wavelength magazine spring 2010

8/9/2019 Wavelength Magazine Spring 2010

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PM41687515

Destination UclueletA look at the perfect

launch on the edge

of Pacific Rim

What you should know before you

build your own wooden kayak

Attracting the next generationof paddlesports enthusiasts

The allure of wood

Family PaddlingSpring 2010FREE at select outlets

or by subscription

Volume 20, Issue 1WaveLength

The magazine of self-propelled coastal exploration

MAGAZINE


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2 WAVELENGTH MAGAZINE SPRING 2010
http://www.deepcoveoutdoors.com/http://westerncanoekayak.com/


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SPRING 2010 WAVELENGTH MAGAZINE 3

8

18

28

Contents

4 First Word

5 News

24 Clean up the Coast

26 Skillset

The contact tow by Alex Matthews

31 Kayak With Comfort

32 Fishing Angles by Dan Armitage

38 New Gear

40 Paddle Meals by Hilary Masson

42 Rainforest Chronicles by Dan Lewis

Regular columns:This month's features:8 Its All About Family

Family Paddlingby Dan Millsip

16 The Allure of WoodFirst of a new series on boat building

18 Chasing CastlesDay Trips - San Simeon BayBy Chuck Graham

20 ComplicationsPlanning and Safetyby Michael Pardy

28 Herons of the NightWildlifeby James Dorsey

34 Gateway to the Pacific RimDestinations: Uclueletby Tracy Eeftinck
http://www.peregrinekayaks.com/


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WaveLengthMAGAZINE

Spring 2010 Volume 20, Number 1PM No. 41687515

Editor John Kimantas

Copy Editing Darrell BellaartWriting not otherwise credited is by Wavelength.

A product of:

Wild Coast Publishing

#6 10 Commercial St.Nanaimo, B.C., Canada, V9R 5G2

Ph: 1-866-984-6437 Fax: 1-866-654-1937Email: [email protected]: www.wavelengthmagazine.com

2010. Copyright is retained on all material (text, photos and graphics) in this magazine.

No reproduction is allowed of any material in any form, print or electronic, for any purpose,

except with the permission of Wild Coast Publishing.

Some elements in maps in this magazine are reproduced withthe permission of Natural Resources Canada 2010, courtesyof the Atlas of Canada. Also, our thanks to Geobase for some

elements that may appear on Wavelength maps.

Advertising rates and submission guidelinesavailable at www.wavelengthmagazine.com

SUBSCRIBE$20 for 1 year 4 issues

$35 for 2 years 8 issues

To subscribe: see details page 41 or visitwww.wavelengthmagazine.com/Subscribe.html

ISSUE AD DEADLINE DISTRIBUTION

Summer 2010 May 7 June 8

Fall 2010 July 9 Aug. 8

Winter 2010 Oct. 1 Nov. 8

Spring 2011 Feb. 3 March 8

I remember years back paddling with a teenager. He was getting tired, not reallyenjoying himself, and muttered, if this thing had an engine, wed be there by now.

We were gliding across across a great ocean wilderness at the time. I had to wonder,why would you want to speed through this experience? But my vision wasnt beingshared. And no wonder. The world increasingly seems to be about being wired inand powered up. Extreme kayaking, maybe; a video game of downhill kayak racing,possibly; but a quiet meander along the ocean, probably not.

The sad truth is paddling is skewed towards being an olderpersons hobby. So how can we impart the values of a peaceful,self-reliant but comparatively passive pastime to children andyoung adults constantly bombarded with information espousingspeed, comfort and consumption? Sadly, I have no answers, butfortunately my friend Dan Millsip has a few. His relationshipwith his children, one cultivated in large part through a sharedlove of paddling, is worth hearing. Hopefully the story willinspire others to ensure paddlesports have a bright future, evenif your parenting days are long behind you. After all, paddling sounds like a perfect

way to foster a grandparent-grandchild relationship.As a sidenote, some observant people may recognize the cover photo from Dans

now infamous entry on westcoastpaddler.coms forum titled 20 reasons not to go tothe Deer Group. This photo was reason #10: the solitude. No wonder Dan wantsto downplay Barkley Sound. Why promote this paradise? More on the wonders ofBarkley Sound are in our Destinations Ucluelet feature this issue.

Cleaning up the Coast: Pat Kervin from Odyssey Kayaks in Port Hardy phonedme with this great idea. Please see the promotion on page 24-25 and plan to take part.I know washed-up and discarded beach garbage is not an easy thing to combat withkayaks, which arent well suited to moving mass amounts of coastal refuse. But simplypacking out what you can when you can will make a huge difference especially ifeveryone does it. Lets look after the things we can, then support groups such as theGeorgia Strait Alliance to lobby to change those things we cant by ourselves, but

should as a society.Welcome easterners:This issue marks our rst with extended distribution across

the Eastern United States. These represent additional copies were printing to extendour reach to benet our national advertisers who will appreciate our more widespreaddistribution. Not to worry well continue to be available at all the traditional WestCoast locations in the traditional numbers (though naturally we continue to tweak toensure zero waste). So welcome new readers in Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Indiana,Illinois, Idaho... We hope you enjoy this taste of the Pacic.

- John Kimantas

The First Word

Recruiting the future of kayaking

The cleanup tally so far:

one mini basketball, a

plastic spoon and two

sand dollars (though

technically, cleaning the

beach of sand dollars

doesnt count.)

by John Kimantas

WAVELENGTHis an independent magazine available free at

hundreds of print distribution sites (paddling shops, outdoorstores, tness clubs, marinas, events, etc.), and globally onthe web. Also available by subscription.

Articles, photos, events, news are all welcome.

Find back issues, articles, events, writers guidelines andadvertising information online at wavelengthmagazine.com

Cover Photo:Teenager Maddie Millsippaddles Useless Inlet in BarkleySound, Vancouver Island. Youcan catch more breathtakingphotos from Dan Millsips trip onthe classic 20 reasons not to goto the Deer Group thread on theforum at westcoastpaddler.com

Wavelength Magazine is dedicated to making self-propelledcoastal exploration fun and accessible. Safety and travelinformation is provided to augment pre-existing safety

and knowledge. A safety course and proper equipment areadvised before any exploration on water. See a list of paddling

instruction locations at www.wavelengthmagazine.com
http://www.wavelengthmagazine.com/http://www.wavelengthmagazine.com/http://www.wavelengthmagazine.com/Subscribe.htmlhttp://www.wavelengthmagazine.com/Subscribe.htmlhttp://www.wavelengthmagazine.com/Subscribe.htmlhttp://www.wavelengthmagazine.com/Subscribe.htmlhttp://www.wavelengthmagazine.com/Subscribe.htmlhttp://www.wavelengthmagazine.com/Subscribe.htmlhttp://www.wavelengthmagazine.com/Subscribe.htmlhttp://www.wavelengthmagazine.com/Subscribe.htmlhttp://www.wavelengthmagazine.com/Subscribe.htmlhttp://www.tourismnanaimo.com/http://www.tourismnanaimo.com/http://www.wavelengthmagazine.com/mailto:[email protected]://www.wavelengthmagazine.com/Subscribe.html


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http://www.tahemarine.com/


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News

Expeditions set sights on farthest reachesAdventure kayakers are looking to the

extreme north and south ends of the world

in the latest series of quests to nd newhorizons.Veteran kayaker Hayley Shephard is

underway on her attempt to be the rst tosolo sea kayak around the remote Sub-

Antarctic Island of South Georgia.South Georgia is an isolated and storm-

torn island in the middle of the SouthernOcean about 1,400 km/800 miles from thenearest shore in South America. Becauseof the danger Hayley is required to have asupport vessel, that role being played by the

Northanger, a yacht owned and operated byKeri Pashuk and Greg Landreth.

That requirement led to a hiccup earlyin the trip when an injury on the supportboat meant abandoning the attempt andan uplanned stay on the Falkland Islands

while Greg had surgery and Hayley decidedwhether to try South Georgia again orpaddle the Falklands as Plan B.

In 1999 Hayley was the rst woman to

solo sea kayak 1,200 km/700 miles aroundVancouver Island, followed by another epicadventure in 2005 when she was the rst

woman to sea kayak alone around HaidaGwaii (the Queen Charlotte Islands).

Hayleys latest trip is in aid of thealbatross, the worlds largest ying bird,at risk due to longline shing nets. SouthGeorgia is home to a number of albatrossspecies. You can follow the rest of Hayleysjourney at hayleyshephard.blogspot.com/

To the north, four men are attemptingto be the rst to kayak the Northwest

Passage in one season a 4,000 km/2,500mile paddle over 85 days. The aim of this

expedition is to contribute to the state ofknowledge regarding the amount, timing,and salinity of fresh water that uxes fromthe Arctic Ocean through the Canadian

Arctic Archipelago towards the NorthAtlantic. Team members are Charlie Hunter,Nigel Foster, David Thom and Glenn Lush.

The journey will be from Inuvik to PondInlet. To follow the journey, visit

www.inukshukexpedition.com.Closer to home, Jacob Stachovak is well

underway on his 5,000 mile/8,000 km looparound the Eastern United States. Jacobstarted in December in Wisconsin, and willend at the same location after he travels

via river to the Gulf of Mexico then upthe eastern seaboard. You can follow hisjourney at www.portagetoportage.com.

For more expedition listings and updates,follow the Wavelength Blogand Forum at

www.wavelengthmagazine.com. Both areunder the Community tab.

Hayley

Shephard
http://www.hayleyshephard.blogspot.com/http://www.inukshukexpeditions.com/http://www.wavelengthmagazine.com/wordpresshttp://www.wavelengthmagazine.com/forumhttp://www.wavelengthmagazine.com/http://www.atlantiskayaks.com/http://www.wavelengthmagazine.com/http://www.wavelengthmagazine.com/forumhttp://www.wavelengthmagazine.com/wordpresshttp://www.inukshukexpeditions.com/http://www.hayleyshephard.blogspot.com/


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News

Oregon to require paddling permitA move to protect Oregons waters

from invasive species will mean all boaters,including kayakers and canoeists, will be

required to hold a permit.Manually powered boats 10 feet or

longer will require a $7 permit in 2010.At issue are invasive species such as

Eurasian watermilfoil and New Zealandmud snails that have inltrated anddamaged Oregons waterways. The fees willto go toward prevention, detection effortsand inspection of watercraft.

Great Island Race record eyed

Paddler Joe OBlenis is planning

to retake his title of the fastest solocircumnavigation of Vancouver Island thissummer in the rst ofcially announcedattempt at the Great Island Race recordfor 2010.

OBlenis had his 2007 record wrenchedaway by Sean Morley, who completed the700 mile/1,200 km trip in 19 days in 2008.

OBlenis will be making the attempt in a

Tahe Wind 585. To follow his preparations,visit www.joeoblenis.com/

Wavelength Magazine also has a Great

Island Race web page set up with Seans2008 itinerary laid out and will record Joes2010 progress. Visit

wavelengthmagazine.com/islandrace.html.Joe hopes to achieve his goal in 17 days.

Wilderness center opens in NWT

A new timberframe log wildernesscenter in remote Norman Wells, Northwest

Territories, will serve as the new base forCanoe North Adventures for all its canoeand hiking expeditions.

A heritage aspect includes restoringfour air services buildings into an outdoorhistorical airways museum featuring 90years of ight history into the area.

The remote Mackenzie Mountainlocation can only be reached by plane,and will serve as a primary stagingarea for adventure tourism. Visitcanoenorthadventures.com/

Discover a world of kayaking

www.planetkayak.net

Planet Kayak
http://www.planetkayak.net/http://www.planetkayak.net/http://www.planetkayak.net/http://www.paddlealberta.com/http://www.feathercraft.com/http://www.planetkayak.net/http://www.absolutekayaks.com/


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Itsearly morning as I headsilently away from the beach, each paddlestroke quietly moving me along Isaac Lake.

This is day three of our ten-day trip onthe Bowron Lakes and its a glorious dayof sunshine on absolutely at calm water.My 14 year old son, John, and my 11 yearold daughter, Maddie, set off about tenminutes before me in the double kayak. Imabout a kilometre away from the WolverineCreek campsite and I can hear my kids inthe distance ahead of me. Theyre singinga song from the Lion King. The melodydrifts back to me and I have a sense ofexhilaration as I realize that my children aretogether enjoying the peaceful and tranquilenvironment that paddling provides.

Its a good day.My three children have been paddling

with me for several years now and sittingin a kayak has become almost a weeklyexperience for them. Since the ages of3 and 5, my two daughters accompaniedme in my double kayak, both in the frontcockpit together until they were too bigto share the single seat, then I would takethem one at a time. My son, by age 12, wasable to paddle up to 40 kilometres a day

with me in the double kayak and had loggedmore paddling trips than most people fourtimes his age.

I learned a few things along the way withthe kids, the least of which is that kids area great deal of fun to take paddling. But itsimportant to do it on their terms and notpush them, or expect too much from them,especially when they are young. By far, the

most important lesson that I learned frompaddling with kids is that it has to be fun all the time and that takes a bit of thoughtand effort to make happen.

I learned a few lessons and developed a

few tricks along the way some for thebenet of my kids, some for my benet,but all to make every experience one that

we would all look back upon with greatfondness.

The boat

The rst kayak I owned was a woodendouble that I built from a kit in 2002. Istarted out with a double so that I couldtake my kids paddling with me. I consideredsingle kayaks but knew realistically thatthe kids would not be able to paddle anygreat distance by themselves until they

were quite a bit older. One of the primaryconsiderations of getting into kayaking

was to get away from the city, so it wasrather defeating if we could only go a fewkilometres at a time. The double kayak gaveus much more range and the ability to carrya good amount of camping gear. While adouble may not be for everyone, it was agood choice for us.

Choosing a destination

Where to go depends upon a lot ofthings, but mostly upon your childs age,

size, personality and physical capabilities.When kids are youngsters, they cant sitstill as long as older kids and will get a bitanxious after the scenery no longer holdstheir attention. Selecting a destination

where there are a few stops along the waywill give them a break and make the tripseem shorter.

Its also important to consider your own

Family Paddling

Veteran paddlerDan Millsip reectson watching hischildren grow upon the water, and

oers tips on howto instill a love ofpaddlesports inyoungsters

Rachel, at age 10, paddles o

into the sunset at Crescent

Beach . The three Millsip

children grew up in and

around kayaks, instilling a

love of the outdoors that

father Dan cherishes.

by Dan Millsip



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limitations, especially if youre the primarypaddler in a double. A good headwind canbe extremely demanding when paddlingsolo in a boat designed for two. Fromexperience I can tell you that the kids havea blast when theyre crashing over waves inthree-foot chop, but its a lot of work forthe person paddling solo in the back.

It wouldnt be until my eldest daughterwas 10 that she had the strength to helpout with the paddling. But even at ten yearsold, she couldnt paddle for very long withthose skinny little arms. I quickly adoptedthe attitude that Id be going for a workoutpaddle and do all the paddling when mykids were with me in the double. Ourdestinations remained within distances that

I felt I could comfortably paddle for thetwo of us, even if the weather should turna bit rough.

Planning the trip

Whether planning for an afternoon tripor for two weeks of camping, kids will feellike theyre an integral part of the adventureif they have an active part in whats goingon. I would often choose two or three

different locations and let the kids make thenal choice. They would look at maps orcharts and decide where they want to stopalong the way. For camping trips, everyoneon the trip can and should help with mealplanning and decide ahead of time who isgoing to do what chores around camp.

Comfort and warmth

There are three things that everyonemust have for a comfortable trip: to be

warm, to be dry and to be well nourished.Take away one of those things and you canprobably still have a pretty good time. Takeaway two of those things and youre likelynot to nish the trip with a smile on yourface. Take away all three and youre going tobe miserable.

Kids especially seem to feel the effectsof being dehydrated or malnourishedquicker than adults. Always be sure tohave some snacks and uids handy whenpaddling. I encourage the kids to drink

water and have a bit to eat if they feel theslightest bit thirsty or hungry it keepsthem happier.

Clothing is of vital importance if youre

traveling in colder, damp climates. Apaddling jacket and rain hat will keep kidsdry while in the boat. If paddling in coldermonths, bring a pair of gloves or mitts tokeep hands warm, and if your child is moresensitive to cold temperatures, get them apair of pogies to keep their hands warm.

This is advisable if even for wet hands. Anda warm hat is a must.

Dont forget that if your kids are smalland arent paddling, theyre not generatingbody heat like you are, so they needadditional layers of clothing to keep warm.

A piece of half-inch blue foam padding isinexpensive and can be picked up at mostoutdoor stores. It works great as additionalinsulation under the feet and legs.

On the waterEver since we started kayaking, weve

always stopped at a supermarket along theway to pick up "deck snacks. Deck snacksare comprised of whatever the kids are inthe mood for granola bars, fresh fruit (mykids love fresh pineapple cut into bite sizedpieces), candy, jerky, chips, smoked salmon,

Family Paddling

FamilyIts all about

Insets, left to right: Maddie, 12, at Indian Arm; the kids portaging through Bowron Lakes; Maddie, 11, and a sunstar.

u



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Family Paddling

whatever they want. Allowing them thechoice made it that much better for them.

We did nd out the hard way that gummybears on a hot summer day are a very stickyand gooey mistake. Even though the kids

are much older now (the eldest is 18), westill never go paddling without deck snacks.Practice safety techniques whenever you

can. We spend a lot of time in the waterplaying games and practicing self-rescuetechniques. Playing games like seeing whocan stand up in the kayak, or throwing yourpaddle out in front like a harpoon and thenpaddling with hands to retrieve it are all funbut also teach good water skills.

In the summer months when the water iswarmer, we quite often purposefully capsizethe boat. Oftentimes I would do this whenthe kids were least expecting it. It taughtthe kids to be comfortable in the waterand to stay calm and not panic in a capsizesituation, and it also taught them re-entrytechniques.

When your kids start helping out withthe paddling, dont push them too hard.Unlike adults who can recover fromtiredness with a short rest, kids tend toreach their limit and thats all there is. Itsbest to avoid this situation and make surethat the distances and lengths of time that

you paddle are well within their limitations.Around Camp

Regardless of their age, give your kidstasks to do when reaching camp. Have themhelp unload the kayak, set up the tent andtarp, gather rewood, prepare meals and

help with the after-dinner clean up. Bringa couple of favourite small toys to keepyounger kids amused, but the best thingto do with young kids is explore the areaaround your campsite. Let them lead the

way. Ive never met a kid who didnt liketo explore and throw rocks in the water. Itkeeps them busy and it helps them sleepbetter at night.

As my kids got older, I had to come upwith even more creative ideas to keep themoccupied. A bunch of Sharpie pens and adry bag as a canvas created countless hours

of drawing fun (and they still use thoseartsy dry bags today). Im fortunate that mykids like reading so when we go camping wealways take a few books with us.

We also do a lot of swimming in thewarmer months and almost always take

snorkelling gear with us. Another thingthat Ive found works well to keep kidsoccupied is to pick up a few eld guides.

Theres nothing like a book or two abouttidal creatures to keep them busy for several

hours at a time when the tide is out. Whenthe tide is in, bring out the eld guides foridentifying birds and plants.

Its all good

If youre wondering whatever happenedto that double kayak that my kids and Ispent so much time in, we found that aftereveryone was paddling single kayaks, thedouble wasnt getting a lot of use anymore.

After six years of excellent adventures wedecided to sell it to a nice couple who wenton to paddle the north end of VancouverIsland with it.

When the new owners took delivery, myyoungest daughter Rachel cried. I realized atthat moment as we watched the boat headdown the street on top of the new owners

vehicle, that the old double kayak was muchmore than just a boat. It was a big partof the kids lives and a symbol of muchhappiness and fantastic experiences.

I gave Rachel a big hug and turned myhead away so she wouldnt see the tear thathad formed in my eye. A page had turned,but more paddling adventures are on the

horizon.

wavelength magazine spring 2010

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