Secrets Revealed

On this second day of the long Victoria Day weekend, Louise, Paula and I made our way to our put in at Esquimalt Lagoon. From there, we were going to paddle into Esquimalt Harbour. Louise and I were in our Deltas, while Paula was going commando in her Advanced Elements Expedition. Actually, we don't know for sure that Paula was going commando -- the subject of underwear (or lack thereof) never came up.


What did come up were a lot of two-foot swells as we made our way around the point and into the harbour. It was a gloriously sunny day with little wind, but an ebbing tide, and the swells made for a fun start to the paddle.


As we made our way into the harbour, the swells flattened out. (Please ignore the super-secret navy stuff in the background. We didn't see it and neither do you.)


Unfortunately, the swells caused some upset stomachs, so we pulled in a small cove for a few minutes in the hopes that the settled water would settle stomachs.



We didn't see much in the way of wildlife today. We once saw a large deer swimming here, but today only a pair of seals were in the water.


We noodled around the rocks for a little while...

...then headed back and hit the swells again. This time, they were a little flatter and not as enthusiastic. (Again, please ignore all the secret stuff in the background.)


We paddled past the Fisgard Lighthouse at Fort Rodd Hill.




After having a little more fun in the swells, we put in, and hauled our gear back to the van. But as I opened the back door, a surprise awaited me -- a PFD was still in the van. My jaw dropped, and I said to Louise, "Who's PFD is that?"
"It's mine," she answered. "I was about to put it on when we were getting ready, but Paula needed some help for a moment and I forgot about it. I didn't even realize that I had forgotten it until we were heading back. Something felt wrong the whole trip, and it was just a few minutes ago that I finally realized what it was."
I was surprised that I hadn't noticed. We briefed Paula as she came up, and then she said, "Let me tell you a secret. You know the time we were here and saw the swimming deer? Check the pictures. I forgot my PFD that day, too."
Maybe this will get us a little more serious about checklists. Louise is always mentioning that she's forgotten something, although never anything vital until today.

Thankfully, all's well that ends well.

My pictures are here.
Trip length: 6.49 km
YTD: 74.00 km

Not Just Another Trip Around Flower

Most of the times I'm out in a kayak alone, it's in Cadboro Bay. I salute the Buddha, play in the little rock garden for a while, and go out to Flower Island, just off the point.
Sunday, May 10, I wasn't out alone ... not at first anyway. I launched with Richard and we found my partner Bernie testing his yellow wooden kayak in Sheep Cove. Meeting as planned, we headed out towards Cadboro Point. The current wasn't yet slack, so the water was moving a little in places. I told the guys to head on where they wanted, and that I'd go back past Flower, taking it easy.
It was a nice time, looking back to see them go to Jemmy Jones and then get blocked from my view by that bald little island. I faced water a little more rough than they did, in the shallows just off Flower where the low tide was making some reefs more obvious in today's version of the currents. Every day, the currents are slightly different and the eddies run wherever they decide to by some arbitrary system. But as Bernie noted on this website in a reply to Alison's post about paddling a Montreal canal, Rich ran with the current and hit 13 or more km/hr!
Not me. I drifted around the rocks near Flower and looked for sea life. Rainbow seaweed and little crab-things were the highlight of that quarter-hour, until suddenly something moved behind my stern.
Splash and howl! I guessed that a seal had come up to slap the water and tell me to get lost. But that was one BIG splash and one LOUD noise. I had my paddle back in the water and was stroking fast to get away by the time I peeked over my shoulder to see that it wasn't a harbour seal, it was a great big sea lion or elephant seal.
Faster! faster! and by this time I was saying out loud, "I'm sorry, you must be a mother, I didn't know you were here, I'm sorry!" And she surfaced again, blew out her breath and roared, honked, and howled at me, over and over again.
I have never been so glad to be in the Eliza, which moves much faster than the little inflatable Dragonfly. Not that either would have been much of an issue for Big Mama to bat aside if she chose. But she didn't, of course; she was instructing me on my bad manners, and stayed a few yards away, splashing her big flipper-feet and rolling up to the surface to roar at me and then duck under again. Rich could hear her noises all the way over at Vantreight Island in the Chathams, but Bernie was sheltered behind Jemmy Jones and didn't hear.
This isn't the first time I've caught a glimpse of of a big sea lion or elephant seal off Flower, but it's the first time that I've ever been noticed by one. My guess is that since the Eliza had been drifting in the shallows for ten or fifteen minutes, that Big Mama didn't know I was a human in a boat and must have been surprised to surface and see that I wasn't some big pink log floating there.
Memo to self: there may be a baby elephant seal or sea lion in that area, so don't get in the way of its mother!

Airis Kayak review from Paddlefest May 9, 2009

Paddlefest in Ladysmith was a fine event for boat trials, though the Saturday programming was a little more scanty than I would have liked. There was only one land-based workshop at a time, and only two of the four time slots were filled. In previous years there were more land-based workshops than that during a Saturday or Sunday. Really, for next year, there will have to be more local paddlers contacting the organizers ahead of time with proposals for either a land-based workshop or a presentation. There are plenty of topics to suggest, including the many environmental support activities in the news.
But for 2009, I attended no workshops and instead tested out kayaks and paddles that were new to me. I found a line of inflatable kayaks that really caught my attention, by Airis. I tried three of their sit-on-top inflatables and their inflatable dock.
It’s worth mentioning here that I use an inflatable kayak a couple of times a week for recreational paddling in the bay where I live. I’ve had this 8.5 foot kayak out in many conditions year-round, mostly in good weather but sometimes the wind and chop have caught me playing out in the little rock garden or treadmill paddling into the wind in front of the beach. As well, I’ve taken this folding inflatable kayak on buses, commuter trains and planes for several outings of what Dubside calls “commando kayaking.” And this spring I’m trying out two larger models from the same manufacturer, so I feel pretty confident about what I’m looking for in an inflatable kayak.
And I found a lot of what I’m looking for in the Airis boats I tried. All three felt firm and rigid to the touch, and didn’t bend like a taco in the middle when I launched. (Though I’m short, my 160 pounds is “adult-size.”) The boats all felt taut and airtight and very supportive. While a cheap inflatable feels and looks like pool toy or a beach ball, these kayaks looked and felt instead more like very thick surfboards made of rigid styrofoam covered in waterproof rubbery vinyl. What they’re actually made from is “a heavy duty, seven layer polymer coated fabric that is joined inside by thousands of drop-stitch fibers,” as their website says. There’s a little window on the side so you can peek in and see the fibers. Check them out at http://www.walkerbay.com/products/airis/index.html
Each Airis kayak has only two inflation chambers: one for the boat itself and a removable one inside for the floor. All three models I tried had the floor in place, so the ride felt like a rigid sit-on-top kayak made of rotomolded plastic. When the floor chamber is not used, the paddler sits some two or three inches lower, and the ride may feel a little more like sitting inside a kayak. As for relying on only two inflation chambers (or one, without the floor), I’m reminded of one of the reasons why I like the Advanced Elements inflatable kayaks with their multiple chambers: in the unlikely event of a major leak and complete loss of air from one chamber, the other chambers feel like they would be enough to keep a paddler afloat. The Airis design confirms for me my belief that for practical safety, a paddler in any inflatable kayak must be more prepared to swim than a paddler in a rigid kayak.
The Airis kayaks don’t feel like touring boats for paddling long distances at great speed. They feel like recreational kayaks, for paddling in sheltered bays and lakes, maybe for a total of five miles (eight kilometres) in a long day of playing and fishing. I could easily imagine the shortest model, 8 feet long, being used on a river in Class I whitewater or in surf if the thigh straps were used. The longer models had bungee cords criss-crossed on the front decks, and all three models I tried had bungee cords on the back decks, so it would be easy to carry fishing gear or a few drybags of camping gear, or perhaps a small picnic cooler.
Their 10 foot Sport model was a treat to paddle: long enough to have some glide and not much wag with each stroke. I particularly liked the addition of a rear hatch with a drybag rolltop to fasten it shut, though I don’t know how long the flexible material would last if it got a lot of direct sunlight. Perhaps the manufacturer knows if a spray protectant such as 303 is recommended. Both the rear hatch and the wide open cockpit coaming have a small, rigid lip about a finger width above the deck, which I was told can be used to hold a hatch cover or a spray skirt for cold weather paddling. There were no foot pegs or heel cups, so my feet were sliding a little; my long-legged friend Marlene who tried the 10 foot model said her sneakers were sliding around. In the shorter Airis models, I’d probably clip my dunk bag to the front bungee cord and use the bag as a foot brace.
The 12 foot model, the Velocity, did have heel cups, so both Marlene and I felt better with our feet having something to brace against. This version had the smoothest ride of the three models I tried, with more glide per stroke. I could easily imagine fishermen preferring this model for carrying a lot of gear, for getting into a lake’s quiet places a mile or more from the launch site, and for giving a very stable feel when a fish is struggling on a line. Marlene said that the high-backed seat with its side straps made her feel very secure so that she wouldn’t fall out.
The 8 foot model, the Play, is the smallest of the Airis line, which includes 9 foot and 9.5 models as well. I liked the little 8 foot model! It weighs only 15 pounds (about 7 kilograms), and portaging it over rocks onto the beach was easy. This is the model that some people carry in along hiking trails so they can paddle lakes far from roads. To me, the boat felt like something kids and teenagers would use to play at the shore, with swimmers alongside it. Almost at once I wanted to try to flip it over, to see just how hard it would be to fall off the flat top. The very high initial stability suggested to me that these kayaks would be hard to tip but would turn right upside down if one leaned far enough. I wanted something to brace my feet against, but a taller paddler would be able to press his or her feet at the front of the wide open cockpit.
The 8 foot model turns on a dime and gives you eight cents change. As with any kayak this short, there’s no point in trying to use a long stroke or to put a lot of “push” into the stroke. The boat just wags. Use a short stroke with only a medium amount of effort. Increase the cadence if you want to increase speed, but it will top out at only about half the speed of a 15 foot rigid kayak. For big, strong paddlers that might be frustrating, but for kids or small adults that is no problem at all. This is not a speed boat, it’s for enjoying a quiet and relaxing outing. But the sales rep says it’s a lot of fun to take the 8 foot model out into surf as a playboat.
Marlene and I both found the inflatable dock felt as solid as a wooden dock and didn’t tilt under our weight. With the sales rep as well, the dock supported three adults and felt like it could hold a tangle of playing and jumping kids. The dock was the same thickness as the kayaks, so it was very easy to hold the rope around the edge with one hand and a kayak with the other, and roll off the kayak onto the dock, or off the dock onto the kayak. This was particularly good for Marlene, who has restricted mobility and needs assistance when getting into and out of an ordinary kayak.
Trying out equipment like this is the major pleasure of attending Paddlefest. I had a good time this year, and I saw many families enjoying the child-centred activities. Perhaps that’s why there were fewer land-based workshops on Saturday than I expected. Still, there was plenty to keep me busy and I ended up with sandal-shaped sunburns on my feet. Good enough!

First paddle of the year!

After 7 months of paddle-deprivation, I have made it back on the water! A 5 km evening dash up and down the Lachine canal in a lime green Necky Chatham16 (seems appropriate) rented from H2O Adventures. Good seat fit and width, grips for the knees, and stable. It has been too long, though: I was back to taking the usual 30 minutes to wear out all the wrong muscles before my paddling style kicked in. Up the canal against current and stiff breeze (which according to the marine forecast was supposed to have died down). Down the canal with current and no breeze (funny how that happens). Old warehouses and factories. Green patches and parky-bits still with a bit of brown and yellow winter scruffiness. Disagreeably much litter, in amongst the grasses. New condos, condo conversions and bridges. A sight of 'the mountain' between warehouses, and of downtown Montreal past the Atwater market. I just got a couple of photos: the sun was behind the buildings and shining almost directly across the canal. Wildlife consisted of red-winged blackbirds chiming in from the grasses along the water's edge. Cyclists and roller-bladers whipping along the paths on either side. One police car, which stopped to take a gander just as I was drifting sideways down the canal, resting, so I straightened up and paddled right. It was, as I said, about a 5 km round-trip, but evidently it's possible, and allowed, to shoulder one's boat, portage around the lock, and carry on. So that's a paddle for another day! I have a little list ...

Vancouver Island Paddlefest 2009

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day and me and my peeps headed up island to the town of Ladysmith for the 2009 version of the Vancouver Island Paddlefest. Bernie, Paula, Louise, Marlene and myself were looking forward to an action-packed day full of boat demos, gear shopping and mini-doughnuts.


We arrived at the site at Transfer Beach not long after the day had officially begun...

...and Louise wasted no time checking out the bargains at the Ocean River tent.


Then we checked out the boats...

...but I couldn't tell if this was a kayak or a television aerial. At least it has a cup holder.


But soon the lure of trying other boats took us to the water. Here Brian from Ocean River checks Louise out on a Valley Aquanaut.


Then we tried some Atlantis Kayaks. We both took out Titans. I really enjoy these boats, and it was a tough call last year before I finally bought my Delta instead. Louise didn't like them as much, she found the seat uncomfortable.


Paula was out in a short Necky Looksha, while Marlene was enjoying a Current Design model plastic boat.

Later, Paula tried this Necky Chatham 17....

...while Marlene made for the horizon in this Seaward Infiniti 175. She really liked this boat, she took off like a rocket.


A great time was had by all...except maybe this sea star who I'm sure was wishing that we'd all just get the heck off his beach!


My pictures are here.

Friday,May 9

Friday was an excellent day for paddling! I hadn't been out on the water for three weeks, and missed it. The Eliza was gliding smoothly when I launched at Cadboro Bay. I've paddled here so many times in the last few years, and this time was much like the others. Bright overcast, not too cloudy. Low tide, coming in over familiar rocks. But sometimes something special happens in the middle of all the ordinary places and weather.
I didn't try to set any speed records, just drifted along looking at rocks covered with seaweed and various things, mostly squishy. Found a plotch of sea pork, which is a bit like a sea sponge but the colour of pink meat and clings to rocks. Saw a crab different from any I'd seen before, bluish, with long thin legs but not a spider crab. And a metre away from it was another, a little smaller. Go crabs go! There's a boat comes through the bay almost every week setting out crab traps. The crabs need every chance they can get. And I saw a little sea star, the sunstar kind with over a dozen arms, that was only the size of my hand. The tube-feet reached out as it wriggled a couple tentacle arms slowly, perhaps looking for water.
I drifted from Flower Island to the rocks near it that we call "Whale Rock" because at high tide it looks like a whale under your boat. Then I saw a familiar motion, as a family of otters came climbing down from the brush on Flower Island.
There were at least eight of them, maybe nine, all sleek and plump and limber. And for sure, river otters are colour-blind, because I sat there in my bright pink kayak, wearing an orange PFD and a red-and-black hat, holding a paddle with yellow blades. They swam close to where I was drifting, and began ducking down into the shallows. Every few moments one or another would surface with something in its paws or jaws, and chew away. They looked busy and happy.
Eventually one poked up its head and took a good, long look in my direction. I'm guessing that pattern recognition finally told them that I was there.
They squeaked, ducked, and swam a few yards farther away, no more. Even so, I took this as my cue to leave. No point putting pressure on them and making them feel crowded. I headed back toward the beach at Gyro Park.
And on the way, there was another pair of otters at the little rock garden, fishing there with a heron nearby. There's wonderful things everywhere in spring!

Portage Inlet

Another gloriously sunny day dawned and Louise and I decided to do a little urban paddling. We launched on The Gorge, a mere five minute drive from my house, and only a fifteen minute drive from downtown Victoria. This is a great place to launch your kayak, and although you are still surrounded by city, nature thrives here.
We were in our Delta kayaks, Louise in her 17'...

...and me in my 18', the still water smooth as glass....

...and soon we were under the Admirals Road bridge and into Portage Inlet.


Last year, we saw the local swans and their new babies and we were hoping to see new babies this year, but it looks like we were a little early. The swans were still nesting.


We saw lots of geese, though. Here, Louise is paddling past a few geese on a rock.


We saw a few eagles in the trees, but most were keeping their distance. Then I spotted one across the Inlet on the shore. I wasn't sure what it was doing -- his leg looked trapped by something, and he kept picking at it.

We quickly realized that his leg wasn't trapped. What he was picking at was his breakfast -- a fresh raccoon.


What an amazing thing to see.


A few moments later we saw two different families of geese taking their goslings out for a swim.

Here they are playing Hide 'n' Seek.


From there, we went up Craigflower Creek.

It's hard to believe that we are actually in the middle of a subdivision. Although there are houses just behind the trees, in the creek it seems like you really are out the middle of nowhere.

We'd hoped to get as far as the tunnel under Highway 1, but no such luck today. The creek's water level was too low to get around this fallen tree.


As we returned to Portage Inlet, we saw the geese once more, this time on the top of a small embankment.

They were quite unafraid or worried about us, and this became evident as they waddled down the embankment towards us....

...and into the water.



What a great paddle. It's an amazing world we live in, and so often we hardly even notice it.




My pictures are here.
Trip length: 7.22 km
YTD: 67.51

Return to James Island

I'm not sure how it happpened, but in looking at my paddling records here on the blog I realized that somehow it's been almost three years since I paddled to James Island. And that's odd because it is a great place to paddle and a good stepping stone to other islands.

So this morning Louise and I headed to Island View Beach to launch on a warm and gorgeous spring day and rectify that oversight. A little breezier than expected, but nothing untoward. We were hoping the currents would work in our favour by taking advantage on the flood as we headed north around James Island, and ride the ebb the other way.


We didn't see a lot in the way of wildlife today. We saw a few ducks, and the occasional seal popped up to check us out. Eagles were a little more plentiful, but they were feeling shy and mostly stayed out of camera range. But we did see lots of unusual things flying in the sky.
First there was this plane. We were on the water about three hours and the entire time we were out this plane was practicing approaches to Victoria Airport. We thought he was doing "touch 'n' go's" but as we paddled up the coast we realized that he wasn't even doing that -- he was just coming in for an approach, then he'd peel off, fly a circle over us, and return for another approach.


We paddled along side the shore...

...then began our crossing to James. We were still watching the plane when we saw another object in the sky...

...and moments later we were overflown by a Canadian Forces helicopter.


We made it to James and turned around the sandspit at the far end and headed back.

We put in for a brief rest stop. James Island is now a private luxury resort owned by a former cellular phone magnate. It has its own airstrip and Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course. And, as some kayakers have discovered, an overly zealous security force.


The plane flew around again and we could finally make out the markings - Nav Canada. Nav Canada is the country's civil air navigation services provider, and provides air traffic control, flight information, weather briefings, aeronautical information services, airport advisory services and electronic aids to navigation. At least, that's what their website says. We later found out that Nav Canada was conducting calibrations of the airport's localizer and glide path instruments. It takes about six hours of flying in at various altitudes and approach angles to ensure that the airport's systems are up to spec.


Soon we were at the south end of James, passing under the cliffs.


This was the best I could do for eagle pictures during our lovely paddle.


Trip length: 14.55 km
YTD: 60.29 km
My pictures are here.

Kayaking On an Iceberg