SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 1

From the Arctic to Baja,we’re guiding the wayto adventure destinations

Getting you there

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SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 3

Vignettes from an Arctic refuge 8

This issue’s cover by Neil Havers

Crossings 32

Baja: Three perspectives 16

Mark Perrin looked like he was having so much fun in this photo, we just couldn’t resist sharing it. Some forms of recreation are about “having arrived,” being at a place to enjoy that place, but kayaking is all about the journey – and there is more than one way to get there, including being suspended in the air off a cargo freighter. Neil Havers did the artwork and design for this issue’s Get West advertisement, and so had a different reason than most to tag along on a journey aboard the Uchuck III. For more on his trip, as well as Mark’s, see page 40.

First Word .......................................................................4

News ..................................................................................6

Trip Planning .............................................................. 40

Plan your West Coast adventure ............44-45

The Gulf Islands ........................................................46

Plan your Gulf Islands adventure .................. 47

Day Trips .......................................................................48

Plan your Desolation/Discovery trip ........... 49

Planning and Safety .............................................. 50

Gearing Up ................................................................. 52

Inside

Occasionally things collide in a surprisingly convenient way, and so when three people affiliated in vastly different ways with Coast&Kayak Magazine all shared their Baja adventures, rather than just pick one article we thought we’d present a potpourri of impressions and images.

Alex Matthews diverts from his usual Skillset format to chat with Graham and Russell Henry to get their expertise into what’s involved in planning and executing long crossings. The Henry brothers should know – their recent journey involved many overnight adventures in their paddle from South America to Florida.

Chuck Graham has contributed several articles to Coast&Kayak over the years, and when he approached us with the idea for exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge we were willing to put kayaks aside for a change to present a refreshingly different look at where paddling adventures can take you. Bring bug spray.

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4 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

Summer 2014 Volume 24, Number 2 PM No. 41687515

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A great thing about running a kayaking magazine is all the opportunities that go with it. For instance, I have the chance to travel the world to the best kayaking places the globe has to offer...

Wait a minute. That’s not happening. In fact, this winter had me nary within the seat of a kayak at all. Not even from the back deck of the boat/office, and heck, it can’t be any easier than that. I’m already on the water.

There’s a funny thing about life. The little things get in the way.I can’t blame the weather, though I have to admit it’s tough

to be motivated to fight my way into a drysuit and set out on a blustery grey day with temperatures hovering near freezing. But what really kept me off the water was a series of small circumstantial blips that combined to knock the socks off my off-season kayaking plans.

For instance, Coast&Kayak launched a fancy new Gear Guide this spring (I hope you’ll browse it, it’s available free online at coastandkayak.com). It was produced using some technology that failed miserably. The production was meant to flow automatically, but it didn’t. The thing ended up being built almost entirely manually, and so a month disappeared due to a technological glitch.

Plus there was (and still is, at the moment) the swim grid repair. That’s where the kayaks get launched, and a spate of late spring rain kept the fittings off and the renovations in an in-progress stage for weeks and the kayaks under a layer of work materials. The whole thing was unusable for the entire spring. A small detail, I know, but these things add up. It’s hard to kayak if you can’t launch.

This winter I had hoped to do more kayaking in Baja, but a lack of kayak rental locations kept me mostly off the water there as well. Oh, some cheap sit-on-tops could be had for a couple of hours for a ridiculous price at the major tourism centres I would sooner avoid. In the end I was able to borrow the personal surf kayak from the owner of Todos Santos Eco Adventures (thanks Bryan and Sergio!), but overall it was like Ireland all over again: heading to a great kayaking location only to find no way to get out on the water. Not like BC at all, where good locations have a place to rent boats. We are blessed that way.

I think I’ve got it figured out for next year though. The Gear Guide will be automated by then, the swim grid will be repaired, I’ll take my own kayak down on my next Baja trip and it will never, ever be rainy and cold again. All problems solved. Look out, world, here I come. - John Kimantas

editor@coastandkayak.com

Did life just pass me by?

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information is provided to augment pre-existing safety and knowledge. A safety course and proper equipment are advised

before any exploration on water. See a list of paddling instruction locations at www.coastandkayak.com

Coast&Kayak Magazine’s new skipper, a rescued stray named Yoshi, gets his first kayaking lesson. He’s a natural!

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SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 5

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NZ conquered, now Vancouver IslandIf you read just one blog post this year,

make sure it’s the post ‘The Journey Ends’ by Tara Mulvany as she looks back on her efforts to circumnavigate all three New Zealand islands.

On Dec. 16, 2013, she set off from Anakiwa in the Marlbrough Sounds to circumnavigate the North Island, arriving at Makara Beach on March 31.

From her final post: “Memories of barefoot days, where money means nothing, but life means everything. Days where a full moon is a measure of progress, and there is never a schedule, decisions simply determined by the wind and the sea. I will miss so much about this rich, simple way of life.”

In late May 2012, she and another kayaker paddled away from Milford Sound and headed north up the west coast of the South Island. Three months later they parted ways and she continued on the journey alone, completing the circumnavigation on Oct. 22, 2012.

“I perfected the art of living like a hobo. I slept in car parks, in ditches and under bushes,” she writes. “More than

News

A selfie is the only option when you’re kayaking for months alone.

once, I washed my hair in the basin of some public toilets, and gave myself a haircut with my pocket knife. I did my laundry by hand, after all, what’s the point of a washing machine when you only have two sets of clothes – one to wear, the other to wash.”

She completed the trip to come back to no home, no job and no immediate plan, but that didn’t last. In an odd chain of events, Jaime Sharp (on the cover of our Winter 2012 issue) has been staying with Lyn Hancock (author of one of this issue’s Baja segments). Jaime invited Tara to circumnavigate Vancouver Island, and

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so as of press time she was on her way to Vancouver Island to start yet another adventure.

You can follow Tara and read her ‘Journey Ends’ blog post as well as the rest of her entries at www.tarasjourneys.com.The longest crossing ever?

A person seemingly unlikely to become a world-renowned hero, Aleksander Doba, a 67-year-old Polish man, became one nonetheless. ‘Olek’ set off in October 2013 from Lisbon, Portugal to kayak across the Atlantic and arrived in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, on April 20.

It wasn’t an uneventful journey. His hope was to complete the trip non-stop, at one point refusing assistance from a perplexed crew on a commercial tanker that responded to his accidental SOS call.

Hampered by bad weather just short of his goal of Florida he eventually opted for a five-week break in Bermuda to fix his rudder, which ended his attempt to make the crossing non-stop. Even so, the 6,500-mile journey is being hailed as the longest open-water kayak crossing ever.

His first trans-Atlantic expedition was in 2011 from Senegal, Africa, to Brazil.

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 7

No cause, no charity, just paddlingThey’re calling themselves the Catfish,

and in a world of causes to add credibility to ventures, these guys are just winging it.

The retired group of paddlers left Willows Beach in Victoria on May 8 with a goal of the Inside Passage to Alaska and back over the next three months.

They are Alan Campbell, David Maxwell and Rob Zacharias. Their aim is Juneau Alaska by day 71, on July 17, 2014.

The name ‘Catfish Kayak Group’ comes from a 1980s kayaking gang of which the these paddlers were a part.

Re-supplying en route is planned at Campbell River, Shearwater, Prince Rupert and Ketchikan. In preparation, David has produced and dried 53 meals from 11 different homemade recipes.

Says Alan: “Kayaking the Inside Passage means being integrated into the living/breathing energy of the coast long enough so that we begin to see ourselves and our world in new and different ways, not a bad thing in your 60s.”

The paddle to Alaska is un-sponsored and is not a fundraiser. The men are, however, members of The South Island

Sea Kayaking Association (SISKA) and supporters of the BC Marine Trails Network Association (see page 40).

You can track their GPS coordinates and follow them at http://paddlingfanatics.jimdo.com/ 2014 events get early start

Summer brings an assortment of kayaking events, with most in the early summer, so plan soon. Here on the Pacific coast, we’re excited to have the return of the Pacific Paddling Symposium May 30-June 1 at Lester B. Pearson United World College in Victoria, BC.

Sessions include everything from wilderness first aid to surf skiing, plus hosted evening happy hours. Registration is very limited. Visit www.pacificpaddlingsymposium.ca.

You can find more events on the calendar at www.coastandkayak.com.

Our favourite event listing so far this year is the ‘Explore North Coast Kayak Social Thingy,’ April 24-27 in Trinidad, California and environs. Huh? The organizers explain: it includes hosted paddles in coastal Humboldt and Del Norte counties in Northern

California for a wide range of skills from flatwater to rock gardens to surf. Visit explorenorthcoast.net.Raise a toast at happy hour

The hosts of the Saturday night happy hour at the Pacific Paddling Symposium are Dave Pinel and Caroline Fisher of West Coast Expeditions, which will be a great opportunity to toast their recent success as winner of a Green Tourism Gold award.

The multi-coloured award is earned through the Green Tourism certification program, making West Coast Expeditions the first sea kayak tour company in Canada to attain the gold standard, and one of only 14 businesses in Canada to receive the gold honour. It involved a rigorous third-party assessment with 145 evaluation criteria and a review by a senior assessor from the UK. Cheers to Dave and Carol.Two new publications online

Coast&Kayak Magazine has quietly unveiled two new publications available online only: the 2014 Gear Guide and the 2014 Adventure Tour Guide. Both can be viewed in a variety of formats including mobile device apps. Read them online at www.coastandkayak.com

News

8 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

“BACK PADDLE on the left and forward paddle on the right,” barked Alaskan guide Carl Donohue as four of us rafted down the Canning River in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northern Alaska.

“Now, all forward!”

We were in the midst of a two-week, 260-kilometre rafting trip through the heart of the refuge, weaving our way through the mighty North Slope of the Brooks Range, paddling northward amongst 1,800-metre peaks on our way to the vast coastal plain and eventually the frigid Arctic Ocean. Our navigation meant weaving through a maze of gravel bars and massive ice packs six feet thick – melted just enough to allow us safe passage through braiding channels that resembled veins running down a forearm.

Adventure Destinations

Negotiating around giant ice packs on the Upper Marsh Fork below the North Slope of the Brooks Range.

8 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 9

Vignettesfrom an Arctic refuge

by Chuck Graham

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 9

10 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

We descended into a deep gorge of limestone that caused a swirling eddy when a stout Dall sheep ram emerged high on a precipice overlooking our Class III rapids on the Canning. Nimble as a ballerina, the Dall rested on a narrow ledge as we paddled past. When we reached flat water I jumped from the raft, backtracked toward the gorge and flanked the cotton-coloured sheep. The terrain was steep and uneven across the river rock, then spongy tundra before ascending the backside of the gorge. A stiff wind howled, and soon the ram and I stared at each other – the largest sheep species in North America just 10 metres away. It

didn’t flinch, just stood and idly stretched. It then moved upriver to an awaiting ewe bedded down on a tundra-covered knoll.

As well as Dall sheep, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a haven for grizzly, polar and black bear, moose, wolf, musk oxen, wolverine, Arctic fox and about 130,000 caribou. It’s also prime habitat for migratory birds from Arctic terns to sandhill cranes. Legions of shorebirds nest on the breezy expanse of the coastal plain.

Located in Northeastern Alaska, it consists of more than 7.7 million roadless hectares (19 million acres), the largest refuge

Adventure Destinations

Gearing up the raft on the Upper Marsh Fork.

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 11

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in the country and the last five percent of Northeastern Alaska currently off limits to oil drilling. The refuge has been protected since 1960, but the allure of oil remains a constant threat.

We were dropped off via bush plane with more than 180 kgs (400 pounds) of gear along the Upper Marsh Fork River. From there we converged with and paddled the Canning and Staines Rivers, bouncing off dense gravel bars and eroding river banks until we were clear of the Brooks Range. Nothing but flat coastal plain unfolded before us until we reached the opaque blue Arctic Ocean.

The daunting Brooks Range peaks at over 2,700 metres. This northernmost extension of the Rocky Mountains marks the Continental Divide, with north-flowing rivers emptying into the Arctic Ocean and south-flowing rivers joining the mighty Yukon River. The rugged mountains of the Brooks Range are incised by deep river valleys to create a range of elevations that support a variety of low tundra vegetation. Poplar trees survive in rare groves on the north side and spruce on the south.

During the summer, peregrine falcons, gyrfalcons, and golden eagles build nests on craggy cliffs. Harlequin and long-tailed ducks and red-breasted mergansers are seen on swift-flowing rivers.

On several occasions Arctic terns hovered above us and dive-bombed, sometimes hitting us on top of the head, with one diver’s beak nearly piercing a hole in my raft.

We also came across caribou standing in the middle of the rivers and on ice packs to evade pesky swarms of mosquitoes.

“They can’t take the mosquitoes,” said Donohue. “We’ll see most of the caribou out on the coastal plain because it’s breezy out there and it keeps the bugs down.” ►

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Rafting the Canning River with the Brooks Range in the background.

12 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

Adventure Destinations

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 13

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

A Dall sheep; setting up camp in the mosquitoes; windy and cold but bug-free on the Canning River.

Fiji

14 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

I sympathized with the shaggy herbivores. The hum of thick clouds of mosquitoes was a constant irritant. We all had our strategies for getting in and out of our tents to minimize invasion. When I paddled in shorts and we came ashore, the mosquitoes covered my legs. I wiped them off with my hand, transforming them into a black slime.

Donohue said if you compared the biomass of mosquitoes and the 130,000 caribou on the refuge, the biomass of the mosquitoes outweighed that of the caribou. A mind-boggling thought as I gagged on another mosquito while stumbling out of the raft.

With two of us paddling pack rafts and the other two in the main raft, it was time to explore channels braiding off the main river. After rerouting on several channels, I took one to the right that carried me to the far east side of the river valley. It took me three hours to work my way back to the main channel and my group.

My attention was briefly diverted by a bull moose with a huge rack in a grove of willows on a broad gravel bar. I slowly drifted up to the steep gravel bank and crawled out of my raft for a photograph, but as soon as I peeked over the edge the moose had already vanished into the willows.

Eventually I found my way back to the main channel and an elbow-shaped bluff for a convenient vantage point. I scrambled out of my pack raft into knee-high muck. The mosquitoes immediately covered me. I held my breath and scanned with my binoculars to locate my crew about a mile upriver.

We found a deep swimming hole and maneuvered around a pair of feisty glaucous gulls to jump off a 10-metre cliff into the frigid blue water. As cold as the water was, I was instantly rejuvenated. It was a momentary relief from the mosquitoes, and I was ready to paddle on into an evening which never arrives during the Alaskan summers.

The sun never dips below the horizon, so eventually I began eating breakfast at 1 p.m., lunch at 6 p.m. and dinner at midnight. Afterwards I would hike throughout the night. The mornings were spent sleeping, but it got tougher to do that once we left the morning shade of the mountains behind us.

Come winter polar bears hunt seals and give birth in snow dens here.

“You missed a polar bear by four days,” said a scruffy U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologist stationed on the coastal plain for two months to monitor nesting birds. “There’s a caribou carcass three miles up

the Staines that it was feeding on.”I hiked 30 kilometres across the tundra

to the Arctic Ocean and barrier islands, following fresh bear tracks on a beach strewn in driftwood and caribou antlers. But the bear tracks vanished in the tundra where the Staines and the Arctic Ocean converge and instead of seeing one I’m mocked by an Arctic squirrel that heckled me as it darted in and out of its den. I continued my way back to our tents and rafts through a maze of glassy ponds. A snowy owl sat perched on a wood post, tundra swans waddled from pond to pond and Canada geese honked at each other like cars in a traffic jam.

Back at our camp it’s our last night on the coastal plain and although it’s chilly I stay out all night. An Arctic fox sprinted across the tundra with prey in its jaws, not slowing as it dove into its den. I could hear the repeated hoarse croaks of Pacific loons, the most abundant loons in North America, resonating across tranquil ponds. Then the low hum of a bush plane grew louder across the coastal plain, and it was time to let the air out of our rafts and fly home.

Chuck Graham leads kayak tours at the Channel Islands National Park, and is a freelance writer and photographer in

Adventure Destinations

A caribou and her calves trot along the edge of the Staines River near the Arctic Ocean.

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 15

Fiji

16 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

Baja Lyn Hancock1.

Guided TourLoreto to La Paz14 days, 140 nautical miles

3.

Self-guided explorationVarious destinations

Gerhardt Raven Lepp

2.

Self-guided expeditionPuertecitos to Loreto27 days, 400 nautical miles

Sarah Hauser

potpourri

Adventure Destinations

16 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 17

FijiBaja California

Three trips, three perspectives on kayaking the

Sea of Cortez

LoretoBahía Concepción

Punta Concepción

Isla CarmenIsla Monserrat

Isla Santa Catalina

Isla San JoseIsla Espiritu Santo

Isla Cerralvo

Isla Danzante

Timbabichi

Punta Mechuda

Santa Rosalia

Mulegé

San Felipe

Puertecitos

Calamajué Punta Remedios

Bahiá de los Ángeles

Punta San Francisquito

Isla Angel de la Guarda

Isla del Tiburon

Isla san Lorenzo

La Paz

Cabo San Lucas

The camp at Calamajue from a nearby viewpoint.

Photo by Sarah Hauser.

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 17

18 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

EONS AGO, plates pulled away, volcanoes exploded, minerals flung skyward – the red of iron,

the green of copper, the grey of sulphite, the white of quartz – and now we paddle through a landscape as colourful as an artist’s palette. Rising steeply from the sea are hills and cliffs sharply layered in bands of red, orange, amber, green and white. The faces of jumbled rocks are embedded with tiny pebbles that shine like jewels.

At Punta San Telmo I set my tent close to the emerald water on white sand and encircled on three sides by rocks so red they seem to be on fire. Clearly etched into the sand at my door are the tracks of hermit crabs and coyotes. Black spidery Sally Lightfoot crabs in moulting mode scurry over the boulders and hop, jump and slide into the sea as I wedge my way past them to the next beach. I may have company tonight.

The shapes of the rocks are as distinctive as their colour. Walls of rock funneled with canyons, riddled with caves and topped by turrets rise steeply from the sea. At Punta Ballenas I dare to slide through the narrow opening of one sea cave but suddenly my kayak makes a right-hand turn, the walls close in, my paddle hits the rock and all is black. I feel the swell driving me forward to who knows what, perhaps a dead-end wall. From within I hear the ominous splash of water. I exit clumsily backward toward the entrance. It was not graceful.

‘Baja icebergs’ they call the sea stacks that bookend the crescent beaches – blinding spires of rock where birds like gulls, cormorants and oystercatchers rest, nest and coat the rocks white with droppings.

The most surprising landmark is Timbabichi – “in the middle of nowhere,” says our guide, Hilary Masson of Baja Kayak Adventures. It is not a natural monument at all. Contrary to the guidebooks, it is not a mission either but a two-storey colonial-type concrete mansion called the Pearl Diver’s House. It was built in 1906 by a pearl diver who found and sold several pearls the size of golf balls.

The pearl diver was the grandfather of Suzanne, the wife of Hilary’s friend Manuel, a merry Mexican diver and fisherman who delivered a bagful of fresh clams and crayfish then trucked us to Timbabichi. Hilary translated the rest of the story. In

1959 while Manuel and Suzanne were still living in the mansion, a hurricane collapsed the roof. They moved out and built a modest plywood house nearby. It may be in the middle of nowhere, but the surrounding village is now home to 59 people, complete with a huge water tower, which in the desert is a welcome addition.

It wasn’t the whales or the dolphins that I remember most, nor the long lines of pelicans skimming the sea in formation, nor the skitters of fish or schools of eagle rays and jumping jacks that suddenly erupted from the water beside our kayaks in their attempt to escape predators. Instead I was fascinated by seeing beached and bleached puffer fish, also called appropriately balloon fish and porcupine fish. Although they puff up when agitated, it was their armour of hard scales that amazed me.

In Baja even the common things are different. I lay awake some nights from sunset to sunrise looking through the mesh of my tent at the moon, the sun and the stars. One night the moon sprouted wings, silver bands stretching out on each side like a dragonfly. I tried to take photos but they disappeared when I opened the mesh. An illusion. Looking east to the sea at sunrise, bands of gold streamed pathways to my door, the sunlit clouds fluffy pink meringues.

Lyn Hancock is the author of There’s a Seal in my Sleeping Bag, There’s a Raccoon in my Parka and numerous other books, and has boated

the west coast of North America between California and Alaska in a 16-foot Avon

rubber dinghy. And back when Baja wasn’t even a Mexican state and Cabo San Lucas

was just a fishing village, Lyn planned a film expedition to round the peninsula by rubber

boat. She now lives in Nanoose Bay. www.lynhancock.com

Adventure Destinations

A Sally Lightfoot crab and an uninvited guest visit the camp; ‘Cactus Camp’ just south of Timbabichi; the Pearl Diver’s Mansion in Timbabichi; Mary Mejholm relaxes after a very long day that began at 4 a.m. and ended at Punta Mechuda and Arroyo Verde. The reward was a two-night stopover.

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 19

The middle of nowhere

Lyn Hancock finds an artist’s palette

in the Baja landscape

FijiPart One by Lyn Hancock

A puffer fish, beached and bleached.

20 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

Adventure Destinations

Mary Mejholm paddles past pink-banded bluffs near San Avaristo; smooth, red volcanic rocks at the camp at the end of a white sand beach at Punta San Telmo.

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 21

FijiPart One by Lyn Hancock

22 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

DAY 24: Leah and I left the Rio Mulegé and started paddling directly across to Punta

Concepción, a distance of seven nautical miles. And why not? It was calm with a gentle swell – a beautiful day. We had just spent the last three nights in Mulegé waiting out a norte wind and we were feeling excited to be on the water again so close to our goal, Loreto.

Mid-crossing with land at least a couple miles away I looked towards Leah’s boat and saw a big grey fin beside her. I put my arms up in the air and exclaimed, “What is that!” Leah casually looked beside her and said, “I think it’s a shark.”

We had been looking for whale sharks the whole way, and so far hadn’t seen one. I paddled away while Leah turned around for a better look. But it was gone, and we continued on to the point.

THERE WERE five of us: Leah Blok, Mikki Bartel, Josh Pelletier,

Nick Gallant and myself. We drove down in two cars from Canada with kayaks and gear, ready for an adventure with a launch from a small town called Puertecitos, about 60 kilometres south of San Felipe. We arrived with a strong norte wind blowing and big, breaking waves. That was fine; we had to wait for Josh and Leah to shuttle the cars to where we hoped to finish in Loreto. So while we waited we practiced some kayak rescues in the sheltered bay and enjoyed the natural hot springs a short walk away. Three and a half days later Leah and Josh returned and so on Nov. 9 we left and paddled south.

The coastline of the Baja Peninsula has big sections with no road access and no fresh water along the way. So each of us carried 30 litres of water and whenever we got to a town we restocked both water and fresh food to augment our dried supply. Meanwhile, Josh and Nick were both always keen to catch our dinner.

Small local and gringo communities or fish camps along the way were a blessing. We occasionally camped in them, aided by the amazingly kind and helpful residents. Cold beer, fresh bread, leftover Halloween candy, internet use to check the weather forecast, water and fishing lures were all freely given.

We broke the trip down into three legs. The first leg was Puertecitos to Bahiá de

Water & wind

Adventure Destinations

The camp at Calamajue.

Paddling toward the sunrise at Punta Mercenarios.

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 23

los Ángeles. This leg was 127 nautical miles and took us seven days. We started the trip with a sighting of a fin whale, and a coyote visited us at our first campsite. Sea turtles were plentiful but they were shy, so we usually just got a glimpse. The amazing rock sometimes looked like Neapolitan ice cream with so many colours, from cream to chocolate brown.

Nearer to Bahiá de los Ángeles are some big islands. Because of the constriction in the water around them there are some points that can have strong currents and choppy waters when windy. One of these points is Punta Remedios. As we passed there was a gusty wind blowing down from the mountains. Sometimes we had a headwind and sometimes it was coming from the side. The water was actually not really choppy because the fetch was not big enough to make the water rough close to shore, but the wind slowed us down. After punching past a few points we thought we were done but turning around a corner I realized that, no, the final headland was still ahead of us. At this point there were no mountains and the point was actually around a long, flat section of land. So now the wind was more intense and after paddling hard and with it being late in the day we decided that we probably didn’t want to battle the wind much more anyway. It was so gusty it was picking water up off the ocean and swirling it around in little tornado-like formations.

So we pulled over for what became our most uncomfortable camp – a boulder rock ridge along the shore with a lagoon on the other side. We didn’t set up tents; there was nowhere to put them and they would just blow away. As I was blowing up my sleeping pad a gust of wind ripped it from my grasp and blew it away into the night. I ran across boulders chasing it with my flashlight, just barely seeing it flipping away. Lucky it landed in the lagoon and Josh wadded out to retrieve it. If it had landed on the ocean side I guess I would have had to go for a swim, or just wish it a fond farewell.

THE SECOND LEG was from Bahiá de los Ángeles to Santa Rosalia.

This leg was 153 nautical miles and took us 10 days. We were still looking for whale sharks and the locals in Bahiá de los

Sarah Hauser reflectson a 27-day day,

400-mile journey down the Sea of Cortez

FijiPart Two by Sarah Hauser

A group farewell at Santa Roasalia as Mikki departs the group.

24 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

Ángeles told us that some had been seen in the bay. As we paddled away we were keeping our eyes on the water looking for signs of them. Off in the distance I saw two whale blows. These turned out to be two fin whales. Mikki and Leah, who were paddling away from the rest of us, were lucky enough to get really close to these huge animals. Yikes! They are up to 24 metres long, and weigh over 70 tons. As they passed I saw another blow ahead. It was a lot smaller and this animal was showing more of its body when it surfaced. Then it fluked and it turned out to be a humpback, looking so small after seeing the fin whales.

The biggest stress on this section was the fact that Mikki had a flight booked with a firm date to be in Santa Rosalia. North of Santa Rosalia there is a big volcano mountain called Cerro la Reforma. Our guide book told us that this coast was exposed with few landings, and of course another norte started to blow, so we spent three days waiting for the wind to die with Mikki wondering the whole time if she would miss her flight. There are no weather forecasts on a VHF like

we have in Canada, so all your forecasting is ‘now casting.’ The wind usually calmed down at night so we decided to leave early one morning and so did a nerve-wracking surf launch in the dark. All morning as we paddled we kept looking behind us for signs of wind picking up. There was the odd whitecap and by 11 a.m. I finally relaxed, thinking that was all the wind we were going to get. The water was rough, though, so we had to paddle well off shore – unfortunate as I had paddled here before and remembered really cool sea caves and big tall cliffs along the shore. But by paddling offshore we got a better view of the mountain and the beautiful hillsides.

By the end of the day the wind did pick up and we surfed our way down the coast and found a little campsite just north of Santa Rosalia to spend our last night with Mikki.

THE LAST LEG of the trip was from Santa Rosalia to Loreto. This

leg was 122 nautical miles and took us seven days. The highway parallels much of the coast here between Santa Rosalia and Mulegé. We took two days to get to Mulegé and camped up the river there at a nice drive-in campsite. It was on an orchard – oranges anytime! The wind came again so we spent two days there hanging out with some folks who drive

their RVs down from Canada and spend the winter here.

The last day of the trip started out beautiful and sunny. We actually wanted a tailwind, but it took its time developing. As we got closer to Loreto clouds started to build and the rain came – big heavy drops of rain. We paddled into Loreto with a tail wind perfect for surfing, pouring rain and a huge rainbow behind us. It was an awesome finish. What a trip!

LEAH AND I had paddled separately from Josh and Nick for the last leg

of the trip. They drove back to Canada and we got an email from Josh saying he had some insight on our shark sighting. They had stopped in Mulegé to say hello to the folks there. They were told that the local fisherman had seen a great white shark out in the bay a few times. I looked up great white shark fins on the internet and the photo I found certainly looked like the fin that Leah had right beside her boat. We will never know for sure, but perhaps that was the shark that had swam below us.

Sarah Hauser is a Level 3 sea kayak guide and guide certified trainer with the SKGABC. She

has worked around Vancouver Island, the BC Central Coast and Baja Mexico. This is her

first published article.

Adventure Destinations

A pancake breakfast , complete with Canadian maple syrup, on a layover day at

Bahai Santa Ana.

Mkki and Leah battle gusting headwinds towards Punta Remedios.

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 25

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THE ONCOMING CAR was flashing its lights. I assumed that this was the usual friendly

warning about a cow on the road ahead. As I crested the next hill, I saw a transport truck coming my way in the wrong lane. Fortunately I found a small pullout between the road and the cliff.

Driving the Transpeninsular Highway in Baja can be an adventure, yet every year thousands brave the road as they drive south to the warmth, deserts and beaches of Baja California.

I did a two-month road trip in the winter of 2013, kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Isla Carmen, Bahía Concepción and Bahiá de los Ángeles. Here are some observations from my trip that could help in your own Baja explorations.

Camping: As I paddled through two-metre seas towards Isla Danzante en route to Isla Carmen, the island looked like a rock wall that dropped off into deep water. I was surprised to find good camping beaches on Danzante which became one of our favourite islands of the trip. The geology of Baja is kind to kayakers. The relatively soft rock has eroded over millions of years to create beaches and good camping spots in the most unlikely places. One of the more popular long paddles in Baja is the trip from Loreto to La Paz. There are many good campsites along the way. All of the larger offshore islands in Baja have good places to camp.

Water: Water is more of an issue for kayakers. The usual requirement for three litres per person per day means carrying

two full 10-litre dromedary bags for a six-day trip around Isla Espiritu. For a 10-day circumnavigation of Isla Angel de la Guardia, Antoni Murcia (whose travels are penned under the name Toni de Baja) bought a Katadyn Survivor 35 water desalinator and rigged it up as a footpump in his cockpit so that he could produce drinking water as he paddled. Desalinators are revolutionizing long-distance kayak travel in Baja for hardcore kayakers. Kayak tourers in Baja usually rely on an outfitter’s panga for supplies.

Wind: A woman I knew died in a windstorm while kayaking in Baja. She did a long crossing from Isla Coronado to Isla Carmen. A strong norte separated her from her friends and eventually caused her to capsize. Twelve hours later exhaustion

Driven to explore

Gerhardt Lepp offers insight

into the logistics of Baja trips

Adventure Destinations

Susie Marsh kayaks by an arch at Isla la Ventana in Bahía de los Ángeles.

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 27

and hypothermia took its toll on her and her last radio call was logged by sailers in Loreto. As a result, kayak guiding companies are reluctant to rent kayaks for long trips. Be prepared to produce Paddle Canada Level 2 or other certification if you want to rent kayaks for a tour.

I kayak toured Baja in December and January, two of the windiest months of the year. A four-day storm in La Paz was the only serious limitation to our trip. The wind and sea state was calm most mornings. We usually made camp before the afternoon wind got too strong. Fortunately SailFlow.com provided good

coverage and accurate forecasts for our trips. There is an 8 a.m. weather report on 22A, but it is not accessible on most beaches.

Sailers were very helpful with weather forecasts. They often received forecasts and talked to other sailers about wind and wave conditions. I never resorted to an ‘all stations’ call requesting a weather forecast, but that is a valuable option when planning a long crossing. We encountered one- to two-metre seas on several occasions on long crossings and when rounding exposed points of land. Our most exciting day on the water occurred

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Gerhardt and Susie Marsh pose with an old sailer statue on the Malecon in La Paz.

Kissing kayaks at a campsite on Isla Carmen near Puerto Escondido.

A sea cave large enough for a panga to fit in on the east side of Isla Carmen.

as we tried to circumnavigate Isla Carmen and encountered steep three-metre seas on the exposed north-east side.

Sun and Temperatures: Most days started with toques and two layers of fleece but we always stripped down to shorts as soon as the sun came up. Weather forecasts in Baja are pleasantly monotonous: sunny, clear, 25° Celcius and windy in the afternoon. The heat and sun are punishing in Baja in the summer months, though, and starting in March kayakers scramble to put up a sun tarp as soon as they reach the beach. In the winter months, the sun is gentle and warm. ►

28 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 29

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Wildlife: At Ojo de Liebre we took a panga tour hoping to get up close to a gray whale. After two hours our hopes faded as the panga driver headed for shore. Then a gray whale with a calf approached the panga and the dance began. Eventually the mother whale tucked her nose under the panga and waited while we reached into the water and touched her. We have come a long way since 1858 when Capt. Charles Scammon in the brig Boston led a whaling expedition into the lagoon and killed about 200 breeding whales and reduced them to 7,000 barrels of oil.

At Bahiá de los Ángeles we saw a humpback whale feeding on a school of fish. We tried to catch a photo of the turbulence from his bubble net as he lunged above the surface. Meanwhile, the blue-footed boobies and brown pelicans circled and dove over and over again in their own fishing ritual. In Canal de Ballenas (Whales Channel) we saw humpbacks, minke, grays and orcas. Fin,

blue and pilot whales are not uncommon. The islands in the Gulf of California

have been described as the poor man’s Galapagos. Despite the fact that it is desert, there is a surprising amount of life on the islands. The gulf is one of the more productive ocean environments in the world – even if it is a pale shadow of what it used to be. Bahiá de los Ángeles is the only place where I have seen four species of whales from the same spot.

Many of the islands look like a rock wall devoid of campsites from a distance, but when you paddle up to them beaches and campsites suddenly appear. It’s a magical place and I will be going back.

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CrossingsA look at what’s involved in

long open water stretches from the perspective of two kayakers who

have been there, done that

Skillset

The launch point for a 120-km crossing from Dog Island in Anguilla. Inset: the brothers celebrate after arriving in Tobago, their first Caribbean stop away from the coast of South America.

32 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 33

FEW UNDERTAKINGS in sea kayaking are more intimidating than long crossings. Those

stood out as the major hurdles on the epic 6,500 km kayak expedition from Brazil to Florida by Russell and Graham Henry. Over the course of their trip they completed thirteen crossings of 50 kilometres or more, as well as several monster crossings like the 150-km stretch between the Dominican Republic and Turks and Caicos, a leg that took 27 hours of non-stop paddling.

Few paddlers will ever require crossings of that length, but what starts out as a potential wall in your trip planning may not be such a large factor in the end. An excerpt from a blog entry by the Henry brothers conveys their evolving spirit: “The crossing to Beach Cay in the Bimini chain was 100 kms. We left at 1 a.m. and arrived at 4 the next day. It was the kind of crossing we didn’t even really bat an eyelash at. From all the previous crossings under our belt this one seemed just like another day at the office.”

If you are planning your own crossing,

many of the same strategies come into play whether you are undertaking a modest one or a gigantic one. Here are elements to consider.

Do your homework: Before dipping a blade in the water, have a really good overview of what to expect from your route, including local weather patterns, wind speeds, fetch, tides and currents, marine traffic (particularly the prospect of crossing shipping lanes), likely conditions at your landing site, hours of daylight available and any possible alternative plans.

“A lot of this information can be obtained from talking to locals and other people out on the water. Especially in a strange and new place, the people that travel those waters every day typically know best,” Graham says. But check those facts.

“We found that everyone wants to help no matter whether they actually know the answer or not. The Internet is obviously a great resource and trip accounts on blogs are as close as you can get to first-hand experience.”

Assess yourself and your partners: Honestly establish your paddling abilities and limitations and those of your companions. Despite being brothers, the

Henrys didn’t naturally paddle at the same speed: “We had to be mindful of that – no big deal, but it was something that we had to manage to ensure that we stayed close enough together.”

This type of assessment should continue throughout the trip.

“It is key to keep the communication going throughout the crossing to make sure everyone involved is in as good a shape as possible. It’s easy to hunker down and get into your own world but you are only as strong as your weakest member. In a big crossing these group dynamic clichés become incredibly important.”

A tragic example of a failure in communication is one crossing that ended in a fatality in 2007. It involved crossing Johnstone Strait on northern Vancouver Island from Telegraph Cove to Hanson Island, about four kilometres across potentially volatile waters, especially when wind opposes current to create choppy conditions. That was the case that day, forcing the lead kayaker to concentrate wholly on his own situation so that he wasn’t aware of his partner’s difficulties until he had completed the crossing. Thirty minutes after calling a mayday, his partner’s body was found nearby.

►

Fijiby Alex Matthews

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 33

34 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

optimal wind forecasts for our crossing from the Dominican to Turks and Caicos,” Russell says.

It’s also worth remembering that one of the hardest decisions for paddlers is to turn back. Turning around and retreating is not easily done. Once launched, we tend to succumb to tunnel vision and press on regardless of conditions.

Live out of your cockpit: Everything that you need should be available without having to open a hatch.

“All your food, water, clothing, all your essentials should be within easy reach. We were big fans of stashing pop-top cans of Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli behind our seats. Two of those and a can of fruit cocktail is a great meal.”

Big Crossings and sleep: The Henrys are clear on this: “That’s easy – it’s not going to happen. We played with some outrigger setups, but it was scary.” It might just happen regardless, Graham says: “Although we thought it was impossible, Russell did actually fall asleep while paddling forward.”

Nature will also take its course eventually, no matter your determination.

“We chose to outrun sleep but if our crossings had been any longer (30 hours plus) it would have truly been a necessity.”

Mental: Russell’s advice: “Shut it off. Lose your mind. Talk. Talk about anything, and keep paddling.”

Final Thoughts: The sea kayaking community is typically represented by a very conservative and profoundly risk-adverse collection of paddlers. And yet we sea kayakers also celebrate epic trips and are inspired by amazing feats of endurance and courage. There is often a tension between the desire to ‘play it safe’ and to embark on an adventure. The trick is perhaps to find your own comfort levels and then to pursue your personal goals in the most positive ways you can. As the Henrys have demonstrated, with preparation, application, and resolve, amazing feats are entirely possible in small human-powered craft.

For more information on the Henry brothers and their expedition visit www.henrykayak.com. Alex Matthew is Coast&Kayak Magazine’s skills guru and author of Sea Kayaking: Rough Waters (Fox Chapel Publishing).

Navigation: GPS is a wonderful tool, but you should not be wholly dependent on it: units can be lost, batteries will die and electronics can fail. Charts and a compass and the knowledge of how to use them are important backups.

A major consideration for the Henrys on their big crossings was when they were going to land: “Often we might be launching in the middle of the night, because we absolutely had to be landing in daylight. Can you imagine after 20 hours of paddling, trying to land through surf, on a beach you’ve never seen… in the dark?”

Communication: VHF radios allow communication with other marine traffic, can summon help in emergencies and also work really well for communication between paddlers.

The Henrys also used a Delorme inReach Satellite communicator to track GPS coordinates, allowing friends and family to follow their progress via MapShare. It can also trigger an SOS and send and receive text messages.

“It was a great way to stay in touch with our support network back home – we could even text back and forth with mission control and get updates or advice in key situations.”

You only have control over the conditions in which you leave: Once committed, you will have to react and deal with whatever comes your way. So don’t rush. “We waited 10 days to get the

Skillset

Customs difficulties in the Domincan Republic.

The boats on a very long beach on Ilha de Marajo in the Amazon river delta.

Heading off on the longest crossing of the trip out of Luperon Harbour in the Dominican Republic aiming for the Turks and Caicos.

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 35

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While far from being the longest crossing I’ve done, the route between Isla Coronado and Isla Carmen in Baja Mexico is one that I have traveled repeatedly while guiding week-long commercial kayak trips out of Loreto on the Sea of Cortez.

The crossing is only about 10 kilometres, but with novice paddlers capable of only a two-knot cruising speed, it still represents three hours of open water paddling.

A few cardinal rules established a strong protocol for completing the crossing safely.Assessment: The crossing took place on the second day of the trip, allowing the

first day of paddling to serve as a tune-up for clients and for guides to assess the group and figure out who were the stronger, faster paddlers and who would be struggling to maintain pace.

Tandems: Although we ran single kayaks, we also always included at least one tandem, which allowed us to pair up weaker paddlers with stronger ones (invariably one of the guides), thus leveling the overall cruising speed of the group and making it much easier to keep the group together and still make good headway.

On one occasion, about halfway across, I even transferred a very seasick guest from her single kayak into the bow of one of our tandems. It allowed the patient to recover while being ‘chauffeured’ across and provided an exciting adventure story for the guest who clambered out of the tandem and into a single to complete the journey.

Departure Time: When the weather in Loreto is in its classic February pattern, you can almost set your watch by the wind – at 11 a.m. calm conditions will give way to very strong winds that whip up the sea and make travel by small boat hazardous. The winds then drop overnight and the cycle begins again. The simple rule is: get on the water early, and be ready to get off by 11 a.m.

So for a three-hour crossing we needed to be on the water paddling by 8 a.m. at the very latest. Communicating the need for an efficient early start from the group was key. Getting everyone up a little before dawn, providing a simple and quick breakfast and prepping for departure with a little more urgency all helped to ensure getting off the beach within our timeframe. Failure to do so would necessitate reevaluating options and possibly waiting until the next day to cross.

Communication: A simple but highly effective strategy for managing a group of kayakers is to have a lead paddler who no one can pass and a sweep paddler who must always bring up the rear as the last paddler in the group.

For the crossing to Isla Carmen we often left our VHF radios on so that the sweep and lead guides could easily converse the whole way across. Since it is far easier for the sweep to see the whole group (the lead has to turn around to do a head count) he or she is in a better position to direct the lead guide as to pace and to indicate who in the group might be labouring, straying or requiring a break.

Weather: Baja is a windy place – as the locals say: “everything depends on the wind.” When the classic 11 a.m. wind pattern is holding, conditions feel predictable. Once that

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pattern shifts, you must constantly reassess and always be ready to get off the water at a moment’s notice.

Plan B: By purposely building in a few more days than were strictly required to paddle our route, it allowed us to sit out

a day or even two if necessary, awaiting better weather before tackling the crossing and completing the rest of the trip.

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Covers the South BC coast including Juan de Fuca, the Gulf Islands, Howe Sound and Desolation Sound. AVAILABLE SOON. Pre-orders now being taken for numbered copies. Item #101

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$5print subscriptions

38 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 39

Not your average publishing company...Our 2014 product lineup is possible only from this type of setup. It is products by kayakers for kayakers, from people who truly know the Pacific coast.

Introducing our new

waterproof mapsheets

Plus our trip planning maps...

Shop at retailers in this magazine or order online: coastandkayak.com

Broken Group Islands and Barkley Sound

Desolation Sound and Discovery Islands

Marine Trail Mapsheet

Marine Trail Mapsheet

Detailed trip planning resource printed double-sided on waterproof/tearproof synthetic stock. The essential piece of a trip to the Broken Group Islands, Canada’s premier kayaking destination. Item #104W

Detailed trip planning resource printed double-sided on waterproof/tearproof synthetic stock. The essential piece of a trip to Desolation Sound, a key Canadian kayaking destination. Item #105W

We cover all of British Columbia’s most popular kayaking destinations in full colour, double-sided detail in our recreation mapsheets with details for kayakers and travellers you just won’t find on charts. Maps are available for Clayoquot Sound, Broughton/Johnstone, the Gulf Islands and the North Coast Trail.

The Gulf Islands

Item #682

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 39

40 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

THERE IS the usual way to circumnavigate Vancouver Island, and then there is Ken

Ellison and Mark Perrin’s way.The pair’s goal is to circumnavigate

the island, but through stretches of just 100 to 200 kilometres each summer.

For the more remote regions, that can mean a planning hurdle – particularly for the northwest coast of Vancouver Island. From Nootka Sound to Kyuquot Sound are miles of uninhabited shoreline. This pristine wilderness is home to an array of wildlife including gray whales, killer whales, sea lions, sea otters, black bear and of course bald eagles. A lucky paddler can see them all in a single trip.

Some of the more popular destinations include the Bunsby Group, historic Yuquot, Nuchatlitz Marine Provincial Park, Brooks Peninsula and Rugged Point Provincial Park. The mix is sheltered inlets and stretches of open ocean with an abundance of rocky shoreline, sea caves and sea stacks to explore.

The question is often how to get there.

“Our biggest expense and logistic problem is always arranging a shuttle or water taxi to reunite us with our vehicle, especially when we only have one vehicle,” says Mark.

The solution evolved into a wet launch at Rugged Point from the MV Uchuck III. The trip to this park off

Remote control

the south entrance to Kyuquot Sound involved stops at fish farms, logging camps and fishing lodges as the ship went through its working routine of loading and unloading freight.

“We found it to be a very relaxing way to travel to our launch site,” Mark says.

“We arrived at Rugged Point and were wet launched with only a 100-metre paddle to our campsite.”

The historic 136-foot MV Uchuck III is operated by Get West Adventure Cruises, which departs on regularly scheduled runs from Gold River. Kayakers can load

Trip Planning

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 41

Uchuck III solves a planning hurdle

for pair on lengthy island

venture

kayaks and provisions and enjoy a marine cruise aboard a working marine cargo vessel. A cargo winch system and a lifting platform is used to retrieve supplies from the hold and drop them off on wharves at the various stops along the way.

►

FijiBy Neil Havers

Mark Perrin is prepared for a ‘wet launch’ at Rugged Point near Kyuquot.

42 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

This same system is used for kayak wet launches. Kayaks are positioned onto the lifting platform on the ship’s deck with the kayaker in position, ready to paddle. As the paddler hangs onto the cables, the lift platform is lowered overboard to just below the ocean’s surface, allowing the paddler to simply paddle off on his or her adventure. These wet launches take place

at select locations along the route close to key paddling destinations.

Talking to the captain, Ken and Mark learned that the MV Uchuck III will also pick up kayakers along her regular weekly routes.

“I have an InReach (a two-way satellite communicator), so when we knew when ►

Come and Explore!See the area’s first monumental pole raised in Gwaii Haanas in over 130 years.

Venez explorer!Admirez le mât héraldique géant qui a été hissé à Gwaii Haanas, le premier dans la région depuis plus de 130 ans.

Trip Planning

The Uchuck III under power and at Yuquot on

Nootka Island; Capt. Gord Lucas at the helm.

Conc

ept P

hoto

grap

hy to

p tw

o ph

otos

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 43

44 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

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we would arrive in Nootka Sound I sent an email to Get West’s office and arranged to be picked up on the Friday afternoon as the ship was returning to Gold River. We talked to the captain on our VHF radio and he told us where and when to be so they could literally pick us up,” Mark says.

“This was my favourite kayaking trip on Vancouver Island. The scenery on the west coast is fantastic and the experience with the Uchuck and being able to avoid car shuttles and all the logistics involved was great,” Ken says.

For Mark, the real highlight was the actual wet launch and pick-up on the ship.

“I am pretty sure most kayakers have not experienced this and they will talk about it for quite awhile.”

Kayak and gear rentals are also available.

For more information on the Uchuck III, visit www.getwest.ca. The other working

freight vessel plying the BC coast is the MV Frances Barkley. See ladyrosemarine.com. Neil

Havers has visited many of the islands and remote villages on the west and east coast of

Northern Vancouver Island as a kayaker and photographer.

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SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 45

Plan your West Coast adventure

Nature

Kayak launchGateway to the world-famous Broken Group Islands

Toquaht culture

Adventure

Paddle the ancient waters of Barkley Sound, BC, where time and place stand still. The Secret Beach kayak launch is in the heart of Toquaht Nation traditional territory and is a short paddle away from the breathtaking Broken Group Islands. Camping available to extend your stay!

www.secretbeach.ca

WHALING STATION

46 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

ONE DAY in the early 1990s, a pickup truck drove slowly and carefully along Isabella Point

Road on Saltspring Island to an old unused logging spur road near Musgrave Landing.

It was carrying a wooden outhouse complete with a little round doorknob and tiny diamond-shaped windows. No doubt the tall load teetered, in spite of being secured with multiple ties. It finally had to stop as the road became too steep, though fortunately not too far from its goal. Four men then got out, opened the tailgate and assessed the situation.

The outhouse had to be carried to its resting place on a level spot just above a little beach, about one kilometre south of Musgrave Landing. And this they did. So the outhouse has sat, quietly and rarely visited, hidden within the forest just up from its little beach.

The relatively lonely vigil of its past, however, is about to be shattered. On June 21, this humble little BC Marine Trails outhouse will be the focus a of a huge flotilla of paddlers.

Here’s why:Sometime around 1986 a paddler

named Donald Flook built an outhouse, partially out of recycled materials, on his Saltspring Island property on Isabella Point Road. He was happy with his outhouse, but perhaps it didn’t get as much use as he had expected. A few years later Donald became inspired by the ideals of the BC Marine Trail Association, which was started in the early 1990s by Pete McGee and Chris Ladner. This association worked for a decade or so to create a vision of a marine trail along the BC Coast. When the organization leased Blackberry Point on Valdes Island and installed a composting toilet on the site, it gave Donald an idea. He and some friends knew of some Crown land parcels on the southwest side of Saltspring Island and were hoping to give it some form of conservation or recreation status. The plot of land and its beach just south of Musgrave Point were on one of these parcels, and it seemed the most fitting candidate for a BC Marine Trail site. So why not anchor it for the future with

the installation of an outhouse? Donald offered his outhouse to this worthy cause, the Lands Ministry granted the request, and the deed was done.

A few years later, the BCMTA dissolved as support waned. The outhouse and site near Musgrave Point became forgotten by all but a few paddlers who stopped at Musgrave for an occasional rest break. The BCMTA vision itself became forgotten except by a few diehards, and the Blackberry Point lease expired and could not be renewed. The marine trail dream seemed to be crumbling.

In December 2007, a renewal of interest occurred and the result was the formation of a new organization, this time called the BC Marine Trails Network Association. It wasn’t until the Saltspring Island Paddlers joined the membership of the BCMTNA in 2011 that a link to the outhouse was made. Now, in 2014, the BCMTNA is ready to install BC Marine Trails signs on some sites in its growing trails network. It seemed only appropriate Musgrave Point should be the first for the honour.

On June 21 we’re expecting at least 100 paddlers, hopefully more, to launch from various launch points on Vancouver Island and also nearby marine trail campsites to converge into a grand flotilla as they cross Sansum Narrows and arrive at the little Musgrave Point Beach site. A media boat will be just offshore photographing the flotilla as it arrives to salute the beach and its guests. After the boats are all ‘parked,’ the sign will be put up with great fanfare, and a feast of snacks and cake will occur around the newly constructed marine trail picnic table.

To participate, go to the BC Marine Trails website at www.bcmarinetrails.org and follow the links to News/Gulf Islands & Musgrave Point Event, and follow the instructions to register. Registered paddlers will be eligible for several draw prizes donated by paddling outfitters during the celebration.

See you there.

Stephanie Meinke is president of the BC Marine Trails Network Association.

The little outhouse that didBy Stephanie MeinkeThe Gulf Islands

Generally outhouses aren’t commemorated, but the BC Marine Trails Network Association is making an exception for the Musgrave Point marine trail site. It will be the first marine trail campsite to receive a sign and so will be the focal point of a special kayak flotilla to mark the occasion on June 21. Above: the truck moving in the privy; the gang at work on the infrastructure; and Donald Flook proudly presents his creation.

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 47

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The Gulf Islands are laid out in full colour, 22x36” both sides in a reference designed by kayakers for kayakers. It’s the essential part of your Gulf Islands kayak kit.

48 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

VISITORS WHO TRAVEL to Desolation Sound have probably marvelled at the scenery in Jervis

Inlet on the ferry crossing from Earl’s Cove to Saltery Bay. Somewhat ironic is the fact that one of the best kayaking day trips in the area leaves all that breathtaking mountain scenery behind. This trip is perfect if you find yourself with a few hours to spare in advance of the return ferry back across Jervis Inlet toward Sechelt on the way home from a Desolation Sound holiday.

This trip follows the outer northern entrance to Jervis Inlet. A large and mostly pristine peninsula ends at a rocky headland

called Scotch Fir Point. Along the way are bays, islands and beaches, with the convoluted shoreline offering a wide range of subject matter and wildlife in which to pass a morning or even a full day. Here are some details.

Where to launch: Residential pockets dot the shorline south of Powell River, most having beach accesses, but the recommended launch is Palm Beach at Lang Bay. Follow the route to Palm Beach Regional Park by turning south off Highway 101 at Lang Bay Road then turning left onto Palm Beach Road. You can launch from the park but a shorter option is at the end of McNair Road,

BC Ferries between Powell River and Courtenay

www.bcferries.com

Fuel

Coast Guard

Willingdon Beach Municipal Campground

Pacifica Papers pulp mill

25 Cape Lazo-Powell River call-in point

Camping possibleby permission of Sliammon First Nation604-483-9646.

Pocket beachesAsh Grove Cement

Domtar

Camp on beach or south headland (undeveloped)

Ideal Cement

Airport

Sand beaches.

Shelter Point Regional Park

Rough beaches

Imperial Limestone

Texada Boat Club

Recommended kayaking

N48°27

28

POWE

LL R

IVER

AND

NORT

H TE

XADA

ISLA

ND

29

MALASPINA STRAIT

Palm Beach Regional Park

Numerous beachesfor possible camping,but watch for private property

Thunder Pt.

Thunder Bay

Evenden Pt.

Scotch Fir Pt.

Neville Rk.

McRae It.

Western Rk.

McRae CoveFrolander Bay

Stillwater BayResidential

Lang BayBrew Bay

Myrtle Rks.

Black (Albion) Pt.Kelly Pt.

Myrtle Pt.

Myrtle

Cr.

Grief Pt. Beach Garden Resort

Powell R.

Cranberry L.

101

Ship hulk breakwater

Industrial area

HARWOOD I.

Harwood Island IR (Sliammon First Nation)

Vivian I.

Rebecca Rk.

Oswald Bank

Alan Bank

Cyril Rk.

Grilse Pt.

Treat Pt.Blubber Bay

Conspicuousquarry

Kiddie Pt.

Limekiln Bay

Marshall Pt.

Crescent Bay

Maple Bay

Favada Pt.

Davis Bay

Welcome Bay

SurpriseMountain

290

Cranby L.

Paxton L.

Cranby Cr.

Gillies Bay

Mouat Bay

Northeast Pt.

Northeast Bay

Pocahontas Bay

Whiskey Still Cr.

270

CometMountainRu

mbott

le Cr

.

Raven Bay

Privateproperty

Spratt BayButteryfly Pt.

Van Anda CoveSTURT BAY

Sturt Cr.

Priest L.

Van Anda Cr.

Marble BluffScott Rk.

Hodgson Pt.

Eagle Cove

Algerine Passage

POWELL RIVER

WESTVIEW

TEXADA ISLAND

M A L A S P I N A S T R A I T

Deighton Cr.

Kelly Cr.

Lang Cr.

Whittall Cr.

Hamill L.

Haslam L.

LOIS L.O‘ConnellsHill

Cokqueneets IR (Sechelt First Nation)

Lois R.

Jefferd Cr.

ScoutParkHill

Mouat Cr.

576

Harwood Pt.

Northeast Pt.

MountPocahontas

489

Russ

Cr.

259

Duck Lake Protected Area

Dick I.

HammilHill

Long Beach

W12

4°18

'

W12

4°24

'

W12

4°30

'

W12

4°36

W12

4°42

'

N49°51'

N49°48'

N49°45'

N49°42'

N49°39'

S T R A I T O F G E O R G I A

Residential

N49°51'

N49°48'

N49°45'

N49°42'

N49°39

West Coast Fishculture

N49°44.45' W124°16.11'

N49°42.47' W124°21.39'

N49°48.25' W124°31.61'

N49°47.98' W124°38.27'

N49°44.17' W124°38.18'

N49°43.79' W124°37.50'

N49°39.25' W124°28.08'

N49°48.20' W124°36.22'

N49°43.40' W124°24.76'

A Desolation diversionwhich runs adjacent to the park.

The route: Palm Beach is a nice local beach that ends to the east at the Eagle River delta, and so runs shallow throughout. To the southeast is a large bay with a busy log sort operation and a community called Stillwater. Just south is a large undeveloped bluff with walking trails. You’ll pass more bluffs and bays before reaching Scotch Fir Point. There you can stop at a good beach and clamber the rock ledge around the point, or just cruise the four islands nearby.

Conditions: This stretch will be worst in a southerly, as winds tend to funnel up the east side of Texada Island through the Strait of Georgia. But it’s a nice quirk of this area that if conditions are bad west of Texada they’ll usually be better on the east, so during the good-weather westerlies you will be relatively well protected here.

The distance: A round trip is about 15 kilometres.

Extending the trip: If you cross the mouth of Jervis Inlet to Nelson Island you’ll find a quaint little provincial park, Musket Island, perfect for a picnic. This adds another 10 km or so to the day’s itinerary.

Desolation Sound/Discovery IslandsDay Trips

This trip offers a great variety of shoreline, islands and wildlife.

Inset below left: Palm Beach at Lang Bay. Below right: a

nearshore rocky islet is used year-round as a sea lion haulout.

101

101

101

19

19

19

19A

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 49

Plan your Desolation Sound/Discovery Islands adventure

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That’s the percentage of the first 445 responses to our 2014 readership survey that indicate they plan to take a guided kayaking tour in the next year. Meet them. Join our destination marketing program.

50 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

THE DAY BEGAN in bright sunshine – the type of warm weather which invites one

to slather on the sunscreen and head outdoors. August is filled with such days, and we started our weekend at a popular kayaking destination with expectations of sun and warmth.

Reaching our campsite in the mid-afternoon, our group watched as approaching rain clouds darkened the horizon. The winds rose as we set up our tents and before long plans turned from lounging on the beach to huddling under a tarp drinking hot chocolate.

In the distance we watched another group battle the winds making their way slowly towards us. The rain and wind made for miserable paddling conditions, and as they drew near we noticed one kayak was being towed. The group reached shore visibly chilled after the long paddle.

One woman was far worse off; she had to be lifted from the kayak by her friends and stumbled with every step.

We soon learned the group had left for a day trip from their camp that morning. They planned to return in the afternoon so had left their equipment and spare clothing at camp to minimize the weight of the kayaks. With the sunny morning weather, all had dressed expecting a warm day on the water.

After lunch one woman capsized near shore. She quickly re-entered her boat

but was left with six inches of water in her cockpit. Over the next few hours as they paddled back to camp, her wet clothing coupled with the rising winds and rain chilled her. When they were still 45 minutes from camp she was no longer able to keep up and needed a tow. By the time they reached shore she was in the early stages of hypothermia.

The female members of my group hastened to assist, helping out of her wet paddling gear and lending her a set of warm, dry clothing. She was wrapped in

Summer ChillsAvoiding

Planning and Safety

50 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

A cool, calm, overcast morning is perfect for a paddle – if you can stay warm. A long-sleeve base and additional layers as needed ending with a jacket

will keep the chills at bay until the day warms up.

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 51

a sleeping bag with a hot water bottle for added warmth. It was an hour before she regained her composure.

We tend to under-dress during the summer months. Most of us simply slip on a T-shirt and head out on the water. Foul weather or an unexpected capsize is the least of our worries.

Even in warm summer temperatures, though, the ocean remains a frigid environment. Wet clothing coupled with a brisk wind will quickly reduce an

individual’s ability to function. The two extremes of summer clothing

range from a wetsuit or dry suit to shorts and a T-shirt. Wetsuits and dry suits are effective against the cold, but on a calm summer day they can cause heat exhaustion, chaffing and general discomfort. Shorts and T-shirts are comfortable during ideal conditions, but offer little thermal protection. Finding a balance is important.

Try to dress warmer than you would

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if you were on land, such as a long sleeve shirt. It is easy to roll up the sleeves if you get hot, and warm enough for most conditions. A light paddling jacket can act as a wind break. All your clothing should be wool or synthetic, never cotton. Always pack a second set of clothing in a dry place.

It is vital to have equipment to handle the occasions when we do get cold. An easily accessible dry bag in your cockpit should include a few basic items. When you start to get cold, quickly don a hat, gloves and an additional layer to stop heat loss. A high-energy snack such as a chocolate bar with nuts and caramel will instantly boost your metabolism.

The joy of summer paddling is the reason most of us kayak. On a glass-calm summer morning it is easy to forget the dangers, but a few simple measures can keep you safe and warm on the water.

After thirteen years of guiding, Liam McNeil is still looks forward to another season. He is a Level 4 Guide, Guide Trainer, and Executive

Director of SKGABC.

Summer ChillsBy Liam McNeil

52 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

A typical day of summer paddling in BC and the Pacific Northwest goes something like this: You start the day early, not long after dawn, to get the best paddling weather of the day – cool, to be sure, but it’s dead calm and so a perfect time to be on the water.

As the day warms into mid-morning, the sun becomes an issue. You don’t want to burn, so long sleeves are probably a good idea. You also want to put on the miles now, before the wind rises, so you’re risking overheating if you keep the morning layers on. During the mid-morning break you change into something lighter.

By later afternoon you’re hoping to finish the final miles before the high afternoon winds. It’s hot now, and still sunny, so you have to change again into something lighter still.

But – oh no! – clouds roll in and you still have an hour till you reach camp – perhaps more if the wind has turned against you. It’s choppy now, so you’re getting wet, and with no sun your warm afternoon layer isn’t sufficient. You dig deep into your bag of trail mix and hunker down to get the job done. But do you change again? You probably should.

The easy solution, of course, is layering. Lisa Kinkaid at Kokatat offers this:

“I think the best advice is to make sure you wear the proper insulation/baselayer so when you get hot or sweat the base layer wicks the moisture away so it can dry quickly – and don’t wear cotton. Then have proper outer layers on hand for when the weather changes.”

But what layers? Here are a few ideas.

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Dressing for the summer chillsGearing Up

Kokatat is offering two new jackets for 2014. For paddlers, jackets are great for morning warmth, protection from splashing water and for cutting down penetrating wind. They can also be removed on the water and stowed for later use when conditions cool again. The Tropos Light Drift is a fully seam sealed, quarter zip paddling jacket designed for paddlers looking for light weight. The Drift is made with Kokatat’s breathable waterproof fabric and has a soft pile lined collar, adjustable coated lycra splash cuffs and bungee draw cord waist. The left sleeve features a zippered, self-draining pocket with key lanyard for stowing small gear. The Drift will be offered in azul and cherry for men and eggplant and pumpkin for women.

The Tropos Otter is another fully seam sealed, quarter zip, lightweight paddling jacket with a stow-able hood made

with Kokatat’s Tropos waterproof breathable fabrics in high-wear areas and lighter Tropos Light fabric in the back and underarms for enhanced breathability. The jacket has a soft pile lined collar, adjustable coated lycra splash cuffs

and bungee draw cord waist. The left sleeve features a zippered, self-draining pocket with key lanyard for stowing small gear. The Otter will be offered in pumpkin and abyss

for men and apple and crimson for women.

Don’t overlook head gear! A baseball cap just doesn’t provide the necessary sun and exposure protection. New from Kokatat is the quick-drying, 100% nylon supplex Convertible Cap. It provides UPF30+ protection and a multitude of sun protection options with its removable neck cape. The lightweight cape keeps sun off the neck and ears and can be snapped around the front of the face for complete sun protection (or for the fun of paddling blindfolded!). It also has multiple venting options with venting panels in the neck cape and the sides of the hat.

Kokatatu

SUMMER 2014 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE 53

PADDLES

TM

Why Dig When You Can Glide? Visit us at: www.gullwingpaddles.com or follow us on:

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Welcome!

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Gearing Up

For base layers, fleece is always warm and comfy. Level Six’s Hot Fuzz fleece top is designed to be worn under paddling gear with a crew neck for

comfort under a paddling jacket when battened down to keep out sea spray. Flat stitches prevent chafing and the cut is trimmed for easy layering and free movement. Plus it’s ideal for after your

day of paddling around the expedition campsite. It’s made of 50% nylon, 44 % polyester and

6% spandex with a highly breathable four-way stretch anti-pill fleece. The high-pile finish on the

inside is designed to wick away moisture from your skin plus it has an antibacterial finish.

A full range of ‘Phase 2’ clothing by Crewsaver is also available for men, of course, including PFDs, longjohns,

shorts, boots, gloves, balaclavas, neck gaiters and more. But we thought we’d start by introducing the Polypro top.

The name is short for the polypropylene material, which is light, durable and fast-wicking. As with the

ladies, it features seamless underarms and flatlocked seams to prevent chaffing. But personally, we’re hoping for a free sample

of the Phase2 trapeze harness, which would be the absolute finishing touch to our

paddling wardrobe.

Crewsaver is a company that has made its name in the United Kingdom outfitting the sailing crowd, particularly competitive racers. Consequently this gear won’t be found in many North American outfitters’ clothing racks, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t be ideal for paddlers. Take the Toki long sleeve top for ladies. It is a lightweight, quick-drying thermal base layer. Paddlers will particularly like the seamless underarrms for unrestricted movement and comfort. The polypropylene material is breathable and fast-drying with flatlocked seams to prevent chaffing. It could be coupled with the Toki leggings for ladies and topped with a Zephyr ladies drysuit for full protection.

Level Six

Crewsaver

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54 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014

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Contact: Mark Hall 250 739 2830

The largest Tandem kayak selection for Out�tters.More than 10 models of tandem kayaks ranging from recreational use to full touring sea kayaks in rotomolded plastic, thermoformed ABS and composite.