download - Wavelength Paddling Magazine

Fall 2006
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KAYAK LINEUP FOR 2007
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Fall 2006
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4 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

Editor
Alan Wilson
awilson@island.net
Assistant Editor
Diana Mumford
Diana@WaveLengthMagazine.com
Sales Associate
Diane Coussens
Consulting Editor
Laurie MacBride
Accountant
Chris Sherwood
Webmaster
Ted Leather
Distributors and Associates
Marty Wanless, Frank Murphy
Herb Clark, Rajé Harwood
Diane Coussens, Adam Bolonsky,
Howard Stiff, Mercia Sixta
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SAFE PADDLING is an individual responsibility. We
recommend that inexperienced paddlers seek expert
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Published by
Wave-Length Communications Inc.
© 2006. Copyright is retained on all material, text and
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Printed on ancient rainforest-free paper.
Dear Friends....
This issue of WaveLength is the last for me as Editor/Publisher. After
93 issues spanning fifteen and a half years, I’m passing over the
helm to my Assistant Editor Diana Mumford and her husband Ron,
longtime friends and colleagues. To fit in with their busy publishing schedule at Pacific
Edge Publishing, the usual December issue is being postponed till January when the new
four-season quarterly schedule begins. So let’s raise a glass to the new owners and to a
great future for the magazine. I’m looking forward to their first issue.
As for me, I’ll still be paddling, collecting photos and stories, working on marine
conservation issues and writing a column for the magazine. But it’s time for a change in
leadership. I’m going to miss serving in this role and talking to all of you, but I know you’ll
enjoy Diana and Ron’s work as they continue to spread the word about paddling.
I want to thank all of you who have worked on the WaveLength project. I can’t list
everyone, but first and foremost are Peter and Howie for their creative energies; Brenda,
Cheryl, Ana for all their help in the early days; my daughter Marika and father Ted for ongoing
assistance; Mercia, Sheila, Jennifer, Barb who helped with memorable Ocean Kayak
Festivals; invaluable Assistant Editors, first Sue, then Diane, then Diana; a great team of
writers including wonderful regular columnists Alexandra, Bryan, Dan, Alex, Adam, Debbie;
brilliant regular contributors such as Neil; generous photographers like Al and Wendell;
creative cartoonists Berry, now Paul; our team of hardworking distributors: Marty, Herb,
Rajé, Diane, Adam; our patient webmaster Ted; Frank who runs our mailing house; Cheryl
and Margaret who used to handle our numbers, then Julie, now Chris (who does so much
more); the great folks at Mitchell Press (especially Gale and Debi); and an ENORMOUS
thanks to my wife Laurie who has proofed every issue as a volunteer for over a decade,
and been a constant advisor, supporter and reality checker.
Very special thanks are also due to the companies who joined us in our first year—
Ecomarine, Western Canoeing & Kayaking, Seaward Kayaks, Nimbus Kayaks, Coast Mountain
Expeditions, Tofino Sea Kayaking, Gulf Island Kayaking, Paddling South, Comox Valley
Kayaks, Sea Kayak Association of BC, West Coast Expeditions and Current Designs—most
of which have been with us annually or seasonally ever since! It’s been a great pleasure
working with you and all the other companies which appear so reliably in our pages.
Lastly, I’d like to applaud everyone who chooses to share in the age-old, worldwide
culture of paddling, to go back to the brine from whence we came, to float free in the
people’s boat on the people’s sea.
Paddling helps us come to our senses and understand our impact on the world. There is
no doubt our species is doing violence to wilderness and wildlife, to other people, ourselves
and future generations. Those of us who have another vision must assert it.
My greatest wish is for peace, justice and sustainability of life. The world is a wondrous
place and our short stay on it is an experience to be treasured and shared.
I wish all of you the best.
Alan Wilson
INSIDE
Volume 16 Number 3
6 The Last Paddle
LORI HEIN
8 Winging South
NEIL SCHULMAN
11 Floating Florida
COLLEEN FRIESEN
14 Discovering Loreto
JAMES MICHAEL DORSEY
17 A Tale of Two Oceans
BRYAN NICHOLS–COLUMN
20 New Zealand’s Marine Reserves
LAANI UUNILA
26 Winter Whitewater
DON BARRIE
29 To Roll or Not to Roll
DAN LEWIS–COLUMN
31 Paddling from the Core
ADAM BOLONSKY–COLUMN
34 High Brace
ALEX MATTHEWS–COLUMN
35 Keen Newport H2
ALEX MATTHEWS–COLUMN
36 SHH... Paddlers at Rest
ALAN WILSON–COLUMN
39 Echo Bay
DIANA MUMFORD–COLUMN
41 Orchestra of Life
ALEXANDRA MORTON–COLUMN
43 Over to Hil
DEBBIE LEACH–COLUMN
44 GREAT GIFTS
46 BOOKS
48 NEWS
From a painting
by Ted Wilson
COVER PHOTO by Al Harvey ©
Danzante Island, Sea of Cortez
54 CALENDAR
WaveLength Magazine is a member of the Trade Association of Paddlesports: www.gopaddle.org
Fall 2006
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5

The Last Paddle
Lori Hein
Foliage is long past peak and many trees
are already barren. The graying leaves
that still hang on quake with age and
inevitability. I push my kayak into the water
and paddle over and around the stumps
revealed each fall, when my lake is peeled
back to show things unseen in summer.
Fishermen and weekenders have gone.
Time to pull the stopper, inspect the dam
and make needed repairs. By late autumn,
the lake in its shallowest parts will be a ripe
mud pool. In its deepest, a meandering,
watery ribbon.
It’s the season’s last paddle. The low
water can no longer host powerboats, and
even the most committed bass men in their
silvery, shallow-hulled craft have quit the
lake until spring. When the lake is down,
my kayak shows me things no one else
is looking for in places no one else can
reach.
I wear sunglasses. Burnished light glints
off the ripples through which I ride. I tilt my
face toward the sun, remembering how it
felt in summer, and I try to soak it up and
store it.
As I glide through this spare autumn
waterworld, I discover a rock jetty, handplaced
a century ago, running long and low
off an island’s tip. The line along the shore
where earth’s fecund layer of forest soil
ends and its granite underpinnings begin.
© Laurie MacBride photo.
Low water is a time to see what you’ve been missing.
Decaying logs and slender water grasses
that house creatures, some who show
themselves and some who scuttle away. I
peer into their murky homes and breathe
the deep, cloying smell of exposed algae.
Hello, turtle. Let me sit and examine the
pattern on your shell.
Like spotlights, the stillness and bare
branches let me see or sense any moving
thing. A few year-rounders putter about
their cottages, canoes on shore, lawn
furniture still arranged. Two fishermen are
closing their place, pulling up docks and
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securing windows. Their dog explodes
from the woods when he sees my blue
boat, a burst of movement and color in
this muted, going-to-sleep world, and he
bounds along the shore next to me until
dense trees stop him.
I eavesdrop on a couple in a birch bark
canoe. They’re a quarter-mile away, but I
hear their conversation—speculation about
which yard a moose had called home
for a while—as clearly as if I were sitting
between them. Were I to confirm, in my
normal voice, that they’d indeed found Lily
Moose’s bed of now shrivelled flowers, they
would hear me, crystal clear.
Dennis the dentist has been spending
less time on teeth and more on the lake of
MOTHERSHIP KAYAKING
in the Sea of Cortez
La Paz, Loreto, Aqua Verde
info@myursamajor.com
www.myursamajor.com
206-310-2309
ADVENTURE OUTFITTERS
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info@bajakayakadventures.com
Explore in Comfort and Safety
Custom trips on the Ursa Major
Baja, Pacific Northwest, Southeast Alaska
6 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

late, and he poles around on a homemade
raft, collecting slimy, un-tethered logs that
poke from the mud near his dock. He’s a
fit man with Ralph Lauren hair sharing raft
space with dripping, brown butt ends of
rotted trees.
When the water is down, the docks left
standing in the muck become long-limbed
flamingos, skinny legs and knees exposed.
Can-can girls. Frisky ladies pulling up their
skirts. The docks that have been hauled out
and tied upright to trees show their shiny
plastic barrel bellies.
Anything that can blow away has been
stored away. Gone are wind chimes and
floats, umbrellas and beach chairs. Lonely
picnic tables, too heavy to move, dot
beaches and yards. They’ve begun their
slow, cold wait for weather that will again
pull people back outside to sit.
At the marina, docks and boat berths are
pulled out. The gas pump is gone. White
shrink-wrapped motorboats sit on land
like so many Sydney Opera Houses. In the
extreme silence, my ears track the progress
of a car as it travels from the lakeshore up
to the top of a wooded mountain.
On this last paddle, I do things I don’t
do when the water is high and others are
about. I cross the lake at its widest point,
slowly. Today, no need to rush. No worry
about powerboats overtaking me before I
reach the other shore. I cross and recross.
I stop paddling and float with head back
and eyes closed, stamping this serene time
into my memory.
The loon that lives with his mate in a
reedy shallow wants to play. He dives under
© Diana Mumfrod photo
Icons of fall mark a seasonal mood change.
my kayak and emerges, finally, twenty
yards off its other side. The waterfall whose
hums and trills are muted in season by the
competing sounds of summer activity now
has top billing. From my gently rocking seat,
I take in its performance.
As I head home, the day’s last rays kissing
the earth, I look down the lake and think
of what’s ahead. Winter will soon bring its
wonders. Like the long skate. If you catch
it just right, after the lake freezes but before
snow has buried it, you can skate on glass
for seven miles.
© Lori Hein splits her time between Boston
and the New Hampshire woods, is the author
of Ribbons of Highway: A Mother-Child
Journey Across America (www.LoriHein.
com). Her freelance work has appeared in
publications across North America and online.
She publishes a world travel blog at http://
RibbonsofHighway.blogspot.com.
SEA KAYAK
COSTA RICA’S
Osa Peninsula
20 th year in paradise!
Remote rainforest paddling
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birding tours. Small groups.
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est.1985
Natural History Tours
and Rentals Daily
250-539-2442
www.seakayak.ca
kayak@gulfislands.com
Fall 2006
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7

Winging South
Neil Schulman
It’s a cold, wet, dreary winter. So you head for a week of paddling
in sunny Belize or Baja. You’re on the plane, half dozing, half
watching the in-flight movie, when something taps on your
window.
You look out and see a brown, mid-sized bird with long legs and
a long, curved bill. It’s a Long-billed Curlew, and it’s tapping on the
window because it wants in. It’s going to the same place you are.
Every year, paddlers spend big bucks to fly to more hospitable
waters. So do millions of birds, but they do it without jet planes,
aviation fuel, maps, or weather forecasts. The idea of seeing a
curlew from a 727 is not entirely crazy—many birds migrate at
the cruising altitude of jetliners. While we think it’s novel to head
for the tropics in winter, we’re really just following wingbeats that
have gone before for millions of years.
WHY MIGRATE?
For anyone who endures northern winters, this seems like a
dumb question—it gets downright cold and dark up here. But bird
migration is more complicated than just craving sunshine and a
warm beach. In fact, migration isn’t always a question of north to
breed, south to winter. Varied Thrushes (a relative of the robin) are
vertical migrants. They winter on the coast, and in summer move
up the slopes of the Cascades and Coast mountains to breed.
Spectacled Eiders—migrate north in winter. (More about them
later.) Migration is a careful balancing of delicate evolutionary
factors—food, predators and the risks of the journey.
THE COSTS
When you look at what birds do, it’s hard to understand why
migration could be worth it. Curlews fly from the prairies of
Alberta, Montana, Washington and Oregon to Central America.
Hummingbirds smaller than ping-pong balls brave the wide-open
Gulf of Mexico. Godwits leave the Aleutian Islands and fly—in one
single, 7,000 mile continuous flight—to Fiji or New Zealand. Barheaded
geese cross Everest twice a year. Grouse migrate up and
down mountains—by walking. Swainson’s Hawks fly the length of
two continents to the Pampas in Argentina.
It’s all phenomenally risky. One spring storm over the Gulf of
Mexico will drown hundreds of thousands of northbound birds.
Missing a key stopover for food will cost a bird its life. Millions
We know Baja like no one else!
Twenty years offering small groups great trips
© Laurie MacBride photo.
This female rufous hummingbird has a long trip ahead.
succumb to weather, predators, get lost or simply run out of
steam.
Metabolically, migration is also one of the most expensive things
a bird can do. The energy output is astronomical. Migrating birds
routinely burn 55% of their body weight. By the time they finish
long crossings they’re literally starving—metabolizing the muscles
they use for flight—in a last attempt to make it. Then they undertake
the other metabolically expensive activity: breeding and raising
young. Why not just stay put in the tropics?
WHY IT’S WORTH IT
In my entire North American bird guide, there are 44 species
of warblers listed. There are more than that on the seven islands
of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands alone. That’s part of the
answer.
The tropics have the greatest assemblage of diversity on earth—
everyone’s competing for food and space. During breeding season,
the competition for food is even more intense, because eking out a
living is tougher when everyone has kids to feed. In contrast, take
the Canadian arctic. There the sun shines all summer long, 24 hours
a day—sparking intense growth of vegetation that creates seeds and
berries cramming all their productivity into a few short months.
The melting permafrost creates ponds, which breed insects by the
million. If you can manage the trip, it’s an all-you-can eat buffet for
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PADDLE LAS VEGAS!
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Boulder City, Nevada
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Guided and self-guided canoe and kayak trips in the Lake Mead
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hot springs. Open all year.
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(702) 510-4746
8 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

oth hungry migrants and hungry kids.
And the arctic tundra is largely devoid
of nest predators—a major risk of raising
kids in the tropics. Sure, there are some
arctic foxes and ravens, but nothing near
the number of climbing and crawling nest
predators in the Amazon. Lack of nest
predation is a major incentive to migrate.
BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE A STORM?
A MAP? SOME EXTRA FAT?
Unlike kayakers, migrating birds aren’t
afraid of strong winds. In fact, they need
them. Shorebirds heading south from
Alaska will become more active when
the wind starts to blow—they look for
the first storms of winter to give them a
solid push south, sometimes at amazingly
high altitudes. They’ll fly as high as they
can—high enough to tap on the window
of your airplane. The north winds from the
first winter storms make the giant single
flights over the sea possible.
But what’s truly astounding is that most
birds do their first migration entirely on their
own. The exceptions are ducks and geese,
which travel in family groups. Shorebirds
first put all the kids in giant, multi-species
‘day care areas’ where a few adults can
watch for predators while the rest start
gorging. Then the adults take off, leaving
a few weeks before the kids can fly. The
kids—navigating thousands of unseen
miles based on a secret genetic map—still
somehow make it on their own.
To fly those miles, amazing changes
must first kick in. Neural patterns change
to increase appetite so birds can put on as
much fat as possible. Feathers lengthen, and
the intestinal tract atrophies to lighten its
weight. Small changes, but heck, if I were
a hummingbird flying across the Gulf of
Mexico, I’d want them too.
FORGET THE FLYWAY
In middle school, I learned about flyways:
migratory highways heading up both coasts
of North America, one up the western states
and provinces, and one up the Mississippi
River and the prairie provinces. This concept
works for predicting the movements of
ducks, geese and a few other species, but is
otherwise a gross oversimplification. Birds
are really zipping around every which way,
both horizontally and vertically. Godwits
fly southwest from Alaska to New Zealand
across the wide Pacific. Arctic Terns are
famous for going pole to pole—but they
do it by zigzagging across the Atlantic to
Europe, down the coast to Africa, and then
back southwest across the Atlantic to South
Georgia and Antarctica. Blackpoll warblers
fly east from western Canada across the
boreal forest to the Maritimes, and then
arc south over the entire open Atlantic to
Venezuela. An American golden plover will
fly from Nova Scotia to South America via
2,400 ocean miles instead of following the
coast. And he’ll be there in 48 hours.
MELDING WITH MIGRATION
If you want to get the feel of migration,
here are a few birding experiences that will
knock your socks off.
Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) breed on the Pacific and Atlantic
Coast, move a bit north to feed, then winter in southern California and Mexico.
Feel the Spray
Between March and May, go to a jetty
that sticks out in the open sea. A stormy
day with a south or southwest wind is best.
Dress warmly. Walk out to the end and
sit still for a while. Watch birds zipping
by, heading one way—north. Even better,
get on a boat that’s going well offshore—
é
Andale goes south for the winter
to Melaque / Barra de Navidad
on the west coast of Mexico.
Inflatable kayak rentals
and tours available.
Contact:
allanmather@hotmail.com
http://saltspring.gulfislands.com/allanmather
Fall 2006
www.WaveLengthMagazine.com
9

Shearwaters, Sabine’s gulls, and others migrate far offshore where
we can’t usually see them.
Follow the Funnel
Raptor migration is best on sunny fall afternoons. Raptors migrate
by finding tall ridges where the warm air rises. They soar as high as
they can, then glide to the next ridge, all the way to South America.
Where the ridges funnel to a narrow point, astounding numbers of
birds go by every day. HawkWatch International monitors trends
in hawk populations at key spots like Chelan Ridge, Washington,
US and the area around Point
Pelee, Ontario, on the Great
Lakes. Fallout is exactly what
it sounds like—massive flocks
of warblers and other small
birds dropping out of the sky,
devouring everything they can
find with no regard to humans.
If you want a mosquito plucked
right off your nose, this is the
place to be when the timing
is right.
Mystery and Awe
We’re still learning huge
amounts about migration. Until
the mid-1990s, nobody knew
where Spectacled Eiders (an
arctic sea duck) went in the
The purpose of a journey of
thousands of miles, a Plover
nest along the Columbia
River, Oregon.
winter. Nobody had ever seen one in winter, until GPS became
available. A signal came from a tagged eider, far north in the frozen
Arctic Ocean. From a plane, researchers saw more than 150,000
eiders in a hole in the sea ice, happily swimming around in minus-
30 degree weather.
When you’re paddling in Baja and spot some Brown Pelicans
diving for fish, don’t be surprised if one of them looks at you like
he recognizes you. He probably does—from summer on either the
Northwest or Northeast coasts. Just remember, he got here without
a plane or a map.
© Neil Schulman doesn’t migrate south very often.
But he’s envious of his friends, human and avian, who do.
All photos are his except the hummingbird shot.
Migration is all about good places to raise kids without
competition or predation. A hidden Marsh Wren nest.
the Goshute Mountains in Nevada, and Bonny Butte near Portland,
Oregon. Many are open to visitors (bring treats for the bird counters
and banders). The best funnel point is where Mexico reaches
its narrowest point near the town of Veracruz. The entire world
population of Swainson’s Hawks and Mississippi Kites are counted
from the roof of the tallest hotel in town.
Fallout
Tiny birds crossing the great, wide ocean is the most daring
feat on the planet. The feeding frenzy that follows is one of the
most spectacular. Flocks of warblers hit land and begin eating like
fiends. The most famous fallout spots are the Gulf Coast of the
GOOD READING:
Living On The Wind: Across the Hemisphere With Migrating Birds
by Scott Weidensaul, North Point Press, 1999
GOOD VIEWING:
Winged Migration
by Sony Pictures, 2003
GOOD FOLKS:
HawkWatch International
www.hawkwatch.org
Winter in Baja, summer in
North America—the rough
life of the Black-Crowned
Night Heron (Nicticorax
nicticorax).
Belize / Cuba / Panama
WWW.SEAKUNGA.COM
10 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

Floating Florida
Story and photos by Colleen Friesen
I
’m in an anonymous diner, somewhere in Northern Florida near
the Georgia state border. A television blares the weather report
from its corner perch near the ceiling. There’s a large map of the
USA. At the very top, in the vast no-man’s land above the Northern
border, are tall, frosty letters spelling out CANADIAN CHILL. The
announcer is explaining why most of the US is suffering from the
cold. I grin to myself, hum a little ‘Blame Canada’ and wiggle my
warm Canadian toes in my flip-flops.
For me, Florida usually conjures up thoughts of Miami-pink
hotels, the Everglades, Disneyworld, gated condo-communities,
NASA, partying college kids, beaches and key lime pie. But I’m in
an entirely different Florida. And it’s not just the surrealistic paddling
that has me hooked. I’ve entered another land altogether.
I’ve come to paddle the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail, a
207-mile watery path that begins in southeastern Georgia, where
it rises from the Okefenokee Swamp (the largest freshwater swamp
in North America). It wends a snaky, southwestern path through
eight counties in Florida to the Gulf of Mexico, fed along the way
by mysterious springs that bubble up between the cypress, oak and
tupelo trees and the tributaries of the Alapaha, Withlacoochee and
Santa Fe rivers.
The range of accommodations on the Trail is impressive, including
screened sleeping platforms and covered-shelter cooking sites at
some of the campgrounds. Once completed, there will be some
form of accommodation every ten miles so that even a novice
paddler can complete an easy day-trip before pulling in for the
night. The work is ongoing, and not quite on target, as plans get
Floating along on tea-colored water.
modified and set back due to hurricanes and floods.
The night I arrived I was booked into the Stephen Foster Park
cabins (of “Way Down upon the Swannee River” fame). I had
envisioned... well... a cabin. I didn’t expect to find myself in a
deluxe two-bedroom house with a wrap-around screened porch,
rocking chairs, full kitchen, fabulous couches and deluxe stereo
system. I wished I’d booked it for a week and had flown down a
few friends to enjoy it with me. Instead, I rambled about, finally
tucking in under a patchwork quilt with a jetlagged sigh.
I am writing in my new favorite screened porch next morning
when my outfitter/guide, John Vassar shows up right on time. He’s
wearing a Columbia shirt and shorts with a lethal-looking knife
tucked into his back belt and a grin that would put even a skittery
cat at ease. That, along with his Indiana Jones hat, gives me a é
www.automarine.ca
info@automarine.ca
Average time of assembly
Fall 2006
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11

The impossibly wide trunks of the cypresses.
reassuring feeling that if he’s not good at what he does, at least he
has all the right props.
Seems we need to have eggs, grits and watery coffee at the
Suwannee Diner before starting our voyage. We mop up the last of
our eggs and jump in his truck. It’s stuffed with packages of food,
bottles of water and gear.
In short order, we’re at the ramp. It’s October and hot. I feel my
shirt sticking and despair at ever getting all this stuff into the kayaks.
It’s sweaty work and I’m regretting the very weather I flew south to
find. Vassar reviews safety, handing me my life vest that “will not
be removed” and finally allows me to wiggle into my boat.
Pushing off, my Inner-Whinge is silenced. I am instantly
transformed. No longer am I a sweaty, awkward land mammal.
I’ve become a gliding, sleek, amphibious creature, at one with the
river breeze. The temperature is perfect. I feel the current hold and
carry me. I’m happy.
The paddling is easy. The impossibly wide trunks of the cypresses
narrow as they rise to the blue skies. I drift with the steady stream
of brown, clear water. The oaks spread their fingers up and out.
I realize I’m staring, mindless yet mindful, the way one stares at
aquariums or camp fires—the way one stares when thoughts have
finally abated and nature has taken her Zen hold of you.
There is silence, save for the rolling sound of desire from the
cicadas hidden among the cypresses that drape their shadowy
mossed arms overhead. When we drift into sync together, Vassar
explains how the river is steeped in tannins from the trees, coloring
the water a curious, clear orangey-brown. It is the type of swampy
world where a dinosaur chewing at the tree tops would not be out
of place. I find myself looking up a lot.
Vassar points to the places where the bank is undercut to expose
the limestone bedrock. With so little topsoil, droughts hit hard. I’m
beginning to realize that this Floridian panhandle is just a big piece
of limestone Swiss cheese. More learned people might refer to it as
karst geography. No matter how you describe it, it’s a crust where
springs bubble to the surface, creating a swampy, gorgeous world
perfect for endless paddling.
Vassar pulls up to a sugar sand beach, one of the many we’ll
paddle past and later sleep on, all made by a gazillion years of
eroding limestone. I follow him up the sand-bottomed creek to the
spring source. The creek ends in a little round pool, the size of a
VW Beetle. It’s scummy and fuzzy with phosphates, a heartbreaking
witness to leachate from the nearby landscape. We see a red fox
watching us from his viewpoint on a small ridge.
We paddle and drift, drift and paddle. I hang my feet over the
bow of my boat letting the Jack Daniel’s-colored water spill over
my white toes. Vassar is pointing to the bank. In the deep shade,
I see the gator. It grins a deadly smile and sinks into the black
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12 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

shadowed water.
We come around another bend and
encounter a couple of fellows chatting
about fishing.
“What are you fishing for?” I ask them.
“Catfish.”
“Is the fishing any good?”
“Uh-huh, we catch about a hundred,
hundred and fifty at a time.”
“Are there no limits?”
“No, ma’am... not on catfish.”
“But what do you do with that many
catfish?”
“We just give ‘em away.”
A more conservation-minded point of
view is held by Park Ranger Paul Heinmuller.
After three nights spent camping on
sugary beaches with Vassar, I meet up
with Heinmuller to go paddling down
the Perrier-sparkly water of Ichetucknee
Springs. Floating on the clear effervescence,
we see only one other couple paddling
down our Eden-like paradise. Heinmuller
explains that once the warmer weather
comes, this serenity I’m experiencing
will be lost as hundreds of tube-floating
day trippers will bump and bob down its
meandering current. His reverence for his
surroundings is clear as he quietly back
paddles our canoe so he can point out the
slider scooter turtles sunning on a rock and
the irises flagging in the sun.
He explains how this four-mile river spills
233 million gallons of water per day into
the Santa Fe River and talks of his concern
about the huge spike in the nitrate levels
that is adding to the noxious algae growth.
It’s hard to believe something so blue and
appearing so perfect, is sustaining such
damage.
Back home, I unpack my zip-locked
passport. Fine white sand spills onto my
now wool-socked toes. The Suwannee
already seems so long ago. I’m missing
that strange and beautiful place, where
characters are larger than life and good
people fight to save a delicate eco-system.
A place where gators grin and white orchids
rise from swamps.
Next time I’m ready to escape the
Canadian Chill, I’m going to cover the
whole Suwannee River—from its bubbling
beginnings to its immersion in the Gulf of
Mexico.
For more information, see www.floridastateparks.org/wilderness or call 800-868-9914.
© Colleen Friesen is a freelance writer living on BC’s Sunshine Coast. www.colleenfriesen.com.
TO PLAN YOUR OWN ESCAPE
www.OriginalFlorida.org
SUWANNEE EVENT
Suwannee River Challenge & Marathon
White Springs, Florida, Oct 14.
Contact: aca1@isgroup.net
386-397-1309
www.aca1.com
Fall 2006
www.WaveLengthMagazine.com
13

Channel
Islands
Discovering Loreto
Sunrise breaks early on the Sea of Cortez,
bathing everything in a velvety, yellow
blanket and dramatically silhouetting the
low buildings of a quiet town.
Loreto is the kind of place north
Americans like to call ‘sleepy’, with its
mañana atmosphere. The smell of fresh
tortillas floats on the morning air, mingled
with brewed 115˚Wcoffee, and if 110˚W you catch the
sunrise from the beach, you can watch the
pangaderos launching to fish for Dorado.
Guadalupe
Colorado R.
G o l f o d e C a l i f o r n i a
Baja California
S i e r r a M a d r e O c c i d e n t a l
In Loreto, the old world collides with the
new, when on any given morning dozens
of sleek new fiberglass kayaks slip into the
water alongside aging pangas. In the past
few years, Loreto has become a major
paddling destination. For those seeking a
warm, winter getaway, this is as good as
it gets.
The Sierra Giganta Mountains add a
majestic P a purple c i backdrop f i c as they tower
over the town, rising out of the morning
mist. This rugged pile of lava and ash is the
backbone O cof Baja, e arunning n south all the way
MARK I
single kayak
Loreto •
James Michael Dorsey
to LaPaz. Loreto snuggles up against the
foothills amid palms and Cordon cactus—a
spectacular setting.
In Loreto proper, the church of Nuestra
Senora de Loreto dominates the central
square. Founded around 1700 by Father
Juan Maria Salvatierra, this once thriving
city was the capital of the Americas
105˚W under Spanish rule, 100˚W and was the capital 95˚W
of Baja for 127 years until a massive
earthquake NORTH reduced the adobe to ruin
and AMERICA
the government moved to Monterey,
California. It was from Loreto that Juniperro
Serra headed north to found the chain of
California missions.
Today, you are more likely to see a new
SUV with a kayak rack than a burro bringing
corn to the morning market.
The Sea of Cortez is 868 miles long by
130 miles wide. In 2005, UNESCO (United
Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural
M E X I C O
Organization) declared it a world heritage
site. Its cobalt clear waters are home to
the blue whale, the largest creature to ever
roam the planet, along with giant mantas,
hammerhead sharks and an occasional
orca. About 40% of the world’s cetaceans
can be found in its waters, including a tiny
whale no more than two feet long called a
vaquita, which is now almost Pico deextinct.
In this sea, there are over Orizaba 100 islands, of
which 53 have been protected since 1978,
the largest being Tiburon (Shark) Island at
620 square miles. These islands are home
to 3500 different plant species and 120
different cacti, plus blue and brown footed
boobies, chuckwallas (large lizards) several
different rattlesnakes and the cimmaron
goat.
Directly across from the harbor at Loreto
is Isla Carmen, inhabited mostly by goats
Rio Grande
Sierra Madre Oriental
Rio Grande
S i e r r a M a d r e D e l S u r
© James Michael Dorsey photo
G u l f
o f
T e h u a n t e p e c
90˚W
Mississippi R.
85˚W
‘Hidden’ beaches on the Sea of Cortez.
80˚W
and rattlesnakes. Only a few miles south is
G u l f
the beautiful Danzante Island where you
can hardly walk along the beach without
o f
stepping on a magnificent shell and where
dolphin M e x i croutinely o jump at sunset, to the
entertainment of visiting paddlers.
Gliding over the crystal clear littoral, a
paddler can see thirty feet into the colorful
world of sea stars, anemones and trigger
fish. You are Yucatan also likely to have a dolphin
escort, sometimes Peninsula numbering in the
thousands.
South of Loreto, the scenery runs from
pristine white beaches to the most primordial
looking volcanic rock BELIZE formations. South of
nearby Danzante Island, you can paddle for C a r i b
GUATEMALA
days without seeing another HONDURAS person.
Most paddlers follow the coast south,
camping on the beaches wherever night finds
NICARAGUA
them. For EL SALVADOR those needing accommodations,
there are numerous organized L. Nicaragua campsites
and occasionally CENTRAL a government-built palapa
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14 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Parallel scale Fall at 2006 20˚N 0˚ E

with electrical hookups, available for a
couple of dollars a night. The last time I
stopped at one of these palapas, there was
no one around. There was simply an old
coffee can with a note asking anyone who
used the facilities to leave some money.
The beach camper might see an
occasional coyote and it’s a good idea
to check your sandals in the morning for
that scorpion who curled up to catch your
leftover body heat. You will be treated
to some of the most spectacular sunsets
imaginable.
While Baja is still wild by most standards,
the old stories of bandits are mostly just that.
For the most part, Baja has become touristfriendly
over the years as visitors have
injected dollars into the local economy.
If you drive the length of the peninsula
along historic Highway One, you will see
the Green Angels along the way. These
green and white trucks are provided by
the government to aid foreign travelers in
need. They will change a flat tire, likely
have bottled water or gas, and if a repair
is not too major, they can often make it on
the spot. If not, they will make sure you get
a safe tow to the nearest mechanic. Pemex
is the government-owned and operated gas
company that has a monopoly on petrol
south of the border. There are stations at
all major towns along the way.
The ironic fact about Loreto is that it
became a paddling haven in spite of itself.
There is only one watersport shop in town
that rents a small assortment of sit-on-top
kayaks. Most of the beachfront hotels
provide kayaks for their guests, but serious
paddlers must bring their own, or rent from
an outfitter (Sea Kayak Adventures or Baja
Kayak Adventures).
As for the city itself, it is a wanderer’s
delight. The old mission is a must see and
there are countless little shops offering
delicate seashell jewelry, attractive, locally
made rugs and native handicrafts such
as masks and wood carvings. For those
used to the bustle of a big city, Loreto is
a step back in time to old Mexico. The
numerous restaurants offer delicious and
inexpensive food and the people are very
tourist friendly.
So if the thought of paddling through
another cold and wet winter has you
thinking of sunshine, cool breezes and
crystal blue water, take a long look at
Loreto. Paddling gets no better than this.
HOW TO GET THERE
One of the best websites for travel in
Mexico is www.mexonline.com. It’s easy to
navigate this site and it is full of information
about anyplace you want to go.
© Courtesy Baja Kayak Adventures
Loreto was founded in 1700.
It will give you a complete listing of
hotels in Loreto that start at about $10 US
per night and go up to five star luxury. I have
stayed in several different hotels in this town
and they were all clean and efficient. é
Fall 2006
www.WaveLengthMagazine.com
15

Looking for winter sun and sand?
Aero Mexico is a larger Mexican
carrier with more flights available, www.
aeromexico.com, US phone 800-237-
6639, from Mexico, 01-800-021-4010.
© James Dorsey is a widely traveled freelance
writer/photographer and a marine naturalist
for the American Cetacean Society.
www.jamesdorsey.com.
© Courtesy Baja Kayak Adventures
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IF YOU DRIVE
Take Highway One south all the way. It
is a narrow but well maintained road that
runs from Tijuana in the north to LaPaz
in the south. There are lots of dangerous
curves, especially in the higher regions,
and Mexican drivers love to pass on blind
curves, but for the most part, it is safe and
well regulated and is patrolled regularly by
the Green Angels.
There are several medium-sized towns
along the two to three-day drive that offer
clean and inexpensive hotels with meals for
the weary traveler. You can expect to pay
less than $50 US for an evening’s lodging.
IF YOU FLY
There are limited flights to Loreto but
two major carriers provide regular service.
Alaska Airlines has two weekly non-stops
from Los Angeles. 800-252-7522, www.
alaskaair.com.
BAJA PADDLING COMPANIES
ADVERTISING IN THIS ISSUE
BAJA KAYAK ADVENTURES
www.bajakayakadventures.com
250-247-8939
PADDLING SOUTH
www.TourBaja.com
800-398-6200
SEA KAYAK ADVENTURES
www.seakayakadventures
800-616-1943
TOFINO EXPEDITIONS
www.tofino.com
800-677-0877
URSA MAJOR
www.myursamajor.com
206-310-2309
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16 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS—Bryan Nichols
A Tale of Two Oceans
Ah, warm water paddling! When winter
makes life dark, wet and windy, do
you dream of dipping paddle blades into
the unmatchable blue of a tropical ocean?
You should! Maybe you’ve already got a trip
planned for this winter, or perhaps you’re
still dreaming.
But where to go? Choosing a tropical
destination can be a bit tricky for
Northerners—especially since digital
photography leaves one resort looking
much like another, regardless of where
they’re located. Blue skies, green palm
fronds, red bathing suits. From a paddling
perspective, is the ocean any different in
Aruba than it is in Zanzibar?
I have never been to Zanzibar (that’s
a song), but I can tell you there are
differences. I’ve lived, worked and paddled
in the Caribbean, but up until last year I
had never visited the South Pacific. In this
column we’ll take a look at the differences
between two big, warm regions of water—
the tropical Pacific and the tropical Atlantic.
If you’re lucky, you’ll find yourself paddling
in one or both this winter.
BIGGER, BLUER, BETTER
Together, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
cover more than half the world. The Pacific,
in particular, is immense. It’s responsible for
one third of the world’s surface (the Atlantic,
one fifth). To put that in perspective,
let’s hop in our kayaks and paddle from
Vancouver, Canada to Sydney, Australia.
There’s only a smattering of small islands
in that 12,500 km journey. Paddling 30
kilometers a day, seven days a week, it
would take us nearly fourteen months to
arrive down under. Better bring a fishing
rod for food, and how much water can you
carry? (Warning: do not actually attempt
this trip by kayak!)
Still, the most important difference
between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
might not be their size, but their age. The
Atlantic didn’t exist 180 million years
ago—that’s when it started to form.
How does an ocean grow? A couple of
tectonic plates (the ones you should have
learned about in school) split apart. A new
ocean appears to be starting right now in
Ethiopia. Geologists noticed a four meter
rift appear there last September.
Now, 180 million years ago sounds like
a long time, and it is. But that would only
take you back to the Jurassic, so there
were plenty of dinosaurs around before
the Atlantic was born. It’s still growing, as
spreading plates move the Americas and
Africa farther apart each year.
The Pacific has a more complicated
history and is both growing and shrinking
these days. Many scientists believe the
Pacific ‘began’ about 750 million years ago,
though there has been ocean in that area
for much longer.
The other big difference between the
oceans is how much influence land has on
them. The Pacific is bigger, sure, but thanks
to the whereabouts of the continents, the
land area that drains into the Atlantic is four
times larger than that of the Pacific. All that
fresh, nutrient rich water makes much of the
Atlantic a great place to live.
CONNECTIONS
Africa and the Americas cut the warm
Atlantic off from the warm Pacific. And as
every high school biology student who’s
allowed to learn about evolution knows,
when populations of animals and plants get
cut off from each other, they can change.
If you’re used to one ocean, will the flora
and fauna be completely different when you
venture into another? For kayakers, many
things are the same. You can rest under the
shade of coconut palms, for example, just
about anywhere in the tropics that gets a
decent amount of rain. That wasn’t always
the case though. It seems that coconuts
originated in the Pacific and have spread
relatively recently, with and without the
help of people. Either way, they’ve been
around the Caribbean now for centuries.
Certain smaller critters have been
swimming or drifting through the Panama
Canal since we dug it up in 1914. Long
before that, sea level changes covered and
uncovered the area, letting an assortment
of life move back and forth. As a result,
you might see some familiar looking jellies,
fish and seaweeds if you take a trip to the
opposite ocean.
But there are plenty of differences as
well. Variety being the spice of life, this
list will give you some clues about what to
look for. Which destination is better? Each
has its charm, its pros and its cons. From a
paddling perspective, here are some of the
more interesting differences between warm
water in the world’s two greatest oceans.
COMPARING THE TROPICS
Diversity
The Pacific is much bigger and much
older than the Atlantic, both important
factors in biodiversity. How different? Well,
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has over 1500
species of fish on it. Belize, which is blessed é
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Fall 2006
www.WaveLengthMagazine.com
17

also means the evolutionary arms race has escalated farther. Though
critters like snails, octopuses and jellies might seem familiar, there’s
a good chance their weaponry is more formidable in the Pacific.
Australia, for example, is notorious for its highly toxic box jellies
and little blue-ringed octopuses with enough poison to kill a couple
dozen people. Pacific reefs even have some pretty snails that can
kill you if you grab them. Look, don’t touch.
Where’s Nemo? You won’t find any clown fish near this
anemone—it’s in the Caribbean.
with the Atlantic’s longest barrier reef, has 563. The situation is
similar for corals and other invertebrates. Under the water, the
Pacific’s diversity is astounding. Micronesia is considered by many
to have the greatest marine biodiversity on the planet.
Toxins
One of the advantages of paddling an ancient ocean is that the
critters have had much longer to evolve. That means you’ll find all
kinds of wacky and highly specific adaptations. Unfortunately, it
Sea Snakes
Speaking of poisons, one of the signature marine animals of
tropical Pacific waters is the sea snake. You say you’ve seen sea
snakes in the Caribbean? That’s hard to say quickly—and anyway,
you haven’t. Under water, you might have seen moray eels, snake
eels or even snipe eels, but they’re all fishes with gills. Sea snakes
are really snakes, air-breathing reptiles that evolved from landbased
ancestors. Most of the 70 or so species are related to cobras
and notorious for their extremely poisonous bite. Lucky for us they
aren’t aggressive, so keep your eyes open and you might be able
to grab your mask, hop in the water and carefully follow one. It’s
fascinating to watch a snake prowl a shallow reef.
Giant Clams
At some point in my impressionable childhood I saw a lurid
drawing of a snorkeler whose foot had been trapped in the wavy
‘jaws’ of a giant clam. It wasn’t until about 30 years and hundreds
of dives and snorkels later that I actually saw a giant clam in the
ocean. By then, I wasn’t exactly terrified. Though giant clams can
grow to 180 kilos (ay caramba!), their grabbiness has been greatly
exaggerated. They only live in the Pacific and Indian oceans, so
watch for them while kayaking there. Rather than snacking on
snorkelers, they have outrageously colorful ‘lips’ containing algae
that can make food from the sun.
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18 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

Clown Fish
Despite what countless t-shirts and souvenirs would have you
believe, there isn’t a single species of clown fish in the Caribbean. I
don’t care if there’s one on the shirt you bought in Belize or Jamaica,
the little ‘Nemo’ look-alikes all hail from the Pacific or Indian
oceans. If you get a chance to do some snorkeling there, keep your
eyes open for them, especially around big anemones.
Coral
I’ve seen and surveyed a lot of coral in the Caribbean, and one
of the first things I noticed about the Pacific was that the coral is
just—well, better. More types, more colors, bigger colonies, more
impressive shapes—a good Pacific reef is unbeatable. Unfortunately,
a good reef, like a good man, is hard to find. Many have been
bleached by underwater heat waves and overgrown by drab algae.
Coral in every ocean is declining for a variety of reasons, so anytime
you come across a healthy, productive coral reef, you should treat
it with respect and awe. Don’t touch, but spend as much time
paddling, snorkeling and diving there as you can.
Open Water
The Pacific is a really big ocean, and there’s not a whole lot of land
in the tropics, especially south of the equator. You can hop a flight
from Miami to just about anywhere in the Caribbean and it’ll only
take an hour or three to get there. But the Pacific—zounds!—some
of those little islands are separated by huge, blue distances. This
is the sort of wide open water that most people never experience.
Find Easter Island on a globe to see what I mean.
Cyclones
Nervous about visiting the Caribbean during the hurricane
season? You should be, especially if you’re planning anything more
than a day paddle or two. Don’t think that Pacific destinations are
Pretty, but does it bite? Bryan spotted this little nudibranch
while wading off Tonga. It’s probably harmless, but in the
Pacific you have to be careful where you wade.
immune though. In the Pacific, you’ll also hear about typhoons
or severe tropical cyclones, which are regional names for the
same sort of rotating mega-storms. If you’re paddling anywhere in
the tropics, or even just vacationing, you should know when the
cyclone/hurricane season is and the likelihood of a storm hitting
your particular destination.
© Biologist Bryan Nichols spent a month near
Tonga and Fiji last year. He’s now in Florida,
where the Caribbean is close and has some great
paddling, but he also plans to keep exploring the
South Pacific. So many islands, so little time.
The photos are his.
Y o u b u i l d . Y o u p a d d l e.
Y o u s t a n d i n a w e o f w h a t
y o u r h a n d s h a v e m a d e.
w w w . p y g m y b o a t s . c o m
PYGMY
r u g g e d
t o p r a t e d
v e r s a t i l e
u l t r a - l i g h t
the osprey
P r o d u c e d b y t h e c o u n t r y ’ s l e a d i n g w o o d e n b o a t k i t m a n u f a c t u r e r .
D e s i g n e d b y v e t e r a n w i l d e r n e s s p a d d l e r J o h n L o c k w o o d , b u i l t b y y o u .
P y g m y B o a t s I n c . P . O . B o x 1 5 2 9 D e p t . 4 , P o r t T o w n s e n d W A 9 8 3 6 8 ( 3 6 0 ) 3 8 5 - 6 1 4 3
Fall 2006
www.WaveLengthMagazine.com
19

OVERSEAS
New Zealand’s Marine Reserves
If you’re looking for a south sea adventure this winter, New Zealand
is a great place to consider. The isolated country is often cited
as a leader in marine conservation in the South Pacific, having
a system of no-take marine reserves where fishing and resource
extraction are prohibited, stretching from its remote offshore islands
to urban harbors. Many of the reserves offer incredible sea kayaking
opportunities for winter getaway seekers, from day trips to weeklong
explorations, from popular guided routes to places where you
may not see another person for days on end.
Several of these marine reserves are in waters surrounding
protected offshore islands which are sanctuaries against introduced
species. Because fire and the introduction of weeds are a concern
here, check with the Department of Conservation (DOC) about any
restrictions. In marine reserve waters, fishing, disturbing wildlife
and removing natural objects are prohibited.
On my latest visit to New Zealand, a series of storms bringing
gale and hurricane force winds made us quickly develop hiking and
cycling plans. If you decide to go, make sure you have back-up
plans in case the weather doesn’t cooperate. After all, New Zealand
is situated in the ‘roaring forties’!
© Courtesy Dive Tutukaka
Laani Uunila
A rich undersea scene at Poor Knights.
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20 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

Arches at Poor Knights.
NORTH ISLAND
POOR KNIGHTS ISLANDS
Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve is
touted as one of Jacques Cousteau’s top
ten dive sites in the world. Since it is 12
nautical miles from the mainland, and once
out at the reserve you are not allowed to
land on the islands and islets, your best
bet for paddling here is to combine your
explorations with a dive trip or snorkeling
experience. Some of the dive outfitters have
sit-on-top kayaks on board. If you prefer to
bring your own kayak, Dive Tutukaka will
transport kayaks (with advance notice) with
their dive boat serving as your mothership
for the day.
Much of Poor Knights is towering cliffs
formed from an old volcano, creating
arches and caves that beg to be explored.
Marine life here is the primary attraction,
with sub-tropical and temperate species. I
snorkeled at two locations, including Cave
Bay where I swam with a school of blue
maomao and watched seven rays flying
through the water underneath me.
Depart from: Tutukaka, Northland
Our outfitter: Dive! Tutukaka, www.
diving.co.nz
DOC Area Office:
whangareiao@doc.govt.nz
KAPITI MARINE RESERVE
Kapiti Marine Reserve, established in
1992, protects waters in two different
sections. The eastern portion stretches from
Waikanae Estuary Scientific Reserve on the
mainland to Kapiti Island Nature Reserve (a
key sanctuary for native birds). The western
portion protects waters along Kapiti Island
in Cook Strait. Two major currents meet in
this area, requiring paddlers to be on their
toes when they leave the mainland and
cross Rauoterangi Channel.
A circumnavigation of Kapiti Island is a
30 km day trip well suited for experienced
paddlers. Private vessels, including kayaks,
are not permitted to land on Kapiti Island,
but paddlers can experience some of the
bird life from the water. Stacy Moore, with
DOC, suggests kayakers listen for “the
melodic calls of tuis and bellbirds flying
above the forest canopy”. If you want to
visit the island and hike the trails, you can
go with a licensed commercial launch
operator and a landing permit from DOC.
My trip to Kapiti was a treat since it
was part of a club trip with the Ruahine
Whitewater Club. Kayaking with these well
seasoned paddlers was the first time in a
long time that I wasn’t leading beginners,
freeing me to enjoy the challenges of the
marine environment. The more experienced
kayakers got their adrenaline pumping by
paddling through arches and tunnels on
the northwestern side of the island. One
tunnel is an ‘L’ shape starting wide and
narrowing to a low roofed passage. We
had to time the ocean swell so that we
entered the narrow passage on an upsurge
and raced out on a down surge, before the
next upsurge came.
We stopped for lunch on one of the
southern islets where we watched an eagle
© Courtesy, NZ Department of Conservation
NORTH ISLAND
New Zealand
• Poor Knights Islands
Tonga Island • • Kapiti
• Long Island/
Kokomohua
• Te Awaatu Channel
& Taipari Roa
• Ulva Island / Te Wharawhara
SOUTH ISLAND
ray forage along the sandy bottom. Every
so often its wings would ripple above the
surface with smooth undulations. After
lunch we started a giant ferry-glide back to
the mainland and ended the trip playing in
the surf at Paraparaumu.
The president of the local Coast Guard,
a former kayak outfitter, strongly suggests
that kayakers notify Coast Guard of their trip
plans. The channel can get rough suddenly
and kayakers should request assistance
sooner rather than later; “we would prefer
to come out to help you back rather than be
looking for cold, wet paddlers”. Checkingin
will also ensure the Coast Guard is not
called out unnecessarily by observant
coastwatchers who may wrongly feel the
paddlers are in distress.
Depart from: Paraparaumu, Kapiti Coasté
James, Manager
Since 1981
´
o c e a n r i v e r . c o m
1824 Store Street Victoria BC Phone: 250. 381.4233 or 800.909.4233
p e r f o r m a n c e p a d d l i n g . c o m
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Ben, reviewing a boat
•OUTDOOR EQUIPMENT •CLOTHING •INSTRUCTION
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Gary, Head Instructor
•KAYAKS/CANOES
•BOAT REPAIRS
WE HAVE GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS.
VICTORIA - AT THE INNER HARBOUR
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icebreaker
Fall 2006
www.WaveLengthMagazine.com
21

My outfitter: Ruahine Whitewater Club
hires boats to non-club members if they
are participating in a club trip:
www.q-kayaks.co.nz/pages/club.asp
DOC Visitor Centre:
wellingtonvc@doc.govt.nz
Kapiti Coast Guard: timkerry@gmail.com
Things to note: Private boats are not
permitted to land on Kapiti Island.
Kayakers are encouraged check weather
(ch 23 VHF) and tides prior to departure
and to file a trip report with the Kapiti
Coast Guard.
SOUTH ISLAND
LONG ISLAND-KOKOMOHUA MARINE
RESERVE
My friend and I rented boats in Picton
and headed out to explore the outer sound,
opting to return by water taxi so we could
explore as much as possible. From our
campsite on Blumine Island we hiked
along a trail, giving us our first sight of Long
Island-Kokomohua Marine Reserve. Long
Island is snake-like from a distance,
appearing as a vegetation-covered python
with a full belly. When we approached
from the water, the surface was unusually
calm, creating reflections. As we rounded
the eastern side of the Island, the mirrored
surface was broken by several approaching
orca. They eventually faded from sight,
heading into the sound, leaving us with
Tinline Bay, Able Tasman Park.
a frenzied school of jumping fish as our
companions. Paddlers should also be on
the lookout for smaller dolphins, including
common, bottlenose, dusky and Hector’s.
If you slip overboard for a snorkel, you
may find yourself getting up close and
personal with blue cod. Trish Grant, from
DOC, reports that divers often find blue
cod are less fearful in the marine reserve,
actually approaching divers and in some
cases nibbling on their fingers.
Depart from: Picton, Marlborough
Our outfitter: Marlborough Sounds
Adventure Company:
www.marlboroughsounds.co.nz
DOC Area Office: soundsao@doc.govt.nz
Picton Visitor Centre: picton@i-site.org
Things to note: Keep your camp tight:
although flightless, weka can be camp
robbers. We ran into a hiker who had
lost an insole from her boot to a curious
weka.
Boat Sales * Rentals * Instruction * Equipment * Clothing
COME PLAY IN OUR BACK YARD
on Vancouver Island, BC
19C South Shore Rd Phone 250 749 4742
Lake Cowichan, BC. Toll Free 1.888.749.4742
www.AquaticaKayak.com
Observation Beach in Able Tasman
National Park, Tonga Island Reserve.
22 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

TONGA ISLAND MARINE RESERVE
If you are looking for a tropical paradise,
Able Tasman National Park and Tonga
Island Marine Reserve come pretty close—
with aqua waters, long sandy beaches and
lush vegetation. The marine reserve was
established in 1993, alongside a portion of
the national park that was created decades
earlier in 1942. There is a popular coastal
hiking trail in the national park, as well as
hospitable waters for kayakers, so this area
can be busy. There are several operators
in the region that offer guided trips and
rentals. On our first night at Mosquito
Bay, a kayak-only accessible campsite, I
felt like renaming it Hordes of Kayakers
Bay. Quiet places can be found to explore
during the day, but expect to share your
campsite or hut with others if you are there
during peak season. Book your campsites
in advance at visitor centers, DOC offices
or tour operators.
Because Tonga Island is home to a
breeding colony of fur seals, you are not
allowed to land, and you should stay at least
20 meters away from the seals. When we
paddled out to the island the first inhabitants
we saw were two seals swimming in a tight
circle, going round and round, until one
got bored and broke away, emphasizing
its departure with several leaps clear of the
water. The rest of the seals were hauled way
up, almost at the treeline. As we sat in our
kayaks watching them, one big, fat seal slid
casually into the water and proceeded to
roll and handstand around us.
Depart from: Motueka, Kaiteriteri (or
shuttle over from Nelson), Nelson Region
Our outfitter: The Sea Kayak Company
www.seakayaknz.co.nz
DOC Visitor Centre: nelsonvc@doc.govt.nz
Things to note: Watch for strong midday
winds. Plan to stop at Torrent Bay and
hike up to Cleopatra’s Pool, a natural
waterslide in the Torrent River.
TE AWAATU CHANNEL AND TAIPARI
ROA MARINE RESERVES
In 2003, the Guardians of Fiordland, a
multi-stakeholder group representing fishers,
tour operators, Iwi (Maori tribes), science,
community and environmental interests
presented the draft Fiordland Marine
Conservation Strategy, which resulted in
the Fiordland Marine Management Act
(2005), creating eight new marine reserves
in Fiordland.
Doubtful Sound, located in Fiordland,
is now home to two marine reserves, Te
Awaatu Channel, established in 1993 and
the newly established Taipari Roa Marine
Reserve. Doubtful is one of the deepest
and longest fjords in the country, home to
towering peaks and waterfalls. Inside the
fjord, the mountains stand like sentinels, é
The towering peaks of majestic Doubtful Sound.
Northern Wave Kayak
www.northernwavekayak.com
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INSTRUCTION
KAYAK SALES
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Sidney, BC
Fall 2006
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23

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watching over the valleys and often funneling winds to the waters
below.
To access Doubtful Sound you need to take a boat across Lake
Manapouri, followed by a bus across Wilmot Pass where you are
dropped off at the power station in Deep Cove. My first trip to
Doubtful was wonderful, we had five days of sun, almost unheard of
for Fiordland—a region known for its rains. My second trip, planned
for last January, had to be cancelled due to high winds.
Bottlenose dolphins were our frequent companions during my
inaugural exploration of Doubtful. They suddenly appeared around
us early on our first day, with two swimming under our boats—their
ghostly white forms welcoming us to explore the mysteries of
Doubtful Sound—and we paddled with them for three of our five
days there.
Depart from: Te Anau, Fiordland
Our outfitter: Fiordland Wilderness Experiences
www.fiordlandseakayak.co.nz
DOC Visitor Centre: fiordlandvc@doc.govt.nz
WaveLength Article: Jan/Feb 1994 “Doubtful Explorations”
www.wavelengthmagazine.com/1994/jf94destination3.php
Things to note: Rentals are available for experienced kayakers.
Make sure you get friendly with your outfitter to get insider
knowledge; some campsites are notorious for sandflies. Pack for
rain and paddle defensively—expect winds.
STEWART ISLAND
ULVA ISLAND (TE WHARAWHARA) MARINE RESERVE
“Be prepared for everything—wind, rain, sun and sleet. Stewart
Island weather is unpredictable and strong winds can develop at
short notice. Be prepared to change your plans and seek shelter.”
(DOC fact sheet on kayaking in Patterson Inlet). Everything about
the weather in the fact sheet held true, and we even got hail.
kingsmarine1929@hotmail.com
SKI & SURF SHOP
Over 50 kayaks in stock, ton of paddles,
pfds, paddling jackets, and other gear
as well as DEMOS and LESSONS.
Necky Elaho
www.skiandsurfshop.ca
333 5th Street
Courtenay, BC
250-338-8844
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK
24 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

and yellow-eyed penguins. Ulva Island itself is an open sanctuary,
accessible to the public, offering impressive opportunities to see
birdlife.
Depart from: Stewart Island
Our outfitter: Rakiura Kayaks www.rakiura.co.nz
DOC Visitor Centre: stewartislandfc@doc.govt.nz
Things to note: If you ferry over from the South Island, sit near
the front of the boat if you tend to get seasick as the crossing can
be rough.
MORE INFORMATION:
Kiwi Association of Sea Kayakers (KASK). The KASK website
provides links to local clubs and paddling networks. There is also
an on-line newsletter that may provide you with inspiration for
unique destinations: www.kask.co.nz/
A Weka admires our kayaks at Boulder Beach, Ulva Island.
We had planned on spending five days exploring Patterson Inlet,
including Ulva Island Marine Reserve, but the weather had other
ideas. Paddling was not an option when we arrived, so we hiked
the Rakiura Circuit instead, one of New Zealand’s Great Walks.
During our time on Stewart Island we did manage to paddle when
the weather cleared briefly. Fearing a return of the winds, we hired
a double to paddle to Ulva Island. We circumnavigated the island
and enjoyed some great bird life. At a brief stop at Boulder Beach
we encountered some overly tame weka, providing some good
photo opportunities. Elsewhere in New Zealand, I’d only come
across solitary blue penguins, but around Ulva we saw several blue
Sea Kayak Operators Association of New Zealand (SKOANZ).
Not all outfitters in New Zealand are a member of SKOANZ. The
website contains information about popular paddling destinations
and commercial operators who are members of SKOANZ: www.
seakayak.org.nz/
Department of Conservation (DOC). DOC is the federal government
agency responsible for the conservation of natural and cultural
heritage in New Zealand, including marine reserves and national
parks. Their website contains information about DOC visitor centre
locations, area offices and detailed descriptions of marine reserves:
www.doc.govt.nz
© Laani has studied water trails and marine protected areas, including a
stint in New Zealand, studying marine reserve advisory committees.
The photos are all Laani’s except for the dive shot on page 20.
Fall 2006
www.WaveLengthMagazine.com
25

CLOSER TO HOME
Winter Whitewater
Don Barrie
If you hate the thought that next spring
you’ll have to get your muscles, callouses
and paddling technique back into shape
after a long winter sabbatical, well, it
doesn’t have to be that way. Of course
you could fly south this winter, but here’s
another option. Given the more than
ample winter rainfall along the west coast,
especially here on Vancouver Island, the
off-season for ocean paddlers is actually
the best season for whitewater.
Now I know that for some of you the
concept of river paddling conjures up
visions of numbingly cold water, sharp
rocks and raging whitewater, but river
paddling can in fact be slow-paced
and easy. It’s simply a matter of starting
with gentler rivers and wearing the
appropriate thermal and protective gear.
A reasonably experienced sea kayaker
can easily cross over to river kayaking
because the two disciplines have many
similarities. Propulsion strokes and braces
are essentially the same, once you adapt
to the shorter river paddles (184-196 cm)
Sea kayakers can easily cross over to river kayaking in the off-season.
and blades that tend to be offset by 45 or
60 degrees. Unlike most sea kayak paddles,
river paddles are almost exclusively onepiece,
non-adjustable.
Expect to eventually learn the Duffek
Stroke as a means of turning a river kayak,
but don’t expect to use your Cross Bow
Rudder at all since short river kayaks don’t
require much coaxing to turn. In fact, half
the trick is getting them to go straight!
Many of the popular designs paddled on
our rivers today are less than half the size
of a single sea kayak. The average length of
a river ‘play boat’ is about 198 cm (6’6”).
This type of kayak, however, is primarily
intended for the intermediate and advanced
kayaker wanting to perform tricks such as
cartwheels, blunts and loops. But don’t be
alarmed, these aren’t the kinds of moves
you’ll perform in the early stages of your
river kayaking career!
Beginner and intermediate river paddlers
are generally much happier in the slightly
longer and more forgiving ‘river runner’
kayaks that are mostly 210 cm (7’) and more
in length. These are roomier and designed
for comfortable river cruising, more likely
to act like their sea kayak cousins than the
radical play boats with squashed-in decks,
hard chines and flat hulls that look and act
a lot like boxy surfboards. I suggest you try
out a river running design, at least for your
first couple of river outings.
There once was a time when river kayaks
were much longer and not as maneuverable
as today’s designs. During this era, paddlers
would often talk of ‘shooting the rapids’.
Those days are now essentially gone.
Instead, river kayakers usually plan to hop
from eddy to eddy as they make their way
down rivers. In doing so, paddlers can
slow their pace and completely control
their descent of a river by seeking out back
eddies or counter-currents that enable
paddling parties to rest, regroup and scout
ahead for hazards.
A party of beginners or intermediates
should have at least one paddler with them
who is familiar with the river they’re on. If
not, some advance research is necessary
and members of the group should scout all
rapids that don’t appear straightforward.
The rewards can be incredible. The vistas
26 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

are often amazing because the landforms,
trees, animals, sky tend to be above as well
as around you. And the levels of the mostly
rain-fed rivers of the West coast are forever
going up and down from one week to the
next, so you never feel like you’re paddling
the same river twice.
As with all paddling outings, do lots of
stretching before going down a river and
plan on getting out of your kayak every
20-30 minutes for a rest and stretch break.
The various hydraulic features found on
many rivers may intimidate those with little
‘river reading’ experience. You’ll soon see,
however, that combinations of volume,
gradient and constriction can result in
features such as boils, tongues, steep waves
and pour-overs or holes. These may appear
daunting at first, but getting into the habit of
scouting rapids from the river bank usually
allows you to see the best route or ‘line’
through a set of rapids. When you don’t
think your stroking and bracing abilities will
allow you to successfully navigate a rapid,
then it’s time to shoulder your 20 kg river
kayak and portage.
As many seasoned river paddlers will
tell you, never run rapids that you aren’t
prepared to swim! Swimming as a result
of a capsize and subsequent failed roll
attempt is not uncommon early on. With
the proper clothing and protective gear
(wetsuit, paddling jacket, booties, PFD,
and helmet), combined with defensive
swimming techniques, it can be akin to
taking a fall while downhill skiing. Simply
reunite yourself with your kayak and your
paddle, get back into your kayak once
rested, and continue your river trip.
To effectively and efficiently navigate a
kayak down a moving river doesn’t actually
have to involve much effort. It’s best to let
the energy of the river current move you
along while you focus your own energies
on steering and bracing as needed. On
longer river runs, you learn to save some
strength for paddling the flatter sections
that you will invariably encounter between
rapids. A burst of forward strokes is often
needed to take you into and out of the many
eddies along the way. Missing eddies as you
paddle along can mean missing out on a
brief rest break or on scouting what lies
ahead. Eventually, you will learn to execute
‘ferries’ while facing upstream, meaning
that not only can you temporarily counter
and nullify the energy of the current, but
you can steer yourself from one side of the
river to the other with great accuracy and
very little effort. Experienced river paddlers
use ferrying techniques to make their way
onto standing waves that can then be
surfed—which is lots of fun! Unlike ocean
waves, these river waves are stationery,
so you can surf them for as long as your
technique allows and your friends don’t get
upset waiting for their turns.
The ultimate way to keep the learning
curve from being too steep is to take a é
é
Fall 2006
www.WaveLengthMagazine.com
27

Skilled, thrill-seeking whitewater
paddlers play in standing waves
on the Babine River.
Victoria: 250 383-2100
Kelowna: 250 762-2110
TOLL FREE 1-800-667-1032
lesson or two so that you can learn the
important tips and tricks that will make your
river paddling easier and more enjoyable.
So, just because the leaves are falling
and the days are getting shorter and cooler,
don’t think that your paddling season has to
be over. Once you sink your teeth into river
kayaking, not only will it serve to improve
your sea kayaking skills, but you’ll also
learn to love venturing out in the rain. After
all, the more it rains, the higher and more
exciting our west coast rivers are!
© Don Barrie and his partner Rose Sirois
operate the Warm Rapids Inn near the
Cowichan River. Both are ocean kayak guides
and river kayak instructors who love paddling
in the ocean, the river and the surf. Photos are
courtesy of Warm Rapids Inn. 250-709-5543,
www.warmrapidsinn.com.
28 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

FROM THE RAINFOREST—Dan Lewis
To Roll or Not to Roll
No doubt rolling is part of the mystique
of kayaking. What other small craft can
be righted after a capsize, with the mariner
still in the boat! But is it really necessary
to learn how to roll? The debate remains
polarized. A beginner will hear everything
from “If you can’t roll, you shouldn’t be out
there” to “Even a bombproof roll will only
bring you right back up into the situation
that caused you to capsize, so you are likely
to flip over again”.
Learning to roll is a matter of personal
choice. There are many paddlers with
years of safe paddling experiences, who
do not know how to roll, and are not about
to begin, thank you very much. This is a
valid position and needs to be respected. I
suspect the vast majority of sea kayakers fall
into this category. I believe there is a fork
in the learning path of all kayakers—one
path leads to a roll, one path does not. The
important thing is to make an informed
decision about which path to pursue. If
you’re going to learn to roll, make sure
you’re doing it for the right reasons.
First, let’s look at the likelihood of a
capsize. Prudent paddlers try to avoid
capsizing. Let’s face it, you get all wet
and cold—it’s no fun! In over 25 years
of paddling, I have never tipped over by
accident while touring, except in surf, and
once while playing in a tidal rapid. Many
paddlers would say the same. It’s so much
easier and safer to prevent capsizes than to
deal with their consequences.
The most common capsizes occur right
at the water’s edge, while getting into or out
of the kayak. Learning to hold the paddle
right behind the cockpit while resting the
other end on shore as a stabilizer can help
to prevent this common problem.
Most other capsizes occur by fluke in
flat calm conditions, while someone is
horsing around, fussing with gear, or trying
to take a picture. But as paddlers begin to
push their learning curve in challenging
conditions, there is more potential for a
swim in the ocean—eddy lines in currents
can catch paddlers unawares and flip them.
Launching, landing, or playing in surf are
the most likely times to go over.
Second, let’s look at the consequences
of a capsize. Flipping in warm water is no
big deal—unless there are sharks around!
You just hop back in and carry on. But in
cold water, a capsize is the beginning of a
chain of events leading to hypothermia if
you are unable to get your body back out of
the water. This is why practising rescues is
so important for cold water paddlers.
© Neil Schulman photo
Greenland traditions, including rolling, fascinate many paddlers.
In terms of a self rescue, I think the roll
is a fairly unrealistic response to many
capsizes—if you’re tipping over by fluke
in flatwater conditions, you probably aren’t
gripping the kayak tightly enough with your
knees to stay in and roll back up. If you’re
tipping over because you’re paddling in
wind and waves beyond your abilities,
you are quite likely to be too freaked out
to stay in the boat and roll, and even if
you do, you’re right back in the same
situation. If you are capsizing due to a lack
of judgement or understanding of ocean
conditions, then you might be better off
investing your time learning to understand
the weather, the ocean, and how to navigate
to avoid problems.
So, should anyone bother to learn to roll?
Well, there are some huge payoffs. Learning
to roll dramatically increases your ability to
brace with the paddle to avoid capsizing in
the first place. Paradoxically, once you learn
how to roll, you likely will not tip over very
often. A roll is simply a high brace done
from underwater. So if you know you can é
Fall 2006
www.WaveLengthMagazine.com
29

The pool is a great place to practice your hip flick.
© Alan Wilson photo
brace from underwater, then it becomes very easy to brace while
sitting upright.
Intermediate paddlers who want to push their limits will definitely
benefit from learning to roll. You can go out and learn to surf or
paddle in currents without a roll, but the problem is, every time you
flip over, you have to get out of the boat and swim. This saps your
energy very quickly, so you can’t play long. Your learning curve will
improve rapidly if a capsize is simply a prelude to rolling back up
and carrying on. You will flip a lot while learning to surf, and the
roll allows this to be fun.
There really is no reason not to start working on a roll early on
in your paddling career. One thing I can tell you is that it’s tricky
to learn, but once you get it, the roll is physically very easy to
perform. The main challenge is learning to snap your hips to the
side, causing the kayak to roll back up, simultaneously relaxing the
rest of your muscles while executing this complex manoeuvre from
underwater. It takes a lot of practice, and then it’s easy—physically.
Psychologically, it can take years to develop the mindset needed
for a truly bombproof roll.
It’s important to have clear goals when learning to roll. Be realistic
about what you hope to achieve. Take the roll in steps. Work at your
own pace. It’s far more important to finesse your hip flick than to
worry about the intricacies of paddle placement. Nothing breeds
success like success—always end a session on a positive note, even
if that’s simply performing a hip flick along the edge of the pool.
Hopefully you will have someone coaching you who is skilled,
patient and supportive.
Taking that step into the third dimension of kayaking can be a
whole lot of fun, will build your skills, and just might come in handy
some day. So if you’re looking for warmer
waters this winter, look no further than your
friendly neighborhood swimming pool to
practice rolling!
© Dan Lewis and Bonny Glambeck
operate Rainforest Kayak Adventures
in Clayoquot Sound: 1-877-422-WILD.
www.rainforestkayak.com.
© Mark Hobson photo
30
www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

FROM THE EAST—Adam Bolonsky
Paddling from the Core
Talk to any kayaking instructor these days and inevitably the
conversation turns towards the core, that muscle group which
connects kayakers’ upper and lower torsos to their arms and
shoulders. An all too often under-utilized source of power, the
core—which includes the abdominals, hip flexors, obliques, lower
back and latissimus muscles (note that the arms aren’t included)—is
the muscle group which the fastest, most efficient sea kayakers
use to propel their kayaks forward with graceful stamina and
power. Strengthen your core, learn to use your core to rotate your
torso, and you’ll find yourself paddling faster, further, with fewer
tendonitis injuries to the delicate joints at your elbows, wrists and
shoulders.
Here are a few ways to strengthen your core, for more efficient
days on-water this winter, whether abroad or at home. You’ll build
reserves of power with which to paddle, and will find yourself
paddling with increased confidence and balance should the seas
turn rough.
First, think less about your arms and shoulders and more about
your abdominals, obliques (hips), lats (the muscles running from
your armpits to your lower back) and glutes (your bottom).
While these muscles may seem at first glance to have little to do
with propelling a kayak forward, for skilled paddlers, they actually
do: it’s these muscles which create the power that the arms and
shoulders deliver to the paddle by way of torso rotation.
they push their feet, first one, then the other, against their kayak’s
foot pedals. The twist at the waist helps deliver the core’s power to
the paddle by way of the arms and shoulders.
LAT ROWS
Next, using dumbbells, Mike demonstrates lat rows. The lats are
those long and flared, cobra’s hood-like muscles which connect the
upper back to the hips and lower back. The exercise also strengthens
the deltoids (the shoulders).
The key to lat rows is to start with light weights, so as not to
strain your lower back and shoulders. Also, as Mike demonstrates,
stick your butt out somewhat, bend your knees slightly, and pull é
TWISTS
Shown below is the
seated medicine ball
twist. A beginner’s
c o r e - s t a b i l i z i n g /
s t r e n g t h e n i n g
exercise, the medicine
ball twist prepares
your obliques and
abdominals for the
more challenging
exercises to follow.
G r a s p i n g a
medicine ball with
both hands (if you
don’t have access
to a medicine ball
a large can of soup
or phone book will
do), professional
personal trainer
Mike Harb sits on
the floor and twists
from one side to the
other, placing the
ball first on one side,
then the other. By placing the ball on the floor before lifting it and
twisting to place it on the other side of his body, Mike fully engages
his abdominals and obliques with the drill and, more important,
rotates his upper torso through a full range of motion.
Finally, to add an element of balance and difficulty to the drill,
Mike lifts his feet off the floor.
The abdominals and obliques are crucial to paddling from the
core. They deliver, with a deep range of motion, the significant
torque that experienced paddlers create within their bodies when
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Fall 2006
www.WaveLengthMagazine.com
31

the dumbbells towards your shoulders. You
should feel a distinct pinch just below and
behind your armpits. Try five or six sets of
three or four lifts.
TWISTING LUNGES
We’re getting more advanced now (photos
above). By lunging from side to side, Mike
engages not only his lats, abs, obliques and
deltoids but also—in a highly dynamic
stretching and lengthening movement—his
torso, arms, legs and shoulders. In short
the twisting lunge duplicates the full-body
range of motion required of paddling with
a rotated torso.
Note how Mike combines the twisting
of the seated medicine ball drill with the
fluid motion of a smooth and powerful
paddle stroke. Also note how the twist
places Mike’s chest at nearly right angles
to his hips—just as in a truly torso-rotated
paddlestroke.
Again, for lack of a medicine ball, use a
phone book or can of soup.
BALL PIKES
Here Mike demonstrates an even more
advanced core strengthening/stabilizing
drill (see photos right). As this drill utilizes
the highly unstable balance ball, try it only
after you’ve prepared yourself with the
previous drills for a few weeks. Note how
Mike flattens the tops of his feet on the ball
to aid his balance.
This drill not only strengthens and
engages all of the muscles worked by
the previous drills, it also adds a crucial
element of balance. Mike balances himself
with the strength he has built up in his hips
and abdominals, which is dynamic and
flexible enough to compensate for the ball’s
tendency to roll.
Of all the drills, the ball pike most
dramatically illustrates the full range of
hip, lat, arm, leg and glute strength that
paddlers can develop as they engage the
core in their paddlestrokes. At the same
time, the drill illustrates the variety of
muscles paddlers can use to stabilize their
boats in roughwater by driving their knees
up beneath their foredecks and pinching
their hips close to their lower ribs.
ONWATER
Once you’ve prepped your core to deliver
power to your paddle, here’s how to ensure
that your strengthened core propels your
kayak forward.
The key is to rotate your torso. Here’s
how.
First, try paddling with a friend or coach
next to you. Have him or her repeat the
phrase “show me your back, show me your
32 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

core, then try the above onwater rotation
drills, and chances are you’ll find that same
stretch of miles a lot less tiring next time
out. You’ll paddle faster, further, and with
deeper reserves of strength.
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sternum” each time you take a stroke.
The phrase is a reminder that you need
to rotate your torso, not your shoulders,
so that your partner sees first only your
sternum, then your back, on each stroke.
If your coach cannot see each, exclusively,
you are not truly rotating. Instead, you are
rotating your shoulders, a common error
known as faux rotation.
If the above coached drill doesn’t help,
wrap a colored piece of waterproof tape
around your paddle shaft, at the ferrule—
where the halves of the paddle join. Place
another piece of tape on your PFD, at your
sternum. If the tape on your sternum does
not remain lined up with the tape on your
paddle shaft with each stroke, you are
rotating your shoulders, not your torso.
Finally, if neither of the above help,
place your hands 10” or 12” apart on your
paddle shaft and force yourself to paddle
this way for fifty yards or so. You’ll find
it impossible to paddle this way without
rotating your torso, as the hand position
renders it impossible for you to paddle with
bent elbows and shoulders, a beginning
paddler’s stroke also known as the Kangaroo
Stroke for its distinctive reliance on motions
similar to that of a kangaroo punching with
its forelegs.
Come this winter, then, should you find
yourself grinding down some lengthy stretch
of shore, lactic acid pooling in your arms
and shoulders, ask yourself whether you are
paddling from your core. Strengthen your
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Fall 2006
www.WaveLengthMagazine.com
33

SKILLSET—Alex Matthews
High Brace
If you’re lucky enough to be traveling to a paddling destination
with warm water this winter, then you have a golden opportunity
to practice rescues, rolls, braces and all the other techniques that
get a paddler good and wet.
The high brace is the most powerful of the recovery strokes. In
fact, good paddlers can even use a high brace to recover when
their boats are almost completely upside down. The only problem
with the high brace is that it’s easy to rely on it too much, which
can put your shoulders at risk. So the first thing to keep in mind
is that despite its name, you need to keep your paddle and your
hands low and in front of your body. For the high brace you’ll use
your paddle in a ‘chin-up’ position and use the power-face of your
blades to contact the water.
Starting with your elbows low, roll your paddle up until your
forearms are almost vertical. Now reach out over the water at 90
degrees, with your inside arm low. It’s important that this hand
stay low so that your paddle blade is as flat to the water surface as
possible when it makes contact, offering you the most support. As
you fall toward the water, slap the surface with your blade to provide
the support needed for your body to upright the kayak.
As mentioned in the ‘low brace’ article in our last issue, the slap
of your paddle just provides momentary support and it’s actually
your body that will right the boat. As you flip, the only way to right
the kayak is by pulling up with the knee that is on the downside.
And the only way to pull up with this bottom knee is to drop your
head towards the water in the direction that you’re flipping.
While doing this is very counter-intuitive, it’s essential for righting
the kayak. Your head should be the last thing to come back up on
a well-executed brace. If, instead, you lift your head up, you’ll
inadvertently pull on your top knee, which will flip you upside
down even more quickly.
One trick to ensure that your head drops towards the water is to
watch your slapping blade as you brace. You’ll be less likely to lift
your head if you’re actively looking down.
So that’s the key to this move: as you slap the water with your
blade, drop your head towards its surface and pull up with your
lower knee to right the kayak.
To finish the stroke, slide your paddle inward, roll your knuckles
forward and slice the blade vertically out of the water.
© Text Alex Matthews. Photos Rochelle Relyea.
Recreational Kayaking:
The Essential Skills and Safety
by Alex Matthews and Ken Whiting
The Heliconia Press, 2006
ISBN 1-896980-23-6
$14.95 US / $16.95 Cdn
86 pp, color photos, glossary
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This guide by WaveLength columnist Alex Matthews
and world champion paddler Ken Whiting will
introduce you to the sport of recreational kayaking, providing basic
information about paddling equipment, skills, strokes and safety.
Small recreational kayaks are relatively inexpensive and ideal on a
mothership or at the cottage. But you still have to know what you’re
doing and this guide will help you paddle safely.
34 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

GEAR LOCKER—Alex Matthews
Keen Newport H2
When traveling to warmer climes, an essential piece of gear for
most paddlers is a dependable pair of sandals.
Even in the overcrowded sport sandal category, the Keen Newport
H2s stand out. Chunky rubber soles and a pronounced toe cap
combine with webbing uppers and an elasticized lace system to
produce a very distinctive piece of footwear. They look like what
the Roman Empire (had it not fallen) would equip its soldiers with
today.
Starting from the ground up, the Keens are beefy. The sturdy
outsoles are made from non-marking carbon rubber, and a
compression-molded EVA midsole provides good support. The
sturdy rubber toe cap is one of the Keen’s most distinctive features,
and truly works. The toe protection keeps sensitive tootsies far safer
from the ravages of sharp rocks, barnacles and general abuse than
conventional open-toed sandals. The one negative aspect of the
toe cap is that debris can collect in the sandal, and it’s far harder
to jettison than with an open-toed sandal, but I found this a small
price to pay for the added coverage and comfort.
Two webbing pull-tabs make getting the Keens on and off easy.
The numerous polyester webbing straps of the upper do a good
job of encircling the foot, while the quick-lock lace system allows
easy and secure adjustment. A stretchy lining behind the webbing
looks a lot like neoprene, but the company literature asserts it is
in fact an “AEGIS Microbe Shield ® treated SBR lining”. The lining
is soft, cushy and stretches to make donning the shoes easier. One
downside of the lining is that it is relatively slow to dry compared to
the polyester webbing, so don’t expect the Keens to dry as quickly
as more traditional sport sandals with only webbing straps and
no lining. The anti microbial treatment is there to reduce noxious
odors and the H2s are machine washable for when your foot stench
ultimately defeats AEGIS.
The Keens were comfy straight out of the box and never caused
blisters or fit issues. I wore them with and without socks, used
them extensively both wet and dry, and generally found them to
be very capable and sturdy performers, with good grip both in and
out of the water.
All in all, the Keen Newport H2 is a terrific shoe. The uppers
do a great job of keeping the foot firmly located on the footbed,
with very little lateral slipping and sliding within the sandal that
unfortunately typifies many other sandal designs. I’ve had enough
stubbed toes and barnacle scrapes to last a lifetime, so I love the
extra protection of the toe cap. The Keens provide the surefooted
confidence and protection of a good pair of light hiking shoes but
with the airiness of sandals. They really are hybrids: robust sandals
that offer the fit, stability and protection of shoes. Or are they shoes
mimicking sandals? Either way, they succeed admirably.
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© Alex Matthews: matthewsalex@hotmail.com.
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Fall 2006
www.WaveLengthMagazine.com
35

GETAWAYS—Alan Wilson
SHH… Paddlers at Rest
We had been to Sooke Harbour House (SHH... how’s that
for an acronym?) for our honeymoon and then again for a
milestone birthday, but neither time with our kayaks. This time we
intended to finally get on the water in one of the Pacific Northwest’s
most tantalizing paddling destinations, while enjoying a couple of
rare nights of luxury.
It was a special pleasure to drive into the SHH parking lot and feel
the familiar welcome peace of the place draw us in. We were tired
to our bones, needed some looking after, and knew we would find
what we needed here. The establishment is consistently recognized
as one of the world’s top country inns, with a world class dining
room and award-winning wine cellar.
We were booked into the Phycologist’s Study, with a two-person
Japanese soaker tub on the patio adjoining the herb garden, the
ocean just a few steps beyond. Phycology is the branch of botany
that deals with algae, thus ours was the ‘seaweed room’, a theme
played out in the array of artforms throughout.
After settling in and enjoying a good soak in the tub, we dressed for
dinner and made our way slowly through the halls toward the dining
room, stopping to gaze admiringly at the remarkable art objects
adorning the walls, some we remembered from past visits.
At the door of the dining room we were pleased to see copies
of the latest issue of WaveLength for the guests, and we were
welcomed like long lost friends by the sommelier who ushered
us to our table.
Thus began an amazing evening with many leisurely courses,
each a tiny work of art, some decorated with edible flowers from
Edible flower gardens at Sooke Harbour House,
overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
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36 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

their certified organic gardens. At each
course, the sommelier introduced us to
a different sample wine from their vast
cellars, which we sipped between smiles.
Here are just some of the dishes to give
you a flavor of the experience:
Prophyra Seaweed and Green Cabbage
Soup with hot-smoked sablefish, grand fir
oil, and a transparent apple and poppy
seed salad.
Octopus Salad accompanied by opal
basil, scallion and miso custard, with
nodding onion oil, opal basil vinegar
reduction, and crispy bull kelp.
Grilled Lingcod with nodding onion oil
and nasturtium flower sauce, wilted chard,
broccoli, and a fingerling potato, rosemary,
hazelnut, roasted garlic, goat cheese-stuffed
crepe bundle. And so on...
When we had no room for more, we
were pleased to have owner Sinclair Philip
join us at our table. Sinclair is a figure in
the Slow Food movement—an international
group of leading hoteliers and chefs
who promote organic, local, seasonal,
sustainable food.
We talked about the Wild Salmon
campaign which Sinclair supports as a long
time member of the Georgia Strait Alliance,
and we learned about the award-winning,
state of the art water reclamation system he
had installed since our last visit.
When we finally said goodnight to him
near midnight and tottered off to our room
arm in arm, I must say it felt like we were
already afloat in our boats.
The next morning we woke later than
intended and while enjoying the lovely
breakfast tray delivered to our room, we
noticed an offshore fogbank moving in,
obscuring the headlands of East Sooke
Park—our intended paddle route.
After breakfast we walked down to
Whiffen Spit to assess the potential launch.
At this tide height, it would have been an
easy put-in, but the fog was blowing right
onto the beach. There was no way we’d
launch into such a thick soup.
Ironically, on both past stays here, in mid-
November and late December, the weather
had been mostly clear, calm and mild—just
perfect for paddling. But not today.
I was standing there, shaking my head
at our bad luck when I happened to notice
an unmistakably bulky form on the rocks
in front of Sooke Harbour House—a large
black bear! I pointed it out to Laurie and
we stood gaping at it until the bear noticed
us and ambled off into the mists.
About then we decided there actually
was plenty of adventure to be had around
here, despite the fog.
That got us thinking of options. We
decided that if the Strait-side of the spit
was out, we’d just paddle inside Sooke
Whiffen Spit from the air. Sooke Harbour House is at the landward end.
Harbour—or even further inside, in Sooke
Basin. On a past visit we’d eyed Roche
Cove, a small cove within Sooke Basin and
this was our chance to try it out. Enthused
with this idea, we marched back to our
room, got ourselves geared up, and off
we went.
A few kilometers along Sooke Road, we
reached our intended put-in at Coopers
Cove where the kayak company Rush
Adventures is located. Owner Scot Taylor
came over to say hello, to warn of strong
winds forecast for the day and to advise us
that currents can develop in the entry to
Roche Cove. é
Fall 2006
www.WaveLengthMagazine.com
37

Port Renfrew
VANCOUVER ISLAND
Victoria
Jordan River
Strait of Juan de Fuca
Sooke
10 km
Ayum Creek Park
Sooke River
Coopers Cove
Sooke
Harbour
House
Sooke Harbour
Billlings Spit
Whiffen Spit
East Sooke Park
Sooke Basin
Anderson Cove
Roche Cove Park
Courtesy of the Sooke Region Tourism Association
Putting in at the sandy public launch, we stroked away from shore,
feeling gusts of wind and seeing whitecaps in the Basin beyond.
Looking out towards the Strait, we noticed the wind had started to
tear at the sea fog and enormous wisps were sailing off and starting
to dissipate inshore. The fog would soon be gone, to be replaced
by pretty rough water.
Even within the Basin we were taking a few breaking waves on
the beam, but our tight sprayskirts kept us dry as we crossed toward
the narrow gorge into Roche Cove. Slipping between the pilings of
the trestle bridge which spanned the opening, we entered a quieter
world where the cove’s encasing hills created an almost womblike
atmosphere.
We paddled into the shallows at the head end of the cove and
looked around. On our one hike in the Park years before, we had
caught enticing glimpses of the cove through the trees from the trail
above. Roche Cove Park contains some of the scenic 55 kilometer
Galloping Goose Trail, enjoyed by walkers, joggers and cyclists.
But this was a day for paddling, and the cove was small, so we
headed out under the bridge again and into the freshening wind and
chop. The conditions weren’t ideal, but as long as we kept close to
the steep shore, the breeze wasn’t too bad, although it meant more
confused waves from the rebound off the cliffs.
Eventually we spotted a tiny pocket beach and paddled in for
lunch. More food! SHH had provided us with a lunch in a backpack,
as they do for guests who want to explore the area. It was a nice
Each room at Sooke Harbour House is uniquely crafted.
treat to sit on a log with the wind in our hair and savor something
delicious from the SHH kitchen.
After lunch, we re-launched and slowly wound our way along
the convoluted shoreline of the Basin back to our put-in, exploring
all the little ins and outs, taking our time, seeing many tiny pocket
beaches, shell middens and some interesting architecture in the
cabins and homes nestled among the trees.
At dinner that evening we had another sumptuous meal in the
dining room and chose a bottle of just one of the wines we’d
sampled the night before, a luscious zinfandel.
Next morning we managed to oversleep again. After a
late breakfast, Laurie went on a tour of the gardens with the
head gardener, while I sat down with SHH’s public relations
representative, Melinda Jolley, to learn more about the area. Melinda
is a native of Sooke and also a paddler so she was able to describe
Sooke’s various launches—Whiffen Spit right next door, Sooke River
Flats near the mouth of the Sooke River (riverside campsite: www.
sookecommunity.com), Coopers Cove where we’d launched the day
before, the government wharf, Billings Spit and Anderson Cove.
She outlined further paddling options along the coast beyond Sooke
on the way to Port Renfrew, including the board and boat surfing
hotspot of Jordan River, and told me about the wilderness kayak
camping she’s enjoyed along the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail.
Then, all too soon, it was check out time. It was hard to go, but
we had duties at home. Next time we come to Sooke, we’ll hope
for weather better suited to paddling the outer rocky headlands of East
Sooke Park. But we’ll also welcome some serious downtime.
© Alan Wilson.
© Photos courtesy of Sooke Harbour House.
For more info see www.sookeharbourhouse.com or call 1-800-889-9688.
38 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

PEOPLE AND PLACES—Diana Mumford
Echo Bay
In August we took our new (to us) 35
foot Chris Craft up the BC coast. Loafer
II proved to be a great mothership for
our family of three and easily carried our
kayaks on her wheelhouse roof. With the
range a big boat allows, we managed to
get ourselves as far as Port McNeill on
Northern Vancouver Island in the time we
had available, finding great paddling in and
around anchorages along the way.
These waters draw us like a magnet and
fuel our wintertime dreams of next year’s
cruise. We enjoy being immersed in the
work-a-day world of fishboats, whale watch
operators, tugs and coastal freighters—and
away from the crowds down south.
After fishing and watching the whales
in Johnstone Strait for a few days, and
reprovisioning in McNeill, we headed
into the back country of the Broughton
Archipelago. We wanted to amble around
in this maze of islands and re-acquaint
ourselves with some favorite spots. One of
the highlights of the trip was visiting with
some folks in the Echo Bay area of Gilford
Island.
Echo Bay is the site of an ancient First
Nations settlement dating back thousands
Loafer II with our kayaks aboard.
of years. The community hall and school
(six students this year) sit on a midden at
the head of the bay, and pictographs adorn
the rock face that rises vertically from the
water. It has long been a gathering place
for people who come in by boat, the main
means of transportation in the Broughton.
The Echo Bay Marine Park with paddlein
campsites, walking trail, pit toilet and
wharf for small boats, invites exploration
ashore.
We tied up alongside the Windsong Sea
Village Resort floats and met up with some
old friends who just happened to be there
on their liveaboard sailboat. They regaled
us with video footage of their encounter
with humpback whales in Cramer Passage
the day before.
Happy Hour on the dock attracted
visiting boaters and people from the floating
rental cabins, as well as some locals—Carol
Ellison, a.k.a. The Bead Lady, who with her
husband Jerry manages the resort, as well as
co-owner Christine, and Billy Proctor who é
Fall 2006
www.WaveLengthMagazine.com
39

The Buffer Zone Retreat in the Broughton Archipelago.
lives around the point. We swapped lots of good fish stories, as well
as some great anecdotes about the history of the Broughton!
The next day we bought one of Alexandra Morton’s books from
Windsong’s Ark Gallery and some bread and fuel from the Echo Bay
Resort on the other side of the bay, and then headed over to have a
visit with Bruce and Josée McMorran and their children, who run
the Buffer Zone Resort nearby. Bruce and Josée offer year-round
family and small group holidays, including guided kayak tours, and
they had invited us to come by for a visit.
Bruce explained the significance of the name—the ‘Buffer Zone’
is a place to go for something between a wilderness camping
experience and the luxuries of home. Here you sleep in a warm
bed 54559_Salus_BijouxAd with a solid roof over your 3/2/06 head, shower 8:15 AM in hot Page water 1 and are
treated to meals prepared by Josée in a rustic setting. You get the best
of both worlds—an intimate
wilderness experience, but
with comfort and freedom
from laundry, cooking and
cleaning.
People can retreat for an
extended stay, or make a
(prearranged) rest stop in the
middle of a kayak expedition.
You can choose from a one bed floating cabin complete with sauna;
hostel accommodation with six bedrooms and a common room; or
a one-room, on-land cabin with bunk beds and a magnificent view
up the channel. Meals are prepared and served in the main house,
family style, with flexibility for individual needs and preferences.
Although they have accommodation and kayaks for up to
twelve people, if you book as a group, you will likely be the only
guests, and can take advantage of Bruce and Josée’s willingness to
customize your experience—from kid-friendly, home-based family
retreats to daylong explorations of the islands of the Broughton.
They have recently acquired a solid, powerful boat capable
of carrying your kayaks, and will pick you up and drop you off
wherever is convenient.
After waving good bye to them, we motored over to Billy Proctor’s
dock and visited his museum full of artifacts he’s picked up during
his lifetime in the area. The museum has everything from arrowheads
to newspapers to hand crank sewing machines, documenting
human occupation of the Broughton from ancient people to more
recent immigrants. We bought some books written by Billy and
some coffee mugs made by his neighbor, Yvonne Maximchuk and
headed off with a ‘see you next year’ parting.
Schedules what they are, we couldn’t stay long in the Broughton,
but there’s no doubt that we’ll be heading back there just as soon
as we can, to drink in the healing atmosphere of this beautiful
corner of the world.
© Diana Mumford.
© Ron Mumford photos.
BROUGHTON ARCHIPELAGO ACCOMMODATIONS
Buffer Zone Wilderness Resort: www.bufferzoneresort.com
Bruce and Josée McMorran, 250-230-0088, vision@oberon.ark.com
Echo Bay Resort: www.echobayresort.com
Nancy and Bob Richter, 250-974-7139, echo@echobayresort.com
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40 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

FROM THE ARCHIPELAGO—Alexandra Morton
Orchestra of Life
In the twenty-two years that I have lived
in the Broughton Archipelago I have
never seen a more spectacular explosion
of life than this year. Watching this place
is something like listening to an orchestra
warm up. You hear the violins, the drums
and the flute each play sweet notes and then
suddenly they strike a chord together and
the effect is something wondrously rich,
resonating, soul stirring. This is what the
Broughton has felt like this year.
My first inkling that this year would be
special was the repeated hatches of some
species of euphausid. On my way home
from counting sea lice, the water turned
pale pink beneath my boat and was alive
with tiny splashes. I halted and hung over
the side for a better look. Down as far as I
could see was a living spiral of tiny shrimp
or krill. The immense twister looked white
but as it arched towards the surface it
became rosy. Beneath that was a floor of
flickering silver—thousands of young Coho
feasting greedily.
© Jarret Morton photo
Humpback whales are making a comeback in Alex’s home waters.
In previous years my beach seines rarely
caught Coho smolts. This year I caught
up to a hundred per set. These hungry
predators shadowed the beleaguered pink
salmon fry like tiny sharks. There were so
few young pink salmon this spring, the
Coho would have starved, but there were
millions of sandlance also growing up in the
Brougthon this spring. At first we dubbed
them ‘rice noodles’ as the tiny translucent
fish appeared in out nets. When we lowered
the corkline, they poured out, rippling away
into the depths. As they grew, their bodies
silvered until looking down on them was
like watching a constellation twinkling
against the dark. é
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If you’d like your B&B or Resort listed
on this page in future issues, email
info@WaveLengthMagazine.com
Kayaking Getaway!
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Fall 2006
www.WaveLengthMagazine.com
41

Then the pilchard showed. These fish are
about 16 cm long, tightly clad in large blue
scales. Pilchard are dedicated schoolers
and suffer or thrive as one. Looking down
on them is dizzying as they weave a spiral
in on themselves. The leaders change shift
by lifting from the masses, drifting sideways
an instant, then diving into the school to
become a follower.
Pilchard often swim with their upper lip
against the surface, catching the sun-loving
plankton. I saw swarms of them chasing
the capelin in high-speed attacks across
Fife Sound this year. I lived in my boat
all summer and slept many nights among
the pilchard feeding and schooling below
my hull.
In late April the ‘herring hordes’ appeared
and we quickly learned not to set our nets
near them, as herring are not net savvy
and drive themselves into the mesh. I don’t
know where they came from and I haven’t
seen them in previous years, but obviously
some inlet nearby had a fantastic herring
spawn this spring, and it’s a joy to see these
young fish growing up here.
By summer the humpback whales
arrived. Humpbacks used to be yearround
residents in the waters off eastern
Vancouver Island. Then whaling stations
appeared along our coast and quickly
killed them off. My neighbor Billy Proctor
remembers the vessel Nahmint towing nine
whales out of Knight Inlet many years ago.
When I arrived in this area in 1979, no one
ever thought to see a humpback whale.
Then in 1985 three appeared. Two or three
were sporadically seen through the 90s.
When the pilchard arrived in 1997, more
and more humpback whales put this area
on their calendar. Sometimes the pilchard
stay near Port Hardy and the whales stop
there, and sometimes the fish come down to
Blackfish Sound and the Broughton and the
whales follow. There have been at least 27
humpback whales in this area this summer,
several with babies.
It’s not been all good news here. Several
whales were hit badly by speeding boats.
One infant humpback had great scoops
painfully carved out of her tail by a
propeller in August.
And coastlines that should have been
full of young pink salmon were empty.
Sea lice infections were apparent out near
Port McNeill and Sointula on sockeye and
other young salmon, likely from the fish
farm processing plants and their packers.
And despite all the science, the First Nation
opposition and the recorded impacts, a
new salmon feedlot company (Greig) was
allowed to move into the Broughton and
plant itself on one of the most productive
wild salmon locations, which will ensure
the transfer of farm pathogens to wild
salmon and visa versa.
However, for species not under assault
by humanity, the summer of 2006 was a
powerful opportunity to thrive.
Ocean productivity, the mysterious
interplay of global winds and temperature,
struck a harmonic chord that resonated
through the foodchain this year. If we were
really smart, we would take our place
within this orchestra of life, quit banging
discordant pots and pans like an angry
child and learn to work with these superbly
powerful forces of life. For therein lies our
only future.
I feel lucky to have witnessed this year
of abundance. But it’s silly to think we
can get away with breaking natural laws.
Crowding salmon into fouled conditions
will always breed pestilence. The desire to
own life, sever and twist the foodchain, to
convert it into a commodity, is something
we must outgrow or we will suffer the
consequences. Nature is generous but she
is also ruthless.
© Alexandra Morton, R.P.Bio.
is a researcher and author.
www.raincoastresearch.org.
WHAT IS FARMED FISH?
“This farmed animal is clearly not a ‘salmon’. It has been
entirely stripped of all ecological and cultural context,
interdependencies and regionally based genetic
specificity. It has become just another homogenised,
industrial, mass produced commodity.”
From the Wild Salmon Manifesto by Dr. John Volpe
and Dr. Sinclair Philip, which passed unanimously at
the National Meeting of Slow Food Canada in Calgary,
April 2006.
ADVENTURE TOURISM
PROGRAMS
5-month certificate or 2-year diploma
Sea Kayak Association of BC
Trips, training, monthly meetings,
newsletters, paddling contacts
www.skabc.org
membership@skabc.org
604-290-9653
Box 751, Stn. A,
Vancouver, BC V6C 2N6
42 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

PADDLEMEALS—Debbie Leach
Over to Hil
No, the title is not a typo. Over ten years of collecting and sharing
Paddle Meals, I’ve connected with so many creative chefs who
enjoy dining al fresco. Now, it’s time to hand over the column to
someone else and Hilary Masson is an enthusiastic paddler and
foodie who agreed to take over this space. Hil guides trips in Haida
Gwaii and the Baja eight months a year, so has lots to offer from
her ‘out of boat’ experiences.
Here’s a sampling of southern specialties that Hilary, her brother
Ryan and Joel Lopez will be using with Baja Kayak Adventure clients
this winter. They’re taking along a hand crank blender to expand
their repertoire.
JOEL’S BREAKFAST QUESADILLAS
3 corn tortillas per paddler
half a pear per paddler, sliced very thinly and sprinkled with
cinnamon and nutmeg
Queso fresco (or substitute goat cheese), sliced
Oil the griddle or fry pan and place over medium-high heat. Arrange
slices of pear and cheese on half of each tortilla. Fold over the
tortilla and heat until golden brown. Flip and heat the other side.
Try to eat just one!
TROPICAL FRUIT SMOOTHIES
For 4 at a time
Combine in blender and whiz until smooth:
1 papaya—peeled, seeded and chopped into 1” squares
1 cup pineapple cubes—or half cup pineapple and half cup
banana slices
2 oranges, peeled and seeded, or 1 cup orange juice
1 cup yogurt
1 tbsp honey
squeeze of lime juice
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COOL GAZPACHO
For 6 servings, combine:
7 large tomatoes, finely diced
1 red onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 large cucumber, finely diced
1 yellow, orange or red pepper, seeded, finely diced
1 tbsp. fresh lemon or lime juice
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
hot sauce/salt and pepper to taste
Gazpacho should be chunky. If the soup is too thick, add some
cold water. Serve, garnished with cilantro leaves.
Editor’s Note: Many thanks to Debbie for her years
of service to WaveLength. And welcome, Hilary!
Hilary Masson
Fall 2006
www.WaveLengthMagazine.com
43

GREAT GIFTS
YAKGRIPS ®
The ultimate in comfort for paddling.
Prevent rubs and blisters. Allows for
more efficient paddling and better hand
placement. Six colors for take-apart or
black for solid shaft paddles. See more at
www.Yakgrips.com
® Yakgrips is a registered trademark
of Cascade Creek Co.
KAYAK KADDY
The Nanika Kaddy has pneumatic
wheels, a stainless steel axle and high test
webbing. This sturdy kaddy can easily
handle a fully-loaded double kayak (up
to 200 lbs). The frame is approximately
13”x14”x7.5” and will store easily on the
deck of your kayak. The wheels are also
useful for singlehanded cartop loading and
unloading. For more information, contact
kayakwheels@shaw.ca, 250-468-1703,
www.nanikakaddy.com.
HOLEY SOLES—FOR COMFORT THAT
KEEPS ON GIVING!
Wondering how to make a good
thing better? The new and improved
Getaway is this year’s most desirable
gift! Check out the Getaway’s sporty new
styling, two-tone durable rubber sole
and incredibly comfortable, lightweight
foam upper. See the latest exciting
models and colors, new kids’ sizes and
accessories online at www.holeysoles.com.
MESH GEAR BAG BY NATURAL WEST
COAST ADVENTURE GEAR
This durable mesh gear bag will hold
your paddle float, throw bag, pump, spray
skirt, lifejacket and wetsuit, or whatever
other gear you have to haul to and from your
kayak. Great for drying and keeping your
gear all together, so nothing is left behind.
The mesh bag has a carrying strap, making
it easy to tote. It’s the perfect gift for the
paddler who has everything. Retail $38.95
Cdn. NWCA Gear is made in Victoria BC,
www.bckayaks.com. For a dealer near you
email us at nwca@shaw.ca.
North Island Kayak Rentals & Tours
Telegraph Cove
British Columbia
1-6 day Guided Trips & Rentals
Toll Free 877-949-7707
nikayak@island.net
www.KayakBC.ca
GEL FILLED PADDLE SADDLE
Universal Kayak Seat, 16” wide x 12”
front to back. Fits on all kayak seats.
Two easy installation methods (including
hardware). Non-skid backing. Semi-solid
gel core keeps its shape. Also available
with low back, high back and a sit-on-top.
www.yakpads.com, 1-866-925-7237 US,
419-357-5684 Canada.
44 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

LASSO SECURITY CABLES
Lasso Security Cables offer
the strongest and easiest antitheft
device available for your
kayak. The cables are made from
vinyl-coated, galvanized steel,
aircraft cable with an integrated
tamper-proof lock (keyed or
combination). No other security
system provides greater protection.
Call 707-444-8814 or see www.
LassoSecurityCables.com for a
dealer near you.
“I use them and I like them.”
—Alan Wilson, WaveLength
WILD SIDE GUIDE
The Wild Side Guide to Vancouver
Island’s Pacific Rim: Long Beach,
Tofino, Ucluelet, Port Alberni, Nitinat
& Bamfield by Jacqueline Windh
delivers information on how to get
to the area, where to stay, what to
do and where to eat, with stories and
inside scoops to enrich each visitor’s
experience. Striking photography and
clear text serve as an inspiration to
visit and a reminder to return. 100+
b&w and colour photos, $24.95.
For more information or to order
call 1-800-667-2988 or see www.
harbourpublishing.com.
THE SALUS BIJOUX
The Award Winning Salus Bijoux Baby vest offers unprecedented
security, safety and comfort for babies 9 to 25 lbs. The one-piece
front design will turn your baby face up from a face forward position,
while a 3-piece collar cradles baby’s head when floating. Mesh
harness and a short front ensure comfort while sitting upright, lying
down, or when positioned in a baby carrier. For more information
and a video demonstration, visit www.salusmarine.com.
SWIFT PADDLES
Swift Touring Paddles
b y E d d y l i n e a r e a
distinctive blend of power
and lightness in three
paddle designs. These
paddles possess a radiant
translucence in sunlight
that is highly visible and
exceptionally beautiful.
Our new Klicklock Ferrule
System allows for continuously variable feather angle and eliminates
the wear associated with most ferrule systems. A Swift paddle is
one of the lightest paddles on the market today. www.eddyline.
com. 360-757-2300.
ROP5
A waterproof waist pack
suitable for any sport to hold
identification and electronics.
A d j u s t a b l e w a i s t b e l t .
Submersible to 9 feet of depth.
For kayaking gifts and search
& rescue products, visit www.
sportgear.ca.
WHAT TO GIVE THE PADDLER WHO HAS EVERYTHING?
Give your favorite paddle the
opportunity to paddle in clean water!
A gift membership with the Georgia
Strait Alliance will support marine
conservation in Georgia Strait, the body
of water around which 75% of British
Columbians live, work and play. Gift
memberships are $30 and include a
subscription to Strait Talk, GSA’s informative newsletter.
Contact 250-753-3459, gsa@GeorgiaStrait.org.
More info at www.GeorgiaStrait.org.
Fall 2006
www.WaveLengthMagazine.com
45

BOOK REVIEW—Alan Wilson
For those who didn’t have to sit through
the propwash of the fish farm industry
and their promoters in government during
the year-long Salmon Aquaculture Review
in 1996-97, Peter Robson’s new book,
Salmon Farming: The Whole Story, might
seem balanced and comprehensive. But
having been a member of that Review
Committee and having followed the fish
farm issue closely for over a decade, I have
to say that this book is anything but.
Since Robson presents it as a complete
and balanced view (“to separate fact from
propaganda”), it must be held to the highest
standard—a level it doesn’t reach.
Robson relied largely on government and
industry sources for information, as is evident
from his citations and acknowledgments.
20 out of 22 people acknowledged were
from the fish farm industry or its support
services, or from the Ministry of Agriculture
and Lands, the BC government department
that promotes and supports development
of the industry. Why didn’t he consult
with the Ministry of Environment which is
charged with monitoring the pollution side
of aquaculture?
The scientists who have done the real
peer-reviewed science on the issue, like
Dr. John Volpe, Dr. Peter Tyedmers, Dr.
Rosamond Naylor, Dr. Marty Krkosek and
Salmon Farming,
The Whole Story
Peter Robson
Heritage House, 2006
B/W graphics,
272 pp, glossary, index.
www.heritagehouse.ca
others weren’t even consulted. And neither
were many other non-academic experts
who could have contributed much to
correct the one-sideness of the book.
Robson dismisses Alexandra Morton’s
peer-reviewed science which demonstrates
how fish farm-hosted sea lice threaten the
survival of juvenile wild salmon, instead
defending non-peer-reviewed, governmentsponsored
science instead, saying “it would
be patently unfair to question the integrity
of government scientists...”
Absolutely inexcusable is the failure to
acknowledge widespread First Nations
opposition to fish farming, particularly to
farm siting.
Except for one of the images he took
himself, all of the images Robson uses to start
each of the chapters were supplied by the
aquaculture industry. Out of 70 other photos,
charts and graphs in the book, over 50 were
46 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

supplied by the industry or government
and most of the rest were ones Robson
took at fish farms. We could only find three
photos provided by anyone who could be
considered a critic of the industry.
He quotes chapter and verse the
regulations which are on the government’s
books, but he seems not to realize that with
enfeebled monitoring and enforcement,
even these rules mean little.
Robson’s book does correctly identify
the hazards of modern agribiz: how it
exploits nature, uses toxic chemicals, and
externalizes environmental damages. But he
argues that since this is the way of modern
agriculture, we can hardly complain if fish
farmers do it. He fails to note that salmon
farming is fundamentally different because
it raises carnivores not herbivores, and uses
our ‘commons’, flushing drugs and wastes
directly into our ocean, unlike terrestrial
agriculture which is at least based on
private lands.
If you want a more realistic picture of
the situation, read A Stain Upon the Sea by
Stephen Hume, Alexandra Morton, Betty C.
Keller, Rosella M. Leslie, Otto Langer, Don
Staniford. Published by Harbour Publishing,
ISBN 1- 55017-317-0, 288 pp, b/w photos,
$26.95. www.harbourpublishing.com.
And visit www.FarmedandDangerous.
org, the website of the Coastal Alliance for
Aquaculture Reform (CAAR), as well as the
websites of leading CAAR-member groups
such as the Georgia Strait Alliance. See GSA’s
comprehensive Salmon Aquaculture Report
Card, an excellent 75 page PDF document
with color images: www.GeorgiaStrait.org.
Also look at the proceedings of the
BC government’s Special Committee on
Sustainable Aquaculture. For example, in
their Nanaimo hearing, Lloyd Erickson
who is recently retired from the Ministry of
Environment, testified on fish farm wastes,
and Laurie MacBride of the Georgia Strait
Alliance explained the failure of public
processes on this issue over many years.
(See page 51 for more on the hearings.)
Then decide who’s telling “the whole
story”.
Fall 2006
www.WaveLengthMagazine.com
47

NEWS
PROVINCE STAYS CASE
In June 2005, biologist Alexandra Morton
launched a private prosecution under
Canada’s Fisheries Act, to protect wild
salmon from the escape of millions of sea
lice from a fish farm. The Province of BC
took over the prosecution and in August,
William Smart QC, a special prosecutor
appointed to review the case, stayed the
charges as unlikely to produce a conviction.
However, Smart agreed that “it appears to
us that there is validity to Ms. Morton’s
assertions that sea lice from fish farms
are having a deleterious effect on the
pink salmon population in the Broughton
Archipelago.” Morton is now asking the
Attorney General of BC to allow her
prosecution to proceed to the courts at her
own cost, noting that the function of private
prosecution is to safeguard against inertia
and partiality on the part of authority.
US COURT TO HEAR ORCA DEFENSE
The US Federal Court ruled in August that it
will grant Canadian environmental groups
the right to participate in the fight against
a lawsuit brought by industry groups.
The industry groups are challenging the
US government’s decision to protect the
Southern Resident Orcas as an endangered
species. Represented by Sierra Legal
Defence Fund, the Georgia Strait Alliance
and the Western Canada Wilderness
Committee will join with their US partners
to defend protection of the Southern
Resident Orcas.
“The Southern Resident Orcas are a
transboundary species,” says Sierra Legal
lawyer Lara Tessaro. “Their survival depends
on critical habitat on both sides of the
Canada-US border. ”Without strong legal
protection from both countries, we will
condemn these whales to extinction.”
Listed as an endangered species under
the Canadian Species at Risk Act, the
Southern Resident Orcas are at grave
risk of extinction throughout the range
of their habitat, which covers Puget
Sound in Washington and north through
Georgia Strait. These orcas face numerous
environmental threats, including the loss of
salmon prey, toxic contamination, vessel
traffic and noise pollution.
“These orcas are cherished by Americans
and Canadians alike,” says Christianne
Wilhelmson, Georgia Strait Alliance’s
Vancouver-based Program Coordinator.
“Yet due to marine pollution, these whales
are one of the most toxically contaminated
marine mammals in the world. Industry,
governments and conservation groups on
both sides of the border should be working
together to prevent pollution and to protect
the orcas.ӎ
DIVER’S DREAM CHARTERS
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kayaks – canoes
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catalog package & video:
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48 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

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www.WaveLengthMagazine.com
49

NEWS continued
EARTH’S VITAL SIGNS
According to Vital Signs 2006–2007, released in July by the
Worldwatch Institute, economic indicators are on the rise with
unprecedented levels of commerce and consumption, but these are
set against a backdrop of ecological decline in a world powered
overwhelmingly by fossil fuels. In 2005, the average atmospheric
carbon dioxide concentration increased 0.6 percent over the high
in 2004, representing the largest annual increase ever recorded. The
average global temperature reached 14.6 degrees Celsius, making
2005 the warmest year ever recorded on the Earth’s surface.
The findings in Vital Signs 2006–2007 build on those of the United
Nations-sponsored Millennium Ecosystem Assessment released in
BRITISH COLUMBIA
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Paddle over or take the ferry. Specializing in
seafood, plus a full menu. Safe ‘fishing hole’
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250-753-2373
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Trips to...
• Gulf Islands
• Broken Group
• Queen Charlottes
• Broughton Archipelago
• Nootka Island—Nuchatlitz
© Al Harvey photo: www.slidefarm.com
2005, which notes that degradation of Earth’s natural systems has
been brought about by human activity. For example, deforestation
accounts for 25 percent of annual human-caused carbon emissions,
and nearly 1 percent of the global forested area was lost between
2000 and 2005 (with the greatest losses posted in Africa and Latin
America, at 3.2 percent and 2.5 percent respectively). The decline of
ecosystems is undermining the vital services they provide, including
the provision of fresh water and food and the regulation of climate
and air quality. Ecosystem decline is also increasing the risk of
disruptive and potentially irreversible changes such as regional
climate shifts, the emergence of new diseases, and the formation
of low-oxygen ‘dead zones’ in coastal waters.
As of late last year, an estimated 20 percent of the world’s coral
reefs had been destroyed, as were 20 percent of mangrove forests
in the last 25 years alone. Both can provide a natural buffer for
coastlines against weather-related disasters, the cost of which hit
a record $204 billion in 2005, with $125 billion of this caused by
Hurricane Katrina.
“Business as usual is harming the Earth’s ecosystems and the
people who depend on them,” said Erik Assadourian, Vital Signs
2006–2007 project director. “If everyone consumed at the average
level of high-income countries, the planet could sustainably support
only 1.8 billion people, not today’s population of 6.5 billion. Yet
the world’s population is expected not to shrink but to grow to 8.9
billion by 2050.” For more, see www.worldwatch.org.
BIODIVERSITY CRISIS
Warning that Earth is on the verge of “a major biodiversity crisis,”
19 of the field’s most distinguished scientists and policy experts
are calling for a new global coordinating mechanism to provide a
united, authoritative scientific voice to inform government decisionmaking
internationally.
And they are calling upon the wider scientific community
and stakeholders to lend active support to a newly established
consultation process designed to create just such an international
organizing and unifying mechanism for science advice on
biodiversity.
Published in the UK journal Nature (July 20 edition), leading
experts from 13 nations— Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany,
Ghana, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, the
USA and the UK—signed a blunt declaration saying it’s urgent that
the gap between biodiversity science and public policy be closed
and that the world’s science community must be far more strongly
organized and integrated.
According to the group: “Virtually all aspects of biodiversity are
in steep decline and a large number of populations and species
are likely to become extinct in the present century. Despite this
evidence, biodiversity is still consistently undervalued and given
inadequate weight in both private and public decisions.”
They want to see the world’s science community speaking with
a single authoritative voice akin to that of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Signatories include Robert Watson, Chief Scientist at the
World Bank, who chairs or has chaired several global scientific
collaborations including the IPCC, the Millennium Ecosystem
Assessment and the Ozone Assessment Panel.
Friends of the Earth (UK) say that without reversing global warming,
nearly 40% of land-based wildlife are doomed to extinction within
our lifetimes. See www.foe.co.uk for what can be done.
A D V E N T U R E
O U T F I T T E R S
info@gck.ca www.gck.ca 250-247-8277
$475–$1340 Cdn
See itineraries:
www.gck.ca
ALLIANCE FOR PUGET SOUND SHORELINE
People For Puget Sound, the Trust for Public Land, and the Nature
Conservancy recently formed the Alliance for Puget Sound
Shorelines, a new partnership committed to working collaboratively
to restore and protect Puget Sound’s nearshore environment.
50 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

The Alliance’s three-year goals are to to create 10 new parks and
natural areas along the Puget Sound shoreline; to restore 100 miles of
critical shoreline habitat through on-the-ground action; and to enhance
protection of 1,000 miles of shoreline through improved policies.
The Alliance will partner with tribes, land trusts, local
governments, citizen organizations, civic leaders, businesses, state
and federal agencies and others interested in reconnecting people
to the shoreline and restoring the shores and waters of Puget Sound.
The Director for the Alliance for Puget Sound Shorelines is John
Daly. See People for Puget Sound’s website: www.pugetsound.org.
Our Next Issue...
WINTER 2007
‘CRUISING WITH KAYAKS’
Mothership destinations, wildlife watching, tours.
Ad Deadline: Dec. 15, 2006
Distribution: January 2007
CALIFORNIA’S MARINE RESERVES
California is creating a large network of 29 marine reserves off the
state’s coast, from Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz, in order to protect
fisheries there, some of which have been depleted by as much as
95%. Most fishing will be banned over about 200 square miles of
coastal waters.
WINNERS IN THE KAYAK KRAZY RAFFLE
The Grand prize Atlantis kayak in the Georgia Strait Alliance’s
annual summer raffle goes to Colleen McEligott of North Vancouver.
2nd prize winner of a trip for two with Pacific Northwest Expeditions
is Scott Prior of Qualicum Beach. 3rd prize winner of the West
Marine inflatable double kayak is Dean Clark of Gabriola Island.
GSA’s Amber Hieb, raffle coordinator, did a magnificent job raising
$12,000 for GSA’s marine conservation work, up $1000 over last
year. Amber and her team of volunteers attended 30 events in 14
communities, selling approximately 2300 tickets in only 16 weeks.
She also organized and produced a radio ad campaign for GSA
with air time donated by the Malaspina University-College FM
radio station where she is a student. GSA thanks all the companies
that donated the prizes, everyone who sold or bought tickets, and
WaveLength Magazine for its help with promotion.
© David Mumford photo
Diana, Ron and David Mumford attended the West Coast
Sea Kayak Symposium at Port Townsend in mid-September
and reported sunny weather and many happy paddlers.
Congratulations to the Trade Association of Paddlesports,
and especially event Director Nikki Rekman and her
volunteers. Good work everyone!
SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE
In June the British Columbia government’s Special Committee
on Sustainable Aquaculture (SCSA) began holding public hearings
in 19 communities. The hearings, which will end in October, will
play an important role in shaping the Committee’s recommendations
for sustainable aquaculture. Based on input from the public, the
Committee must present a report to the government no later than
March 2007. You can make your views known to the Committee
either by appearing before them in person or by sending a written
submission by email, fax or mail. The Georgia Strait Alliance has
developed an Information Kit for those preparing presentations to
the Committee. It describes the problems with open netcage salmon
farming and proposes straightforward, workable solutions. Click on
‘Fish Farm Hearings’ at www.GeorgiaStrait.org.
The deadline for submissions is October 31, 2006.
Send written submissions by fax: 250-356-8172; email:
Aquaculture@leg.bc.ca; or by mail to: Craig James, Clerk Assistant
and Clerk of Committees Room 224, Parliament Buildings Victoria
BC, V8V 1X4.
Subscribe or renew today!
To start your subscription today call 1-800-668-8806 or subscribe online
Subscribe online with a credit card via PayPal at www.WaveLengthMagazine.com, or clip or photocopy this form and mail it with
your payment to: 1773 El Verano Drive, Gabriola Island, BC, Canada V0R 1X6. All subscription information is Privacy Protected.
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Fall 2006
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51

Ph: 250-539-5553
RENTALS, TOURS, LESSONS
robertbruce@telus.net
121 Boot Cove Rd.
Saturna Island, BC V0N 2Y0
SOUTHEAST EXPOSURE
Ketchikan, Alaska
6 Day Guided Trips
Misty Fjords National Monument
907-225-8829
www.southeastexposure.com
Baja whale watching and
sea kayak tours since 1993.
Toll free 800-616-1943
www.seakayakadventures.com
Sechelt Inlet on the Sunshine Coast
Free wilderness camping at 9 Marine Parks.
Only 2 hours from downtown Vancouver.
www.pedalspaddles.com 1-866-885-6440
Providing quality equipment and excellent
service since 1991. Certified Guides. Fully Insured.
BED & BREAKFAST ON THE BEACH
Gabriola’s south coast paradise.
Beachfront. Wildlife. Hot tub.
Gabriola Island, BC
• KAYAK RENTALS •
Ph/Fax: 250/247-9824
www.island.net/~casablan
• Kayak Day Tours
• Camping Expeditions
• Youth Camps & School
Programmming
• Accommodation and
Kayaking Packages
Unique Outdoor Gear & Clothing Store
www.islandescapades.com 1 888 529-2567
escapades@saltspring.com
SALTSPRING KAYAK & CYCLE
• Tours • Rentals • Sales
Located on the wharf at Fulford Harbour
next to the ferry terminal. Walk off the
ferry and step into a kayak or rental bike!
Toll Free: 866-341-0007
“Gateway to the Southern Marine Parks”
sskayak@saltspring.com
www.saltspringkayaking.com
SeaScape Resort
Quadra Island, BC.
Oceanfront cabins.
Kitchenette & BBQ facilities.
Boat, bike & kayak rentals. Pet friendly.
Fishing & adventure tours available. Moorage.
Toll Free: 888-893-1626
www.seascapewaterfrontresort.com
Large, KEVLAR double touring kayak,
NIMBUS SKANA—3 hatches, 2 cockpits,
and adapated for mast and sail. Extremely
comfortable and seaworthy. Includes kayak,
mast, sail, cockpit covers, one spray skirt,
bilge pump, padded wooden floor storage
rack. This is the Mercedes of kayaks! In
excellent condition: $4000. Contact mariettewest@shaw.ca,
604-228-8079.
The web’s best source for alternative
menstrual products
Eco-friendly essentials for women on the go!
Free catalogue 1.888.590.2299
or shop online at www.lunapads.com
Your home base
for Exceptional
GULF ISLANDS
Mayne Island, BC Paddling!
Kayak Rentals, Lessons and Guided Tours.
Accommodation/Kayaking packages available.
www.bluevistaresort.com
1-877-535-2424
MAYNE ISLAND KAYAKING
Kayaking at its Best!
RENTALS, GUIDED TOURS, LESSONS.
Kayaks or bikes for
exploring Mayne Island.
250-539-5599
www.maynekayak.com
guide courses 2006
in tofino with dan lewis and bonny glambeck
2007 assistant GUIDE COURSES:
guide:
april 29-may 7, may 13-21, sept 9-17
May 5-13, day May guide: 19-27, may September
26-29
1-9
call toll free 1-877-422-WILD
www.rainforestkayak.com
Whitewater Kayaking
Chilliwack
River Rafting
No experience necessary.
Inflatable kayaks on class 2 to 3. Easy skills
transfer from Ocean kayaking. Daily departures.
Call 1-800-410-7238
www.chilliwackrafting.com
EXPERIENCED SEA KAYAK TRIP LEADERS ISLAND BUSINESS FOR SALE
wanted for Jan-April 2007 in Loreto, Baja Harvest Thyme Whole Foods
Contact: Nancy Mertz, co-owner,
Popular, bustling Gabriola Island health
food store and restaurant. Warm,
Wild Salmon
Sea Kayak Adventures, Inc.
colourful decor, well situated on the
PO Box 3862 Coeur d Alene ID 83816-3862
don’t do drugs.
main road, with outdoor patio and great
Ph 208-765-3116 Fax 208-765-5254
parking. Original owner. Call Joyanne at
info@seakayakadventures.com
250-247-8824.
52 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

NORTH ISLAND KAYAK
Telegraph Cove, BC
Rentals & 1–6 Day Guided Trips
PRIME ECOTOURISM BUSINESS FOR SALE
Toll Free 1-877-949-7707
www.KayakBC.ca
nikayak@island.net
Sea Kayak Guides
Alliance of BC
BLACKFISH SEA KAYAKING
ON THE NORTH COAST
Tired of the crowds? Try the North
Coast this year. 5 day trips to outer,
sandy islands, total isolation, catch your own salmon
& crab for dinner. Paddle in Humpback Whale feeding
grounds. Visit the most amazing archaeological site in
BC. Small groups. Prince Rupert. www.blackfish.ca
Call Paul and Gina toll-free: 1-877-638-1887.
www.queencharlottekayaking.com
Fall 2006
2006 is WaveLength’s
16 th year serving the
paddlesports community!
Our loyal advertisers provide the resources
that allow us to bring you this magazine,
so please be sure to check out the great
products and services they have to offer.
“Downtown By The Fishing Pier”
4 Star Accommodations
571 Island Highway
Campbell River, BC V9W 2B9
www.oceanfrontbb.com
www.WaveLengthMagazine.com
Hostess: Patty Johnson
Phone (250) 286-8385
Toll Free 1-877-604-4938
patty@oceanfrontbb.com
Whitefish
Sea Kayaking
(406) 862-3513
Sales • Rentals • Instruction
Broken Group &
Clayoquot Sound Fall Trips
GALIANO ISLAND, BC KAYAKING
YEAR ROUND
COSTA RICA—OSA PENINSULA
7 days in paradise, weekly Dec–Apr since 1987
Ph/Fax: 250-539-2442
kayak@gulfislands.com www.seakayak.ca
Island Home & Business for Sale
‘Downtown’ Gabriola retail fish store
location and equipment, with provincially
licensed fish plant and three bedroom
house on 3.65 acres near Silva Bay.
$385,000 Cdn.
250-247-8093. By appointment only.
NOVA SCOTIA
Inn-to-Inn or Island Camping Adventures
Sailboat Supported & Multisport Trips
Guides, Lessons, Outfitting
Freewheeling Adventures
www.freewheeling.ca
800-672-0775
Please support the marine
conservation work of the
Georgia Strait Alliance
www.GeorgiaStrait.org
Kayak Mothership Tours of Haida Gwaii
www.queencharlottekayaking.com
ANVIL COVE CHARTERS
Keith and Barb Rowsell
Box 454, Queen Charlotte, BC, V0T 1S0
anvilcove@qcislands.net Tel: (250)559-8207
Sales, rentals, lessons, tours, kids’ boats.
Salt Spring Island, BC. Wallace Island Tours.
We make kayaking fun and safe!
250-537-0700 (Apr–Oct)
allanmather@hotmail.com
http://saltspring.gulfislands.com/allanmather
CEDAR STRIP KAYAK FOR SALE
19’ 6” Cedar Strip Kayak
—“Laughing Loon” designed
“Panache.” Roomy cockpit with
Nimbus seat, two hatches.
2 years old. Asking $3500.
Shipping not/incl. 250-748-8314.
Fall 2006
Guides Exchange
Oct. 6–8
LOCATION: Gabriola Island, BC
HOST: Peter Marcus
Gabriola Cycle & Kayak
CONTACT: kerry@skgabc.com
The SKGABC AGM will be held Oct. 8th
See our website for details
www.skgabc.com
The Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC
is a non-profit society which upholds
high standards for professional sea kayak
guides and operators in BC. Through
on-going professional development and
certification, the Alliance strives to ensure
safe practices on an industry-wide basis.
SKGABC EXECUTIVE
PRESIDENT
Blake Johnson: blake@skgabc.com
VICE PRESIDENTS
Piper Harris: piper@skgabc.com
J F MarleauL jf@skgabc.com
SECRETARY
Sue Glenn: sue@skgabc.com
TREASURER
Chris Nagle: chris@skgabc.com
MEMBERS AT LARGE
Tina Walker: tina@skgabc.com
Matt Kellow: matt@skgabc.com
COORDINATING DIRECTOR
Dusty Silvester: dusty@skgabc.com
SKGABC Membership
To become a member of the Alliance, mail
this form and a cheque to the address below.
___ Company Membership—$100/year
___ Individual Membership—$35/year
___ Associate Membership—$25/year
Name__________________________
Address________________________
______________________________
Phone_________________________
Email__________________________
Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC
P.O. Box 1005, Station A,
Nanaimo BC, V9R 5Z2
info@skgabc.com
53

CALENDAR
Oct 13-15, Traditional Kayak Rendezvous, Fish Creek, WI.
info@superiorkayaks.com, 920-794-2500,
www.superiorkayaks.com
Oct 14, 25th Annual Sea Trek Regatta and Environmental
Travel Companions Paddle-a-thon, Sausalito, CA.
paddle@seatrekkayak.com, 415-332-8494, www.paddleathon.org
Oct 14, Suwannee River Challenge & Marathon, White Springs, FL.
aca1@isgroup.net, 386-397-1309, www.aca1.com
Oct 14-15, Humboldt Bay Paddlefest, Eureka, CA.
707-826-3357, www.humboldtbaypaddlefest.com
Aboriginal Heritage and Eco Tours
Based in Ladysmith, BC: 250-245-2015
www.nalaadventures.com
nalaadventures@shaw.ca
Oct 15, 9th Annual Autumn Classic, Rancho Cordova, CA.
marketing@calkayak.com, 800-366-9804, www.calkayak.com
Oct 28-Nov 1, Sea Kayak Georgia Skills Symposium and BCU
Training Week, Tybee Island, GA. info@seakayakgeorgia.com,
888-529-2542, www.seakayakgeorgia.com
Nov 4, Paddlefest 2006, Beaufort, SC. higherground@hargray.
com, 843-379-4327, www.highergroundofthelowcountry.com
Dec 1, Editorial deadline for the Winter issue of WaveLength.
Dec 15, Ad deadline for the Winter issue of WaveLength.
Your Personal Sea Kayak
Mothership
• Aboriginal canoe eco tours available on Vancouver Island
• Kayak campground, water taxi, Aboriginal arts & crafts and
traditional salmon BBQ at Bella Bella on BC’s Central Coast
ALASKA
www.homeshore.com
info@homeshore.com
1-800-287-7063 (01)
© Suzanne Steel photo
54 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006

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56 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com Fall 2006