west coast holiday

Quick note here cuz typing on a tablet is wiggly ... Bernie &I are camping at French Beach this weekend. Got the little inflatable. Will find places to paddle that are sheltered. Have already visited SandcutBeach. Currently having brunch in Jordan river. Will write about trip when we return. Meanwhile, happy June:-)

Seattle Demonstration May 16

The demonstration in Seattle’s harbour on May 16 saw hundreds of activists assemble in an amazing kayak flotilla around Shell Oil's drilling rig which is headed for the Arctic. Mother Jones magazine has an article with several photos, some of which show traditional First Nations boats as well as kayaks and canoes.

Some wags have laughed at the absurdity of hundreds of kayakers protesting a fossil fuel drilling platform by driving to the protest in cars that burn fossil fuels, then in paddling in boats derived from petroleum products. It is worth observing that many of these paddlers launched from the local kayak rental places. I note as well that in this photo, two of the closest boats are Advanced Elements folding inflatable kayaks which are excellent for transporting on a bus or carpooling, and another is a home-built wooden kayak. (So there ;)

Naked Guy Tackles a Canoeist

Yes, a video that is exactly what the title says. We believe in truth in advertising.

Kayaking on the Hudson ends in tragedy and charges laid

This is one story for which more is going on than heard in the first news reports. It seems that on a warm Sunday afternoon April 19 a couple went kayaking on the Hudson River in New York state. They launched at Plum Point Park at 4:15 pm to head a kilometre or two across the river to Bannerman Island. Only one of them survived to return; some days later, she was charged with second-degree murder. There's an article from the New York Times on the topic.

Victoria paddlers find new paddle partner

There's a heartwarming story on CBC radio today, about a group of Victoria paddlers who found a message in a bottle while training in the Inner Harbour. The message said to please put the bottle back in the water -- "my last wish was to see the world." The bottle also contained dusty ashes and a photograph from a man's Celebration of Life. (The story is reminiscent of the National Film Board film Paddle to the Sea by legendary canoeist Bill Mason.)
The paddlers knew that currents in the harbour aren't likely to carry the bottle out right away, so they've resolved to bring the bottle with them when they leave on a paddling trip to Alaska. That seems like a good start to seeing the world!
Click here to read the story on CBC news, with quotes from Russell Henry and photos of the bottle and the paddling group. That page also has a link to the CBC Radio story, with an audio recording of All Points West show host Robyn Burns interviewing Russell Henry, and here you can find another news story with an embedded video.

Whale Smelling

Earlier today, Louise and I went out on our almost annual tradition of taking a whale watching tour. We were in a purpose-built whale catamaran from Five Star Whale Watching, but we weren't the only boat heading out to find some whales today, as some lucky people (like those below) were likely to get a slightly wetter experience.


We eventually crossed into American waters, and where's a better place to see an eagle?


And here's the whale!

A couple of minke whales appeared to be feeding, but they were very stealthy about it. They only popped up briefly a couple of times. We actually smelled them more than we saw them, and, oh boy, they smell. A brief whiff of rancid whale breath was all the captain needed to put the brakes on the boat so that we could check them out. (Yes, I know boats don't have actually have brakes. Please don't send emails.)

So we didn't see much in the way of whales. Nature does what nature will do, and not to our schedule. But we did see seals. Lots of seals.

Chalk Boat

Why yes, you can make a boat out of chalk. Or using chalk, anyway.

This is chalk art by artist David Zinn in Michigan, and you can see more on his website.

Paddle the Undiscovered Country

I suppose it's always a good idea to have your final kayak journey planned out well ahead of time....

Persuasion

These days, when thinking about the news of Freya Hoffmeister and her World Paddlers Award as well as Justine Curgenven's video Kayaking the Aleutians, I'm reminded of Jane Austen.
Yes, the novelist, who wrote Pride and Predjudice and Sense and Sensibility. No, really -- there's a connection between Austen and paddling. She was interested in small boats, after all, as you can see at this link. It was in her novel Persuasion, released in 1816 that she wrote:

"I hate to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures. None of us want to be in calm waters all our lives."

Accordingly, here's the video trailer for Kayaking the Aleutians, showing two women not in calm waters.

Emily Carr canoe painting

Found a colourful painting by Emily Carr and had to share it. Looks like the shoreline along Burrard Inlet, on the North Vancouver side. The canoes look like traditional First Nations boats to me, maybe Kwakwala/Kwaguelth.

This painting was done by Carr in 1912, and is the property of the Vancouver Art Gallery. It and a few other images by Carr are shown in an article in the Walrus magazine. There are other comments about Carr being affected by seeing and riding in First Nations canoes in an article about a show at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

PaddleFun Fest in Nanaimo May 16 & 17

Looks like the BC Marine Trails people are setting up to have a good time paddling in Nanaimo on May 16 and 17. They have sent out reminders of their PaddleFun Fest event, taking place at Departure Bay. Check out this link to see their website notice of the event, which looks like a lot of fun on the water and shore. You can also click here to go to the website for the proposed Nanaimo Boathouse, or click here to see the schedule and register.

Sorry that today's post has no new photographs. But hey, Departure Bay is a nice place to launch in Nanaimo. We've written about Departure Bay on the blog here, and there are some terrific photos that John took showing the bay and the area, so go read that page! Or you could click here to read our other posts mentioning Nanaimo in general, and those have photos.

Under Our Harbour

When we go kayaking in the Inner Harbour, (and you can see some of our posts here) the water's not like in the parks or ocean spaces we usually paddle. The harbour seems pretty dirty. I always wonder how many living things there are in the water. It's always nice to see a school of little fish go past our kayaks or the dock at Fisherman's Wharf. We usually see a seal or river otter, and sometimes a raccoon along the shore.
Now a local magazine, Hakai Magazine: Coastal Science and Societies, has taken a tour underwater and filmed a diver finding a surprising amount of sea life. It's only a few minutes long, and well worth viewing to answer the question of what could be swimming under my kayak in the harbour.

Thinking about paddling on a canal...

Every now and then, I think about what it would be like to paddle on a canal and see the land change around me. It would be great to go through towns, or a city, and the farmland or wild areas between towns. And the main vertical hazard to look out for would be the odd weir or a fallen tree. Wherever there's a waterfall or rapids, a canal would have a lock!
Though our home waters are ideal for paddling, we don't have a canal here. Unless the Gorge Waterway could count. Or maybe the Alberni canal up at Port Alberni, though we haven't paddled there.
Maybe next year I'll paddle the Rideau Canal. Who wouldn't want to paddle from Kingston to Ottawa? Apparently it's a nice route for relaxed paddling, camping, and in several places the towns have restaurants, pubs, hotels, hostels, or bed-and-breakfast options. And the locks are fascinating to see in action.
Parks Canada has a website where boat users can buy lockage and mooring permits for the canals in their parks system -- check it out here, and do a little planning for your own canal paddling day. Parks Canada even has some planning advice for visiting parks in various regions of the country.

Canoe Accident in Quebec

CBC news is reporting on a canoe accident in Quebec -- the story is at this link. It's a reminder to us paddlers as summer is beginning to wear our PFDs, and to look out for weather changes, even when paddling in familiar places.
As we learned last summer (click here for the story), any flotation device is a darned handy thing to have when someone needs rescue.

Cougar Sighting at Matheson Lake

Paddlers enjoying the warm weather should be careful at Matheson Lake in the Metchosin area near Sooke and Victoria. A cougar was spotted at Matheson Lake Regional Park last night by the Capital Regional District gate contractor. Conservation Officers have asked the CRD to  post “Cougar in Area” signs at Matheson Lake and along the Galloping Goose near km 32. The advisory shown below is posted on the CRD website, and shared with the volunteer naturalists, which is how Kayak Yak heard of the sighting.

Cougar Sighting at Matheson Lake/ Galloping Goose

Cougar sighted May 3 at Matheson Lake, near km 32 on the Galloping Goose trail. 

Please use caution and report sightings to RAPP 1 877 952 7277

As there have been no further reports of the cougar at Thetis Lake Regional Park, the CRD has been advised by the Conservation Officers to remove the advisory for Thetis Lake. 

Again, please use caution if hiking near Matheson Lake Regional Park. The Conservation Officers and Capital Regional Parks staff will be monitoring the situation over the next couple of weeks. I will pass on any other updates as we receive them. Thanks.

Freya Completes Circumnavigation of South America!

Freya Hoffmeister has officially completed her journey around South America by kayak. What a marvelous accomplishment! It took her four years, with pauses. Click here for a link to Canoe & Kayak's article on her triumphant return to Buenos Aires.

Stand Up Puddleboarding

The latest and greatest new paddlesport...Stand Up Puddleboarding. Yes, I said "puddle." If nothing else, the chances of drowning are extremely low. Check out the video embedded below:
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