April 14th - Sooke rock Gardens (#22)

I assisted Scot and Jordie in leading a "rock garden" class for 8 SKGABC guides as part of the guides' exchange. We had perfect conditions - no wind and just enough swell to make it interesting but not so much as to make it too "exciting". The participants all finished the day with big smiles, so I think the class was a success.

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6 km, YTD 192 km

April 19th - Whiffen Spit (#33)

I participated in the guides exchange rescue scenario with RCM-SAR 37 off Whiffen spit. My main contribution was being willing to float around in the strait for 20 minutes while waiting for them to find me. I noticed how hard it was to swim in paddling gear, but also how warm and dry I stayed in my drysuit with fleece underneath. It was an enjoyable and educational exercise. I was also quite pleased how well the Hammer paddled. I did not have too much trouble keeping up with the group.

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10 km, YTD 280 km

Jan 10th - Sooke Harbour and River (#5)

Monica and I went to Whiffen Spit where we joined Ken, David and Graham for a nice VSKN paddle through Sooke Harbour and then up the river a ways where we stopped for lunch at the second rapid. Conditions were decent with an ebbing tide all day so the ride back was fast! I was in the Tahe and Monica the F1 – light boats are great!

13 KM, 7 NM, YTD 65 km

November 15th - SISKA paddle to Sooke Basin (#104)

I led a group of 11 paddlers on a paddle in Sooke Basin. Our original plan was to paddle outside to Cabin Point, but the winds were forecast to be in the 20 knot range, so I decided to paddle the basin. As it turned out the strong winds never materialized and we had a delightful paddle along the south shore of Sooke Basin from Whiffen Spit to Anderson Cove and back via the Goodridge Islets. There was a light drizzle, but not enough to dampen spirits. We also took a look at the burnt out hulk of the boat that has been in the basin for a couple of years now – what a mess of metal!

   The burnt out boat!

18.5 km, 10 NM, YTD 1225 km.

 BTW, on Saturday I went surfing at Jordan river and had a fun time in my surf boat… nice waves and no wind:

 this gives an idea of what it was like.