Beachpebbles

Cover of Night

2011-12-17T11:41:00.000-08:00

While cleaning out the basement storage, I came across an old backpack filled with binders from high school. In one of the binders I discovered a poem that I wrote in Gr 8 or 9. It's about kayaking of course :)

Paddling under the cover of night,
Where the twinkling stars shine so bright,
I gaze up at the quarter moon,
Oh, what a breathtaking sight,

Further ahead lay a sleeping loon,
No longer singing her afternoon tune,
Head tucked beneath her wing,
She dreams of her chicks hatching soon,

Before long it will be spring,
Everyone wonders what the new day will bring,
We're all just going to have to wait and see,
For now, I take another paddle swing,

To the starboard I pass a final tree,
And break out of the bay into the sea,
Now I am once again set free,
To explore the great, vast, blue sea.

While being cheesy and choppy it made cleaning a little happier.

An Adventure of Sorts - Part 1

2011-10-19T23:31:00.000-07:00

I'm really late posting this, but a late post is better than no post :)

Matt was away for 3 months this summer, so we were eager to go on a trip once he got back. We decided that we had 10 days before he had to go to school, and I had to go to work. Realizing that we wouldn't have this much time off for a good long while, we decided to go on a big road trip. We decided to go to Prince Rupert... 1,500km away. My dream trip is to go to Haida Gwaii, but the ferry costs made it impossible for our budget.

While Matt was still in Australia, I bought some roof racks for his car. Boy they look good. When he arrived home (I'm going to admit that I cried out of happyness...) we waited a week to finish the trip preparations and let Matt visit his friends and family.

We then set off on our trip. I already mentioned that we took Matt's car, but I didn't mention that it's a manual... and I'm terrible at driving manual. Some how we were making progress and I didn't stall nearly as much as I though I would.

Our first bear sighting on the trip. We ended up seeing four.

We managed to drive to Prince George from Vancouver on the first day. We shared the driving and arrived just after midnight. After searching for over half an hour, we were unable to find any accommodation. We checked with at least 10 hotels/motels and the were all booked. Strange. Eventually we left Prince George and found a motel just out side of town... Yes! It was nearly 1am at this point and I didn't feel like pitching a tent. We slept well.

We continued on in the morning and had brunch/lunch in Burns Lake. A friend of ours originally from Burns Lake asked us to take a photo of his house, so here you go Dave :)

As we approached Prince Rupert, the weather started to change to overcast. We were warned that Prince Rupert was rainy... and here it comes. We arrived in Prince Rupert, did our happy dance, bought groceries, and found a nice campground in town. It was an excellent evening of relaxation, sitting by the fire, and watching a movie on Matt's laptop. (Hey, we're car camping, the luxuries are allowed)

The morning was misty and we decided to explore. It's a beautiful place... so much sea life, and so green.

Beautiful!

We found this guy in the shallows. I reached down and plucked him from the water. His name was Dinner. Dinner had three friends who shared the same name. Dinner and his friends were all male and were legal size, so they spent the rest of the paddle in a drybag. There were hundreds crawling in the intertidal zone!

The tourist info center (and a paddling friend who I spoke to prior to the trip) mentioned the Butze Rapids just out of town. We had to check it out. It was ebbing, so we weren't in danger of getting swept into the rapid. We eddy-hopped our way up. As we approached it looked pretty calm, but we wanted to play anyway. This was Matt's first encounter with currents. He was hesitant at first, but got into it after crossing a few eddy lines.

The rain set in, and the tide was scheduled to change soon, so we paddled back.

Prince Rupert Coast Guard.

Dinner #1.

Dinner #2, they almost didn't fit in the pot.

By the time we had finished peeling 4 crab's worth of legs, the meat was cold. It got heated up in the pan... I've never seen so much crab meat!

Sunshine! The next day we had planned to paddle to Digby Island and explore the area. Digby Island was a short paddle from Prince Rupert. We planned to hit Delusion Bay and set up camp. The next few days were to be spent on the west side of the island.

Once at Digby, we heard something exhale. Then another! And another!
We were surrounded by porpoise!

They were playing around our boats, and herding fish.

We left the porpoise pod and stopped for lunch. The beach was covered with tiny crabs that would scuddle away as you walked. You could hear thousands of crab feet everywhere :)

After lunch we hit the water and our porpoise friends were still playing.

Now, this is where the story gets interesting.

The day started beautifully, but it had started to become overcast. Shortly after it started pouring. It was time to find a campsite.

We started searching for the perfect spot in Delusion Bay. The mosquitos and no-see-ums were out in full force. The majority of the shoreline was either rocky and jagged or swampy and wet. We managed to find a campsite WAY up the beach. It wasn't too rocky and it was right up at the tree line. We checked the tide chart that the info center gave us. I didn't have the northern BC CHS tide book so we settled with the info center one. Now I'm aware that with the CHS tide/current book you have to take daylight savings into account, but this was a tourist tide chart and most people wouldn't know about the PST/DST rule.

After checking the tide chart we set up camp. It was supposed to be a high tide (not the highest for the month) at midnight. That's fine, we can stay up and watch the water... if needed we can temporarily the tent up on the logs. No worries.

It was another great and relaxing night (either than being eaten alive by insects).

We finished dinner and sat in front of the fire waiting for high tide. As the fire started to burn out, midnight hit. The water was still far from the tent. We extinguished the fire and went to bed.

At 1am we got a rather rude awakening.
Matt gasped and shook me awake. "We're flooded!" I jumped, making my once floating Thermarest sink and successfully filling my sleeping bag with freezing sea water.

This can't be happening.

The tide had come up past the tent and had kept raising until it flooded over the bathtub style floor. That is when it woke Matt up. I was actually down hill of him and had been floating. Confused, cold and wet, we clambered out of the tent. It was pouring and freezing. We were now in our long johns and t-shirts... and soaking wet. We gathered up our floating shoes from the tent vestibule and trudged through knee deep water to the boats. I have made it a habit to tie up the boats, and I was glad that I did. They were still resting on the logs, but their tails were being touched by the lapping water.

We needed to get dry and warm. Shivering, we stripped and changed into dry clothing and our drysuits. Immediately we felt better. We trudged back to the tent, un-pitched it and placed it up on the logs. The sleeping bags sat dripping in an Ikea bag beside the tent. No hope for them.

With all of our collections no longer floating, we sat on a log and waited. The tide kept rising. It was well after 1:30am before it leveled off and started to recede. The tide chart that the info center was off by an hour and a half! Even if we added an hour it would have still been off.

We had two decisions to make, either pack up and paddle back in the pouring rain in the dark and sleep in the car, or stay sheltered in the tent and try and get some rest. We were exhausted and not in any immediate danger... we were just uncomfortable. Between the two of us we had two VHFs, cell phones, and 8 flares. We decided to stay... paddling while this tired probably wasn't the best idea.
Once the tide had receded enough, we placed the tent back on the ground and put the Thermarests back in. I put my storm cag over my drysuit for extra warmth and snuggled up to Matt... on the cold soggy mattress. It was actually (relatively speaking) warm inside the tent. Goodnight I suppose.

Somehow, Matt managed to fall asleep. I'm a light sleeper and I only managed to sleep an hour or so. At the first sign of light we were up and packing up. Unfortunately the tide was all the way out and it was a long slippery hike down to the water.

We paddled back to the car, changed and found the first hotel. We stumbled across the Totem Lodge Motel. Matt entered reception with sloshing booties. The managers were extremely kind to us. They let us use their washers and their industrial dryer for our sleeping bags. They also let us put our tent in the boiler room to dry. It was amazing having all your possessions warm and dry again. The pizza that we ordered was also amazing!

We passed out on the bed shortly after. It was 12 in the afternoon.

Lessons learned:
- Always bring a proper CHS tide/current book (I checked one when we got home and it was correct)
- Always tie up boats
- If you are staying up waiting for a high tide, MAKE SURE that it's not rising still, regardless of the tide chart

New stickers and a beautiful night

2011-07-28T23:51:00.000-07:00

My Valley stickers were starting to look a little worse for wear. They had started yellowing and they were scuffed up. I can imagine that some people are laughing at me right now, yes it's a boat and it's meant to be paddled. I do paddle it, but I also want to keep it looking good. (but there is no way that I'm buffing the hull :) )

New stickers and the carbon faceplate in the sun... oh geeze

Sapphira is becoming even more of a bling boat.

Beautiful evening paddle...

...and the sunset is caught in the sparkles.

Pretty Little Things

2011-07-22T20:04:00.000-07:00

I have just installed a carbon fiber faceplate for my skeg slider housing. Completely pointless I know, but hey it's carbon :). I never really liked the look of the big chunky plastic housing so I decided to do something about it. Too bad it was overcast today, the carbon will look even more flashy in the sunlight with the sparkles :)

This picture is from two years ago, showing the plastic housing before the faceplate.

Sterling Kayaks

2011-07-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

A friend had a crack in her boat and she wanted to get it professionally fixed, so the two of us went to Sterling kayaks in Bellingham. While there, we wanted to try out some boats. Above (going clockwise) is Reg's black Reflection, an Illusion, another Reflection, and an Ice Kap.

The Reflection,

The Illusion,

And the Ice Kap.

All of Sterling's boats are highly rockered, playful, and fun.

My favorite was the Ice Kap since it was the lowest volume.

The Sterling boats have a unique skeg system. It's located closer to the cockpit and it's off center to reduce breaking. I think that the skegbox is too slim, which could (possibly) clog with sand easier than a traditional skeg box.

The Ice Kap that I paddled had a modified cockpit that mimics the feel of a ocean cockpit.

While the Ice Kap is a very low volume boat, the Reflection is a very high volume one. The Reflection is a rough water boat and was incredibly maneuverable. All the Sterling boats are fun and I would recommend trying them if you get the chance.

A message in a bottle

2011-07-16T17:20:00.000-07:00

Last night, a friend and myself were out on the water and we found something interesting. It was a message in a bottle.

We didn't search for the treasure (we both had to work soon), but I took a photo and threw it back. I wonder what the treasure was :)

Later in the evening, (I was working at this point :) ) A heron was sitting on a railing while we paddled by. As it took off, a feather came loose and fell to the water.
Blurry photo, I know, but there is a kingfisher in it to.

I guess I did get a treasure after all :)

Tall Ships

2011-07-13T17:37:00.000-07:00

(More catching up) While everyone else was watching the final hockey game in Vancouver, my Wednesday night club (minus its hockey fans) and myself set out on our paddle. Gorgeous evening! On the horizon we saw two tall ships over by Stanley Park, so we decided on that as our destination. As we got closer, we noticed that they were shooting gunpowder at each other. They started circling each other so we grouped up, brought the gummy bears out from the depths of my day hatch, and enjoyed the show. It was a lot of fun, the two ships were yelling at each other and I couldn't help but be reminded of Pirates of the Caribbean.

We had to get back for our nachos, so the five of us headed for Jericho. At this point, we had completely forgot about the game (please don't shoot me!)... until we saw a thick black plume of smoke rise up from the city. Uh oh... a second smoke plume.

I didn't take a photo, but it looked very apocalyptic. We obviously didn't win.

We're better at paddling!

2011-07-13T17:11:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post something, and I have been for over a month. I better do some catching up. In June, some fellow instructors and myself headed up to Skooks for a weekend. But before we left for our trip (loaded truck with 7 singles on the roof and all), we had to transport a trailer full of 8 doubles to another location. Everything appeared to be set up properly so we headed out… but we didn't get all that far. We made it about 30' when we heard a squeak, rattle, clank, boom, beaks stopping, and the shatter of glass. Somehow the trailer came unhitched on a bump, and we managed to put a double through the back window of the truck. Don't worry, the boats were fine.

After explaining why the back window of the boss's truck was gone, we patched it up and headed out again (with our fingers crossed that we would make the ferry).

At some point of the trip we wrote on the cardboard and plastic patch, see above photo :)

We did make it and we set up camp in the rain and the dark and went to bed. Everyone was energized and ready to surf, and it turned out to be terrific! Reg Lake (from Sterling Kayaks), Warren Williamson, and Chris Mitchell (from Rockpool) were there and they were amazing to watch. So calm and in control. Both Warren and Chris were using carbon Greenland paddles.

This was my second time at Skooks and I managed to get on the main wave! Much to my disappointment my GoPro battery didn't hold it's charge and I didn't get any boat-cam footage of myself. Next time I will MAKE SURE that it's working. I did bring my D5000 and the battery in that cooperated with me, so I got some good shots from the rocks.

Reg's beautiful carbon Reflection.

The trip ended up being amazing, even if it started off a little crazy, and also ended a little crazy

(Shhh… don't tell anyone, but we thought that the last ferry departed an hour and ten minutes after it actually did. We made it to the terminal with 1 minute to spare… good thing we didn't stop at the pub.)

Well, like I said, "We're Better at paddling"

Rolling therapy

2011-05-14T20:56:00.000-07:00

People always think that I'm crazy when I practice rolling for hours on end. I commonly get asked if I get uncomfortable or scared.

No, not really, I find it quite relaxing actually.

I'm not saying that I never get scared on the water (I've had my share of "Oh s..." moments), but I find rolling incredibly relaxing. While rolling, my mind clears and I focus on my body boat and sometimes lack of blade. I can slow things down to the point where I am hanging upside down, feeling the current on my cheeks, and eventually I will come back up... eventually. I can imagine the people on shore getting increasingly concerned at the overturned boat and no paddler emerging. I smile and decide to come up.

For me, rolling not only helps me gain boat awareness and confidence, but it's therapeutic.

This will be interesting

2011-05-14T10:35:00.000-07:00

I got a nice little surprise when I got home after work yesterday. I discovered a long skinny package covered in Aussie postage stamps. Aha! It's here!

Mick from Flat Earth Kayak Sails sent me a one of his creations to play with. I've never sailed before, so it's going to be interesting to see how the learning curve is (I windsurf a bit, but I have never sailed a boat before).

The sail is beautifully constructed and it came with a full set of lines, nuts & bolts, and cleats.

More to come on my sailing adventures, once I figure out how to set it up :)

Flat Earth Kayak Sails

Long Beach Surf

2011-04-25T17:28:00.000-07:00

Three other instructors and myself visited Long Beach on the Island this weekend to play in surf. I think we may have brought too much stuff... Oh well, it doesn't have to fit into the boats :)
There will be a video to come, but enjoy some photos while I edit. Thank you Gord and Joan for playing photographers.

I managed to get my tail up in the air. My bow dug, popped, twisted... and I ended up like this. I'm glad that I practice rolling as much as I do.

It was my birthday the first day of the trip. The guys surprised me with this and we happily ate most of it on the drive up.

Happy Birthday Sapphira

2011-04-16T17:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday marked the second year that I have had Sapphira. In those two years we have become on on the water. Today Jericho opened so I decided to head down and do some pre season maintenance.

I started by looking over the boat, checking for gelcoat chips, spider cracks, and soft spots. No cracks or soft spots. There were a number of chunks missing for the keelstrip, but nothing needing urgent repair. Screws were tightened and checked for rust. Next on my list was adding more foam to the bulkhead and foam pads under my heels. Check, check, and check.

I always blamed my sprayskirt for the amount of water in my cockpit... I may have been wrong. While washing the boat off, I noticed that water was seeping in around the skeg slider. There was a small gap around the cable housing, so I added some epoxy putty.

Now time to make her shine again! I used a marine fiberglass cleaner/wax combo to remove scuffs from the boat and to brighten cloudy gelcoat. I then used 303 Protectant on the deck and hatch covers to give it some UV protection and to rehydrate her hatchcovers.

I also changed my swim toggles so that they hang freely. Gnarlydog has an article that explains the pros. I finally got around to changing them.

The stern. Let's see if the banging drives me nuts or not.

Happy Birthday!

Projects to Come

2011-03-29T20:59:00.000-07:00

Matt and I are currently experimenting with carbon fiber and carbon kevlar. I'm not going to tell you what it is yet, but I am going to complain and say that kevlar is a pain to cut!

Capilano Currents

2011-03-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

First off, yesterday marked the first day of spring! Yay!

Secondly, with the moon being as close to the earth as it is, we had a huge tide exchange. Yesterday we went to play in the currents forming by the First Narrows Bridge at the mouth of the Capilano River in Vancouver. It wasn't Tofino, but it was still fun :)

There was a good turn out, including other Eco Staff, some of the Deep Cove Hurricane Riders, Matt, and other friends.

I can't wait to try one!

2011-03-16T10:24:00.000-07:00

The Valley Etain has been out for a few weeks now, and it has an interesting removable front deck pod and a Swede hull form. There will also be LV and Poly versions, but the details haven't made it to the Valley website yet. I'd be interested in trying the LV, since the full size would be too big for me (17'6" x 21.5" x 13.25" 534cm x 55cm x 34cm).

A sad day for Japan

2011-03-11T15:43:00.000-08:00

As I'm sure you are aware by now... Japan was hit with a magnitude 8.9 earthquake earlier this morning. The above video shows the incredible power of the tsunami that followed. I visited Japan two years ago and it's a fantastic country. My heart goes out to the people who lost their homes and family members.

Japan's most powerful earthquake since records began has struck the north-east coast, triggering a massive tsunami.
Cars, ships and buildings were swept away by a wall of water after the 8.9-magnitude tremor, which struck about 400km (250 miles) north-east of Tokyo.
A state of emergency has been declared at a nuclear power plant, where pressure has exceeded normal levels.
Officials say 350 people are dead and about 500 missing, but it is feared the final death toll will be much higher.
In one ward alone in Sendai, a port city in Miyagi prefecture, 200 to 300 bodies were found.

From BBC News. Link

This Time I Charged It

2011-03-09T07:37:00.000-08:00

I went back to the pool and actually remembered to charge the GoPro. My reverse sweep roll is back on my onside, which is nice. Matt paddled the Kap Farvel (green boat) and he managed to do some hand rolls. Dave (in the yellow Avocet LV), who has only been in a kayak 4 times, managed to do some standard rolls. I was paddling my blue Avocet LV.

Wavelength Magazine

2011-02-27T19:54:00.000-08:00

If you have picked up a recent issue of Wavelength, you may recognize someone. Check out the bottom left image on page 10.

Here is a link to their online issue (It takes a while to load).

http://www.wavelengthmagazine.com/online/

Why didn't I charge the GoPro?

2011-02-12T13:17:00.000-08:00

Last night Matt and I went to the pool to play. We brought Dave (one of Matt's friends who is a canoeist) along with us. Everyone managed to achieve something. Matt preformed his first norsaq roll, followed by a very nice looking hand roll. He was even able to recover after a failed off-side hand roll with an onside hand roll. I'm very proud of him.

Dave, who has been in a kayak twice, did his first roll successfully. By the end of the night he had it down.

And I did a beautiful reverse sweep roll (only on the one side), and a reverse sweep roll with a norsaq.

The only problem was that I forgot to charge the GoPro... oh well, there will be another pool night.

My Apologies

2011-02-05T14:50:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts for the month... I've been busy and things are a bit crazy currently. I haven't had the chance to paddle much lately, although I did manage to take the surfski for a spin earlier.

I realized that I never uploaded the rest of the photos from our Tofino trip. You saw the wet stuff, so here are the exploration photos.

We stayed in a cabin this trip so we were able to bring the nice camera gear :)

I loved the sea life on the Island. There were green anemone everywhere, and the colours were fantastic. If you haven't poked an anemone before, I recommend it. A humans skin is thick enough so that you don't get stung... instead it almost feels sticky as it tries to sting you. (Keep in mind that the skin on your fingers is thicker than the back of your hand)

Some gooseneck barnacles.

We also saw a lemon nudibranch.

(Edit: I added photos that were on my other camera :) )

Matt Paddled the Kap Farvel... That boat has an insane amount of rocker :D

The view from our cabin... I think that every view should have a kayak in it.

Sea Kayak Surfing Tofino

2011-01-01T19:29:00.000-08:00

Happy new year everyone!

Matt and I just got back from an awesome trip in Tofino. We stayed on MacKenzie Beach, but we spend most of our time surfing Chesterman's. The surf was fantastic!

Thank you Matt for taking these photos!

More pictures to follow.

New Norsaq

2010-12-25T20:03:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! This year I got a very special gift. It's a carbon fiber norsaq that Matt made, and it's by far the sexiest norsaq that I've ever seen. It has a foam core (like a Werner Performance core paddle) and a layer of 6oz carbon. I weighed it on a kitchen scale, and it's around 40g (1.4oz). I'm so excited to try it out!

Absolutely gorgeous!

I love carbon fiber :D

"For Alana, with love..."

Playing without a paddle

2010-12-20T14:12:00.000-08:00

On saturday I managed to get out for a bit to test out the new tuilik. I was amazed how much freedom it gives, compared to a spray skirt.

I was glad that I had it, since it started snowing shortly after I got off the water.

Tuilik

2010-12-17T15:32:00.000-08:00

So I caved wednesday... I ordered a Brooks Tuilik. It arrived today so naturally I had to put it on and strut around Granville Island :P I wasn't able to paddle, but I tested the fit on one of our rental Avocet LV's (crappy phone photos, sorry)

Ahh... no restrictions what so ever. I can't wait to get out and practice some rolls!

brookspaddlegear.com

Nanook of the North

2010-12-15T23:50:00.000-08:00

(Photo from www.filmreference.com)

While browsing YouTube for Greenland kayaking videos, I came across something interesting. It's a silent documentary from 1922 of the Canadian Arctic. Although it's not from Greenland and parts are probably staged, I really enjoyed watching this bit of history.

I love the 'kayak minivan' scene at the beginning :)

The Pipedreams Project

2010-12-08T19:12:00.000-08:00

(Sorry for the delay uploading this, my camera wanted to rebel and it refused to give me the photos)
After their two month expedition from Kitimat to Vancouver, the Pipedreams Project received a well deserved warm welcome home on October 30th.

Faroe, Curtis and Ryan are friends of mine from Ecomarine, so I along with a group of other Ecomariners wanted to paddle out and escort them back. We paddled from Jericho with orange balloons tied to our sterns to Point Atkinson, where we wanted to surprise them.

The group of us monitored channel 15 on the VHF, and we were happy to hear Ryan on the other end. He directed us towards the beach where they were resting.

Lots of happy faces, it was great to see them again!

The paddle back, it felt great escorting them... these guys (and gal!) really deserved it!

We were joined by more friends closer to Jericho

It was a great turnout, the paddling community was out to show their support.

The Pipedreams Project website

Greenland Paddle Construction Part 2

2010-11-12T00:26:00.000-08:00

Yay, progress! Today Matt and I finished the mold and started glassing. The mold is covered with Tuck tape, which we found stuck the best to the foam. Here it is finished, but let's not forget the mold release or else we will end up with a big mess...

I don't have any photos of us glassing, since it's a race against it curing, but here it is being vacuum bagged. The layup consists of a 8oz layer, than a 18oz, and another 8oz layer. It should be enough, and hopefully not too heavy. And if anyone was wondering what 18oz glass looks like...

... it looks like a doormat! The weave is HUGE! We did some strength tests with it and wow... it's strong.

I think that we did a pretty good job vacuum bagging since it was our first try. We're going to let it dry like this overnight and see what happens :)

Greenland Paddle Construction Part 1

2010-11-06T11:43:00.000-07:00

Alrighty, so Matt and I have an idea, we want to build a Greenland Paddle... out of fiberglass. The plan is to build a Greenland stick to his dimensions by making a mold out of polystyrene and then glass and assemble like a boat.

Matt designed the paddle in a CAD program and last night we started by cutting the mold out with a CNC hotwire.

The neighborhood cats decided to help by walking into the shop and being attention hogs and sitting on everyone's laps.

It's almost done, the mold still needs to glued together and the end pieces need to be made. It also has to be coated in glass and epoxy.

Rainy Day

2010-10-27T12:01:00.000-07:00

I'm determined to get the reverse sweep roll, so I'm trying to get the motion down. There are also my first attempts at the shotgun roll, which was successful :D

Don't rush it

2010-10-23T15:28:00.000-07:00

The process of selecting a boat, is one not to be rushed. Before deciding on my Avocet lv, I drooled over many boats, and I ended up changing my mind many times. I thought it would be fun for me to think back and reflect on what boats I wanted when I was at a certain skill level.

Necky Sky (9'6" x 26")
The first time that I sat in a kayak was up at Whistler in Green Lake. The only boats that they had were 10ft Sky's, which was fine with me. I was around ten at this point, and I didn't care that the boat was so wide that my paddle shaft rubbed the side of the boat.

Current Designs Squall (16'6" x 22")
In 2006, my parents and I went to Egmont, BC for a holiday. They offered kayaking and I was in a CD Pachena, a 14ft boat. The others in our tour were in 16ft and 17ft boats, and they were going so much faster than me! Forget the Sky, I thought, I want a long boat!

Current Designs Storm (17' x 24")
About 6 months passed and I took some rescue classes in the pool with Ecomarine. At this point, I started researching information about hull shapes and how it affects the handing of a boat. I had decided that I wanted a straight-tracking plastic boat with a rudder. I started saving up.

Current Designs Solstice GTS (17'7" x 22")
The boats were getting longer and longer and I transitioned to fiberglass.

Current Desings Extreme, now called the Nomad (18'10" x 21.25")
Ok, this is getting ridiculous... could you tell that speed was at the top of my list?

Seaward Ascente, Chilco, and Quest (18'5" x 22.5"), (18'5" x 22.5"), and (19' x 22.5")
I haven't actually tried these boats, I just did a lot of research on them and drooled.

Necky Tahsis (18'3" x 22")
It's now 2007 and I'm working at a kayak rental company. The location that I was at didn't have an Extreme, but it had two Tahsis', which are equally fast. I started taking bracing and edging classes and I realized that the boat is supposed to fit your body. The Tahsis may be long, but it has a very snug fitting cockpit. I actually still enjoy padding this boat from time to time today.

Feathercraft Khatsalano (17'10" x 22")
Folders! My parents wouldn't let me get a boat since I had no where to store it, and I also didn't have a car, so folders it was. The Khats was the narrowest of the Feathercraft boats.

Impex Montauk (16' x 22")
One day after work I wanted to try a skeg boat. I had heard good things about them, and I wasn't relying on rudders very much any more. I did research, and of course I wanted to try a long skeg boat, a Nordkapp actually, but we didn't have one yet. Meh, I'll give the Montauk a try. IT WAS AMAZING. The boat listened. I thought about turning, and with a slight edge, it turned! There was a bit of wind, and I wanted to go downwind, so I dropped the skeg... wow it didn't fight me or weathercock *happy dance* I'd been converted to the skeg side.

Impex Currituck (17' x 21.5")
It's 2008 and I'm paddling skeg only boats. I've learned to sweep roll on my on-side only. The Currituck is fast, but I begin to realize that it's too large for me.

Valley Nordkapp LV (17'6" x 21")
Ahh... the Nordkapp. I believe that it's the most beautiful production boat out there. The LV shares the same beauty. My skill level is increasing and I've started instructing. I start paddling in rougher conditions and for longer. My roll has become near bombproof and I'm comfortable throwing a boat on edge.

NDK Explorer LV (17'8" x 21.5")
There was a used one for sale in Bellingham and I was very tempted. My mindset was back into longer boats, since I believed that I was going to go on long camping trips.

Valley Avocet LV (15'11" x 20.5")
At first I was reluctant to try this boat since it was so short, I still wanted the Nordkapp LV. A well respected coworker and instructor insisted that I give the Avocet LV a try. He paddled a Romany, so I figured, if he can tour in a 16' boat, I probably can to. A few days later our Valley shipment arrived. I was working in the store with the same coworker and we brought it down off the wall so I could sit in it. Wow... the fit was amazing. I wiggled my butt around in the seat... oooo... there was a huge smile on my face. Whenever there weren't any customers in the store, I would go back to sit in the boat. When I went to try the boat on the water, my smile was even larger. I swear that it could read my mind, I wanted to turn left, and it turned. The boat was incredibly playful and I now knew what 'wearing your boat' felt like. I ordered my Avocet LV in September 2009.

Looking back at this list, some boats that I wanted make me laugh. I weigh 105 pounds and I'm 5'7" tall, and I definitely didn't need a 19ft Extreme. I've learned that one needs to take their time when shopping for a boat, so that they don't outgrow it too quickly. Asking other paddlers really helps you narrow down your list, and don't forget to try different types of boats.

Eventually, I can see myself getting touring boat that I've always wanted, but I don't see that happening any time soon. Being a kayak geek, I've already started researching which boat would be right for me. My criteria includes: British style hull, length being around 17-17.5' long, no longer, no wider than 21.5" wide, low foredeck and back decks, skeg, preferably large rubber hatches, day hatch, perimeter decklines and full bungies, bungies on front deck to stow spare paddles (I don't like them on the stern)... and my list goes on.
From this I have narrowed it down to the Valley Nordkapp LV, Maelstrom Vaag, and NDK Pilgrim Expedition. I wonder what I'll actually end up with... :P

Skeg Systems

2010-10-18T16:42:00.000-07:00

Working at a kayak rental shop, I've had to do a lot of repairs. Besides gelcoating and fixing rudders, replacing skeg cable becomes a weekly task. We had over 15 skeg boats this season, and many cables were kinked *shudders*. I believe that most is user error. They are rental boats, I realize that, but most paddlers forget to raise their skegs before they run up on the beach. When I'm working I give my renters or students a nice reminder to please raise the skeg. I've never kinked my Avocet's cable.

Anyway, my main purpose to this post is to talk about the differences in skeg systems when it comes to repairing.

photo from paddlingorkney.blogspot.com

by far, I find that the Valley skegs are the simplest and fastest to repair. The skeg wire is simply inserted into a hole and a small screw is tightened to hold the wire in place.

This skeg is from an Eddyline Fathom. It may be hard to see, but the skeg wire has been fused with the plastic. When the cable has been kinked, I find that the best way (and sometimes the only way) to release the old wire is to grab it with a pair of vice grips and twist in the same direction that the wire twirls. This breaks the bond with the plastic and the wire can then be pulled out. Once the new wire has been prepared and cut it now has to be glued into place. I like to use epoxy. Compared to loosening a screw, I find this process a hassle and it probably won't happen in the field. (Also, after the epoxy had finished curing, I went to put the skeg back into the skeg box and the little plastic hinge snapped off... d'oh)

Impex also glues the cable to the skeg, and Current Designs has the skeg cable fused with a metal clip which attaches to the skeg. CD's skegs are very robust, but the whole skeg and cable needs to be replaced if there is a kink.

photo from seakayakphoto.blogspot.com

Next are rope skegs. Boreal Design, P&H kayaks, and some NDK use them. The idea is that instead of a rigid cable, a rope is used to deploy the skeg. It's held under tension with a bungie in the skeg box. The great thing about these systems is that the skeg simply bounces if it hit a rock or something.

I haven't had any experience with hydraulic skegs, but it appears to have the best of both worlds. They bounce like a rope skeg, but can be adjusted like a wire skeg. Does anyone have any feedback on these systems?

I realize that most people don't repair skegs on a regular basis, but I may recommend checking to see what system you have before setting out on a expedition.

It fits?

2010-10-12T19:38:00.000-07:00

Whenever I mention I'm camping with my boat to those who don't paddle, they end up giving me a weird look. "You put your camping gear in that? Your tent, sleeping bag... it fits?" "Mhm", and I smile. I've had someone ask if I sleep in the boat at night, thankfully no. Even some seasoned paddlers are sometimes surprised with what you can fit in a boat. My Avocet LV (16' x 20.5") is usually the smallest boat at the campsite. I find it comical to look around and see the largest boats people to get their hands on. I used to have that mindset. My favorite boat used to be a CD Extreme or a Necky Tahsis... both of which are waaay too large for someone my size. Brit boats may be small, but it's all in packing wisely and using lots of small drybags, instead of fewer large ones. Compression sacs also make packing lofty items like a sleeeping bag, and even a tent a breeze. Tapered bags are great for stuffing items into the bow (and stern of skegless boats), so that you don't end up with a bag of something irretrievably wedged up at the nose. The inside of a kayak is a strange shape, and most items don't want to conform to it.

Gear piled up and waiting to be packed for a short trip. This will all fit in the boat, minus the paddles and PFD of course.

All packed up and ready to go (minus food and water). The tapered yellow drybag on the left contains my warm clothing. The smaller yellow bag has my drysuit (It's a funny time to dress for currently, I didn't want to overheat but there was some rain in the forecast. I was glad that I brought it.) The blue drybag has warm weather clothing, shorts, t-shirts, etc (and yes, that also got used). Next is the two compression sacs, they contain my mummy bag and tent... the tent poles are in the red nylon bag below. Both the tent poles and my mattress fits behind my skegbox. The orange ball with the reflective tape is my storm cag. Gloves are in the black thing above the MSR bag... which has my stove. The orange drybag has toiletries, a flashlight, headlamp, and various other items. Next is the small blue drybag, which has two class B flares, two class C flares, and two dye markers. The black bag contains paddles, and the mesh Bare bag has my PFD, skirt, towline, and booties. The rest I'm sure you can figure out.

Indian Arm

2010-10-07T22:39:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from a recent camping trip to the Indian Arm.

Ryan, a friend of mine gave Matt his old drysuit. It had some leaks (...ok it leaked a lot), and it needed a gasket replaced. Matt and I fixed it up and it can once again be called a drysuit. This trip was the first test, well besides the pool.

Granite falls, our campsite. The sound is incredible to fall asleep to. See if you can spot the people sitting on the falls.

The Indian Arm has two hydro stations, and we decided to play in the spill way of the second one.

Squirt Boating

2010-09-28T01:35:00.000-07:00

Alright, I have to try this at some point in my life. Squirt boating looks like a blast (and more like a submarine) :D

Just keep rollin' rollin' rollin'

2010-09-20T22:58:00.000-07:00

Forgot to upload these, they were taken by Matt when we were up in Port Alberni.

And it turns out that I do make funny faces when I roll back up :P

New toy

2010-09-19T00:24:00.000-07:00

Oh Dear, I seem to be collecting boats now... Today I purchased a used Dagger Ego off of Craigslist. I plan on using it to mess around in the surf at Long Beach and hopefully go on more whitewater trips. Since I couldn't resist playing in it, I threw it in Matt's pool. Surprisingly, it's very easy to roll. The hard chine on this boat practically throws you up once you hit the sweet spot. I even dared some hand rolls and they all worked... (*cough* except for the other onside *cough*)

See, mindlessly browsing Craigslist can be a good thing :P

Kayak Nap

2010-09-13T22:31:00.000-07:00

Kayaks are very multifunctional

Sea Kayak Surfing

2010-09-12T17:35:00.000-07:00

Here it is! I'm surfing my Avocet LV, enjoy!

Kayak Surfing Long Beach

2010-09-07T22:48:00.000-07:00

Matt and I went back to Long Beach to do some surfing. I took my boat and played in the waves. The surfing video is coming soon... I just have to edit over an hour of video =.=

Chihiro

2010-09-01T17:36:00.000-07:00

If you remember one of my earlier posts, I tired a friend's surf ski. Well I caved and purchased it. It's 17" wide, 19'8" long, and 23 pounds. It's an older boat, but there isn't anything that I can't fix.

All it needs is love

2010-09-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

Today I was asked by a customer if I could repair their boat. It's an old Necky Tofino (20' long, 31.5" wide), and the serial claims that it was made in 1988. I wonder when it last saw the sea?

This is what she looked like before I cleaned it.

Interesting solution for the seat...

Ok, these footpedals have to go, I can picture someone getting entangled.

That's not so bad...

New deck lines

I still have to sand, fiberglass, and gelcoat the hull. The hatch covers also need to be re-attached.

Port Alberni and Long Beach, BC

2010-08-09T19:50:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, I've been busy with work and school. Last weekend I went to Port Alberni with my boyfriend. He is a windsurfer and he has some friends that are building a windsurfing and kiteboarding business (Wild West Watersports), so we stayed with them. It's too windy for me to kayak or windsurf there... ok well I could down-wind kayak surf, but then someone would have to pick me up. Here are some photos that I took with my Nikon D5000 from the end of a pier.

My boyfriend looking awesome.

I wish that I was this good, but I can keep upright in 15knots :P

We also drove down to Long Beach where it was my time to shine. I brought my boat with me and surfed on 5-8ft waves. It was amazing

The Avocet LV surfs wonderfully :D

I also painted a mural in 3 days for the owners of Wild West Watersports to help them.

Paddlefest 2010

2010-06-21T23:11:00.000-07:00

Kayaks, kayaks, everywhere! I love paddlefest, it's like a giant toystore and Christmas combined.

My boss wanted me to do some rolling in my boat at Paddlefest. So he stuck an ecomarine.com sticker on my hull sometime this week. I didn't even notice until after rolling and someone pointed it out

My first time paddling a Valley Rapier. It's super fast and surprisingly easy to roll.

At paddlefest there were some skin on frame boats that a guy brought down. Two were Greenland style, and the third was a Canadian kayak. This is a replica of a traditional Canadian caribou hunting kayak. It's 27ft long... yes you heard me. It's a very high volume boat (the back deck was higher than my whole boat. I've never been in anything so tippy before! I had a hard time keeping it upright, and my balance is pretty good. It's waaay tippier than any surf ski I've ever tried. And as a side note, this is the angle that the boat rests on (It won't stay on it's keel).

The 11 ft paddle for the 27 ft boat. You need a paddle this long to stay upright.

A Skin on frame boat that I fell in love with. Very narrow, very fast, very easy to roll.

My boyfriend rolling the Anas Acuta. I hope that I don't make that expression when I come up xD

Paddlefest

2010-06-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

MEC is hosting paddlefest again this year, and if you're in the Vancouver area it's at Jericho beach on June 20th. Boat demos are free, you just have to sign a waiver. There are tours and water clinics available.

Water Clinics

Beginner
Guided Tours (10:00, 10:30, 1:00, 1:30, 3:00, 3:30)
Intro to Kayaking (10:00, 10:30, 1:00, 1:30, 3:00, 3:30)
Stand Up Paddle Surfing (10:00, 10:45, 11:30, 1:00, 1:45, 2:30, 3:30)
Kids Kayaking (10:30, 1:30)
Intermediate
Surf Ski / Paddling Fitness (10:30, 1:30)
Bracing & Edging (10:30, 3:30)
Towing (1:00)
Basic Rescue (10:00, 12:30, 3:00)
Advanced
Intro to Rolling (10:00, 12:30, 3:00)
Advanced Strokes (10:00, 12:30, 3:00)

MEC Paddlefest

Camera Mounts

2010-06-13T12:24:00.000-07:00

I've had some people ask me about my camera and how I shoot my videos. The camera is a 10mp waterproof Olympus Stylus 1050SW. It's a few years old now, and there are newer versions currently out. The one that I have is rated waterproof to a 3m (10ft) depth, and it's also shockproof to 1.5m (5ft). This camera has survived everything that I've put it through, and I'm very satisfied with it.

Camera Mount, Version 1

My boyfriend made this mount for my camera. It is strong enough to lift my boat up with the suction cup.

Camera Mount Version 3

Camera mount version 2 was similar to this one, however it currently rests in peace at the bottom of the Pacific. The 3rd mount was also made by my boyfriend and it's made from some aluminum, and leftover HDPE plastic from Feathercraft. This mount features an elbow joint to adjust the camera angle and swivelling legs to grip the boat.

Paddling at Dusk

2010-05-16T18:07:00.000-07:00

More Rolling

2010-05-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

Now with more offside rolls :P
Boat is my Avocet LV

Skookumchuck Narrows April 2010

2010-04-15T19:52:00.000-07:00

Went to the skooks last weekend

Mmmm... dinner

2010-03-21T17:29:00.000-07:00

Snatched this fellow off the bottom while paddling in the shallows. I didn't eat him (as tempting as it was to throw him in the day hatch...) but I had fun tormenting the poor guy.

Surf Ski

2010-03-16T23:21:00.000-07:00

Today I went out paddling with my boyfriend in a surf ski. I've never paddled a surf ski before, so it was interesting (edging doesn't work so well in half a boat xD). I managed to stay upright, but there were some close calls. I don't know much about surf skis, but it felt like it was the right fit (maybe a bit too buoyant, but what else it new?) . My legs weren't too high up, and they weren't straight.

This surf ski belongs to a friend who's selling it. I'm very tempted to purchase it (especially for the price).

The thing is so loooong! WAY longer than my Avocet (but soo much faster hehe).

It's also narrower than anything else I've ever paddled. It made my Avocet's 20.5" beam feel like a bathtub.

I loved it.

Maelström

2010-03-15T22:00:00.000-07:00

Since Sapphira's (my Avocet LV) arrival I haven't paddled many other boats. However, we recently got some new boats in the shop.

Maelström Kayaks are a new boat company located in Quebéc, Canada and they are built by Boréal designs. They currently have two boats in production, the Vitäl and the Vaåg. I took the Vitäl out of a spin a few months ago when we got the demo boat in, but today I paddled the Vaåg.

The quality of both boats was terrific, and rivals that of Valley from what I saw. Both have a small 4" 'glove box' infront of the cockpit, and a centred day hatch. Initially, I thought that they day hatch being centred would make it awkward to open, but I didn't have any issues with it. All hatches are the of Kajak-Sport type.

The Vitäl

Length: 16' 6"

Beam: 21"

Depth: 10.25"

This is a play boat, and is a lot of fun. I love the low volume of this boat. Both bow and stern decks are nice and low, and perfect for rolling. The cockpit has a nice snug fit. This boat has quite a lot of rocker, so like my Avocet LV, it turns on a dime. Also like my boat, once the skeg is down, it will keep it's course easily. When I was paddling this boat, a cruise ship happened to pass and I was in a shallow area, so I managed to surf some 5' waves. It was a blast! We even tried yelling at the ship to come back... ah well. Overall, it feels very similar to the Avocet LV, even if it's half a foot longer and half an inch wider.

I love how the gelcoat job on this boat makes it look like a penguin :3 (that and I have a thing for black boats)

The Vaåg

Length: 17'4"

Beam: 21.5"

Depth: 12.5"

Such an unfortunate name for such a nice boat...

I just want to point out that this boat is too large for me, and is designed for someone quite a bit heavier than my skimpy 105lbs. This resulted in me being way too high out of the water and I felt like it would have weathercocked alot in wind. The testing conditions for this boat were not ideal, for there was less than 7knots of wind. I believe that this boat would shine in rough water, much like the Nordkapp LV. The Vaåg has a tonne of rocker! It's surprising how fast it spins when edged. It felt a foot shorter while turning than it actually was. I found that it liked to wander like my Avocet LV, If I had the boat fully loaded with gear, this probably wouldn't happen. I think that the Vaåg would make an excellent play boat for a larger paddler, or a multiday boat for someone my size or larger.

Other features that I like about these boats are the grab toggles and the loops on the bow for greenland paddles.

Just incase anyone was curious (like I was) how the hull pattern met on the keel. Yes, I'm a dork.

Ok, This is probably not an issue for most people, but I hate the seats on these boats. My legs fell asleep instantly! There isn't enough support under the thighs for my sciatic nerve. The backrest on the other hand is brilliant! I'm not a fan of back bands, and IMO the foam back support is perfect.

Signs of spring

2010-03-07T13:22:00.001-08:00

I love cherry blossoms, need I say more?

Birthright

2010-02-28T16:29:00.000-08:00

BIRTHRIGHT from Sean Mullens on Vimeo.

Found it while looking at paddling blogs and I wanted to share.

Hubba Hubba

2010-02-26T00:23:00.001-08:00

I was down at mec the other day and picked up a MSR Hubba Hubba ultralight tent. I can't wait to test it out, and hopefully I'll be able to go camping before I hit the Skooks in april (which I also giddy about). This thing is incredibly easy and fast to set up. It has a single pole design that makes it idiot-proof.

A Backpacker Editors' Choice Award winner, the Hubba Hubba tent is our best-selling 2-person freestanding tent. What makes it so popular? How about its four pound (1.8 kg) weight, with more than enough room for two? Or maybe it’s the freestanding, easy-pitch hub and pole system that sets up in a flash and is strong enough to handle the unpredictability of summer alpine conditions? Add 3 setup options, 2 full-size doors and vestibules, strong aluminum poles and factory-taped seams, and you’ll begin to understand why the Hubba Hubba tent remains the best selling Fast & Light^® tent in the world.
Livable: Unique pole configuration provides maximum interior space, two doors, and two large vestibules for gear storage.
Lightweight: Minimum weight is just 4 lbs 3 oz (1890g)—about 2 lbs. (.9 kg) per person.
Quick and Easy Setup: All-in-one hub-and-swivel pole design is stronger than ever and still simple to use.
Versatile: Can be used as a double-wall tent for full protection or in two freestanding tarp-shelter modes when used with optional footprint (sold separately).

MSR's Website and information on the Hubba Hubba.

Glitter Bug

2010-02-21T20:47:00.000-08:00

Went paddling down the Indian Arm yesterday and I had someone come along for the ride. Not really post worthy, but I like the contrast in the photo. (and it was an awesome opportunity for me to take more metal flake photos)

Cheeseburger in a Can

2010-02-17T13:00:00.000-08:00

This made my day...

In our latest Canoeroots issue, our staff rates the best freeze-dried meals. I’m not sure if this new product would have made the cut, but it is by far the most unique canoe tripping food EVER.
For fast food junkies out there, this might top your list. It’s a cheeseburger and … (drum roll please)…it’s in a can. And get this, it’s as easy to prepare as heating it in warm water and cracking the easy-open lid. This cheeseburger even comes with condiments and sesame seeds on the bun.
Sold under the brand, Trek ‘n Eat, it allows outdoor enthusiasts to have their cheeseburger and eat it too. According to the company, the canned cheeseburger required no refrigeration and has a shelf life of twelve months.
This product is truly the epitome of fast food. It might possibly liven-up any tripping menu but before adding it to your canoe pack check out this video.

Canoe Roots Magazine Link

Chasing the Flame

2010-02-13T16:04:00.001-08:00

The 2010 Winter Olympics are in Vancouver. Yesterday the Olympic torch went down False Creek. Naturally, I grabbed a boat and followed along.

Flickr

2010-02-11T01:10:00.000-08:00

I've just created a Flickr account. Give me a few days to organize things and add photos.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/insearchofwaves/

Valley Website is up!

2010-01-11T22:40:00.000-08:00

After much delay, Valley's site is finally up!

And yes I realize that I'm being a kayak nerd by to checking the site as much as I do.

valleyseakayaks.com

Australia - Coastlines

2010-01-08T11:14:00.000-08:00

The beaches of Australia are simply amazing! So now that I'm back, I've decided to upload a few here. Most were taken with a Nikon D5000 18-55mm lens, enjoy!

How could I go to Australia and not surf!

Death of a Website

2010-01-08T10:52:00.000-08:00

As some of you probably already know, Valley's site has been MIA for months with no real explanation. What's worse is that there are a pair of Rockpool Kayaks on the concept page. Wait, that came out wrong, Rockpools are great boats, it's just that Valley should have their own boats on the site.

The Lorem Ipsum is placeholder text used in the design industry, so no we're not expected to read Latin.

This link has Peter Orton (Valley Owner) explaining their troubles with the site. Hopefully it will be back up and running again soon!

Valley is known for having a strong reputation attached to their boats, but having a reliable website is important to. When I'm at work, I like to be able to refer customers to the Valley site for more technical information and comparison. And who doesn't like looking at the pretty boat pictures?

Photo Dump

2010-01-07T21:59:00.001-08:00

Went paddling today, first paddle of 2010! Woo!

I also got a not so original boat-on-shoulder picture of my sparkly Avocet LV

Australia

2009-12-30T03:05:00.001-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts as of late, I'm currently in Australia having fun in the sun!

Today I rented a Mirage 530 from a hut on the beach. It's a nice boat, but just plain too big for me (I miss my Avocet LV... and paddles!). The kayak snob in me wanted a skegged boat, but this was fine. It has an interesting integrated rudder, and I can see the benefits: less drag, doesn't get in the way of towing or rescues, less moving parts, and no metal sword on your back deck. I liked the fact that it didn't have the mushy foot pedals that other ruddered boats have. There is a plate that runs across the inside which you adjust. The foot pedals are the gas pedal style. It also rolls alright, which was essential in 38C weather!

Sandpipers

2009-12-03T11:25:00.000-08:00

Went down to the beach the other day to take photographs. Nearly lost my nose to the cold, but I think it was worth it.

Aren't they cute?

Black Pearl

2009-11-26T00:23:00.000-08:00

I have decided that I want to build myself a boat.

I don't know when....

Or where...

Or how...

But I want to build one, and I want to build this one

Image from http://www.thomassondesign.com/

Meet the Black Pearl. She is an East Greenland kayak designed by Bjorn Thomasson in Sweden. This boat is designed to fit the paddler exactly, and you are shipped the plans. The plans themselves are meant to be for woodstrip construction, but it is possible (and it has been done) to build the boat stitch and glue or skin on frame. I haven't decided if I want to venture too far from the plans, since I don't have much boat building experience (I helped a friend build a stitch and glue kayak, and I have repaired countless boats at work...). One thing is for sure though, when I do build it, I'm painting it black and buying myself a tuilik.

And don't get me wrong, I LOVE my Avocet lv, and she rolls well, but the Pearl looks like it rolls it self

Click here to check out Bjorn's website for information about the boat

More Pool Play

2009-11-26T00:17:00.000-08:00

I went back to the pool to play, this time I actually did some editing and I added music. I'm also quite pleased that I managed to get my hand roll stronger.

Pool Rolling Video

2009-11-15T17:46:00.000-08:00

Yup, that's me. I borrowed a boat (Nimbus Kap Farvel) from the pool
Clearly I need to work on my Norsaq rolls...

Beach Pebbles

2009-10-13T22:35:00.000-07:00

Someone was inukshuk happy at English Bay

Photo Dump

2009-10-06T15:02:00.001-07:00

Don't really have much to say. Point Atkinson, BC.

my boat looks tiny compared to the full sized Nordkapp

Photo Dump

2009-10-05T20:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't posted in quite a while, so behold my mass of photos from the Indian Arm. Enjoy!

And yes, I have a paddling buddy who has a matching boat. It's a Nordkapp LV

Under Deck Bungies

2009-09-04T22:15:00.000-07:00

After many scratches from my pump on my front deck, I've finally added some under deck bungies.

All I did was take some nylon deck eyes, sanded them, acetoned the area, then resined them in. I then waited a day and fibreglassed them in and strung the bungies once dry. The pump doesn't hinder my ability to enter and exit the kayak, infact I don't even touch it while getting in and out. Now I have a nice clutter free deck, while keeping to the coast guard regulations (15m of bouyant heaving line, aka throwbag, is stuffed behind my seat.)

Avovet LV

2009-09-04T21:55:00.001-07:00

A friend pointed out that my Valley sticker, the one stating the serial number and the model, was spelt incorrectly. If you click the image, you'll see that it says AVOVET LV, instead of Avocet LV.

But... as you can also see, my model stickers actually DO say Avocet LV

Kayak for a cure: Hope floats

2009-08-30T21:01:00.000-07:00

Kayak for a Cure 2009

The boat line up

Instructor boats, including mine of course.

Ecomarine and Delta were some of the sponsors, you can fit anything in a delta kayak!

Burning Sunsets

2009-08-05T20:13:00.000-07:00

All the smoke in the atmosphere, from countless wildfires buring in BC, has created a string of spectacular sunsets.

Attention Dog Owners

2009-07-22T21:20:00.000-07:00

Attention Dog Owners: Please keep dogs west of this sign.

Rescue

2009-07-22T21:14:00.001-07:00

Coast Guard hovercraft was sent out the other day.

Transportation

2009-07-12T20:24:00.000-07:00

Yup, that's me, and yes I do have access to a car.

There was a triathlon on today and I was worried about parking and arriving to work on time. And, naturally, I had to get a paddle in. So, I also decided that today I just HAD to practice rolls... which requires (well not really) my drysuit... and my Greenland paddle? Alright then...

It really is amazing how much stuff can be packed onto a bike without it breaking, or without me breaking on the hill home.
What I managed to fit on the bike:
- Work clothes
- Change of clothes
- Clothes for under drysuit
- PFD
- Tow Line
- Booties
- Lunch and snacks
- Greenland Paddle
- Werner Cyprus paddle
- Werner Kalliste paddle
- Other random stuff that I probably didn't need to haul around

Would you believe that people give me looks as I go down the hill?

Paddlefest

2009-07-05T18:16:00.000-07:00

Today MEC hosted the Paddlefest at Jericho Beach! I've already tried alot of the boats that were there, but it was still interesting to see all the different boats.

The Hurricane Riders from Deep Cove were there.

But, the star of the show (Besides my boat, joking) was the Anas Acuta by Valley (white boat with red trim and bungies pictured above). It's an awesome boat. It's a greenland style boat that was the first commercially produced fibreglass sea kayak. Valley launched the Anas in 1972 after copying the lines of a West Greenland skin on frame boat. The Anas Acuta is a DREAM to roll. I've never been in a boat that's that easy to roll, not even my boat. Again, don't get me wrong I still love my boat to death!

I could fall asleep in my static brace it's that easy!

Sunset

2009-07-04T23:56:00.000-07:00

Snapped some photos before and after work. I love working at the beach!

Jelly

2009-06-27T22:12:00.000-07:00

A lion's mane jellyfish. Yay for waterproof cameras, and good thing I didn't decide to practice rolls.

Tides

2009-06-26T19:11:00.000-07:00

The power and difference in the tide exchanges never fails to amaze me.

Paddle Pants!

2009-06-24T22:24:00.000-07:00

Now, with PaddleBritches, your paddles can have their very own set of nifty pants!
Northwater has created a handy little device that safely holds your spare paddles, PaddleBritches. They are named so because they look just like a pair of doll shorts.

In all honesty, I laughed the first time I saw them on the prongs at the store I work at. However, they acutally work quite well at restowing your spare, compared to trying to shove that same spare underneath your foremost bungees. THAT doesn't work so well, unless you wanted to end up frustated and have a mass of scratches on deck. Even though they look a little bizarre, they work and I recommend them.

And for all you Greenland stick paddlers, the reflective part at the front is a loop that can be adjusted with velcro. It holds the end of a Greenland paddle nicely.

Click on this to get to Northwater's site on PaddleBritches

In love

2009-06-24T19:53:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything for a while, but I'm still in love with my boat!

Gotta love 'em sparkles...

... and that flawless finish!

That's all for now!

Valley's 2009 Seat and Skeg System

2009-04-18T20:35:00.000-07:00

For 2009, Valley Canoe Products has updated their seat and skeg system. This photo is of a friend's gold Avocet (2008) and my blue Avocet LV (2009). Yes, we like sparkles.

I find this seat very comfy, and I am happy that Valley updated it. My feet used to fall asleep, up to the knees, every time I went paddleing. It didn't matter what boat, where the foot pegs were, or for how long. This is no longer the case. My paddling partners (and my sciatic nerve) are happy to hear the end of my compaints. The backband is no longer attached to the aft bulkhead, instead it is adjusted with velcro which attaches to the sides of the seat pan. This seems more like a more solid system than before. The bottom of the seat is also connected to the seatpan, as shown. The backband is lower, which I like since I can comfortably do full layback rolls and rest on the back deck. The foam pad on the seat is similar to the old one and cannot be wiped dry. Valley had added two recesses in the back of the seat pan, behind the seat. Within these recesses are loops of cord for securing whatever you want to stick back there. I've got my paddlefloat and throwbag attached.

Although I haven't really needed the skeg as of yet, I find that it deploys smoothly. The blade appears the same, but the control has changed. It's not a modular unit with a rod and a knob that you push. It's supposed to stop cable kinks. I would imagine that this modular unit would be easier to fix/replace.

Christmas in April

2009-04-15T22:31:00.000-07:00

My boat has finally arrived!

She's an Avocet LV by Valley Canoe Products. I went for bright blue deck with metal flake, golden yellow seam, white hull and full carbon-kevlar layup. As you can see, I also got a matching keelstrip and factory installed compass because I don't think I could bring myself to drill through the deck. Since the dry storage volume is so low in this boat, I would recommend ordering a custom bulkhead and no foot pedals so save space. I find that resting my feet on the bulkhead feels better than foot pegs. Take care when measuring for the bulkhead because once it's in... it's in. Valley adds in an extra inch to bring it forward a bit... just in case.

My boat has Valley's new for 2009 skeg system and seat system. I'll add another post soon with the details. So far, I'm liking the seat and the skeg works smoothly.

Farewell Fog!

2009-01-24T18:01:00.000-08:00

After a week of fog, it's finally cleared. It felt good to see that cloud-covered sky again.

People took photos and waved at me as I paddled between Siwash rock and the shore. Siwash rock is that large rock outcropping just off the shore. It stands a proud 15-18 metres tall (50-60 feet). Height variation is due to the tides. Siwash rock has two (well two that I know of) Squamish legends (Squamish are the local First Nations).

I also noted that the water was clearer than it normally is. Although there wasn't much to look at, it was nice to be able to see to the bottom.

Pea Soup

2009-01-17T19:11:00.000-08:00

Yay for the first post of the year! :D

When you loose sight of the shore, surprisingly it's a calm and peaceful feeling. The fog is thick, the sea calm. I'm alone, and it's quiet.
I can't help but to stop paddling and listen. I lie on my back deck and relax, feeling the gentle rolling of distant swells. Every drop that falls from by paddle can be heard. I could be anywhere... definitely not an hours paddle from the center of a city with the population of 600,000. I sigh, breathing in the moist, cool, and crisp air. Realizing that the tide is doing its thing, I sit back up and continue on my journey.

Today a dear friend of mine (whom I don't know if she wants her name revealed) lent me her boat - a gold avocet (www.valleyseakayaks.com). I thank you, I had a wonderful time. However... paddling her boat made me even more eager to receive my boat. xD

Urban Paddling

2008-10-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

Today I decided to go for a paddle in the city. It's always nice to get away, even if it's in your own city.

As I slip off the dock and into comfort of my boat, I breath in the sea air. I snap my skirt into place, wiggle around in my seat, and push off. Although I hear the city counds, I relax. Paddling is my stress reliever. It doesn't matter where I am, just as long as I'm on the water.

Those on the shore watch as I pass, gliding soundlessly. A motor boat zips by and breaks my moment. Even with aquabuses on my wake, I smile and paddle on.

Avocet LV

2008-10-04T20:53:00.000-07:00

When I first wanted a boat, I wanted a large and stable one. An 'Untippable' barge, perhaps? I then envisioned myself going on multi-day camping trips, and I wanted a big 18footer touring boat. I didn't really know what I was doing then. Slowly, I started taking courses and going on day trips. I also started working for a local kayak shop. My job and fellow co-workers taught me a lot about kayaks and skills. I also got unlimited free rentals, yeah baby!

I tried MANY boats. Long racers, plump barges, day-trippers, and full sized touring boats to name a few. This helped me to learn what features I like, and dislike, in a kayak. Somebody once told me 'that you don't sit in a kayak, you wear it!' I can understand what they were talking about.

While demoing the boats, I realized something. I am a small paddler. At 105 pounds, I'm on the small end of small. This could be a problem... most sea kayaks made for paddlers in the 150-250 pound range. I liked the Valley Nordkapp (18' by 21"), but at 18 feet... it's way too big for me, even the Nordkapp LV (17'6" by 21") is a lot of boat. Impex's Montauk is a sweet little boat at 16' by 22". The only thing I dislike about this boat is that it's a little beamy for my liking. Nimbus's Kap Farvel (16' 10" by 21") is a great boat, but it's all rocker and it doesn't like to go straight.

I then discovered the Avocet LV. At 15'11" by 20.5", Valley Canoe Products has created the ultimate boat for smaller paddlers. Valley's catalogue proudly states: "The boat many smaller people have been crying out for. Despite the popularity of the Avocet (Avocet is 16' by 22") amongst smaller paddlers, the really small still felt they didn't get the most of it until loaded. Enter the LV. Not just scaled for volume but also scaled for fit. A genuine small person's kayak". Heh... awesomeness. I took her for a spin and fell in love. She handled wonderfully. It responded to every edge, and rolled effortlessly. A perfect fit. The next week I was back out on the water in 15+ knots, same boat. There was no weather cocking at all. SOLD!
I now eagerly await my boat.

That's How I Roll

2008-10-01T17:55:00.000-07:00

As a sea kayaker, I have always loved the mystery of rolling. Even ten years ago, when I first sat myself in a kayak (a necky sky on a lake... alright so that doesn't really count...), the idea of being able to capsize and then pop back up was awesome. Sure, anybody can do a 'half roll' by exiting their boat when capsized, but I wanted more.
Last year I set myself a goal. I dreamed of being able to roll as gracefully as a traditional Inuit paddler. Although it sounds simple and looks effortless, it's not an easy task. Rolling requires balance, coodination, determination, and being able to fight one's instincts. A fellow co-worker (who is a kayaking insturctor) claimed that it took him three years to perfect his roll. I then signed up for a course and prepared for the worst. Over a hundred attemps later, I was cold, wet, tired, and without a roll. I packed up and waited for the next week. On my second day I managed to barely get myself up. I dared another attempt... and success! The smile on my face must have been a sight to see. I achieved my goal for this summer and I was proud of it.
Since then, I have been pushing myself to learn new skills to turn me into a better paddler. I am also very proud to say that that is how I roll.

Introductions

2008-09-29T23:23:00.000-07:00

Hey 'yall!
Just thought that I should introduce myself. My name is Alana, and I'm a sea kayaker. Some call me keen, some call me obsessed. What do I think? Well... I really could care less. All I can say is that I'm impossible to get off the water when I've got my butt in a boat, and a paddle in hand.

Beachpebbles

Cover of Night

An Adventure of Sorts - Part 1

New stickers and a beautiful night

Pretty Little Things

Sterling Kayaks

A message in a bottle

Tall Ships

We're better at paddling!

Rolling therapy

This will be interesting

Long Beach Surf

Happy Birthday Sapphira

Projects to Come

Capilano Currents

I can't wait to try one!

A sad day for Japan

This Time I Charged It

Wavelength Magazine

Why didn't I charge the GoPro?

My Apologies

Sea Kayak Surfing Tofino

New Norsaq

Playing without a paddle

Tuilik

Nanook of the North

The Pipedreams Project

Greenland Paddle Construction Part 2

Greenland Paddle Construction Part 1

Rainy Day

Don't rush it

Skeg Systems

It fits?

Indian Arm

Squirt Boating

Just keep rollin' rollin' rollin'

New toy

Kayak Nap

Sea Kayak Surfing

Kayak Surfing Long Beach

Chihiro

All it needs is love

Port Alberni and Long Beach, BC

Paddlefest 2010

Paddlefest

BeginnerGuided Tours (10:00, 10:30, 1:00, 1:30, 3:00, 3:30)Intro to Kayaking (10:00, 10:30, 1:00, 1:30, 3:00, 3:30)Stand Up Paddle Surfing (10:00, 10:45, 11:30, 1:00, 1:45, 2:30, 3:30)Kids Kayaking (10:30, 1:30)

IntermediateSurf Ski / Paddling Fitness (10:30, 1:30)Bracing & Edging (10:30, 3:30)Towing (1:00)Basic Rescue (10:00, 12:30, 3:00)

AdvancedIntro to Rolling (10:00, 12:30, 3:00)Advanced Strokes (10:00, 12:30, 3:00)

Camera Mounts

Paddling at Dusk

More Rolling

Skookumchuck Narrows April 2010

Mmmm... dinner

Surf Ski

Maelström

Signs of spring

Birthright

Hubba Hubba

Glitter Bug

Cheeseburger in a Can

Chasing the Flame

Flickr

Valley Website is up!

Australia - Coastlines

Death of a Website

Photo Dump

Australia

Sandpipers

Black Pearl

More Pool Play

Pool Rolling Video

Beach Pebbles

Photo Dump

Photo Dump

Under Deck Bungies

Avovet LV

Kayak for a cure: Hope floats

Burning Sunsets

Attention Dog Owners

Rescue

Beginner
Guided Tours (10:00, 10:30, 1:00, 1:30, 3:00, 3:30)
Intro to Kayaking (10:00, 10:30, 1:00, 1:30, 3:00, 3:30)
Stand Up Paddle Surfing (10:00, 10:45, 11:30, 1:00, 1:45, 2:30, 3:30)
Kids Kayaking (10:30, 1:30)

Intermediate
Surf Ski / Paddling Fitness (10:30, 1:30)
Bracing & Edging (10:30, 3:30)
Towing (1:00)
Basic Rescue (10:00, 12:30, 3:00)

Advanced
Intro to Rolling (10:00, 12:30, 3:00)
Advanced Strokes (10:00, 12:30, 3:00)