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4 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com June/July 2004

Editorial 

14th Year! 

Editor 

Alan Wilson 

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Diane Coussens 

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Chris Sherwood 

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MOTHERSHIP PADDLING 

Welcome to our annual Mothership Paddling issue. As you’ll see in these pages, 

motherships come in all shapes and sizes—both powerboats and sailboats, 

large and small, commercial and private. Some commercial motherships offer 

accommodations aboard and meals, others just transport, and still others a mix of 

these services. They’re all motherships in one way or another. 

Motherships extend a paddler’s range, making distant wilderness more accessible. 

Looked at from the private power or sail boater’s view, carrying a kayak or two on deck 

opens up new ways to explore the shoreline once the big boat is at anchor. 

Little wonder this blending of boating experience is catching on. It’s a natural and 

compatible mix. 

For the paddling industry, it’s also an opportunity to tap into the $25 billion a year 

North Americans spend on boating. For boaters, it’s a chance to get closer to the 

waters we all love. 

In this issue, for your enjoyment and information, we’ve gathered a great mix of 

stories related to mothershipping, including experiences on commercial mothership 

paddling trips in Alaska, Baja and Chile as well as useful advice pieces for boaters 

interested in paddling and paddlers interested in aquiring a mothership. 

Cartoonist Berry Wijdeven takes us on a search for a mothership of his own, opening 

his eyes—and ours—to some of the complexities involved. 

Green Boating advocate, Sarah Verstegen, gives practical advice on boating 

impacts—a sort of ‘primer’ to green boating for those thinking of getting a mothership, 

and a useful reminder for power and sail boaters. 

Columnist Bryan Nichols, himself a sailboater who carries a kayak aboard, gives 

tips for boaters thinking of adding paddling to their boating repertoire. 

And we include a handy Mothership Directory, giving the basics about companies 

that offer mothership paddling in one form or another. 

You’ll also enjoy columns by Dan Lewis, encountering migrating gray whales off 

the west coast, and Alexandra Morton, whose ‘paean’ to spring in the Broughton will 

uplift weary spirits. 

We hope you enjoy this issue as much as we have putting it together. 

And we wish you all happy paddling this summer—whether you’re kayak 

camping, day tripping or mothershipping. 

Alan Wilson 

Volume 14 Number 1 

INSIDE 

WaveLength is a member of the Trade Association of Paddlesports www.gopaddle.org 360-352-0764 

6 Home at the Edge of the World 

JEAN-LOUIS MARTIN AND SYLVIE BLANGY 

9 Dream Vacation 

BARB ROY 

11 Chilean Mothership Trip 

BETH GEIGER 

14 Still Paddling Her Own Canoe 

ELIZABETH SHORT 

17 Attention All Yachties! 

BRYAN NICHOLS—COLUMN 

20 Searching For My Mother 

BERRY WIJDEVEN 

22 Choosing Your Mothership 

SARAH VERSTEGEN 

25 Separation Anxiety 

ALAN WILSON—COLUMN 

28 Water Taxi Transport 

TOM SEWID 

COVER—Mothership with Loki kayaks 

in Desolation Sound 

by Matt Kirk-Buss 

29 Heading for the Horizon 

DAN LEWIS—COLUMN 

31 Exploring Rivers Inlet 

GORDON BARON 

36 Spring in the Broughton 

ALEXANDRA MORTON—COLUMN 

37 Feathercraft K1 and Werner Shuna 

ALEX MATTHEWS—COLUMN 

40 MOTHERSHIP DIRECTORY 

44 Cool Tools For Camp Cookery 

LAURIE EDWARD/DEBBIE LEACH—COLUMN 

46 Books 

DIANA MUMFORD—COLUMN 

48 Great Gear/News 

52 Unclassifieds 

54 Calendar 

5

Home at the Edge of the World 

THE BEAR 

The bear was fifteen feet away. For the 

past hour or so, Soline (ten years old), 

Sylvie and I had drifted quietly on our 

kayaks, noses close to the water’s surface, 

contemplating the profusion of life, colors 

and shapes of the underwater world. It 

took a slight movement and the crunching 

noise of breaking crab shells to make us 

aware that we had drifted close to shore 

and close to a healthy black bear enjoying a 

crab feast. We were in one of the rich sushi 

bars the tides uncover twice a day in this 

remote and uninhabited corner of Haida 

Gwaii, the misty archipelago tucked in the 

northeastern corner of the Pacific Ocean. 

As uninvited guests we did what we felt 

was best—nothing—pretending we were 

not there, watching, enjoying the privilege 

of the moment. 

Jean-Louis Martin 

and Sylvie Blangy 

THE SHIP 

A while later, the bear decided to explore 

another corner of shoreline and we paddled 

to catch up with the rest of our party in 

the next bay. After sharing with the others 

our discoveries during this early morning 

paddle, we decided to head for ‘home’, 

ready for our own breakfast. No crabs on 

the menu but a variety of delicacies a black 

bear would not shy away from. ‘Home’ had 

two masts and a wide hull to comfortably 

accommodate 6 to 8 people and their 

paddling crafts. The ship was under the 

careful attention of our host, Barb Roswell 

Kayaks nested cosily on top of the capacious wheelhouse. 

of Anvil Cove Charters. The galley, our focus 

for the moment, was Heidi’s domain. 

‘TOUGH LIFE’ 

We had left Queen Charlotte City under 

bright sunshine a few days ago. We got 

acquainted with life on a ship and with 

each other as we went by the six new Haida 

totem poles that proudly face the ocean at 

second Beach in Skidegate. 

This wasn’t my first visit to these islands. 

Over the last ten years I had spent parts of 

most summers in the archipelago, trying to 

understand the ecological consequences of 

the recent introduction of black-tailed deer 

to a world without predators and with only 

a few human hunters. I was probably the 

most wary traveler on the boat. I wondered 

how I would handle my mutation from 

researcher to eco-traveler with no other 

agenda than enjoying the day and the 

company of people brought together by 

a motivation to learn more about this part 

of the world. I was quickly reassured. The 

company was great—relaxed and eager to 

fully enjoy a dream come true. The luxury 

of both living on a ship and spending 

the best part of most days paddling bays 

and shorelines became rapidly obvious. 

Each time the mothership dropped us and 

disappeared around a rocky point on its 

Queen Charlotte Islands 

Gwaii Haanas National Park 

Natural hotsprings, fabulous kayaking, 

ancient Haida village sites. 

Archipelago Ventures Ltd. 

1-888-559-8317 www.island.net/~archipel 


way to our next meeting place, we were left 

with the whispers of our paddling strokes, 

the calls of bald eagles and ravens, the 

barking of seals and, some days, the deep 

breathing and thunderous breaching of 

humpback whales. Stops ashore took us to 

Haida heritage sites, where people from the 

Haida Watchmen program communicated 

their love for the place. During walks 

among the giants of the forest we shared 

the silent glance of an owl or the ethereal 

song of the hermit thrush. 

BEYOND THE LANDSCAPE 

Life on board was as gentle as the pace of 

our ship. The rich collection of natural and 

local history books in the ship’s library soon 

became the second most used resource on 

board—just after the galley. We also used 

any opportunity to probe the knowledge 

Barb had accumulated over all the years 

she has lived and worked here. Little by 

little, the search for an icon of wilderness 

gave way to an awareness that these islands 

were a place where many people had lived 

rich and probably comfortable lives for 

most of the last six thousand years. These 

lives had left signatures in the land that 

became easier and easier to read as our 

eyes became trained. 

Some of these features, such as culturally 

modified trees or old village sites, were 

subtle and could easily be overlooked by a 

naive traveler. When the southern Haida had 

to move to the northern island over a century 

ago, decimated by imported diseases, what 

they left behind them was absorbed into the 

forest. Other signs, easier to read, witnessed 

the short period of time during which miners 

and loggers ruled the place. 

Off-loading the kayaks. 

But the most striking change since the 

islands emerged from ice and water 10,000 

years ago has probably resulted from 

the introduction of deer. This expanding 

population has patiently browsed away 

the formerly dense forest understory, and 

given birth to the open cathedral-like 

atmosphere that strikes the first time visitor. 

By doing so, they impoverished not only the 

plant life but also the insect and songbird 

communities that depend on it. 

The knowledge gathered while reading 

or listening to our host became a discrete 

but invaluable companion of our paddling 

forays. During these times of contemplation, 

In the wintertime, when she is not 

chartering the Anvil Cove, Barb 

Roswell is part of a team dedicated 

to the development of a Tourism 

Heritage Strategy for Haida Gwaii. 

This strategy was recently adopted 

in the Land Use Plan. When the 

National Park Visitor Centre was 

returned to the local community, she 

helped develop a new vision and 

business plan for the centre. Barb 

also acts as the local coordinator of 

a research program on the impact 

of introduced deer (Research Group 

on Introduced Species: www.rgisbc. 

com) and with her husband, Keith, 

charters the boat to scientists and 

government agencies. She willingly 

shares the knowledge she has 

gathered during these experiences 

with her guests. 

reflection and communion with the place, 

the alchemy between knowledge and 

first hand experience silently operated. 

Imperceptibly, the southern shores of Haida 

Gwaii had ceased to be ‘just’ a landscape 

of unrestrained beauty or an ocean teeming 

with life, but had become a place with a 

rich history, a complex present, and an 

uncertain future: a place alive. 

MISSING THE ‘ADVENTURE’? 

But what about the ‘Adventure’—fighting 

foul weather, challenging the elements 

and roughing it? Well, there was not much 

opportunity for that. First, we hit the longest ➝ 

Luxury accommodation 

and gourmet meals afloat 

at Hotsprings Cove 

Clayoquot Sound, BC. 

www.innchanter.com 

250-670-1149 


7

Totems at Ninstints. 

stretch of sunshine that occurred that summer. Second, Barb knew 

all the local tricks to avoid situations that test ship and passengers. 

Third, the whole point of the mothership is to free minds and bodies 

from the challenges you inevitably set for yourself when you go 

out there on your own means and steam. Such challenges have 

their virtues—if you know what you are doing. They teach you 

lessons of their own, even, sometimes, relief that the trip is over. 

That is precisely where travelling with a mothership has its major 

drawback: the odds are very high that you will have many reasons 

to regret that the trip is over. 

REFLECTING ON THE MOTHERSHIP EXPERIENCE 

Coming home to France, we reflected on how this kind of mothership 

package relates to ‘best practice’ in ecotourism and can serve as an 

example of ecotours in the future. The core principles of ecotourism 

are defined by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES): 

• Minimize impact 

• Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect 

• Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts 

• Provide direct and indirect financial benefits for conservation 

• Provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people 

Sleeping on board definitely reduces the pressure on the land, 

in particular the stress on campsites. 

The knowledge and love Barb and Keith have for the islands, and 

the ability to share it, are a model of guiding and interpretation. 

The awareness of guests is reinforced every day, with a more 

lasting impact than a one-time orientation at the outset of a stay. 

The hosts accompany the guests in their discovery in a gentle way 

and at their own pace. Of course this is also true of a guided kayak 

camping trip, but a great on-board library is an additional asset of 

mothershipping. 

The combination of kayaking, hiking inland, wandering along 

the shore and beachcombing, provides diverse opportunities to see 

wildlife. Observing from the ship reduces disturbance. 

Motherships offer flexibility and safety. Visitors can choose their 

activity, stay on board or paddle with others. Tired paddlers can 

be picked up. The ship can choose the best bay for the night or the 

safest route according to weather conditions. 

HAIDA GWAII 

In the Queen Charlotte Islands, most operators work in the Gwaii 

Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site, where the 

tourism strategy is based on a quota system to minimize impact 

on the sites. The Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida 

Heritage Site is administered by a co-management board with equal 

representation of Parks Canada and the Council of Haida Nation. 

Half the staff is Haida. The Haida Watchmen program, developed to 

protect the old Haida village sites scattered around the archipelago, 

maintains a presence that welcomes and educates the visitors. All 

watchmen belong to the Haida community. ❏ 

© Jean-Louis Martin is a researcher in ecology at the CNRS, the National 

Centre for Scientific Research in France, working on the impact of 

introduced species and on consequences of land use changes. 

© Sylvie Blangy is a freelance journalist and an international ecotourism 

consultant conducting research on community based tourism 

and land management. The photos in this article are hers. 

TIES, The International Ecotourism Society, defines ecotourism as 

‘responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment 

and the well being of local people’: www.ecotourism.org. 


Dream Vacation 

Hidden by the shadows of the rising 

sun, our ship lay in wait behind 

pinnacles of sculpted sandstone for the 

galleon to round the cape. Copper hues 

engulfed our presence as the sun began its 

leisurely climb. Our ship’s timbers creaked 

and moaned as we rocked in unison with 

the ocean swells. We knew this would not 

be an easy victory and lives would be lost. 

Now, there she was, heavily laden with 

gold, silk and precious spices from Manila, 

destined for New Spain. All eyes went to 

our captain kneeling at the bow, his sword 

drawn. Just a few more minutes and the 

galleon would be ours! 

“Excuse me Miss,” whispered the flight 

attendant, “but you’ll need to return your 

seat back to its original upright position in 

preparation for our Los Cabos landing.” 

Waking at her words, I looked down to 

discover the history section of my Cabo 

travel guide was open in my lap. 

The Sea of Cortez and the Baja Peninsula 

were once home to countless pirates, 

privateers and banditos, yet today travelers 

seek refuge here for different reasons. The 

Cape Region provides an easy escape to 

warm, isolated beaches, unique desert 

ecosystems and mild, dry weather suitable 

for a myriad of land and water activities. 

Horseback riding, parasailing, kayaking, 

fishing, hiking, golf and scuba diving are 

just a few of the favorite visitor pastimes. 

To snorkel from my kayak in warm, 

azure-blue water was my main reason for 

escape. Another was to try photographing 

some of the numerous aquatic species 

residing in this rich cornucopia of life. 

For the first seven wonderful days of 

my journey, the 112-foot live-aboard 

dive vessel, Solmar V, was my floating 

home. Although the ship was designed 

to accommodate scuba divers, groups of 

The Solmar V. 

kayakers can also organize charters on the 

Sea of Cortez trips. The Solmar V acts as a 

mothership allowing guests to explore by 

Story and photos by Barb Roy 

day with their kayaks, while traveling at 

night to new locations. 

From Cabo San Lucas we headed 187 

miles north, then slowly worked our way 

back down the southern region of the Baja 

Peninsula. 

Descending through a dense cloud of 

silvery sardines at La Reynita, near Isla 

Cerralvo, I snorkeled down to a reef to 

photograph a dazzling angelfish. As I 

adjusted my lens for a wide-angle shot, the 

light suddenly grew dim. Looking upward, 

I saw a giant Pacific Manta Ray, boasting 

a 12-foot wingspan, gracefully gliding 

overhead! Then another large manta joined 

in, the two dancing in unison. Needless to 

say, the mantas held us all in awe of their 

grandeur for the rest of the day. 

The Solmar’s experienced dive guides 

were provided by Amigos Del Mar in 

Cabo San Lucas. They not only knew their 

underwater creatures, they also knew 

where to find particular shore birds and sea 

lion rookeries. When we weren’t snorkeling 

with pods of dolphins off Isla Las Animas 

or with whale sharks (the largest fish in the 

world) in La Paz Bay, we were playing with 

friendly, acrobatic California sea lions near ➝ 


9

Giant Pacific Manta Ray. 

Los Islotes and huge stingrays in the sand at 

Cabo Plumo. One of the dive guides, also a 

marine biologist, explained that there were 

more than 60 species of sharks, 25 species 

of cetaceans and around 300 known 

species of birds in Baja waters. I enjoyed the 

magnificent frigate birds soaring overhead 

as I paddled each morning. Squawking 

pairs of blue and brown-footed boobies 

and brown pelicans provided endless 

entertainment. 

The dive site I found to be one of the most 

exciting was at El Bajo Seamount, which the 

illusive, scalloped hammerhead sharks are 

known to frequent. 

Adrenaline peaked as my buddy and I in 

scuba gear swam away from the seamount 

into the darkness of the abyss. Patiently we 

waited at 90 feet. In the distance I could 

barely make out the outline of something 

swimming towards us. Feeling a bit hasty 

in my decision to leave the group, I raised 

my underwater camera in anticipation. The 

shape grew larger, swaying from side-toside. 

It was a six-foot hammerhead shark! 

Still too far to get a good photo, I watched 

its sleek body and bizarre head as it circled 

us. Was it as curious about us as we were 

about it? Soon it blended back into a great 

wall of hammerheads, slowly passing as if 

on a predetermined quest. What a logbook 

entry this turned out to be! 

I spent the last part of my journey enjoying 

the many amenities Cabo San Lucas had to 

offer. Surrounding this small, fast-paced 

oceanside town are the mountains of the 

Sierra La Laguna. Rather than indulging in 

a round of golf, deep-sea fishing, or touring 

the desert on a four-wheeler, I opted for 

snorkeling at Lovers Beach, via kayak. 

It was easy finding rentals as well as 

several paddling companions. We put in at 

the marina and headed past an old cannery 

Lovers Beach. 

Famous stone arch. 

towards the famous stone arch, where the 

cooler Pacific Ocean and the deep Gulf of 

Baja flow into the warm waters of the Sea 

of Cortez. Careful to avoid the turbulence, 

we hugged the shoreline to inspect the huge 

sea lions lounging on the rocks, and then 

moved to photograph the pelicans. 

SOLMAR 

The Solmar V has a large aft deck and 

can accommodate 22 passengers. Each 

stateroom is equipped with a head, shower, 

sink, and TV/VCR. From mid-June through 

early November they offer one-week 

charters to the Sea of Cortez. Saltwater 

temperature varies from 24-28 degrees 

Celsius (76-84 degrees F) and underwater 

visibility ranges from 60-100 feet. 

For more information on the Solmar, 

check out www.solmarV.com. US 

reservation number: 800-344-3349 or 

310-459-9861. 

HELPFUL FACTS 

Travelers must bring a valid passport and 

must possess a return airline ticket. From 

the airport, take a shuttle bus to one of the 

many hotels/resorts in Cabo San Lucas. 

Both English and Spanish are spoken. US 

currency and all major credit cards are 

accepted in the centers of the larger cities. 

Gratuities range from 10-15%. To avoid the 

‘turistas’ or ‘Montezuma’s Revenge’, avoid 

drinking tap water—bottled water is sold 

everywhere. Bring plenty of sunscreen, 

dress casually and don’t forget your shades, 

water bottle and snorkeling gear! ❏ 

© Barb Roy is a freelance writer 

and photographer living in Surrey, BC. 


Chilean Mothership Trip 

Start with a stunning coastline, where 

lavishly forested mountainsides plunge 

into mirror-calm fjords. Add sea lions and 

dolphins, decorate with silvery strands of 

waterfalls, and toss in splendid natural hot 

springs. Finally, flip the seasons so you can 

enjoy all this when the snow flies in North 

America. 

Welcome to northern Patagonia, where 

Chile’s long coastline breaks into a watery 

riddle of islands, fjords, rainforest and 

glaciers. There are no roads and few 

settlements, and compared to the famous 

Lake District to the north, or the rocky 

spires of Torres del Paine National Park 

to the south, this magnificent coastline is 

essentially tourist-free. 

The southern coast of Chile is also home 

to Pumalin Park, created by American 

millionaire Douglas Tompkins. Everyone 

who reports on Pumalin Park agrees: it’s 

beautiful, pristine, and for the most part, 

nearly impossible to penetrate by land. In 

other words, perfect for sea kayaking. And 

with the best fjords widely spaced along 

the coast, fjord-hopping by mothership is 

the way to go. 

One of the few kayak guides serving the 

region, Altue Sea Kayaking, uses a homey, 

converted fishing boat to support its guided 

kayak tours. Francisco de Valle, Altue’s owner, 

escorted us from Puerto Montt, two hours 

by air south of Santiago, for a six-day trip in 

early March. We started with a four-hour drive 

south along the Pan American highway—a 

pot-holed road winding past colorfully 

shingled houses and small farms. At the mistshrouded 

town of Hornipiren we met the rest 

of the guides and hopped onto Altue’s brightly 

painted 55 foot support boat. 

As we motored south, the forest shore 

seemed to rise vertically from the water. 

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Altue’s 55 foot support boat. 

Snowy peaks appeared above the forests, 

waterfalls reflected in the calm water, and 

a family of dolphins came to play in the 

bow wake. 

After a few hours, we pulled up to an 

uninhabited island, where the kayaks 

were lowered off the deck and we dipped 

our paddles into the Gulf of Ancud for 

the first time. The mist that had encircled 

Hornipiren had cleared (in fact, the clear 

weather stuck around for the whole week, 

something we didn’t take for granted in this 

temperate coastal climate). 

The next morning, we continued south in 

the support boat to the mouth of the first fjord, 

called Quintupeu. Quintupeu Fjord is so 

secluded and protected from view that back 

in World War I, a German battleship damaged 

in combat hid here from British pursuers for 

a month. These days the fjord is peaceful, its 

glassy water reflecting lush mountains and a 

rocky ‘bathtub ring’—the dramatic sign of a 

twenty-plus foot tidal exchange. We climbed 

into the sea kayaks and paddled towards 

Quintupeu’s narrow entrance. 

Story and photos by Beth Geiger 

Just inside the fjord, a series of salmon 

pens were an incongruous visual break 

in Chile’s otherwise wild coast—a part 

of the world that doesn’t have salmon in 

its natural ecosystem. Salmon farming is 

one of Tompkins’ ongoing conflicts here. 

Tompkins and other critics of salmon ➝ 

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11

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farming point to impacts on the environment, compromising the 

region’s delicate ecology. 

But, as if to soften the blow of the salmon farm, five more minutes 

brought us to a lovely waterfall cascading into the green water. 

Beyond it, snow-capped Andean peaks rose so steeply from the 

sea that they seemed like an artist’s exaggeration. 

As the trip progressed, we settled into a relaxed and quintessentially 

South American schedule. Though we traveled and ate on the 

mothership, we slept on shore in tents, surrounded by flowering 

fuchsia bushes and the improbably big greenery of the primeval 

rain forest. Each morning at about 9, the crew collected us in a 

small launch and took us to the boat for breakfast, featuring good 

coffee (a rarity in much of South America) and the extraordinary 

fruit Chile is famous for. Meals were relaxed affairs, with guests 

and crew at one long table. Then we’d climb into the sea kayaks 

(a mix of singles and doubles), do an easy paddle up a fjord for a 

few hours, and then meet the boat for a 2 o’clock lunch and, of 

course, afternoon siesta. Another paddle or hot springs soak, and 

dinner—chicken or fresh mussels over fettuccine, prepared in the 

tiny galley—at about 8 or 9. The simple accommodations in tents 

and remote setting gave this adventure a distinctly rustic edge. 

On the third day, the boat took us to Cahuelmo Fjord. A colony of 

sea lions (lobos del mar, or sea wolves) barked and snorted as our 

strange little herd of bright kayaks approached. We continued to the 

fjord’s eastern end, where a small river flows out of a misty valley. 

Here, tubs and channels filled with crystal clear hot water have been 

meticulously carved (nobody seems to know how long ago or by 

whom) into a terrace of limestone. There are no roads or trails to this 

remote place. These termas fall within the boundaries of Pumalin 

Park, and a new wooden sign had been posted, asking visitors not 

to disturb the solitude with radios or mar the environment with 

shampoo or soap. We had Cahuelmo hot springs to ourselves, 

soaking blissfully and taking in the scenery. 

That evening our guides joined us on shore for a campfire. The 

dark waters of Cahuelmo Fjord were now hundreds of yards from 

camp thanks to the 21-foot tidal exchange. Altue’s gregarious 

owner, Francisco del Valle, produced a bottle of pisco—the clearas-a-mountain 

creek Chilean liquor—and a guitar appeared. The 

first song came as a surprise: Bob Dylan’s ‘How Many Roads’ in a 

pretty good imitation of Dylan’s raspy voice, but after that the songs 

took on a more South American flavor. 

Before snuggling into my sleeping bag I took a walk out onto 

the tide flats. Above me, glittering like a diamond brooch, was 

the Southern Cross—which I’d never seen until this trip. Orion 

was there, too, but he was standing on his head. Along with the 

magnificent temperate rainforest, the scenery, and the campfire 

songs, the stars here in northern Patagonia were an enchanting mix 

of familiar and exotic. 

POPEYE’S 

Marine & Kayak Center 

814 13th Street, Everett WA 

On the Waterfront at Everett Marina 

425-339-9479 www.popeyesmarine.com 


Cahuelmo hotsprings may 

have had the best view, but for 

me, the termas at Porcelana, 

which we visited a few days 

later, were pure magic. We 

camped at the end of Comau 

Fjord, where a scattering 

of fishermen’s cabins sit in 

small meadows dotted with 

sheep. Past the sheep, through 

a wooden gate and up a 

narrow forest path, we came 

to Porcelana hotsprings. 

I’d never seen anything like 

this place. For at least two 

hundred meters, a steamy 

hot brook fell delicately over 

tiny waterfalls and into rockbounded 

pools fringed with 

emerald moss. The water 

was so clear that it was hard to tell where 

the pools ended and the fern-scented air 

began. In the largest and hottest of the 

pools I swam a few strokes then floated on 

my back and watched the rainforest drift 

silently above me. 

To experience a more cultural side of 

Chilean sea kayaking, I continued with 

Altue for a few days at their base on the 

big island of Chiloe, southwest of Puerto 

Montt. Chiloe has several small towns (the 

biggest is Castro), a tapestry of colorful 

fishing villages, and reportedly, a mystical 

population of fairies and trolls. We headed 

for Altue’s simple but inviting waterside 

base lodge, just south of the wood-shingled 

fishing village of Dalcahue. Launching 

the sea kayaks from here requires waiting 

for the impressive tide to come in; at low 

tides the Altue dock is stranded high and 

dry. From the lodge, Francisco leads day 

long kayak excursions into the picturesque 

maze of islands and fishing villages along 

the protected east coast of Chiloe. There 

are lunch stops for freshly 

made seafood empanadas 

at Dalcahue’s waterfront, 

quiet paddles alongside the 

island’s brightly painted 

working fishing fleet, and as a 

highlight, a dinner of curanto, 

the layered seafood bake that 

is the Chilean equivalent of 

a New England clam bake, 

and Chiloe’s trademark dish. 

At the end of the day, it was 

wonderful to settle into the 

wood-fired hot-tub on the 

lodge’s deck and watch dusk 

give way to the quiet twinkle 

of lights from Dalcahue’s 

shingled houses. There I 

reflected on my trip: a balance 

of sea kayaking, fantastic 

scenery, picturesque towns, and of course, 

those hot soaks at the end of the day. It was 

hard to leave. ❏ 

© Beth Geiger lives in Seattle, Washington 

and is a contributing editor for 

Canoe & Kayak Magazine. 

For more information on Chile, contact 

Altue Sea Kayaking: www.seakayakchile.com. 

Encomenderos 83, 2nd floor, Las Condes, 

Santiago CP 6760254, CHILE 


13

Still Paddling Her Own Canoe 

The northeast side of Hawaii’s Molokai 

Island is rugged, pleated country. Like a 

moist green hem, the coastline gathers up, 

zigzag fashion, wrinkling cliff against valley 

and land against water, to form an arc of 

lonely, fantastic and, for many Hawaiians, 

sacred promontories. A paddler’s paradise 

on many days, but not this one. Rain pours 

from dark clouds, big seas froth against 

rock—white on black. Beyond sheer 3000 

foot cliffs, a six foot swath of plastic tosses 

in the troughs, loses itself in the spray of a 

twelve foot wave, and rises haphazardly 

with the next crest. The object is a kayak: 

a small inflatable, open hold stuffed with 

a few essential pieces of gear and one 47 

year-old woman, digging into the waves as 

if her life depends on each stroke which, 

in fact, it may. The year is 1967 and the 

woman is Audrey Sutherland, paddling her 

first ‘canoe’. 

Thirty-six years later, high in the 

wheelhouse of a 62 foot commercial fishing 

boat turned kayak mothership, binoculars 

scanning another enticingly convoluted 

shoreline—southeast Alaska’s Baranof 

Island—Sutherland tells the Home Shore’s 

Captain Jim Kyle that her perilous 1967 

Audrey in her inflatable kayak. 

paddle wasn’t her first Moloka’i voyage. On 

two other occasions she had opted to swim 

the 20 miles, towing a semi-waterproof 

pack. 

ODYSSEY KAYAKING 

Elizabeth Short 

Sutherland, longtime Hawaii resident 

and author of Paddling My Own Canoe 

and Paddling Hawaii, is an icon of solo 

wilderness kayaking. Between 1980 and 

2002, in a variety of inflatable kayaks 

(chosen for their portability, light weight, 

low cost, and unmatched buoyancy), she 

paddled nearly 7,800 solo miles of British 

Columbia and Southeast Alaska coastline, 

patching up dilapidated cabins for fun 

and shelter along the way. Her longest 

trip lasted 87 days and covered 887 miles, 

from Skagway, Alaska to West Thurlow 

Island, BC. 

Tana Dasilva, the Home Shore’s cook 

and paddling guide, was thrilled when she 

heard Sutherland would be their guest. “I 

read her book a long time ago and have 

given it to other people. When I heard she 

was going to be on board, I thought, ‘Oh my 

God, one of my heroes!’ Audrey believes 

that growing older isn’t a reason to stop 

kayaking. That’s an inspiration to me.” 

Kyle was pleased, too, but also surprised 

when Sutherland booked the charter. “Why 

after nearly 8,000 miles of solo kayaking 

did you call a mothership?” he asked. 

Sutherland’s reason was simple. “I was 

curious to know if this would work, so I 

could do a combination a little more safely, 

with someone very strong to pull me out of 

the water,” she said. “I was interested in the 

concept of the mothership and in seeing 

more country than I could in a kayak.” 

© Photo Chris Jacksa 

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During a five-day, in-depth exploration of one 

of Sutherland’s previous routes—encompassing 

West Crawfish Inlet, Necker Bay and Redfish 

Bay, along Baranof’s exposed outer coast 

south of Sitka—her curiosity was satisfied: a 

mothership offered certain advantages, namely 

gourmet meals prepared by a talented cook, 

and a real bed. 

“It was just fine to return to a warm, dry bed 

that I didn’t have to rebuild from a pack each 

night in the rain,” she said. “Food? We had 

excellent food, good strong coffee, and good 

wine.” Most enjoyable was the perspective 

from the Home Shore’s tall bridge with its 

large windows and 360 degree views. “I 

especially liked sitting in the wheelhouse with 

Jim, watching the land with binoculars, always 

checking for future campsites.” 

During one of their many wheelhouse chats, 

Sutherland shared with Kyle her most dicey 

paddle in southeast Alaskan waters—an attempt 

to cross Sumner Strait between Point Baker and 

Point Barrie after the tide had turned. With an unavoidably late 

start, she put in at Point Baker and soon found herself being swept 

toward breaking surf on Mariposa reef. “I should have gone back,” 

she told Kyle. “But I thought, well, I’ll try for Strait Island, and about 

this time a big freighter comes up behind me. I could just imagine 

what they were saying: ‘Damn fool!’” Sutherland was 30 feet from 

the breakers when she spotted calmer seas in a bed of kelp at the 

reef’s south end. Gaining a handhold there, she eventually pulled 

herself to shore. 

Yet Sutherland’s few close calls seem to have been flukes, 

wrenches in her meticulously laid plans. Her approach to paddling 

was a good fit with the Home Shore’s: both 

emphasize preparation and safety. “I can pull 

out my large scale charts and spend hours 

planning a trip,” she said. Kyle agrees. “She 

was pretty knowledgeable for sure. Maps, 

charts—we were continually pointing things 

out, going back and forth.” 

For the mothership crew, it was difficult to 

assess who learned more during the charter— 

Sutherland, who gained new perspectives on 

the coastline, or themselves. Home Shore kayak 

guide Ben Kyle had just returned from his own 

solo trip when he met Sutherland. “She’s like 

a little ball of fire,” he said. “She told me her 

gear for three weeks weighs around 60 pounds, 

a very small amount that she narrowed down 

to be as efficient as possible. To get back from 

my own trip and hear of her lightweight tarp 

or how she packs her food, it definitely made 

an impression on me.” Captain Kyle was more 

succinct. “I learned a lot about little nooks and 

crannies from her. I learned more about life.” 

Thanks in part to new information gathered on the Home Shore, 

Sutherland has plans to return to Baranof Island, as well as British 

Columbia. “I’d like to explore the channels north and east of Bella 

Bella, Roscoe Inlet especially,” she said. “When I’m too old for long 

paddling trips, I’ll stay in a base camp or in Forest Service cabins and 

do day trips. A lifetime is not enough.” Despite a great love of the 

Alaskan and BC wilderness, Sutherland’s most cherished paddle still ➝ 

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15

Audrey relaxes in a natural pool on the northeast Moloka’i coast. 

lies in the South Pacific, off a green hem of 

land where waters are warmer, though just 

as wild. During an interview on Canadian 

radio last year, when asked of her favorite 

paddling area, she confessed, “I think it 

would be the north coast of Moloka’i. 

That country was made for the pace of a 

kayak.” ❏ 

© Elizabeth Short has spent many years 

working and traveling in Southeast Alaska. 

She lives in Bellingham, Washington 

where she is a freelance writer. 

© Photos courtesy of Audrey Sutherland. 


Know Your Neighbors 

Attention All Yachties! 

Attention all yachties—you might have 

noticed there are more and more 

kayaks appearing on the decks of bigger 

boats. From modest cruisers to megayachts, 

from sleek sailboats to boxy houseboats, 

mariners are discovering the advantages of 

having a kayak or two along with them. 

Why bring a kayak? What’s wrong with 

your dinghy? If you’ve done much kayaking 

you already know the answer, but if not, I’ll 

be happy to enlighten you. 

BEYOND OIL & OARS 

First of all, traveling by internal 

combustion engine, even little outboards, 

is nothing like paddling. You might use your 

dinghy to transport yourself to shore and 

back, but you’ll use a kayak for the sheer 

joy of exploring—and if you do it more than 

occasionally, you’ll tone your upper body 

in the process. 

While there might be some interesting 

correlations between level of fitness and 

engine size, you don’t have to be lean and 

mean to paddle a kayak. You don’t have to 

be highly skilled, either. For the purposes 

of roaming about in calm anchorages, 

kayaks are easy to learn and more efficient 

than canoes. They’re also more fun than 

rowing—it’s nice to see where you’re going 

and to slip through narrow gaps. 

Better still, kayaks don’t leave exhaust 

fumes, gas leaks, propeller scars and oil 

slicks in pristine places. You don’t have to 

yank their chains or tweak their plugs to get 

them moving on cold mornings. You curse 

at them less. Really, everybody wins. 

BUT... 

But not all kayaks are good for 

mothershipping. Many are just awful in 

fact—you have to know what to look for. 

Kayaks come in a wide range of sizes, 

designs, materials and prices, but if you’re 

thinking of mothershipping there are 

four characteristics that are especially 

important. 

Length 

Needless to say, a six meter touring kayak 

just won’t fit on smaller yachts, and will 

be awkward on larger ones. Recreational 

kayaks, which can be half that length, are 

a more appropriate choice. They have to fit 

somewhere on your deck after all, and the 

easier they are to launch and retrieve, the 

more you’ll use them. 

Stability 

A speedy, narrow kayak is great fun 

but not ideal for mothershipping. You’ll 

be wanting to get in and out of it a lot, 

especially if you’re using it like a dinghy. 

Your boat’s freeboard might make that 

awkward, so you’re going to want a kayak 

that has a lot of primary stability. This 

doesn’t mean longer—it means wider. 

Believe me, the sacrifice of speed will be 

worth it. 

Cockpit 

Some paddlers like small cockpits— 

they’re quicker to pump out and spray skirts 

work better. For mothershipping though, a 

large cockpit will make things a lot easier. 

Wider and longer are great, especially if 

you’re stepping down into it from a ladder 

or climbing up onto a dock or float. 

Seaworthiness 

I add this one because unfortunately 

many of the short, wide, stable kayaks 

with large cockpits that seem ideal for 

mothershipping are decidedly not ideal 

for any real kayaking—they simply aren’t 

seaworthy. I don’t think it’s wise to paddle 

Bryan Nichols 

them under any conditions, but certainly if 

you’re hoping to do a little ‘out of the bay’ 

exploring with your kayak, you’ll want to 

get a boat that won’t sink underneath you 

if it gets choppy. Some require airbags to 

be seaworthy, but the bags are offered as 

options. So be sure to discuss seaworthiness 

with your kayak dealer. 

On a related note, if you’re going to 

venture out of the bays you’ll want to learn 

some skills as well. Good sea kayaks can be 

very seaworthy, but only if they’re properly 

equipped and skillfully paddled. If you find 

yourself yearning to explore farther, look 

into lessons. 

GOODBYE DINGHY 

On a smaller boat, you might be able to 

replace your dinghy entirely with a kayak 

or two. I use a small but wide kayak on my 

8 meter sailboat—I’ve never even owned a 

dinghy. Getting to shore with two people is 

tricky but do-able, one of the reasons I try 

to sail with petite women. Other boaters 

bring along two small kayaks to replace 

their dinghy. Of course, larger boats have 

room for both. 

If you’re considering buying one, this 

month’s checklist will give you a dozen 

things to try with your mothership kayak. 

If you’ve got one already, make sure you’ve 

gone through the list! The first five are skills 

that will let you know you’ve got the right 

kayak for the job. The last seven will give 

you a taste of how great it is to have a kayak 

along with you. 

(turn page for Checklist) 

© Bryan Nichols is a biologist 

who sails and paddles around 

the BC coast in summer and 

spends winters in Florida. 


17

12 THINGS TO TRY WITH YOUR MOTHERSHIP KAYAK 

THE ESSENTIALS 

1. Start on shore—or the floor 

Is it easy to get in and out? Now go to the beach for a tryout. How 

stable does it feel when you enter in knee deep water? Compare 

it to another kayak. Paddle over to a floating dock. That’s more 

challenging still—you may need the help of a ladder to get out. 

All these ins and outs are a great way to test the 

stability and cockpit size of a variety of kayaks. 

2. Store it on deck 

Or on top of your wheelhouse. Or alongside the 

rails. Find somewhere it’s least in the way but 

still reasonably accessible. Make sure the kayak 

you want will fit the boat you have—it’ll seem 

a lot bigger when you try to squeeze it between 

stuff on deck. 

3. Into the water—back on the boat 

Now it’s on your boat, take it off. Can you 

launch over the side? Do you need to wrestle 

it to the stern? Always launch with a bow line 

firmly in hand so it doesn’t get away—then you 

can probably walk it around to the swim grid or 

ladder. Haul it aboard. Does your back protest? 

Does it crash against precious trim? There are 

ways to make the process easier, including simple 

practice, but now’s when you might find you’d 

prefer a smaller, lighter kayak. 

4. Climb in and out 

How easy this is depends on your kayak, your 

balance and your big boat. Low swim grids and 

ladders make it a snap—high freeboard sailboats 

can be decidedly more interesting. With care I 

can stand in my little kayak, so getting in and out 

isn’t too difficult, if I’m wide awake and sober. 

I wear a PFD every time and tie the kayak to 

the boat before I step in or out—having it shoot 

away from underneath me would be chilly, 

embarrassing and potentially expensive. 

5. Use it to ‘stern tie’ 

Once you think you’re good, you might even 

find yourself using the kayak to stern tie. As you 

approach, ready the lines and the kayak on deck, 

then drop the anchor and idle back in reverse. 

When you pull tight, launch the kayak with the 

boat still in reverse, paddle smoothly to shore 

with your line paying out of a bag in your lap, 

hop out onto the rocks or beach, tie off and return. 

How ‘bout that? You and your pair of vessels are 

all working together smoothly. 

THE FUN PART 

1. Socialize 

Dinghies are utilitarian to most boaters—they don’t inspire much 

conversation. But kayaks come in so many makes, models and 

colors, you might find yourself wandering through anchorages, 

chatting with other boaters about the pros and cons of paddling 

your particular little boat. 

2. Scout an anchorage 

Ever wonder about that bay around the corner from your familiar 

anchorage? The one that looked too rocky or narrow to check out 

with your big boat? Well, kayaks are perfect for scouting those 

anchorages. Go in at low tide and you’ll likely see every rock your 

big boat needs to avoid. If the weather’s right and 

you have amenable crew, you can even do a “wet 

launch” of your kayak to scout an anchorage, 

having someone else hold off in the mothership 

until you’ve sussed out the area. 

3. Gather oysters 

If you time the tides right, oysters will be right 

beside you in a kayak—what could be easier? 

With a valid license and awareness of ‘red tide’, 

you can paddle to rocky islands in cleaner 

water outside of the anchorage and nab some 

appetizers. 

4. Take photographs 

If you’re not used to the low perspective a kayak 

affords, you’ll be surprised by the photos you 

take from your kayak. The scenery, including 

your own boat, will look bigger. The wildlife 

will let you get a bit closer, and all that colorful 

intertidal life will be right below. 

5. Explore a lagoon 

Lagoons can be fascinating—small bays mostly 

cut off by narrow rock entrances or shallow bars. 

Often the tides make for small (or large) rapids 

going in and out. Either way, you don’t see big 

boats in them. Naturally you’ll want to explore 

those lagoons in your kayak—many open up to 

become surprisingly large, with beautiful steep 

walls and few signs of people. They’re perfect 

for exploring with a kayak, as long as you know 

what the tides are doing. 

6. Explore an estuary 

With a careful look at a tide chart, those shallow, 

muddy estuaries can become new territory to 

explore as well. Ride in with a rising tide and 

you’ll find abundant wildlife—salmon, bears, 

birds—estuaries are remarkably productive. Also 

meandering channels and often rotting bits of 

history. Be sure to drift back out before the tide 

falls and leaves you stranded on a mud bank. 

7. Circumnavigate an island 

A favorite habit of mine, while the sailboat 

is at anchor, is to paddle out of the bay and 

circumnavigate an island or two. It’s a great way 

to explore the coast and see wildlife, and if you’re like me you’ll 

also appreciate getting away from noisy anchorages—it’s great to 

be out on the water in such a quiet, simple boat. ❏ 

© 2004. Text and photos by Bryan Nichols. No reproduction without permission. 


KAYAKS SAVE THE DAY 

The last time Laurie and I were out paddling, we encountered divers stranded by a heavy current flow near 

Gabriola Pass. We towed one of them back to the boat and he was then able to pick up the others. —Alan Wilson 

Photo by Alan Wilson 

WELCOME TO 

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est.1985 

GALIANO 

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• Challenging Current Paddles 

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• Available all year 

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Weekly, Dec–April, Since 1988 

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For more information please contact the Alert Bay InfoCentre 

Bag Service 2800 Alert Bay, BC V0N 1A0 

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Rentals—all year! 

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250-539-2442 

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kayak@gulfislands.com 


19

Searching for My Mother 

am searching for my mother. I know she’s 

I out there somewhere, anxiously awaiting 

my arrival, ready to embrace me and carry 

me and my friends and our kayaks to 

fabulous adventures in faraway places. 

I blame it all on Barb and Keith Roswell. 

Before I met them, I was a perfectly content 

kayaker, spending my spare time exploring 

the wondrous wilderness of the Queen 

Charlotte Islands/Haida Gwaii. Life can 

get hectic sometimes, even up here, so 

escaping to a secluded bay to soak up 

nature’s splendor is a must. But because our 

trips generally last only a few days, we’re 

limited by the distances we can cover. This 

leaves tantalizing areas of Haida Gwaii 

open for exploration. Maybe next year. Or 

the year after. 

Then Barb and Keith invited me aboard 

the Anvil Cove, a 53-foot schooner, for a 

mothership kayaking trip exploring Gwaii 

Haanas National Park Reserve. It was 

beautiful. It was glorious. It was heaven. 

Sumptuous meals three times a day. Warm 

showers. Warm beds. Dry sheets. All the 

while motoring to places I had barely 

dared to dream of reaching by kayak. This 

was living! 

On the last evening of our trip, just south 

of Tanu, we put the kayaks in the water for 

one final paddle. We glided on water as 

flat as glass, surrounded by seals, watching 

little crabs negotiate their way through the 

kelp forest below and a whale breaching on 

the horizon. With the Anvil Cove anchored 

in the distance and the sumptuous smell 

of seafood chowder wafting towards us, I 

knew I wanted a mothership. 

Now I like to think I know a fair bit about 

kayaks, having built a couple of them, but 

I knew precious little about motorboats. 

How tough could it be? All I needed was 

something simple, a basic shell, a tent on 

the water—a dry place to come home to 

after a long day of kayaking. 

But then I started to get greedy. Sure a dry 

Story and cartoons by Berry Wijdeven 

space is nice, but so is a stove, a heater, a 

fridge, toilet, shower, comfortable seating. 

And with a little luck, and a bit of money, 

I could have it all. All I had to do was find 

my boat. 

Buying a kayak is relatively easy. You 

assess your needs, find a design that pleases 

the eye, a model that pleases the pocketbook 

and you’re good to go. Motorboats are a 

different kettle of fish. There are so many 

choices. Different materials. Different 

designs. Steel, aluminium, fiberglass, 

cement, wood. Sailboats, schooners, fishing 

boats, cruisers. This called for some serious 

research, but that’s what winters are for. 

After months of research and endless 

conversations with boat owners more than 

willing to recount every intricate detail of 

the ups and downs of boat ownership, I 

settled on wooden fishing boats. I liked 

trollers because they were sturdy, were 

pretty to look at, had plenty of head and 

elbow room, and generally made it easy 

to accommodate a kayak or two. I also 

wanted a wooden boat because just about 

everybody told me not to. Going against 

the grain has become a bit of a specialty, 

ever since discovering that, in spite of what 

colleagues, friends and family told me, 

there was more to life than a well-paid 

government job I couldn’t stand. So wood 

it would be. 

I also liked wooden boats because they 

were often a lot cheaper. Initially. Which 

brings me to the next difference between 


kayaks and boats. When you buy a kayak, 

you’ve paid the one major expense you’re 

likely going to have. Sure there are paddles 

and a spray skirt, a flotation device and 

kayak pump, but those are minor, really. 

Maintenance is minimal, with the odd 

spit and polish and a new bungee cord 

or two. 

When you buy a motorboat, however, the 

purchase of the vessel is just the beginning 

of your financial journey. Work on such 

a boat is never really done. There’s the 

engine, transmission, prop, cables, hoses, 

wiring, electrical parts, fuel lines, water 

tanks (‘Bring Out Another Thousand’ spells 

‘boat’). Compared to a kayak, a boat is a 

mechanical Pandora’s box. 

Wooden boats especially need constant 

upkeep to remain ship shape, including 

caulking, scraping, planking, painting, 

varnishing, zincing and anti-fouling. Which 

in turn likely explains the lower initial 

purchase price. 

Undeterred, I started searching for 

my mothership. First I checked locally, 

but whatever was available was often 

better suited for use as a planter than as 

transportation. So I started surfing the net, 

buying boating magazines and after a 

couple of weeks I located sufficient boats 

of interest to warrant a plane trip to the 

Mainland. 

It was an eye opener. Boats that looked 

great on the internet suddenly developed 

major paint problems or massive rot. Others 

were just too small, too old, too expensive 

or just not right. I had to learn how to look 

at boats. At first I would judge them by 

whether they were pretty and whether there 

was sufficient room to stow the kayaks. But 

I got better and started to learn what to look 

for, what key areas to examine. Started to 

find the defects. Started to discover that 

many vessels had ‘issues’. 

At the end of two long, tiring days, we 

managed to find a boat to our liking, a 35 

foot prawn boat, newly separated from 

its license. It needed some work, but the 

basics were there. Nice lines. A spacious 

wheelhouse. Lots of electronic gadgets. A 

newish engine. It even had a shower. And 

the price was right. We put an offer on the 

vessel, pending a survey. Then we flew 

home, eager to show our friends pictures of 

the new boat and start planning trips. 

The survey wasn’t pretty. Planking 

problems, caulking concerns, a worn out 

cutlass bearing, oil in the bilge, wonky 

rudder, questionable wiring. It could all be 

fixed, of course. But at a substantial price. 

We walked away. 

www.harbourlynx.com 

I’ve learned a lot so far and for not even 

all that much money. The main lesson 

has been that you can’t rush into buying 

a boat. I had been pushing hard, hoping 

to be sailing Gwaii Haanas this summer. 

That wasn’t very realistic. It’s going to take 

time finding the boat that fits my needs and 

budget, doing the research, keeping my 

eyes open. I also learned that surveys can 

be worth every penny, especially if you’re 

not that familiar with boats. And I learned 

that motorboats are a lot more complicated 

than I thought. 

My mothership is out there and I’ll find 

her, one day. Meanwhile, spending time 

around motorboats has given me a new 

appreciation for kayaking. An appreciation 

for the quiet. The peacefulness. For the 

closeness to sea and shore life. For the utter 

simplicity of it all. 

Kayaking remains a cathartic activity 

which I treasure every opportunity I get. 

With or without my mother. ❏ 

© Berry Wijdeven is one of WaveLength’s 

regular cartoonists and lives in Haida Gwaii. 

Easy access to 

Vancouver Island 

TOLL FREE: 1-866-206-LYNX (5969) 


21

Choosing your Mothership 

One thing leads to another. You’ve been enjoying paddling 

but keep regretting the limited range available in a day trip. 

Camping by kayak seems like too much work with all the extra 

gear to lug. Those boats that pass with kayaks on board look more 

appealing with each trip. 

So you’ve decided to take the plunge and become the owner of 

a boat big enough to carry your kayak and be your home base in a 

wider range of exploration. Congratulations! May you enjoy your 

voyages. In the meantime, here are some suggestions for keeping 

your bigger boat voyages lower in impact. 

SUNSHINE KAYAKING 

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Molly’s Lane, Gibsons, BC Call us at 604-886-9760 

www.sunshinekayaking.com 

Sarah Verstegen 

PROPULSION 

Before going into the choices of engines and their impact, take 

some time to decide whether a sailboat or powerboat makes better 

sense. One friend who lived on her sloop for years found herself 

cruising by auxiliary motor after a few years rather than raising sails 

very often. So before automatically deciding that you would like to 

keep your impact lower by buying a sailboat, take an honest look at 

your needs. If you love to sail and are as happy sailing as kayaking, 

it makes sense to have a sailboat. But if you end up using an old 

two stroke outboard engine instead of your sails to push your heavy, 

keeled boat most of the time, the environment would be better off 

if you had chosen a well tuned, maintained powerboat. 

What engines are lower impact? There are a variety of choices. 

In general, diesel engines powering either a stern drive (inboard/ 

outboard) or propeller (inboard) are more fuel efficient than their 

gasoline counterparts. If you intend to have your boat for many 

years, bio-diesel fuel may become more available for marine use. 

Bio-diesel fuel comes from vegetable oil rather than fossil fuels. You 

still put carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, but the carbon comes 

from recently harvested plants rather the ancient form released 

when fossil fuels are burned. That means you are not tipping the 

balance on the proportion of carbon dioxide in the air by flooding 

the current atmosphere with ancient carbon. 

If you end up with an outboard motor, avoid older two stroke 

engines. These require the motor lubricating oil to be mixed with 

the gas. That means that the exhaust puts the left-over oil straight 

into the water. In fact, the exhaust may be as much as 25% of the 

fuel/oil mixture! 


Many outboards use fuel tanks filled to 23 liters. Imagine five 

one-liter containers of gas and oil deposited in the water with each 

23 liter tank of fuel burned. Then, decommission that engine and 

replace it with a four stroke motor or an oil-injected two stroke. The 

California Air Resources Board (CARB) has created a rating system 

regarding engine emissions from one to four stars. One star engines 

have 75% lower emissions than conventional two stroke engines. 

Four star engines have 90% lower emissions than one star engines, 

and you can find them on inboards and stern drives as well. 

Regardless of which sort of motor you run, be sure that it’s 

properly maintained. The more fuel consumed, the more exhaust 

goes into the water or air. And keep oil absorbing pads handy. 

Most bilge pumps turn on automatically. An oil absorbing pad 

kept in the bilge will absorb the oil and fuel that settles there. This 

way, when the pump turns on, the water goes overboard while 

the hydrocarbons stay in the pad. Pads are handy for wiping up 

hydrocarbon spills before they settle in the bilge too, so keep them 

ready whenever you fill your fuel tanks. 

BASE CAMP 

Having the comforts of home without having to camp may be 

what enticed you into having a mothership. Your on-board toilet 

(‘head’) is one of those comforts, but it you’re visiting sensitive spots, 

those ‘direct deposits’ have direct impacts. 

You will eventually need either a holding tank or a treatment 

system called a marine sanitation device (MSD) on board. Holding 

tanks or MSDs are required in US waters. An increasing number 

of areas in the US are designated ‘No Discharge Zones’ where 

you can’t pump even treated sewage overboard. Laws in Canada 

are changing to require holding tanks here in a few years as well. 

Meanwhile, if the boat has a head that discharges straight overboard, 

use a portable toilet in lieu of that sort of loo when you’re in low 

current areas, shallow areas or most marinas. Holding tanks and 

portable toilets should be pumped out at a pump-out station. If 

you’re too far from a station, they should be discharged into a heavy 

current area. Before you pump overboard into a sweet little cove 

thinking it won’t matter since you’re the only one there, remember 

that yours is not the first or last vessel to visit. Anybody who swims 

or eats shellfish is trusting other boaters to be responsible regarding 

sewage discharge. 

The grey water that comes out of your galley and shower can also 

be a problem depending on what you add to it. Pay attention to the 

soaps and cleansers you use. Fresh water fish die in chlorinated 

tap water. Chlorine hurts salt water species too and is found in 

many cleaning products, in even greater concentrations than in 

chlorinated tap water. Marine life is sensitive to many compounds 

that we routinely use such as dish soap and laundry detergent. 

Avoid use of any products containing chlorine or phosphates and ➝ 

One kit, 60 hours, 

a lifetime of 

ADVENTURE 

Sea Wolf Wooden Kayak Kits are for the 

discriminating paddler who prefers the 

beauty, light weight and efficiency of a 

wooden kayak. 

• Kits include only the highest 

quality materials. 

• Easily built by anyone with 

limited woodworking 

experience. 

• These kayaks will 

last a lifetime 

and beyond. 

You can 

proudly say 

“I built it 

myself” 

ROY FOLLAND WOODEN KAYAKS 

130 Como Gardens, Hudson, 

Quebec, J0P 1H0 

(450) 458-0152 

Email: kayak@royfolland.com 

www.royfolland.com 


23

Kayak/Canoe Loader 

LEADERSHIP COURSES 

in Tofino, BC 

with Dan Lewis & Bonny Glambeck 

of Rainforest Kayak Adventures 

Assistant Guides Course–2004 

September 4-12 

Contact us for our Day Guide 

Course schedule 

Plan ahead! 

Call toll-free 1-877-422-WILD 

www.rainforestkayak.com 

• Electric Winch does all the work 

so there’s no manual lifting 

• Single or double loader available 

• Lightweight aluminum 

• Easy to remove for storage 

• Works for other loading tasks 

• Designed for high vehicles 

but works on any vehicle 

• See other options on-line 

Call 250-769-6887 

www.loadmyboat.com 

sales@loadmyboat.com 

substitute lemon juice, vinegar, salt or baking soda. Even with a 

no-phosphate dish soap, keep your use to a minimum, because the 

surfactants that create suds cause damage to the gills of fish. 

GARBAGE SERVICE 

This is where a backpacker or paddler can carry over their waste 

ethic to the mothership. If you bring it in, expect to bring it back 

out. If it came out of the sea, you can return the remnants to the 

sea. Otherwise, it should go back to shore for proper recycling, 

composting or disposal. Since you’ll probably travel further and 

longer in your mothership than in your kayak, you’ll accumulate 

more garbage and recyclables. Fortunately, you’ll also have more 

room to carry them home with you—many remote communities 

are unable to take boaters’ trash. Rinse, compact and bag what you 

can. Set aside a place in your lazarette or a locker to store it until 

you return to ‘civilization’. 

That should get you started. There is much more to learn as you 

go, like what to do about bottom paint. Our Guide to Green Boating 

provides much more information for reducing your impact on the 

water. You can get a hard copy to keep on board so you can look 

up the closest pump-out station location or what to use to clean 

your chrome. You can also find the Guide on the web at www. 

georgiastrait.org. Meanwhile, bon voyage and may your wake be 

green. ❏ 

© Sarah Verstegen is the Georgia Strait Alliance’s Green Boating 

Coordinator. She can be reached at sarah@georgiastrait.org. 

` 

For GSA’s Guide to Green Boating, 

click on the link at www.georgiastrait.org. 

BAMFIELD SEA KAYAK FESTIVAL 

September 24-26 

Join us in picturesque Bamfield for 

our 6th Annual Sea Kayak Festival 

on September 24-26. Events for all 

ages of competitive and recreational 

paddlers: 5 to 10 k races, Kids’ races, 

Scavenger Race, Dance, BBQ, 

Pancake Breakfast, T-shirts, Kayak 

Raffle. More than $5,000 in cash 

and other prizes. 

For more information or a registration package call 

Sheryl Mass 250-728-3500 or email: broken@island.net 

or write Box 3500, Bamfield, BC V0R 1B0 


Mothership Meandering 

Separation Anxiety 

Queen Charlotte Strait is the name of 

the body of water where Vancouver 

Island diverges from the Mainland of British 

Columbia just north of Johnstone Strait. 

This is not to be confused with the strait 

bounding the Queen 

Charlotte Islands 

well to the north of 

here—Hecate Strait, 

aptly named after the 

Greek goddess of the 

underworld. 

W h i l e Q u e e n 

Charlotte Strait can 

also be a hellion at 

times, in calmer conditions you can safely 

enjoy the many weather-beaten islets 

fringing its eastern side. 

I remember one trip, blessed with early 

calm, as we explored this fringe of islets: 

me standing on top of the wheelhouse 

watching for rocks and scanning for future 

paddling spots; Laurie below, steering while 

delighting in the many scoters and auklets 

we were passing. 

As that morning wound on, however, the 

wind started to blow up to the point that 

we finally abandoned our northwesterly 

progress and ducked into Wells Passage 

where we were protected from the now 

rough waters of Queen Charlotte Strait. 

Wells Passage is an entryway to a veritable 

maze of inner waterways—Grappler Sound, 

Kenneth Passage, Mackenzie Sound, Nepah 

Lagoon... 

Early morning is a magical 

time for paddling. It’s usually 

still and you feel wonderfully 

at peace as your bow slips 

through the mirroring waters, 

the shore’s reflections 

multiplying in your wake. 

With so many protected bays and 

lagoons in which to anchor, where should 

we go? Scanning our guidebooks, we 

noticed that nearby Drury Inlet had a 

cluster of rocks and islets at its head, exactly 

the sort of formation 

in which we love to 

paddle. There was also 

an interesting looking 

offshoot into Actaeon 

Sound leading to an 

inner lagoon—lots to 

explore by kayak! 

Since our tide and 

current tables showed 

that slack water was just ending at the entry 

to Drury, we decided to go for it. 

With the help of our guidebook, we 

navigated past the hazards at the narrowest 

part of Stuart Narrows and proceeded west 

up the Inlet, finding it to be a considerable 

body of water. The low surrounding land 

was forested with second growth timber 

as it had obviously been heavily logged 

over the years, and some recent logging 

scars caught the eye. Perhaps this feature, 

and the fact there are so many other 

good anchorages nearby, kept Drury from 

becoming popular with boaters—certainly 

we saw few boats here. 

Reaching the Muirhead Islands near the 

head of the Inlet, we found a small notch 

where we dropped anchor. I launched the 

kayaks off the side as Laurie readied our 

paddles and gear. ➝ 

Story and photo 

by Alan Wilson 

New • Demos • Rentals 

Seaward Kayaks 

Wilderness Systems 

Nova Craft Canoes 

Ocean Kayaks 

Tents & Gear 

Seasonal Warehouse 

Call 604 715-7174 


25

Vancouver 

Island 

Muirhead Islands 

Queen Charlotte 

Strait 

Actaeon Sound 

Stuart Narrows 

Drury Inlet 

Wells Passage 

Not to be used for navigation. 

Nepah Lagoon 

Mackenzie Sound 

Broughton Island 

We had a gorgeous paddle in the lagoonlike 

hidden channels among the evergreen 

encrusted rocky islets, tree limbs draped in 

lichens and shores thick with moss, before 

returning to the boat for dinner. 

We passed a quiet night at anchor. In 

the night, the weather turned and morning 

dawned gray and misty. As usual, I rose 

early and quietly launched for a paddle 

on my own while Laurie rolled over to 

steal some further winks, tucked into our 

snug bunk. 

Early morning is a magical time for 

paddling. It’s usually still and you feel 

wonderfully at peace as your bow slips 

through the mirroring waters, the shore’s 

reflections multiplying in your wake. 

I decided to reconnoitre nearby Actress 

Passage which leads into Actaeon Sound. 

As I approached, I could see kelp fronds 

around me in the water bending in the 

flow and I stopped paddling to get a feel 

for the current. 

I hadn’t checked the current tables before 

setting out, but thinking back to the times 

for Stuart Narrows the day before and 

working forward, I realized it must now be 

close to peak current. 

As I neared the mouth of the Passage, 

near Dove Island, I could feel it starting to 

grab the bow of my kayak. Ahead I could 

see the main tidal stream clearly turbulent, 

with whirlpools forming. 


The current began to drag me in and as I 

tried to turn, the flow streamed against the 

nose of my boat, momentarily destabilizing 

me. 

Panic flared and I braced, slewing about 

in the flow. Straightening out, I paddled 

as hard as I could, straining against the 

waters which were sucking me back into 

the narrows. 

I could barely hold my own against the 

dragging force and my arms began to burn. 

But finally I managed to break free and pull 

into calmer waters where I paused to catch 

my breath. 

That was a close one. If I had been pulled 

right into the Passage, it would have been a 

struggle to keep afloat in all the turbulence. 

I shuddered at the thought of cold, swirling 

waters closing over me. 

Whether I had capsized or not, I certainly 

would have been sucked through into the 

inner Sound and stuck there for hours, 

waiting for the tide to turn. 

Laurie would have woken up to find 

me gone. Since I had no VHF radio to 

communicate with the her and we had done 

no pre-planning for such an eventuality, she 

would have become concerned. What 

could she do... go off in her kayak to find 

me? Call Coast Guard? 

With that thought, I promised myself to 

work out some protocols with her and look 

into getting a waterproof, handheld VHF. 

A calm paddle in the Muirheads Islands was a sharp contrast to the racing 

current in nearby Actress Passage. 

As I now caught sight of our boat resting 

at anchor by the Muirheads, calm as can 

be, I felt a surge of appreciation. 

Or was it something else? All that 

adrenaline had left me with a bit of an 

appetite. Time for breakfast. ❏ 

Check out Peter Vassilopoulos’ book, ‘North 

of Desolation Sound’, for more on Drury Inlet 

(see page 46). 

© Alan Wilson 


27

Water Taxi Transport 

M 

any paddlers are learning that being 

transported by water taxi at the start 

or end of a paddling journey allows more 

area to be covered. No wonder that each 

year sees this form of transport becoming 

more popular with paddlers on the BC 

coast. 

When using a water taxi, it’s to your 

benefit to know a little about how they 

operate. First, the captains are usually 

running on a tight schedule, so being on 

time is very important. It’s wise to arrive 

at your pick up location a couple of hours 

prior to pick up time. This allows for kayaks 

and gear to be prepared for loading. Kayaks 

should be empty. Gear should be in drybags 

and piled close to the pick up spot. 

The captain will help with loading and 

offloading, and he usually has good advice 

on safe, quick loading procedures. Don’t 

hesitate to tell him what cargo is fragile and 

needs extra care, or what needs to be with 

you in the cabin. You don’t want to hear 

the bottle you are bringing for that special 

moment make a sickening, cracking noise 

during loading. It’s also best to keep each 

bag below 50 pounds for easy loading. 

Some vessels have tight cargo spaces so 

smaller is better. 

For your safety on these fast boats, 

it’s advisable that you stay in your seat 

while in transit. Most vessels have high 

speed drive systems and the captains will 

avoid debris on the water by making quick 

turns and sudden stops. On landings at a 

dock or beach, the captain has to secure 

the boat for loading, so stay in your seat to 

give him a clear path to conduct his duties 

efficiently. 

When a water taxi is coming to pick 

you up from a shore landing, it never 

hurts to help ease it onto the beach gently. 

Remember, the captain cares more about 

Tom Sewid 

his boat than his wife, and helping to make 

that gentle landing is sure to put a smile on 

his face. In return, he’ll treat your kayak like 

an egg, no matter what it’s made of. 

Every transport operation is different 

and communication is the key. Try to ask 

questions about what to expect before 

your trip begins. Remember, water taxi 

captains are eager to please and share 

their knowledge. Take the time to talk to 

them and you will find that they’re very 

knowledgeable about their areas. But don’t 

be offended if they don’t make eye contact 

when talking with you in transit—they’re 

concentrating on what lies ahead to ensure 

a safe trip for their clients. ❏ 

© Captain Tom Sewid lives in Sayward 

on Vancouver Island, BC and runs 

Village Island Tours and Water Taxi. 

www.villageisland.com 

1-877-282-8294. 


From the Rainforest 

Heading for the Horizon 

Water bottle—check. Snack bar— 

check. Extra sweater, gloves, 

toque—check. Duct tape—check. Dressed 

for immersion—check. One hour after 

maximum ebb. Time for my annual spring 

expedition to intercept the north-bound 

Gray Whales. 

Riding the tidal flush out to sea. Coming 

around Stubbs Island, picking up the tail 

end of the ebb in Father Charles Channel. 

Winds are light westerly, not a cloud in 

the sky. First warm days of spring—nothing 

better. Hope I see some whales… 

Starting to pick up some swell. The 

horizon obscures occasionally—seas 

must be a meter or more. Flushing past 

Wickaninnish Island. Last chance to pull 

ashore passing by. Shouldn’t have had that 

second cup of coffee—too late now. 

Taking my time. Remembering: enjoy 

the journey, not the destination. Suddenly, 

McKay Reef. The final thin line of rocks 

extending from Lennard Island all the way 

up to Sea Otter Rock. Call home to do a 

radio check. No answer—Bonny must be 

in the garden, soaking up some rays. 

Time to head offshore. But first, must 

relieve my bladder. A delicate operation 

at sea in the best of conditions. Not made 

easier by the fact I’m alone. Or the five 

foot seas. Thank goodness I don’t paddle a 

skinny boat… 

Winds are light westerly, not a cloud 

in the sky. First warm days 

of spring—nothing better. 

Hope I see some whales… 

A simple hiker’s compass laid on my 

spraydeck. Turning the boat around, take a 

bearing on Lone Cone Mountain (Wah Nah 

Juus) on Meares Island. Now I can use the 

back bearing. The plan is to shoot 3 miles 

straight out to sea. Start the timer on my 

watch—this should take about an hour if 

I keep moving. 

Settling into a steady rhythm. This feels 

great, if slightly crazy. I can hear the whalewatchers 

chattering away on Channel 18. 

Sounds like the whales are about 3 miles 

north of where I’m headed. Don’t have the 

luxury of changing course and motoring 

over. But there are bound to be more whales 

coming—twenty thousand in total, and this 

Dan Lewis 

is the peak of their migration. I turn the 

radio off and keep paddling. 

Believe. Tune in to the energy of these 

remarkable creatures who annually 

make the longest migratory swim of any 

mammal—a 12,000 mile round trip. 

Passing right by my home, just offshore. 

Try to feel the whale energy, tune in to 

their presence. 

Faint whiffs of rancid fish-breath in the 

air. Whales must be close. Hard to see 

them from my low vantage point, especially 

with these five foot waves. Suddenly, that 

familiar sound of a whale spouting, the 

giant hollow sound as her lungs refill before 

diving. Must be close. Watching, waiting. 

There! Right there, not 100 feet away. A few 

more spouts and she is gone. 

It’s getting late. I’m a couple of miles 

offshore, heading for the horizon, and I feel 

great! Paddling on like there’s no tomorrow, 

as if the harsh realities of darkness on the 

open coast don’t matter. Nothing matters 

now, except paddling on towards the 

horizon and watching for whales. 

A couple of working skiffs pass by, 

heading down the coast. Packing it in for ➝ 


29

the day. This could be a sign. Time to hang out for a while, enjoy 

the panorama, listen, and wait for a few more whales. I can see the 

west coast of Vancouver Island spread out, all the way from Nootka 

Island to Bamfield. So many memories of paddling all these places, 

and all the companions from around the world on various trips. 

Another spout brings me out of my reverie. Two more whales, 

close by. A whale blows as I crest a wave—I see the glistening 

arched back, the blowhole, the heart-shaped mist swept away by 

the breeze. 

Time to go home now. 

Suddenly, the islands look farther away and I feel very small. 

Tired. I knew all along that getting back would be the hard part. 

No worries. Focus on paddling. McKay Reef looks to be about three 

miles away. Should be able to make it in an hour, get there right 

after sunset. I know I can do it. 

An hour and a half later. That felt like an eternity. Sure was nice to 

stop and watch the sun sink into the open Pacific, again and again 

as the swells rolled under me. By now the flood will have picked 

up, so I’ll get a nice ride back. Sure could use a stretch, see if my 

legs still work! I pull up on the first white shell beach, eat the last 

of my snack bar, drink the last of my water. 

The full moon is rising over Mount Colnett (Hilth-Hoo-Iss) on 

Meares Island. Moonlight sparkling on the light chop, residue of 

the day’s breeze. Calm now. Heavenly. And the tide is working its 

magic in reverse, drawing me inexorably back to where I came 

from. Now I can see our cabin’s solar-powered lights, a gift from 

the sun. Staggering up the beach, dragging my butt up the steps. 

Opening the door to the warmth of the woodstove and the aroma 

of cooking. Glad to be home. ❏ 

© Dan Lewis and Bonny Glambeck operate 

Rainforest Kayak Adventures in Clayoquot Sound. 

1-877-422-WILD, mail@rainforestkayak.com, 

www.rainforestkayak.com. 

Mark Hobson photo 

www.automarine.ca 

info@automarine.ca 

Average time of assembly 


Exploring Rivers Inlet 

For many people up and down the Pacific 

Northwest Coast, ‘Rivers Inlet’ means 

salmon. This area is legendary for its fishing, 

having attracted people for thousands of 

years. History, culture and traditions have 

revolved around fishing, and the salmon 

have been responsible for much of the 

economic development of BC. 

Archaeological discoveries have provided 

physical evidence that the Oweekeno 

people have inhabited the midcoast of 

BC for 10,000 years. Traveling through 

their traditional territory, you feel almost 

transformed, as if you’re paddling back into 

time, surrounded by history—petroglyphs 

and pictographs, mounded shell middens 

and fish cannery ruins. Rivers Inlet is an 

explorer’s paradise of remote, secluded 

inlets, narrow passageways, channels, 

rivers and estuaries teeming with wildlife 

and sea creatures. This is where history, 

salmon, grizzlies, humans and kayakers 

come together. 

Getting to Rivers Inlet by boat from Port 

Hardy on Vancouver Island means crossing 

the unprotected waters of Queen Charlotte 

Sound—a challenging adventure for boaters. 

This body of water is not recommended for 

kayakers without experienced guides. It’s 

wiser to take BC Ferries or hook up with a 

water taxi charter. 

During the summer months, BC Ferries 

provides service to the Central Coast from 

Port Hardy and Bella Coola. Cruising north 

from Port Hardy, the crew of the Queen of 

Chilliwack will ‘wet launch’ you and your 

loaded kayak in the entrance to Fitz Hugh 

Sound in Darby Channel (referred to as 

Schooner Channel by locals). They’ll drop 

you behind Penrose Island, on its protected 

north side, next to Finn Bay. This archipelago 

is in the 200-hectare Penrose Marine 

Park, an area used by explorers for many ➝ 

Great paddling can be found on BC’s Central Coast. 

Story and photos by Gordon Baron 

North Island Kayak Rentals & Tours 

Two Locations: 

Telegraph Cove and the 

Port Hardy Adventure Center 

1-6 day Guided Trips & Rentals 

Toll Free 877-949-7707 

nikayak@island.net 

www.KayakBC.ca 


31

years, as the names indicate—Schooner 

Retreat, Safe Entrance, Fury Cove, Secure 

Anchorage, etc. 

Forty-eight kilometers in length, Rivers 

Inlet’s narrow fjord slices through the jagged 

edge of the Coast Mountain Range which rises 

more than a vertical mile from the turquoise 

glaciated water below, piercing through the 

clouds, exposing the glacier-scoured mountain 

peaks from the Pleistocene Ice Age. 

From wide open bays with big swells 

and long distance crossings, to sheltered 

channels and passageways between islands, 

this is a place where both experienced 

and novice paddlers can have unique 

adventures. 

FIRST PEOPLES 

For many years, First Nations’ villages 

dotted the inlets, bays, rivers, lakes and 

streams of BC’s Central Coast. The First 

Nations village economy was based 

on fishing, hunting and gathering. The 

traditional diet of Rivers Inlet’s Oweekeno 

people was primarily seafood—cod, 

halibut, eulachon, salmon and shellfish— 

although they also hunted for mountain 

goat, bear and deer, and gathered berries, 

plants and roots both for nourishment 

and healing purposes. This smorgasbord 

of natural resources, combined with the 

temperate climate, helped them to develop 

a rich and complex culture. 

Penrose Island 

BC 

Not to be used for navigation. 

Dawsons Landing • 

Finn Bay 

Rivers Inlet 

Darby Channel 

• Duncanby Landing 

The village of Oweekeno is located three 

kilometers up the Wannock River which 

separates Rivers Inlet from Owikeno Lake. 

The Oweekeno Nation now has some 

250 members, with only seventy living on 

the reserve due to the remoteness, lack of 

medical care, and the fact that there is no 

high school for teenagers. 

Traditionally, Western red cedar was 

used by the Oweekeno people to carve 

ocean going canoes and totem poles, and 


The restored Good Hope Cannery, 

the oldest building in Rivers Inlet. 

to construct boardwalks and longhouses. 

Even the bark was used for clothing, baskets 

and hats. Raw materials that were abundant 

in one community and scarce in another 

provided items for barter, and trade routes 

were established between coastal nations 

and interior communities. The village of 

Oweekeno had trade routes which led 

south to Smith, Kingcome and Knight Inlets, 

and north to Bella Coola and Kimquit. 

These trails were used for many generations 

before contact with European explorers in 

the late eighteenth century. 

A Hudson Bay fur trading post was 

established in 1833 at Fort McLoughin 

on Campbell Island, north of Rivers Inlet. 

This had little effect on the economy at 

Oweekeno. It took another fifty years 

before Rivers Inlet was introduced to the 

commercial workforce of the industrial 

revolution. 

CANNERY LIFE 

In the spring of 1882, the steamer Barbara 

Boscourtz transported Robert Draney and 

crew to Sholtbolt Bay in Rivers Inlet, to start 

construction of a cannery on the site they 

had surveyed the year before. As the story 

goes, by the time the steamship arrived at 

its destination it was dark and snowing. The 

captain unloaded the crew and supplies 

then steamed away. It wasn’t until the next 

day that Robert Draney realized that the 

captain had overshot the drop-off by four 

kilometers, ending up at the head of Rivers ➝ 

Salt Spring Island’s Outdoor 

Adventure, Gear & Clothing Co. 

•Kayak Tours, Lessons & Rentals 

•Gulf Island Expeditions 

•B&B/Cottage Getaways 

•Wilderness Youth Camps 

•Programs for Schools & Groups 

•A unique, Eclectic Island Store 

offering excellent clothing & gear 

for your outdoor adventures 

163 Fulford Ganges Rd 

537-2553 or 1-888-KAYAK-67 

www.islandescapades.com 

escapades@saltspring.com 


33

Inlet. It would have taken too much time to 

relocate supplies and crew before the start 

of that year’s fishing season, so Draney built 

the cannery at the new location. 

Sixteen more canneries were built, each 

like a small community, consisting of many 

buildings, with separate housing for the 

Europeans, Chinese, Japanese and First 

Nations people who made up most of the 

huge labor force needed to operate these 

massive operations. At the height of the 

fishing industry in Rivers Inlet, the population 

grew to an estimated 10,000 people during 

the summer months which meant many 

cultures and nationalities working together. 

The people of Oweekeno seemed to adapt 

quickly to modern technology of that era. 

Women worked on the canning line and the 

men went fishing. 

Talking to the Oweekeno elders you can 

see by the smiles on their faces and tears 

in their eyes how memorable cannery life 

was to them. An elder remembers sitting 

out on the dock at Rivers Inlet Cannery 

in the evening as a small child, looking 

out at the twinkling on the water, seeing 

hundreds of lanterns—a floating city of 

lights. In 1934 alone, an estimated 1,900 

boats fished Rivers Inlet, supplying fish to 

local canneries. During the fishing season 

many children were born there and by 

the time they were fourteen, some even 

worked on the canning line, along with 

their mothers. 

After World War II, freezing technology 

improved and companies started to 

centralize their plants to the bigger cities of 

Prince Rupert and Vancouver, forcing many 

canneries to close. Goose Bay Cannery was 

the last to close in Rivers Inlet in 1957, 

ending three generations of people working 

in the canneries. 

PADDLING RIVERS INLET 

Exploring the northern entrance of Rivers 

Inlet by kayak from Penrose Marine Park 

to Dawsons Landing, some 32 kilometers 

north, could take you a week or more. 

Paddling west around the western tip of 

Penrose Island from Finn Bay, you will 

encounter reefs and swells until you reach 

Kayak Pass (Canoe Pass as locals call it) 

Ancient cultures flourished. 

and Fury Cove. There is just enough water 

for kayaks. Powerboats use the Breaker 

Pass entrance. The beaches around Fury 

Island are spectacular with shell middens 

and white sand. This cove is a popular 

anchorage for boaters and the area is known 

as Schooner Retreat. On the east side of 

Penrose Island you enter Klaquaek Channel 

(or ‘the lake’ by locals), another small maze 

of islands, bays, lagoons and channels. 

Circling Penrose Island from Finn Bay, 

you end up back at the entrance to Darby 

Channel. Paddling northeast through the 

channel you will see the two abandoned 

sites of Beaver and Provincial Canneries. 

The historic floating community of Dawsons 

Landing is just around the corner from these 

two sites. Dawsons and Duncanby Landing 

were the two major supply centers for the 

canneries in Rivers Inlet. Both are still in 

operation today and worth a visit. 

Dawsons Landing, one of the oldest 

original floating general stores on BC’s 

coastline, dating back eighty years, is 

owned and operated by Rob and Nola 

Bachen. Today, Dawsons Landing is still the 


center of attraction for locals and visitors to 

Rivers Inlet. Walking on the floats and up 

the ramp to the store you get a feeling of 

nostalgia. The float the building sits on is 

a work of art—logs on top of logs, woven 

together and tied with steel cables, raising 

the complex two meters above sea level. 

Rafts like this were built and used during 

World War One to transport heavy logs 

across Hecate Strait to the sawmills and 

pulp mills on the mainland. These rafts— 

known as ‘Davis Rafts’—could handle the 

rough seas without breaking up. 

Duncanby Landing is located at the 

southern shoreline entrance into Goose Bay, 

not far from the mouth of Rivers Inlet. This 

historic landmark was built in the 1930s. 

Owner Ken Gillis has kept this complex in 

good shape, continually upgrading the pier, 

boardwalk and buildings. ‘Jessie’s Place’ at 

Duncanby is the only dining room and pub 

open to the public in Rivers Inlet. 

South of Duncanby is the Goose Bay 

Cannery, one of only two historical sites 

left in Rivers Inlet that remains intact. The 

secluded bay is mostly protected from the 

summer prevailing winds. Richard and 

Sheila Cooper lived at this cannery as 

caretakers for fourteen years, building a 

beautiful two story float home using old 

wood from the ‘China House’ that had 

been used to house the Chinese workers 

during the canning season. This float home 

is anchored in a bay just outside the Penrose 

Marine Park boundaries. 

Another historical site in this area is the 

Good Hope Cannery, the oldest building 

remaining in the inlet. Constructed in 

1895, it operated until the early 1940s, then 

continued as a net storage and mending 

facility until 1965. For the last fourteen 

years, owner Bob Stewart and crew have 

done a remarkable job restoring the cannery 

and replacing the massive shake roof with a 

new, blue metal roof, lengthening the life of 

the building by many years. Every summer 

the cannery is used as a sport fishing lodge. 

Rivers Inlet is still one of the most popular 

saltwater sports fishing destinations in BC, 

even though commercial fishing has been 

closed in the inlet since 1996 due to the 

declining sockeye salmon stocks. 

It could take months to explore the inlets, 

rivers, estuaries, lake tributaries connecting 

to Rivers Inlet, viewing wildlife, paddling 

around lagoons and sandy beaches, 

exploring the ruins and historic canneries. 

This is a paddling paradise with something 

for everyone. ❏ 

Bluewater Adventures 

Coast Mountain Expeditions 

Ecomarine Ocean Kayak Center 

Ocean River Sports 

Pacific Northwest Expeditions 

Sea Legs Kayaking Adventures 

Spindrift Resort 

Taku Lodge 

Tide Rip Tours 

West Coast Expeditions 

www.GeorgiaStrait.org 

FOR SALE: 

1976, Cheoy Lee 41’, Offshore Ketch. Very 

good condition, 48hp Perkins diesel engine (low 

hours), recent survey, refrigeration, pressure hot 

water, diesel heat, blue awl-grip hull, refinished 

in 1995. Teak decks and bright work in top 

shape. Open, warm interior with circular settee. 

A beautiful example of a fine yacht. Asking 

$89,000 Cdn. Contact: mumfordben@hotmail. 

com. 604-780-7609. 

Eco-Adventurers: 

Protecting the Marine Environment 

Photo: © Alexandra Morton 

© Gordon Baron restores buildings 

and trails on BC’s Central Coast. 


35

From the Archipelago 

Spring in the Broughton 

Spring in the Broughton is a spectacle to 

behold. The sheer fecundity is a wonder. 

The hooded nudibranchs once again meet 

in their designated bay. Is that where the 

current takes them or do they struggle 

relentlessly against tide and current to reach 

it? Their luminescent opal farms billow and 

wave as they cluster on the rocks. 

Algae blooms rise and fade in rapid 

succession. A few days of sun, and the water 

becomes rich with the food that young 

salmon, herring and eulachon require to 

grow rapidly out of their most vulnerable 

stage. Several days of rain and cloud, and 

the water clears—the stage set for the next 

burst of energy from the sun. 

The dolphins roam the inlets in large 

numbers. They seem to be following the 

sand lance once again, like last year, but 

so much goes on beneath the surface with 

dolphins and whales, it’s just a guess. 

The herring spawn is good this year. 

Drawn to the inlets at the full and new 

moons, the herring turn swaths of beach 

white with their milt and eggs. Sea gulls, 

drunk on protein, paddle casually along 

the shore pecking herring spawn off the 

fucus seaweed. 

Right on schedule, a humpback whale 

appears. Tasting the herring from unknown 

distances away, this whale has made an 

appointment in her whale-sized mental date 

book—’north Cramer Pass, April—be there’. 

She only stays two days and then vanishes to 

the next location stored in her mind. 

Natural West Coast Adventures 

• Kayak Instruction • Tours • Rentals 

The starfish have been 

on their tiptoes for 

weeks, releasing spawn 

from between their many 

legs, tentacles caressing 

each other. 

The predawn is a symphony—songbirds, 

arctic loons, western grebes, common 

loons, raven and kingfishers dominate 

the sound-scape. It is impossible to sleep 

with so many beings excited about the 

new day. 

The scent of the cottonwood drifts 

enticingly over the water on the afternoon 

breeze—ah, there is really nothing like that 

smell, a tonic of eternal spring and hope. It 

makes a person’s chest fill deeply, sparks a 

sigh of happiness. 

The starfish have been on their tiptoes 

for weeks, releasing spawn from between 

their many legs, tentacles caressing each 

other. The nudibranchs blow along, making 

flowers of eggs on the rocks. The barnacles 

and mussels have covered all available 

surfaces with tiny replicas of themselves, 

their success as species confirmed on 

the bottom of every boat that plies these 

waters. 

A woman of the south Sahara toiling 

to find clean water and food would be 

astounded by what we have around us. She 

would feed and cleanse her children in the 

richness of this coast. She would think of the 

gifts of this land as a wealth unimaginable 

in her homeland where there is not enough 

to go around, where desertification has 

robbed her of her ability to thrive. 

When I hear we have to risk all of what 

we have for ‘jobs’, it chills me to the core. 

Do we really have to fell the forests, pollute 

the sea with bio-hazards, drill out the oil 

at risk of all life? Couldn’t we simply find a 

way to thrive, as life around us has? 

I think we can. We are part of life on 

earth, not at odds with it. Our true wealth 

lies around us, growing as no investment 

we can ever bank. With oil on the verge of 

opening on this coast and the taxing weight 

of other corporate activity, perhaps we need 

to pause and think: how wealthy will we 

be if we lose all of this? 

As the tiny pink salmon once again pour 

out of the rivers, I am watching them. They 

embody so many virtues we admire. They 

are courageous, resiliant, persistent, and 

they benefit all who share their realm. This 

year, as never before, they are twinkling to 

the bottom of the sea, tiny fallen stars. As 

I see each school struggling to get beyond 

the clouds of sea lice looking to pierce their 

skin, I try to bless them. 

‘Good voyage to you little ones. Thank 

you for all you offer. Your shimmering, 

silvery beauty stirs my heart! I work for 

you, wishing you strength and good 

fortune.’ ❏ 

© Alexandra Morton, R.P.Bio., 

is a marine mammal 

researcher and author. 

www.raincoastresearch.org. 

Alexandra Morton 

A new documentary film about Alexandra 

Morton—’Alexandra’s Echo’—was broadcast 

on television this spring. The film follows her 

through a season in her urgent campaign to 

prove the real and awful cost of fish farming. 

This woman, who is happiest alone in her boat 

listening to whales, has become a reluctant 

activist, drawing the world’s attention to Echo 

Bay. VHS tapes are available for sale. Check out 

www.echobayfilms.com. 

1308 Everall St., White Rock, BC V4B 3S6 

Ph: (604) 535-7985 in White Rock 

Ph: (250) 391-0331 in Victoria 

www.kayak.bc.ca nwcakayak@telus.net 

Natural West Coast Adventure Gear 

SEA KAYAK EQUIPMENT 

Gear for 

‘Peace of mind’ 

on the water 

www.bckayaks.com 

nwca@kayak.bc.ca 

250-391-0331 


Gear Locker 

Feathercraft K1 

One of the challenges for any kayaker 

is boat storage. Aboard a sailboat for 

instance, cargo space is always at a premium, 

and flying to remote paddling destinations 

with a rigid sea kayak is prohibitively 

expensive. Folding kayaks handily solve 

these problems by disassembling when 

not in use. 

My review sample of the 16.5’ Feathercraft 

K1 arrived in a single box containing a big 

black duffel measuring 36” x 20” x 12” and 

weighing approximately 65 lbs. A panel on 

the duffel can be zipped open to expose 

padded shoulder straps and a hip-belt, 

transforming it into a big, easy-to-carry 

backpack. 

But it’s what’s in the bag that really got me 

excited. With the aid of the comprehensive 

instructions (an assembly video is also 

supplied), the kayak went together easily 

with no need for tools or cursing. With 

practice, assembly takes about 40 minutes, 

but on your first time give yourself a good 

hour. All the steps are pretty straightforward 

and the design itself is elegantly simple. In 

the daunting task of engineering a folding 

kayak, Feathercraft has forgone fiddly or 

overly complex approaches in favor of a 

clean and reliable construction. 

The frame consists of two main sections: 

the front and back of the boat. Shockcorded 

aluminum tubes are permanently 

attached to keel plates at the bow and stern, 

and high-density polyethylene crossribs 

serve to set the cross-sectional shape. Half 

of the frame is assembled at a time and 

stuffed into the skin. A clever feature is the 

use of two frame components as levers, 

used to extend the frame lengthwise. Rigid 

coamings attach at the hatches and cockpit. 

Two long inflatable sponsons in the fabric 

hull create a really taut fit for the skin. 

This skin is a major key to the K1’s 

Text by Alex Matthews 

Photos by Alex Matthews 

and Rochelle Relyea 

A different sort of backpacking trip! 

success. Materials are excellent and seams 

are welded instead of sewn. The resulting 

bond between the duratek hull and polytech 

deck fabric is totally waterproof, as are the 

fabrics themselves. In fact, this is one of the 

driest boats that I have paddled in awhile. 

The K1 has two hatches, although the 

bow opening is very small and the stern 

hatch is bisected by the frame tube that runs 

down the center of the deck, so loading 

anything, other than small items, is better 

accomplished through the cockpit. Hatch 

closure is a roll-top design with a buckle 

similar to a drybag. Storage capacity is 

pretty good for the careful packer. 

The K1 comes standard with Feathercraft’s 

excellent rudder system, a nylon sprayskirt 

and a sea sock. The sea sock consists of a 

coated, seam-sealed nylon bag that attaches 

to the cockpit, creating a ‘pod’ within the ➝ 


37

Alex was surprised by how well the K1 handled. 

boat. Imagine sitting in half a sleeping 

bag. The sock does the same job that 

bulkheads do in a rigid kayak, preventing 

the entire volume of the boat from filling 

with water in the event of a capsize. The 

seat is extremely comfortable, featuring an 

inflatable seat back. 

Afloat, feeling the kayak flex with every 

ripple, my first thought was: ‘A metal 

tubular frame with nylon stretched over it? 

Sounds just like my tent! Would I flip my 

tent upside down and go for a paddle? What 

was I thinking?’ 

But any feeling of fragility quickly 

disappeared, displaced by the K1’s obvious 

competence. In fact, the K1 is much more 

fun to paddle than I expected. With those 

big sponsons and a beam of 25”, I expected 

no more than ‘utilitarian’ handling, but 

the 51 lb K1 handles very well. A lot of 

the beam is out of the water, at least when 

the boat is unloaded, and it has decent 

speed and a decidedly good lean turn 

when edged. The overall handling has a 

feeling of quiet competence. Initially, it’s 

Werner Shuna 

The Shuna is one of Werner’s new 

high-angle touring paddle designs. 

The high-angle concept promotes a more 

vertical or upright stroke, with the hands 

held higher, and favors shorter paddles. 

This vertical paddling style fosters a more 

active and powerful stroke, although it may 

prove somewhat demanding and tiring 

for beginners. The Shuna, along with its 

bigger brother, the Corryvrecken, replace 

the Kauai and Molokai models in the 

Werner range. As I am very familiar with 

a little strange for those of us used to rigid 

kayaks. The boat flexes a lot, but it is just 

this flex that makes it so reassuring. This 

characteristic is particularly evident in 

confused water. Cruising by a breakwater 

where waves reflect and the conditions can 

be a little squirrelly, the K1 cruised through 

solid as can be. With a load aboard, the K1 

settles in a little deeper but still performs 

admirably. 

Feathercraft has done an impressive job 

of creating not just a boat that folds into 

a bag, but a really good kayak that folds 

into a bag. The product is extremely well 

made, performs very well and immediately 

inspires a desire to travel to distant exotic 

locales. 

At the price of $5,185 Cdn, the K1 is 

certainly not cheap, but a blend of such 

high quality and performance seldom is. 

Feathercraft Folding Kayaks 

4-1244 Cartwright Street, 

Granville Island, Vancouver, B.C. 

Canada V6H 3R8 

Phone 604-681-8437 

Fax 604-681-7282 

info@feathercraft.com 

www.feathercraft.com 

the Kauai, I was curious to compare and 

contrast the two. 

On first inspection the Shuna appears 

close to the Kauai. The Shuna is just a little 

smaller, at 46 cm wide by 18 cm long, 

but it’s the non-power face of the blade 

that gives the most immediate visual cue 

that this is a different paddle. In cross 

section, the Shuna’s spine is a classic 

Werner rectangular shape, while the retired 

Kauai’s spine is round. The Shuna also has a 

noticeably less pronounced dihedral shape 


to the power face of the 

blade. As usual, the Shuna 

features the impeccable 

Werner quality that I’ve 

come to expect. Fiber 

orientation and finish 

on my 215 cm carbon 

sample are exemplary. 

The union between blade 

and shaft is very clean. 

The clever new ferrule 

design, consisting of two 

injection-molded parts, 

provides a very high 

tolerance fit and exhibits 

no slop. This system allows 

feather adjustments in 

15° increments, from 

unfeathered to 75° offset, 

for both right and left 

hand control. 

Our test sample Shuna features Werner’s neutral bent shaft. 

The goal behind this twisty bit of business is to promote a more 

natural alignment of the wrist and arm than straight shafts provide, 

theoretically thereby reducing the potential for repetitive motion 

injuries to tendons, ligaments and muscles, as less stress is generated 

on the body. Because such ergonomic shafts require complicated 

two-part bladder molds for their manufacture, costs are typically 

high. But not to fear, the Shuna is also available in a straight shaft 

configuration in carbon or fiberglass. And Werner also offers their 

shafts in two diameter sizes, to properly fit larger and smaller hands. 

Yup, these folks are serious about paddles! 

On the water, the Shuna represents a little less ‘beef’ than the 

Kauai. It is a little less powerful on the plant and grabs less water, 

but I often felt that the Kauai was just a shade too big for me for 

general touring. The Shuna also feathers from one stroke to the next 

really smoothly. This smoothness in the water will likely make it a 

favorite with instructors, as it transitions from stroke to stroke very 

nicely. Yet there is still a ton of support for rolling, sculling and 

spirited play in the surf zone. 

The neutral bent shaft is very, well... neutral. It feels balanced, 

resting in the hand naturally. The grip area of the shaft fits the contour 

of the hand securely and provides excellent indexing, allowing the 

paddler to instantly orient the blades at all times. For me, at 150 

lbs, the Shuna represents a great ‘athletic’ touring/play paddle. 

Performance is very good and it’s extremely well made. If you have 

adopted a high angle paddling style or are curious about it, then the 

Shuna is a great choice. If you want a bigger blade design check 

out Werner’s Corryvrecken. ❏ 

WERNER SHUNA 

Carbon blades and carbon neutral bent shaft: $357 US 

Carbon blades and carbon straight shaft: $333 US 

Fiberglass blades and fiberglass straight shaft: $250 US 

Check with your local dealer for Canadian pricing. 

Werner Paddles Inc. 

33415 SR 2 Sultan, WA, USA 98294 

Phone: 800-275-3311 

info@wernerpaddles.com 

www.wernerpaddles.com 

© Alex Matthews 

reviews gear in each issue: 

matthewsalex@hotmail.com. 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

39

Mothership Directory 

ALASKA ON THE HOME SHORE 

Alaska on the Home Shore offers 

eight-day wilderness paddling 

tours on Alaska’s least traveled 

passages, amidst whales, glaciers, 

and bears. Guests choose from 

three tour routes and set the 

paddling pace. Home Shore is a 

restored classic wooden fishing 

boat with two-person staterooms 

for six guests. Based in spectacular, 

historic Sitka. www.homeshore. 

com. info@homeshore.com. 800- 

287-7063(01), 907-752-0046 (on 

board). 

ALTUE SEA KAYAKING 

Experience the magical mosaic that 

makes up Chile’s northern Patagonia 

landscape and Pumalin Park, a land 

of fjords and mountains that plunge 

to the sea, picturesque islands and 

mysterious byways. Programs from 

2 to 9 days in protected waters; no 

previous sea kayaking experience 

needed. Altue, Chile’s pioneer in 

adventure tourism since 1980, 

specializes in whitewater rafting, 

trekking, horseback trips and sea 

kayaking. www.seakayakchile.com. 

altue@seakayakchile.com. 

ANVIL COVE 

Kayak mothership tours of the 

natural and cultural wonders 

of the Queen Charlotte Islands. 

Visit Haida cultural sites, walk 

the coastal rainforest, soak in 

hot springs, watch for legendary 

wildlife while enjoying some of 

the best kayaking ever. Have it all 

from the comfort and security of 

Anvil Cove. Queen Charlotte City, 

BC. www.queencharlottekayaking. 

com. 250-559-8207. info@queen 

charlottekayaking.com. 

ARCHIPELAGO VENTURES LTD. 

Nourish the body, mind and spirit 

with a six-day wilderness voyage 

in the “Place Of Wonder”—Gwaii 

Haanas National Park World 

Heritage Site, Queen Charlotte 

Islands. Natural hotsprings, 

fabulous kayaking, ancient Haida 

village sites, wilderness adventure. 

www.island.net/archipel. 1-888- 

559-8317. archipel@island.net. 

BON ACCORD CHARTERS 

Mothership kayak tours, remote 

shore paddles in the beautiful 

San Juan Islands. Small group 

only, no more than 6 persons. 

Tours include transportion to/ 

from Seattle, lodging, meals, and 

equipment. Multi-day venues 

available, whale watching too! 

100% Biodiesel Powered. www. 

bonaccord.com. 1 -800-677-0751. 

www.discoveryseakayaks.com. 

CAPTAIN JACK’S CHARTERS 

Explore the spectacular beauty of 

Barkley Sound on the west coast 

of Vancouver Island. Customized 

day tours for up to 4 guests, and 

evening sunset tours aboard the 

Island Star, a comfortable 36 

ft. fishing vessel. Over 30 years 

experience fishing and boating 

these waters. Great food, great 

stories, great time, great memories. 

www.captainjacks.ca. 250-722- 

7034. captainjacks@shaw.ca. 

CATALA CHARTERS— 

PORT HARDY WATER TAXI 

Providing water taxi service and 

transportation for kayaks, customers 

and gear to Northern Vancouver 

Island, Central Coast, Broughton 

and Johnstone Straits and Cape 

Scott. Port Hardy is a great departure 

point for miles of sandy beaches 

and pristine wilderness settings 

on the BC Mainland and Cape 

Scott Provincial Park. If you plan 

to kayak in the area this summer 

call Jim & Cathy Witton for all your 

transportation and Bed & Breakfast 

needs. www.porthardywatertaxi. 

net. www.catalacharters.net. 

250-949-7560. 800-515-5511. 

info@catalacharters.net. 

DUE WEST CHARTERS 

Complete kayak mothership 

adventures in remote wilderness 

areas of the BC coast with the vessel 

Curve of Time (former Greenpeace 

ship, Moby Dick). Trips combine 

cruising and kayaking in the Gulf 

Islands, Johnstone Strait, Great 

Bear Rain Forest and Fjordland. 

info@duewestcharter.bc.ca. 604- 

524-6031. www.duewestcharter. 

bc.ca. Information and reservations 

also available at Ecosummer 

Expeditions: trips@ecosummer. 

com. 1-800-465-8884. 

ECOCRUISING BC 

For those who enjoy panaroma 

viewing of coastal scenery and 

marine life but also appreciate 

some ‘creature comfort’, join an 

ecologist for 1-2 hour cruises 

aboard a 28 ft. glass-dome boat, 

gunkholing in pristine pockets of 

islet and fjord wilderness around 

the Saanich Peninsula. Departures 

from Canoe Cove, Sidney Harbour 

and Brentwood Bay. Convenient 

charter transport to Portland Island 

for hikers, campers and kayakers. 

www.bccoast.com. 250-655-5211. 

cruises@bccoast.com. 


INNCHANTER 

Welcome aboard InnChanter 

where you will enjoy luxury 

accommodation and gourmet 

meals in a wilderness setting. 

InnChanter, a heritage vessel built 

in the 1920s and refitted to take 

you back to the era of her creation, 

has five staterooms, a salon with 

fireplace, a library and a 700 sq. 

ft. sundeck. Moored in Hotsprings 

Cove in the heart of Clayoquot 

Sound, a short boat or plane ride 

north of Tofino, BC. A leisurely 

two kilometer stroll through lush 

West Coast rainforest brings you 

to a natural hotspring which pours 

through a series of natural pools 

to the ocean. Enjoy paddling, 

hiking, diving and fishing. www. 

innchanter.com. 250-670-1149. 

KANOE PEOPLE 

Year-round Yukon Wilderness 

Adventures. Transport service 

available to almost any destination 

in the Yukon. Summer and winter 

packages. Serving the Yukon for 

30 years. Whether it be a long 

distance trip or an afternoon of quiet 

paddling on a peaceful lake, Kanoe 

People can help make it happen. 

Kayaks, canoes, cabins, guides. 

www.kanoepeople.com. 867- 

668-4899. info@kanoepeople.com. 

LADY ROSE 

Alberni Marine Transport of Port 

Alberni, BC runs two coastal 

freighters which carry passengers 

and their kayaks into Vancouver 

Island’s Broken Group Islands 

—one of the best paddling areas 

on the west coast. They also have 

a lodge near the park with rooms, 

showers and meals for paddlers. 

Toll Free: 1-800-663-7192 April 

to September. Winter phone: 250- 

723-8313. www.lady rosemarine. 

com. Water taxi service available 

from Toquart Bay: 250-720-7358. 

MALEI ISLAND CHARTERS 

Serving your needs for kayak 

transportation and water-taxi 

support from Johnston Strait and 

north to Queen Charlotte Sound 

and Bella Bella. Based in Port 

Hardy, Malei Island Charters 

with fully equipped Coast Guard 

approved vessels, the Mimir and 

the Malei Isle, will transport you 

and meet all your needs. 250- 

949-8006. Cell: 250-949-1208. 

info@malei-island.com. 

MOTHERSHIP ADVENTURES 

Travel in comfort and safety into 

the remote areas of coastal BC 

aboard the 68 ft. classic wooden ➝ 


41

vessel Columbia. Quality 6- 

day trips suitable for novice as 

well as experienced paddlers. 

Superb cuisine, comfortable 

accomodations, hot showers! 

Coastal villages, native history, 

marine mammal and wildlife 

v i e w i n g , ra i n f o r e s t wa l k s , 

qualified naturalist guides. www. 

mothershipadventures.com. 

1-888-833-8887. info@mother 

shipadventures.com. 

Kayak Nuchatlitz & Kyuquot 

Rentals Tours Transport 

Water Taxi to Nootka Trail 

250-761-4137 

www.zeballoskayaks.com 

NAUTILUS EXPLORER 

116 ft. Nautilus Explorer. Paddle 

during the day and spend your 

nights in luxury. Private staterooms 

and ensuites. Onboard naturalist. 

Shore hikes, evening slide shows, 

non-invasive specimen collecting. 

Alaska, British Columbia, Sea of 

Cortez and Socorro Island. www. 

nautilusexplorer.com. 604-657- 

7614. 

Explore the Western Edge 

of Vancouver Island! 

Mason’s Lodge 

A Haven for Paddlers 

Rooms & Restaurant 

250-761 4044 

www.masonslodge.zeballos.bc.ca 

NORTHERN LIGHTS 

Explore the legendary Inside Passage 

and Great Bear Wilderness aboard 

the Spirit Bear, a 40 ft. former 

salmon fishing boat meticulously 

converted to a luxurious base of 

exploration for kayaking, hiking 

and beach-combing. Encounter 

killer whales in the wild, bear 

watching in May and October. 

Expert guide and skipper, first-class 

equipment and instruction, gourmet 

meals aboard. 5 to 14 day charters, 

no experience necessary. Northern 

Lights Expeditions, since 1983. 

www.seakayaking.com. 800-754- 

7402. info@seakayaking.com. 

OCEAN ADVENTURES 

Embark on the 67 ft. Ocean Light for 

an exciting wilderness adventure 

cruise to Haida Gwaii, Princess 

Royal Island, Fjordland, or your 

custom destination. Enjoy kayaking, 

wildlife viewing, whalewatching, 

intertidal life and sailing. Experience 

beautiful anchorages, gourmet 

cuisine and a friendly, professional 

crew. For full details see www. 

theoceanlight.com. 604-815-8382. 

info@theoceanlight.com. 

PORPOISE BAY CHARTERS 

Spectacular Sechelt Inlet on the 

Sunshine Coast has never been 

easier to paddle. Porpoise Bay 

Charters’ shuttle service (one way 

or return) allows for a great range of 

paddling to the numerous remote 

wilderness marine park campsites. 

Mothership services for group day 

or overnight trips also available. 

Kayak rentals. 1-800-665-3483. 

www.porpoisebaycharters.com. 

PROFESSIONAL EXPLORATIONS 

38 foot tri-cabin, twin diesel, with 

two sleeping cabins with head 

and sink, transport Canada (Coast 

Guard) Certified for 6 overnight or 

12 day passengers. Plus 20 foot 

rigid hull inflatable for fast transport 

of 4 persons and two kayaks. 

Captain has Masters Certificate, 

23 years as Guardian, Observer 

and Ships Crew for Fisheries and 

Oceans Canada, with extensive 

experience from Victoria to Prince 

Rupert. (Subject to availability in 

2004 due to Commercial Contract 

Obligations). Ph: 250-897-2818. 


SEA OTTER KAYAKING AND 

SAILING CHARTERS 

Based on Salt Spring Island, in 

the heart of the Gulf Islands, Sea 

Otter Kayaking offers multiday 

day Sailing/Kayaking packages 

aboard a 41 ft. sailing ketch. They 

also offer guided kayak day tours 

ranging from 2 to 6 hours and 

unique fully catered multiday 

adventure kayaking tours for 2 to 

7 days. 1-877-537-5678. www. 

seaotterkayaking.com. 

SIDNEY KAYAKING CENTRE 

Board the good ship Tumus and 

discover the southern Gulf Islands. 

Tour marine parks and encounter 

seals, otters, whales and bald 

eagles. Experience mothership 

kayaking, or hiking and picnicking. 

Or rent a kayak and paddle the 

Sidney shoreline, enjoying its 

beaches, marinas, and local 

wildlife from the water. Excursions 

for all ages, timetables and budgets. 

Guiding and instruction available. 

Visit their store, call, or check out 

www.edinet.ca. 250-655-0091. 

1-866-655-0091. Boat cell: 812- 

4229. 

SPIRIT OF THE WEST 

A one of a kind adventure aboard 

the spacious 95 ft. Songhee, for 

up to 10 guests with an expert 

crew complete and gourmet cook. 

Explore deep into the Broughton 

Archipelago, visiting abandoned 

First Nation villages and waters 

containing the largest concentration 

of killer whales in North America. 

After a day of kayaking, relax your 

muscles in the aft deck hot tub. 

Enjoy the large staterooms, cedar 

paneled lounge and plenty of deck 

space. 1-800-307-3982. www. 

kayak-adventures.com. 

VIKING ADVENTURE TOURS 

Explore the scenic BC coastline 

with the Viking 1. Kayak the many 

intricate passageways and return 

to the comfort of a 54 foot vessel 

for meals, relaxation and a good 

sleep. Non-paddlers can go along 

and stay aboard if they choose. 

Viking’s goal is to show you a 

most enjoyable time and have 

you return for your next trip. 

ken@vikingadventuretours.com. 

250-755-9175. Cell: 250-616- 

9336. www.vikingadventuretours. 

com. 

VILLAGE ISLAND TOURS 

Village Island Tours offers daily 

native cultural tours at the famous 

Village Island site (beach and dock 

access). See the old totems and 

big house remains while you are 

taken on a journey of discovery 

through Tom Sewid’s narration. 

Tom has a new water taxi/tour 

boat for marine cultural tours and 

kayak transport. Campsites, trip 

planning, transport, grizzly bear 

watching, whale watching, fishing 

and Ky-hopping are available. 

Now also four cabins and two 

float houses. www.villageisland. 

com. 1-877-282-(TAXI) 8294. 

villageisland@telus.net. On-water: 

VHF 79-A, Village Island Tours. 

ZEBALLOS WATER TAXI 

Zeballos Water Taxi provides 

kayak and passenger transport 

to Nuchatlitz Park. This service 

avoids the open water paddle 

across Esperanza Inlet. Other drop 

offs include Port Eliza, Louie Bay, 

Friendly Cove and Tahsis. The water 

taxi service is operated with the local 

kayak rental and tour company; 

filing float plans and trip planning 

information are available free. 

Prices are for up to six passengers, 

kayaks and gear—Nuchatlitz Park 

is $250 one way (plus GST). www. 

zeballoskayaks.com. 1-866-222- 

2235. kayaks@telus.net. ❏ 

Companies who wish to be 

added to the web version of 

this Directory should email 

Diana@WaveLengthMagazine.com. 

Go Undercover 

Protect your investment! 

SEMI-CUSTOM KAYAK COVERS 

Various color options available 

www.toughduckmarine.com 

info@toughduckmarine.com 

1.888.246.3850 


43

Paddle Meals 

Cool Tools for Camp Cookery 

Laurie Edward 

with Debbie Leach 

Laurie Edward, the new Community 

Involvement Coordinator for Mountain 

Equipment Co-Op, shares some great 

ideas for our camp kitchens. 

have lots of time and energy for culinary 

I creativity in the outdoors and I seldom 

leave home without my ‘field version’ of 

NOLS Cookery by Claudia Pearson (from 

National Outdoor Leadership School). The 

picture on the cover is what it’s all about— 

working really hard, then joyfully gathering 

around a camp stove knowing something 

wonderful is going to happen. 

Gear has to be multifunctional. A 500 

mL Nalgene jar is a great bowl and stores 

leftovers. My cut-down Lexan soup spoon 

fits inside (and never gets lost); the lid 

doubles as a chopping block for garlic. 

Kayak Repair & Refit 

Vancouver Island South 

You can’t skimp on a frypan! Take along 

a non-stick skillet with a well-fitting lid and 

an Ultralight Outback Oven for stove-top 

baking and amazing variations. I first used 

my oven for trail-baked goodies on the 

summit run to Glacier Peak in the North 

Cascades. You can use the ‘tent’ to insulate 

a pot of rice that has boiled to continue 

cooking off the stove. The diffusing plate 

helps food cook more evenly. Remove 

the temperature gauge—with experience, 

you’ll know how long things take to cook. 

And that Leatherman tool isn’t only for 

repairs—use the pliers as a pot grabber. 

The new MSR WindPro remote canister 

stove is a winner. You don’t have to fuss or 

feel intimidated by your stove and it’s safer 

in fire-hazard areas. Bonus: you can use 

the oven with this type of canister stove. 

Structural Repairs 

Keel Line Rebuilds 

Gel Coat Refinishing 

Component Replacements 

To operate in cold conditions, invert the 

canister and prime it as you would a liquid 

fuel stove. 

My versatile Coffee Press doubles as a 

teapot and reservoir for activating yeast 

for cinnamon buns. Being metal, the 

coffee flavor doesn’t transfer to baked 

goods. When the yeast’s foam starts coming 

out the lid, it’s time to get mixing. Leave the 

dough to rise in an untied plastic bag. In 

cold conditions, I sometimes put the dough 

bag against my tummy under my layers 

to create a warm environment. When the 

dough is ready to knead, dump it onto a 

clean plastic bag dusted with flour on top 

of a square of foam insulation. To roll, use 

a Nalgene water bottle. The pad doubles 

as a snow seat, a paddle seat or extra rear 

cushioning with your ¾ Thermarest. 

A new Espresso maker is going on 

my next weekend trip. Wherever we’re 

heading, I pick up coffee from the nearest 

roaster to add a local dimension—Midnight 

Sun in Whitehorse on Yukon trips or 

Saltspring for the BC Gulf Islands. 

A Nissan Titanium thermos may cost 

more, but it’s light enough for backpacking 

and luxurious for paddling trips. 

2072 Henry Ave. West, 

Sidney BC. (250) 654-0052 

CALZONES 

Use a pizza recipe, spread the dough 

into a circle, fill with your cheese, pizza 

sauce, peppers, etc, then fold and pinch 

together. Fill up the frying pan with two 

calzone half-moons to efficiently feed 

two hungry paddlers at a time. When the 

calzones are mostly cooked, stand them on 

their sides in the pan to brown the edges. 

EXTRAVAGANT CASSEROLE 

Use the NOLS lasagna as the inspiration 

to use veggie burger or beans, cooked rice/ 

pasta and random chunks of cheese. 

fresh onion slices and a couple cloves of 

garlic 

1 can tomato paste or one-half cup dried 

tomato powder 

1 rounded teaspoon sugar 

¾ to 1 pound of cheese, cut into slices 

one-half cup flour 

2 heaping teaspoons baking powder 

1 rounded tablespoon powdered eggs 

1 rounded tablespoon powdered milk 

1 rounded tablespoon veggie broth 

powder 

1 cup tomato sauce with a tsp or so sugar 

2 cups cooked rice or pasta 

2 cups of Hack’s veggie ground round 

or canned/cooked beans, seasoned 

with 2 heaping teaspoons oregano + 


2 heaping teaspoons basil, or 1 rounded tablespoon of Italian 

seasoning + ½ tsp black pepper 

Sauté onions and garlic in the frypan with a bit of oil. Dump into 

a bowl with the tomato paste, sugar and 2 cups of water. 

In a separate container mix flour, baking powder, eggs, milk 

powder and veggie broth powder with about 2½ cups cold 

water. Mix to pancake batter consistency. 

Cover the bottom of the frypan with slices of cheese. This will 

form a great, gooey crust that doesn’t stick to the pan, even if it 

overcooks. 

Cover with a layer of cooked rice or pasta. 

Drizzle the batter mixture on as a 3rd layer to gel the 

casserole. 

Top with veggie burger or beans. 

Spread the tomato-onion-garlic mixture over the casserole. 

Top with remaining slices of cheese. 

Cover and bake in your oven (or twiggy fire) for 20 minutes. 

Check out www.mec.ca for hundreds of food items with serving 

suggestions and an ingredient list. The site also advises you on meal 

planning and packing as well as tips for backcountry cooking. ❏ 

© Debbie Leach a foodie who loves to beg, 

borrow and steal paddling and meal ideas. 

She lives in Victoria, BC. 

FOOD 

Variety is so important. Bring lots of garlic, onions and ginger. 

Tuck in little luxuries—coconut milk powder or chunks, and 

poppadums with oil to accompany a curry. Bring extra protein—lots 

of cheese, peanut butter and nuts—for feeding hungry paddlers. 

For quick trips, packaged mixes like foccacia are great if you are 

short on ideas and time. It’s not cheating for overnight trips! When 

guiding trips, I rely on NOLS rations and do pantry-style cooking. 

I’m interested in trying Harvest Foodworks powdered vegetable 

shortening in my camp-baking this summer. Some packages that I 

often pack along are: 

• Quick long grain rice from Soft Path Cuisine. 

• Canasoy Vege broth powder—for a salty drink to warm you up 

at noon or the end of the day. 

• The Sea Change wild salmon jerky from Saltspring is delicious and 

‘as natural as possible’. However, bears also like the product, so 

be bear aware! 

• Buffalo pemmican and diced Harvest Foodworks Diced Chicken 

(really good!). 

• Knorr pouches of soup—I often grab these for lunch at the 

Store. 

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Outriggers 


45

Books 

North of 

Desolation Sound 

by Peter 

Vassilopoulos 

Seagraphic 

Publications, 2004 

ISBN 0-919317-32-4 

208 pp, color maps 

& photos, index 

$46.95 Cdn, www. 

seagraphic.com 

This colorful, lavishly illustrated guide to 

the area between the Yucultas and Port 

Hardy, BC, provides up-to-date information 

and images to all mariners who wish to 

travel north of Desolation Sound. While 

written primarily for power and sailboaters, 

this book is equally valuable to paddlers. 

Longtime coastal explorer and writer, Peter 

Vassilopoulos, lends his skill at recording 

need-to-know facts and figures to this guide 

about a part of the coast that is fascinating 

in its history and beautiful in its topography. 

Dependable anchorages, safe routes and 

avoidable hazards are identified among 

the hidden passages and remote coves and 

islands that provide a lifetime of exploration 

possibilities. Pick up this book and you’ll 

not only want to go there, but will feel 

confident that you have an expert guide to 

show you the way. 

Reviews by Diana Mumford DianaMumford@WaveLengthMagazine.com 

Afoot & Afloat: 

The San Juan Islands 

4th Edition 

by Marge & Ted Mueller 

The Mountaineers Books, 

2004 

ISBN 0-89886-881-5 

272 pp, b/w photos and 

maps, $16.95 US, www. 

mountaineersbooks.org 

This popular guide to outdoor adventure, 

updated for its fourth edition, is a musthave 

for anyone setting out to explore the 

San Juans, whether you are visiting by car 

or boat. Although the islands are small, 

there is much to see and do, both on land 

and on the water, and longtime residents 

Marge and Ted Mueller are just the people 

to make sure you don’t miss a thing— 

whale watching, scuba diving, nature 

viewing, beach walking, history lessons, 

cycling, paddling, fishing… They have 

included all the essential how-to-get-there 

information with facilities details, mileages, 

ferry terminals, anchorages and marinas; 

interesting notes about local attractions; 

maps to help plan your itinerary; and 

fascinating sidebars describing historical 

landmarks and events and plants and 

animals you are likely to encounter. This 

guidebook is sure to add another level of 

enjoyment to your exploration of the San 

Juans. Other volumes in the Afoot & Afloat 

series are: British Columbia’s Gulf Islands; 

Seattle’s Lakes, Bays & Waterways; North 

Puget Sound, Middle Puget Sound & Hood 

Canal; South Puget Sound. 

Kayak Routes of the 

Pacific Northwest 

Coast, 2nd edition 

edited by Peter McGee 

Greystone Books, 2004 

ISBN 1-55365-033-6 

352 pp, b/w maps & 

photos, index 

$22.95 Cdn, www. 

greystonebooks.com 

T 

his compilation of information 

contributed by twenty-seven northwest 

coast paddlers (including WaveLength 

Editor, Alan Wilson) was first published in 

1998 by the BC Marine Trail Association. 

The updated and expanded 2004 edition 

explores eighteen regions from Oregon 

to BC’s Central Coast, Haida Gwaii and 

the west coast of Vancouver Island, now 

including the Lower Columbia River, Klemtu 

and Queen Charlotte Strait. Whether you 

are planning a day paddle or an excursion 

anywhere on the coast, you have the benefit 

of local knowledge of the people who 

have been paddling in their home waters 

for years. All the necessary details are 

covered for each of more than thirty kayak 

routes—skill level, trip duration, hazards, 

appropriate charts and tide tables, camp 

sites, launch sites, transport information, 

equipment rentals and tours available. Also 

included is an invaluable list of contact 

names, addresses and phone numbers for 

each region. 

Peter McGee helped found the BC MTA 

to create water trails along the Pacific 

Northwest Coast that combine recreational 

and conservation values. 

WEST COAST EXPEDITIONS 

Educational Nature Tours since 1974 

Sea Kayaking in the Kyuquot Wilderness, BC 

www.WestCoastExpeditions.com 

Toll Free 800-665-3040 

•Basecamp comforts 

•Educational focus 

•Cultural contact 

•Family oriented 

•All-inclusive 


The Heritage Group of book publishers will donate $3 per copy to the Georgia Strait Alliance to further marine conservation, for each 

book purchased online through www.bcbooks.com and approximately double for books purchased directly through GSA. These books 

are small format paperbacks, ideal for actually taking with you on a trip! 

Sea Kayak the Gulf Islands 

by Mary Ann Snowden 

Rocky Mountain Books, 2004 

ISBN 1-894765-51-6 

160 pp, maps, b/w photos 

$16.95 Cdn 

www.bcbooks.com 

This updated, comprehensive guide 

for experienced and novice kayakers 

leads paddlers through some of the best 

kayaking waters on the BC coast. Originally 

released in 1990 as Island Paddling, 

Mary Ann Snowden’s book remains the 

definitive resource for paddlers exploring 

the Canadian Gulf Islands and Southern 

Vancouver Island. Twenty-three trips are 

outlined within eight areas. 

This new edition also covers the recently 

formed Gulf Islands National Park Reserve 

and includes information on the newest 

BC Marine Park: Wakes Cove. Each trip 

is headed with important information 

on tides, currents, safety considerations, 

charts and launchings. Included in each 

route description is practical information 

on the different land jurisdictions, 

campsites, suitable landings and paddling 

conditions. 

Mary Ann Snowden has spent countless 

hours exploring the waters covered in this 

book. She worked at Victoria-based Ocean 

River Sports for several years selling kayaks 

and promoting kayaking with her infectious 

enthusiasm for the sport. She’s done radio 

and television interviews and continues 

to give talks based on kayaking and her 

knowledge of the Gulf Islands area. 

Special thanks to Mary Ann Snowden, David Pinel 

and Rodger Touchie for helping to arrange 

the donation to GSA. 

Sea Kayak Around 

Vancouver Island 

by Doug Alderson 


ISBN 1-894765-50-8 

176 pages, maps, b/w photos 

$16.95 Cdn 


Sea Kayak Around Vancouver Island 

covers a full circumnavigation of 

Vancouver Island. If you are interested 

in a grand expedition, a week of summer 

touring, or a weekend excursion, this 

guidebook will give you the information 

you need. Each chapter covers a section of 

the island, providing ample information on 

points of access, interesting sites, safe routes 

to travel, hazards to avoid and comfortable 

campsites. While other books cover aspects 

of the Vancouver Island coastline, this is the 

first to cover the entire coastline and delve 

into the unique geographic and historical 

character of Vancouver Island. 

Doug Alderson is a nationally certified 

kayak instructor-trainer and year-round 

kayaker on the waters near his home on 

the shores of Vancouver Island. With a 

lifetime spent exploring the island, he has 

an unmatched, intimate knowledge of the 

coves, beaches and rugged shoreline of 

one of the best places in the world to go 

sea kayaking. He is the author of two other 

books on sea kayaking: The Savvy Paddler 

and Handbook of Safety and Rescue. 

Sea Kayak Nootka & 

Kyuquot Sounds 

by Heather Harbord 


ISBN 1-894765-52-4 

176 pp, maps, b/w photos 

$16.95 Cdn 


N 

ootka and Kyuquot Sounds with their 

First Nations villages are the next step 

for sea kayakers who have enjoyed the Gulf 

Islands, the Sunshine Coast, Desolation 

Sound and the Broken Islands. The area’s 

wetter weather and more rugged coastline 

offer greater challenges but also the rewards 

of pristine sandy beaches, remote islands, 

sea caves, rare sea otters, and historic sites. 

It brings those with the necessary skills 

close to the dream of remote wilderness 

and freedom. 

Divided into 49 excursions, this paddling 

guide is also an historical travel guide to 

this part of the west coast of Vancouver 

Island. Nootka is where the British, Spanish, 

Americans and others vied for a stake in the 

lucrative sea otter trade, and was the home 

base of avarice and slaughter as the sea 

otter was rendered virtually extinct in these 

waters (they have since been successfully 

reintroduced). 

Heather Harbord is a writer and 

photographer living in Powell River who 

has paddled and sailed extensively on the 

west coast. ❏ 

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 


47

GREAT GEAR 

RAPID REPAIR KIT 

NSR’s Paddle Sports Rapid Repair 

Kit repairs composite, gel coat, wood, 

and polyethylene materials. Kits include 

NSR150 resin, “High Intensity Blue LED” 

light, surface preparation pads, applicator 

tabs and fiberglass mesh. By curing the onepart, 

no-mix resin with the NSR LED light, 

30 second repairs can be done underwater 

or in air and at high or low temperatures. 

www.northsearesins.com. 

HANDYMAN LOAD EXTENDER 

Haul your canoe or kayak safely, day or 

night with the Handyman Load Extender. 

Haul it safely out of the back of your pickup 

or SUV, or use the Height Adjustment 

Accessory to put it overhead, leaving the 

door or tailgate closed, but accessible. Visit 

http://usa-madetools.com. Dealers visit 

www.tjtsales.com/handyman.htm. 

NEWS 

PADDLE TO A CURE 

A dedicated group of kayakers with a 

cause are dipping their paddles in various 

Canadian waters this summer to raise funds 

for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. 

Paddle to a Cure: Journeys of Hope is a 

series of sea kayaking expeditions that has 

taken place annually since the summer of 

2000. More than $750,000 has been raised 

to date, and organizers are still accepting 

registration forms from people interested in 

helping them reach the $1 million mark in 

2004, the Paddle’s fifth and final year. 

Five expeditions have been arranged: 

• July 17-24: Georgian Bay, Ontario 

• July 26-30: Georgian Bay, Ontario 

• August 5-8: Georgian Bay, Ontario 

(special trip for breast cancer survivors) 

• August 2-7: Mayne Island, BC 

• August 16-21: Ship Harbour to Taylor 

Head, Nova Scotia 

For more info contact: Lisa Marchitto 

(Ontario) 416-815-1313 ext. 500, 

lmarchitto@cbcf.org; Melanie Graham 

(BC) 250-363-5291 or 250 382 9649, 

grahammj@shaw.ca; Jan Kretz (BC) 250- 

755-6702, Jan@adventuress.ca. 

PADDLE FOR THE PRESIDENCY 

This summer, Paddle for the Presidency 

(P4P) will bring dozens of US political 

enthusiasts paddling down the Mississippi 

River in canoes to raise awareness for the 

2004 election. Their target: youth voters. 

P4P, a non-partisan, non-profit 

organization founded by recent college 

graduates, plans to paddle the entire river 

from its source in Lake Itasca, MN, to 

SEA KAYAK EXPLORATIONS 

LOW COST, SELF-CATERED, 17 YEARS IN BUSINESS 

New Orleans, hosting riverside rallies in 

both small towns and large cities where 

they will provide food, entertainment, 

political speakers and most importantly, 

voter registration. For more info, see www. 

paddle4president.org or call 719-473- 

5997. 

KAYAK CHAMPIONSHIPS 

The Garden State Kayak Championships 

is one of the largest paddling events in 

New Jersey. This competitive race, Saturday, 

September 11th, is open to paddlers of all 

ages and skill levels. One entry fee enables 

competitors to compete in one or both of 

the scenic 3 and 5-mile courses on the 

open waters of the Barnegat Bay. For more 

information, log on to vikingpromotions. 

com or call 732-237-0576. 

MARINE LIABILITY ACT 

Commercial Kayak Tour Operators 

(including Motherships) come under the 

Marine Liability Act (http://laws.justice. 

gc.ca/en/M-0.7/index.html). 

Of interest to commercial kayak tour 

operators are Part 3 and Part 4 of the MLA. 

These sections have set specific levels of 

liability insurance that must be carried 

by Commercial Marine Vessels, including 

kayaks, as well as limiting or restricting the 

use of waivers to limit the liability of owner/ 

operators of commercial marine vessels. At 

issue for the commercial kayaking industry 

is whether or not kayaks are considered 

commercial vessels. The final report on the 

MLA (http://www.tc.gc.ca/pol/EN/Report/ 

Marine/rcpi.htm) prepared by the Mariport 

Group for Transport Canada makes several 

recommendations about the application 

of the MLA to the Adventure Tourism 

industry. 

4-8 day trips 

for fit, selfsufficient 

adventurers. 

We paddle mostly 

single kayaks but 

we bring some 

doubles, and we 

share responsibility 

for meals. 

Experience 

Haida Gwaii! 

From $445–$1235 Cdn 

See itineraries at www.gck.ca 

A D V E N T U R E 

O U T F I T T E R S 

Trips to... 

• Gulf Islands 

• Broken Group 

• Clayoquot Sound 

• Queen Charlottes 

• Broughton Archipelago 

• Nootka Island—Nuchatlitz 

• ...and Baja, Mexico! 

info@gck.ca 

www.gck.ca 

910 Clarendon Rd., Gabriola Island, BC CANADA V0R 1X1 

PH: 250-247-8277 FAX: 250-247-9788 


Kayaks are typically one or two persons, 

and could either be removed from the 

requirements of the MLA by operation 

of the Transport Canada Marine Safety 

Bulletin 14/2000 (http://www.tc.gc.ca/pol/ 

EN/Report/Marine/rcpi8e.htm#8.2) or by 

the MLA section 37 crew filter (http://www. 

tc.gc.ca/pol/EN/Report/Marine/rcpi5.htm). 

Requirements of the MLA would appear to 

apply in the case of a guide and a client in 

the same double kayak. 

In any case, it would appear that Transport 

Canada may accept a minimum level of $1 

million of liability insurance coverage for 

kayak tour operators that are covered by 

the MLA. 

The use of waivers and whether or not 

they can be used for on water activities 

that are covered by the MLA remains 

a contentious issue. Operators should 

consult with their lawyers to determine if 

waivers are valid for their particular marine 

activities. 

The above information is in no way to be 

considered legal advice. Commercial kayak 

tour companies should consult their own 

legal and insurance advisors. 

COMMERCIAL TENURE 

After consulting with industry 

representatives, including the Association 

of Canadian Sea Kayak Guides and the 

Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC, the 

Province of BC, through its agent, Land 

and Water British Columbia Inc. (LWBC), 

has implemented a revised Commercial 

Recreation Policy governing the use of 

Crown land by commercial kayak tour 

operators. 

The policy provides opportunities for 

tour operators to be granted authority to 

occupy Crown land for camp purposes 

and gives authorized users the benefit of 

business certainty, protection of business 

investment and recognition as a valid user 

of Crown land. Additionally, authorized 

tour operators have access to a process in 

which to deal with trespassers and other 

land use conflicts. 

A tenure incentive program was initiated 

April 1, 2003 to encourage existing 

businesses using Crown land apply for 

tenure. That program ended March 31, 

2004 and LWBC has now established a 

Compliance and Enforcement program to 

address trespass issues. LWBC has recently 

hired Compliance and Enforcement Officers 

who will be responding to complaints from 

the general public and authorized operators. 

These officers will be conducting patrols to 

ensure that commercial users of Crown land 

are indeed authorized and that the terms of 

existing agreements are being met. 

Commercial kayak tour operators who 

have been using Crown land without 

550 people attended the 4th annual Port Angeles Kayak Symosium in April. Kayak 

manufacturers displayed their products and a wide variety of kayak gear was offered 

at discount. Demo kayaks were available on the beach to test in the calm waters of Port 

Angeles Harbor. Well-attended slideshows of kayaking and river rafting included a trip 

around Iceland by noted paddler Chris Duff, and Bryan Smith’s attempted first descent 

of northeast India’s Lohit River. The Symposium was sponsored by Olympic Raft & Kayak, 

located near the Elwha River Bridge, highway 101: www.raftandkayak.com. 

authorization still have an obligation 

to make application for tenure. Those 

business owners who choose not to obtain 

the necessary approvals will find that they 

are subject to administrative penalties and 

may be ordered to immediately cease 

operations, particularly if they have been 

previously contacted and informed of the 

need to obtain authorization. In order to 

assure their businesses will be allowed to 

operate this season, all unauthorized tour 

operators should contact their local office 

of Land and Water BC Inc. and visit the web 

site: www.lwbc.bc.ca/applying_for_land/ 

commercial_recreation.htm. 

CRUISE LINE IMPROVES 

The international ocean advocacy 

group Oceana has announced that Royal 

Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has committed to 

install Advanced Wastewater Purification 

technology on all its ships, to meet strict 

water quality standards. Cruise ship pollution 

is a real scourge on the ocean environment 

and it is hoped the entire cruise industry 

will emulate Royal Caribbean. 

MARINE WEATHER SURVEY 

Th e M e t e o r o l o g i c a l S e r v i c e o f 

Environment Canada, the Canadian Coast 

Guard, the Marine Safety division of ➝ 


49

Transport Canada, and Decima Research 

Inc. are conducting a survey to determine 

what type of weather information is 

important to marine users, and to assess 

the level of satisfaction with current marine 

weather information. 

The results will be used by Environment 

Canada to modernize their marine weather 

services and to coordinate these services 

with Transport Canada and Canadian Coast 

Guard. 

To take the survey, go to www.decima. 

com/research/surveys/ecws04.html. 

The survey must be completed no later 

than June 4, 2004. 

OIL & GAS 

The BC and Canadian federal governments 

seem to be moving toward lifting the 

moratorium on oil and gas exploration 

off the BC coast, against the wishes of 

conservation groups, the tourism industry, 

and a majority of the public. 

“There is absolutely no need for 

petroleum production on BC’s beautiful 

coast,” says Neil Frazer, Professor in the 

Department of Geology and Geophysics 

of the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, 

Hawaii. 

“To start with, Canada’s official petroleum 

reserves are now greater than those of 

Saudi Arabia. Furthermore,” says Frazer, “I 

very much doubt that BC’s offshore fields 

can be produced at prices competitive with 

Alberta’s tar sands, which are now being 

produced at a cost of around $11/bbl. In 

other words, the arguments for producing 

offshore BC are dubious even on economic 

grounds. 

“Even if there were an economic 

argument for producing offshore BC,” 

Frazer says, “I think that argument would 

founder on the likelihood of loss of 

BC’s precious wild fisheries, and huge, 

yet barely tapped, potential for tourism 

on its north and central coasts. Anyone 

SUBSCRIBE TO WAVELENGTH 

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Subscriptions: $15/yr or $25/2 yrs in North America (Canadians add GST) 

To start your sub today call 1-800-799-5602 

Clip or photocopy this form (or subscribe on-line at WaveLengthMagazine.com) and 

mail with a cheque to: WaveLength Magazine, 2735 North Road, Gabriola Island, 

BC Canada V0R 1X7. All subscription information is kept strictly confidential. 

NAME__________________________________________________________ 

who imagines that it is possible to have 

petroleum development without sacrifice 

to the environment should drive down to 

Galveston, Texas and take a walk on the 

beach—after the walk they will need to 

buy gasoline to wash the tar off their feet. 

Moreover, recent scientific research shows 

that the breakdown products of petroleum 

spills persist for a very long time in the 

environment with toxicities we are only 

now beginning to understand.” 

For informationon the issue see www. 

oilfreecoast.org. 

••• 

The following news items are presented 

as part of our commitment to marine 

conservation, in conjunction with the 

Georgia Strait Alliance: 

CONSERVATION DONATION 

Rodger Touchie of the Heritage Group of 

publishers has arranged for a donation to 

the Georgia Strait Alliance for orders placed 

at www.bcbooks.com for any of Heritage’s 

three new kayaking titles (see page 47). 

ECO-ADVENTURERS PROGRAM 

Ten eco-tourism businesses around the 

Strait of Georgia have teamed up with 

the Georgia Strait Alliance to launch the 

‘Eco-Adventurers Giving Program’, to 

promote action and support for the marine 

environment among eco-tourism clients. 

These locally owned businesses, 

including resorts, kayaking, sail charter and 

1-877-KAYAK BC 

(529-2522) 

CRCA Certified Instructors 

www.SealegsKayaking.com 

ADDRESS______________________________________________________ 

PROV/STATE_________________ POSTAL/ZIP CODE __________________ 

$15—1 YR (6 ISSUES) $25—2 YRS (12 ISSUES) CANADIANS ADD GST 

GIFT SUBSCRIPTION: “From ____________________________________________________” 

Print your name here if you wish us to send a GIFT CARD to your friend or relative. 

JJ04 

Transfer Beach, Ladysmith 


wildlife watching companies, are all strong 

advocates for a healthy marine environment 

and have a history of promoting responsible 

use of our coastal waters and shores. 

They’ve been supporters of GSA’s work for 

some time. Now, through the new program, 

they’ll be encouraging their clients to 

support GSA as well, in order to help keep 

coastal BC spectacular. 

Bluewater Adventures 

Coast Mountain Expeditions 

Ecomarine Ocean Kayak Center 

Ocean River Sports 

Pacific Northwest Expeditions 

Sea Legs Kayaking Adventures 

Spindrift Resort 

Taku Lodge 

Tide Rip Tours 

West Coast Expeditions 

For more info, contact gsa@georgiastrait. 

org or call 250-753-3459. 

SUMMER RAFFLE 

Three prizes have been donated to the 

Georgia Strait Alliance for the group’s 

annual Summer Raffle: 

• a 17.5 ft Discover Aurora sea kayak 

from Seaward Kayaks (value: $2825) 

• a luxurious 3-night Adventure Package 

from Brentwood Bay Lodge & Spa 

(value: $1475) 

• handcrafted silver pendant set from 

Dolphin Spirit Jewellery (value: $152). 

A wildlife cruise with EcoCruising BC and 

a paddling with Ocean River Sports are part 

of the Brentwood package. 

Ticket sales will begin on May 15th 

and continue all summer, with the draw 

happening on September 14th at Seaward 

Kayaks in Ladysmith, BC. 

Only 2,500 tickets printed ($6 each 

or 3 for $15). All proceeds go to marine 

conservation. To order, contact 250-753- 

3459 or raffle@georgiastrait.org. 

FIRST NATION PARTNERSHIP 

In April the Xwémalhkwu (Homalco) 

First Nation and the Georgia Strait Alliance 

announced the signing of a protocol 

agreement outlining how the two groups 

will work together on marine restoration 

and protection initiatives in BC’s Bute Inlet 

and the surrounding waters. 

The Homalco band has turned down 

the fish farm which was being urged upon 

them by government and industry, and is 

focusing instead on ectourism, including 

bear-watching. They have an excellent 

website: www.BearsofBute.com. 

“Wild salmon are integral to our culture 

and to the well being of Bute Inlet,” said 

Chief Darren Blaney. “Signing this protocol 

with the Georgia Strait Alliance is another 

step towards protecting and restoring this 

precious resource in our traditional territory. 

We want to continue to build bridges as we 

work towards economic development that 

does not put our marine environment, 

and the industries that depend upon it, 

at risk.” 

BC FAILS ON FISH FARMS 

A Report Card on the state of salmon 

farming in BC released this spring gave 

the BC Government a failing grade for 

its regulation of the industry. Regulating 

Salmon Aquaculture in BC—A Report Card 

shows that the government has failed to live 

up to most of the recommendations tabled 

by its own Environmental Assessment 

Office (EAO) in 1997. Contrary to the 

government’s claim to have implemented 

39 out of 49 recommendations, in fact 

only 10 recommendations have been fully 

implemented. 

The Report Card gave the government a 

failing grade in 8 out of 10 areas previously 

identified by the EAO. 

“The government has failed British 

Columbians and continues to endanger 

wild salmon,” said author, Suzanne Connell 

of the Georgia Strait Alliance. “We’re 

calling on the government to reinstate the 

moratorium and live up to its responsibility 

to regulate the salmon farming industry.” 

This call was echoed recently by the BC 

Wildlife Federation, a former supporter 

of salmon farming, which passed a 

resolution calling for the moratorium to 

be reinstated. 

In all areas, the Report Card found 

the government fell far short of claims 

to have properly regulated the industry, 

and noted that government consistently 

failed to provide the public with access to 

information on salmon farms. 

The Report Card called on government to 

require salmon farm operators to disclose 

all information to the public concerning 

disease outbreaks, drugs and chemical use 

on their farms. 

The Report Card was produced by the 

Georgia Strait Alliance for the Coastal 

Alliance for Aquaculture Reform (CAAR). A 

full version is available at www.georgiastrait. 

org/BCFishFarmReportCard.pdf. 

For further information on fish farms, visit 

www.farmedanddangerous.org. ❏ 

www.skils.ca 


51

Ph/Fax: 250-539-5553 

RENTALS, TOURS, LESSONS 

rbruce@gulfislands.com 

121 Boot Cove Rd. 

Saturna Island, BC V0N 2Y0 

Different Seasons 

Different Seas 

Come with us to Alaska, BC and Baja, Mexico for diving, 

kayaking, whale watching & on-shore wilderness 

excursions. Savour the comfort of our staterooms, the 

taste of our hearty gourmet fare and the easygoing 

camaraderie of like-minded adventurers. 

www.nautilusexplorer.com 

sales@nautilusexplorer.com 

Toll Free: 1-888-434-8322 

MAYNE ISLAND 

ECO-CAMPING & TOURS INC. 

Located on Seal Beach 

Showers•Hot tub•Kayak Sales•Instruction•Launch 

2 bedroom Cottage available daily, weekly or B&B. 

PO Box 40 Mayne Island BC, Canada V0N 2J0 

www.mayneisle.com/camp 

camp@mayneilse.com 

Ph/Fax: 250-539-2667 

AWESOME KAYAKING—FREE CAMPING 

We Simply Offer a Better Experience!! 

Excellent equipment, superior service 

since 1991. Sechelt, BC 

(at Tillicum Bay Marina). 

SEA KAYAK & CANOE RENTALS, SALES, LESSONS, TOURS 

info@pedalspaddles.com www.pedalspaddles.com 

BOOK AHEAD: 1-866-885-6440 or (604)885-6440 

Family 

Oriented B&B 

Discover awesome scenery and why this area is 

so safe for the beginner paddler. Take day trips 

from here, use us for a base to go camping or 

paddle right up. Lessons, Tours, Rentals. 

Please call 250-335-0079 

www.DenmanPaddling.ca 

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 

FOR SALE: Two new Steve Killing design 

wooden kayaks, a Reliance 20’6” tandem 

(asking $4500) and an Endeavour 17’ single 

(asking $3000). No staples used during 

construction. Wood includes Western Red 

Cedar, Spanish cedar, Cherry, Honduran 

Mahogany, Burnt Birch and Ash. Finish 

includes epoxy and UV varnish. Call Mike at 

250-287-8077 daytime; 250-285-3836 nights/ 

weekends. Boats are on Quadra Island, BC. 

Adventure Kayaking 

on BC’s North Coast 

5 day tours into the Kitlope 

and Khutzeymateen Valleys, 

custom trips, whales, bears, catch your own 

dinner, First Nations sites, and more. Max. 

group size is five. 

Check out www.blackfish.ca 

or call toll free 1-877-638-1887 

Sea kayak trips amid tropical 

coral reefs & white sand beaches 

of a Caribbean wilderness isle. 

Tel: 831-786-0406 

wpi@vena.com 

www.westpeakinn.com 

Tree Island Kayaking 

3025 Comox Rd. 

Courtenay, BC 

V9N 3P7 

info@treeislandkayaking.com 

www.treeislandkayaking.com 

May to October 

1-866-339-1733 or 250-339-0580 

Rentals • Lessons • Tours • Necky Sales 

VARGAS ISLAND INN 

Affordable Wilderness Resort accommodation in 

Clayoquot Sound on Vargas Island beachfront. 

• 5k N.W. Tofino • Ideal for kayakers • Inn & 

cabins • All self-catering • Passenger & kayak 

transport from Tofino available • Lots to do! 

CALL 250-725-3309 

The August–September issue 

of WaveLength will feature 

‘Wildlife Watching’ 

Our Aug/Sep issue will explore the 

enormous popularity of viewing wildlife, 

from whales to shorebirds. We’ll include 

discussion of viewing impacts and 

wildlife watching guidelines, and 

we’ll look at the challenges of wildlife 

photography. 

DEADLINE: June 20th 

For WaveLength ads, subs, 

or bulk orders: 1-800-799-5602 

Info@WaveLengthMagazine.com 

If you’re planning a paddling trip near 

Northern Vancouver Island or the 

Central Coast, RENT from us. 

ODYSSEY KAYAKING LTD. 

Toll free 1-888-792-3366 

250-902-0565 

odyssey@island.net 

www.odysseykayaking.com 

ANDALE KAYAKING 

Salt Spring Island’s north end Kayaking 

Connection. Sales, rentals, lessons, tours, kids’ 

boats. Wallace Island Marine Park Tours. A variety 

of drop-off and pick-up sites. We make kayaking 

fun and safe! 

250-537-0700 (Apr–Oct) 

allanmather@hotmail.com 

www.saltspring.gulfislands.com/allanmather 

Your home base 

for Exceptional 

GULF ISLANDS 

Paddling! 

Kayak Rentals, Lessons and Guided Tours. 

Accommodation/Kayaking packages available. 

www.bluevistaresort.com 

1-877-535-2424 

SOUTHEAST EXPOSURE 

Ketchikan, Alaska 

6 Day Guided Trips 

Misty Fjords National Monument 

907-225-8829 

www.southeastexposure.com 

MAYNE ISLAND KAYAK & CANOE RENTALS INC. 

KAYAKING AT ITS BEST! 

Rentals/Marine Tours/Lessons/Sales/Bicycles 

Complimentary Ferry pick-up. Open year round. 

A variety of accommodations available. 

C-54 Miners Bay, Mayne Island, BC 

Canada V0N 2J0 

Tel/Fax: 250 539-5599 

maynekayak@gulfislands.com 

www.maynekayak.com 

Ecotourism Training 

Natural and Cultural History 

Eco Interpretation Certificate 

Front Line Skills & Knowledge 

Soft Adventure Site Development 

Bold Point Centre, Quadra Island, BC 

bpc@connected.bc.ca 250 285-2272 

info@queencharlottekayaking.com 

www.queencharlottekayaking.com

1-800-889-7644 

Vancouver Island Adventures 

Captain Jack’s Charters 

Ucluelet, BC 

Customized day and evening tours of beautiful Barkley 

Sound aboard the MV Island Star I, a 36 foot cruiser. 

Great crew. Great food. Great time. Great memories. 

captainjacks@shaw.ca 

www.captainjacks.ca 

Ph: 250 722-7034 Cell: 250 741-6610 

NEW ZEALAND 

Seakayak & Cycle Tours & Rentals 

Natural High, Adrenalin Dealers 

WWW.SeakayakNewZealand.com 

WWW.CycleNewZealand.com 

adventure@natural-high.co.nz 

64-3-5466936 

64-3-5466954 fax 

Cairns Bay B&B 

Beach • Kayaking • Hot tub • View 

Sechelt, BC 

604 885-8896 

vclarke@telus.net 

EXTREME 

INTERFACE 

Kayaks & accessories. 

Sailing kayaks. 

www.extremeinterface.com 

250-248-2075 

CATALA KAYAKING 

Located “on the bay” in Port Hardy BC 

Toll Free 800-515-5511 

Rentals & Transportation 

Bed & Breakfast 

www.catalacharters.net 

info@catalacharters.net 

Paddle Central 

North Carolina coast 

Sounds, black water estuaries, 

tributary streams. For FREE trail 

maps and information contact 

Crystal Coast Canoe and Kayak Club: 

www.CCCKC.org 

Professional Explorations 

Coast Guard Certified 

Vessel and Skipper 

25 years Commercial 

Charter Experience 

250 897-2818 

NORTH ISLAND KAYAK 

Port Hardy & Telegraph Cove 

Rentals & 1–6 Day Guided Trips 

Toll Free 1-877-949-7707 

www.KayakBC.ca 

nikayak@island.net 

Baja Sea Kayak Adventures 

with Nahanni Wilderness Adventures 

Explore Baja’s beautiful desert 

islands in the Sea of Cortez. 

Local guides/interpreters. 

Based at Villas de Loreto. 

Call Toll Free: (ph/fax) 1-888-897-5223 

Email: adventures@nahanniwild.com 

Website: www.nahanniwild.com 

The Villas de Loreto Difference! 

Kick off your shoes & make 

yourself at home. With our Mexican 

resort’s intimate size & friendly 

staff, you’ll feel like family—including casual 

dining at our restaurant. Activities are 

Kayaking, Diving, Fishing, Cycling and Whale Watching. 

Come join us. Ph: 011-52-613-135-0586 

www.villasdeloreto.com 

GALIANO ISLAND KAYAKING 

BC’S BEST SPRING KAYAKING. 

Daily Guided Tours. 

Costa Rica Sea Kayaking since 1987. 

Ph/Fax: 250-539-2442 

kayak@gulfislands.com 

www.seakayak.ca 

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! 

Ph: 250-653-4222 Fax: 250-653-9111 

“Gateway to the Southern Marine Parks” 

sskayak@saltspring.com www.saltspring.com/sskayak 

Sea Kayak Guides 

Alliance of BC 

www.skgabc.com 

The Fall Guides Exchange 

will be held October 1-2, 2004 

in the Courtenay/Campbell River 

area. Details and location will be 

posted on the SKGABC website. 

WWW. SKGABC.COM 

2004 ASSISTANT GUIDE EXAMS 

Sep 25-26, Gabriola Island 

Oct 9-10, Victoria 

2004 LEAD GUIDE EXAMS 

Sep 24-26, Tofino 

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@batstar.com 

VICE PRESIDENT 

Kerry Orchard: kolokayaks@shaw.ca 

Ian Ross: ikross@telus.net 

SECRETARY/TREASURER 

Tracy Morben: majestic@island.net 

COORDINATING DIRECTOR 

Sue Handel: sue_handel@yahoo.ca 

MEMBERS AT LARGE 

Chris Sanderson: csanders@telus.net 

Andrew Jones: andrew.jones@kingfisheradventures.com 

Matt Bowes: mathewbowes71@yahoo.ca 

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

September 17-19, 2004 

Fort Worden State Park 

Port Townsend, Washington 

WWW.WCSKS.ORG 

JUNE 5, 5th Annual Round Bowen Kayak Race, Bowen Island, 10am. 

kayakbowen@telus.net, 1 800 60 KAYAK, www.bowenislandkayaking.com 

Jun 5, Ecomarine Demo Day, Vancouver, BC. 604-689-7575 

Jun 5, Ocean River Sports Victoria Paddlefest, Willows Beach, Victoria 

BC, (12:00 noon until 4:30) www.oceanriver.com 800-909-4233 

Jun 5-6, TRIBOBA 24-Hour adventure Racing Series, Wenatchee Valley, 

WA. www.trioba.com (800) 572-7753 

Jun 6, Manhattan Circumnavigation, presented by Atlantic Sea Kayak- 

ers Club, Liberty Island State Park, NY. kayakeratlantic@hotmail.com 

http://atlanticseakayakers.com 

Jun 11-13, South Sound Traditional Inuit Kayak Symposium, Twanoh State 

Park, Belfair, WA. www.qajaqpnw.org, kayakbuilder@harbornet.com 

Jun 11-13, Edisto Riverfest, Walterboro, SC. www.edistoriver.org 

Jun 17-20, 15th Annual Inland Sea Kayak Symposium, Washburn WI. 

www.inlandsea.org, 715-682-8188 

Jun 23, 6th Annual Yukon River Quest, www.yukonriverquest.com. 

JULY 2-4, Muskoka PaddleFest, Port Sydney, ON. www.muskokapaddlefest.com, 

705-385-8211, turtlepaddle@sympatico.ca 

Jul 7-11, Rutabaga’s NEW Sea Kayak Symposium, Door County, WI. 

www.rutabaga.com/everyonepaddles/, 608-223-9300 

Jul 9-11, 2nd Annual Gulf of Maine Sea Kayak Symposium, Castine, ME. 

207-751-8998, www.kayaksymposium.org 

Jul 10-11, 6th Annual Howe Sound Outrigger Race, Gibsons BC. 

westerncanoe@telus.net, www.clippercanoes.com/outrigger 

Jul 11, BC Marine Trails Ocean Kayak Marathon, Vancouver, BC. 604- 

689-7575, www.ecomarine.com 

Jul 15-18, Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium, Gran Marais, MI. 

lmerx@nkfm.org 

Jul 19 -23, 1st Annual Canoe Gathering hosted by the Nisga’a Sea Going 

Canoe Society, Nass Valley, BC. 250-633-2240, boneym@telus.net 

AUGUST 13-29, 2004 Olympics, Athenes Greece. www.athens2004.com 

Aug 14-15, 3rd Annual Outlook to Whitecap Canoe Trek, South Saskatchewan 

River, Outlook SK. www.town.outlook.sk.ca 306-867-9566 

Aug 21-22, Great Canadian Canoe Race, Powell River, BC. For canoes 

and solo kayaks. www.greatcanadiancanoe.ca 

Aug 28-29, San Juan Challenge, Anacortes, WA 360-299-2300, 

sanjuanchallenge@yahoo.com www.sanjuanchallenge.com 

Aug 29, Heritage River Festival, Ottawa, ON. 613-247-4944, 

anik.Despres@ottawa.ca 

SEPTEMBER 17-19, 21st West Coast Sea Kayak Symposium, Port 

Townsend WA. www.wcsks.org info@gopaddle.org 

Sep 26, 3rd Annual Indian Arm Paddle-a-thon, The Land Conservancy of 

BC’s fundraiser for Thwaytes Landing, Deep Cove. www.conservancy. 

bc.ca, 604-733-2313, vancouver@conservancy.bc.ca. ❏ 



55

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