WaveLength

Your complete kayaking and coastal exploration resource

MAGAZINE
Volume 19, Issue 4
Fall 2009
Extending summer
FREE at select outlets
or by subscription

Who says the paddling season

ends on Labor Day? We're putting
Kayaking & yoga that myth to rest
A few stretches that
will do wonders for
your paddling
PM 41687515

Plus: Nuchatlitz
• Delta 16 review An intimate look at one
• The ecology of kelp of BC's great kayaking parks
• Cold weather gear
2 Wavelength Magazine fall 2009
 Contents

This month's features: Regular columns:

8 For the love of Nuchatlitz 26 New Gear
Great Parks
8 28 Kayak Review
12 Just Go Delta 16
Antarctica
Sandra Lucas 30 Skillset
by Alex Matthews
18 In search of weather windows
Extending Summer 32 Ecology
12 by Neil Schulman
20 Gearing up for the cold
Extending Summer 36 Planning & Safety
by Michael Pardy
22 Destination Cortes
Extending Summer 38 Paddle Meals
by John Kimantas by Hilary Masson

34 Yoga for kayakers 34 39 Rainforest Chronicles

Health and Fitness by Dan Lewis
by April Link
40 Day Trips
42 Getting to know Nanaimo by Erik Schorr
Travel Destinations

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fall 2009 Wavelength Magazine 3

 The First Word by John Kimantas

WaveLength All skills starts somewhere magazine

I was at a gathering of my partner's family at the waterfront near Ladysmith on

Fall 2009 Volume 19, Number 4
 PM No. 41687515 Vancouver Island when a group of a half-dozen kayakers launched from the same
beach. I chatted with one of the members of the group that was putting out in little
Editor John Kimantas editor@wavelengthmagazine.com
runabout kayaks, and found out it was her first time going out in her new kayak.
Copy Editing Darrell Bellaart It was a great day to be on the water. While we picnicked on
the beach we watched the group of kayakers paddle out into
Writing not otherwise credited is by WL staff. the bay. And stay there.
The group might not have paddled more than a half mile
Cover Photo: Nuchatlitz at sunset in total over the course of several hours. If that. They milled
 John Kimantas
around a bit and floated. Every so often one of the group
would paddle a few strokes, then put down the paddle again
Safe paddling is an individual responsibility. We
recommend that inexperienced paddlers seek expert
and drift. We waited for them to get assembled and started.
instruction and advice about local conditions, have all the They never did. The start was pretty much just like the middle
required gear and know how to use it. The publishers of this and the end. This was their trip.
magazine and its contributors are not responsible for how
the information in these pages is used by others. I know many kayakers would scoff at that sort of an outing. If miles aren't traveled,
Wavelength is an independent magazine available free if remote destinations aren't visited, if skills aren't utilized, well, it's just not a true
at hundreds of print distribution sites (paddling shops, kayaker's trip.
outdoor stores, fitness clubs, marinas, events, etc.), and
globally on the web. Also available by subscription. But consider: all those kayakers will return to work on Monday and regale
Articles, photos, events, news are all welcome. coworkers with the tale of their kayaking outing, how beautiful and peaceful it was,
how wonderful it was to be out on the water and how enjoyable the event. Coworkers
Download back issues and articles online at
www.wavelengthmagazine.com will likely be impressed and possibly even jealous. It might even fuel new interest.
We all start somewhere in this sport, and it begins with an appreciation of the
subscribe intensity of our relationship with the water when kayaking. This is instant and almost
$20 for 1 year – 4 issues universal (at least among those who fall in love with kayaking). Beyond that, people
$35 for 2 years – 8 issues tend to go in different directions. Some will never paddle much farther than a bay.
us$ for usa / cdn$ for canada But they may do so with a purpose – intertidal explorations, fishing or photography,
to subscribe: see page 37 for instance. Some might fall in love with paddling as a means of transportation, and
explore ever farther afield in long-distance explorations or to remote locations around
Advertising rates and submission guidelines the world (I fall into this category). Others will fall in love with paddling as a science or
Available at www.wavelengthmagazine.com as an art (take your pick), and work on rolling, surfing and strokes. They may seek out
ISSUE AD DEADLINE DISTRIBUTION fast water, rough conditions or travel to Greenland for skill competitions.
Winter 2009 Oct. 9 Nov. 8 The bottom line is it doesn't matter. There is an element in kayaking, as there is in
Spring 2010 Feb. 5 March 8 any form of recreation, to take it to the limit. The danger lies in making it elitist by
Summer 2010 May 7 June 8 making it exclusive rather than inclusive by nature. This may be one reason that some
Fall 2010 July 9 Aug. 8 of the paddlefests I've attended recently seem to be falling short of what should be a
A product of:
key goal: attracting new participants. A gathering of experts rolling in specialty kayaks
doesn't tend to welcome entry-level participants and tire-kickers. One look at all the
Wild Coast Publishing
pros in head-to-foot Gore-Tex and an outsider may will think "this isn't for me" and
#6 10 Commercial St.
Nanaimo, B.C., Canada, V9R 5G2
head home.
Ph: 1-866-984-6437 • Fax: 1-866-654-1937 In other words, we should be unofficial ambassadors of the sport, offering a
Email: info@wavelengthmagazine.com welcoming spirit to everyone, no matter the level of skill or interest. So if you feel
Website: www.wavelengthmagazine.com
yourself becoming elitist, putting value in what others can't or won't do simply because
© 2009. Copyright is retained on all material (text, photos and graphics) in this magazine. they can't or won't do it, step back. Remember this is about an enjoyment of a paddle
No reproduction is allowed of any material in any form, print or electronic, for any purpose,
except with the permission of Wild Coast Publishing. on the water. Nothing more. And we can all share in the love of that at any level.
Some elements in maps in this magazine are reproduced with
 - John Kimantas
the permission of Natural Resources Canada 2008, courtesy
of the Atlas of Canada. Also, our thanks to Geobase for some
elements that may appear on Wavelength maps.

Outer Vargas Island,

Clayoquot Sound

4 Wavelength Magazine fall 2009


Johnson closes Necky's Ferndale plant
Johson Outdoors, parent company
of Necky Kayaks, has announced it will
close its Ferndale plant and centralize its
paddlesports operations in Old Town,
Maine.
The relocation will cost 90 jobs in
Ferndale, but eventually mean 48 new jobs
in Old Town.
Johnson is one of the largest
paddlesports businesses in the U.S., but has
recently suffered heavy operating losses.
Its brands include Necky, Ocean Kayaks,
Lendal, Carlisle and Extrasport.
Marine trail for Alaska?
Prince William Sound in Alaska may
soon be home to a marine trail. The
concept of a 300-mile water trail is being
proposed between Chenega, Cordova,
Tatitlek, Valdez and Whittier. A concept
paper is the main progress so far – a non-
profit group to steward the project has yet
to be formed. The concept paper can be
viewed at www.kck.org/pws-trail.pdf.
Boreal adds to product line
BorealDesign has added to its range
of offerings, first with an agreement to
produce two models of kayaks originally
designed and marketed by Maelströmkayak,
the Vaåg 174 and Vitäl 166.
BorealDesign has also acquired Beluga
Outdoor Gear effective Oct. 1.
Beluga produces a wide range of
camping, canoeing and carrying products,
from tarps to tow ropes.
Island attempt ends early
Nick Castro's hope to beat Sean Morley's
circumnavigation record for paddling
around Vancouver Island will have to wait.
Castro had to end his attempt on the
third day after tendonitis set in.
The next official attempt will be by Joe
O'Blenis, who will try to regain his record
after Morley surpassed it in October 2008.
Joe O'Blenis set the solo record of
23 days, 10 hours in 2007. Sean Morley
fall 2009
News
smashed that with his circumnavigation of
17 days, 4 hours and 49 minutes.
O'Blenis is aiming to retake his title this
September or June, 2010.
Remote park changes name
A First Nations touch has been added to
a remote Vancouver Island park.
Brooks Peninsula Provincial Park has
been renamed Muqin/Brooks Peninsula
Provincial Park for the Che:k'tles7et'h' First
Nation.
Muqin means "queen" in Nuu-chah-
nulth. The renaming stems from the
recently enacted Maa-nulth Treaty, of which
the Che:k'tles7et'h' was a participant.
Tell us about yourself
Wavelength Magazine is conducting a
readership survey and needs your input.
You can fill out the survey online at www.
wavelengthmagazine.com/survey.html. By
filling out the survey you can enter to win a
Cobra waterproof VHF marine radio.
Wavelength Magazine 5
 News
Albatross-saving journey gains energy
South Georgia is an important breeding
island for species including penguins, petrels
and four species of albatross. For years,
Hayley Shepherd has arrived by Russian
ship, leading adventurous groups from all
around the world to Antarctica and South
Georgia, to admire this island and the
animals that dwell here.
However, her close contact has made
her aware of the perils these creatures face
as their breeding colonies thin out and the
skies empty due to illegal fishing and poor
techniques used in the long line fishing
industry.
International Seabird Conservation
organizations are joining together to raise
funds to implement research to alter fishing
techniques to reduce seabird by-catch, and
Shepherd's plan to attempt the first solo sea
kayak circumnavigation of South Georgia
Island in aid of the albatross in January
fell apart at the last minute when financial
support was withdrawn by a key sponsor.
That setback failed to cancel the trip; just
6 Wavelength Magazine
Also in the works is a book contract
and magazine writing. (Shepherd has
been a regular Wavelength contributor;
you can read about her experiences in our
back issues available online; simply search
"Hayley" at www.wavelengthmagazine.com
for a list of her articles.)
You can get a list of her upcoming
speaking engagements on her blog at
www.hayleyshephard.blogspot.com
delay it – with some advantages.
"Having my mind set on departing and
feeling physically and mentally prepared,
I was overwhelmed with disappointment;
however, I soon began to see the benefits
gained from this extra time," Shepherd says.
The benefits: she has recently partnered
with a non-profit organization Wild Places
Fund, allowing her to issue tax receipts to
donors.
She has also been working hard at
boating, outdoor and kayaking festivals and
speaking engagements to make information The blackbrowed albatross, one of 19
available to the public. varieties of albatross at risk.
FALl 2009
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FALL 2009 Wavelength Magazine 7

 Great Parks
Off Rosa Island.
Nuchatlitz
For the love of
N
uchatlitz is one of
the places that tends to stay
with you long after your visit.
Even speeding around Vancouver Island,
concentrating on little else but making
good time, this tiny provincial park off the
northwest tip of Nootka Island can draw
you in.
Sean Morley knows this well from his
circumnavigation speed record around
Vancouver Island in 2008.
"I camped on Catala Island on the
north side of Esperanza Inlet. It was
my most idyllic camp of the whole trip,"
Morley recalls. "The following morning I
watched the sunrise over Nootka Island
as I crossed Gillam Channel and paddled
past Nuchatlitz Provincial Park. If I had to
choose one area that I caught a glimpse of
during my circumnavigation of the outer
coast of Vancouver Island that I know I
must return to, this is it. I was sad to be
‘racing’ past such magnificent scenery and
resolved to return to this very special place
and spend some time getting to know it."
8 Wavelength Magazine
For those who do manage to spend time
here, the attraction tends not to fade.
For Brian and Shannon Bailey, a
serendipitous plane landing 35 years ago set
the stage for a three-decade love affair with
Nuchatlitz.
Brian was a mill office manager at
Zeballos on a visit to Nuchatlitz in 1974
when a floatplane landed nearby. Out
stepped a man with a group interested in
buying an island located in the middle of
the then-future provincial park.
As luck would have it, the group needed
one more shareholder to make it work.
Brian immediately said to count him in.
About a decade ago they made the
unusual decision to live on their island
paradise full-time. They share the area with
just one other off-season resident, a retired
oyster farmer. This makes the couple
among the most knowledgeable of the area,
particularly on the off-season conditions.
Shannon assures us it's not as remote and
inhospitable as it might sound.
"Each month is quite unique. November
FALl 2009
by John Kimantas
and December are usually the worst for
heavy rain. January can be nasty, but
February can be quite beautiful," she says.
"We just love it. It's so beautiful a place.
Even winter can be quite nice."
The couple keeps busy in the off-
season cutting firewood, making repairs,
beachcombing and reading – lots of
reading, of course – plus hosting gatherings
at events such as Thanksgiving, Christmas
and Easter, to keep the social aspect alive.
A hot tub makes the situation much
more pleasant. Shannon fondly remembers
one evening spent watching a comet race
brightly across the sky.
Plus the winter's lower tides it gives a
chance to walk to the outer islands and
explore remote areas.
"There are lots of places to experience.
We never tire of going back to our favorite
places. There's always something new to
see," Shannon says.
N uchatlitz was made a
provincial park in 1996. It protects

Campsite on Wy-ash.
most of the islands off the northwest
coast of Nootka Island plus a fair portion
of Nookta Island north of Nuchatlitz
Inlet. It makes ideal paddling because it is
relatively sheltered, offering a great mix of
island hopping and potential outer shore
exploration (conditions willing).
Nearby attractions add to the appeal, of
course. Nuchatlitz Inlet features caves and
other camping areas, while nearby Catala
Island has its own share of interesting
shorefront plus more camping.
Then there's the outer coast of
Vancouver Island just north of Catala –
FALL 2009
Nuchatlitz
exposed and potentially dangerous, but on
the right days an incredible place to explore.
Brent Blackman was one of the BC Parks
employees first tasked with visiting the park
after it was created in 1996. He's now the
Nootka area supervisor for BC Parks.
u
Wavelength Magazine 9
 Great Parks
Beachcombing, with Nootka Island in
the background, along with what
we found: a sea otter skull (below).
Espinosa Inlet
Port Eliza
Esperanza Inlet
Catala Island
Provincial Park Rosa I.
40
NUCHATLITZ 44
Private island
PROVINCIAL PARK
Ensanada It.
"We did a lot of field assessment in
the early days," he says. "It's one of my
favorites up there – within the top three in
what I've seen on Vancouver Island."
Shallow, sandy intertidal areas rich in
eelgrass beds make it attractive to a wide
range of wildlife, with sea otters a star
attraction since their reintroduction to the
area back in the 1970s.
Most of the islands in the park are
unnamed, with two key camping islands
generally referred to by the elevation
10 Wavelength Magazine
markers on Hydrographic Service charts
– islands 44 immediately west of the
First Nations reserve and island 40 to
the outside. Cristina Lepore at Zeballos
Expeditions tells us the traditional names:
Wy-ash for island 44 and Chuish for the
outer of the pair. The names are just one
historical link. Others, such a bighouse
imprints, remain as reminders, but not
all vestiges are necessarily pleasant. For
instance, some burial caves in the region
were known as trophy caves – places to
dispose of enemy tribes and even the
occasional unfortunate Caucasian.
During a recent visit fresh cougar prints
were evident around Wy-ash. We found
two skeletons that at first blush appeared
to be young cougars. A later investigation
found them to be sea otters – nasty looking
canines for such a cute and cuddly creature!
But no doubt a necessary part of a diet that
includes seemingly endless sea urchins.
The cougar tracks were no surprise
to Shannon, who says a cougar nests on
Chuish each winter, but disappears by the
time the summer crowds arrive.
FALl 2009
O ne obvious attraction
to Nuchatlitz is the relative ease to
get here. A road passing through Zeballos
will lead to a bridge across the tidal rapids
at Little Espinosa Inlet. From there you can
avoid the rapids and enter this otherwise
sheltered passage to connect to Espinosa
Inlet. From there it's about 20 km almost
due south, eventually to cross Esperanza
Inlet to reach the park entrance.
Camping is possible anywhere within the
park, with a main campsite on Rosa Island
and beach camping on a few others. The
numerous reefs that surround the islands
and the kelp beds tend to eliminate the
swell found along the outer waters.
But breaking waves on rocks can be a
hazard, particularly for those leaving the
park and unaware of the transition. In 2003
two kayakers, Andrew Camp and Blake
Rawlyk, went missing on a day forecast with
high winds after camping at Nuchatlitz.
Their bodies and smashed kayaks were
eventually found near Ensanada Islet. It will
never be known what occurred, but it's a
reminder to respect the conditions here.
 Nuchatlitz

Contemplating this driftlog’s resting place. Join us for our 22nd year!

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Remote rainforest paddling, lodge-based.
Corcovado National Park visits. Calm seas and
estuary rivers. Cloud forest birding tours. Small
groups (6 or less). Weekly departures Dec–April.
Plus year-round kayaking at Galiano Island
in BC’s beautiful Gulf Islands.

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The prime launch site is Little Espinosa Inlet kayak@gulfislands.com
west of Zeballos. Limited services including
food and accommodation can be found in
Zeballos, about a five-hour drive north of
the Vancouver Island ferry at Nanaimo, with
the final leg along dirt logging road. The
first campsite in Nuchatlitz is about 20 km
from the launch. Water taxis are available
from Tahsis and Zeballos. Other attractions
include Catala Provincial Park and the
Nootka Trail along the outer coast of Nootka
Island. Cabin accommodation is available in
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FALL 2009 Wavelength Magazine 11

 Adventure Kayaking by Sandra Lucas

O
ur black Zodiac, dragging our kayaks behind
it, roared across the Southern Ocean, passing the high
cliffs that surround one of the outermost islands of
the Antarctic peninsula. It’s actually a flooded volcano, leading
early discoverers to baptize it Deception Island. The ring-shaped
isle is small, about seven miles in diameter, framed with dark,
grey-brown mountains. Snow covers the mountain tops and an
unsettled, steel-blue sea guards the island’s edges. It’s a cloudy day
with just a bit of wind. Through an opening in the ring we enter
the island’s bay and arrive on the beach’s pitch black, volcanic
sand.
The beach is narrow but stretches out far enough to have once
held a whaling station. The station, built in 1912, slaughtered
45,000 whales each year in its heyday. In 1969 a volcanic eruption
destroyed it, forcing the remaining whalers to abandon the island.
Now all that’s left are wooden, collapsed houses and crooked,
steel containers covered in rust. Scattered around lie vertebrae
and ribs, the remains of the whaling bounty. Penguins, seals and
skua, one of Antarctica’s main birds of prey, play among them.
After a bit of exploring, our group of kayakers sets out to
take our first strokes on sea. The breeze picks up, causing my
paddle to catch the wind. The water is cold, with one-and-a-half

Sandra Lucas
solves the
Just
GO
dilemma of
how to fulfill
the dream
of kayaking
Antarctica:

12 Wavelength Magazine FALl

FALL2009
2009
 Antarctica

FALL 2009
Fall Wavelength Magazine 13
 Adventure Kayaking

The ragged and scabrous beauty of Antarctica; inset: kayaks in tow off the Vavilov.
burdened with the task of getting travelers Together we form a small group of eleven Wilhelmina Bay, roughly 150 miles down
near Antarctica safely. Inside, it’s a maze men and women with ages ranging from 25 the peninsula. It’s a crystal clear day. The
of carpeted rooms and hallways. As soon to about 60. sun is out, causing the temperature to
as the Vavilov ploughs its way through After our first trip around Deception rise to a comfortable five degrees Celsius
Drake Passage, where the Atlantic ocean Island, we get the chance to paddle through (41°F). The bay of the island is surrounded
and Pacific ocean combine to form the the waters surrounding Enterprise Island. by huge, white glaciers, making it look like
Southern Ocean, I have my first meeting Stretching out for one and a half miles, a frozen fortress guarded by icy walls with
in the bar with the rest of the paddlers. the island is located at the north end of sharp, pointy peaks. Sometimes the white

14 Wavelength Magazine fall 2009


color of the glaciers is replaced by a more
translucent blue, which makes the ice look
more like pieces of glass or diamond. The
blue color of the ice varies from baby blue
to azure or denim blue. The seawater in the
bay is as placid as a puddle, almost mirror-
like and sprinkled with pieces of floating
ice, some as small as a snowball, others
as big as six-and-a-half feet forming tiny
floating islands.
With the sun on my face and fresh air
in my lungs, I try to focus on the sound
of the chunks of ice bumping against the
hard, yellow fiber of my kayak. The hollow,
muffled sound echoes through the water.
It’s like I’m pushing my kayak through a sea
of boulders as the rocks pound and scrape
against my boat. Besides the bumping
of the ice against my kayak, it’s almost
completely silent out here. Sometimes I can
hear the sound of a glacier calving as ice
slides over ice before the final plunge into
the deep sea. We make sure to stay clear
from the glacier’s edges and the danger of
huge waves.
Enterprise Island surprises us with the
remains of an old ship, once owned by
whalers. Its rusted, copper-brown bow
still rises above the water surface and the
ship’s deck is covered in a layer of snow. It
must have killed hundreds of animals in its
heyday. Now it lies in the cold and icy bay
while the sea water of Antarctica slowly
Fur seals keep a watchful eye.
breaks the ship down. We take our time
paddling around it. Exhausted but satisfied,
we return to the Vavilov for a hot shower
and a good meal.
W hen morning comes again,
we head out for Cuverville Island,
located in the Errera Channel near the
Antarctic mainland. Blows of humpback
whales have been spotted in the distance
and we waste no time getting dressed and
ready for departure. The black Zodiac
brings us as close to the whales as possible,
dragging our kayaks behind. I’m the first
one to get into my small kayak and I wait
for a fellow kayaker to accompany me
before heading out to the whales. Not
that someone would have stopped me
from going on ahead, but to be honest I
feel terrified to paddle among five 65-
foot humpback whales while sitting in a
15-and-a-half-foot lightweight kayak. The
FALL 2009
Antarctica
first huge dorsal fin appears about 30 feet
away and heads straight towards me. I don’t
know whether to quickly paddle myself
out of there, stay completely still or just
burst out in tears of happiness and fear.
Lucky for me, my group soon catches up
with me. The whale dives under again and
I lose sight of it. I try to peer through the
deep, midnight blue water, hoping to catch
a glimpse of this giant, but my attempt
is futile. We paddle a few strokes every
now and then to turn and stay near these
magnificent creatures, but there’s no need
to break a sweat. The whales themselves
seem to dance around our kayaks gracefully.
With their long bodies they skillfully swim
underneath and beside us, sticking heads,
fins and tails out of the water without ever
touching us. I’m astonished by their agility
and their caution.
Suddenly, another whale surfaces right
beside my kayak. It’s so close, I can almost
touch it. Instead, I cry for help! I feel
terrified to see this massive body only six
feet away from me. The whale calmly dives
under again. Its massive back and dorsal fin
slide through the water with so much ease.
I feel humility and respect coming over
me. The whale could have tipped me over
or slapped me with its tail. But it didn’t. It
just came over to have a closer look at me.
After we’ve spent years and years of killing
u
Wavelength Magazine 15
 Adventure Kayaking
whales for their meat, they still seem so
friendly and interested in us.
T he following day, Antarctica
shows its wild side as we try to reach
the mainland. Heavy winds, accompanied
by snow, blow the waves five feet up into
the air. As the waves rise up and tip over,
16 Wavelength Magazine
The author. Photo by Zak Shaw.
they lose their dark, midnight blue color
and turn steel blue ending in white tips. The
icy landscape has lost its enchanting beauty
and looks grim underneath the heavy, dark
clouds. The temperature drops below zero.
In the distance, I can spot the Antarctic
mainland. It has pitch black and grey-brown
mountains as far as I can see. Their angled
peaks look sharp and impassable. Some
peaks are more shelved and topped with a
thick layer of snow. As the snow is pushed
further down the mountain, it slowly
transforms into one of Antarctica’s many
glaciers. But this time, we’re not heading
for the glaciers. We’re heading towards a
more suitable place to enter the mainland.
We’re paddling like maniacs to get through
FALl 2009
the whirling sea and heavy wind. There’s no
time to take a break. The streamlets are so
strong they’ll take you back right where you
started. All around us, penguins leap out of
the water, catching their breath and trying
to see where they’re going. Sometimes, one
of them looks at me with a surprised face.
I feel silly being so slow and clumsy in my
unwieldy kayak, especially compared to the
dexterity and ease with which the penguins
are moving past me.
I watch my fellow kayakers, battling
beside me, beanies pulled far over their
ears and foreheads, hands sticking deep
into their paddle gloves, trying to make
their way through these ferocious waters. A
sense of pride comes over me. Here we are,
undiscouraged by heavy winds and snow,
paddling across icy waters, aiming to set
foot on the continent of Antarctica. Right
now I feel truly honored to be a part of
this group. As we approach the mainland,
slippery black rocks, some covered with a
thin layer of snow, are scattered in front of
the beach, leaving only a small opening to
paddle through and reach the shore. After
maneuvering past them, the front tips of

Humpback whales make for intimidating paddling partners.
our kayaks finally touch the salty sands of
Antarctica’s shore. I pull open my spray
skirt, wiggle out of my kayak and place my
foot on the wet sand. As I walk up, I see
penguins sitting on the wet rocks casting
glances at us. The small beach, maybe
13 feet in width and 33 feet in length, is
bordered by a collection of rock, some
stone grey, others pitch black. They’re
stacked up, each one covered in more snow
as the pile ascends, transforming into the
foot of the mountains that frame the beach
we’re on. I look up at the high, snow-
covered mountain peaks, smelling the salty
ocean air and feeling the cold wind brushing
across my wet and warm face. Not only
is the scenery magnificent, it’s also a great
feeling to know you’re setting foot in a place
FALL 2009
Antarctica
where few people have gone before.
As we gather to take some pictures, the
crew of the Vavilov congratulates us. We’re
now officially on the Antarctic continent
and we got here by kayak.
<
Sandra Lucas is a resident of The Netherlands.
She can be reached at satoya82@yahoo.com.
Wavelength Magazine 17
 Extending Summer
Clayoquot Sound,
end of September
In search of
Weather windows
P The kayaking season doesn't
repare all you want for that big
summer weekend getaway, but the
grand plans will be all for naught if
the wrong weather system moves in.
You just never know here in the Pacific
Northwest/BC. It can rain in August, and
the sun can shine in October. Not always,
of course, but surprisingly often the
season’s prevailing weather simply doesn’t
prevail.
For those who risk the odds by kayaking
in the off-season, the rewards can be
substantial. The summer haze disappears,
giving wonderful snowclad mountain views
when the clouds break. The water is clearer
of bacteria, allowing unfettered exploration
of the intertidal life. And the boat traffic
and competition for campsites disappears.
You just have to pick and choose your
moments – that is, you have to find a
weather window and run with it.
Anne McCarthy, a weather service
specialist for Environment Canada, puts it
this way: "It's not the highway traffic that's
going to get you. It's that one big Mack
truck," she says. "The average number of
storms don't swamp you – it's the individual
storm fronts that swamp you."
So while it might be helpful in long-
range trip planning to know that Tofino, for
instance, gets just 10 to 11 days with rain on
average per month in July and August, and
22 days with some rain in November, that
doesn't guarantee anything. Especially if
18 Wavelength Magazine
have to end after Labor Day.
Just be more cautious.
you were kayaking on Aug. 26, 1975, when
a record 131.3 mm (5.16 inches) of rain fell
in what should have been the dry season.
B ut things do change over the
course of the year in the Pacific
Northwest and BC. Essentially during the
summer a high pressure system builds
off California, which pushes the coastal
storm fronts north – good for us, but
not necessarily so for the Gulf of Alaska,
which can see considerable storm activity
even in the summer.
Later in the year the high pressure
system off California will weaken, and the
tussle begins as the storm fronts fight to
move back down the coast toward central
British Columbia while the warm air
continues to try to push it north.
"Think of it like sumu wrestling but on a
much larger scale," McCarthy says.
What can hit the coast are two types of
systems. One is the Gulf of Alaska lows,
which are large-scale and can drag frontal
systems down the coast.
But particularly troublesome are the
FALl 2009
smaller systems known as coastal lows that
can "bomb" – that is, drop from a low
pressure system to a quite severe storm in
a relatively short period of time (as little
as nine hours, McCarthy says). This is of
particular concern to kayakers, since it can
bring intense winds. This makes it one of
the key reasons that careful monitoring of
weather conditions is always necessary.
In addition in winter, tropical moisture
can bring extra winds and copious rain. But
the changing weather can also bring fog.
For instance, Victoria averages one hour of
fog (measured as limited visibility) in June
and July while November sees close to 20
hours. This won't be anything new to many
coastal travelers who see fog throughout
the summer along the outer coast. But it
can play havoc in more protected areas,
particularly south Vancouver Island and
Puget Sound.
The off-season is at its best when short
windows of exceptionally good weather
break through. That can mean outbreaks of
clear and cold weather, with the potential
for snow. But it can also mean relatively

balmy periods when a warm front manages
to push up, bringing a bulge of warmer air
through the region.
These are the day-to-day breaks where
you can't plan trips in advance, but you can
take advantage of them when they come.
The trick is planning for the changes that
occur during off-season paddling.
O ne of George Gronseth's favorite
off-season paddling destinations in
Washington State is Skagit Flats. The winter
season means migratory birds, often by
the tens of thousands. One of his more
memorable experiences includes watching
an eagle kill a duck in flight.
But there's occasionally a surprising
physical reminder of how the season
has changed. Freshwater runoff into the
saltwater can freeze, leaving the ocean
frozen over in a layer of ice.
As owner of Kayak Academy, Gronseth
has learned to take nothing for granted on
the water. One crossing of about a half-mile
in Desolation Sound many years ago still
stands out. The forecast was benign, but in
the middle of the crossing a local squall hit,
with winds reaching 30 knots in a matter of
minutes.
"No one capsized but it was a very
eyeopening experience," he says.
Winds are just one of the many changes
to watch in off-season paddling. While
winds can hit any time of year, they tend
to be more unpredictable off-season and
potentially stronger.
"Things can go from calm to windy
faster than they typically do in summertime,
and if you're going to get stormy weather
there's a higher chance of getting really
strong winds," Gronseth says.
Weather:
keep in contact
There are also more insidious aspects
to wind. For instance, it becomes harder to
turn a kayak, which can create a horde of
unexpected outcomes.
One, of course, is the kayak's tendency
to turn sideways to the wind. Weaker or
novice kayakers may find they don't have
the skill to turn back into the desired
direction.
Another danger is a group separating.
Gronseth says he has seen two outcomes:
some who are nervous will speed up, while
others who are nervous will slow down.
When strong paddlers speed up and
away from less strong paddlers, it can turn
particularly dire.
"Because they're strong doesn't mean
they're brave enough to turn back,"
Gronseth says. "They may be thinking, 'If
I turn around I'll capsize, so I'll just keep
FALL 2009
Extending Summer
going and hope everyone else is okay.'"
The answer to wind concerns is proper
trip planning – particularly careful attention
to forecasts and updates. Also, plan shorter
crossings, stay to more protected waters
and generally plan shorter trips.
Shorter days are another factor. Waiting
out wind or currents means a much greater
likelihood of paddling into the dark,
especially since sundown during the winter
can be as early as 5 p.m. Overcast days will
mean darkness even more quickly.
This means carrying extra equipment. A
flashlight is a legal requirement in the U.S.
for being on the water after sunset. So is
an emergency signal such as a package of
rocket flares.
Then there's the issue of dropping
temperatures – both in the air and on the
water. Changing water temperature is less
of an issue in the winter on the ocean.
Gronseth cites Puget Sound, the San Juans
and the Gulf Islands where temperatures
may be in the high 50s F in August and
early September but the low 50s F in winter
– not a dramatic change.
But anyone who figures it will be safer
to be on fresh water in the winter due to
the lower exposure may have to think again.
For instance, Lake Washington may warm
up into the 70s F during the late summer,
but drop to near-freezing in winter.
Saltwater areas near large river systems
can also be prone to colder temperatures,
occasionally forming ice.
The answer, of course, is proper
immersion gear. And Gronseth measures
the need this way: "If the water is colder
than you care to swim in, you ought to be
wearing some thermal protection."
 <
Wavelength Magazine 19
 Extending Summer

I
f you've ever thought about
off-season paddling, you've probably
thought about protective gear. But
what to get? A bulky, expensive drysuit? Or
will a wetsuit be enough? Or is even that
necessary? Will a paddling jacket suffice?
Consider what cold water does and how
exposed to it you'll be before deciding.
Essentials of Sea Survival by Frank Golden
and Michael Tipton (2002) rates it this
way: ordinary clothes in 12°C/54°F water
will provide a survival time of 65 minutes;
an insulated drysuit will provide about 15
hours survival time.
So what of wetsuits? Well, beware studies
citing wetsuit and drysuit comparisons that
might pitch a 4.8mm diving wetsuit against
a drysuit. Most kayaking wetsuits are much
lighter, at 2 to 3 mm of neoprene, trading
protection for mobility and comfort.
Kayak Academy's George Gronseth did
a bit of an experiment with kayaking gear
at a New Year's Day coldwater immersion
rescue day, getting participants to try
and stay in 40°F water for 20 minutes or
more. Anyone wearing a wetsuit, even in
combination with a drytop, was out of the
water in five minutes or less, he says; those
with drysuits managed the full 20 minutes.
Gronseth lasted 23 minutes in his The Tectour Anorak paddle
drysuit. paddling jacket and Farmer
"In 40° water I was still able to get out Jane NeoZip wetsuit (also
shown to the right).
of the water and get back in my kayak,"
he says. "Uncomfortable, but not a safety

problem."
While five minutes is generally ample
time to conduct a rescue, if necessary,
making a wetsuit adequate, Gronseth
points out that the initial rescue is just one
consideration.
On a warm, sunny day a kayaker might
just keep going. But on a cold, wet and rainy
day the only way to get warm might be to
go to shore, remove all the wet clothing and
generally start over again.
Compare that with a drysuit, where a
kayaker's core remains dry all the time.
Another scenario is multiple capsizes
– always a possibility in rough weather.
Kayakers in wetsuits will face a flush of
cold water with each immersion. Drysuit
users will avoid that.
We asked the folks at Kokatat, designers
of kayaking protective gear, what they
recommend for two scenarios – one for
Gearing up
for the cold
moderately cool water conditions and one
for diehard cold-weather survival. With
input from Gronseth at Kayak Academy
this is the two options they created.
For moderately cold conditions
(This sample is created for a woman)
● Base layer: Farmer Jane NeoZip
women's 3mm neoprene wetsuit with relief
zipper.
● Top layer: Tectour Anorak paddle top.
While not offering the same protection
as a drysuit, this package will provide
insulation in the event of immersion
suitable for re-entering a kayak. It is also
quite inexpensive, with most Farmer Janes
available for about $100 or so.
The Kokatat Tectour jacket, available in
Tropos or Gore-Tex (both breathable and
waterproof), offers gasket protection at the
wrists but freedom from a gasket at the
neck. This gives additional comfort over a
drytop while still providing protection from

20 Wavelength Magazine FALl 2009

 arms horizontal and are prone to getting a
soaking up the sleeve, or worse, down the
body as well, should a wave hit.
The lack of a neck gasket trades some
immersion protection for comfort that can
pay dividends when used as a rain jacket.
Gronseth says such an anorak can double as
a jacket for use around a campsite, meaning
a kayaker need take only the one.
It’s an option best suited for cooler
weather in situations with minimal risk. The
relief zipper is optional.

For cold conditions

(This sample is created for a male)
● Base layer: Polartec liner
● Top layer: Gore-Tex Front Entry Dry
Suit with relief zipper and socks.

This is a high-end option, as most

splashes up the arm – a hazard for kayakers
in colder water, who generally sit low with
drysuits mean a considerable investment,
but one that will pay off in the best
protection. A key advantage is the built-in
socks eliminate the need for ankle gaskets.
Keep in mind the drysuit doesn't provide
insulation on its own. That's where the
Polartec liner comes in. A handy one-piece
The Front Entry drysuit.
design eliminates the bother of a shirt
riding up the back. Drysuit options are a
fly for the men's design, and a drop seat or
front relief zipper for the women. <

FALL 2009 Wavelength Magazine 21

 Extending Summer
A perfect spot to overlook Desolation Sound and the Sunshine Coast.
Destination: Cortes
T When wind
he timing looked perfect for
a break. When the weather forecast
shows three suns back to back in
April, and on a weekend no less, you grab
the opportunity and run.
Our choice for an off-season getaway
was Cortes Island. With cool temperatures
we weren't up for a camping trip, so we
opted instead for the safety and security of
a base camp. And lucky for us Steve and
Carol London at T'ai Li Lodge were happy
to open one of their waterfront cabins
early. The setting was perfect – a small but
picturesque cabin overlooking Desolation
Sound. We celebrated our Friday evening
arrival sitting on the rocks overlooking the
ocean – a deceptively peaceful ocean.
The one factor we didn't account for in
the forecast was strong winds. Overnight a
slight breeze changed to galeforce, and in
22 Wavelength Magazine
keeps you off the
water, the right
venue makes all
the difference
the morning we looked out onto whitecaps
that precluded any chance of carefree
kayaking.
That meant Plan B, staying on land, and
an exploration of rustic Cortes Island.
Cortes is one of the two key islands
serviced by BC Ferries in the Discovery
Islands (often referred to now as the
FALl 2009
northern Gulf Islands, though the
association is purely by political grouping,
not geography). Getting here can be half
the fun, and travelers should be in that
mindframe, considering the amount of
ferry travel involved. Visitors from the
mainland of BC or Washington State will
have to get to Vancouver Island, then take
a ferry to Quadra Island from Campbell
River, then another ferry from Quadra to
Cortes.
(The island may well appear significantly
closer to the BC mainland than Vancouver
Island, but for travel purposes it is much
farther away.)
The result is the chance to enter one
of the most charmingly rustic island
communities remaining on the BC
coast. Where other coastal islands such
as Saltspring have been discovered, and

One of the rustic beachfront cabins at T’ai Li Lodge.
subsequently gentrified, Cortes keeps its
low-key appeal through a handful of parks,
small shops, eateries, coffee shops and
quaint village charm.
Plus there are the trails. If you can't
paddle, hike! Arguably the best trail, and
certainly the longest, leaves from mid-island
through Klahoose First Nation territory
into Ha'thayim Marine Park. We finished
the trail with a picnic lunch overlooking
Lewis Channel and Redonda Island.
A more casual stroll was possible at
Smelt Bay Provincial Park on the island's
west side. While the wind howled in from
the southeast, we strolled the sand in the
comfort of the lee. A smattering of shops
and a charming bookstore provided another
diversion.
The beach at Smelt Bay Provincial Park.
Base Camping
Whaletown’s post office.
Heading home on the ferry with our
kayaks on the car, we probably didn’t fool
too many. It was a kayaking bust – not
one paddle stroke – but in the end it didn’t
matter. Good weather in April is worth its
weight in gold, even in the wind. <
If you go:
For ferry schedules, visit bcferries.com.
For accommodation, consider these
kayak-friendly options:
● T'ai Li Lodge
● Healing Waters Beach Resort
● Solstua West on Rendezvous Island
For more information on these resorts, The Cortes Island library.
see our Kayak With Comfort feature, page
27: Also:
● Coast Mountain Expeditions
St. John the Baptist Church, Whaletown.
FALL 2009 Wavelength Magazine 23
 Extending Summer
Can a fixed-roof base camp trail be created?
Kayaking in British Columbia is going to
mature dramatically over the next few years.
One key development in its coming of age
will be the BC Marine Trail, which is in the
process of being created by the BC Marine
Trails Network Association. When complete
(which may take years), it will create a route
of designated camping locations, launch
spots and safe havens to assist travel by
beachable boats (that is, canoes, kayaks and
small motorized craft) from Washington
State to Alaska and all points between.
Unfortunately the only area where year-
round kayaking is truly possible in Canada
is the Gulf Islands off southeast Vancouver
Island. This collection of picture-perfect
islands is known for its Mediterranean
climate and almost desert-like conditions
(note the natural occurrence of cactus in
a wider region generally referred to as a
rainforest).
Unfortunately, short days, cooler weather
and unpredictable weather systems in the
off-season mean kayaking beyond the
24 Wavelength Magazine
summer months is hit and miss even here.
But that doesn't mean it's not possible.
In fact, many kayakers have discovered
this secret, picking and choosing venues
carefully to match the conditions. The
benefits? Winter means less haze for better
mountain views, clearer water for low-tide
observations, more sea life such as sea lions,
and – arguably best of all – fewer people.
The difficulty is camping. Cold
temperatures, shorter days and the risk of
changes in weather mean discomfort and
potential dangers.
So the creative minds at Wavelength
Magazine had a brainwave of sorts: what
if, parallel to the BC Marine Trail, we have
a B&B Marine Trail where kayakers could
travel from one fixed-roof accommodation
venue to another? Where foul weather
could be waited out in ideal conditions and
transportation options greatly increased?
Kayakers could pick one base camp from
the list or travel to any number of different
accommodation options, by paddle or car.
FALl 2009
Bouyed with the dream of being able to
kayak from Victoria to Nanaimo in comfort
year-round, we approached 30 candidate
B&Bs, lodges and resorts scattered
throughout the Gulf Islands to join the
trail.
It was not one of our banner marketing
campaigns. In fact, it was a doughnut of
a failure. Twenty-three of our carefully
selected venues chose not to respond.
The others who responded tended to do
so cautiously. A few were enthusiastic but
guarded.
After the initial shock of rejection along
with the inevitable tears, we decided we will
try again for 2010. Hopefully eventually
we'll have enough support to launch a mini
BC B&B Marine Trail in the spring. In the
meantime, if you did want to try some off-
season travel, our current menu of kayak-
friendly accommodation options is on the
opposite page (plus Silva Bay Inn on page
35). And when you visit, don't forget to
mention how great a B&B Trail would be!
 Base Camping

Explore the BC coast by day, enjoy luxury by night 2 West Coast Vancouver Island
at these resorts that specialize in catering to kayakers

Kayak
1
2
3

with Comfort
1 Inside Passage 1 Inside Passage

Experience Nature in Comfort

Luxurious
Waterfront RENDEZVOUS ISLAND, BC CANADA

Lodge, Cabins www.solstuawest.com

& Platform Tents
• Kayak/Yoga Retreats • Wildlife & Bird Watching HEALING WATERS BEACH RETREAT
• Family & Group Holidays • Clubs • Meetings
TAKE1.indd 1 10/8/2007 10:59:53 PM

Private Island Paradise in Kyuquot.

Cortes Island, BC Canada
2 Bedroom Cottages Sandy Beach, Warm Ocean Water
Double Kayak Rentals Beachside Wood Fired Hot Tub
Home base for up to 10 kayakers
250-935-6409
www.cortesisland.com/healingwaters
healingwatersbeachretreat@hotmail.com
Rustic Elegance on the West Coast
of Vancouver Island. Bring your own boat
or kayak. Uchuck cruises weekly.
Boat Charters & Kayak Transport.
1.888.920.6075 info@seaotterlodgebc.com
www.seaotterlodgebc.com
3 Gulf Islands

Copper Kettle
Bed & Breakfast
465 Stewart Ave
Nanaimo, BC
V9S 4C7
250-740-3977
1-877-740-3977
~ Traditional, cozy, English-style accommodation.
~ Delectable breakfast, queen beds, shower ensuite.
~ Great paddling possibilities: we are one block from sea front where
you can launch a kayak to paddle in Nanaimo Harbour. Easy paddle to
Newcastle and Protection Islands to walk, swim or picnic.
~ Close to downtown Nanaimo
~ 10 minute walk to kayak rentals near Departure Bay.
www.copperkettlebc.com

FALL 2009 Wavelength Magazine 25

 New Gear

C-Tug
This Kiwi contraption is likely to change the shape
of kayak transport now it is being distributed in Canada
through C-Tug Canada. The C-Tug has the advantage
of being able to be dismantled or put together in seconds
without the need for tools, then stowed easily in a kayak hatch until
needed again after the paddle. Its adjustable saddle can accommodate
canoes or small boats up to 300 pounds. www.c-tug.ca

SeaTrails
This creator of an extensive line of
kayaking adventure maps has added to its
inventory of US-based waterproof offerings
with two Canadian entries: the Deer
Group and the Broken Group, both within
Barkley Sound. You can now get them at
key retailers in Canada as well as in the US
or online at wavelengthmagazine.com.
www.seatrails.com

Beckson Marine
There's only one true way to test a water pump: fill two cockpits
with water, get one person to use the pump and another to use a bucket,
and see who wears out first. General experience is a bucket will win
every time. But pumps are a legal requirement, and handy if you want
to keep the sprayskirt on because wash will fill your cockpit. Beckson
Marine is tackling our preference for buckets with the Genuine Thirsty-
Mate 318P1 Sea Kayak Pump. The pump incorporates an aluminum
reinforcing shaft to prevent the shaft from flexing in a rolling sea (now
that would be nasty conditions!), while not interfering with a compass
(so north isn't your stern deck bungy cords where your pump sits). The
optional float sleeve comes in your choice of red or yellow for the fashion-
conscious pump owners among us. www.beckson.com.

A whole new world

is unfolding...

Planet
 Kayak
Test paddle the internet's
newest kayaking resource.

www.planetkayak.net

26 Wavelength Magazine FALl 2009

 New Gear

Discovery Trekking
Remember those thick, soft towels in
laundry commercials? Comfy, but not so
great on a long kayaking trip. Better would be
something lightweight that wicks moisture from
the skin and dries much faster than traditional
towels. Enter The Discovery Trekking Sport and
Travel Towel that, rather than absorbing water,
pulls moisture across the fibres and the surface
of the fabric to evaporate, making it four times
faster to dry out than a traditional towel. Silver
discourages bacterial growth and that musty
smell. Plus it is lightweight and easy to pack.
www.wickingtowel.com

New to Wavelength's gear locker

When Team Wavelength was shopping for new paddles,
it didn't take long to hone in on Werner. We were looking
for two feather-weight paddles to accommodate two
different paddling styles. The result: for the high-angle
paddler among us, the Cyprus Performance Core Tour bent
shaft. For the low-angle paddler, the Kalliste Performance
Core Tour bent shaft. Weighing in at just 26 ounces, both
feature the Werner carbon weave, the bent shaft for comfort
and reduced strain, and an adjustable ferrule to feather
in 15-degree increments. The Cyprus is designed for a
more powerful catch and stroke at a high angle for a faster
cadence. The Kalliste, meanwhile, will better serve a more
casual and relaxed stroke at the more traditional low angle.
Kalliste
Cyprus

Watch for the Werner to power future kayak reviews and

Team Wavelength trips along the coast. www.werner.com

FALL 2009 Wavelength Magazine 27

 Review
Sweet
I
(Delta)
magine a sporty little compact car
boasting lots of stock features at a
budget price – fun for the owner, but
likely snubbed by sports car purists. That is,
until one stops to look under the hood.
And so it goes with the Delta 16 – a
sporty little compact kayak that, for lack
of a better phrase, comes tripped out
with enough standard features to raise an
eyebrow or two. And the package may be
enough – just maybe – to entice fans of the
more traditional Brit boats to take a look at
what the 16 has to offer.
Members of the South Island Sea
Kayaking Association (SISKA), BC's newest
paddling club, were offered the chance to
look under the hood and kick the tires as
this issue's guest reviewers. And as should
be expected for a start-up Brit-style boat,
in thermoform no less, the reviews were all
28 Wavelength Magazine
16
over the map.
The boat's creator, Mark Hall, dubs it the
"full-frontal lobotomy for the British Canoe
Union." And it's certainly a departure for a
manufacturer known to make predictable
and stable boats. At just 22 inches wide, it's
the narrowest of the Delta offerings, with
the fit tailored for the smaller to medium-
sized paddler.
It's the level of experience the boat
is designed to attract where views vary
most widely. Delta tells us it's for an
intermediate to advanced paddler. But a few
key reviewers – among the most veteran
of SISKA's considerably experienced
membership – thought differently, labelling
Delta 16 specs
Length Beam Depth Cockpit Total storage Weight
16' 22" 12" 32.5"L x 16"W 371.1 L 50 lbs
FALl 2009
SISKA's Michael Jackson
intermediate paddlers.
tries the 16 off the
Chatham Islands near
Let the controversy begin!
Victoria, BC.
the 16 more on the level for beginner to
Perhaps the most compelling review
came from one guest kayaker, Dorothea
Hoffman, a female used to a narrow boat
and one of the smaller-sized reviewers for
which the boat was designed.
"At 5’4”, 135 lbs, I am a woman who
usually prefers my 19 inch wide boat. But it
was quick and easy to adjust the boat to fit
my smaller frame, and I felt very secure and
connected with the boat," she says.
A new fit kit that will allow slender
kayakers to adjust the seating to size will
take that comfort one step further.

Win this kayak
So here's a tally of the assessments.
The basics: The Delta 16 is unique for
its four hatches, two of which can best be
described as pods – two day hatches, one
in front and one behind the cockpit. Both
are self-contained, with the rear day hatch
taking up only a portion of the boat's
width. This has two advantages: making the
gear in the pod easy to reach and allowing
longer gear such as tents to be stowed
alongside the pod, something not possible
if your day hatch is divided by a bulkhead.
The front day hatch also sits in a pod
that lies under the deck inside the cockpit.
This might appear to obstruct leg room,
but careful design avoids that trap.
The Delta 16 has considerable rocker,
which for larger paddlers doesn’t necessarily
equate into added maneuverability. But
once again, correctly-sized Dorothea set
the tone: "Due to the interesting curve
of the hull above the chines, the boat has
great secondary stability. Easy to put and
hold on edge, a cinch to turn, it is an easily
paddled boat."
In other words, be careful you're the
About our
guest testers
Delta 16
right size if you want to take advantage of
this kayak's ability. Entering the
For advanced paddlers, the 16 is likely
to come to life in surf and waves, where its thermoform debate
size and design is best suited.
To add to the versatility, Delta has added
a choice of a skeg, rudder or none (but
not both). This will widen the 16’s appeal
significantly.
The rating
Touring: Delta is known for getting
a lot of volume out of a little, and the
16 matches this with a healthy 210 litres
storage in the hatches – good for a week of
gear, maybe two if you scrimp. The ability
to slide the seat forward helped center
weight and avoid weathercocking.
Playing: "Easy to roll, easy to balance
brace." The rolling is aided by a quirk of
the Delta design: when inverted, it sits
naturally at a 15-20 degree angle, a huge
assist in getting upright.
Stability: The Delta 16 is very easy to
turn and maneuver for a smaller paddler.
Weathercocking was an issue for a medium-
sized paddler off Gabriola. The skeg helped
tracking immensely.
The positives: A thoughtful design,
lots of extra features and attention to detail
make this an interesting boat to review
and paddle. Clearly Delta is interested in
raising the bar through paying attention to
kayaker's needs. People who like this kayak
are likely to love it.
Overall: Full-frontal lobotomies aside,
Delta Kayaks has moved into a niche of
its own here with a very affordable and
versatile smaller boat catering to a smaller
person.
We would love to take this out in surf,
arguably the 16's forte. When we do we'll
post the results online on the Wavelength
Forum (www.wavelengthmagazine.com/
forum). In the meantime, consider this an
option for the smaller paddler who wants
a racy option without going the traditional
sports car, er, Brit boat route.
 <
Shopping for kayaks?
Check out our new
Search by make,
model, size, features...
online kayak directory
www.wavelengthmagazine.com
FALL 2009 Wavelength Magazine 29
 Skillset  By Alex
By Alex Matthews
Matthews

W
ith summer warming the
1 Before re-entering,
visualize the full
sequence of your
water it’s the perfect time to
practice favorite rescues, try
movements. some new ones, and generally mess about
in boats.
If you already have a solid roll (for a
refresher see the Fall 2008 Wavelength
Skillset), or are working towards one, a
fun self-rescue is the re-enter and roll. The
concept is simple: in the event of a swim,

Re-enter
you can re-enter your capsized kayak while
it’s still upside down, and then roll it back
upright.

&
The key to performing a successful
re-enter and roll is making sure that you’ve
established a good solid grip on the kayak
with your legs before trying to roll.

Roll
Take a deep breath and re-enter the capsized boat. Secure
2 a good grip with your legs before attempting to roll.
A good grip on the paddle is also key.
3 Take the time to orient blade angle.
If you want to roll up on your right,
position yourself by the cockpit, on the
right side of the capsized boat (this is
actually port side of the overturned kayak).
Place your paddle along the edge of the
cockpit (port side), so that you can grip
your paddle and the cockpit rim with your
left hand. Your right hand reaches across to
the far side of the cockpit rim.
Holding the boat on edge, swing your
feet up into the cockpit. I will usually feed
my legs part way in, take one last deep
breath, and then go for the full re-entry.
This is the crux of the maneuver – be
sure to pull your butt completely into the
seat, and get your knees, and ideally at least
one foot, firmly braced in place. Failure to
secure a good grip on the boat by locking
your legs into the thigh hooks will doom
any attempt at rolling. So take your time,
don’t rush, and be sure that you are in
position and have achieved a solid fit before
starting your roll.
The last step before rolling is to shift
your right hand onto your paddle shaft. It’s
often helpful to reach out and feel the blade
in order to orient the blade angle before
rolling.
Once you’ve rolled the boat upright,
you’ll need to pump the water out. Or, if
you’re close enough, you may opt to make a
dash for shore and empty the water there.
A variation for paddlers with less than
reliable rolls is to ‘beef up’ the re-enter and
roll by affixing a paddle float to their active
rolling blade before sliding back into the
capsized kayak. A paddle float will generate
much more support for a roll, and provides

30 Wavelength Magazine FALl 2009

 PYGMY
Re-enter and Roll
Photos by Dave Aharonian

4 Execute a smooth and deliberate roll without rushing.

What’s for dinner?

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a la Pygmy is as fresh as it gets.

5 As with any roll, your head is the last thing to come up.

a solid brace to use while pumping the water out of the kayak once
upright. The disadvantage of using a float is that it will take more
time to set up and therefor requires the swimmer to be in the water
longer.
While the re-enter and roll starts out feeling like little more than
a “party trick” rather than a legitimate self-rescue, as a paddler
gains experience with this maneuver, its appeal increases. It is fast,
requires no additional equipment (unless using the paddle float
variation), and it’s a great drill for building your confidence and Designed by veteran wilderness paddler John Lockwood.
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fall 2009 Wavelength Magazine 31

 Ecology By Neil Schulman
Kelp 101
A primer on the prime marine plant of the Pacific coast
I
’m sitting in a room with Jennifer
Hahn, owner of Elakah Expeditions
and well-known chef of all things
from the sea. She has three camp stoves
running and is showing us how to make
chowder, pickles and chocolate pudding.
We’re furiously taking notes and devouring
samples. All three dishes are based on one
ingredient – kelp.
Kelp is more than an ingredient in
chowder and sushi, of course. It’s presence
or absence dominates the ecology of
nearshore waters. It tangles the paddles of
kayakers and gives us places to fish and take
shelter from the waves. And underwater,
kelp is both a crowded Manhattan of the
undersea world and a major driver of the
ecology in other zones.
When we talk about kelp, we’re really
talking about two major species that grow
in dense underwater forests on shallow
ocean margins, where their holdfasts
can attach to rocky bottoms and still
reach sunlight. South of Santa Cruz,
CA, kelp forests are dominated by giant
kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera). Northwards, the
dominant species is the bull kelp (Nereocystis
luetkeana). It’s a bit slower growing but more
tolerant of heavy waves.
When we float alongside the floating
stipes (leaves), it’s easy to sense that a lot is
32 Wavelength Magazine
happening out of sight beneath you. Kelp
crabs and snails cling to the stipes, and
anyone who fishes knows there’s a lot to
be caught in the kelp forests. We’re peering
down, like a bird circling above a forest
canopy.
A forest is a good analogy, because the
underwater vertical structure is similar to
a complex forest – but with much more
nutrition in the trees. With a holdfast
instead of roots, all the nutrition is packed
into the stipes and stalk (thallus). Combine
the tasty kelp with upwelling currents that
bring nutrients from the deep sea, and you
have an ideal place for sea creatures to
chow down.
If you’re a fish or an invertebrate, kelp
forests are great neighborhoods for raising
a family. The tangled forests of kelp grow
several centimetres a day and provide
shelter for everything from tiny crab larva
to thirty-foot long grey whales hiding
from pods of orca. The kelp provides a
solid place for fish and invertebrates to
attach egg masses. The dense stands slow
currents and dampen wave action, which
means it’s a great quiet place for young fish
to hatch and grow up, or for the seagoing
microscopic larvae of crabs and barnacles
to avoid being swept out to sea.
So it’s not surprising that this edible,
FALl 2009
ideal housing development is pretty full. A
study of just five holdfasts revealed 23,000
individual creatures from nine different
invertebrate phyla; one dive survey revealed
204 species in the vertical structure of a
kelp stand. The kelp is where the party is.
Kelp forests are also a major driver of
the sea’s ecosystems. Fish raised in kelp
beds range far and wide. Migratory species
may hop from one kelp bed to the next up
and down the coast. And by dampening
wave action, kelp changes the nature of
intertidal ecosystems. Less spray high on
the rocks means fewer barnacles and fewer
predatory snails. In contrast, critters like
chitons and urchins that cling to the rocks
and soft-bodied creatures like anemones
thrive with less pounding. There’s some
evidence that the density also “filters out”
the free-swimming larva of some intertidal
species, controlling the composition of the
tidepools.
W hen I paddle Oregon’s open
coast there’s no shelter from the
waves. There are no kelp beds to rest in,
and I’m constantly on the alert lest I be
smashed into the rocks. In contrast, on a
recent trip to Nuchatlitz Inlet, kelp beds
were everywhere, offering us an “inside”
route on the open coast that allowed us to

get close to rocks inside the beds. One of
the differences might be more offshore
shallow rocks to which the kelp can attach.
But another factor is something far more
photogenic: the sea otter.
On our recent weeklong Nuchatlitz trip,
we saw so many sea otters that we stopped
pointing them out to each other by the
end of the first day. They roamed around
singly and hung out in big rafts of 30 to
40 cute, furry blobs. They would raft up in
kelp beds where they eat urchins, crabs, sea
cucumbers and clams.
The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is a
keystone predator. Their sense of cuisine
sets off a ripple effect through the coastal
ecosystem. And they’re absent in a lot of
places, because they were hunted for fur
in the 18th and 19th centuries, nearly to
extinction. A few small population pockets
exist off the California and Washington
coasts. In British Columbia, they’re
abundant where they were reintroduced
in Checleset Bay in 1972, and have spread
north and south along the west coast of
Vancouver Island. And they keep the sea
urchin population in check.
It’s hard to believe watching sea urchins
in a tide pool, but they are voracious. They
chew through the holdfasts of kelp, eat
their way through the stem and move in
herds that can devastate kelp forests at
a rate of 30 feet per month (pretty fast
for something with no arms or legs).
Uncontrolled, they can create “urchin
barrens” where they chow down any kelp
plant that tries to regrow. Without otters,
urchins have devoured miles of kelp
forest on the Pacific Coast, along with the
ecosystems they support. My otterless,
largely kelpless home state of Oregon is a
perfect example.
So a lot more may ride on the
reintroduction of the sea otter than
photogenic mammals. Famed ecologist
Edward O. Wilson calls them the most
important keystone species in the world.
They’ve been reintroduced to parts of
California and Washington, as well as
B.C. But oddly enough, otters and kelp
forests may be stuck in a chicken-and-
egg conundrum. Attempts to reintroduce
otters to Oregon have failed, and one of
the reasons may be that without the kelp
forests for shelter from predators and
Top to bottom: kelp contributing to the land
ecology; the underwater view of the kelp
world; sea urchins – enemy of the kelp; and
sea otters – enemy of the sea urchin.
waves, the otters can’t survive.
Other big changes are coming to kelp
forests near you. The first clue came in
1997 when a strong El Nino weather
system in the tropical Pacific wreaked
havoc with the complex interplay of ocean
temperature, weather and currents. The El
Nino warmed surface waters as much as
4°C and suppressed the summer northwest
winds that cause upwelling of cold,
FALL 2009
Kelp Forests
nutrient-rich water along the west coast
of North America. Kelp is both sensitive
to warm temperature and reliant on
nutrients from the deep. In 1997 one-third
of Washington’s kelp coverage died off,
especially the more temperature-sensitive
bull kelp of the outer coast.
Unfortunately, these changes are likely
to increase. Global warming is expected to
warm oceans and increase the frequency
and strength of El Ninos. So our kelp
forests are in for a challenge.
But a lot is underway that can actually
help these undersea kelp forests. The sea
otters reintroduced to the west coast of
Vancouver Island may continue to spread
to new habitats and open up environments
where kelp can thrive. Some scientists also
suspect that kelp forests may sequester
excess carbon dioxide by absorbing it in
photosynthesis and increasing their growth
rate, resulting in a growth spurt that might
offset the affect of warmer water.
A lot is still unknown about kelp forests
and the complex interactions of the sea.
Will the reintroduction of the sea otter
go as hoped, reach a dynamic equilibrium
with the populations of urchins and allow
kelp to regrow? Or will it take some new
direction we can’t predict, after 150 years of
their absence and other ecological change?
How will the effects of global warming
be felt? Will the more tolerant giant kelp
replace bull kelp? Or will it prove too
sensitive to the wave action farther north?
As I walk along the beaches of
Nuchatlitz Inlet, with a raft of sea otters
floating offshore, I think of something else.
Another puzzle is the effect of kelp on
land. The beach is strewn with kelp, from
tiny holdfasts the size of my thumb to big
mounds of decaying kelp, hopping with
amphipods and chewed by deer. Kelp is
clearly contributing nutrients to the beach
and forest ecosystem in some way that we
don’t know.
In the classroom, Jennifer Hahn shows
us how to harvest kelp without disturbing
its reproductive cycle. The next time I’m
out paddling, I grab a kelp stipe and take a
bite. It tastes like the sea.
<
Neil Schulman lives in Portland, Oregon,
where he does environmental work and
loves to eat seaweed salad.
Wavelength Magazine 33
 g a
Health and Fitness

Y for kayakers
o
By April Link

How does yoga relate to

kayaking? In a word: awareness.
Yoga directs attention to the subtleties of the body. Knowledge
of how the muscles and bones fit together assists in gaining greater
command over their use. The basic physical aspects of alignment,
flexibility and core strength that a yoga practitioner develops can
also serve the kayaker.
A yoga practicing-kayaker can perform rescues more efficiently
and quickly as well as make safer decisions when bringing a
calm mind into the kayak. Handling rougher waters also comes
more easily with less tension in the body. By learning ideal body
alignment, you can prevent or reduce a sore behind or aching back.
Increase core strength for easier long-distance paddling; shorten
the long hours with legs outstretched; get more out of edging and
rolling by increasing flexibility. Keep in mind, as with any true
solution, a permanent fix comes from long-term effort, not instant
magic. At the same time, effects of the stretching and relaxation
feel obvious immediately. The more frequently a paddler applies
these principles and poses, the greater the benefit they produce.
Body alignment represents one of the predominant and most
widely applicable concepts within yoga asana (pose) practice. Most
people have imbalances in their muscular strength that pull the
skeleton out of neutral alignment (ie: overdeveloped pectorals
paired with underdeveloped back muscles). Maintaining alignment
prevents acute stresses on body parts and promotes muscle
relaxation.
The basis of proper alignment in any seated pose as in kayaking
is the rooting of the “sit bones.” To find the sit bones, just sit down
anywhere and notice the bone behind each cheek pressing through
the thick flesh of the gluteus muscles. If the muscle gets pinched
between the sit bones and the floor or seat, discomfort results.
Simple enough. To sit more comfortably for longer, the paddler can
pull the glutes toward the stern, leaving the sit bones more directly
against the seat. Remember this especially when anticipating a long,
cliffy stretch with little chance for on-shore breaks ahead.
Start with the sit bones as a foundation when trying any seated
poses before a trip or on the beach. By allowing the bones to hold
the weight of your body and leaving the smaller muscles for finesse
rather than brute, get more out of each stroke and better utilize the
whole body.
The following asanas provide examples of direct correlations
between yoga and kayaking.

Uttanasana – Standing Forward Bend

Since this is a standing pose, instead of the sit bones as the
foundation, the heels and balls of the feet form the base. The knees
and hips should stack over the ankles forming a tower of bones that
holds the position longer and with better balance. Uttanasana will
make it easier to maintain good posture as you paddle and prevent a
sore back or stiff legs. Hinge from the hips, bringing the chest toward
the knees. Press the feet into the ground and lengthen through the
back of your legs. With each exhalation, relax and drop the head a bit
more. Inhale and press the body up again.

Matsyendrasana – Seated Twist

The power in your stroke comes from the big torso muscles, not the arms. Strengthen
this core while exaggerating the paddling rotation in Matsyendrasana. Begin seated with
sit bones against the floor. Cross the right leg over the left to place the right foot on the
outside of the left knee. Flex the foot. Hug the right leg to your chest and press its hip
forward. Place your hand on the ground behind you, near the tailbone, if you can reach.
Inhale. Think of a cable attached to the crown of the head, pulling upwards to lengthen the
spine. Exhale and pivot the torso around the spine. Unwind and repeat on opposite side.

34 Wavelength Magazine FALl 2009

 Yoga and kayaking

Kurmasana – Tortoise Pose

Tortoise pose accommodates a wide spectrum of difficulty, so progress into a
deeper stretch as your practice grows. Kayak instructors and guides will tell you that
the most common place that clients end up swimming is right at the shore while
getting into the boat. Practicing this pose will make entering your kayak easier by
increasing flexibility and loosening the hips. Even if you’ll never be a cowboy, work
on this pose and you will see definite benefits. With your sit bones planted, place
both your feet flat on the ground in front of you. Bend forward, hinging from the
hips with your hands on the floor. Relax the lower back and allow the upper body
to drop towards the floor. If you feel limber today, try one-by-one rotating your
shoulders in towards your body’s center line in order to slide your arms under your
knees. Clasp hands behind your back or hold onto your shirt. In case that isn’t
enough, extend your legs in front of you and clasp the feet. To unlock this one, rock
from side-to-side and let your arms escape.

Half Moon Salutation

Photos by Debby McNeil

A salutation is a vinyasa or flow between a

series of postures. This salutation helps if you
have trouble reaching around the bottom of
the kayak for a C-to-C roll or need a bit more
control to get your edging solid. Standing with
big toes together, inhale your arms up above
your head and use your right hand to clasp
the left wrist. Press into your feet and stretch
your upper body to the right side, creating a
half moon-shape. Hold the body as though
pressed flat between two planes of glass. If
more support would help, brace the lower arm
against the leg on the same side. Press into your
feet and inhale up to the center and repeat on
opposite side. Come back to center and hinge
forward. Press the feet into the ground and
stand up straight. Reach your arms behind you
and arch your back as though lying down over
a barrel. Try to maintain a consistent curve
in your back so that the angles between the
vertebrae are equal. Press your hips forward
and protect the neck by keeping the ears even
with the arms. Inhale up to center again.

Practicing these poses regularly will
improve overall body control, flexibility,
strength and the ability to remain calm under
challenging conditions. Maintaining loose hips
and full range of motion in swell, chop, wind
or cold weather can make a big difference in
keeping you dry and upright. The advantage
is pretty clear. Don’t leave the poses at home,
though! Try busting them out on the beach
before launching or around the fire at night.
Morning practice instigates a loose, smooth
start to the day while the evening practice
ensures you sleep comfortably. And more
importantly, it prevents morning stiffness and
sore spots. Long term-practice brings even
more complete benefits.
Yoga, as with kayaking, involves inherent
risks. “No Pain, no gain” does not apply
here. Respect your body’s limitations.
Proper alignment in a beginner’s version
of a pose carries much more benefit than
straining into an advanced version and
compromising your well-being. No need to
aggravate old injuries. Acknowledge pain
and back off. Adapt any pose to personal
needs. Consult a doctor before attempting
a new exercise routine. This article only
covers standard versions of poses. If
you think adaptations would be useful or
necessary, any qualified instructor or teacher
can guide you.
<
April Link is a certified yoga exercise specialist
and freelance writer currently occupied
with raising her daughter until she resumes
guiding and instructing in the outdoors.

FALL 2009 Wavelength Magazine 35

 Planning and Safety
Uncertain about certification?
C Michael Pardy
ertification-based
training is increasing in popularity
with sea kayakers. More businesses
wades into
and organizations than ever are offering
certification-based training to the public as
well as guides and instructors. The impact
of certification is obvious to anyone active
in the paddling community over the last
decade. There has been a measurable
advancement in the skills, achievements and
diversity of kayakers which is clearly at least
partially tied to improvements in training
fostered by the demands of certification-
based training programs such as those
promoted by Paddle Canada
and the Sea Kayak Guides
Alliance of BC.
Not everyone is happy with
this trend in sea kayaking.
In a 2004 article titled The
Scourge of Certification, John
Dowd states “Certification’s
principle function, so far as
I can tell, is to generate cash
for rapacious bureaucracies
... and our favorite pastime
shifts from a freedom activity
to one of membership in an
exclusive club administered
by a hierarchy of bureaucrats with an
inflated sense of their own importance and
competence.”
Dowd’s views are shared by many,
especially in the club and youth camp
community, where the certification debate
has been particularly divisive. Determining
who can lead trips and who can go on
what trips has always been a challenge for
these organizations because they rely on
volunteers and younger, lower paid staff.
Certification is another potential barrier
to recruitment of leaders. Dowd calls it
“two classes” of kayakers – those with
certification and those without.
Sea kayak guiding and training businesses
were the early adopters of certification
in Canada. Guides and instructors have
obvious ethical and legal obligations
to accept, meet and provide minimum
standards in leadership to their clients.
From this core of support, certification has
36 Wavelength Magazine
 by Michael Pardy
the debate
on the merits of
certification-based
kayak training
slowly and steadily expanded throughout
the paddling community, sometimes
resulting in conflict. The most notable
source of friction is between recreational
paddlers and commercial guides and
instructors, especially in clubs that rely
on volunteer leaders. These volunteers
are often frustrated by the standards set
by the professional paddling community
and rightly question the time and cost of
achieving certification in the context of a
social organization.
There are other challenges with
certification. For example, certification
tends to privilege clearly defined and
observable skills to the detriment of equally,
or more important but less tangible abilities
such as decision-making, communication,
interpersonal skills and problem-solving.
Also, evaluations usually occur over a very
short period of time within a limited range
of environmental challenges and group
FALl 2009
behaviors. This serves to further privilege
tangible skills and quantifiable knowledge.
Also, certification can be a closed
loop system, where successful candidates
are often developed into instructors and
examiners of future candidates. In other
words, those that succeed within the system
are responsible for perpetuating it. This can
limit the creativity and development of new
ideas which allows the certification process
to adapt to changing needs and to anticipate
challenges.
There are also benefits to certification.
For example, tangible skills and knowledge
are the foundation on which
paddlers develop less tangible
skills. Certification is a simple way
to measure and ensure paddlers
possess these foundational skills so
that other, less tangible skills such
as problem-solving, leadership
and decision-making can also
be fostered. This is especially
important in the context of
developing leadership skills.
Furthermore, the certification
process is the result of the
collective voice of the leaders
in the paddling community. It
is an articulation of the expectations and
responsibilities of its members. As such,
the certification process is an opportunity
for members to interact with the wider
community and be judged and recognized
by peers. It is a guard against experts in
isolation who profess a high degree of
proficiency but have never been measured
against the expectations of the wider
community. Experts in isolation are a
common problem in clubs; certification
encourages leaders and paddlers to travel
and paddle with others in the wider
community. Indeed, this has been one of
the most significant accomplishments of
paddling certification.
Finally, one of the consequences of
the growth in sea kayaking in Canada
over the last decade is increased scrutiny
by government. Tensions with other user
groups such as fishers, powered recreational
vessels and commercial interests have
 Certification

pushed sea kayaking onto the political
stage. Certification provides legitimacy
for paddlers and affords us a seat at the
decision-making table. Certification regimes
provide a road map to our community
for outside persons and agencies which
helps ensure a seat at the table when issues
affecting the quality of our on-water
experiences arise. One recent example is
the revised Transport Canada requirements
for canoes and kayaks. The credibility of
the Paddle Canada training program has
fostered an ongoing dialogue between
Transport Canada and the paddling
community, helping to ensure reasonable
rules and regulations.
Certification has been a healthy
development in the sea kayaking community
in Canada, part of the maturing of the
sport. But we must remain skeptical when
certification for recreational paddlers
becomes the only path into and through
the sport. Sea kayaking is a voluntary
recreational activity that attracts a wide
range of people with a wide range of
interests from fishing, to wilderness travel,
birding, surfing, and fitness. The freedom
and independence at the heart of our sport
will be damaged if we attempt to restrict
who can paddle where and when.
<
Michael Pardy lives in Victoria where he runs
SKILS Ltd. He can be reached at info@skils.ca

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FALL 2009 Wavelength Magazine 37

 Paddle Meals  by Hilary Masson

Outback Oven
adds a whole
new element to
kayak cooking
T
he Outback Oven is a
practical, lightweight and compact
camp kitchen gadget that will get
you breaking out from the normal camp-
cooking paradigm. The possibilities of
baking with it in combination with a one-
burner white gas stove, a double-burner
propane stove or a campfire make this tool
versatile and worthwhile. Baking bread,
cake, crumbles, pizza, tarts, cinnamon buns,
lasagna or anything else you could bake at

Mexi-Stacks
home can suddenly be made on the beach.
The oven consists of a heat disperser,
which is placed on the stove/fire, then the
non-stick pan with a thermometer on the
lid and a Kevlar hood with a hole in the
top. The heat is dispersed evenly around the
inside of the hood and out the top without
scorching the bottom of the pan. The thermometer has a scale of
warm, bake and burn; the instructions say to keep the dial on the ‘e’
in bake. If you are using a camp stove, modulate the heat as needed;
Ingredients
if you are using a campfire, make sure it is only coals and remember
the bake time will be shorter than on a stove.
This Mexi-Stack recipe is ideal for feeding hungry paddlers,
and is a good way to use a variety of ingredients in just one dish.
Start by lightly greasing the bottom of the non-stick Outback
Oven pan. Then start by layering flour tortillas slightly overlapping.
Add a layer of refried beans, chorizo sausage, grated cheese, then
another tortilla layer. Now place chopped onion, corn kernels, diced another tortilla layer; continue by repeating these same ingredients
tomatoes and slices of red and yellow peppers. Top with cheese and in the same order. The top layer should be grated cheese with a
sprinkle of chili powder and cumin. Bake for 25 minutes in the
Outback Oven. Garnish with cilantro and have salsa or hot sauce
on the side for those who like it hot. This recipe should feed six
hungry paddlers. You can also add zucchini slices, spinach, bok
choy or any veggies you want in the layering process.
If you have leftover ingredients try making tiny personal pizzas.
Place one tortilla in the oven, spread refried beans thinly and evenly
then add chorizo, the veggies and top with cheese, chili powder and
cumin spices. Bake for five minutes for each individual pizza. Cut in
pizza slices and enjoy!
<
Hilary Masson is a guide and part owner of
Baja Kayak Adventure Tours Ltd.
Visit www.bajakayakadventures.com.

38 Wavelength Magazine FALl 2009

by Dan Lewis
M
any moons ago a river
canoeing buddy from Alberta
joined me for a sea kayaking
trip to Johnstone Strait. As we flushed
through Blackney Pass on an out-going
tide, Jim commented that “the ocean is like
a huge lake that behaves like a humongous
river.” Yep, you got that right, Jimmy. We’re
flushing out to sea!
Every day a massive exchange of water
takes place along the BC coast. As the tide
rises, the current floods up the inlets from
the sea, and as the tide falls the waters ebb
back to sea. The forces of the cosmos acting
on the earth’s oceans are made visible in
this daily parade of liquid, sometimes subtly,
sometimes spectacularly.
There is nothing like the feeling of
paddling across a wide channel like Juan
de Fuca Strait and noticing that the whole
body of water is actually moving. Watching
distant mountains slide by, one feels dwarfed
by the sheer bigness of it all. It can be very
humbling, a useful experience for a species
that thinks it is the master of the universe.
You can see the current if you look. For
example, standing on the wharf in downtown
Tofino, you might notice that kayakers
paddling away from town have to turn into
the current to avoid being swept rapidly
sideways. When cruising through narrow
passageways you will notice back eddies
along shore, separated from the main current
by eddy lines – murmuring, gurgling, swirly
zones where miniature whirlpools often form.
Part of the fun of paddling the BC coast
river
The
ocean
is my
is learning to take advantage of this powerful
ally. I call it the "Magic Carpet Ride" – hop
on and it will take you along, like a conveyor
belt. Not only that, but every six hours it
turns around and carries you back to where
you started! I always plan my outings to take
advantage of the currents.
(Actually, the sad truth is that although
I plan my day according to the currents, as
often as not I sleep late, linger over breakfast
or get sucked into planting the garden. Then,
at the worst possible moment, I leave and
pound against the current. By the time I’m
ready to turn around, so is the tide, and I
pound home against it! But at least I had
The Plan – there is some pride in knowing
that I knew better.)
Going against the current offers unique
pleasures and even advantages. In order to
ride the Magic Carpet, you have to get away
from shore. It is certainly fun to get that
free ride, but it can be a bit boring paddling
offshore, and you do have to watch out for
traffic. If you find yourself paddling against
FALL 2009
Fall
Rainforest Chronicles
the current, sneak in along shore and take
advantage of the eddies. It is supremely
satisfying to learn that even when the whole
situation seems to be set against you, there
is always a way to get where you want to
go if you pay attention and think. Plus, the
shoreline is where the sky, sea and land meet
– a very dynamic environment.
Sea kayaking led me to river paddling in
canoes and kayaks. From Tofino the good
paddling rivers are too far to drive to, but I
don’t miss them. There is a massive ocean
river right on my doorstep. These days I get
my kicks just heading for town. My favourite
conditions are a sunny day with northwest
winds at twenty-five knots, blowing against
a big ebb current, causing steep, surfable
waves – easy Class 2 whitewater to paddle
while fetching the mail and groceries. What
a ride!
<
Dan Lewis and Bonny Glambeck operate
Rainforest Kayak Adventures in Clayoquot
Sound.
Wavelength Magazine 39
 Day Trips
Deception
Navigate your way through
P
addlers launching their kayaks
near Deception Pass can expect
the same breathtaking scenery
and abundant wildlife found anywhere
in the San Juan Islands, with one notable
exception: no ferry hassles.
Just 90 minutes north of Seattle,
Deception Pass State Park is the most
popular park in Washington, and for good
reason. With 77,000 feet of saltwater
shoreline, rugged cliffs, sandy beaches
and the famously turbulent
Deception Pass narrows, there
is a great deal for sea kayakers to
see and explore.
For beginners: There is
protected water to be found in
Bowman Bay on the Fidalgo
Island side of the park. The
beach is moderately steep at
high tide, but a large sandy
flat is exposed at low tide,
making launchings quite simple.
Although Bowman Bay is not
large, there is plenty of shoreline
to explore, and the Coffin Rocks
40 Wavelength Magazine
at the mouth of the bay usually hold plenty
of roosting seabirds. Huge coniferous trees
form the visual backdrop behind a large
grassy field. If the weather is nice and there
is no swell coming in from the Strait of
Juan de Fuca, a beginner kayaker could head
north around Rosario Head and into the
Rosario Beach area.
Make sure to slow down enough to see
the marvelously folded ribbon chert that
makes up the headlands there, and ponder
FALl 2009
 by Erik Schorr
the forces that must have shaped them.
For intermediate paddlers: For those
who are well prepared, there are many great
route options that open up. Continuing
north from Rosario Beach there are the tall
sea cliffs under Sares Head where several
small sea caves can be found. Be careful
of boat wake and swell when entering the
caves. Turning back south from the caves
a paddler can head toward the Deception
Pass narrows. Make sure that you know
what the currents are doing
before getting too close; a strong
flood will pull you in before you
realize what is happening. Just
before you turn the corner into
the pass is Reservation Head
where you will find a beautiful
and rugged shoreline peppered
with offshore rocks and large kelp
beds. Often seals and porpoises
can be seen foraging here. On
the west side of the bridge the
pass is less than half a mile wide
and the views of the bridge are
great. If the planning has been
 Deception Pass

done well, and the current is approaching slack water, a paddler FIDALGO ISLAND
Sares Deception Pass
can brave a quick foray under the bridge to see the high walls close Head State Park
in above. Do not tarry here, as the currents change quickly and a Similk Bay
Rosario
misjudgment could mean an embarrassing walk over the bridge to Beach 20
fetch your car. If you do not want to risk going into the narrows Rosario Bowman Hope Island
Head Bay Beach Canoe Pass State Park
and you’d rather not retrace your route around Reservation Head, Reservation
then try paddling into lovely Lottie Bay and take the quick portage Head
DECEPTION PASS Deception Pass
back into Bowman Bay. State Park
Another option would be to launch the kayaks from Cornet Bay, Skagit Island
Cornet Bay State Park
Deception Pass Narrows Pass I.
on Whidbey Island and east of the Deception Pass bridge. A two-
mile paddle to the east will bring you to Hope Island, a pretty little
20
island with an impressive heronry located on it. Be careful of the WHIDBEY ISLAND
tide rips that can form near the west side of the island.
For advanced paddlers: There are few playgrounds as friendly Tips and hazards: Whatever your skill level, please come
and challenging as the narrows of Deception Pass. Most paddlers prepared. The water is cold and the currents are strong. It is always
come out here for the ebbing currents and they tend to stick to the advisable to dress for immersion and have a complete safety kit
north side, in Canoe Pass, where a nice eddy line forms. Lots of with you at all times (including flares and a VHF radio). Too many
boils and whirlpools can be found just to the west of the pass, a paddlers mistake experience for skill (for example, my grandmother
great practice area for bracing and boat control. For folks wanting a is a very experienced driver at 96 years old, but she probably should
little more of a challenge, come on out during the flood. It is much not be driving), so try not to overestimate your ability to deal with
less friendly both in Deception Pass proper and over on the Canoe the prevailing conditions. Get a current weather forecast and know
Pass side, but the whirlpools are incredible! If the wind is blowing exactly what the currents are doing before you launch. During the
from the west and the current is ebbing, then a great place to find summer months the boat traffic can be heavy in the pass making
surf is on the south side of Deception Island where a shallow reef conditions trickier. Weekends are especially busy.
forces the current to pick up speed and steepen the waves. The <
surfing is great, but be careful – the current will drag swimmers out Erik Schorr runs Anacortes Kayak Tours, along with his wife Megan and
to the big lonely waters of Juan de Fuca. children Taiga and Tashi. Visit www.anacorteskayaktours.com

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FALL 2009 Wavelength Magazine 41

 Good sunbathing beach (Kanaka Bay)
Newcastle Island
(this is all a park) Camp here! Protection Island
Travel Destinations Dry here (Watch for pirates)
at low tide
Trails along shore (portages welcome)

Nanaimo
Pavilion
This is a pub! Paddle up
Ferry lands here.
or take a ferry (please,
don’t drink and paddle!)

Good
Getting to know
kayaking

Look out -
Cool playground Catch crabs off floatplanes!
Outdoor music Newcastle ferry
leaves here the fishing pier
Oceanfront park
Another
Lagoon Seawalk pub!
Parking Lived here once.
Ferry terminal
is just down here This isn't
here now.
x 10th floor.

Just ignore. Much taller now.

Highway 19. but Downtown! Great views
don’t drive. Paddle!

Chances are if you've traveled on Vancouver Island, you've passed through Nanaimo. After all, it's the travel gateway
and ferry hub for most of the island's best kayaking destinations. But we're biased at Wavelength Magazine towards
Nanaimo as a paddling destination of its own – after all, it is our home base. So for everyone who's passed through
Nanaimo but not stopped, here's some water-related trivia to think about – and to keep in mind if you visit.
1. What canoe trip by a back to where they were originally mined.
The Pavilion
Snuneymuxw Chief named Che-wich- This is one of many historic remnants
i-kan to Fort Victoria led to Nanaimo dotting the park. Look for the column just
becoming a major marine center? across from the Brechin boat ramp.
Back in 1849 Chief Che-wich-i-kan, better 4. The campsite on Newcastle Island
known today as Coal Tyee, traveled to Fort is adjacent to an old pavilion. It was
Victoria to get his rifle repaired. While there created thanks to which company?
he mentioned all the black stones being In 1931 the Canadian Steamship
found in his Nanaimo home. The next spring Company purchased the island for use as a
he returned with a canoe filled with coal. is protected in Morden Colliery Historic resort. As many as 1,500 visitors a day were
Within two years Nanaimo was shipping Provincial Park just south of Nanaimo. brought to the island for picnics, swimming,
coal as a key refueling centre for trade on the 3. Now a provincial park, Newcastle dances and tea under the cover of the
Pacific coast, and most notably for the Royal Island was once mined for limestone. pavilion. After the Second World War the
Navy. And so Nanaimo was born. A limestone column is still evident on automobile killed the steamship business,
2. It was possible at one time the shore of the island. How did it get and the island reverted to a park.
to travel from Nanaimo to nearby there? 5. In Departure Bay is a fish farm. It
Protection Island by horse or mule. Newcastle Island has a long history of is BC's oldest fish farm. Who runs it?
How could this be done other than by occupation, first as a native village then as a The adjacent Pacific Biological Station
boat? Japanese fishing settlement and saltery. Back operates it as a research pen. It was built in
Coal mine. Tunnels once blanketed in 1872 it was a limestone mine when the 1974. The Biological Station undertakes a
the area, including underneath Nanaimo Zephyr left with 800 tonnes including two significant amount of marine research, with
Harbour to Protection Island. Most 27-foot pillars. The Zephyr ran aground and our favorite project conducting research to
tunnels are collapsed or flooded with most sank at Mayne Island. In 1987, 105 years save the sea horse in the Philippines. Could
evidence gone, though one last coal tipple later, the pillars were raised and transported anything be more noble?

42 Wavelength Magazine FALl 2009


6. In Nanaimo's inner harbour is an
odd-shaped wooden building that
looks like a fort. What is it?
It is the Hudson Bay Company Bastion,
the oldest original freestanding
HBC fort in North America. The
It is likely BC's oldest building. Bastion
It was built as an office,
storage facility and of course
an arsenal, complete with
cannons ready to fire across
the harbor. The bastion is open
for visits during the summer,
and a cannon still fires each day
during the summer at noon.
Protection Island still has yet to
surrender (give it time).
7. Where is the only paddle-
through cave in Vancouver Island's
Gulf Islands?
Jesse Island. The island is one of our
personal favorites for paddling, excluding
the guard dogs (very nasty!). But you can
get rid of them – simply buy the island.
The asking price: $5.9 million. This gets
you the 9-acre island and a home with five
bedrooms, eight bathrooms (!) and a two-
Travel Destinations
car garage. Just don't plan on driving very
far, as it is a small island after all.
8. In Hammond Bay is an island full
of shacks that no one officially owns.
What 1930s event made
this possible?
The Great Depression.
When the money ran out,
people turned to Shack Island,
then a Crown (non-private)
island and as such rent-free, to
build shacks. About 20 were
built, and still exist and are used
today thanks to squatter's rights.
9. Nanaimo was home
to one of the last whaling
stations built on the BC
coast. Where was it located?
Pipers Lagoon in north Nanaimo, also
known as Page Lagoon. Pacific Whaling
built the station in 1907, and that year
beached 97 whales at nearby Shack Island.
Not surprising, perhaps, the whales
disappeared, and the last one was beached
in 1908. In 1912 the station was dismantled
and moved to Rose Harbour in the Queen
Charlotte Islands. <
FALL 2009 Wavelength Magazine 43
 Marketplace
Courses and instruction
Sea Kayak Guides
Alliance of BC
The Sea Kayak Guides Alliance
of BC is a non-profit society
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guides and operators in BC.
Through on-going professional
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P.O. Box 1005, Station A,
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info@skgabc.com
44 Wavelength Magazine
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 Marketplace

Associations Tours and services: BC, Canada

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FALL 2009 Wavelength Magazine 45

 Marketplace

Tours and services: BC, Canada

*…\ÊÓxä‡xΙ‡xxxÎ

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46 Wavelength Magazine FALl 2009

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