Fall/Winter 2014 Coast&Kayak Magazine

COAST&KAYAK Magazine The magazine of Pacific coast adventures and recreation

Volume 24, Issue 3

Fall/Winter 2014

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Going it alone

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The next generation shares adventures: Tara Mulvany, around New Zealand

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Russell Henry’s Vancouver Island speed record

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Bjorn Dihle, around Alaska’s Admiralty Island

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Fall/Winter 2014

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Fall/Winter 2014

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 ����������������25,28 Destinations: Discovery/Desolation ������������ 29

Destinations: The Gulf Islands ������������������������� 33 Kayaking Greece ����������������������������������������������������� 36 Instruction directory ��������������������������������������������� 40 Skillset �����������������������������������������������������������������������������41 Gearing Up �����������������������������������������������������������������44 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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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.

Fall/Winter 2014

For all your outdoor adventures we are your choice

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News Help the sea star disease battle Clusters of starfish clinging to intertidal rocks have been a common sight along the Pacific coast – until now. Those familiar masses of purple and orange have virtually disappeared.

It’s called the sea star wasting syndrome, and it has ravaged the sea star population along the Pacific coast in an unprecedented way. The sea stars (also known as starfish) have seen their populations devastated to the point that a healthy cluster is now a rare sight along much of the Pacific coast.

The die-off began in 2011, but passed virtually unnoticed as it took place quickly and underwater. Reports began to surface in June 2013 along the Pacific Northwest and Southern California, then in Vancouver in late August. Cases are now reported from Alaska to Mexico.

To date the scientific community is stumped on what microbe is causing the disease, or even whether the root cause is a virus or a bacteria.

The syndrome differs by species, but generally involves a curling of the arms, a deflated look and lesions. Finally the arms

Remember these guys? Chances are you didn’t see many on your trips this year.

fall off and the internal organs spill out as if the sea star is melting. A video of the disease’s progression can be seen here: http://vimeo.com/80181246.

The syndrome has galvanized the scientific community, with reportedly more than 100 scientists and activists now working on the case. Among them are the aquariums in Vancouver, Seattle and Monterey Bay, which all saw their captive sea star populations devastated.

The other mystery is the ecological consequence. Sea stars are generally a predator species and considerably less often prey, leading to the possibility of a

population explosion of their food species.

The University of Santa Cruz is hoping public observations will play a key role in their understanding of the disease, and is encouraging people to submit observations of juvenile sea stars using an online entry form. The university is hopeful the species will replenish itself with new sea star babies (larvae), with encouraging evidence of babies in some locations previously ravaged by the disease. The question remains: how extensive is the recovery? The university is creating a juvenile sea star identification guide to help with proper identification.

Photos with the entries is encouraged. The online form is available here: http://www.eeb.ucsc.edu/ pacificrockyintertidal/data-products/seastar-wasting/observation-log.html More information about the disease can be found at these sites: ► www.seastarwasting.org ► vanaqua.org/act/research/sea-stars ► echinoblog.blogspot.com/2013/09/ starfish-wasting-disease.html ► inaturalist.org/projects/pisasterdisaster-tracking-starfish-wasting-disease ► www.sickstarfish.com

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News LNG plants to dot the coast?

An agreement is in the works between the Huu-ay-aht First Nation of Bamfield and Steelhead LNG of Vancouver. It would see about 30 million tonnes a year of liquefied natural gas from northeastern BC pipelined to a new facility in Sarita off the Deer Group in Barkley Sound.

Numerous regulatory hurdles mean the project is many years away.

A second LNG plant is proposed for Howe Sound near Squamish at an abandoned pulp mill site. Woodfibre Natural Gas Limited plans to export 2.1 million tonnes of LNG per year to Asia in about 40 ships per year travelling through Howe Sound then south around Vancouver Island. Woodfibre’s parent company, Pacific Oil and Gas, owns an LNG import facility in China.

Meanwhile, the Port Alberni Port Authority has a project of its own dubbed the Port Alberni Transshipment Hub (or PATH). It proposes a facility on the Alberni Inlet 30km south of Port Alberni to move Asia-Pacific freight along the Alberni Inlet and through Barkley Sound.

It is being billed as the world’s largest shipping facility.

Steve and Jacquie Ree show off the new Coast&Kayak flagship tourer: a Seaward Quest.

Yoshi vogues in his new NRS life vest on the MV Wild Coast deck alongside the company cannon, ever useful for SUP target practice.

Office news: we have a new kayak!

Coast&Kayak Magazine’s parent company Wild Coast Publishing has a selection of new toys to play with this year. Among them is a new lead touring kayak, a new kevlar Seaward Quest.

Editor John Kimantas picked it up from Seaward’s Chemainus plant on Vancouver Island, with owners Steve and Jacquie Ree presenting the custom-painted kayak that will have a lead role in future tours. Those will include kayaking the central BC coast for the third volume of the BC Coast Explorer series. Volume 2 for the BC South Coast is due out next spring.

A change for the company is the name

of the floating office. Along with a new coat of paint is the new name: MV Wild Coast, which replaces the old name Rainy Day. This and a cannon on the bow should make it among the more conspicuous of BC’s coastal cruisers.

Also getting a new toy is MV Wild Coast’s skipper, Yoshi, a fox terrier who helps with office duties, most prominently barking at visitors. Yoshi was an abandoned stray found with a shattered pelvis after being hit by a car. Helping out was NRS, which donated one of its dog life jackets to help Yoshi’s transition to life aboard our boat-office. Thanks to Karen Woodard of NRS for helping with that.

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Mail a check/cheque to: Wild Coast Publishing, PO Box 24 Stn A, Nanaimo, BC, Canada, V9R 5K4 Fall/Winter 2014

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News

R

ussell Henry was on his way across the Caribbean by paddle with his brother last year when he heard about Jerome Truran’s attempt to set a speed record for paddling around Vancouver Island.

Jerome never made it; like many before he faced strong headwinds down the outside of the island, and with no chance of a record in sight and just half way around the island after 10 days of hard paddling, he bowed out at Ucluelet.

That was inspiration enough, though, for Russell to give it a try himself, and after completing the 6,500-kilometre trip from Brazil to Florida he was certainly in shape for the try.

His initial plan was to head out as quickly as possible after his Caribbean

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What crossing to keep the momentum going, he says, but instead he spent the next two months on ski patrol. So on May 29 – still early in the season – the plan became to leave from Willow Beach near his home in Victoria.

That didn’t happen either due to preparation issues. At the top of the list

Fall/Winter 2014

was having to wait for the glue to cure on the thigh braces and foot boards attached to his Stellar S18R. The delay turned out to be a favourable one, though, as it gave him a chance to react to the long-term forecast. Leaving from Victoria as planned would put him heading up-Island against a steady forecast of strong northwesterlies, so instead of fighting headwinds he changed his strategy, changed his departure date again by a day, loaded up his old truck and headed north.

The revised plan was to launch from Winter Harbour. From there his timed run was set to start off Kains Island at the north entrance to Quatsino Sound.

This put him in a situation no other paddler has had in the race to round Vancouver Island: consistent tailwinds down the entire outer coast. ►

News

it takes

photo by Trigo Morrison

Russell Henry sets a new speed record for rounding Vancouver Island by paddle. Here’s how he did it.

Fall/Winter 2014

COAST&KAYAK Magazine

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News His mission was a simple one: paddle 70 kilometres a day to beat the previous time set by rower Colin Angus. But the physical demand took its toll early.

“Day two was a wall,” he says. “That was only day two, so I started thinking I don’t know if I can do this, I don’t know if I can do two more weeks. Why am I doing this?”

Russell had learned from his Caribbean expedition, though, that managing adversity was his strong card. His brother, Graham, definitely no slouch in terms of paddling ability himself, had a different response to tough situations.

“Where Graham got tired I could see I was growing stronger and stronger,” Russell says.

Russell was able to consistently meet or beat the 70-kilometre requirement. It is certainly the most consistent of the record attempts for daily distances of all the record contenders so far (to see a map of all the stops by the record holders, see www.coastandkayak.com/islandrace.html).

As he had never done multi-day solo kayak trips before, one of the biggest hurdles was getting used to the extra

Russell Henry’s view of the world.

demands – particularly having to carry the kayak up the beach alone and make three trips to load and unload the gear.

Disaster almost struck later in the attempt when the hull on his boat cracked from bringing it up the beach still loaded to save time.

“It was an 18-inch hole just from dragging it up the beach. It was silly,” he says.

Duct tape and epoxy allowed him to

continue, and the final result was a time of 12 days, 23 hours and 44 minutes, departing May 31 at 10:28 a.m. and arriving June 13 at 10:12 a.m.

The previous best time was by Colin Angus in a rowboat, who rounded the island in 15 days, 11 hours and 47 minutes.

The best previous record in a kayak was set by Joe O’Blenis in 2010 at 16 days, 12 hours and 14 minutes.

Logistically Winter Harbour was the right choice, but for a celebration it left something to be desired. Friends who were in Port Hardy awaiting his arrival figured he wouldn’t arrive so early in the day, so weren’t there to greet him.

“Finishing was a little anticlimactic,” Russell says. “I walked in (to Winter Harbour) and no one was there, so I gave myself a pat on the back. I had to walk around for 10 minutes to find someone to say I just did this thing.”

Russell spent the summer working at Strathcona Park Lodge as an outdoor educator, but his adventures are far from over. It may be Asia, it may be the Aleutians. But whichever, be sure adventure is now in his blood.

Come and Explore!

See the area’s first monumental pole raised in Gwaii Haanas in over 130 years.

Venez explorer!

Admirez le mât héraldique géant qui a été hissé à Gwaii Haanas, le premier dans la région depuis plus de 130 ans.

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Fall/Winter 2014

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Circumnavigating New Zealand

T

he faint glow of the moon shining over the ocean was the only thing to disturb the darkness. We paddled blindly, threading a line between the flickering moonlight and the rumbling surf. Inching closer to a small sandy beach, I bobbed nervously on the erratic swell, trying to time the sets. After some bigger waves passed I paused for a moment, then surfed in through the darkness, bouncing sideways towards land.

A few seconds later, Sim followed. Safely

on shore we set up our tent under a starfilled sky, ate some fruit bread for dinner and then curled up in our sleeping bags.

This was the first night of what was to be three months of paddling and exploring the Fiordland coast on the remote southwest corner of New Zealand’s South Island. Our journey had barely begun and I was already questioning my judgment. We were heading for a wild land of rainforest where gales rage more days than not, and winter was only just beginning. I was excited

Tar

about our adventure, yet our night landing had made me realize how important it was to treat this coastline with respect. It was going to be all about patience – waiting for the right conditions before committing to paddling on the outside coast. One mistake and it would be game over. Lying on my leaky sleeping pad that night, the reality of our ever decreasing daylight hours was beginning to sink in, and I knew without a doubt that this trip was not going to be easy. ►

How a 20-something New Zealander's paddle with a friend transformed into a life-changing solo run 12

COAST&KAYAK Magazine

Fall/Winter 2014

by Tara Mulvany

Leaving it ra

ALLbehind Tara Mulvany enters the surf at sunrise at Kaka Point, on her way to the South Coast. Photo by Belinda Mulvany.

Fall/Winter 2014

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Adventure Paddling Solo

The calm after the storm on the North Island’s East Coast.

Two days later we rounded Long Reef with a southwesterly wind building behind us. To our left was nothing but a giant expanse of ocean – nothing but a few islands between us and Antarctica. Huge albatross carved sweeping arcs in front of us, flying low over the crest of the waves before gliding upwards. On a bouncy and chaotic sea, we surfed our way towards Puysegur Point, dropping in and out of

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the depths of the swell. A lighthouse stood tall on the horizon to mark the entrance to Preservation Inlet, the most southern of the fiords. For decades, this beacon has kept watch over violent storms, with winds whisked up from deep in the Southern Ocean, and then catapulted towards the New Zealand coast.

We spent the next three weeks exploring the arms and islands that lay within the

Fall/Winter 2014

granite walls of Preservation Inlet and its neighbour Chalky Inlet. We paddled under giant waterfalls that spilled from hanging valleys and glided on eerily still waters. In the evenings we huddled around raging fires on stony beaches, with our freshly caught fish sizzling in a pan. Life was simple and perfect. This was exactly what I had hoped for.

Then part way into the fourth week

Circumnavigating New Zealand of our trip, the first proper ‘Fiordland style’ storm arrived. We hunkered down, anchored our tent to the ground with a huge fly held in place with logs, and then sat and waited for the storm to pass. For three days 60-knot winds blasted through our campsite, hail and rain belted down, and roaring thunder shook the earth under us. Autumn turned into winter. Snow slowly coated the mountains surrounding us, each day their whiteness growing bolder.

We curled up in our tent each night, the pounding rain threatening to dampen our spirits and the wind howling as the storm raged on.

For the first week of the storm our morale was still reasonably high, and despite the discomforts that came with being immersed in a soaking, freezing world, the storm provided the sort of excitement I’d longed for. I had wanted to see and experience the power of nature at its wildest, and now I was inside it, with no way out and no means of knowing how long the storm would last. Each day came with its challenges – pulling on soaking wet paddling clothes as we exited the tent, collecting wood and then lighting a fire, a task that often took at least an hour. But

staple of our diet, and as the days ticked by our food supplies dwindled. With reluctance we made the difficult decision to start rationing our food. It wasn’t that we were desperately low, it was more that we needed to be prepared for the possibility of being stuck in Chalky Inlet for a long time.

Each evening we listened to the forecast on our VHF radio, and day after day the outlook remained very much the same: “Storm warning in force: southwest 65 knots, easing to 55 knots tonight, then changing northwest 60 knots in the morning. Very rough sea, southwest swell eight metres.” We were given no hope of when the gales would finally pass and slowly the excitement of our situation began to disappear. I felt so distant and so incredibly far from the outside world. No one really knew where we were and we had no means of communication. It was solely up to us to get ourselves out of the situation we had gotten ourselves into. But I did not want out. I didn’t long to be out of the fiords – I just longed for food and for the winds to drop just enough so that we could catch a huge feast.

After 14 days, when the winds finally ►

A misty morning in the Acheron Passage, Fiordland.

the spark of warmth it generated was a welcome reward for our efforts, and soon a billy of water was dangling precariously over the flames.

One of the main things that concerned me was that the winds were so strong that even inside the fiord it was impossible to catch fish. We were relying on fish as the

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7/11/14 3:57 PM

Adventure Paddling Solo

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calmed enough, Sim paddled out to catch some fish. I was out on the beach when he arrived back, and with a huge smile spread across his face I knew we wouldn’t be going hungry that night. Strapped on the back of his kayak were two legs of venison, which he claimed he’d caught with his fish filleting knife while the deer was swimming across the fiord. I was in disbelief, but to his credit he’d taken before and after photos. Within a matter of minutes, chunks of meat were sizzling over our fire, soon to be devoured by two hungry kayakers. We ate as much as we possibly could, followed by more. Our hunger vanished. It felt like heaven.

In the early morning, 15 days since the beginning of the storm, we paddled away from Chalky Inlet under a shimmering sky. We followed the dark shoreline west towards the open coast, and as the sun began to rise, Chalky, after all it had thrown us, now gave us an amazing send off. The sky to the east was filled with a melody of oranges, and the early morning light sparkled on the white cliffs of Chalky Island in front of us. A wave of relief washed over me – we were finally back on the water, and I was confident that we would make it up the coast that day.

Out on the coast there was no wind, but the sea was still in a confused state. We paddled hard, keeping our distance from the rocky coast, rolling around on a fourmetre swell. By early afternoon a blanket of thick fog crept in, covering the coast and sapping the colour from the day. The lack of visibility forced us much closer to the shore than we wanted, but there was no other option. Weaving around the worst of the breakers we veered back out to sea numerous times, then snuck back in closer when we could. As the sun dropped lower in the sky we approached the entrance to

Dusky Sound. It was right on dusk, just like when James Cook first sailed past the Fiordland coast back in 1770 aboard the Endeavor. Afraid of its uncharted waters and the fading light, he slipped past and didn’t return until three years later.

At the entrance to the fiord, a perfect panorama lay ahead of us. A sprinkling of islands dotted the water’s edge. Ever so slowly we inched our way closer towards Cascade Cove, another 13 kilometres inside the fiord, and the first place we could land. In the darkness we followed the shoreline, with the turning tide trying to suck us backwards and the fog blocking the moonlight. I blindly followed Sim’s blinking strobe light, putting full trust in him that he knew where we were going.

Swirls of shimmering green phosphorescence spun off our paddle blades, leaving a twinkling trail in the darkness behind us. Finally, at 9.30 p.m., and after 14 hours at sea, we rammed our kayaks onto dry land. I was wet, cold and I desperately needed to pee, but I was filled with immense satisfaction. We had reached land, Dusky was in the bag at last, and our food resupply buckets were stashed only a day’s paddle away.

Weeks later, and after nearly 12 weeks in Fiordland, Sim and I made our way into Milford Sound, our journey sadly drawing to a end. During our adventure out on the coast, we saw autumn turn into winter, and then winter turn into spring. We watched the southern rata tree begin its bloom of bright red flowers, a splash of colour marking the arrival of spring. We saw the snow first cover the mountains and then slowly disappear.

Fiordland had given me a taste of expedition paddling, and it left me longing ►

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17

Adventure Paddling Solo

Typical West Coast surf at Gorge River, South Westland.

for more. I wanted to embark on a trip that was longer, harder and required more commitment, and it wasn’t long before the idea of a winter circumnavigation of the South Island was born. I was curious to know how I would cope – I knew this trip would test my skills and judgment more than ever before, but at the same time, I was amped and ready. Many things really scared me – like the surf, the short daylight hours, and the freezing temperatures – but my biggest fear of all was failure.

Sure, there many uncertainties, but I was as confident in my paddling abilities as I was in my decision-making and weather interpretation skills. I knew I could do it, and I was mentally ready for the challenges that lay ahead.

A

year later, in May 2012, Sim and I paddled away from Milford Sound and headed north up the West Coast of the South Island. We had delayed our planned departure date for eight days as gales lashed the coast. But with a slight lull we slipped out into the Tasman Sea. After months of dreaming, planning and waiting, we were at last on our way, and I was filled with excitement.

In the weeks that followed, we slowly inched our way up the exposed coast in the brief windows between storms.

Violent cyclones originating down in the Southern Ocean forced gale-force

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COAST&KAYAK Magazine

southwesterly winds over the lower South Island, trapping us on land for days at a time. It was frustrating, but I wasn’t angry at the weather – it was more the fact that I felt so removed from our expedition.

On our Fiordland trip the winter before, the weather gods had trashed us many times, but the difference then was that we were in the thick of it. There was no escaping the gales, and we had lived wholeheartedly in our adventure, fully immersed in our surroundings. But now I struggled with the fact that it didn’t seem like we were on one continuous trip, and the tempting comforts of small towns were often not far away. I was still getting used to this style of adventuring, and there was nothing we could do but wait for the storms to pass and the seas to ease.

On rare calm days, after a fight with the surf, we were rewarded with incredible views of a fairytale land. The Southern Alps stood tall beside us, with their glaciers looking like rivers of ice flowing into the lush rainforest below. These were the golden moments that I had longed for, and the vivid blues of a still seascape washed away my frustrations within minutes of being on the water. We paddled into glowing sunrises and surfed to shore in the last of the light of the day.

After nearly two months, we rounded Farewell Spit, which marked the end of the West Coast. Camping under its Fall/Winter 2014

lighthouse at the end of a 35-km long, narrow strip of sand, we were filled with relief. We hadn’t made it this far without our share of challenges, with many testing days when everything inside of me wanted to give up. I’d been plagued with seasickness, and on more than a handful of days I’d vomited for hours on end as I paddled, my throat burning and tears streaming down my face. But there was nothing I could do about it, so I kept paddling, firmly focused on the goal, or at least the small milestones that lay between us and the end. We had been trashed by the surf, taken a handful of rolls between us, and even been separated for several days on a remote stretch of the coast. But we had done it, and the next day we swung our bows south towards the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Halfway around the South Island, things took an unexpected turn. Our relationship came to a sudden end. Pressure had slowly been building, and combined with an already shaky relationship, Sim decided that he’d had enough. I was gutted, but I was not about to let my dream slip away, so I packed my boat and took my first strokes alone. A stream of tears rolled down my face as I paddled away. It was a strange feeling, leaving behind the security that I had felt by having a companion and swapping it for the uncertainty of a journey ahead alone. But I found comfort in the

Circumnavigating New Zealand Fiji fact that the success no longer depended on us as a team. It was all about me, and I knew that I had the skills, the drive and the patience to ultimately succeed.

For the next six weeks I struck a rare, calm patch of settled weather and made quick progress down the East Coast. I paddled for at least 12 hours, day after day, until I reached Bluff at the end of State Highway 1. Then, for 10 days I waited in Invercargill while nine-metre swells battered the Fiordland coast, the final leg of my journey. Although I was aware of the seriousness of this final stretch of coast, I was comfortable with the thought of going alone. It was home territory. I knew all the places that I could land and I understood the complex weather systems, which gave me the confidence that I needed.

With the conditions finally improving, and the forecast swell dropping to a manageable five metres, I set off on the home run with my kayak loaded with what I hoped would be enough food to get me back to Milford Sound, 500 kilometres away. Day after day it rained, and on many occasions the visibility dropped to less than a kilometre. One afternoon, out on a confused sea, with a three- and four-metre swell rolling in from different directions, I paddled as fast as I could, knowing that a 45-knot front was only hours behind me.

It took me nearly two weeks to make my way back to the entrance of Milford Sound. For the most part, apart from the occasional crayfishing boat, I was alone in the rainy, mist-shrouded yet perfect wilderness. The ocean, the sky and the landscape – everything about it was vivid, intense and powerful, and I was stoked to be back in familiar waters, heading north.

On the final day of my 2,800-kilometre journey, I slipped unnoticed and

unannounced back into the calm waters of Milford Sound. The mountains towered above, still covered in a light dusting of snow, and a lone seal swam by, welcoming me home. I crossed from point to point, skipping between the sheer granite walls as I made my way towards the inner fiord. A while later, and alone, I paddled up to the boat ramp where Sim and I had launched five months earlier. I felt nothing other than an enormous sense of relief: relief that I’d done it, relief that it was over, and relief that I had given it my best shot. Despite all the storms and challenges that I had dealt with, I had somehow pulled it off and I was quietly content.

In November 2013, I spent five magical weeks circumnavigating Stewart Island, New Zealand’s third largest island. Then ten days later, I loaded my kayak onto the roof of my car and drove alone for 12 hours towards the top of the South Island. The next day I jumped in my kayak and paddled away, crossing Cook Strait and beginning my circumnavigation of the North Island.

Three months and three weeks later, I completed the loop, and on the April 6, 2014, I became the first woman to have paddled around the North Island and the whole of New Zealand.

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Tara’s journeys are only just beginning. This September marks the release of her book about her South Island journey, which will be available through her website, www.tarasjourneys.com or direct from the publisher, www.craigpotton.co.nz. After completing her New Zealand adventure she was invited by kayaker Jaime Sharp to Nanaimo and stayed with regular Coast&Kayak contributor and author Lyn Hancock before paddling solo around Vancouver Island. On last correspondence she was on the road exploring the Rockies then down into the United States.

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Circumnavigating Admiralty Island

I

grew up in Juneau, Alaska, isolated from the rest of the civilized world by 1,500 square miles of glaciers to the north and east. To the south and west were mountainous islands and beyond that, the open Pacific.

Living in an urban outpost surrounded by nature had its perks. Just eight kilometres away, across blustery Stephens Passage, was Admiralty Island, a designated wilderness national monument full of brown bears, deer, salmon and bald eagles. The Tlingit people, who have lived here for thousands of years, call the island Kootznoowoo, meaning ‘Fortress of the Brown Bear.’ It is believed to have the densest population of brown bears in the world, at one per square mile. On my first venture to the island, when I was four years old, I wandered up a stream full of spawning pink salmon and stumbled upon the carcass of a mostly eaten cub. Above the river bank I watched a large bear ghost away through the salmonberry brush.

Twenty-four years later, on an unseasonably warm day in late April, I kayaked away from the bustle of Juneau determined to circumnavigate the island.

This meant rounding the north side of Douglas Island, with its seaweed and mussel-covered beaches. Beyond it, Stephens Passage narrowed and I crossed to Admiralty. Above me rose Baldy Mountain at 1,200 metres. A few kilometres farther south I paddled by a large estuary covered with last year’s brittle yellow sedges. I had once spent a pleasant evening here watching seven bears grazing grass and digging roots.

Humpback whales, returning from wintering in Hawaii and Mexico, plied the passage with gargantuan mouths spread wide to gulp herring. The incoming tide rushed me into Oliver Inlet past skinny Dolly Varden feeding on salmon fry leaving their nursery streams for the chaos of the ocean. At the head end of the inlet I loaded my kayak and gear onto an old trolley and began to make the half-mile portage over muskeg to Seymour Canal. In the eerie dusk, three skittish deer watched my ungainly progress before they vanished into the cover of blueberry bushes and jack pines.

Pack Creek in Fool Inlet, arguably the most popular bear observatory in southeast Alaska, was eerily quiet. In 20

COAST&KAYAK Magazine

another month the sanctuary would see several human visitors each day until the latter part of September. It was here that Stan Price, a fiercely independent prospector, logger and conservationist, lived for decades in peace with the bears.

The local fauna became so trusting of him Fall/Winter 2014

that he walked amongst them unarmed and without fear.

In the late evening I paddled to a clamshell-covered beach on tiny Buck Island. I sat on a rocky peninsula watching the sun set beyond the glacier-rounded mountains.

Seals came close, their big innocent eyes

by Bjorn Dihle

Bjorn repacks his kayak near Swan Cove in northern Seymour Canal on Admiralty Island as part of his 11 day journey.

The call to

Kootznoowoo somehow strangely disturbing. In the darkness a humpback whale groaned. I laid in my tent listening to it long into the night.

I passed Mole Harbor, where Allen Hasselborg, Admiralty Island’s most famous hermit and bear-man, lived alone

for nearly 50 years. His relationship with bears was the opposite of Stan Price’s. In his early years he guided trophy hunters and killed multitudes for biologists eager to discover “new” species of grizzly bear. Later in life he hung up his rifle and seemed to look down on the hunting

Fall/Winter 2014

of brown bears. Nonetheless, in one of his journal entries from this “mellow” period he shot a number of bears for no particular reason.

A north wind picked up as I paddled out of Seymour Canal into Stephens Passage. ► COAST&KAYAK Magazine

21

Adventure Paddling Solo I searched for shelter in the cliffy shore.

The nearest beach looked to be at least a mile or two away. A wave washed over my sprayskirt, saturated my fleece and nearly tipped the kayak. Nearby a humpback whale belly-rolled and frothed the water in a violent frenzy. A moment later, four killer whales broke the surface and pushed the humpback underwater, thwarting its attempt to breathe. Their black fins seemed tiny against the humpback’s bulk.

Each killer whale breathed, the white circles above their eyes barely showing, and then disappeared into the waves and froth. These were transient killer whales, a culture of orcas said to have evolved to eat mammals. I stared over my shoulder at the rippling ocean hoping to see more, but the north wind pushed me south into a rollercoaster of waves too demanding to ignore.

A few hours later the northerly eased and the ocean calmed. I rounded the rocks and kelp of Point Gambier and changed into a drysuit. Bald eagles, biding their time until the summer salmon begins to run, dotted giant spruce and hemlock trees. A half dozen young Stellar sea lions bee-lined my way. Judging by their roaring and floundering, I guessed them to be adolescent males looking to pick on a kayaker to better their self-esteem. One popped its head out a few feet behind me and snorted.

“Get out of here!” I bellowed and they all ducked under. A few moments later they surfaced five metres away, cocking their long necks back and grunting like aquatic apes. They took turns charging, pulling away just inches before crashing into my kayak. After 15 minutes they lost interest, swam over to investigate a kelp bed and my blood pressure began to drop.

I

Top: A marten takes a nap for a welcoming impression atop a Forest Service sign. Above: Two young brown bears wrestle at Pack Creek.

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Fall/Winter 2014

found the long narrow entrance of Eliza Harbor leading deep into a wall of dark forest. Here in 1929 the island had its only documented fatal bear attack.

The story goes that Jack Thayer, a Forest Service employee, was cruising timber when he stumbled upon a resting bear.

The bear stood up, Thayer fired his rifle and the enraged bear mauled him. Public fury arose, with many lobbying to have the island eradicated of bears. What’s known as the Admiralty Island Bear Wars ensued. ►

Circumnavigating Admiralty Island Fiji

Bjorn pauses near Mole Harbor, on Admiralty Island, to take in the view of ocean, rainforest and mountains.

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23

Adventure Paddling Solo

Chris Miller paddles in front of the Chilkat Mountains on the north end of Admiralty Island, familiar territory for writer Bjorn Dihle.

Thanks to a number of hunters, fishermen and other conservationists, the radical movement eventually fizzled out.

To the south, Frederick Sound and Chatham Strait stretched out in undulating shades of gray. The dark forested hills of Kuiu Island were barely visible in the foggy distance. The ocean swell felt like the breathing of a gigantic sleeping monster. A raft of sea otters anchored in an expanse of bull kelp eyed me curiously as I paddled past. The largest members of the weasel family, weighing up to 45 kilograms, sea otters eat a quarter of their weight daily. Their recovery in Southeast Alaska and their penchant for eating crabs, clams and sea urchins has caused massive changes to the ocean’s ecosystem and commercial fisheries. Most noticeable are the kelp forests. No longer kept in check by hungry sea urchins, they are forming underwater forests around the islands.

I stared into a skinny cove where the remains of Tyee, a derelict salmon cannery and commercial whale processing plant, was slowly disappearing into the land. On the southern tip of Murder Cove I set 24

COAST&KAYAK Magazine

up my tent atop a grassy deer bed. In the gloomy twilight, Point Gardner, one of the most dangerous sections of water along the Inside Passage, looked as placid as a swimming pool.

A

t five in the morning I paddled by a giant wooden cross rising from the rocky peninsula of Point Gardner, marking the numerous fishing boats and fishermen lost here. I hugged the rocks as I rounded the corner and pointed the kayak north. The docile morning abruptly ended when an east wind rose. Torrents of rain splattered into rising seas. I paddled tight against the shore in the lee, avoiding the brunt of the squall. At the edge of Wilson Cove I watched the tide battling the wind and decided to pull out onto a pink quartz and clamshell beach. I made a fire and spent the rest of the day exploring the beach and listening to the wind and ocean.

At first light I shoved off into a calm sea and paddled into a steady drizzle. The sun rose above the mountains and the wind began to whistle through the trees.

Fall/Winter 2014

By the time I reached Point Caution at the mouth of Whitewater Bay, the ocean was getting dark and sloppy. Scars from logging operations in the 1950s and 1960s still marred the valleys and hillsides. I paddled several miles into the shelter of the bay before starting across. Twenty minutes from shore the ocean got nasty. Six orcas swam in circles, feeding. This was a small group of resident orcas – the other more affable group of killer whales that stick to fish, not mammals. Groups of humpback whales, spouting and lunge feeding, surfaced in all directions. A lone humpback popped up nearby, its giant black leathery face preoccupied with the dozens of pounds of herring it was swallowing. I pounded my kayak’s hull with my paddle to let it know I was near. Waves steadily grew until water regularly sloshed over my sprayskirt. Instead of risking another crossing I beached my kayak and managed to get a fire started at the mouth of Chaik Bay. In the early afternoon of the following day I paddled towards the Tlingit village of Angoon. Nestled amid dark old-growth ►

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25

Adventure Paddling Solo Juneau Douglas I.

Funter Bay

Stephen s Passag e Oliver Inlet

Hawk Inlet

Fool Inlet Cube Cove Jim’s Cove

l ana ur C mo Sey

Chatham Strait

Mole Harbor

Point Gambier Mitchell Bay Angoon

Chichagof Island

Chaik Bay Whitewater Bay Wilson Cove Point Gardiner

Eliza Harbour Frederick Sound Murder Cove

forest and surrounded on three sides by ocean, Angoon is the only village on the island. The sea and the woods still provide much of the 400 residents’ table fare. A hundred years ago, Tlingit elders, with their superfood diet, were said to commonly live more than a hundred years.

I paddled past the village’s graveyard, around Danger Point and the entrance to Mitchell Bay. Men trolling for king salmon shrugged to show the fishing was slow and waved. Deer with bloated bellies and protruding ribs worked the rocky shore eating kelp. A very pregnant doe stopped and stared at me with a long clump of seaweed hanging from her mouth.

Her fawn of last year kept close. In the evening the rain let up and golden light poured through the clouds, illuminating the less dramatic but still beautiful snowy mountains of Chichagof Island.

The next morning dark clouds clung to massive logging scars on the mountainsides. Earlier in the century and as recently as the 1970s, most of Admiralty Island had been slotted by the Forest Service to be logged. Southeast Alaskan residents soon became aware

WHALING STA

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COAST&KAYAK Magazine

Fall/Winter 2014

Circumnavigating Admiralty Island Fiji logging was destroying valuable watersheds and laying ecological and aesthetic waste to the island. With five species of salmon and the future of brown bears in jeopardy, an alliance of commercial fishermen, hunters and concerned citizens formed to fight the logging companies and the Forest Service.

Thanks to their efforts, and President Jimmy Carter’s signature in 1978, nearly ninety per cent of Admiralty Island was designated a national monument, with logging limited to this northwest section.

A

slight ripple on otherwise calm ocean caught my eye. A minute later I was paddling for my life as waves towered above and crashed down on me. It was so bad I considered dashing my kayak against a cliff and walking the 25 kilometres back to Mitchell Bay, but instead I stayed calm and put all my focus into avoiding a capsize. Twenty minutes later, Jims Cove broke the monotony of the cliffy shore and the ocean threw me up onto a muddy beach. Soaked, shivering and shaking from the adrenaline, I hauled my boat and gear into the guard timber. A

full-on southeast Alaskan storm, blowing 50 knots, had the trees groaning and bending wildly. I spent most of the day exploring the beach and the giant oldgrowth forest while watching the waves crash by. In the gloomy twilight three deer emerged above a creek and nibbled at the first of the year’s greens.

The sea finally calmed the following afternoon, so I hurriedly launched my kayak and continued north. Most of the mountainsides and valleys bore scars left by clearcut logging. Rotting trees lay in chaotic heaps above the shore. Across Chatham Strait, Chichagof Island, just as ecologically wild and vibrant as Admiralty Island, is not a wilderness reserve and much of its forest of cedar, spruce and hemlock is now a mess of brush, stumps and second growth.

I passed Cube Cove, the most prominent contemporary logging camp on Admiralty Island. This section of the island will remain an open wound well beyond my lifetime. The white massifs of Snowy Mountain and Mount Robert Baron shone through the wet gloom as I paddled across the mouth of Hawk Inlet.

The infrastructure of Greens Creek Mine, the fifth largest producer of silver in the world, rose out of the hillside. In the wake of considerable controversy, the mine had opened in the 1980s. A freighter, the Orient Express, was being loaded with ore to be processed somewhere in Asia. The ocean lay flat and glimmering as the sun set beyond Icy Strait. I pulled out onto a cobblestone beach, happy Juneau was only some 50 kilometres away.

The following morning I broke camp and hauled gear down to the ocean in darkness. The sea lapped calmly and the exhalations of whales sounded steadily just beyond the range of my vision. As I was pushing off, a small pod of orcas swam by, their black dorsal fins silhouetted in the morning gloom.

Three young and well-behaved sea lions trailed 20 metres behind as I neared Funter Bay. My stomach tightened when I noticed the two-metre black fin of an approaching bull orca. A more experienced kayaker once told me when killer whales are in the area, sea lions will jump onto anything to get out of the water, including a kayak. ►

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27

Plan your next northern adventure tour

Bjorn Dihle is a lifelong Alaskan who works as commercial fisherman, guide, writer and kayak instructor. He can be reached at bjorndihle@yahoo.com.

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Paddling harder, I tried to leave my furry entourage behind, but they showed no intention of letting me get away. The killer whale surfaced 100 metres distant and bee-lined our way. The sea lions became tense, sticking their long necks out of the water and looking for a way to get out of the water. I pressed my kayak against a cliff and weighed my odds of being able to climb out of my kayak. The sea lions bobbed six metres away, staring anxiously as the pod approached. The bull orca swam past, then headed south. I guessed him to be a resident killer whale who enjoyed going out of his way to mess with sea lions.

A female, much smaller than the male, swam by with a tiny baby. More and more orcas trailed past. The white skin on many looked jaundiced, even corpse-like. One slashed underneath the water towards us.

My heart nearly stopped as I watched its black hulk zip by underneath me. When the last of about 30 killer whales had passed, the sea lions and I gave each other a sheepish look and went our separate ways.

The sun tore away clouds, revealing the Chilkat Mountains rising from Lynn Canal, a long glacier-carved fiord. I neared Point Retreat, where in 1794, Joseph Whidbey, credited with being the first European to discover and chart Admiralty Island, fled from a 13-metre war canoe paddled by Auke Tlingit warriors.

The old familiar white lighthouse rose from the northern tip of the island.

Recreation boats putted up and down Saginaw Channel. The blue and white Malaspina ferry swept past on its way to the northern end of the Inside Passage. I crossed to Shelter Island, the mountains of the Coastal Range rising familiar and jagged from behind. Tired but happy, I paddled the last few miles into Auke Bay. My brother and his three daughters gave me a traditional Southeast Alaskan welcome by roaring circles around me in their skiff and yelling excitedly. Bobbing in their wake, I looked back in farewell to the mountains of Admiralty Island rising into clouds.

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Destinations

Desolation Sound/Discovery Islands

Paddling the entrance to Small Inlet: the charms are subtle but evident for those who look.

Small wonders Not every adventure needs to be epic.

This is where Small Inlet fits nicely.

R

eading about trips to remote parts of the world may be inspiring, but for most of us such demanding destinations aren’t an option.

Instead, we’ll meander sheltered waterways, explore little islands and probably have a lunch on a pleasant beach with maybe a walk somewhere – usually within a day’s travel of home. You may not even want to take a tent.

This style of relaxed exploring is what makes the Discovery Islands so appealing. Adjacent to Desolation Sound, they offer an offbeat assortment of shops and accommodations with enough paddling daytrips to keep you occupied for weeks.

The two main islands are Quadra and Cortes. Both are reached by ferry starting at Campbell River on Vancouver Island, Fall/Winter 2014

a good two hours north of Nanaimo if you are crossing by ferry from the BC Mainland.

Most of Quadra Island is sparsely developed on the south end, while farther north the terrain becomes more hilly and is mainly logging territory with just a light scattering of houses. Towards the northern tip two inlets pinch off the island, ► COAST&KAYAK Magazine

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Destinations Fiji

Desolation Sound/Discovery Islands

almost splitting it in two. The road ends at a small place called Granite Bay. It’s little more than an access road leading to a few houses, a boat ramp and a small government wharf.

Granite Bay makes a perfect launch location for reaching the inner northwest waters of Quadra Island. While strong diurnal winds can blow down nearby Discovery Passage (the southward continuation of windy Johnstone Strait), protection can usually be found in Kanish Bay, which connects both Granite Bay and Small Inlet.

Small Inlet is the namesake for one of the two provincial parks here. Until this year both parks were separated by private land, but the purchase by the provincial government in March of 400 hectares of forestry land surrounding Small Inlet means the two parks now join and the Small Inlet coastline is protected in its entirety. (Part of the deal was a land exchange with the former owners giving them property on nearby East Thurlow Island.)

At the head of the inlet a mucky intertidal beach fronts the trailhead for a walk across the short distance to Waiatt Bay on Quadra Island’s east side. Waiatt Bay tends to be busier, mostly as an anchorage for boaters visiting Octopus Islands Marine Park or kayakers who may camp on the Octopus Islands or at other spots nearby (the prettiest being Francisco Island, just off the map shown above).

For quietude, Small Inlet may be preferable. It is about six kilometres from the Granite Bay launch to the Small Inlet trailhead, so an easy paddle by any standards. There won’t be much in the way of wildlife or ‘wow’ scenery, but a smattering of islands, scenic bluffs and even a few pleasant beaches along the way make it appealing enough for a day trip.

Another option is to head west to explore the Chained Islands, a cluster within Kanish Bay. As for wildlife, well, there are seabirds but most of the action lies underwater: salmon, herring spawn, groundfish, Dungeness crab, clams, cockles and coonstripe shrimp. Most notably, though, it will be the jellyfish, as Small Inlet is known 30

COAST&KAYAK Magazine

Fall/Winter 2014

for a high concentration. It’s an apt characteristic for the inlet: There’s no flash or glamour here, just small points of interest that in combination make for a day well spent.

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32

COAST&KAYAK Magazine

Adv Elements .25 Pg Ad WavLength_Coast&K.indd 1

Fall/Winter 2014 9/28/12 11:17 AM

CA

NO

RT

LY M A D E IN

PRO

and hit the water in minutes.

H AMER

I

Destinations Fiji

The Gulf Islands

Walking out onto Panther Point; a pod of killer whales would join us shortly.

Wallace Island musings Little island a quaint blend of quirks and memories

W

e walked the trail south along Wallace Island to arrive at Conover Cove amid a commotion. The boaters at the dock were unusually animated, and for good reason: criss-crossing in front of the mouth of the cove was a pod of killer whales.

That might not be newsworthy for a region where killer whales are common, but one of the boaters summed it up: “In all the years I’ve been coming to Wallace Island, I’ve never seen a killer whale before.” Certainly visits by these marine mammals this far north through the Gulf Islands are more rare, so we enjoyed the view for a few minutes before continuing to the lookout on the south end of the island at Panther Point.

Our arrival was timed with the appearance of the orcas once again. They went around the point and fed for a few moments before continuing their trip to more familiar waters in the south. The viewing boats were well-behaved, keeping their distance and allowing the whales to continue on unmolested – a remarkably

good showing of voluntary compliance.

Not all pods are so lucky when they pass through areas busy boating areas.

Their appearance was a fortunate aside to a walk along Wallace Island, a provincial marine park tailor-made for kayaking.

Oddly, sea kayakers were absent this visit and the main kayaking campsite at Chivers Point was empty, despite it being the peak of the kayaking season in early August.

Instead, paddlers were limited to the small run-abouts tied to the larger visiting cruisers at the park’s two anchorages. Of the run-abouts, there were many.

When first surveyed in 1859, Captain Richards called it Narrow Island, certainly a more descriptive name. When surveyed again in 1905 it was renamed for Captain Wallace Houston, who served on the coast here in the 1850s (and is also the namesake for adjacent Houston Passage).

The island was purchased after the Second World War by David and Jeanne Conover, who built a resort still visible in a few remaining cabins and some other ► Fall/Winter 2014

Three of the seven original resort buildings remain. This one has been converted into a signpost shrine.

The beach at Chivers Point isn’t large but it works. The tent pads are set back from the headlands in the forest.

COAST&KAYAK Magazine

33

Destinations Fiji debris (notably the rusting carcass of an old truck in a field mid-island). For those who spend time here, recommended reading is David Conover’s book Once Upon an Island, his memoirs of the trials and tribulations of owning a remote island in an era when life in the Gulf Islands was still in the pioneer stage.

(David actually wrote three others books, including Finding Marilyn, a Resource, which details his discovery of Marilyn Monroe while on assignment for the army at an aircraft plant. It turned out to be Marilyn’s first photography shoot, though certainly not her last.)

Conover bought the resort because of his fond memories of staying here as a child. The resort he built had five cabins, plus the old store and lounge, which still stands in a remarkable transformation as a shrine to visiting boats. The creativity of many of the visitors is quite remarkable.

(These shrines tend to pop up occasionally along the coast. Another is at Octopus Islands in the Discovery Islands north of Desolation Sound.)

Conover eventually sold most of the island to a group of Seattle teachers in the

34

COAST&KAYAK Magazine

The Gulf Islands late 1960s, but disputes among the partners led to court proceedings and the eventual sale, with the province purchasing it as a park in 1990.

It is a now a cornerstone of the Gulf Islands for both kayakers and mariners, offering refuge at a strategic mid-way point for longer Gulf Islands excursions. Kayakers can also enjoy it as a day trip. It’s a quick hop from Hudson Point on Saltspring Island, making Wallace Island an easy and safe trip for novice kayakers.

The main campsite for kayakers is at Chivers Point on the island’s north end.

Tent pads stretch along a trail leading from a narrow beach set between two rock headlands. The island is remarkable for these vertical rock ledges, a reminder of the ice age when pressure collapsed the stratified rock and tilted the land sideways.

Another smaller campsite, best suited to one small group, is located at Cabin Bay.

Fall/Winter 2014

The third site is a field setting at Conover Cove. Connecting it all is a trail that runs the length of the island. This makes the island as interesting to explore by foot as by paddle, and who knows – you may even see some killer whales.

Plan your Gulf Islands adventure Gabriola Sea Kayaking West Coast Sea Kayak Adventures and Guide Training. Unforgettable paddling and great people. See you on the water!

250-327-3346 info@KayakToursBC.com www.KayakToursBC.com

90 100

90

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110 120

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SS PA

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Murray Rd.

Price Rd.

W123°30'

Rd.

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Rd.

tree Rown Arm Rd.

Fernwood Pt.

Victoria Shoal

Victoria Rk.

• Kayak Tours and Lessons • Kids Kayak Camps • Gourmet Beach Picnics • • Kayaking and Yoga, Sunset Paddles • Stand Up Paddleboard Tours • 250-247-8939

COAST&KAYAK Magazine

Walker Rk.

12

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W123°34'

To Walker Hook

To Montague Harbour park and boat launch

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Kulleet Rd.

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Greenway Rd.

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Fairtide Rd.

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270

280

W123°34'

W123°34'

W123°36'

W123°36'

W123°38'

W123°40'

W123°42'

W123°44'

310 300

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www.coastandkayak.com

www.silvabaykayaking.com

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uth

Chemain

Access Rd.

1-877-KAYAK BC

www.SealegsKayaking.com

Mill

So

Tank Farm

Kayak & SUP Sales Lessons, Rentals, Tours, Snorkeling Transport & Taxi Service

Rd.

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Retreat Scarrow Reef Cove Retreat I.

Wallace Island Marine Park

reference designed by kayakers for kayakers. It’s the essential part of your Gulf Islands kayak kit.

and Marine Adventures

tream

L 4.4

Conover Cove

3.5

Plan your route

SEALEGS KAYAKING

Mills

Dr.

Dr.

NE

Grappler Rk.

.

TENT I. Camping by permission Penelakut First Nation

11

To Crofton

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Bodega Ridge Provincial Park

Chivers Pt. Cabin Bay

2.2

TON PASSA US G HO Southey Pt. E 3.5 Southey Bay Princess Cove

3.3

The Gulf Islands are laid out in

250-629-6939 Toll Free: 1-855-629-6939 www.kayakpenderisland.com

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colour, 22x36” both sides in a Thanks veryfullmuch.

GULF ISLANDS TOURS, Kayak tours from 2 hours to 5 days RENTALS & LESSONS

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Niagara

deg

Rock ledge shore, occasional beaches, mostly undeveloped private land

Bodega Hill

If we do not receive changes, the ad goes to press in this format.

Pender Island Kayak Adventures

Ma

Cr.

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r Pa 9.8

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Beaches east side of Kuper I. Historic cemetery

Augustus Pt.

Rd . Bare Pt. Rd.

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Lamalchi Bay

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MacMillan Bloedel FSR

Cook Rd.

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Secretary Is.

7.6 8.1

Active Pt.

6.3

Industrial area

Goldstream Provincial Park

Dr.

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Kuper I.

n Arm Rd.

Teanock Matson L. Bellam Mount Finlayson Trail

419

Mount Finlayson Prospectors Trail

Hidden Spring Falls Wolf Hill

ina

Rd.

Harbo

Rd.

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aph

m Bay

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Spotlight Cove 5.1

(Penelakut FN)

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Hall I.

Josling Pt. Pine St. Oak St.

Arbutus

.

Rd

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Donckele Pt.

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Mitch

Galiano Island Ecological Reserve

Norway I. Penelakut

Rd.

Tunnel Hill

Se

.

Private road. Gated.

North Galiano

CROWN ISLET Sensitive islet ecology

Penelakut Spit

Clam Bay

Bay

leb

e Rd

SANDSTONE CAMPGROUND Rock ledge - may not be accessible in all weather conditions

2.5

3.4

Lone Tree Hill Regional Park

Pik

Roundtree Loop Sawluctus I.

GOLDSTREAM ESTUARY No boat access

N49°01'

Dionisio Pt. Perry Lagoon

Race Pt.

Virago Pt. Alcala Pt.

7.1

5.4

River Rd.

Coon Bay

1.4

Rd 2.2

Hudson I.

6.3

CHEMAINUS

Camsusa Cr.

y Pt.

Preedy Harbour

Dayman I. Foster Pt.

Cliff nests

N48°57'

ARM FINLAYSON

ke

us

    

Rd.

Cayetano Pt. See warning above

Reid I.

Leech I.

Marina Dr. 2.2

Scott I.

Alarm Rk.

N48°58'

Whittaker

Adshead Rd.

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Pil

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Inlet

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Cardale Pt. Rose Islets Ecological Reserve

5.8

161

Centre Reef

Crescent Pt. False Reef

8.7

Saltair

2/6/2010 1:39:14 PM

  

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Moore Hill

Vernaci Pt.

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GREATER VICTORIA WATER SUPPLY AREA Niagara Falls No access

NE

Elliot Way

Coffin Pt. Coffin I. Cove Nares Rk.

Sharpe Pt.

9.9

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N48°58'

M

e Rd. h Cov es Dr. Forb

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N49°02'

Canoe Islets Ecological Reserve

2.3

Thetis I. THE CUT Dredged channel runs shallow at low tides

Third L.

Ridge Trail Holmes Peak Christmas Pt.

19

PORLIER PASS Max. current 9 kn. Overfalls, rips, turbulence.

MA

5.0

Pocket beaches west Thetis I.

Nort

4.4

Noel Bay

N48°59'

250-539-2442 / kayak@gulfislands.com

...from the hub of the gulf islands

ve

CO

.

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www.seakayak.ca

GulfIslandsKayaking_map.indd 1



IN

8.7

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Transfer Beach LA DY S

N48°30'

Shaw Pt.

6.8

Caves, lumpnose bat colony

h Rd

th

Av

Six

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Th

Av

Since 1988

Pilkey Pt.

North Cove

Rd

.

N49°03'

Informal trails

Ragged Its. 1.6

Fraser Pt.

Churc

h Rd

st

• Instructional/ Wildlife Tours in sheltered waters • Challenging Current Paddles in Active & Porlier Pass • Available all year • Only 1 hr from the Mainland • Economical camping tours in Gulf Islands, Clayoqout and Barkley Sounds Also Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula, December–April

Wallace Island Provincial Park: Blessed with easy access from Saltspring Island, Wallace Island is a key destination with camping at Chivers Point, Conover Cove and a small site at Cabin Bay. Trails run the length of the island.

Islet camping: Islets in the north Gulf Islands are not protected by Gulf Islands National Park and as such have no restrictions on access – a mixed blessing, as this makes them prone to intrusion that can destroy the sensitive coastal bluff ecology. Tread lightly if you visit.

Key sites are off Reid Island and north Valdes at Kendrick Islet (the small islet south of the yacht club outstation on Kendrick Island).

Rose Islets are off-limits as an ecological reserve.

N48°59'

Rentals—all year Used Kayaks For Sale Daily Guided Tours

Getting you out there!

Tent Island: This island off the south end of Kuper Island is Penelakut First Nations property formerly leased as a recreation site. It retains its recreational function thanks to the hospitality of the Penelakut.

Campsites dot the island’s south and west side. Prior permission should be sought from the Penelakut. Contact (250) 246-2321. The island offers great shoreline well worth a circumnavigation.

TR

Chemainus IR (Chemainus FN)

ac

iew

Be

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ell

Tid

Sh

Transfer Beach Blvd.

Fir

Explore the beautiful Gulf Islands

www.silvabaykayaking.com

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L

.

Log booms

LADYSMITH

Please proof this ad carefully and reply ASAP with your OK or changes. If you have changes, please respond ASAP, thus allowing the production team time to make the changes indicated.

Dionisio Provincial Park: Located on the north end of Galiano Island, this is a gem offering trails, a wonderful beach at Coon Bay and a sandy lagoon. A historic feature is a large midden. Depending on how you reach this park, you may have to cross Porlier Pass to get here. Do so only at slack tide. Porlier Pass is prone to strong currents, rips, turbulence and overfalls. A kayak campsite, Sandstone Campground, is provided south of Perry Lagoon on the outer shoreline. Access is by rock ledge, not beach, and can be problematic. In the event of swell, a landing at Coon Bay or Perry Lagoon may be advisable. From there a second camping area is available up from the lagoon. Not officially accessible by land due to adjacent private property, the park is usually nonetheless frequented by cyclists and hikers.

Miami It.

3.9

Shingle Pt. Reserve Shingle Pt. (Lyackson FN)

4.6

Kulleet Bay

‘Sun God’ petroglyph

N49°00'

A DV E N T

Yellow Pt.

Deer Pt. Rd.

250-247-8939 Adventure Outfitters

VA BA IL

nc

NE

Rd

Yellow Point

4.1

Timberman Trail

Jocelyn Hill

en Rd.

Mysery Bay

252

‘Shaman’s pool’ petroglyph

Woodley Range Ecological Reserve

Va

AN

Pt.

K

Blue Heron Park

Detwiller Pt.

Mexicana Hill Old growth forest

First designated marine trail campsite

Golland Tod Provincial Park

5.3

Asp

Wrigglesworth L. N48°31'

Island access via logging roads

Blackberry Pt.

Ra and Gowll Pease

Elbow Pt.

Repulse Rk.

N49°04'

1.4

2.3

Danger Reefs

3.2

Cr.

Cr.

Valdes I.

Log dump

Tree I.

Nicholson Cove

Rd.

Irving

Warwick Range

N48°32'

Pylades I.

N49°01'

KAYA

Blackberry Point: This was the first campsite created as part of the future BC Marine Trail. It features an expansive group camping area, some private spots and a composting toilet. Located on private property it has no official status and pending a renewed leasing arrangement with new owners, it faces an uncertain future until it is eventually purchased as a park (knock on wood).

N49°02'

Gulf Islands service providers:

The following businesses supported the production of this map and are eager to make your visit to the Gulf Islands more enjoyable.

Y

Pirates Cove Marine Park: This popular park offers anchorage, trails and camping. It is a popular kayaking park with tent sites set on pads overlooking the main beach on the island’s south side. This is also the best beach for kayak access.

Pt.

Code Rd.

Newcastle Island Provincial Park: This gem set in Nanaimo Harbour is skirted with trails and dotted with history. It features numerous great beaches, scenic shoreline and camping with full facilities. A foot passenger ferry service makes it easily accessible.

Group and individual party camping is available, as is moorage. Bikes are welcome on the ferries and some of the trails. The beach facing Protection Island and Kanawa Bay are the most popular day use areas. A good viewpoint overlooks the northeast end of the island. A historic 1930s pavilion offers services in season. Park management is by the Snuneymuxw First Nation, which is introducing cultural programs for visitors including war canoe trips.

163 Fulford-Ganges Rd  ToLL FREE: 1.888.529.2567 w w w.islandescapades.com

L

CH

llow

North Gulf Islands parks and camping:

Yellow

Colpman

N49°05'

6.0

Camping allowed, poor sites only

2.0

Yellow Point Bog Ecological Reserve

McKenzie Bight

Rock ledge shoreline

Whaleboat Island Ruxton I. Marine Park

Whaleboat Passage

Here is a low-res pdf of your ad for proofing via email.

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N49°03'

Cliffs

West Bay

Sheppard Pt. Qarry Bay 7.2

N48°34' an Lak e Rd.

N48°33'

NE

RT

4.9 3.6

Roberts Memorial Provincial Park

.

wnig

McCurdy Pt. SQUALLY REACH

STRAIT OF GEORGIA

AN

UA

Ruxton Passage

9.0

7.6

Smokeh Whitta

N49°06'

CH

ST

Pirates Cove Marine Park

Ye

ll Rd

Sha

Lyackson IR (Lyackson FN)

8.6

S

er

ne

DE

Riv

en

De Courcy I. 4.1

De Courcy Rd.

Quennell L.

Qu

Cassidy (Nanaimo) Airport

LA

imo

.

Greenway L.

Long I.

5.3

Park trails planned

Log booms

2.7

Etched sandstone

to

Narrow, shallow passage

3.7

Reynolds Pt. Boat Harbour Flewett Pt.

Senanu

Huge development planned for Bamberton Bamb er Cr. Spectacle Lake Provincial Park

N49°07'

PY

Nana

Rd

Tozier Rk.

SAANICH

N48°35'

KENDRICK I. Yacht club outstation

KENDRICK ISLET Rock ledge access

6.1

Oliphant L.

N49°08'

Kendrick I.

Wakes Cove Provincial Park

Verdier Pt.

rry

.

ram

Fe

r Rd

Ing

GABRIOLA PASSAGE Max current 9 knots.

Rips, turbulence.

Rogers Reef

Cordero Pt.

1.5

Dibuxante Pt.

.

Cr. Johns Bamberton Provincial Park N48°36'

.

Murdoch Rd.

Gabriola Reefs

Drumbeg Josef Pt. Provincial Park Breakwater I. Degnen Bay

GABRIOLA PASSAGE 3.7

Link I.

CEDAR BOAT RAMP Limited parking

N49°05'

Cassidy

Dr.

Passable highest tides only

Round I.

Boat Harbour Rd.

y Rd

Malahat Cr.

N49°09'

Bath I. Saturnina I.

.

Rd ast Fenwick Rd.

Rd

da

General suggestions for exploration by kayak: Great day and overnight trips are possible for novice kayakers. A launch from Saltspring around Wallace Island and its nearby neighbors is a great outing, as is a launch from Cedar along the DeCourcy Group for a picnic at Pirates Cove. This will take you along some incredible fretted sandstone cliffs. From Silva Bay an exploration of the Flat Top Islands has its rewards. Novices will also enjoy exploring Ladysmith Harbour and its islands or a trip around Newcastle Island, which has the advantage of being a park, with accessible and undeveloped shoreline. A circumnavigation of Thetis and/or Kuper Islands is possible from launches at Chemainus or Evening Cove near Ladysmith, though the distance across Stuart Channel makes this a trip for intermediate paddlers. Cartopping to Thetis is an option.

The rewards are nice beaches and mostly undeveloped shoreline.

More advanced paddlers can circumnavigate Gabriola Island or hop the region’s various camping options. The outer shore of Valdes and Galiano are the least explored but potentially the most challenging.

ds View

Sear I.

Thrasher Rk.

er

Islan

Co

Degnen Bay Dr. 1.5

South Rd.

5.0

5.4

Holden L. Hemer Provincial Park

Law Pt. Silva Bay

Stalk

El Verano Dr.

Petroglyphs

2.8

Tiesu Rd.

ll Ba

e

FALSE NARROWS Curents half speed of Dodd Narrows

Mudge I.

N49°04'

Launching: Boat ramps are few and far between for the Gulf Islands, making them potentially congested, and especially stressful for kayakers loading for long trips amidst the bustle of boat trailers loading and unloading. Beach accesses provide a good alternative for cartop boats (kayaks and canoes), but parking is often an issue – particularly for overnight exploration. Be sure to watch the signs or risk being towed. Unloading then driving to park your vehicle nearby is generally a good option. Wherever possible launch locations are marked on the map, but the quality of options vary. For instance,

Mi

N48°37'

Brant Reef Acorn I. Shipyard Reef Tugboat I. Crown islets

South Rd.

Petroglyph

e Rd.

24 hour response required

Eco Adventures in the Gulf Islands since 1991

Noowick Rd.

Malahat IR (Malahat FN)

Carlos I. Lily I. Vance I. ag

Ce

CEDAR

South Wellington

Mill Bay

Bay Rd. Frayne Rd.

N49°10'

Gaviola I.

ss

.

Percy Anchorage

Barnes Rd.

N49°06'

Pa

n Rd

Fern

Purvis Pt.

Joan Pt.

DODD NARROWS Max. 9.5 kn current. Eddies, whirlpools, turbulence.

Holden-Corso Rd.

FLAT TOP ISLANDS All private property except two marked Crown islets

ore

9.1

ar Rd.

Duke Pt. Hwy.

Proper care and feeding of this region: The Gulf Islands are truly a national treasure for Canada, blessed with a great environment and exceptional scenic beauty. This has brought tremendous pressure on these islands through development, travel and recreational use.

It is being loved to death. When visiting please ensure: (1) no-trace camping; (2) a light footprint, and stay to designated trails to protect sensitive wildflowers and the thin soil cover on which they eke out a fragile existence – walking on rocks can denude the soil cover; (3) no fires at any time – firefighting provisions are minimal and fires have a history of causing great damage; (4) if in a boat, use a holding tank for sewage; (5) leaves motors behind whenever possible, both on land and in the water – the islands are best enjoyed by paddle, foot and bicycle; (5) support agencies fighting to protect and preserve these islands and waters, including the Georgia Strait Alliance and The Land Conservancy of BC.

N49°11'

150

160

170

180

od

el

Hess Rd.

Coats Dr.

North Rd.

Rd.

ann

Sea lions on log booms Oct.-Dec.

Nanaimo River IR (Snuneymuxw FN)

Ced N49°07'

190

N48°38'

rson

Tugs working booms

nd Ch

Industrial waterfront

N49°08'

140

200

Pete

7.1

kso

Petroglyph Provincial Park

150

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PUBLICATION DATE: JULY 16, 2014

Marine-based exploration: Great kayaking is possible along the sandstone cliffs of the DeCourcy Group islands, Thetis and Kuper islands and Wallace Island off the north end of Saltspring Island.

Sheltered waters help. The Flat Top islands also make for great day trips off Gabriola Island. Suitable launches are infrequent, though, with major staging grounds being Cedar, Ladysmith and Chemainus.

The outer waters of the Strait of Georgia are the most exposed and challenging. Reaching them can also be difficult, as the major passages – Gabriola and Porlier – and prone to dangerously strong currents. Dodd Narrows between Cedar and Nanaimo is also a renowned tidal rapid. A limiting factor is the amount of private land.

Public (Crown) land is rare; it is marked on the maps by yellow ground cover. Most small islands are private, subdivided and developed. The good news is the waterfront to the high tide line is generally public property anywhere in Canada (exceptions might be marinas, which have foreshore rights). This means you are welcome to stop at just about any beach for a break, even if a house sits behind you.

W123°46'

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Land-based exploration: Gabriola, Kuper and Thetis islands are the only north Gulf Islands serviced by vehicle ferry. Gabriola offers good land exploration at Drumbeg and Sandwell Provincial parks but is to the greatest extent private land. Gabriola is remarkable, though, for the high number of petroglyphs, with an incredible selection to be found behind Gabriola United Church on the island’s southeast side. Great hiking can be found on Newcastle Island in Nanaimo Harbour, which is serviced by a foot passenger ferry throughout most of the year. Kuper Island is a Penelakut First Nations reserves, and is consequently largely undeveloped. Both Kuper and Thetis have limited services, with most found at Thetis’s two marinas. Valdes Island has no ferry service, making it the least accessible of the large islands, but as it is mainly undeveloped forest land has the greatest potential for hiking and exploring, including spelunking.

Duke Point Ferry Terminal

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and

La Fortune Rd.

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Descanso Bay Bruce-Lynn Dr.

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Where is the gulf? There isn’t one. The islands were named before the passage was found that creates Vancouver Island. Until that time the Strait of Georgia was the Gulf of Georgia. The strait was renamed, but the islands never were.

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Trincomali and Stuart channels form the major marine corridors for this region, offering travel to picturesque islands protected behind a virtual land barrier – the largest outer islands, Gabriola and Valdes islands. This makes these inner waters significantly more serene for exploration than the more exposed waters of the Strait of Georgia.

Gabriola is the most residential of the northern islands, home to about 5,000 residents. Valdes, on the other hand, is the largest of the Gulf Islands with no ferry service. Consequently it is mostly undeveloped forest land and dotted by infrequent cottages. In between these islands and Vancouver Island are a selection of pretty island clusters, most easily reached from launches on Vancouver Island.

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Seals Jesse I. Brandon Is. 2.6 3.0 Departure Bay Scenic cliffs Nares Pt. 3.4 Tyne Pt. McKay Pt. Ferries, float planes Departure Bay Shaft Pt. Angle Pt. Ferry Terminal Newcastle Island 1.8 Power Squadron Reef Malaspina Pt. Provincial Park Brechin Boat Ramp

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Kayaking Greece

Ruminations on an irreverent, illegal and ultimately ill-advised Aegean odyssey

W

as it tragic or celestial?

That depends on which one of us you asked, and when you asked it. Both terms apply, not only for our voyage, but for Greece in general, whence we ventured off in a children’s tandem kayak with the hope of paddling to Turkey.

Of course we soon discovered that this expedition was entirely illegal. Kayaks of this sort are not allowed more than 300 metres away from shore under Greek maritime law. On our first day Giulio d’Eramo and I got stopped by the coast guard just four kilometres from our put-in point in Lagonisi, just south of Athens.

“Where are you going?” the one officer asked. We just looked at each other while deciding whether to answer honestly. “Sprechen sie Deutsch?” the officers continued after assuming that our silence meant we were German. We finally replied, “Turkey.” The ensuing laughter forced the officer to brace himself on the handrail.

We were told to stop for the night on the mainland, but somehow we convinced him to let us continue to a little uninhabited private island instead, even if it was a “restricted area,” as we were told.

“Go to island, sleep there for night, tomorrow you must to go. Go now.” And we were off as they followed us for about a mile before leaving us as we approached Patroklos at sunset.

On Patroklos we found two residents who were stranded immigrants. One was Indian from Kashmir and the other Pakistani. Between them they spoke each 36

COAST&KAYAK Magazine

other’s languages and with us in English and Greek. They were living in a floating hut in the middle of an aquaculture farm.

Immigration in Greece is a major issue.

Almost 90 per cent of Europe’s economic migrants come through Greece and in a country with this much coastline you can imagine the difficulty involved with patrols.

Combine that with the Dublin Regulation which says that any undocumented immigrant found in the EU has to be sent back to their original EU port of entry and you’ll see that Greece has become a prison of sorts for immigrants seeking to enter the EU: they’re stuck here.

We politely decline an offer of food saying that we had packed our own, but

nonetheless they took their utility boat and came back from their hut with hot Kashmiri food: the best I’ve had outside India.

They sat with us as we ate but spent most of the time trying to connect to Skype, with limited success.

We finished by eating the watermelon they brought as they told us their plan to sneak into Italy in the spring using a trafficker. I guess two years in a floating hut is enough to make you want to try something new, despite the sometimes fatal risks involved in crossing the Adriatic.

Exhausted from the first day of paddling without a rudder in open sea, we opt for sacking out on a few palettes we

After a seven-hour morning paddle the pair lands on Kea (also known as Tzia). The only shade is under the tree to wait out the relentless midday sun.

Fall/Winter 2014

by Jeffrey Andreoni Fiji

Too tired to set up a tent, the pair sack out on some palettes on Patroklos.

The house belongs to the island’s sole inhabitant, a jolly shepherd. On the right is the Cape of Sounio, the next day’s target.

You can’t get

THERE HERE

from

find stacked above the waterline. The next morning I trudge up to the only house on the island to get some water from the jolly farmer who obliges us by filling every empty container we have. Already off course and behind schedule, we depart Patroklos at 8 a.m. in the direction of Cape Sounion.

Coming around the cape we see the bay filled with luxurious yachts, posh villas and a glimpse of the Temple of Poseidon. Our best option to stop is a private beach in front of a villa between Legrena and Lavrio. Despite our doing a bit of volunteer trash-picking, we receive a much cooler welcome from the locals than we did on Patroklos. The swank young educated couple whose beach we camped on did their best to ignore us as we politely inquired about some drinking water. When they eventually saw that we were harmless, they warmed up a bit and gave us some, but then a friendlier neighbour came and said hello, offered us coffee and had a chat with us about our next destination, Makronisos, destined to be our first sizable crossing in open sea.

Before beginning the trip we were contacted via Facebook by the guys from Cannibals Kayak House telling us to beware of the μελτέμι (Meltemi, ►

Giulio is in high spirits over their new kayak, a design inevitably ill-suited for the task ahead.

Fall/Winter 2014

COAST&KAYAK Magazine

37

Kayaking Greece Etesian winds), but we didn’t realize just how powerful a force they would be. On the way to Patroklos it was behind us, speeding us along, but for the next crossing it would be at our side, threatening to push us out to sea.

Unable to sleep past the 6 a.m. sunrise due to the heat, we spent the whole morning as unwanted clients in a restaurant down the road from our camp. Eating fried food, drinking some beer, reading weather reports – all were necessary preparations for the voyage.

With a few hours left before sunset we packed up our waterproof duffel bags and set off for Makronisos, the island of snakes. “Snake” must be a euphemism for communists, because we didn’t see anything slithering on the island, just a bunch a former barracks where communists were imprisoned in the early 1950s after the Greek civil war. A second wave of imprisonment during the colonel’s regime lasted until 1974, and included basically anyone considered a liberal.

Walking around Markonisos can be an eerie experience when you think about what happened in the concentration camp, something barely acknowledged by Greek society.

Every island you go to in Greece has a different political persuasion evident as you move around, and Kea (Τζια) was definitely on my personal frequency. We met so many people that it was easy to linger and the variable weather made it hard to leave, but we were falling behind schedule and had to make a drastic change to our plan.

Surprisingly, Kea is quite a popular island for telecommuters since it’s very easy to get to Athens via the Lavrio port, which is well serviced by ferries. One

After their first crossing, the pair land on the ‘haunted’ island of Makronisos. Hanging clothes to dry, they then went to explore the abandoned structures of the former internment camp.

industrial designer we met said he is able to go to meetings in Milan from Kea in one day, because Athens international airport is actually closer to Lavrio than to Athens.

The designer’s Italian wife runs an alternative healing centre on the island, with the guest house destined for us after a failed crossing. It seems our choice of route backfired when we opted to go around the north end of Kea instead of the south. Afterwards, when recounting this to disbelieving islanders, we were told, “But that’s where some of the strongest currents in the Aegean converge.” We learned that the hard way after capsizing several times on some of the largest waves we’d seen on the trip. Luckily we were able to save almost everything, except the few things that weren’t tied down tightly like all our drinking water, our Havaianas

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Fall/Winter 2014

flip-flops and the lens from my sunglasses, which, unfortunately, were not up to the task of a trip like this.

After paddling for nearly an hour amidst waves which were as high as the length of the kayak, we did an emergency landing on a secluded beach which, we thought, was miles from civilization.

However, Kea is very civilized and within minutes of hiking up the hill to a dirt road we were able to hitch a ride back into town with two attractive young Athenian women who asked to see our passports before letting us in the car. You can never be too safe.

In town we met our hosts for the night.

We had fun exchanging stories with them, as they had their own taste for adventure.

At one point they closed up their house and took to living on their sailboat for an entire year, sailing all over the Aegean.

The next day we hit the famous Spathi beach for a day of lounging, determined to make some headway in the evening.

The next morning was our fourth day in Kea and the waves were still large enough to flip us. We paddled about 500 meters to Spathi Beach (again), and I decided to take the morning off in favour of sitting in the cafe and drinking beer, which I hoped would give me the courage to continue kayaking in such rough seas.

Finally that evening we made a push to get around the point and get to a position where we could make the crossing to

GREECE Kythnos. We wound up on a spooky beach called τηλέγραφος (Telegraph Beach), which being between two steep hills caused a katabatic downdraft of almost gale force wind which made it impossible to light a fire and blew our tent into the sea. Sleeping in a bag without cover with sand whipping in your face is torture, and again we were in need of rescuing. It came in the form of Yorgos, who saw our equipment and erroneously thought we were professionals who were oddly attempting an Aegean odyssey in a kayak with the performance level of a bathtub. Yorgos, his wife and his kids took us to their house where we recharged and prepared ourselves mentally for the next day’s crossing.

After six whole days on Kea we finally (with encouragement from Yorgos) made the trip to Kythnos, which we quickly learned was a much less liberal island and in fact made conservative Lavrio look like the Burning Man festival.

After getting completely schnockered on raki in the taverna on Kolona Beach (Παραλία Κολώνα) near an underwater hot spring where all the waiters look stoned, we dragged the kayak over a sandbar under a full moon and began paddling down the coast in darkness. We thought we were going perfectly straight, but the GPS tells a jagged, zigzagging story.

The water is calmest at night and we covered a record distance before sobering up around 2 a.m. We wound up setting the tent inside a children’s jungle gym and woke up to surprised but disinterested fishermen passing by. With the sun too strong we left at dawn for the southernmost point on the island, Agios Dimitrios, to have some Greek salads and beer. Eager to leave the island we decided to make a break for Serifos at around 5 p.m. I felt at home on Serifos almost immediately because when we arrived at dusk, all we could see was two elderly hippies in a Vanagon parked at the far left end of the beach. The next morning they came to video us with their massive VHS camera, the likes of which I hadn’t seen since the 1980s. The place we landed was drab, but the blister I got in Kea was quite massive and demanded that I rest.

Our next stop, Megalo Livadi, coincided with the anniversary of the famous Serifos miners’ strike which came to a bloody end on August 20th, 1916. Some pilgrims were

TURKEY Athens

Patroklos Temple of Poseidon

Makronisos Kea

Kythnos Serifos

Paros

Naxos

Sifnos

placing flowers on the memorial to the miners who were shot dead for refusing to work in inhumane conditions.

The historic strike was led by Constantinos Speras, who was a pioneer of anarcho-syndicalism which, like democracy, was also born in Greece. Some remnants of the mines can be found around the little village, but for us one of the main attractions was the equally

Keros

famous Κύκλωπας (Kyklopas Taverna) which we had heard about several islands back.

After running up a large tab, we realized that we needed to get some cash because there are probably five tavernas in all of Greece that accept credit cards.

The usual: hitchhiking to town, taxi back, sleeping on lounge chairs and departing ►

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Kayaking Greece the next day for Livadi, or almost, because this is where our voyage undergoes a drastic change.

This ends the first part of the trip, which continued from Sifnos to Keros with a

change in participants. Spoiler alert: they never made it to Turkey. Shocking, we know.

If you’d like to see the second part published in a future issue, let us know; it’s not often we get articles on voyages quite this quirky, so the response should be interesting. Consider it a primer on how not to plan and execute

a kayaking expedition in foreign waters, or domestic waters for that matter. Jeffrey Andreoni (AKA Bezdomny) is a freelance writer based in Athens, Greece. Originally from Rhode Island, he is currently working on a PhD in Digital Anthropology in the United Kingdom.

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Skillset

CLAP for safety

by Alex Matthews

1. Communication

Four numbered illustrations by Damon Belanger/www.damonbelanger.com.

T

his summer I again instructed at the excellent Pacific Paddling Symposium. Something that I sometimes like to do at these events is to keep quiet in order to absorb what other instructors are teaching. For one rock gardening session I was teamed with Michael Pardy of Skils and Rowan Gloag of the Hurricane Riders. With three instructors and flat conditions it was ideal for me to lie low and listen carefully.

Michael invoked the ‘CLAP’ acronym that stands for Communication, Line of Sight, Awareness (or Avoidance, depending on who’s teaching) and Position of Most Effectiveness.

Rowan outlined a scenario to illustrate how CLAP is applied: Three paddlers are playing along a coastline. Paddler P decides to shoot a slot with a sharp right-hand corner in the channel. In order to be safe as a team, they must maintain communication with one another.

The best vantage point for paddler A will be at the mouth of the slot, but he will not be able to see Paddler P once he turns the corner. Conversely, being by the exit, Paddler B can’t see P until he makes the corner. But by maintaining their line of sight of each other, paddlers A and B can easily monitor P’s progress and signal to one another when P is making his charge, when he is about to turn, if all is going well, and when he has successfully cleared the exit.

In this way, by watching one another, paddlers A and B can have a good idea of what is going on throughout, even when P

2. Line of sight

is out of sight.

All the while, the team must stay aware of circumstances and conditions.

Fall/Winter 2014

Timing waves for instance, is an important consideration. A common alert for incoming swell is a loud shout of ‘outside,’ COAST&KAYAK Magazine

41

Skillset

3. Awareness

4. Position of most effectiveness

which is the signal for everyone to quickly sprint away from shore – outside of the break zone. Since Paddler P is likely to be focused on his route through the slot, the other two can pay closer attention to incoming waves and sound the alarm or give the go-ahead as appropriate.

Each paddler must take into account the need to maintain communication, lines of sight and awareness, while also achieving a position of most effectiveness.

For instance, if Paddler B sits within the slot right by the corner in order to be closer should assistance be required, he won’t be able to see Paddler A, and hence won’t know when P is coming, or even if a larger set of waves is rolling in and about to crash through the channel. Nor can he relay any information to A. On the other hand, if B is farther from the exit, he will be able to maintain communication with A, but he won’t be close enough to lend assistance should P require a quick tow out of harm’s way.

The position of most effectiveness will vary depending on conditions, geography and circumstance. In some instances the best position may even be ashore, stationed with a throw bag.

The CLAP acronym is a catchy reminder of key ingredients that contribute to our safety when afloat, so make sure that everyone in your paddling group knows to CLAP. Alex Matthew is Coast&Kayak Magazine’s skills guru and author of Sea Kayaking: Rough Waters (Fox Chapel Publishing).

Accompanying his article is a set of four illustrations by Damon Belanger, a designer, illustrator and avid kayaker based in California. More of his work can be seen at www.damonbelanger.com.

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43

Gearing up

An industry

In transition I

t was a rare case of national exposure on prime time television for a kayak manufacturing company. But when Seaward Kayaks made its pitch on the top-rated Canadian TV show Dragons’ Den to get financing for a new line of polyurethane boats, it set in motion speculation among observers that ranged from praise to bewilderment.

In the end Seaward got the green light on the show from a financier, but that never happened: Seaward turned down the financing, decided not to launch the poly line of boats and then sold off its new thermoform line, retaining only its original fibreglass manufacturing.

Despite the outcome far removed from the original pitch, owners Steve and Jacquie Ree are still enjoying the benefits of major media exposure: “The phone is still ringing,” Jacquie says.

The recipient of Seaward’s thermoform line was Kayak Distribution, headed in Canada by Marc Pelland, who was on board at Montreal’s Riot Kayaks when it went bankrupt in 2008. The company managed to continue the Riot name and distribution through production in China, and the new company has become the phoenix of the paddlesports industry, since then buying bankrupt BorealDesign, striking an alliance with Estonia’s Tahe Marine and managing to accumulate a catalogue of about 150 kayak models.

It’s an impressive show of growth for an industry where overall gains have been minimal and some segments have seen sharp declines. The main casualty is the traditional composite/fibreglass touring kayak. Heavy in labour and materials to build and costly to ship, it has become the lost orphan of the industry: difficult to stock for retailers in any quantity and consequently difficult to generate volume sales for the builders.

Larger companies such as Confluence 44

COAST&KAYAK Magazine

In a tough market, kayak manufacturers rethink their business and Johnson Outdoors have taken the approach to buy volume through favourable credit terms, making them financiers as much as kayak producers.

And that’s made the market even tougher for smaller players who can’t match the terms for retailers eager to delay paying for an expensive product.

Adding to that is the Kayak Distribution formula: get it done elsewhere. It’s not a new formula to have boats built overseas, but Kayak Distribution has taken it a step further by basing its entire production offshore.

And so far it’s proved a healthy decision.

Pelland says sales are up about 30 per cent this year – perhaps no surprise considering the increase in the size of the company’s catalogue – but dramatic growth, even on par with expectations, is no small achievement considering the market.

W

hile Kayak Distribution has grown, elsewhere the trend seems to be consolidation. Necky Kayaks was one of the first, going from Vancouver Island ownership to become a brand of the huge Johnson Outdoors conglomerate.

Victoria’s Current Designs followed, selling to Minnesota’s Wenonah Canoes.

Others have adapted. Long-time fibreglass manufacturer Nimbus Kayaks closed its Lower Mainland operation and moved to Quadra Island as part of a closer-to-retirement tactic for owners Fall/Winter 2014

Steve Schleicher and Jan Bain. Now they can build kayaks at a more leisurely pace in blissful surroundings – possibly the most Zen-like way to deal with a tough market. But most remarkable was Atlantis Kayaks, which closed its Ladysmith operation on Vancouver Island with owner Robin Thacker taking a “delete, delete, delete” approach to emails and phone calls – for all intents disappearing from the market.

The surprise, though, was BorealDesign, a strongly established East Coast company with a long history, a good reputation and every indication it was on a growth cycle by taking on the Zegul line of kayaks and purchasing Beluga paddlesports gear.

In the end, despite good products and a good reputation, the cost of Boreal’s domestic production couldn’t match the realities of the new North American market – a fact that couldn’t help but give the kayak manufacturing industry cause for concern.

“It shows how tight the margins are,” Seaward Kayak owner Steve Ree says.

Joining Boreal in bankruptcy more recently was Mid-Canada Fibreglass, makers of Impex Kayaks and Scott Canoes.

P

art of the trouble is the increasing impossibility for kayak retailers. With hundreds of models plus various colours and features to choose from, picking which ones to

State of the industry report

Seaward Kayaks chief designer Geoff Workman polishes out some repair work on a surf ski at the Seaward plant in Chemainus, BC. The company is focussing on its composite models for the future, buoyed by recent publicity through the TV show Dragons’ Den.

stock becomes a gamble. Chipping away on the other side is the Costco syndrome. For several years now the retail giant has stocked smaller Pelican recreation kayaks, but has recently added a 15-foot model under the Elie Kayaks brand name. And while the appearance of cheap polyurethane boats at nontraditional locations might seem to signal yet more difficulties for the traditional kayak store, in some ways it could be the necessary gateway.

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“It’s like Canadian Tire with hockey equipment,” says Mike Squarek of Delta Kayaks. “They have their entrylevel product and they sell a lot of that product. But as people become better athletes they go to specialty shops to get their second, third and even fourth pieces of equipment.”

Delta is now the last manufacturer of thermoform kayaks in Canada, and is looking at as much as double-digit growth led by a range of new products

but also the surprise performance of some older models. For industry observers, thermoforms remain a material of contention in becoming a universally accepted alternative to the performance and durability of composites. Critics maintain there are still issues with repair, strength, flex and longevity. But clearly in their favour is the lower price with equivalent showroom appeal to composites. Both Squarek and Pelland see thermoforms as

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the best segment for growth in the kayak market, though fringe categories are also showing the boom – particularly fishing kayaks.

Manufacturing giant Confluence is also targeting both thermoforms and kayak fishing for aggressive growth, spurred in large part by the company’s purchase by the private equity firm J.H. Whitney earlier this year, prompting the hunt for new markets. The most untapped as of yet is the under-$200 market for entry level rotomolded kayaks, says CEO Sue Rechner, with SUPs another possibility (though most likely through acquisition of an existing company).

As the world’s largest producer of rotomolded kayaks, Confluence remains seemingly immune to market difficulties, with Rechner citing annual growth of three to five per cent since 2008 – the year sales nose-dived for composites.

While Kayak Distribution may have its crosshairs firmly planted on Confluence, Rechner shrugs off the threat from new overseas competition with no hint of considering moving Confluence’s production from stateside.

“When you ship a kayak you’re shipping 90 per cent air. There’s not a lot of labour involved. So I don’t see where the savings are,” Rechner says.

Pelland doesn’t agree, citing his own savings with production in China.

“It doesn’t cost as much to put a skeg on there,” he says.

O

n the opposite end, Seaward Kayaks has dug exclusively into the most competitive, costly and smallest corner of the market, ending forays into both roto

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and thermoform kayaks to stick with composites only. Why? “We’re going back to our roots,” owner Steve Ree says.

Those roots are firmly entrenched in the Pacific coast’s kayaking history, with the startup back in 1986 supplying kayaks for the Barkley Sound freighter Lady Rose at the urging of kayak legend John Dowd. With some of the original models still afloat and in use, Ree sees the proven longevity and durability of composites as reason to stick with what the company knows best, even if that means at the expense of growth.

It’s certainly not a perspective shared across the market. Pelland of Kayak Distribution made his start as a financial manager at Ernst and Young and runs a private equity fund with his breakthrough in skateboards; his perspective is more focussed on margins and growth markets. Now the owner of the BorealDesign brand name, he sees their demise as symptomatic of the industry’s ills overall: an expensive product to produce with a low margin.

“You can increase the price but it never stops as the volume drops,” he says. “It’s a downward spiral.”

Steve Ree paints a different picture, pointing to their fully owned production facility as a huge advantage along with a solid core of faithful business through outfitters, who benefit from having warranty work and repairs nearby if ever needed. It’s a far cry from the heyday of producing four boats a day, but for Ree it is a future nonetheless.

“At some point you have to make a stand,” he says.

– Coast&Kayak Magazine

Why Dig When You Can Glide?

46

COAST&KAYAK Magazine

Fall/Winter 2014

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