I stood on a beach overlooking a set of shallow reefs, fringed with the bright green of Giant Sea Anemones and purples and golds of Ochre Starfishes.

At that moment neither Alaska nor Hawaii could compare with the incredible beauty before me.

Rugged Point and Mission Group Islands, July 2010

Seawolf Guided Expedition Day 1- To Fair Harbour

A spectacular view framed our final rough and tumble 40km to Fair Harbour, our kayak launch to the West Coast of Vancouver Island. We stopped along the way to shoot some photographs of the iridescent pink fireweed and the green fjords that fell straight into long saltwater inlets.

Here the saltwater mixes with the fresh and creates amazing brackish estuaries, that perfect wetland habitat for an amazing number of species. We noted a plethora of ochre stars and clams and oysters, but in the right season salmon spawn in these waters.

Our first day ended with us having our first fancy dinner of many to come, Sesame Pesto over Udon Noodles. We relaxed in the shade of the inland forest and got a chance to test all our camping setups in anticipation of the paddling to come.

Day 2- Fair Harbour to Rugged Point

Our first paddling day began with safety instruction and then packing the boats for cruising. At 16miles, this was the longest paddle we had to make! We launched into the inlets at midday to catch an ebbing current to pull us along (which was quite weak) and we slowly made our way. We paddled lazily, enjoying the amazing sunshine and blue skies and the vast landscape which we had to ourselves upon departing Fair Harbour.

By lunchtime, Jim had stopped for a short break and already landed a decent sized rock cod from his handline (We all fish with handlines, which is standard Seawolf gear). We pulled ashore on a rocky shelf and devoured some smoked salmon on bagels with soy cream cheese. Soy substitutions can be a great way to bring delicious foods into the wilderness and have it last without refrigeration. Of course, kayaks act as refrigerators as well, with the food resting against the chilly 55 degree water all day long.

Many miles and a decent headwind later, we reached Rugged Point late in the day. This time of year this far north, one can paddle on late and still have plenty of sun. We felt weary from battling the headwind but the sheer and vast beauty of Rugged Point Provincial Park settled our spirits quickly.

Day 3- Rest Day

After such a long paddle our first day, everyone welcomed a day off and Scott, Ben and Jerry promptly took the opportunity to hike the trail to the Southern exposed beach. They went on the lookout for the famous wolves that inhabit Rugged Point. The wolves, secretive and shy, let no trace of themselves for us to find, but black bear sign was everywhere.

After several hours of wandering many miles down beach after beach, the crew gathered back on the sunny north end and stopped to catch up on some reading.

Jim spent some time finishing up a harpoon point for his primitive harpoon designed for retrieving large fish like halibut from the kayak. The harpoon head toggles when speared through a fish and the line runs off to a large buoyant float so that the fish fights against the buoyancy of the float rather than towing the kayak around dangerously.

Upon completion of the harpoon, Jim and I ventured out fishing and were joined by Ben out in the extensive and beautiful kelp beds lying around the Point. We managed to convince a few rock cod and lingcods to join us for supper! That night we feasted on amazing breaded and fried super-fresh fish (say that fast), mixed into our fajitas with avocados and pepperjack cheese. A complete and fulfilling day, and we all felt rested for more paddling!

Day 4- Rugged Point to British Creek

The weather report forecast some strong gale force winds, but they were not blowing in the real world where we stood, so I plotted a course for us to tentatively try crossing the exposed water across to the Mission Group Islands. As we reached the exposed section, the ocean swells rose somewhat and looking out over the water I could see that the water could potentially become too challenging for the group. My rule of thumb as a safe guide is to never take paddlers (including myself) into conditions that we cannot be safe in if the conditions become twice as terrible. So I myself will not begin a paddle if the wind is blowing over 20 knots, and with group expeditions we don’t venture into any open water if the wind is over 10 knots (dependent on group experience, of course).

We headed back around the inside for an alternate route, but did get a taste of the gorgeous rock gardens along some exposed portions of Union Island.

For lunch and a rest stop, we located a tiny shallow cove. The clear shallows were gorgeous in the sunlight, and when we finished lunch I was surprised on my way out by running into a pair of sea otters!

The otters lazily swam about but dove every once in a while and we could tell that they were young. The rest of the group slowly paddled closeup and were able to observe the otters chowing on urchins on their stomachs, despite the small wind waves. We would see many more otters as we paddled out farther into the more exposed and beautiful portions of the coastline later in the week.

The beach we landed on was probably the least spectacular of all the ones we camped on during our trip, but partially because we were running low on space on the beach– the incoming tidal change was 13 feet and we put our camp above the highest visible tide lines! I woke in the middle of the night to lapping waves about a foot from our tent but we calculated correctly and the tide began receding shortly thereafter.

I did have to rescue some of our food in our drybags but the only casualty turned out to be some of Jim’s sandals, left to dry by the fire the previous evening. Perhaps the red rockfish curry for dinner addled Jim’s brain…

Day 5- British Creek to Spring Island

Paddling to the Mission Group we faced some headwinds but the crew paddled like champions and I felt proud of them all. Two of our paddlers are rocking sixty years and did great! The reward manifested itself in the form of Spring Island, a rugged but protected island with great camping options.

The southern beach actually turned out to be crowded to my surprise (this area of Vancouver Island is quite remote) but we easily located our own most gorgeous private beach and promptly did some exploring. Jim and I, of course, went out to commandeer some dinner from the local kelp beds and had a great time pulling up lingcod, kelp greenling, and rock cod. No halibut showed itself yet, but everyone seemed thankful for the gift of more tasty fish than we could want!

Spring Island really possesses some dramatic views, especially at sunset.

Day 6- Resting on Spring Island

Morning rose without fuss and Ben, Jerry and Scott went off exploring along the rocks along shore. Winds that were forecast for gale force had not yet appeared, but being so close to the open coast I decided to keep us down for the day and then took advantage of the morning lull and went out fishing outside of the protective reefs.

After some exceptionally fine fishing, Scott and Ben and Jim joined me and Scott quickly caught a very nice quillback rockfish. Jim was chosen by a large and fine example of a lingcod as well! Later, I went poking about the tidepools, looking at the giant green anemones and searching for maybe a temporarily stranded Pacific Giant Octopus.

The beach itself, with its small grey and white cobbles, was just so pristine that after all the requisite duties of a kayak-guide-chef were done for the afternoon I dragged out one of the Stellar Sea Kayaks and did some photography.

Meanwhile Ben and Jim and Scott busied themselves with a rousing game of Smashball on the cobblestone court.

Day 7- Spring Island to British Creek

Our expedition crew headed back to British Creek after the previous day’s winds. On the way we paddled slowly through an amazing section of exposed rocks and reefs with shallow waters that just took everyone’s breath away. These reefs are what make the Mission Group famous for kayakers, though few will ever get a chance to see them! We stopped for lunch on a tiny little islet.

I don’t think anyone wanted to leave but we eventually departed and discovered at our destination a lush little estuary at the mouth of a creek and we decided to camp there for the night to break up the distance back to Fair Harbour.

The profusion of bright green algaes made our campsite actually quite colorful and we caught most of the late afternoon sun to relax.

Thus far blessed with perfect weather (albeit some high wind) I think everybody felt thankful for the sun and slept quite well once more.

Day 8- Return to Fair Harbour and then Victoria

Nobody felt enthused about heading home, so we paddled leisurely. Jerry led the gang navigating (as each paddler took turns learning to navigate on the water properly) and we rolled through the inlets without much ado. We chattered a lot, having learned a lot about each other over the past few days and the paddle went gently by.

Here’s a look at our intrepid crew back at Rugged Point, feeling no pain but happy to be on land.

Later that day we returned to Victoria and there I got a chance to explore the Royal British Museum with its amazing totem poles, rounding out yet another great trip on wild and wooly West Coast of Vancouver Island.

I will leave you all with the image our expeditioners woke up to for eight days. Sunshine, blue skies, and kayaks. And squeaking sea otter pups, but you may have to see them in your mind’s eye…

]]> http://www.seawolfkayak.com/2010/07/30/expedition-to-kyuquot-sound/feed 0 http://www.seawolfkayak.com/2010/06/14/may-portland-workshop http://www.seawolfkayak.com/2010/06/14/may-portland-workshop#comments Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:11:25 +0000 kiliii http://www.seawolfkayak.com/?p=765

A few weeks ago we built five new boats at our new workshop outside Portland. Alex to our left here came all the way from Calgary, Alberta for this one and she built a beautiful kayak.

Alex just sent me a letter with, “p.s. i love paddling that boat.”

Awesome. One more person closer to nature, 5 billion 999 million to go.

The revolution starts with hands tools

Our new location, at the mouth of the Columbia River Gorge, is close to the top of a cliff that overlooks the famous river gorge. It’s pretty quiet and remote being so close to Portland. Our happy crew with their finished frames sit on a rare moment when it wasn’t raining this week!

At the beginning we lay out the frames with forms for guidance and then cut the deck beam tenons and receiving mortices. Then we peg the deck beams into place.

Then begins the exciting part– bending the ribs using steam! Kiliii bends a fresh hot rib with aplomb. Then we lash the stringers onto the ribs and the rest of the framework. Finally, we carve and then lash on the bow and stern stem scantlings.

With the frames completed, we start to skin the kayaks. By now people are starting to get attached their kayaks and to working on them. It’s hard to stop for lunch!

And then, quite suddenly, the skins ready for their waterproofing with a few coats of polyurethane. We use a special polyurethane designed for skin-on-frame kayaks.

Kirby, being an accomplished woodworker, went above and beyond for his kayak. He carved out a series of beautiful deck toggles for this boat. We also discovered the sea otters work great to hold a paddle on the deck when you’re not paddling!

Okay, these must be about the coolest thing to ever grace a modern skinboat.

And just like that, the boats are done and we are ready to hit the water.

Come try out a Skin-On-Frame Kayak! Kiliii will be at the Willamette River from 11am to 1pm on Saturdays doing kayak demos, as well as on request. He will be helping people take ‘test drives’ of the boats and giving some basic Greenland paddling instruction. There’s no better way to find out if a kayak is the one for you without getting in one, making sure it’s comfortable, stable, fast and, well, everything you dream of in a kayak…! Please RSVP by emailing kiliii@seawolfkayak.com or calling 503.877.2SEA (2732) so we know to expect you!

Where: Under the Hawthorne Bridge (East) at the OMSI RiverEast parking lot
When: Check our calendar. Available most Saturdays in the summer, from 11am to 1pm, and upon request from two or more paddlers.

August of 2008, I pushed my skin-on-frame kayak into the northern waters of Vancouver Island, loaded with rice and butter and nothing else. I landed 315 miles away on the western coast, happy to be alive, having survived 40 knot winds, 12 ft swells, upset sea lions, a bear’s nose, and countless sea otters with their ridiculously cute pups. I stayed amazingly healthy feasting off the ocean’s critters and wild edible plants. The verdict? The best thing I have ever done in my life. And I’d do it again.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=enhocETLM80

This is a great course for those who want to develop their skills and become certified to instruct for one of the world’s most respected paddlesports organizations. A bonus to joining the ranks of the ACA instructor team is that you can teach anywhere in the world, be advertised, and be insured!

The ACA instructor certification process has two components: the Instructor Development Workshop (IDW), and Instructor Certification Exam (ICE). The IDW presents Instructor Candidates the skills and knowledge that are required to become an instructor. The ICE challenges each candidate to demonstrate proficiency in the presentation (logical progression) and demonstration (proper modeling) of paddling subjects, general paddling knowledge, safety, and leadership. Certification levels for coastal kayaking in order of expertise are;

Introduction to kayak
Essentials of kayak touring
Coastal kayak
Open water coastal kayak
Advanced open water coastal kayak

These certification levels correspond to the ACA course levels which you are then able to teach to.

What makes this course distinct

Though all ACA certifications have core subjects in common, your trainer is the person who creates the experience. Greg Weiss is an ACA Instructor Trainer at the Open Water level and an instructor for Advanced Open Water Coastal Kayak, Whitewater Kayak, and River Canoe. He has been paddling since 1990 and teaching since 1994 in locations throughout North and South America. Greg has also spent time instructing skin boat building and continues to build boats and carve traditional paddles. He is a full-time educator, teaching leadership & outdoor skills to college students, while during the summer leading wilderness-based trips with Outward Bound and other organizations. Greg requires instructor candidates to not just teach paddling, but more importantly, to teach students. This requires more than good kayaking skills. It requires candidates to become true educators & leaders.

RECOMMENDED FOR ENTERING THE COASTAL KAYAK INSTRUCTOR PROGRAM

Most candidates begin with the Instructor Development Workshop. Following is a list of suggested minimum attributes for entering
the certification process.

1. Ability to effectively use the paddle; forward & reverse strokes, forward and reverse sweeps, draw and sculling draw, high and low braces.
2. Have experience with basic rescue techniques; T-rescue, Side-by-Side, Rafted-T, and Paddle Float. Also have working knowledge of other rescues; Scramble, Reentry and Roll with Paddle Float, Reentry and Roll, All-In, and Scoop.
3. Ability to perform a reliable kayak roll. (for coastal level & above)
4. Developing knowledge of; safety issues and hazards of coastal kayaking, basic chart reading and compass use, weather conditions important to the kayaker, hypothermia prevention and treatment, signaling devices and safety equipment, boat traffic & rules of the road, kayak design and equipment, kayak towing technique.
5. Developing ability to paddle comfortably with grace and style, and to perform rescues efficiently, in calm water.
6. Demonstrate leadership and group management skills, experience and judgment necessary to be a safe, effective instructor.

If you are unsure of your ability we suggest taking a coastal kayak specific advanced skills course or assessment course with an ACA
instructor or instructor trainer.

PRE-REQUISITES FOR COASTAL KAYAK INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION

In rare cases, advanced level coastal kayakers with extensive teaching experience and ACA administrative knowledge can submit a written request to enroll directly into the Certification Examination. This request must be directed to the lead Instructor Trainer well before the ICE with the understanding that the instructor candidate is responsible for all material covered in the Instructor Development Workshop. Otherwise, the Instructor Certification Exam can be taken if the candidate meets the following pre-requisites:

• You have successfully completed an ACA Instructor Development Workshop or the equivalent. (BCU coach training, etc)
• For certification at the Coastal Kayak Instructor level, (level 3) you must be able to perform all items suggested for entering the instructor program as listed above. This is not a comprehensive list though it does highlight a few of the major points of the assessment.

Candidates are judged on their paddling, group management, safety, teaching ability as well as general paddlesport knowledge. (i.e. depth & breath & prior experience) In order to pass a given level, ALL criteria for that level must be met. (see resources below for criteria) If you are lacking in one of these areas you may be certified at a lower level until you have demonstrated improvment in the areas needed. This policy insures that instructors are well-rounded and able to meet the requirements of a diverse student population. Candidates who complete the IDW will sometimes put off taking the ICE for up to a year depending upon personal skill development needs shown through the IDW process.

PRICING POLICY & REGISTRATION

TUITION:
IDW -$285 – 3 days
ICE -$190 – 2 days
Update/Upgrade $95 – 2 days (you must already have current certification)

TEXTS: The ACA instructors manual is $25, ($15 for CD coming soon) payable with course registration. You must have this manual with you at course start, but you may purchase it directly through the ACA website if you want to receive it sooner.
MEMBERSHIP: The ACA requires all candidates to be active members, which is $40 for an annual membership. Register online now and retrieve your member number. Once you have passed the exam you must join the ACA SEIC (Safety, Education and Instruction Committee) which is $25 for an annual membership and allows you to register the ACA courses you teach and have insurance for your students. You will need to give your member number to your trainer who will send it in with the paperwork post exam.
REFUNDS: Registration amount for either or both IDW/ICE is fully refundable prior to 30 days before the course, 50% refundable (price minus deposit) up to 15 days prior to course and non-refundable thereafter. Texts are non-refundable as they will be purchased for you when you register.
EQUIPMENT: You must bring your own boat and equipment. A drysuit or thick farmer-john style wetsuit is necessary.
LODGING: I will send you information on lodging upon registration. There are several inexpensive options for camping as well, including Nehalem Bay State Park.

To reserve your spot I must receive at least 50% deposit plus $25 for your manual (unless you already own one). I will then send you
your course packet. Please contact me with any other questions you may have.

To register: send your information & payment to;
Greg Weiss
ACA Instructor Workshops
P.O. Box 133
Cornucopia WI 54827
(715) 209-6496
greg (at) nativeways.com (let me know if you’d like to be on the mailing list for kayak instructor workshops)

HELPFUL RESOURCES

Course Specific Information
Instructor criteria – level 1 introduction to kayak (pdf)
Instructor criteria – level 2 essentials of kayak (pdf)
Instructor criteria – levels 3-5 coastal kayak (pdf)

Lesson Plan Example Outline (pdf) To help plan your lessons.
Equipment list for courses (pdf)

A young bull killer whale swims alongside my kayak

People always think that luck finds me when they hear I’ve been off on another kayak adventure, but they don’t realize that it’s the other way around. I find luck! In my search for good opportunities, I plan far in advance and make sure that I have the freedom to shift my life around when opportunity knocks. That was how I ended up on the western coast of San Juan Island, in Washington State, by myself for four days in August 2007. It’s a popular destination for kayakers, and for good reason– the western edge lies right along the orca migration route.

I planned or rather, rationalized, this solo excursion as a good opportunity to do some wildlife photography and also to do some long-distance testing of my new experimental sea kayak design. Short and stout, it has a bit of the look of a drag racer, created by the hump on the rear deck. That hump was designed to allow additional cargo capacity, but still allow an easy kayak roll. Today I’ve left this rear deck design behind in favor of a flat deck– not worth the extra effort of construction.

I succeeded in my mission to find photogenic wildlife. No matter how many times I approach a normally skittish creature from the water with a camera, I am always amazed by how much easier it is to sneak up silently by kayak. This seal only just noticed me moments before I nearly ran it over as I glided towards it on autopilot, eye glued to the viewfinder.

I encountered an incredible myriad of seabirds offshore and it felt amazing. The rhinoceros auklet above left demonstrates some of the more unusual plumage in the auk family (which includes puffins). The marbled murrelet to the right just surfaced when I got this shot. Marbled murrelets are quite rare to see over land, they are what environmentalists call a watchdog species, as they are endangered and finding evidence of a single one nesting in a forest will cease logging operations there. I once spoke to a murrelet biologist who spent a summer of his graduate school days watching the skies for murrelet flybys to do a ‘count’. He didn’t see a single one over thousands of hours of looking.

As a kayaker, I find myself really getting attuned to weather patterns and landscape ‘tracks’. San Juan Island is a great example of this. It’s western side is dry and almost desertlike, covered in scrubby pines with about 18 inches of annual rainfall; its eastern side has the more characteristic cedars and firs of the Pacific Northwest. This strange phenomenon is caused by the Olympic Mountains to the southwest, which block most of the winter rain from the Pacific. Imagine this– just over the crest of the Olympic mountains on the coastal side,  the average rainfall is somewhere around 120 inches a year! Camping in designated marine parks all around the San Juans allows one to really see how the forests look before they are too heavily altered by humans for their purposes. It keeps habitat safe for the enormous numbers of nesting birds like eagles and Heerman’s gulls as well.

How can one discount the beauty of the San Juans? As a photographer sometimes I feel blessed to be forced to take a closer look, to take a deep breath and suck in all the wonder of the places I kayak to. A simple eddy or a classic sunset all fill me with a sense of gratitude when I stop for minute.

On the other hand, from the sea it can be easy to capture those traditional coastal scenes as well. I think ofttimes the challenge isn’t in capturing the enormous beauty of it all but in reducing the focus and framing the world in a way that conveys and conjures different emotions we associate with the scene. I think the lighthouse and sailboat scenes below tell you how I was feeling along San Juan’s western coast as I paddled lazily and let the currents move me along. There’s a good life lesson too– sometimes it’s better to just time the currents than fight them all the time.

I’ll leave you with a morning image, covered in dew and fog, waiting to be seen.

]]> http://www.seawolfkayak.com/2010/05/15/alone-and-surrounded-by-killer-whales/feed 1