 2008. Donoso undertook the initial stage

of 47 days alone, carrying out the fi rst navigation and exploration of a large lake formed through climate change. Four other adventurers accompanied him on one or both of the remaining two stages. They used sea kayaks to navigate the region’s narrow fjords and wild surf, then turned them into sleds that they dragged up and over glaciers. The other participants in the expedition were Juan Pablo Ortega, a management engineer, kayaker and climber; Mario Sepúlveda, a climbing guide and champion cross-country skier; Ana Bartley, a marine biologist, climber and kayaker; and Roger Rovira, a Catalonian speleologist and kayaker. The Trans-Patagonia Expedition, which proved even more difficult than Donoso, a veteran explorer of the region, had foreseen, is providing scientists and historians with a treasure trove of new information about Patagonia .

A waterfall separates the Lamero Fjord from the lake to the south. The crossing required carrying gear for 200 yards to the Brazo Lastarria in the Seno de Barros Luco. This was a historic strategic bypass used by Puerto Edén inhabitants to avoid the open sea.

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JANUARY JANUARY2009 2009

Patagonia Most of the journey was across water, and in Patagonia the water is seldom calm. Donoso lost count of how many times he capsized as the team batt led waves, wind and tides. As the expedition neared its end in February, heavy surf and a drastic change in the wind prevented the team from landing on the rocky coastline of Forelius Archipelago. The explorers had to spend the moonless night on their kayaks, clipping the boats together with carabiners, stretching a tent over their bodies and holding on to each other’s paddles for stability. When strong winds pushed them too far out to sea, they paddled back in the dark, using whistles

" In order to make it through that part, we had to stay cheerful, determined and well organized as we worked together.

to follow the kayaker in front of them, unable to detect the crisscrossing waves until they crashed over the kayaks. Donoso, who has been climbing Chile ’s mountains since he was a boy, and in 2002 crossed 300 miles (500 km) of Patagonia solo in a kayak, says the expedition produced several frightening moments, something he considers normal in such harsh conditions. “Fear helps when you’ve got to be highly alert and concentrate for long periods of time in a scenario full of dangers. But fear that approaches panic is our worst enemy when we confront dangers,” says Donoso, who learned to confront some of his own fears when parachuting with the Chilean Army’s Special Forces. Adventurers often get into problems when they lose patience, he says, saying the kayakers discussed the issue during a relatively calm moment the night they were forced to remain at sea. “We talked about similar situations that expeditions had confronted, especially in the mountains. We recalled accidents that occurred during descents at night or in the middle of storms, when explorers succumbed

to impatience and exposed themselves to greater danger by trying quickly to get out of a dangerous or a stressful situation.” Another stressful night came last October as Donoso and his team descended to Greve Lake from the high glaciers of the Southern Ice Fields. They survived over a week of heavy snows that repeatedly buried their tents – and trapped them in one spot for four days. Once across the ice plateau, they had to lower the fully-loaded kayaks – each weighing over 200 pounds (100 kg) – down a snow-covered 2,000-foot (600m) cliff . The team had to do this in stages, carving out platforms in the snow to anchor their ropes as they descended. Donoso had spent months preparing for the expedition by studying satellite photos of the region, plott ing routes and possible campsites. So he was aware in advance of some particularly challenging stretches of the trip. Other difficulties took him by surprise, such as a 6-mile (10-km) stretch of jungle that the team had to cross as they portaged the kayaks and supplies overland from Lake Greve to another lake formed at the foot of the Guacolda Glacier. Donoso says the vegetation was denser than the Amazon rainforest. The team was already tired after almost a month of demanding work, and this stretch of the expedition was the most challenging psychologically. “In order to make it through that part, we had to stay cheerful, determined and well organized as we worked together, demanding the most we could from our bodies,” he says. X

The karst at the north of the Seno de Barros Luco. JANUARY 2009

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Patagonia In November, near the end of the expedition’s second stage, Donoso led the team into a series of caves on Madre de Dios Island, at times descending through underground waterfalls. Besides carrying out an initial mapping of the previously unexplored caves, the team took samples of a stalagmite that will be studied using radioisotope technology at the University of Trier in Germany. Donoso, who calls stalagmites “climatic archives,” believes that the sample is likely to yield important clues about the history of the region’s climate, as well as insights into the nature of global climate change, a phenomenon the team members documented as they kayaked through lakes formed in recent years by the rapid shrinking of several glaciers. The explorers carefully documented the region’s fauna, recording a previously unknown feeding tactic by a species of toad they found riding the waves on Lake Presidente Rios, utilizing the surf to trap and feed on mosquitoes. The explorers also found a colony of Magellanic penguins in the forest of Surania Island, not the usual nesting place for a species known to sett le on the coastline; the birds’ smaller-than-normal size and improved walking skills may indicate the discovery of a new variety or sub-species. And Donoso’s team encountered several South Andean Huemules – the deer that appears on Chile ’s coat of arms – and carefully recorded their observations about this endangered species. Donoso also documented several traces of the indigenous people – Chonos and Kaweskars – who travelled the region, often in canoes, for more than four millennia before Columbus arrived in the western hemisphere. Scholars of the region’s history are already examining Donoso’s reports on the remnants of tidal fish ponds built of rocks by the ancient nomads along the ocean’s edge. Donoso hopes that the expedition, which started from the village of Puerto Edén , home to the last remaining Kaweskar community, will help Chileans better appreciate and protect the indigenous group’s few surviving members. The expedition also discovered relics that may shed light on the 1741 sinking of the English frigate Wager on the north coast of the Guayaneco Peninsula. The ship’s fate was popularized at the time by the journal of one of the ship’s crew, John Byron, who survived with help from two X

Baffin Island

A unique paddling experience. JANUARY 2009

Huge rock rock walls wall and icebergs dominate the seascape o on this amazing se sea ea kayaking kayaki expedition.

Pacific Rim Paddling Co. Box 1840, 621 Discovery St. Victoria, BC Canada V8W 2Y3 (250) 384-6103 [email protected] www.PacificRimPaddling.com WAVELENGTH MAGAZINE

17

Cover Feature

Left: Exploring karst at the north of the Island of Madre de Dios. Above: But snow was in abundance during the 1,300meter crossing of the Brüggen Glacier (also known as Pio XI) and the Capitán plateau on the way to Lake Greve. Below: surf launching. Right: bordering Lake Greve.

A gigantic iceberg arrives near the campground at Lake Greve. 18

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JANUARY 2009

indigenous groups who spirited Byron and three other survivors through the treacherous waters in their canoes. The ship’s sinking encouraged Spain to increase exploration in the area, accelerating what Donoso dubbed “the encounter of two worlds” in the remote reaches of Patagonia. Donoso spent months gathering fi nancial and material support for the expedition. In Santiago, where he shares a law practice with a partner who covers for him while he is exploring the wild, Donoso persuaded several companies to provide the expedition with its essential components, including kayaks, tents, clothing, communications gear, dehydrated food and other equipment needed to survive in the harsh environment. The fi nancial support from Donoso’s Rolex Award was used to purchase two high-defi nition video cameras and other audio-visual equipment, as well as to cover insurance and customs duties. Donoso said the support from Rolex was “fundamental” in opening doors to other sponsors. Portable solar panels successfully recharged their radios and satellite phones during the fleeting moments of sun, allowing the team to update their website almost daily. The explorers also used a backup wind generator. The only disappointment was the marine housings for the video and still

Patagonia he says. “It’s possible to integrate that other world with ours, conserving it as it is and approaching it in non-invasive ways, as in a great park that generations to come can have an opportunity to experience as we have done. ONOSO is now editing over 80 “Th rough the different media we’ve used, our hours of high-definition video shot during the expedition has brought back the surprise and expedition; he will produce a documentary to be Under the south front of San Quintin Glacier. fascination we felt in these spaces. By focusing broadcast on Chilean television later this year. public attention on the formidable natural scenery of western Patagonia , The video will show some of the explorers’ accomplishments, including we are also focusing public attention on the forces that seek to destroy it.” the Patagonian peaks they were the first explorers to climb. But its main objective is to provide the general public with knowledge of the remote  stretches of Patagonia while there is still time to save the rugged region. For more information and photos of the expedition, please visit “In order to protect this territory, we’ve got to know what’s there,” www.incognitopatagonia.com/ says Donoso, who reports that most Chileans have litt le knowledge of the region. “Our expedition has focused public attention on this territory, not in a neutral manner, but from a perspective that puts in sharp relief what the region – an undamaged fragment of our world – means for the present and future of humanity.” Patagonia faces a number of threats, including new hydroelectric projects, mining and the massive logging of an endangered species of cypress. Yet Donoso is most concerned about the immediate impact of industrial-scale fishing. Salmon farming in southern Chile has been hard hit by a virus known as infectious salmon anaemia, forcing producers to venture into more remote areas of Patagonia in search of uncontaminated waters. “We have demonstrated that there is still a frontier between the world that’s subject to our annihilation and the world that is still free from this,” cameras, which Donoso had to reinforce constantly with silicon, wire and tape to keep the saltwater out.

D

“We know our stuff”

Ocean River’s Alex Wellington

getting you out there since 1981

A Proud “on water” Delta Kayaks dealer

INDUSTRY SPECIALISTS IN THERMO-FORMED KAYAKS Lighter • Stronger Ultimate UV Protection and Abrasion-Resistance www.deltakayaks.com

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Made in Canada 604-460-6544

JANUARY 2009

WAVELENGTH MAGAZINE

19

Warm-water paddling

by Lyn Hancock

Lighthouse Reef, Belize:

Into

Shallow waters

E

VERYONE has different reasons for loving Lighthouse Reef, the most remote of Belize’s three coral atolls. Blame it on the many natural wonders. Jacques Cousteau and scuba divers love it for the Blue Hole, a circular hole in the middle of the atoll, 1,000 feet wide and 400 feet deep. Its image from the air, a dazzling sapphire set into a shimmering emerald sea, defi nes Belize. Snorkellers love the reef for its sheltered shallow lagoon, littered with patch reefs, gutted with canyons and edged by walls and dropoffs. They relish its clear warm water and its exceptional marine life so abundant that many sites on the reef are labeled The Aquarium or The Zoo. Anglers love it for the ease in which they can haul in a multitude of fish like barracuda, tarpon, grouper and snapper. Birders love it for its easy viewing of rookeries full of magnificent frigate birds, which inflate their red throat pouches into big balloons to att ract mates in breeding season; and a unique colony of red-footed boobies that are white, not dull brown like elsewhere. Photographers love it for the customary tropical images of white sandy beaches, turquoise waters full of colorful corals and fish, multicoloured sunsets (and sunrises), and waving coconut palms. Their bonus is the abundant and tolerant wildlife – not only the boobies, frigates, ospreys, grackles and pelicans but the iguanas, turtles and

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JANUARY JANUARY 2009 2009

ubiquitous hermit crabs. Opportunities are endless – from dramatic lighthouses and artistic shipwrecks to fun, photogenic multicultural people. Soon after arriving I found myself looking at a long, curving peninsula of whitesand beach, narrow enough to skip across from sea to sea in less than a minute. At one end, half a dozen airy wall tents with adjacent hammocks peeped from a grove of slanting coconut trees to face the lagoon, just steps away from the tents. At the other end, a dense canopy of glossy ziricote trees hid who knows what treasures. A few weeks later, I discovered that treasure – a breeding sanctuary for magnificent frigates and booby birds and an old, rusty but romantic-looking lighthouse topped by a nest of ospreys. Kayakers love Lighthouse Reef because everything is provided, with the bonus of a Belizean staff full of fun. There’s even yoga before breakfast. Some have called it their favorite place on Earth. Each day we had the option of paddling to a different location inside the protected lagoon, sometimes to patch reefs close to camp, other times to undersea cliffs at the edge of the atoll. We tied the kayaks together in a line and snorkeled free or we drifted over the reef pulling our kayaks behind us. Always a motorboat accompanied us in case anyone tired or ventured too far from the group. One day we hoisted sails on our double kayaks and paddled west five miles across the lagoon to Long Caye. Sailing a kayak was new to most

Belize of us so we vied to partner with Don, a veteran yachtsman from San Francisco who had sailed solo twice around the world. Well, almost solo. Had his yacht not slid onto the back of a blue whale off Africa and he thought it prudent to land in Cape Town for repairs, he would have succeeded in his goal to do it without contact with another person. Ironically, Don was the one who capsized his kayak on the way over to Long Caye, not once but twice! We looked on in disbelief. “Kayaks have no keel,” he said with an embarrassed grin. “They’re sensitive, tippy. I guess I was too cocky.” Another day we paddled to a picturesque shipwreck within sight of camp then continued north for six more miles. We watched the waves crashing on the outside of the reef, which had claimed five ships. We were glad to be paddling the lagoon side. “Time for lunch,” called Dick, our leader, a biologist who bides his time between Oregon and Belize. “Tie your kayaks in a line and I’ll set up tables.” I wasn’t the only one who circled the featureless horizon with our eyes and wondered how he could do that. We didn’t realize the water was so shallow till we dropped overboard, our feet touched bottom and we walked on top of the reef to the feast. It was uncanny to be standing at a card table eating lunch in the middle of an ocean with no land in sight. After lunch we had no need to don our snorkels to explore the reef. We just bent over to study the reef ’s colorful creatures.

L

IGHTHOUSE REEF has its ups and downs. I didn’t need a helicopter to take a picture of the osprey nest on top of the old

lighthouse. I just needed Jaime, a cheery young Kiwi travelling the world as an outdoor guide. Jaime was afraid of nothing, either up or down. Carrying my camera and telephoto lens on his back, he clambered up the new steel lighthouse which was much taller than the old one and happily clicked dozens of shots for me of fluff y white chicks in the nest and an adult osprey flying in to feed them. The old lighthouse far below was an artistic backdrop for his images. Next day he was down. Fift y feet down. I traded my underwater camera for his fearlessness. While I trod water at the top, Jaime dived down fi ft y feet, found and followed a massive turtle skimming the sandy sea bottom, maneuvered himself into the best camera position, took time to take shots from several different angles, then rose calmly back to the surface to take his fi rst breath. Amazing! You don’t have to climb into the sky or swim to the depths of the ocean to have an adventure on this island. I found my most memorable adventure on the ground. X

JANUARY 2009

Left page: red-footed boobies, shallow paddling and surveying a wreck. Above: preparing for a sailing trip. Top: the camp set among the palms at Lighthouse Reef.

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Warm-water paddling

Above: lunch in shallow water. Below right: an osprey nest on an old lighthouse. Next page: up close with a massive turtle thanks to guide Jaime's enviable lung capacity.

“We know our stuff”

Ocean River’s Russell Henry

getting you out there since 1981

A Proud “on water” Current Designs dealer 1824 STORE STREET VICTORIA, BC. PH 250.381.4233 • TOLL FREE 1 800 909 4233 WWW.OCEANRIVER.COM

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In the early mornings before kayaking, I would stroll the nature trail to the viewing platform overlooking the rookery on Half Moon Caye. Its most famous inhabitants are its red-footed boobies. They are a motley lot with their white clownish faces, blue beaks and bright red feet. About 4,000 of them nest at the western end of the island in the orange-flowering ziricote trees. Living alongside and sharing the same trees are the magnificent frigate birds, all black except in the mating season when they inflate their throat pouches into massive red balloons that overpower the rest of their bodies. There is tension between the boobies and the frigates. Frigates feed by forcing the adult boobies to drop their catches as they fly in to feed their young. The booby’s defence is to out-maneuver the bigger frigate in the air. Sometimes they slant their bodies against the sun to dazzle and blind their pursuers. It’s not so easy when the booby is a chick and helpless in the nest. A sudden screaming and a rush of wings in the basket of branches above my head and I looked up to see a gang of black frigates swooping down, one after the other, to attack a vulnerable booby chick, all alone in the nest, valiantly jabbing the air with its slender beak. Miraculously, the fluff y white chick remained intact. Perhaps the frigates were too big or too clumsy to move into position for a successful kill. Unable to help and with my paddle mates waiting, I had to leave. That afternoon, Edna and Diana, my pals from B.C., found the chick in a huddle on the ground, amazingly still alive. They took it to Sylvestre, the Audubon warden. Sylvestre sees these batt les on a daily basis so he was reluctant to take it in. “We have no time to look after them. I had two die in my house yesterday. You should leave them on the ground for the iguanas and hermit crabs.” Back in B.C. I have a history of raising orphaned animals such as

Belize eagles, seals, bears, cougars, apes and raccoons, so I did a deal with Sylvestre to care for this one. He called it Lyn. I spent the rest of my time on Lighthouse Reef – before and after kayaking – assembling materials for a platform nest, keeping it clean, scrounging and cutting up fish and feeding it to the chick, much to the amusement of the few Belizeans on the island.

Keeping busy is never a problem on Lighthouse Reef. <

Lyn Hancock is an adventurous Aussie Canuck, an author of 19 books and multitudinous articles, a photographer, teacher and presenter based in Nanoose Bay. She calls her kayak Lyn's Ark and readers of her books such as There's a Seal in my Sleeping Bag will know why. Visit her at www.lynhancock.com.

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Wavelength Magazine

23

Kayak Giveaway

1

Which is for you? (Th ink about it, because you might have to choose)

We asked our favorite kayak manufacturers to help us thank our best supporters – our Wavelength Magazine subscribers. Four manufacturers answered the call, offering up a menu of six kayaks for grabs. Here's how it works. We're holding the draw in September 2009. Everyone who subscribes between July 1, 2008 and Sept. 1, 2009 will automatically be entered. When we pick the winner, that person will face one heck of a tough choice: picking which one of these kayaks he or she will take home. The Epsilon is reviewed in this issue. Watch for reviews of the other kayaks throughout the year to help you decide which is right for you.

1. BoréalDésign Epsilon C100, C200 or C300 This hybrid between Greenland and North American styles could well be the perfect mix for someone looking for the fun and playfulness of a Brit boat without sacrificing comfort, which includes a roomy cockpit, handy dayhatch and a rudder. Plus you get your pick of three sizes, one perfect for just about any body size. See the Wavelength review on page 28.

2. Current Designs Infinity New for 2009, the Infinity is a large expedition sea kayak for British design aficionados. The raised foredeck and keyhole cockpit is roomy enough to comfortably accommodate larger paddlers and the spacious hatches will hold enough gear for any expedition. Terrific speed and glide make this one of the fastest kayaks in the Current Designs line. The Infinity will conquer all the worlds waters with the efficiency Current Designs is known for. Skeg, back band, full deck rigging and day hatch come standard.

Vote for your choice online: www.wavelengthmagazine.com/forum

The legal stuff: Draw void where prohibited by law. No purchase is necessary; if you do not wish to subscribe, or are a current subscriber whose renewal period is outside the contest dates, simply fill out the form and check the appropriate box. A skill testing question must be answered to win: (4x9)-16=? Contest not open to Wavelength employees. 24

WAVELENGTH MAGAZINE

JANUARY 2009

Kayak Giveaway

4. Seaward Quantum This may be the ultimate hybrid: a North American-style kayak with a retractable skeg, based upon the proven design of Seaward's multi-chined Chilco and Cosma. Add the Brit style of a low back deck (ideal for rolling), Greenland style bow and skeg with recessed hatches and deck fittings and you have a sporty model with all the touches Seaward is known for. For those look for quick -release self-rescue straps and a three-piece safehatch system plus a multitude of other features for safety and comfort.

3. Delta 16 Versatility is the key here as the Delta 16 has two hatches and an additional two day-hatches, plus it is light enough to be a day paddling kayak yet the dry storage availability complements a week-long excursion. The Delta 16 is a quick and comfortable kayak that will eat up miles of waterways effortlessly.

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JANUARY 2009

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25

New Gear

Pygmy Boats' Pingino Sport

Th is latest offering from Pygmy Boats Inc. was so fresh from the shop when this photo was taken the glue was still wet. It's the Pinguino Sport, a 13- foot long, 25.5" beam recreational kayak that adds to Pygmy's long list of wooden sea kayaks (and let's not forget the canoe and a skiff ). Pygmy bills the Pinguino Sport as quick to accelerate, maneuverable and effortless to track in a straight line. Its size makes it a good fit for a day kayaker or as a tag-along for larger sailboats or power cruisers. The stability and roomy cockpit also make it a likely candidate for photography, fishing, gunkholing, surfi ng and just all around fun on the water. One last great reason to like wooden boats: the weight is just 36 lbs. Build it by kit or buy it assembled for you. www.pygmyboats.com

Kokatat When we visited the Port Townsend Sea Kayak Symposium this fall, it wasn't surprising to see lots of people wearing mango Kokatat drysuits. They, after all, are the uniform of choice for those about to Greenland roll, especially here in the Pacific Northwest (cold water, after all). But wait! What if your interest is trout rather than the reverse sweep? Kokotat has that covered now with a whole new line designed with anglers in mind. The line includes the SuperNova Angler Paddling Suit, Tempest Pant with Socks, and Launch Sock, all made with Kokatat’s New Tropos three-layer waterproof, breathable fabric. Also look for the Tempest Jacket made from standard two-layer Tropos fabric. What makes these better for anglers? Consider the SuperNova Angler Paddling Suit's increased mobility from the Kokatat SuperNova, plus increased cordura coverage from below the waist to the ankles on the front of the suit, and on the seat for Launch reinforcement and protection needed for changing tackle and handling gear. socks A relief zipper cover is also added to make it easier to haul your catch onto your lap after landing the big one. The Tempest Jacket and Pant adds a stowable hood for use in wind and rain, while the Tempest Paddling Pant incorporates the same sock system found on Kokatat's drysuits. Lastly, the Launch Sock keeps feet dry while launching and landing your boat in knee-deep water. It pulls on over bare or socked feet, snugs down with elastic and has a cord lock for launch, plus can then be easily pulled off when under way. Of course you don't need a fishing rod to benefit from these features, but after all this effort don't tell Kokatat! www.kokatat.com

Go The Distance,

paddle with power and control with Canadian Hand Crafted…

designed for optimum lightness, strength, power, and comfort.

BUY FACTORY DIRECT! www.nimbuspaddles.com [email protected] 26

WAVELENGTH MAGAZINE

JANUARY 2009

SuperNova Angler Paddling Suit

New Gear

NRS

Tired of the latest designer colors? Looking for something a litt le more traditional in your dry top styling? NRS has that covered. The Flux drytop range of styles has been expanded to include, yes, good old-fashioned plaid. It's made of waterproof and breathable 3-layer, 210-denier fabric with a double-tunnel design that meshes with a kayak's sprayskirt, so it has the credentials. But we can't wait to see where this leads. Tartan sprayskirts? Leopard skin booties? Paddlesports will never look the same again!

6ICTORIA  +ELOWNA  4/,,&2%%   

JANUARY 2009

WAVELENGTH MAGAZINE

27

Review

Leanne Chetcuti photo

The C300.

Meet the new Epsilon family I

BoréalDésign had a simple philosophy kayak. So while comfort in the cockpit may be one reason to choose a particular model, the T SEEMED like a good idea at the time. in creating the series: make a kayak that fits everyone, in both weight and wallet. type of ride you're looking for is another. The suggestion was to kayak the tidal Because all three kayaks are based on the (As an example, Stephan, at 6'0" and 225 channel Dodd Narrows at peak current to test same platform, the kayaks should perform pounds, liked the fit of the P100 slightly better out the new Epsilon by BoréalDésign. the same with the correct kayaker in the than the C300. "The fit for me in the P100 was So sure enough, there we were on an appropriate kayak (90-160 lbs. for the 100, just about perfect, other than I found the thigh unusually sunny October weekend morning 140-225 lbs. for the 200 and 200-280 lbs. for braces tended to slope up towards the middle thrashing through eddylines, rips and the 300). But after some playing around it was of the cockpit making it hard to stay in the boat whirlpools – all in the name of giving this new obvious that the three models offer more than when rolling.") puppy a workout. The basics: All six Epsilons share the just the option of a size difference. They offer Scratch that. We had more than one puppy same design: that is, a low, relatively flat stern the same kayaker a fundamentally different to test. With the Epsilon, BoréalDésign has and a ridged higher deck in front of the cockpit paddling experience depending on the picked given birth to a litter. All told there are six that gives it a kinship to a Epsilons to pick from: three Greenland-style kayak, except models of various sizes in two Epsilon specs for the rudder. Th is makes it different construction types. Model P100/C100 P200/C200 P300/C300 a versatile boat that has good So that gives you a choice of Length 16'4" 17" 17'6" potential as a sports boat while the diminutive C100 or P100, Beam 22.5" 23.5" 24.25" still offering some capacity for the mid-size C200 or P200, Cockpit 16x31" 16x31" 17x33" touring. or the oversize C300 or P300. Weight (poly) 62 lbs. 63 lbs. 64 lbs. From there the Epsilons The "C" stands for composite Weight (composite) 53 lbs. 54 lbs. 55 lbs. diverge, depending on the (fiberglass), and the "P" for Volume 375 litres 415 litres 450 litres model. Myself, being 5'11" and polyethelyne. (As if that wasn't Front depth 12.25" 12.75" 13.5" 175 pounds, I was able to fit enough, you can also order a Rear depth 8.75" 9" 9.75" relatively comfortably in all kevlar or full carbon layout.) Stephan Meinke fights a whirlpool in Dodd Narrows – not the average conditions for testing a kayak.

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JANUARY 2009

BoréalDésign Epsilon three, but with a huge variation in the way I had to sit. In the P100 my legs were almost straight, while in the C300 I had to straddle into a position where I was bracing with knees rather than thighs. Some might fi nd that stance comfortable (Stephan felt fi ne in it), but for me it was simply too wide a boat. I suspect this will be true of most paddlers under 6'2". For Walter, a Nanaimo paddler who measures in at 6'7" the fit seemed good, so the C300 would certainly be appropriate for taller paddlers (Boréal distinguishes the size by weight, not height). (There may be other considerations. One paddler, otherwise correctly weighted, found the shape and size of the foredeck on the C300 interfered with his Greenland paddle strokes.) Squeezing into the P100 might not seem worthwhile for a moderate-sized paddler when the P200 is available, but don't dismiss the smaller boat too quickly. You may be missing out on a great deal of fun. The P100 came to life during our test in Dodd Narrows. Where the C300 cruised through some conditions with nary a bobble, the P100 jumped, careened and generally played along with the currents in a lively and enthralling way (noting the Dodd Narrows current, which nearly swallowed the P100 as shown at lower left , is not typical paddling conditions). The rating: Touring: All three Epsilons have capacity for short trips but are not expedition-level volume. The low height on the stern reduces the volume of the rear hatch. A day hatch located behind the cockpit holds good volume but can be tricky to replace the cover securely, especially with cold fi ngers. The C300 tracks and behaves best for long-distance touring, while the smaller P100 almost certainly needs the use of the rudder for tracking in beam weather. The C300 seemed slowest for general touring. Both the P100 and C300 tended to get wash over the bow in moderate to low windwave conditions, likely due to the low height. The seat is easily modified and potentially very comfortable, with lots of support. The cockpit in the C300 has a high volume in front of the feet that could prove useful. Playing (surf, etc.): The P100 is the star here. It is an exceptionally sporty and versatile litt le boat that will challenge a kayaker in just about any condition. It is an ideal level-entry kayak for someone who will want to develop skills such as rolling or surfi ng

The P100 in a more sedate environment.

while still having a rudder on a good, stable boat. The C300, on the other hand, is a tug in comparison (again, compared to the same paddler in different boats). The C300 skirted over currents that would catch the P100 – which is not a bad thing, depending on what style of kayaking you're looking for. Stability: All three models seem to have good to very good stability. BoréalDésign chose a soft chine, but with a flat extent that provides a fairly predictable edge. Again, this changes with the paddler. In the P100 our lightest paddler felt the secondary stability quite good; two heavier paddlers rated it lower. "When edging the boat hard I found the transition from the primary to the secondary to be gradual but there was no warning when going from the maximum secondary stability to having no stability," Stephan noted. But at 225 pounds he shouldn't be in the P100. Meanwhile, Walter found the secondary stability in the C300 excellent. Rolling: All three are well-designed for rolling due to the reduced rear depth (just over 9" for the C300). The seat pivots to accommodate a role, but sits high at its default sett ing. Stephan found this interfered with his roll. JANUARY 2009

The positives: The Epsilon is a good looking boat in the water. Its beefy styling of the front deck gives it an aggressive look, while on the composite the one-piece cockpit combing is a refreshing change from the usual black rims on many other boats. The fi nish is excellent. The poly coloring is bright and cheery, and looks great for its class. A nice touch is grooves on the foredeck in front of the cockpit for putt ing down your paddle so it won't slide off . Points worth noting: After some aggressive rolls and rapids, small amounts of water leaked into some hatches, a common hazard with rubber hatch covers. The day hatch cover was difficult to seal and could be a chore with cold fi ngers. BoréalDésign has created a fairly unique mechanism for deploying the rudder, with one attachment directly to the right of the cockpit combing, a perfect place to inadvertently catch fi ngers. The rudder cables are rope rather than the typical stainless steel cables. Th is may make repair and replacement much easier, but possibly at the expense of durability and lifespan. Several testers called the pedals spongy, costing control. On the plus side they slid well and were easy to adjust. Overall: These were fun boats to review and anyone interested in a sporty boat who prefers a rudder over a skeg will likely fi nd a model that fits perfectly from among the myriad of models BoréalDésign has made available. It may be most ideal for a novice interested in skill development seeking something in the mid range between the British and North American kayak styles, but all levels of ability will fi nd something to appreciate. More info: visit www.BoréalDésign.com. WAVELENGTH MAGAZINE

29

Skillset

by Alex Matthews

Taking it to

E

the edge

DGING REFERS, logically enough, to holding your kayak on edge. It is accomplished by dropping one knee and raising the other. Th ink in terms of loading one butt cheek or the other, while keeping your upper body and head over the kayak. With practice, it will become easy to quickly edge your boat to either side, maintain it on edge, or smoothly transition from one edge to the other. Note that this is different from simply leaning your torso out to the side. Edging refers to angling the kayak on edge, not just leaning your body. When tilting your boat on edge, keep your hips loose and your weight balanced over your kayak. Shift your weight slightly over to one butt cheek and lift the opposite knee. You should feel your whole rib cage shift ing over to that side of your kayak. Your stomach and side muscles will be working to keep your body upright, while your legs hold a steady tilt on your boat. In particular, your top knee will be pulling upward on its thigh hook. Holding your kayak on edge is a skill that takes practice, and your ultimate goal is to be able to hold your boat on edge and still take effective strokes. One of the best ways to practice this is to try to hold your boat on edge as you paddle forward. Edging is generally done for three fundamental reasons: • To turn your kayak faster; • To hold course; and • To manage waves and current. Edging to turn To turn your kayak faster, you can edge your boat to the inside or the outside of the turn (depending on what stroke you are doing). Edging your boat either way will yield a tighter turning radius and increase maneuverability. The reason why this works is that placing a kayak on edge drastically changes the boat’s “footprint.” A kayak’s footprint is the shape that its hull 30

WAVELENGTH MAGAZINE

Practice paddling forward on an edge to improve your stability and confidence.

makes in the water. Imagine standing on the bottom of the sea, looking up at a kayak floating on the surface. As the boat is put on edge, the shape that its hull makes in the water changes. The overall waterline, or length of the boat that is immersed, will shorten as the boat rolls on edge. Depending on the kayak, the boat’s keel may also come free on the water when edged aggressively and allow the stern to “skid around,” giving even tighter turns. Edging to hold course Some conditions will tend to cause a kayak to veer off course. Beam winds can often have this effect. Edging your kayak to the same side that your bow is tending to veer towards will often work very well to compensate for the wind’s action on your boat, and can be very effective in maintaining a straight course. Since edging for long distances is physically JANUARY 2009

demanding, most boats come equipped with a skeg or rudder that will help with course corrections without the need to maintain edging. Edging to manage waves When paddling in current or waves, it is often necessary to aggressively edge the kayak one way to avoid accidentally loading or catching the other edge of your boat, which would fl ip you upside down. In breaking waves, a kayak will be pushed across the surface of the water by the power of the waves. In this case, you must lean away from the direction that the kayak is skimming across the water. Failure to do so will engage the leading edge of the boat and fl ip it (sometimes quite violently). To stay upright and in control, expose the bottom of your boat to the oncoming water by leaning your

Edging

1

Edge into a breaking wave with a brace.

2

Maintain edging while balanced over the boat.

3

Toll free 877-392-8880 www.bearmountainboats.com



Adapted from “Sea Kayaking: Rough Waters” by Alex Matthews available at www.helipress. com. Alex has authored and co-authored several kayaking skills books and has been involved in the design and development of kayaks. Contact him at [email protected]

Ride out the foam pile.

Instructions • Plans • Materials Canoe, Kayak & Small Boat Kits Classes with Ted Moores Plywood Kayak Kits Wooden Boat Restoration Custom Building

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boat into wave. Edge your kayak toward the approaching wave and use a low or high brace for support as the wave pushes you sideways across the water’s surface. Small, friendly surf is a wonderful medium for developing confidence while edging, as all three reasons for edging come into play while surfi ng. Dress warmly for immersion and keep your arms and hands low to protect shoulder joints while playing. And have fun!

Guided Sea Kayak Tours Along the Coast of the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia. Contact: Norm Hann 604.848.8792 [email protected] tantalus-adventures.com

JANUARY 2009

WAVELENGTH MAGAZINE

31

Options

Beyond ocean kayaking

by Bryan Nichols

Biyaking Introducing

Get loopy with your kayak and a bicycle

A

TT ENTION Lord Webster and Lady Oxford, I've got a new word for you. The term, “to biyak,” is a verb whose time has come. Biyaking is a combination of bicycling and kayaking, preferably a loop. Instead of shutt ling between your put-in and take-out locations with a car, you make the trip on bicycle. It's pedaling and paddling, on shore and on the water. The Basics of Biyaking The best biyak routes combine a good paddle with an interesting and safe pedal. If you're like me, narrow roads and fast-moving cars are terrifying, so good biyak routes aren't especially easy to fi nd. Nonetheless, many kayaking trips can be connected by back roads, dirt trails for mountain bikes or even paved bike trails. I didn't get into biyaking because I love bicycles – I haven't liked bicycle seats since my banana-seated chopper in Grade 5. However, I do a lot of solo paddling. When you're alone, shutt ling a vehicle is logistically problematic, which makes a lot of river runs and longer paddles impossible to do. So I started thinking about ways I could make the connection with a bicycle, which can cruise considerably faster than a kayak and cover terrain a car cannot. Biyaking Gear You'll need the usual kayaking stuff, but you'll probably want to pare it down to the bare minimum. Pack light, because without a locking hatch or some other kind of secure storage, you'll need to carry everything you'd rather not leave in your boat when you pedal from kayak to car. In addition to the stuff you're used to kayaking with, you'll also need:

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A biyaking enthusiast is usually easily spotted: two sports racks are a dead giveaway.

· A good bike lock (for your unattended bike); · A good kayak cable lock (for your unattended kayak); and · Safety lights and clothing (if you'll be on roads). Right now I'm using a Lasso security cable for my kayak, a Lightman strobe (visible in daylight) for highways and one of those Pacsafe locking mesh things that travelers use to secure their backpacks, which allows me to secure my paddle, PFD and a few other things to my kayak. Gearheads and tinkerers: here's a new reason to buy and/or invent new toys. Better yet, biyak shutt ling would be simpler if you could carry your bicycle or kayak with you. How about a folding kayak on a bike trailer? JANUARY 2009

Or a folding bike on a kayak? Those are both probably difficult to manage, but there are some interesting loops that could be done with a folding kick scooter or inline skates. Skayaking? Kayootering? You decide. Three types of biyaking To give you an idea of the possibilities, here are three examples of biyak routes from Florida, which is well suited for the sport, as there are plenty of relatively flat, slow-moving rivers with roads and trails to connect to them. I'm in Central Florida right now, and since just about every river in peninsular Florida is Class I or tidal, the problems tend to be on the road, not the water. Bicycling (and walking) are something of an oddity down here; you take your chances amidst hordes of SUVs and

Biyaking Here's what my Withlacoochee exploratory biyak trip consisted of: Drive to the upstream end, just under a highway overpass and drop off the kayak. Drive to the downstream end (in this case a small boat ramp in a tiny town). Bike 10 miles (16 km) back to the upstream end along the paved Withlacoochee Trail (there are brief bits of road at each end to connect with the river). Lock up the bike and load everything else into the kayak. Paddle the winding 15 miles (24.5 km) back to car. Then pick up the bike on way home. Water levels were low on my exploratory trip and I saw just one other paddler for the fi rst 12 miles (20 km), in part because I had to push over several weed dams and grunt across a so-called lake that looked more like a field. So I got a great workout, being self-powered for over 24 miles (40 km) using both my upper and lower body. A biyak route near you? Fairly flat Florida already has some very interesting biyak routes, and with just a litt le work there could be plenty more. Th ink of it – a new word for the brochures. Save gas, keep fit and enjoy the beautiful new biyak trails! With a litt le work, many more biyak routes could open up. A small investment for trails to connect rivers, roads and launches, along with posts to lock kayaks to, would make an area more biyak friendly. Take a minute to think about your local rivers, bays, estuaries and coasts. Is there a spot that just cries out for a biyak trip near you? If so, let us know in the Wavelength forum at www.wavelengthmagazine.com/forum. 

When not plotting new biyak routes, marine biologist Bryan Nichols teaches at the University of South Florida.

JANUARY 2009

ADVENTURE TOURISM at North Island College W W W. N I C . B C . C A

Lincolns steered by drivers who haven't seen a bicycle on the highway since the great floods back in 'ought six, by golly. 1. The urban biyak route Paddling through skyscrapers is a change of pace for wilderness kayakers, and a downtown biyak loop can provide some of the best scenery a city has to offer. Ideally you can start in one park, paddle to another, and pedal between them along a smooth shoreline path, whether the shore is a river, lake or oceanfront. Great meals, coffee, culture and shopping options don't hurt either. Not-so-ideal conditions include boat traffic on the water, automobiles on land, and sections of town you can't safely travel through or leave things in. Most cities and a lot of towns were built on rivers or coasts, so yours probably has biyak routes lurking in it somewhere. 2. The estuary biyak Flat terrain means you can follow rivers here right out to sea, enjoying the transition from freshwater to salt. You get a nice, long paddle downstream and don't have to double back. A good example here is the lower Anclote River, which flows through downtown Tarpon Springs. Starting at Craig Park, you can connect a six-mile (9-km) paddle out the river and down the coast to Sunset Park with a quick, 2.5 mile (4-km) bike ride through mostly residential streets. With parks at each end, launching and retrieving is easy, and the scenery varies nicely. 3. The ideal biyak – a beautiful river and a former railroad I recently completed a near-ideal biyak loop along the Withlacoochee River. Sections of the river run along the Withlacoochee Trail, a rails-to-trails paved bike trail, which makes for a great long-distance biyak loop.

Coastal Adventure Tourism Certificate January start 20 Weeks | Campbell River

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Connect with other kayakers! Ask questions, share expertise.

Join Wavelength's online community: wavelengthmagazine.com/forum

WAVELENGTH MAGAZINE

33

Conservation/Ecology

by John Kimantas

L

UMMI’S PASSING marked the end of an era for the Northwest's southern resident killer whale population. And it may also herald the start of a new dark age for the endangered

orcas. On Saturday, Oct. 11 a vigil to celebrate the life of the elderly matriarch otherwise known as K7 was held at Lime Kiln Point State Park lighthouse on San Juan Island. Concern was fi rst raised when Lummi failed to return with her pod this summer to the San Juans after last being seen Dec. 23, 2007. The matriarch was the oldest orca among the three pods that call the Georgia Basin home each summer. She was believed to be born in about 1910, making her an observer to all the harsh conditions that have befallen the creatures over the last century, from pollution to state-sanctioned hunts to decimation of their primary food source, chinook salmon. Lummi was one of seven orcas that the Center for Whale Research believes died in 2008, dropping the population to 83, the lowest number since 2003 – a sobering trend given the slow but steady increase in numbers since the population reached an all-time low in the 1970s, before they became a protected species. Worse yet, new behavior is pointing to a disturbing future for the remaining killer whales in the southern resident population. The Washington-based Orca Network is drawing an alert to the development of a “peanut head” – a dip behind the blow-hole, an

indication blubber is being drawn away from that area as a defense mechanism against starvation. In addition, the whales seem to be fanning out or trying new strategies to locate chinook salmon, including L and J pods teaming up and J pod splitt ing into two groups, beyond acoustic range. Puget Sound’s chinook run, meanwhile, is expected to be about 22,000 – down from a historic million or so. While a protected species, environmental groups have decided the Canadian government hasn’t done enough. Ecojustice (formerly the Sierra Legal Defense Fund) is leading a lawsuit over the Department of Fisheries and Ocean’s failure to issue an order under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) to protect the orca’s critical habitat. Other participants in the suit are the David Suzuki Foundation, Environmental Defence, Greenpeace Canada, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the Raincoast Conservation Society and the Wilderness Committee. The lawsuit came about after the DFO, instead of protecting habitat, issued a statement stating the orcas'

How

bad

can it be?

Lawsuit launched to force protection of a species whose outlook keeps getting worse 34

WAVELENGTH MAGAZINE

JANUARY JANUARY2009 2009

Killer whale protection habitat is already protected by existing legislation and guidelines. Christianne Wilhelmson, the clean air and water program coordinator at the Georgia Strait Alliance, sees the list as a way for the federal government to duck out of the legislation that requires it to identify and protect critical habitat for species listed under SARA . “You can’t protect a species if you don’t protect the habitat. It’s just not possible,” Wilhelmson said. “If these other guidelines and regulations were protecting the species, why is the species at risk?” The GSA already has a similar lawsuit working its way through the court system to protect the habitat for the nooksack dace, an endangered freshwater fish. The hope is to get a judgment that recognizes the pattern that the DFO is neglecting habitat protection. A favorable ruling could force them to act for all other endangered species, Wilhelmson said. “It’s the only thing we can do at this point. If the government doesn’t enforce the laws, the citizens and groups have to do this.” The hope is Ecojustice’s case will move through the court system fairly quickly. Environmental groups have much at stake on the outcome.

“If they’re not going to protect habitat for killer whales they’re certainly not going to for lichen, algae or birds,” Wilhelmson said. As well as falling fish stocks, risks to the resident killer whales include increased boat traffic, toxic waste and acoustic pollution from activities such as seismic testing and military sonar (a right recently upheld in a court ruling in the military's favor). A new pollutant contaminating the species is the fi re retardant PBDE, which may affect reproductive health and immune systems. Options for their recovery include fishing restrictions, protected zones around salmon streams and the removal of dams. But British Columbia appears headed in the opposite direction, opening the door to independent power projects (IPPs) with proposals now including damming a huge number of B.C.’s rivers. For more information: The Centre for Whale Research – www.whaleresearch.com Ecojustice – www.ecojustice.ca Georgia Strait Alliance – www.georgiastrait.org Aquatic Species at Risk – http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/species-especes/

4().+342!)4


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JANUARY 2009

WAVELENGTH MAGAZINE

35

People

by John Kimantas

Conquering

Vancouver Island O

N SEPT. 24, 2008 at 2:53 p.m., Sean Morley paddled out of Port Hardy to end a counter-clockwise circumnavigation of Vancouver Island. He began with one goal in mind: to set a new speed record. That record was previously held by Brit Keirron Tastagh and Portland’s Jeff Norville in a double in May 2007, a trip of 19.5 days; the single was set later that same year by Joe O’Blenis who completed the circumnavigation in 23.5 days. Morley smashed both records by paddling the approximately 700 miles (1,120 km) in 17 days, 4 hours and 49 minutes –and against headwinds most of the way. Wavelength Magazine editor John Kimantas had a chance to chat with Sean about his experience. WL: Is it good to be home? SM: It certainly is, although I’ve had a few days off and now it’s catch-up in the office. WL: My initial reaction after a lot of those longer trips was I just felt like keeping going. How about you? SM: Th is one I was very happy to fi nish. I was actually away for a month in total with the West Coast Sea Kayak Symposium as well. When you’ve got an 18-month-old daughter, a

Sean Morley sets new speed record for what is likely to become a prized circuit for kayak racers month is a long time. WL: That’s changed your impression of long-distance kayaking, endurance racing kayaking, having a child, has it not? SM: Absolutely. You know, the six-month trip I did around the U.K. and Ireland I could defi nitely have kept going. I was really enjoying the lifestyle. But on this one, I was defi nitely ready to stop and head home. WL: How much of that was the weather? SM: On this trip, the weather was fi ne. It was starting to get a litt le cool, certainly at night it was starting to get a litt le cold, but no, it wasn’t really to do with the weather. I just wanted to get home and see the family. WL: Was it worth it?

SM: Oh, absolutely. It was tough on many levels, both physically and mentally, and a huge guilt feeling that lot of people recognize; you feel very selfish going off and doing something like that when you’ve got the family at home, but you have to balance those things out, and I needed to do it for my own personal sense of not just talking it all the time but being able to do it. And it was defi nitely worthwhile. WL: How old are you, Sean? SM: I’m 43. WL: That’s an excellent endurance test for someone entering middle age. I’m 45 and I’m not sure I could do that anymore. What was your longest day?

Catala Island, Esperanza Inlet.

36

WAVELENGTH MAGAZINE

JANUARY 2009

Sean Morley SM: I haven’t actually measured the distances that I did each day. The longest day in terms of paddling, 11½-12 hours, was the last day. The very last day I fi nished in the dark. WL: What was your most difficult day? SM: Probably the day that I came down the second half of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. I can’t remember exactly where I started out from but I ended up at Jordan River. And I knew the h fforecastt was ffor wind to switch half-way through the day. So I had sort of a brisk headwind for the morning, and then within an hour it had gone from brisk headwind to no wind at all to a slight tailwind to about 40 knots of tailwind. And just a bit of quartering sea – it wasn’t right behind me. The sea built from flat calm to prett y rough within an hour. And to start with it was a lot of fun and great to be gett ing really on-surf rides and I really felt like I was moving fast, which after several days of head-banging was a great feeling. But after a while you start to get tired. I started to get a bit cold because I was gett ing a few waves on the head, you know, defi nitely cresting waves because not working as hard with a tailwind as a headwind, I defi nitely started to get a bit chilled. After five hours really fighting to keep the boat straight and surf the waves I was defi nitely pleased to get off the water. WL: How difficult was it for you gett ing

Photos courtesy Sean Morley

A moody afternoon at Clo-oose, Juan de Fuca Strait.

campsites along the coast? SM: For the most part it was easy. Occasionally I didn’t make necessarily a wise choice in so much as I ended up with a longer carry than I would have liked. It was easy to fi nd campsites, but it wasn’t necessarily easy to fi nd campsites that had access to fresh water. That was a challenge. WL: I guess you were traveling prett y light then as far as the amount of water you were taking and the amount of equipment. SM: I had a four-litre (one gallon) bag of water and I tried to top that off as often as I could but as it turned out I didn’t run out

completely, but I defi nitely had to ration the water. I assumed at campsites that had a creek clearly marked I would be able to access that water, but as it turns out that's not as simple as it appears. Those creeks marked coming down to a beach, the drift wood is piled so high where the creek enters the beach that you can’t actually access the fresh water there and the forest is so thick that you can’t go through the forest to fi nd the area where there is running water. The stream sort of seems to enter the beach under this huge pile of drift wood so you can’t actually access the water, which a couple of times was quite problematic. X

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WAVELENGTH MAGAZINE

37

People WL: What was your best day out there? SM: After I’d come around Brooks Peninsula the next two days I had just perfect weather – no wind or a very slight headwind but most of the time no wind at all and it was just gorgeous, just a gentle swell, fantastic visibility and wildlife everywhere, nobody about. I didn’t see anybody for six days until I got down to Tofi no. And it was just glorious. WL: Are you done with sett ing records, or do you have more in sight? SM: I don’t know at this stage to be honest. There’s something I’ve been sort of thinking about for a while that I have a fancy having a go at, and that’s a Caribbean crossing from Florida to Venezuela. Politically at the moment it’s not so easy to do and it would be a long trip, so it would necessitate my family being able to follow me in a yacht, so it becomes a big-bucks expedition. That’s kind of on the backburner at the moment, but it’s defi nitely something I’ve been thinking about. And at some point I’d like to do a polar expedition. So I don’t

38

WAVELENGTH MAGAZINE

" I would really ask people not to underestimate the challenge, because it’s definitely one of the toughest things I’ve ever done.

think I’m quite done yet but I defi nitely want to spend some time at home. I don’t have anything planned at the moment, that’s for sure. WL: It seems to me Vancouver Island is ideal for trying to set a speed record. Do you expect other people to try and beat your mark? Do you think you’ve contributed towards something that could grow quite a bit larger? SM: I’d like to think so. I certainly didn’t start it. Leon Sommes from Body Boat Blade was the fi rst , sort of, that I’m aware to not necessarily declare a record but got around in 28 days, and that was the mark to beat, and then Joe O’Blenis last year lowered the record

JANUARY 2009

to 23 days, so hopefully I’ve raised the bar. But I would certainly like to think other people will have a go at it. And I think you’re absolutely right, Vancouver Island is ideal in terms of the challenges the island presents in terms of rough water, tides and landings and that sort of stuff . It’s the right sort of distance where most people can fi nd three weeks to have a go at the circumnavigation. I would really ask people not to underestimate the challenge, because it’s defi nitely one of the toughest things I’ve ever done. WL: Was it much tougher than the British Isles trip? SM: No, British Isles was a lot harder in many ways, but that was because it was a six-month trip, so inevitably I encountered six months worth of weather. I was defi nitely out in much bigger seas and much rougher weather during the British Isles trip, but there wasn’t the pressure of trying – I was paddling 10 hours a day most days and some days longer than that, but it wasn’t quite as intense as this Vancouver

Sean Morley

Island expedition. But Vancouver Island is challenging because it is so remote. I defi nitely experienced more wind, more weather, going around the British Isles than Vancouver Island, but that’s just luck. WL: How bad was it pulling out at Ucluelet and waiting that extra day? SM: It was fi ne. It was just what needed to be done. Defi nitely the day I didn’t paddle I could probably have made it to the Broken Group Islands but it wouldn’t have been sensible to do that, and I think I was defi nitely better off waiting at Ucluelet and being able to check the forecast. I knew the long range weather the next five days wasn’t great and I really had to make sure I had the window I needed to make it down the Strait of Juan de Fuca and I couldn’t do that at one of the Broken Group Islands. So having access to the internet was really useful for that. And to be honest my body and brain needed a rest anyway, so it was good timing from that point of view. WL: Any advice for anybody who decides to try this? SM: My advice is to speak to the real experts like yourself and Doug Alderson who was a huge help to me, and really not underestimate the challenge involved. I had lots of headwind but I didn’t have that many storms, and I think you really do need to get your planning right and have an escape route in mind, as I can imagine the conditions could be far worse than I encountered, and you do really need to be able to fi nd shelter. WL: When you come back to the island what’s going to be the place you want to visit? SM: All of it! There are many, many places I defi nitely want to go back to. I think Checleset Bay, Nootka Island, those two areas I’d like to explore more, the Bunsby Islands, that sort of area. It looked fantastic the litt le bits that I saw. The Broken Group Islands looked amazing. In Johnstone Strait I had the pleasure of paddling with killer whales for about an hour, so that was amazing as well. But of course there are lots of other places to go in the world as well. There’s the rest of the B.C. coast and Alaska as well. But I will defi nitely be back to Vancouver Island. A very, very special place, no doubt about it.

Paddle Silva Bay GABRIOLA ISLAND, BC



You can follow the blog Sean and his wife Gina kept during the journey at http://riverandocean.blogspot.com/. Previous record holder Joe O'Blenis has already vowed to take the title back in June 2009. We'll keep you posted on that trip as it develops. Also, visit the Wavelength forum at wavelengthmagazine.com/forum "Paddling Places" for commentary.

JANUARY 2009

WAVELENGTH MAGAZINE

39

Fishing Angles

by Dan Armitage

This angler fights a fish with a level-wind reel, but has a spinning rig in his rod holder as a back-up.

A

S WITH THE KAYAK you likely already own, the fishing tackle you already have will likely be suitable for fishing from your favorite paddle-powered craft . What makes exercising the angling option so easy is that it really does not require much equipment, and whether you prefer spinning, spin-casting, bait-casting or fly fishing tackle, they can all be used from a kayak. On the other hand, if you are just now testing these waters and are not already an angler, or at least equipped as one, there is some excellent fishing tackle available and at reasonable prices. There is even some tackle designed specifically for use from kayaks. When we talk tackle, fishermen are primarily referring to the type of rod and reel being used. There are four major categories of rod and reel rigs: spinning, spin-casting, baitcasting and fly tackle. Without gett ing into too much detail, the biggest difference between the fi rst three are in the reels, which hold the line; fly fishing is an entirely separate category (or 40

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Spinning reels are a good first pick for their adaptability, but they have their limitations; local knowledge may help “beast,” as any veteran fly angler will attest to). I believe spinning tackle to be the most adaptable of the three and a good fi rst choice for most anglers. Spin casting tackle, with its push-button line release and other simplicities, is easier to use and cast – and therefore a good choice for young anglers or those who may be “casting challenged.’ But it has its limitations. Spinning tackle takes a bit more practice to cast but pays dividends in casting distance and accuracy, line capacity, drag sensitivity, balance and overall quality. Bait-casting reels, also known as level-wind reels, are a bit harder to learn to cast without tangles caused by back-lashing, when the spool overruns the line, but are a popular choice as JANUARY 2009

well. Just prepare for a learning curve when practicing the casting; once you master it, baitcasting rigs are the most accurate in the hands of a skilled caster. One of the best things you can do when considering outfitt ing yourself with tackle for kayak fishing is to go to your local kayak shop and ask about the type of tackle that is used by other customers who are fishing from their kayaks, and what they recommend for the type of fishing you are most likely to experience locally. If much of the fishing involves trolling, with the rod in a holder aboard the boat, or vertical fishing, then bait-casting or level-wind equipment might be the best choice. As for the size, I think a 12-pound-class

Kayak8/27/2008 fishing 5:00:20

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Rod leashes like this one securing the spinning rod in its holder in the bow can save the fishing rig – and the day.

rod and reel is very adaptable and suitable for catching everything from ‘sweet-water’ bass, bluegills and trout to tangling with snappers, snook and rockfish in the salt. Both spinning and bait-casting rigs are available in that popular size or class, so-named for the breaking strength (12 pounds) of the line that it is designed to be used with. You can get a great rod and reel rig for less than $100, and a good setup for half that price. Whether you go with bait-casting, spincasting or spinning tackle, however, you will

want to buy the longest rod recommended for the size class you are considering. I think any kayak fishing rod should be at least six feet long to allow you to reach out over and clear the bow and stern with the rod tip while fighting a fish, with seven feet not too long for most cases. The longer rod also will allow longer casts, which is important from your low-profi le casting position. Long rods are also more forgiving of mistakes, like setting the drag too tight, attempting to horse a fish in or stop a run. The lengthier ‘stick” also allows you to reach down deep to unhook snags that will occur if you are angling around fish-holding cover such as brush, fallen trees, weed beds, docks and rocks. One fi nal piece of rod and reel advice: buy a rod leash and use it to secure your rig to your kayak. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to drop your rod and reel overboard – or have it fall off your lap or ‘jump’ out of a rod holder – until it happens once or twice. 

Dan Armitage is a boating, fishing and travel writer based in the Midwest. He is a licensed (USCG Master) captain, hosts a syndicated radio show, and presents kayak fishing seminars at boat shows.

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PM

Day Trip #4

by Chuck Graham

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OCATED JUST NORTH of Pismo Beach, California, a throng of craggy sea caves, rock arches, guano-covered pinnacles and rock outcroppings characterize the ruggedly beautiful coastline of Shell Beach. Resident’s homes hover above the wavebattered configurations and a bevy of seabirds roost and nest in the fissures and alcoves of this concentrated paddling playground. The inshore waters of Shell Beach are heavily fortified by dense kelp beds, feeding grounds for hungry southern sea otters, inquisitive sea lions and harbor seals found throughout the region. The kelp forest also helps keep the perpetual northwest winds at bay, maintaining ideal paddling conditions along Shell Beach. Routes From the bottom of Cuyama Avenue and Ocean Boulevard, a short staircase leads to the beach, your put-in for exploring the grottos and fauna of Shell Beach. Th is put-in is for all levels of paddling ability. The out-and-back route is approximately three to four miles round-trip, but with the number of sea caves and arches between, you could spend the entire day out here spelunking toothy grottos and watching wildlife. The best caving is just east of Cliff Avenue. It’s actually known as Dinosaur Caves, and I have to admit that the Shell Beach grottos do appear as if prehistoric critters inhabit these weathered caverns.

Above: Elephant Arch; top: Dinosaur Caves. 42

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JANUARY 2009

Shell Beach, California Tips and Hazards Before entering the water watch for breaking waves, then fi nd a channel to paddle through to avoid any surf. Aim for the outside of the kelp beds to clear the surf. For the sea caves, timing the surf is everything. When the kelp beds rise on the horizon, you know a set of waves is approaching. If you don’t want to paddle in the surf, wait for the set of waves to wash through, but if you want to experience the thrill of riding the wild surf, then have at it. Any paddling inside sea caves should only be done with a helmet. When inside a grotto and a wave breaks, make sure the bow of your kayak is facing straight into the wave and you’re paddling with forceful strokes.

When in the company of wildlife, keep the noise level to a minimum so the critters are comfortable. Keep your movements gradual and don’t create a lot of splash with your paddle. If you need a rest and want to stretch your legs, there are several small beaches located along the route. 

A guide at the Channel Islands National Park, Chuck Graham is also a freelance writer and photographer in Carpinteria, CA.

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43

Marketplace Tours: Eastern Canadian

Courses and instruction

guide courses 2009

in tofino with dan lewis and bonny glambeck

lead 101: may 9-17, may 23-31, sept 5-13. lead 100: june 5-8. call toll free

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 on-going professional development and certification, the Alliance strives to ensure safe practices on an industry-wide basis.

Guide Exams Visit www.skgabc.com for 2009 exam dates. Please email [email protected] to register for an exam. Exams should be booked 2 weeks prior to the starting date.

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Courses and instruction

Hooksum Outdoor School West Coast Outdoor Leadership Training. Quality skills training. Hesquiaht traditional knowledge. Certification courses include: Sea-kayaking Flatwater, Level I & II (Paddle Canada), Advanced Wilderness First Aid, Lifesaving, BOAT, and ROC(M). Phone: 250.670.1120 Web: www.hooksumschool.com Email: [email protected]

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45

Book and DVD reviews

Bracing Clinic The Art of Staying Upright University of Sea Kayaking In Depth Instructional Video Series Volume 5 www.useakayak.org

While most of the world's problems can be solved by magazines alone (kidding), nothing quite beats not actually seeing a act demonstration. And dem Wayne Horodowich Wa is fi lling that role with his instructional video series. The fi ft h entry ser examines bracing, exa and Horodowich methodically walks you through th all aspects, from the basic terminologies to the necessary on-water skills. The result is a comprehensive look at one of the most necessary skills a kayaker can have in his/her arsenal. And while novice kayakers will undoubtedly gain the most from this video, it's likely even veterans will fi nd useful tidbits as well as reinforcement of techniques. The production is understated, as should be expected from a relatively lowbudget enterprise, but this certainly doesn't detract from its usefulness.

This is the Sea 4 Cackle TV www.cackletv.com

That a kayaking DVD should be hotly anticipated is credit to the remarkable talent Justine Curgenven has shown in developing this adventure kayaking video series. It is for kayakers who dream: exotic places, big seas and a good amount of exceptional paddling exc skill combined in a fairly skil epic combination. This is epi the Sea 4 takes you from B.C.'s remote Queen B.C Charlottes to Tasmania; Ch from the Ottawa River to Israel I and the Dead Sea and much more. It is ccertainly reason to gather together your kayaking friends, microwave some popcorn and spend an evening watching rollicking kayaking footage. The two-CD set offers one with a longer look at a circumnavigation of B.C.'s Queen Charlotte Islands while the other offers shorter vignettes on trips to various locations as well as looks at kayak fishing and rolling Dubsidestyle. Th is is the type of video that helps set the standard for sea kayaking as a sport: showing it at its most spectacular.

Paddling Washington Flatwater and Whitewater Routes in Washington State and the Inland Northwest Rich Landers, Dan Hansen, Verne Huser and Doug North The Mountaineers Books

Paddling Washington is a co-authored project of the pro publishing arm of The pub Mountaineer’s Club, Mo a se seemingly unlikely champion of water cha routes. A menu of rou 100 possible routes is ddetailed with maps and descriptions that should cover the needs of most visitors to these waters, including launches, campsites and route descriptions. The work encompasses three previous publications that split Washington state and its waters, combining the best of three well-traveled Mountaineers guides. Of most value to canoeists rather than sea kayakers, the book also covers Washington state’s coastal areas, giving it a much wider possible audience. Add whitewater routes and it becomes a great resource for fans of all types of water, whether flat, salt or white.

Events

The Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium is a three-day instructional gathering for intermediate to advanced kayakers. Classes include a BCU 4 training, BCU 5 assessment, 3 levels of tidal training, rock gardening, Greenland paddling training and more. Start the new year off right by meeting some new paddlers, learning some new skills and playing in the waters around San Francisco. Web: www.ggsks.com

Seminar. Spend two days in the company of paddling experts, instructors and enthusiasts. Beginner and experienced paddlers alike will fi nd courses to inform and inspire their next adventures on the water. Early bird registration is $65 for a weekend pass, or $35 for day passes; after January 5, weekend passes are $70, day passes $40. Held at the Community Center at Mercer View, 8236 SE 24th St, Mercer Island, WA. Hours are Saturday, Feb. 7 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 8 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Web: www.wwta.org/seminar Contact: [email protected], or phone the Washington Water Trails Association at 206.545.9161.

February 7-8, 2009

May 9-10, 2009

January 9-11, 2009 Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium, San Francisco Bay Area, California

2009 Sea Kayak and Canoe Winter Seminar Mercer View Community Center, Mercer Island, WA Warm up for a season of paddlesports during the Sea Kayak & Canoe Winter 46

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Vancouver Island Paddlefest Transfer Beach, Ladysmith Vancouver Island's largest kayaking symposium is held at Transfer Beach in a weekend-long festival with activities and events for paddlers of all ages and paddling abilities. JANUARY 2009

Participants can attend this free event and enjoy a variety of activities including a vendor/ trade show, workshops, demonstrations and fun activities. Web: www.paddlefest.bc.ca

Jun 12-14, 2009 South Sound Traditional Inuit Kayak Symposium Twanoh State Park, WA The 2009 South Sound Traditional Inuit Kayak Symposium will be held at Twanoh Sate Park June 12 to 14, 2009. SSITKS is a family friendly weekend event featuring instructors and competitors in Greenland-style kayaking. Activities include paddle-making classes, onwater instruction, demonstrations and games, and evening presentations. The children’s track is an important part of the weekend. Beginner to advanced paddlers and rollers fi nd new challenges and build new skills each year. Contact: [email protected]. Web: www.qajaqpnw.org

Going paddling in BC? Get the maps that match your adventure. This sample shows the regional overview on one side of the Broken Group map. Side two contains an enlargement of the Broken Group area and Toquart Bay. The handy 22x36" format makes it the perfect companion for paddling or exploring on land.

Each map has: • Campsites • Launch sites • Features of interest • Land features such as trails • Regional overviews • Street maps of nearby towns • Info on amenities

Arriving in March: • • • •

The Broken Group and Barkley Sound Clayoquot Sound Desolation Sound and the Discovery Islands The Gulf Islands

Coming soon: •

Hakai Coastt H k i and d the th BC Central C t lC

Available online now: •

North Vancouver Island and the new North Coast Trail

Pre-order your maps online at www.wavelengthmagazine.com l th i

WaveLength

Your complete source for paddling information. Online and in print.