Your Truly featured on SeaKayakPodcasts.com

Simon Willis of SeaKayakPodcasts.com has just posted an interview with me about paddling in the Vancouver Island area... WE chatted over Skype earlier this month and he has just finished the edits. 28 minutes...

Jan 29 and 30 - Discovery Island Camping (#6 & 7)

Dennis, Sue, John, Heike, Paulo Dan and I went over to Discovery for a weekend camp trip. George joined us for a day trip over to Rudlin Bay. Conditions were warm and calm on the way over. When we arrived there were mosquitoes about and biting! Victoria in winter!? I took the kayak kaboose over on its first real test voyage which allowed me to camp out of the Tahe Greenland! It performed well once I adjusted the weight distribution. With 70 lbs or so in it it was noticeable to pull, but not too bad - especially since my shoulder was not yet at 100%. After setting up camp, we went for a short paddle around Discovery. While over there we ran into Andrew and Jennifer. We had a bit of drizzle now and again during the day and it set in a bit more strongly during the evening. Overnight the wind picked up and things cooled down to around 2 deg C. I was sleeping in my Hennessey Hammock but was too lazy to put the undercover on before going to bed. I rectified that mistake in the middle of the cold night and then proceeded to have a good sleep! As you can see from my track, the batteries ran out on my GPS 1 km before finishing. Once again, my Comfort Paddling Tuilik worked very well and was practical on the water and on land.

click to enlarge

2011-01-30_discoverycamping 22 km, 12 NM, YTD 101 km

no paddling this w/e...

MJ wrenched his shoulder a bit last weekend and it is still pretty sore :(
... so no paddling this weekend. Hope it is better for camping next weekend!

Jan 16th - Trial Island (#5)

Craig and I escaped out for a second time this weekend. This time we followed the coast down to Trial Island and back - I had to be back early... We were graced by magnificent rainbows and many kinds of seabirds. Another nice day on the water!

15 km, 8 NM, YTD 79 km

Jan 15th - Oak Bay (#4)

Craig, George, Paulo, Dennis and I went for a 20 km paddle around Chatham and Discovery Islands and then over to Oak Bay. George had to split off at Griffin Islet to get home early and the rest of us went around Discovery. We decided to head through the Chain group and Oak Bay Marina and then over to Cattle Point. At Cattle Point we decided to see if we could turn the remaining 2 km into 4 km and proceeded to noodle our way back to Killarney, almost exactly doubling the distance.
Once again I was very comfortable paddling my Tahe Greenland with my Comfort Paddling Tuilik

today's track - click to enlarge

20 km, 11 NM, YTD 64 km

Jan 9th - Chatham Island (#3)

Dan, Dennis, George, Gordin, Paulo, Craig and I set out early from Killarney to go out around Chatham. It was fairly breezy (30 to 50 kph at ten mile point) and a strong ebb running. We made our way over to Chatham in bumpy water and then had to work hard to make our way up through the sluice. We went around to Puget Cove and into cactus islet inlet and stopped for a break. It was a bit of a slog coming back across Baynes Channel, but a good work out was had by all! It was good to see Craig out after over a year without paddling. Dan and I will be in the pool tonight to practice teaching Greenland rolling.

13 km, 7 NM, YTD 44 km.

Jan 2nd - Discovery Island (#2)

Dennis, Paulo and I set out on a frosty morning to paddle around Discovery. There was frost on the ground as we started (and still when we got back in shady spots!) and a brisk north wind (10-15 kts). My MEC Hot Mitts definitely work well and I was very comfy in my Kokatat bib pants and Comfort Paddling tuilik. There was very little swell and the south side of Discovery was very nice in the sun. We then made our way through the Chain Islets (looking unsuccessfully for the sunken sailboat) and then over to Cattle Point via the Lewis, Fiddle and Tod markers. We ran into Duncan and Jennie in the Naze and paused to chat with some sailboaters at RVYC.

click to enlarge

16 km, 8 NM, YTD 31 km.

Jan 1st 2011 - Chatham Island (#1)

John, Roy, Dorothea, George and I set out from Killarney for a New Year's Day paddle - what a wonderful day it was! It was sunny and calm and not as cold as I thought it would be! Just as we were leaving I saw John and Paula of KayakYak returning from their first paddle of the year - beat me to it! We made our way out to Cadboro Point and then over to Chatham island. The tide was high enough to get into the inlet by Puget Cove and check out the islet with the tiny prickly pear cacti (which looked as if they had recently been under water - hope they survive!). After that we went around to the south side of Chatham for lunch - it was a magnificent spot and time - sunny, no wind and a view of Mt Baker.
On our way back were able to poke our boats into many little nooks and crannies that are only accessible at high tide and then went over to Cattle Point and along the shore via the yacht club.

I think that today may be the day I have seen the most paddlers in Cadboro Bay - there were at least six different groups out there taking advantage of the holiday and magnificent conditions. What a great way to start the year's paddling!

today's track, click to enlarge

close up of the Chatham area - noodling along

15 km, 8 NM, YTD 15 km