COAST&KAYAK Magazine The magazine of Pacific coast adventures and recreation
Volume 24, Issue 3
Fall/Winter 2014
FREE online FREE at select locations Or subscribe for home delivery
Going it alone
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The next generation shares adventures: Tara Mulvany, around New Zealand
Print subscriptions See page 3
Russell Henry’s Vancouver Island speed record
PM 41687515
Bjorn Dihle, around Alaska’s Admiralty Island
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Inside We’re extending our...
This issue’s cover
by Alex Matthews When Russell Henry set the new speed record for paddling around Vancouver Island, few people were more enthusiastic than skills instructor Alex Matthews. “Russell is one of the most exciting things to happen to sea kayaking in ages,” he writes. “This young man is very likely to log some more expeditions in the coming years. It’s going to be exciting to watch him ‘get after it’.” Russell’s story is one of three in this issue looking at not only solo efforts in paddling but also from the viewpoint of the next generation, with all trips taken by paddlers who were in their twenties. Russell’s story starts page 8.
Leaving it all behind
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Tara Mulvany is one of the most exciting newcomers to the paddling world, a quiet, unassuming paddling powerhouse who has just paddled around Vancouver Island after finishing her New Zealand odyssey. This is her story of how it all started.
The call to Kootznoowoo
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Bjorn Dihle was no stranger to Admiralty Island, having grown up in nearby Juneau, but circumnavigating it at the age of 28 brought new light to this remarkable place and everything it encompasses – particularly the wildlife. Join Bjorn on his 11-day journey around Kootznoowoo.
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The state of the industry
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The kayak manufacturing industry is changing at the speed of light. So why would Seaward Kayaks turn its back on new materials to focus on composites when so many others are turning their attention to thermoform and rotomolded kayaks? The answer lies in the aftermath of a prime-time television appearance. Consider it life after the Dragons’ Den.
First Word �����������������������������������������������������������������������4 News ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������6 Subscription form �����������������������������������������������������7 Plan your northern adventure ���������������� 27,30 Destinations: Discovery/Desolation ������������ 33
Destinations: The Gulf Islands ������������������������� 37 Kayaking Greece �����������������������������������������������������40 Instruction directory ���������������������������������������������44 Skillset ���������������������������������������������������������������������������� 45 Gearing Up �����������������������������������������������������������������48 FALL/WINTER 2014
We’re still here! The list of paddlesports magazines that have disappeared is growing. Sea Kayaker Magazine. Paddler Magazine. Kanawa Magazine. California Paddler Magazine. We have no intention of going, but we are evolving. Our new subscription sale price is easy on the pocket and helps ensure we stay off ‘the list.’ Thanks to everyone who has responded! COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE
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The First Word
Adapting to life on water Fall/Winter 2014
Volume 24, Number 3 PM No. 41687515
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Contact Us: General queries: kayak@coastandkayak.com Editorial: editor@coastandkayak.com Advertising: kayak@coastandkayak.com COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE is an independent magazine available free at hundreds of print distribution sites (paddling shops, outdoor stores, paddling clubs, marinas, events, etc.), and globally on the web. Paid subscriptions are available for those who prefer home delivery. Articles, photos, events, news are all welcome.
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Wild Coast Publishing PO Box 24, Stn A Nanaimo, B.C., Canada, V9R 5K4 Ph: 1-866-984-6437 • Fax: 1-866-654-1937 Email: kayak@coastandkayak.com Website: www.coastandkayak.com Physical address: Aboard the MV Wild Coast, Somewhere on the Pacific Ocean
The Coast&Kayak Magazine office in downtown Nanaimo was never perfect. Staffing it meant a daily commute, searching for parking, listening to traffic from the office window (and a busker on an electric guitar who played the riff from Don’t Fear the Reaper – “Romeo and Juliet, together in eternity” – daily for hours). So when the landlord said, “Oh, you should have been paying hydro, here’s the bill for the past two years,” I decided it was time for a change. It took a while to figure it out, but it all came together when an email alert came in for a price change on a boat for sale (the big kind, not a kayak). It was the right price, it had all the right pieces to work as a floating office, and it came with assumable moorage. Added to that was the fact it was assumable live-aboard moorage. Live-aboard? Living on the water, the place I love so much? That got me thinking... Well, I bought the boat figuring even if it never left the slip at the marina, it would serve well as an office and on-water refuge. The moorage fee was about the same as the office rent, plus the boat had huge advantages, particularly being on the water. No buskers, just fish, seagulls, seals and otters. But not being one to let things sit, I began a renovation process (I guess that’s a refit in nautical terms), and it all came together this spring (except for some parts left over with no inkling of where they go), which meant I could work from the boat at anchor pretty much anywhere I wanted. Okay, that’s overstating it. Remote is a relative term, and technological advances are huge for a remote office these days, but the line in the sand is the need for a cell phone signal. That tends to limit things somewhat, especially since anchorages close to large communities can miss cell phone coverage due to some quirk of wavelength physics. But still... As I rewrite this I set out over six weeks ago, and I’ve been living and working aboard ever since. There’s a simplicity to it, which is either good or bad depending on your perspective. Water and electricity aren’t on the end of a tap or wire out here, so you have to adapt or say the dreaded word “uncle” and head back to shore. You are also much more keenly tied into the elements, which I happen to like, but extra care and planning is necessary for everything. Fortunately, I’ve been on the luckier end so far this year, providing three tows for others (a disabled 36’ sailboat, a disabled dinghy and a paddleboarder caught in the wind and having difficulty getting back to shore). Count me lucky as the one to provide help, not need it – for now anyway. It’s all for the love of the coast, of course, but in BC you’d have to be crazy to be near the water and not own a boat. And it helps to be a bit crazy if you do own one as well. - John Kimantas editor@coastandkayak.com
The world’s only magazine published from aboard a boat (that we know of, anyway). © 2014. 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. Some elements in maps in this magazine are reproduced with the permission of Natural Resources Canada 2010, courtesy of the Atlas of Canada. Also, our thanks to Geobase for some elements that may appear on Coast&Kayak maps.
Coast&Kayak Magazine is dedicated to making self-propelled coastal exploration fun and accessible. Safety and travel information is provided to augment pre-existing safety and knowledge. A safety course and proper equipment are advised before any exploration on water. See a list of paddling instruction locations at www.coastandkayak.com
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Coast&Kayak Magazine’s office, newly renamed the MV Wild Coast, at Lamalchi Bay off Penelakut Island.
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