George, Joan, Dan and I went for a morning paddle out to Chatham Island. It was a bit wavy launching and I managed to fill my Tahe Greenland cockpit while launching. Joan paddled the F1 and seem to really enjoy it. The tide was high enough that we were able to visit “cactus islet” in the middle of East Chatham.
13 km, 7 NM, YTD: 1256 km
I helped Gary to coach a forward stroke clinic for SISKA. We had a classroom session in the morning and then a on water session in the afternoon. I picked up a few pointers and it was wierd using a euro paddle for a change!
Interesting mix of satellite and air photo resolution in this track image!
5 km, 3 NM, YTD 1243
Dan, Dorothea and I went out for a morning paddle around Oak Bay. I took the F1 for a change and enjoyed it! After the 50+ knot winds of last night it was a surprise to see how calm things had become. We had a light westerly wind and a moderate ebb. We made our way to Great Chain Island and then through the various chain islets and then over to Chatham. We went through the sluice and then through the “dry channel” which is hardly ever underwater – today it was. There was a bit of standing wave action in Baynes but not enough to keep on busy! We then made our way over to the mooring area to inspect the various boats that were still on moorings!
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!
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:
Dennis, Gordin and I set out for an afternoon paddle from caddy bay. I got off work early after our Rememberance ceremonies and we were on the water around 1:30. We made our way out to Baynes where there were some good sized waves – we had fun surfing. I was very happy with how the Tahe Greenland performed (though I had to roll it once when I got sideswiped by a wall of water!). We then made our way over to Chatham (big current push) played in the “sluice” and made our way around West Chatham and back via Jemmy Jones. Saw David K, Ian and Nigel on David’s boat while out in Baynes.
Dan, Dennis and I set out from Caddy Bay to paddle around Chatham, Discovery and Trial Islands. We though we would have a significant current assist, but we only had it for a bit… 
Dan and I went for an afternoon paddle and roll in Caddy Bay. I snuck out early from work and we did a warm up paddle to 10 mile point. Nice afternoon and fun rolling!
6 km, 3.5 NM, YTD: 1172 km
Dan, Heike, Paulo, John and I set out from Amherst to paddle around Sidney Island. There were some reasonably strong winds forecast, but these did not materialise. It was alonger paddle than I have done in the past few weeks, so I was pretty tired at the end. The Tahe Greenland performed well in some chop at the south end of Sidney and was a good choice for the day. Paulo and I did some rolling at the end of the day.
Dan and I set out fairly early from the end of Killarney to paddle around Discovery, planning to be back by noon. Conditions were better than predicted andthe winds were quite light. I was paddling the Tahe Greenland which continues to impress me with its handling. I was able to practice some of the strokes I learned with Shawna and Leon yesterday and hope to do more in the pool tonight. I saw Liam and Sheila in Rudlin bay where they were doing a guides’ exam. Hard to believe that this is paddle #99 of the year and we staill have over two months of paddling to go!
I participated in a strokes clinic put on by SISKA with Shawna Franklin and Leon Somme. We had a great morning improving our strokes and also learning some good teaching techniques. I definitely improved my bow rudder, bow draw and bow jam strokes – a great morning! (and I also really enjoyed their talk up at UVic last night on their Haida Gwaii trip!)
Dennis and I went out for an afternoon paddle around Discovery. We stopped briefly at the yacht club to have a look at a Megabyte which is for sale. We also touched land for a few mins in Rudlin Bay to take a break. I was paddling the Tahe Greenland but did no rolling as there was a bit of a nip in the air! There was a bit of an ebb building as the afternoon progressed and it gave us a bit of a push in a couple of spots. The Tahe is a nice fast boat!
I co led (with JF) a group of grade 11 students on a paddling trip around Vargas Island. Due to an extra trip back to Tofino from Milties Beach, I ended up paddling 49 km (instead of 32 km). After some heavy rain during our first night we had calm conditions and mostly sunny weather for the rest of the trip. We took a day “off” on “Fingers” beach. Amazing weather for the west coast AND October!
Monica and I went up to Gabriola so I could participate in the fall SKGABC guides’ exchange. It was great meeting new people with a similar interest and I also got quite a few good ideas. It was also fun to show off the Tahe Greenland. Everyone who tried it seem to come up with a big grin after their first butterfly roll! On Sunday we went to Drumbeg Park and Gabriola passage to play around in the currents. I continue to be impressed with how well the Tahe Greenland handles.
4 km, 2 NM, YTD 1055 km
Corinne, Roger, Duncan, Dennis and I set out From Amherst to paddle over to Sidney spit to do a SISKA cleanup of Sidney Spit as part of the RD great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. Conditions were excellent with a reasonable ebb in the morning which turned to a gentle flood after lunch. We paddled over to the Flower Group and then to Dock Island for some scenic variey and encountered a little bit of current in between the islands. From Dock Island we caught the current to Sidney Spit, avoiding the many racing sailboats. We landed at the north tip of the spit and then proceeded to do our cleanup. Much of the debris was miscellaneous plastic bits and pieces and pieces of styrofoam. We had a nice paddle straight over to Sidney on the return and I did some rolling in the Tahe Greenland when we were back at the beach.
10 Km, 5 NM, YTD 1041 km
It has come to my attention that the Government wishes to destaff and automate more lightstations on the west coast. Having seen many of these stations and met the keepers, I do not support this proposal and encourage you to sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/Lights1/petition.html and let your friends know about this.
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