Paddling Planet

CASKA: Chicago Area Sea Kayakers Association: GEORGIAN BAY TRIP REPORT: BRUCE PENINSULA AND FATHOM FIVE NATIONAL PARKS

Newdaze : People and Adventures.: Photo Album: Skye : Sea kayaking course August 2008

Newdaze : People and Adventures.: Isle of Skye, August - Sea Kayaking.

KayakQuixotica.com: Type & Wince

kajak.nu: Malmö kanal

Kajaksport op groot water: The first salt water experience

Jen Kleck: LoCo Roundup and BCU re-education

Jen Kleck: Paddling the Clack

Sea kayaking with SeaKayakPhoto.com: Port Ellen's hidden haven.

René´s Kajakblog: Light in the dark

Justine's Web Journal: "This is the Sea 4" released 18th October - Double Disc set!

KayakQuixotica.com: This is the Sea 4 Takes The Stage

Travels with Paddles: A Bitch of a Tide-Race

kayakbrooklyn: Thousand Islands Trip Report

Travels with Paddles: Lower Columbia River Kayak Roundup

KayakQuixotica.com: Traditional Fashion

Sea Kayaking Dot Net: Give a Newbie Free Gear: an MTI Solaris PFD and Palm Freestyle Drytop

silbs says

South West Sea Kayaking: John O’Groats

Victoria Kayaker: Day 3 – August 20th – Isle of Man Circumnavigation

Victoria Kayaker: Day 2 - Around the Isle of Man - August 19

The Lake is the Boss: "Who'll keep us safe from them?"

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:24:41 +0000

Tom Bamonte
August 2008

INTRODUCTION

My paddling partner Pat L. and I went to the mouth of Georgian Bay to paddle in two national parks at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula and set foot on several islands that have never or seldom been visited by sea kayakers. Our trip turned out very differently from what we planned. On our third night on the water we made the rookie mistake of failing to pull our kayaks far enough up on shore and they were snatched by the waves during a storm. Pat lost her kayak and mine was severely damaged.

The incident forced us to adapt the trip to the circumstances in which we found ourselves. Ultimately, we were able to experience much of what paddling off the Bruce Peninsula has to offer. (Pat’s photos are a good visual introduction. See link in Resources section below.) We also learned a lot while responding to something neither of us had planned for or anticipated in the field. This is the report of our trip.

BACKGROUND

Last summer, Pat and I paddled the north shore of Georgian Bay from Byng Inlet to West Fox Island and back. (Trip report here). I was captivated by the natural beauty of Georgian Bay and the challenging paddling environment that results from the changeable weather and plenty of rocks, shoals and islands. It was a refreshing change from the long, curving and sandy coast that characterizes the south end of the Lake Michigan.

View from Flowerpot Island to Bear’s Rump Island

This year’s trip was across the Bay, in the vicinity of the town of Tobermory, Ontario where the Bay meets the main body of Lake Huron. Tobermory is at the top of the Bruce Peninsula. It has two harbors, a lighthouse, a quaint downtown, a kayak outfitter, and both grocery and hardware stores.

This area is dominated by an interesting natural feature called the Niagara Escarpment. Per Wikipedia:

The Niagara Escarpment has a caprock of dolomitic limestone ("dolostone") which is more resistant and overlies weaker, more easily eroded shale as a weathering-resistant "cap". In other words, the escarpment formed over millions of years through a process of differential erosion of rocks of different hardnesses. Through time the soft rocks weather away or erode by the action of streams. The gradual removal of the soft rocks undercuts the resistant caprock, leaving a cliff or escarpment.

The Escarpment expresses itself as a prominent cliff that runs for hundreds of miles. It begins east of Rochester, New York, runs west to form the shelf that is the Niagara Falls, continues on into Ontario, where it turns north to run along the east side of the Bruce Peninsula. The Escarpment passes under the seven mile mouth of Georgian Bay just north of Tobermory, continues on across Manitoulin and Drummond Islands, sweeps across the north shore of Lake Michigan, runs along the north edge of the Door Peninsula, and continues south in Wisconsin past Lake Winnebago and on to the Illinois/Wisconsin border northwest of Chicago. (Map here) I found this geological link between our home in Chicago and the place where we were paddling to be both interesting and somehow emotionally satisfying.

The Escarpment is recognized worldwide as a particularly significant natural feature. The cedar trees that grow on the face of the cliffs are some of the oldest trees in North America. There are a variety of plant and animal species that are unique to the Escarpment. The Escarpment region is also home to most of the alvars in the Great Lakes region. Alvars are rare grassland, savanna and sparsely vegetated rock barrens that develop on flat limestone or dolostone bedrock where soils are very shallow. They harbor a variety of unique plant and animal species. (Information here.)

In 1990 the U.N. designated the Ontario portion of the Escarpment a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. Ontario and a variety of NGOs have worked together to protect wide swaths of the Escarpment in Canada. Among other things, they have established the Bruce Trail, a well marked and maintained 500 mile hiking trail that runs from Niagara Falls to Tobermory. The Escarpment has received less attention in the United States, although the State of Wisconsin has acknowledged its natural and cultural signifcance in a study.

Outside of Niagara Falls, the Escarpment is most dramatic at the north end of the Bruce Peninsula. Here the Escarpment rises in sheer cliffs several hundred feet above Georgian Bay.

West Bluff near Cabot Point

Cliff Near High Dump

Fallen Rocks From Cliff Erosion

Trees cling to the sheer cliff face. There are many caves both below and above the current water level. The caves high on the cliffs provide some indication of how high Great Lake water levels once were. At the base of the cliffs and on into the crystal clear water are huge rocks and boulders. Here and there are “beaches,” typically composed of rocks the size of a fist or larger coming out of the water at a 45-degree angle. Landing spots are thus few and challenging in all but the calmest weather.

Typical Steep Cobble Beach—Bruce Peninsula

The Bruce Peninsula National Park covers most of the north shore of the Bruce Peninsula from Cabot Head to Tobermory. We found this park to be well run with very helpful staff. Tobermory was an ideal base of operations, a picturesque port town loaded with maritime history and with its own Coast Guard Station.

The Escarpment helps make the area a challenging paddling environment. The cliff face of the Escarpment is mostly submerged at the mouth of the Bay, with the water being extremely deep on the Georgian Bay side and then transitioning suddenly into shallow, shoal-filled waters as one moves west in Lake Huron. This sudden change in water depth, plus the constriction at the mouth of the Bay, results in interesting currents and wave effects. Both Lake Huron and Georgian Bay have substantial fetches, and waves can grow substantially as they and the wind funnel through the mouth of the Bay. Add rocky islands with few landing spots and high cliffs on both the islands and the mainland and you have a very dynamic paddling environment. We found that both winds and waves were significantly higher in the Tobermory area than the levels reported at the nearest buoys (Northern Lake Huron (45003); Northern Georgian Bay (45137)).

The weather in the area also seems particularly capricious. Not a day went by in our trip when we were either hit by a thunderstorm or ventured out cautiously in view of thunderstorm activity that was visible in the area.

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

On several days we had blue skies overhead but could hear thunder from nearby storm systems. Storms came up quickly. Winds seem to change directions often and on a dime. As we paddled we sometimes observed winds that had changed direction so quickly that they were blowing against the very waves they had a part in creating just minutes before.

Afternoon Thunderstorm System Developing

It is thus not surprising that the area is filled with shipwrecks. These many wrecks and the extraordinarily clear water prompted the creation of the Five Fathom National Marine Park, which stretches north and a bit east of Tobermory and attracts scuba divers from all over. Flowerpot Island, named for two iconic sea stacks, is near the center of the park and has a small campground that is a good base of operations.

One of the iconic flowerpots

In short, this is a wonderful area for paddling if you are careful, well-equipped and confident in your skills and judgment. As we learned, this is not an area whose risks should be underestimated.

TRIP PLAN

Our plan was to spend several days paddling along the shoreline of the Bruce Peninsula. We were then going to cross the mouth of the Bay from Cove Island to Fitzwilliam Island, a trip of about 10 miles (not shown on the map). From there we were going to visit Club and Lonely Islands, two islands well off the northeast tip of Fitzwilliam. Reaching these islands would require 5-7 mile crossings. If the conditions were good we might also venture due south about 8 miles from Lonely Island to a small island known as Half Moon Island. From Half Moon Island we would either return to Lonely Island and retrace our route or do a 12-mile crossing southwest back to Flowerpot Island. (Note that many of these islands are mere smudges on Google Maps until you increase the resolution.)

Visiting Club, Lonely and Half Moon Islands appealed to me because despite diligent Googling I could find no record of any kayaker having visited them. I also contacted local paddling groups and outfitters. No one knew of anyone who had visited these islands. As a sure sign of my hubris, I had even prepared an index card “flag” containing the initials of the Chicago Area Sea Kayakers Association, our local paddling organization. I had visions of campy photos of Pat and I planting this flag on the islands as a sort of parody of the explorers from previous centuries.

The CASKA “Flag”

We were well equipped and paddled 17 foot plus long sea kayaks made for extended trips and open water. Pat had a decade plus of kayak camping experience in both salt and freshwater. I had done three previous weeklong kayak camping trips in Lake Superior and Georgian Bay. We had packed plenty of provisions and layers, planning to be self-sufficient for up to 10 days. We each had marine radios. I also carried a SPOT messenger device, on my lifejacket, which I used to send “OK” messages to our support team back home every morning and evening. Had we needed it, I could have summoned emergency help by pressing the 911 button on the SPOT. We are comfortable in relatively big water, but neither of us is afraid to call a weather day.

THE TRIP

We put in Thursday afternoon, August 7, from Dunks Bay. Dunks Bay is a protected stretch of water with a rare sandy beach located less than 2 miles southeast of downtown Tobermory. The parking lot is close to the beach and it is a good launch site. We much preferred it to the concrete launch into Little Tub Harbor in downtown Tobermory. The thought of loading our boats in full view of the gaggles of tourists had the feel of laying out ones underwear in full view of the neighbors.

There was a high wind advisory and we could see ample whitecaps on the open lake. When we left the shelter of Dunks Point and headed north to Flowerpot Island we encountered rolling 3-4 foot waves and a stiff wind. The 4-mile crossing took a bit over an hour. When paddling this stretch one has to keep an eye out for tour boats and other watercraft traveling between Tobermory and Flowerpot Island.

Our campsite was next to Beachy Cove, a protected bit of water on the east side of the Flowerpot Island. We had reserved one of the six campsites at the Fathom Five visitor center, which is just south of Tobermory. The Center is a fine facility that includes a tower that gives you a great view of the area. The staff is very helpful. Even though we were there at the height of the summer season, the campsites on Flowerpot were never completely booked.

Flowerpot Island is an easy base camp. There are wooden platforms for your tent, composting toilets, gentle walking paths to the key sites, and a good view of the full sweep of the cliffs at the top of the Bruce Peninsula. I especially enjoyed the walk to the lighthouse complex on the north end of the island, which includes a viewing platform from which I could see all of the islands I expected to be visiting soon. Bugs were not a problem, although I tried out my Integral Designs bug bivy with much success.

Bug Bivy

The Canadians really love their Flowerpots. They come over in force in the afternoon on tour boats to hike around the island and generate piles of plastic water bottles. However, by 6 p.m. the island is deserted except for the campers.

Both Flowerpots

Friday opened with another high wind advisory, again from the north. The waves had an angry cast as they marched to the Bruce Peninsula cliffs. We could see high crashing waves on the shore of Bear’s Rump Island, which is about two mile east of Flowerpot. As the forecast was for winds to lighten a bit in the afternoon, we spent the morning puttering around the island.

We put in about 2 p.m. and had a quick trip to Driftwood Bay on the mainland with the strong following seas. We then paddled east, looking for the misnamed area called Stormhaven, where we hoped to find a safe landing and our campsite. The waves, however, were increasing and landing on the steep cobble beaches was a poor option.

We finally slipped in behind some rocks east of Halfway Point Rock where the water was a bit calmer and landed. Unfortunately, there was no place to pitch a tent so we each picked a flat rock, and after dinner crawled in our sleeping bags and wrapped ourselves in our ground clothes. Of course, it began raining before dawn and we learned the hard way that our ground clothes would cover our feet or our heads but not both.

Campsite east of Halfway Rock Point. Pat’s sleeping platform in center.

Campsite east of Halfway Rock Point at sunset—no chance of rain you say?

The weather improved quickly in the morning. We paddled about 1.5 miles east to the actual Stormhaven area just west of Cave Point--a steep cobble beach and no more--and decided to set up camp to allow our things to dry while we continued our paddle.

Stormhaven Beach

After lunch, we paddled east to High Dump and beyond, passing along dramatic high cliffs and over huge submerged boulders. We noticed that the conditions were deteriorating and paddled back to camp. The wind and waves picked up and there were occasional showers. We placed our kayaks on the cobble beach just feet from the tent. Several times that evening we pulled our boats up higher in view of worsening conditions. We also had tied them together and to a nearby rock. A large rock just off the beach broke the force of the waves in the area around the boats.

Stormhaven Camp

Stormhaven landing spot

During the night conditions worsened somewhat but never to the level that we encountered in a gale last year. Spray started hitting the tent. We both got up in the middle of the night to answer the call of nature. On my foray outside, I pulled up the boats a few more feet. In light of the wind and waves I observed, I felt comfortable they were secure. How wrong I was.

The first words I heard the next morning was Pat exclaiming that our kayaks were gone. We quickly found our kayaks high and dry on the rocks, having been deposited by the waves maybe 100 feet from our campsite. The bow of Pat’s kayak had been ripped off.

Pat’s Boat

My kayak had severe damage, including the front deck separating from my hull and numerous holes and cracks. Both of us lost gear, including spare sprayskirts, tarp poles, half a paddle, and a drybag containing two of our dinners.

Reflecting back, I believe we made several mistakes. First, we had tied the boats to a rock near the shoreline, which meant that when they were swept off the shore the line did not prevent them from being bashed against the rocks. Indeed, it may have been the pressure from the line once the boats were in the water that pulled Pat’s bow off her boat and started to peel the front deck from the hull of my boat. In the future, I will secure my kayak so that even if it is pulled off the shore it won’t go far.

Second, we didn’t fully account for the steep slope of the beach. My guess is that when the waves started tugging at the boats and the spray filled the cockpits they slipped down the slope without much prompting. We should have pulled the boats over the lip of the slope and on the relatively flat surface of the terrace on which we had pitched the tent rather then leaving them perched on the edge of the terrace.

Third, we erred in our assessment of the deteriorating conditions. Based on our experience, the physical characteristics of the landing area and the forecast of only 1.5 meter waves we didn’t think it possible that the waves would rise high enough to snatch our kayaks. Obviously, we erred in our judgment and that will prove to be an expensive error.

This incident obviously changed the character of the trip. Before the incident the major issues were where to paddle, where to camp, and what’s for dinner. After this incident we had to wrestle with more challenging issues such as how we were going to get our gear and ourselves back our Dunks Bay launch site.

In retrospect, I think we did a good job of taking our time, weighing our options carefully, and not acting with undue haste. After all, we were unharmed, had plenty of provisions, and were camped at a beautiful campsite. There was no reason to rush.

Kitchen—Stormhaven Campsite

Fortunately, we both adopted an “it is what it is” attitude. Pat reminisced that she had gotten many good years out of her kayak. I appreciated how the damage to my kayak put in perspective the minor hull cracks that had so concerned me earlier in the summer as a first time owner of a fiberglass boat. This equanimity plus a mutual recognition of our collective responsibility for the error helped us make it through this incident and salvage the trip.

The next few days were spent getting organized and moving on with the rest of the trip. We appreciated the proximity of the Bruce Trail at the top of the cliff behind our campsite because it gave us the chance to hike out to the ranger office at the Cyprus Lake Campground. (Note that there is a shortcut service vehicle trail from group campground No. 1 at the Cyprus Lake Campground to the Stormhaven Campground.) I hiked out on Sunday, reported our predicament and self-rescue plans to the authorities, reserved our site for three more nights and hiked back. The next day Pat hiked out and sweet talked a ranger into carrying some of our excess gear back to the ranger station on his ATV.

Our plan was for me to try to get my kayak seaworthy using the repair kit I carried. If successful, I could ferry our gear to Dunks Bay and drive back to the campground to pick up Pat.

Boat Repair Materials

Monday was boat repair day. I used a grease pencil to circle all of the dings, punctures and rips that needed attention. This inventory helped me prioritize the repairs and allocate my limited repair kit.

Inventory

As the photos indicate, I used a few basic materials that I carried in my repair kit, such as a tube of AquaMend Epoxy, a quarter roll of general purpose Duck tape, and a roll of Nashua general purpose foil tape, which does better than Duck tape in wet conditions.

I succeeded in making my kayak at least somewhat seaworthy. For the split front deck/hull I used a combination of tape and rubber strips cut from a glove to put the boat back together.

Tom’s Bow

Taping rubber strip over crack

Finished: Dry Front Hatch Rest of Trip

This worked well enough that my front hatch stayed dry the rest of the trip.

I closed the puncture wounds with AquaMend Epoxy topped with tape and these fixes worked well.

AquaMend Our Friend

Applying AquaMend

Fill in the cracks

Putty-Filled Cracks Covered With Tape

I’m not handy by any stretch of the imagination, but it was immensely satisfying to be using a few basic materials to try to put my kayak back together. I was strangely confident that I would get my kayak seaworthy. In some respects, the hours working on my kayak were my happiest ones on the trip.

Repair Time

By the time I had finished with the repairs, the weather had improved and I took the kayak for a test run. It was great to be paddling once again. I had only just developed an emotional attachment to my Explorer, which I had been paddling since April, and it was a relief to be back in the cockpit skipping over the waves and making tight turns on an edge.

When I returned from an hour and a half paddle, the front hatch was dry and the day hatch had less than a quarter of cup of water. The only area that I couldn’t completely repair was around the skeg box. Despite repeated applications of AquaMend and plenty of tape, for the remainder of the trip I continued to take on water in my rear hatch at a rate of a quart or so every half hour. Whenever possible, I stuffed an inflated paddle float in my rear hatch as flotation insurance. We also limited our time on the water to three hours at a stretch, although in most conditions Pat could have pumped out my rear hatch if necessary.

Tuesday was a beautiful day.

Georgian Bay Morning—Looking east 10+ miles to Cabot Head

I decided to paddle to Cabot Head lighthouse and back, testing the kayak on a long distance paddle before starting to ferry our gear back to Dunks Bay. It turned out to be a great day paddle along the cliffs and into the sheltering embrace of Wingfield Basin, a protected bay just south of Cape Hurd and just north of the Cabot Head Lighthouse. The wreck in the bay reassured me that I was not the only mariner who had made a miscalculation in these waters.

Wreck—Wingfield Basin

Day’s End—Stormhaven

That night I slept in a cave for the very first time. It was a bit scary but also reassuring after the wild weather we had faced to ease into a stone chamber protected from the wind and rain. This cave had a nice flat floor that was the perfect size for my sleeping bag. Unfortunately, I should have pitched my bug bivy. An unexpected drop in the winds caused me to be the main course for the local mosquitoes.

Sleeping Cave

The good weather held into Wednesday. This was my day to be a pack mule, making two trips carrying our gear from our Stormhaven campsite to our put-in at Dunks Bay. After hiking back to the campground, Pat succeeded in getting a ride to Dunks Bay from a kind couple and met me at Dunks Bay after my first trip.

Our plan was for Pat to rent a kayak from Thorncrest Outfitters in Tobermory. When I returned from my second trip from Stormhaven we would paddle out to Flowerpot Island together where we would camp for the next three nights. Unfortunately, just as I arrived at Dunks Bay the final time a huge thunderstorm came up from the north. While we were spared the worst of the storm, there was no way we were going to paddle in open water with a sudden cold wind whipping up whitecaps and lightening flashes nearby. Pat had her boat all packed, so we raced to unload two boats to avoid getting drenched.

Between Driftwood Cove and Little Cove

That night we camped in Lands End Park, a well-run private campground on Hay Bay near Tobermory. It was cultural shock to be back in RV land, but the showers felt good. We went into Tobermory for dinner and again for breakfast the next day, enjoying a respite from the granola and instant milk routine.

We launched again Thursday morning from Dunks Bay and had an uneventful and enjoyable paddle out to Flowerpot Island in 3-4 foot waves. After setting up camp we ventured out to circumnavigate Bears Rump Island, which lies about 2 miles from Flowerpot. Bears Rump is a microcosm of the area, with shoals and a low elevation on the west side of the island rising dramatically to high cliffs on the east side. Landing spots are few and far between.

Bear’s Rump Island—East Side Cliffs

The afternoon was sunny, winds were in the 10-15 mph range and waves had dropped to the 2-3 foot range. We could see to the north and east the string of high clouds that like sentries marked the unseen eastern and northern shores of the Bay. As we paddled around the high cliffs on the east side of Bear’s Rump Island we kept a close eye on a developing thunderstorm system that filled the sky to the north. Soon, we could hear thunder and see lightening in the distance. It appeared that we had maybe 45 minutes to get to shelter before the storm hit if it was indeed moving our way.

Considering the conditions--no easy landings and a nice following wind and seas that were picking up--we opted to head back to Flowerpot Island. We averaged well over 4 mph and got to Flowerpot just as the storm clouds filled the sky. It was a fun ride. Then, unaccountably, and just as had happened the day before, the storm never hit us hard even though we could see that a small island just two miles to the north was getting hammered. We realized that Georgian Bay weather can be capriciously good as well as capriciously bad.

Moody Georgian Bay Weather

Three times is no charm when it comes to dodging thunderstorms on open water. Thus the next day--Friday--we decided to paddle early and play it safe by making it back to camp by 4 p.m. to avoid another late afternoon thunderstorm. The storm the day before had kicked up some nice waves from the north and we paddled through choppy and somewhat challenging water when we rounded the north side of Flowerpot Island near the lighthouse. We headed west to Cove Island and had a rough landing in Eagle Cove on the east side, where a guidebook had promised plenty of shelter and good landings. Don’t believe everything you read.

We circled around the south end of Cove Island and up the west side to Channel Point, where we had lunch. After a week of paddling next to forbidding cliffs in areas with no landings the west side of the island was a pleasant relief. There are plenty of sheltered coves and landing sites in this area. The water is relatively shallow and the shore rises gradually out of the water. The area bore a family resemblance to the paddling environment we encountered on the north shore of the Bay the year before.

While a circumnavigation of the island was tempting, we opted to retrace our route and head back to the campsite in time to minimize our thunderstorm risk. In a matter of minutes the wind shifted from the north to the west, so we had a nice assist home.

As if we hadn’t had enough excitement this trip, halfway through our 3-4 mile crossing Pat exclaimed, “I’ve lost my rudder.” Indeed, the whole rudder assembly had fallen off the back of her kayak and was hanging by its cables. It was a fitting reminder of the challenges we had faced on the trip. I secured the rudder assembly to her back deck using my Shockles contact tow line and we were soon underway, laughing at our luck.

Upon arrival back at Flowerpot Island, I spent over an hour flailing around in the cove, practicing paddle strokes, rolls, self-rescues, sitting side-saddle on my back deck, etc. The cove was deserted so there was no one to tsk-tsk about the evident poor quality of Chicago area sea kayaking. While I love pool sessions in the winter, it is hard to beat practicing outdoors, in a quiet cove ringed by cliffs and trees.

Conditions had deteriorated somewhat Saturday morning even though the barometric pressure was significantly higher than it had been the whole trip. Go figure. There was a nice wind from the west and 3-4 foot waves with plenty of whitecaps rolling in through the channel between Tobermory and Flowerpot Island. We enjoyed skimming along on beam seas under the sunshine and soon made it to Dunks Bay for the last time this trip.

It Was Just That Kind Of Trip I Guess!

FINAL THOUGHTS

This was not the trip I had planned. I wanted long days of paddling, plenty of challenging crossings and the chance to paddle to islands where few other kayakers evidently have been. Instead, I got to feel like a knucklehead for not pulling my kayak far enough out of harm’s way. Our failure to reach even one of the “unexplored” islands grates on my pride. I find myself zooming in on the islands using Google Maps and applying what I learned about local conditions to surmise what might be the shoreline topography of those islands and the likely landing sites.

Yet, it was a real thrill to spend a long week paddling in water (and weather) that was the most challenging I’ve faced over a sustained period. Despite the damage to our kayaks that will make this a most expensive vacation, it was worth it to experience this unique natural environment. As to my wounded pride about losing the kayaks, Pat’s view makes good sense. “At least we’re out here putting ourselves on the line rather than paddling around our bathtubs,” were her words.

Indeed, the loss of our kayaks seems more like an isolated bad decision than a symptom of chronic stupidity or bad judgment. Throughout the trip we made many good decisions, among them waiting for the weather to improve before paddling, taking care to find the safest landing sites, getting off of the water in advance of thunderstorms, and adapting reasonably well to the circumstances that were thrust upon us so unexpectedly by taking our time to make decisions and avoiding finger pointing.

Sometimes you lose things when you venture. But you gain a lot from having traveled out of your daily routine and familiar haunts. This will be a trip I won’t forget.

RESOURCES

Chart 2235, Cape Hurd to Lonely Island. Available here.

Jonathon Reynolds & Heather Smith, “Kayaking Georgian Bay,” Boston Mills Press (1999) (Pages 135-159)

Sarah Ohmann & Bill Newman, Guide to Sea Kayaking Lakes Huron, Erie and Ontario, Globe Pequot (Pages 63-73)

Doug Cunningham, “Bruce Peninsula Paddling Destinations—Northeast Coast” (Recommended)

Doug Cunningham, “Bruce Peninsula Paddling Destinations” (Comprehensive guide to coastal kayaking in Bruce Peninsula)

Johanna Wandel, “Five Fathoms of Rules” (Trip report)

Johanna Wandel, “High Dump” (Trip report)

Bruce Peninsula National Park

Bruce Trail Conservancy

Fathom Five National Marine Park

Lands End Park Campground

Niagara Escarpment (Lake Michigan area focus)

Niagara Escarpment (Wisconsin): http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/publications/niagara/
and http://www.baylakerpc.org/Documents/Region/Niagara_Escarpment.pdf

Northern Georgian Bay Buoy (45137)

Northern Lake Huron Buoy (45003)

Pat’s Trip Photos

Thorncrest Outfitters

Tom’s Trip Photos

Last But Not Least: Trip Dedication To Nashua Tape!

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:17:58 +0000

Skye : Sea kayaking course August 2008

More Photos...

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:09:32 +0000

For one reason and another, plans with my mate Phil for sea kayaking haven't coincided too well this year and I was starting to feel frustrated when seeing some great photos on the UK rivers guidebook web site of peoples sea kayaking trips on the West coast of Scotland. To cut a long story short a climbing trip to Zermatt looked doubtful as another close friend was taking time to commit and so I decided to get myself some coaching with Gordon Brown based on the Isle of Skye. Gordon (not the prime minister) Brown is one of only three doubly qualified level 5 coaches (Sea & Inland kayak) in Scotland. This is the highest coach award achievable in the UK. He wrote the chapter on sea kayaking in the BCU handbook and has since wrote a manual for intermediate and advanced kayakers simply titled "Sea Kayak". He owns and runs skyakadventures.com based on Sleat and is a thoroughly nice guy.

I took a weekend to slowly drive the 520 miles to Isle Ornsay, Skye. My plan was to climb a few peaks along the way and generally settle into "the groove". Friday night was a long haul from the Midlands up to Arrochar near Loch Lomond where I bivied down at the side of the road for the night. Unfortunately the weather didn't play ball. My planned hike up Ben Arthur (The Cobbler) didn't appeal in torrential rain so Saturday was spent in and around Oban just taking in the atmosphere. I took a look at the falls of Lora, the outfall of Loch Etive, which feature heavily on the DVD "This is the sea 3". They look pretty awesome.

Usually happy to rough it in a tent or bunkhouse it's been over 20 years since I last stopped in a B&B, but I thought it would be a more comfortable option while on the course. I duly arrived on Skye late on Sunday; passing the familiar sight of Eilean Donan Castle near the Kyle of Loch Alsh along the way. I left my heart somewhere along the A87 many years ago and just feel content whenever I make my way back there. Mrs. MacKay was there to greet me as I pulled onto the driveway of her B&B and she invited me into her home as one of her family. I think she enjoyed "mothering" me all week !

I slept like a log and when Monday morning arrived I assembled with the other "pupils" next door at Gordon's home. The old croft house has been converted with a small meeting room, drying and kit room, etc. and outside he has almost 60 different sea kayaks from different manufacturers available for use. Some time was spent introducing ourselves and talking about what we wanted to gain from a weeks coaching. Gordon tailors his courses to meet clients needs and there are no set rules ...apart from that you must smile! There were 5 of us on the course plus one girl "shadowing" Gordon for more experience towards her 3* coaching qualification. Between us we suggested items we'd like to cover ; efficient strokes, deepwater rescue, towing, navigation, tidal races, surf landings, etc and this formed the basis for the weeks fun.

The first day was spent at Armadale. The wind was blowing force 6 ! We spent some time playing under the small pier, weaving in and around it's pylons while the sea swell lifted us up and down. I guess Gordon then assessed our different levels of competence. Nearby are a few small islands. They gave us shelter in the lee of the wind and the opportunity to push the comfort zone in small doses. A few hours were spent here just circling around, getting dumped on by surf crashing over the reef and surviving. It really was an adrenaline fueled day! Gordon just inspires confidence to get on and push your own limits. This comes from over 300 days on the water every year.

Our second day was spent near Kyleakin. We paddled under the bridge and caught a few eddy lines. There were seals to see and a flock of around 16 herons took off from a nearby island as we came in for lunch. Some navigation was done as was time calculation and strokes paddled against distance and all around is always the fantastic backdrop of wonderful scenery.

Each evening was spent in the pub grabbing some of the local cuisine and chatting with others on the course about the days events and dreams of adventure for the future. Wednesday saw us paddling at Kyle Rhea where the ferry comes in from the mainland. It's through these narrows that waters of Loch Alsh and the Sound of Sleat drain back and forth every 6 hours with the turning of the tide. The spring tide can flow at around 10 Knots and according to Gordon the waves can be "as big as houses". Fortunately (for us) we were close to neap tide which runs at about half that rate. We spent the day improving turning strokes, catching eddies, we saw the rule of thirds in action and did a bit of surfing on some standing waves as the tide turned.

Scenery wise, Thursday was the best day of the week and undoubtedly a dream come true. I had long wanted to paddle up Loch Scavaig and into the back of the Cuillin mountains. The day dawned and there was not a cloud in the sky. We were joined by two guys from Tasmania and set off from Elgol for a day that I'll remember for the rest of my life. Lunch was spent on the beach at the head of Loch Scavaig where I went for a swim. After lunch we took the short walk up to Loch Coruisk which lies at the heart of the Cuillin. The pictures tell more than I can ever describe...

Our last day with Gordon was again spent at Kyle Rhea. Getting closer to spring tide now the flow was greater and the waves bigger. We practiced rolls : with splits taken apart, with only one half of the paddle - always variation on a theme to reinforce the learning. A salmon trawler came through the straights and the waves really kicked up. We played on the tide race and had some great fun. I lost it at one point, capsized and knowing the rest of the party were at least 200m away - rolled first time, just when I needed it!

...and so a week of paddling was over. Probably one of the best holidays I've ever taken. The icing on the cake was that Gordon awarded a 3* (sea) to several of us, which was never the intention for me doing the course in the first place. Would I do the course again ? try and stop me! I learned loads and it reinforced a lot of what I had already learnt from pool sessions with BCC and sea trips with NWSK. Above all it's given me confidence in planning and executing my own sea trips and I hope that I'll be able to spend some time and move up another level with Skyak Adventures again next year.

With the paddling finished I headed for the Cuillin on Saturday. I had my sights on a solo of the inaccessible pinnacle. The weather played ball this time and I hiked my way into Coire Lagan with the history of Scottish Mountaineering surrounding me. A false start scrambling on An Stac had self doubt raising in my mind but when I backed off and found a better alternative route things went fine. I reached the summit of the In-Pin just as a guide was setting up to lower off his two clients. Yes, I had feeling of smug satisfaction that I'd soled the route that they had just paid good money to be lead up and I must have been grinning from ear to ear.
I gave my camera to the guide and he took a few snaps as I abseiled off. Lunch together and then I set off along the ridge eventually to finish on the summit of Sgur Alasdair, the highest peak on Skye and a fitting end to a brilliant week.

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:04:27 +0000

The last couple days have been a bit rough. Among the many things I brought back from Michigan, one thing was a screaming case of swimmer’s ear. So for the last couple days I’ve been once again working through the pain. Finally yesterday I broke down and went to see the doc. I [...]

ShareThis

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:10:06 +0000

Igår efter jobbet tog jag och Pia en sväng på Malmö Kanaler. Ulf hängde med som guide så vi inte skulle paddla vilse

Gråtrist kväll med regn i luften.

En fin runda, kul att se Malmö från vattnet, blev lite park, lite stad och lite industrier. Igår blev det bara inomskärs får väl hänga med på en runda utomskärs oxå.

I morrn bär det av mot Stockenträffen, ska bli skojsigt. Tyvärr ser vädret sådär ut, inte för att det verkar bli oväder, det blir nog rätt bra väder i de flestas ögon, men lite vind hade ju varit skoj, men det är finfint med mys- och toppluveturer oxå! Kanske besök på Måseskär och snirklande på Hermanös utsida.

noreply@blogger.com (Hans Heupink) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:00:05 +0000

Once a year kayakclub Wyrda offers the so called “Grootwaterkennismakingstocht“. This activity is aimed at kayakers new to seakayaking. It's a kind of a mini-course, split in two days: on the first day basic paddling and safety skills are practiced on open water – in preparation of the second day (a week later) on which a trip on the North Sea is programmed. The “Grootwaterkennismakingstocht” is

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Kleck) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:26:42 +0000

The Kayak Farm....known as Slow Boat Farm on Puget Island, WA in the middle of the Columbia River

I've just returned home from a fantastic week in WA state on the Columbia River with a great gang of kayak coaches and students. The week was hosted by Ginni Callahan and her crew at her "Slow Boat Farm" on Puget Island and life on the farm was sweet! The daily rhythm involved eating amazing, fresh foods from the garden, expertly prepared by Head Chef Dave, paddling whatever paddle craft your heart desired, eating more great food, evening presentations, games, discussions, music, campfires, and (of course) beer. Life was good. The "unseasonable" pouring rain only made everything cozy and added to the ambiance.

Head chef, Dave

For me it was a primarily a week of re-orientation to the new BCU scheme. About 20 BCU coaches were subjected to a 2 day update led by the fabulous Phil Hadley, poster child of the "New" BCU and shipped over straight from England. Enthusiastic, entertaining, and a bit of a salesman, Phil soon had us all eating out of his hand and utterly convinced of the genius of the new awards......or maybe there was just something in the water. I spent 3 more days working on and observing the new 4 Star award and got to paddle some fun spots at the mouth of the river. I managed to weasel out of most of my coaching responsibilities and sponge off of everyone else which was a real treat (sorry Ginni and thanks Axel!) and spent every possible moment in a canoe (thanks Phil) - even passing my 3 Star open canoe assessment. It was great to be able to work with so many coaches: Shawna, Leon, and Matt of Body Boat Blade, the Alder Creek crew including Karl Anderson, John Walpole, John Wallum, and Paul Kuthe, Bill Lozano, head of BCU NA, Rob Avery, and Phil Hadley just to name a few!
BCU endorsed by Phil Hadley

On Saturday I ran a long boat surf session on the coast. All week the storm had been kicking up some big waves, but on Saturday the locals read the swell forecast with glee -"6 feet at 9 seconds - it doesn't get much smaller than that up here!" This southern California girl was wondering what the heck we were going to do with that mess! We had fun though, and nobody got hurt. Someone might have even learned something!
Camp life - big tents kept us dry and provided a great gathering space

Sunday I drove to Seattle to pick up a few new kayaks. I have Nigel Foster's new Whiskey and an NDK Romany Surf available for demo now! But here's the "funny" twist to the story....I was sure I picked up 2 Whiskeys at the warehouse. They were bubble wrapped, but the same length, the right colors, the right shape - I really didn't stop to ask. So this morning, after being on the road for 26 hours, I stagger to bed at 5am. Jake is up at 6:30 to go out with the Wed. morning crowd and asks which Whiskey can he put on the water. I tell him "the white one" and I'm comatose again. At 8:30 when Jake returns, he gives me the bad news....."it's a nice boat, but it's not a Whiskey." %$&@.

I'm off to the Rough Water Sea Kayak Symposium on the east coast tomorrow morning sponsored by Tom Bergh of Maine Island Kayaks (http://www.maineislandkayak.com/).

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Kleck) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:26:11 +0000

Kate's behind the camera. Phil Hadley, John Walpole, Jen Kleck, and Paul Kuthe at the put-in

I should have been responsible. I should have started my long trip home on Sunday night, or Monday morning at the latest. Instead, I went paddling on the Clackamas River with John Walpole, Paul, Kate, and Phil.

Phil's world is a happy place.

John and his wife Kirti put me and Phil up in their beautiful house near Portland, OR Sunday and Monday nights. They claim it has a great view of Mount Hood and a wall full of big windows makes me think this is possible, but the clouds never lifted enough to know for sure. At least it wasn't raining when we got our leisurely start to the day and headed to the river. Paul and Kate met us there with a truck full of kayaks and off we went.

Phil showing us a nice line down this one.

We paddled several miles of scenic river with lots of little class I-II riffles and regularly spaced class III drops. It's late season, the snow pack is mostly gone, and the river was low so it was pretty friendly and one really only had to keep a sharp eye out for rocks. This was a good thing for me since I've only had a couple of river days in the last year! It was a treat to paddle a new river in the excellent company of some very fine boaters - thanks guys!

John "whirlpool" Walpole shredding up a wave

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Wilcox) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:19:46 +0000

The SW breeze blew us swiftly across Kilnaughton Bay towards Port Ellen. We planned to land to replenish supplies but did not fancy a long paddle back into the teeth of the wind afterwards. We slipped down the south side of the Ard peninsula and made our way through some skerries into this lovely little hidden (and sheltered) haven. It was full of local boats and the shoreline had many fishing

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:29:00 +0000

For going out in the dark with a small boat the sea rules indicate that the minimum requirement is a normal electric flashlight (which you need to turn on early to prevent a collision).

For kayaking this isn´t so easy and a better solution, to make sure you are visible, is a light/lantern that will “show a steady light over the horizon at 360 degree”

Quite a lot of Dutch kayakers, paddling in the dark on their weekly evening-club-events are busy inventing nice solutions. Myself, I used until now a PETZL LED-headlantern whereon I clicked additional two cycle-led-lanterns on the backside of the headstrap as well, showing thus 3 white lights at different positions.
I became serious in using this after almost having been in collision with a speedboat traveling at very high speed and showing no lights at all(probably a smugler ;-)

A few weeks ago I was surveying in a big shop with boat-products.

When I found a perfect 360 degree lantern, which clearly is also developed for use in the kayak, I did not have to think very long to decide I wanted to have it: this is the safest investment I can do. Obviously my girlfriend had the same opinion because I was not allowed to buy it myself and had to accept it as a gift from her. THX again!!!!

Yesterday evening I tried it first time on a club-outing. I was probably very, very visible because I got only very positiv remarks. One member reported having spotted me at the other side of the lake being almost 800m away even when it was not yet completely dark at that moment. The light is so strong that nearby paddlers almost got blinded and I had to paddle in the back.

The lantern (NAVI LIGHT) is a newly developed Norwegian product and delivered by www.navisafe.no. It has 16 LED lights and it is waterproof down to 2 meters and will therefore function if you fall in the water.
The lantern will give emergency flash/strobe for five days and a constant light for 24-30 hours on only three AAA batteries. The weight is 155 grams with batteries.

The best way to use Navi light is to fasten it on a cap with the strong magnet. However, it can also be fastened around the head with an additional optional strap.

noreply@blogger.com (Justine Curgenven) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:56:36 +0000

I'm locked away in a dark room right now, busy editing "This is the Sea 4" so it can be on the shelves of your local kayaking store in time for Christmas. I've done an amazing amount of kayaking in the last 18 months - over 7 months worth of trips and symposiums in fact!! All in the interests of giving you an action packed DVD full of fantastic locations. In fact, I've got so much great material that "This is the Sea 4" is going to be a double-disc set, and the good news is that it will still be the same price as the others, $29.95, £20 or Euro 29.95. If making these DVDs were purely a business venture for me then I would be crazy to give you so much good stuff in one DVD when I could hold over half of it for a later date, but I can't help being passionate about what I do and I want to share it all and inspire everyone else to get out on the water.

Editing is going well, it's not over yet and things may change a little bit but here's the line up so far. Or read about it on the webpage here.

There are 3 fascinating expedition stories; Haida culture & humpback whales around British Columbia's Queen Charlotte islands; island hopping from Australia to Tasmania across the Bass Strait, & a 2400km trip around the stunning South island of New Zealand complete with intimidating surf & a helicopter evacuation.

Rough water rolling, Greenland rope gymnastics & commando kayaking with DUBSIDE, Kayak fishing in San Diego, Rock hopping in Baja, kayaking fun with father and son in Norways stunning fjords, paddling the Dead Sea in Israel, Seakayaking the Grade 4 Ottawa River, Lake Superiors Apostle islands AND MORE....

You can read more about the DVD on it's own dedicated webpage.

There will very soon be a preview clip of the New Zealand expedition, and soon there will be another preview clip on there.
I hope you like the front cover, designed by Derrick Mayoleth from www.kayakquixotica.com

The exciting news continues, Barry and I are going 'on tour' with the DVD across North America. Thanks to sponsorship from "Lendal", we'll be presenting an hour long version of the DVD at about 8 different locations including Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, Florida & New York. Details are still being sorted out, but if there is one near you then I hope to see you there! You can see the details of the tour on the webpage.

We'll also be presenting the DVD in the UK at the Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival on 18th October, and at the Scottish Canoe Show in Perth on 25th and 26th October.

And if you can't wait to see it then you can also now pre-order the DVD to make sure it arrives as soon as it's ready. Go to the shop here. Shipping is free for a limited time!

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:29:28 +0000

It’s always exciting to announce the up-coming release of Justine Curgenven’s latest DVD in the “This is the Sea” series. As you have come to expect this latest edition, “This is the Sea 4” takes you on another Sea Kayaking World Tour featuring expeditions to the Queen Charlotte Islands with Shawna Franklin & Leon [...]

ShareThis

noreply@blogger.com (Axel) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:06:05 +0000

Summer has not really arrived in most of Europe. Karien and I spent a week in St. Davids in Pembrokeshire. With the daily strong wind warnings we were limited in our paddling options. We had an early morning start being on the water at 07:00 in Whitesands Bay, heading for the famous Bitches tide-race. The last time when I was here in May 2000 when the race was running, it was neaps, now it is

noreply@blogger.com (kayakbrooklyn) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:57:00 +0000

I put together a quick trip report of the Thousand Islands Expedition.

http://picasaweb.google.com/brooklynkayak/ThousandIslands2008

noreply@blogger.com (Axel) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:46:08 +0000

It has been a very busy and enjoyable week. This year's Lower Columbia River Kayak Round-up has come to an end. Good paddling, good company and good food. Thanks Ginni, thanks Dave! A long day of hard work and Slow Boat Farm resembles (again) more of a farm than a kayak round-up. Preparations for next year's roundup have already started! Follow the (link on the) sign for a Lo Co Roundup

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:40:16 +0000

It’s ok. I really do understand. You’ve thought it might be interesting to go to a traditional training camp but then you wondered if you were going to have to wear one of those weird black rubber things. . . After all they do look a bit odd and maybe they won’t let you in if [...]

ShareThis

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Bolonsky) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:00:33 +0000

I've just received a large box of pfd's and drytops from MTI Adventurewear, a Massachusetts company that makes pfds and distributes Palm paddlewear (drytops, drysuits and the like). My only obligation is to write about the gear they sent, then keep and use the pfd's and paddling jackets I want, including an amazing Palm drysuit with built-in booties and a

noreply@blogger.com (Silbs) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:33:01 +0000

Say It Isn't So

It is still warm around here, and the big lake is the warmest it's been all summer. But the humidity is low. The weather is perfect, just the way I like it, but I am not so easily lulled into false bliss. All this is a set up, a preamble, a last hurrah. All this means that fall is coming...and you know what that means.Frost and crisp morning temperatures and gorgeous fall leaves. Lovely, yes? But this, too, is a set up, a preamble, maybe even a warning: Winter will soon follow.And that means ice and the dreaded dry suit and torn gaskets and dangerous landings. I tell you, the sky is falling. What to do? Well, some of the folks around here are already planning and reserving camp sites for a September and an October weekend up in Door County. Ha! We laugh in the face of the elements because we know that when it really gets cold, when there is really a lot of ice, real sea kayakers can... ...retreat to the pool.

Paddle safe...

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 09:18:01 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria Kayaker) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 09:01:26 +0000

0200 High Water Liverpool 9.6 metre tide
0845 Low Water Liverpool 0.8 metre tide
1418 HW Liverpool 9.2 metre tide
2055 LW Liverpool 1.1 metre tide

Weather forecast Winds WSW 4-5 Seas 4-5, some white horses

With this information and the info from the Sailing Directions and Tidal streams you can calculate the speed and direction of the tide flows around the Isle of Man for 6 hours before and 6 hours after High Water Liverpool.

On Wednesday August 20th if I could reach Caff Sound which separates the Caff from the main island 5 hours after HW I would find a 1.5 flood tide running with me. The tide would carry me straight through the sound before any over fall's or tide races formed.

Just as importantly, in the 5th and 6th hours after HW, I would be able to take advantage of an inshore back eddy that would take me past Spanish Head and Langness Point two headlands with potentially dangerous tide races.

All I had to do was cover the 1.5 Nm to the Sound and slip through at 0745. Although my room faced away from the sea and the prevailing westerly winds I was growing concerned that I might have more then force 4 or 5 winds.The window panes were rattling.

As I stepped out of the hotel and looked down at the promenade the flags along the wall looked as if they had been starched. They stood straight out. They'd make a snapping sound; a counter refrain to the base coming from the surf pounding the sand further beyond the sea wall. Out to sea were line after line of white sea horses or white caps.

My heart sank. There would be no relaxing paddle down to the Sound. But first I had to deal with the carry to the waters edge. Two regular large tides every day brings both a curse and a blessing. The blessing is the ultimate perfect predictions of the tides, the curse is the carry to the water during low tides.

I decided to hell with it and picked up the loaded boat, perhaps 130 pounds and balancing across my thighs started walking down to the water line. I sopped twice and finally dragged the kayak the last 20 feet into the surf wash – caught my breath and climbed in. It was 0650, the winds were blowing an estimated 25 to 30 knots, once out of the harbour the wind and waves were on my starboard beam. I had 1.5 Nm to cover. It was time to dig in.

Half way down to the Caff I was passed by two trawlers off on my starboard side about five hundred meters away. As they pitched down the waves into the trough mountains of spray would burst from the bow. Then they'd wallow up the back side of the next wave, reach the crest and roll as the wind hit the full length of the exposed hull.

I pitied the crew and hoped they were all seasoned otherwise I was sure there would be green faces aboard. I gave them a wave but passed on hailing them on the VHF. I didn't want to risk pulling out the VHF just to listen to a couple of fishermen admonishing another crazy in a kayak.

This part of the coast is quite steep and on any other occasion would warrant lots of exploration, but under the present circumstances I just pressed on.

My planning worked out quite well, as I slipped into the of the Caff the wind died and I was able to slide through the Sound between Kitterland rock and the main island. These were the first flat seas I'd paddled in.

I took advantage of the calm to make adjustments, call Liverpool Coast Guard, and take a long hit of water and honey. I had strapped a plastic squeeze jar of honey to the deck as sort of a poor man's energy drink. It seemed to work fine. Upon leaving the sound I took one look back at the seal colony I had disturbed when I was coming through and was surprised to see the tide race was already beginning to form.

I turned away and headed for the next obstacle – Spanish Head. As I paddled east I soon left the lee of the Caff of Man but this time the SW wind was on my aft quarter and the current or tide, all be it weak, was flowing in the same direction as I was traveling.

At Spanish Head the tide Race had already formed but it was not yet large enough to cause any undue concern. I pulled straight through the over fall's that had brought at least one ship of the Spanish Armada to it's end.

By setting up a ferry glide I was making a comfortable 5 knots. With these favourable conditions I decided to forgo going inshore to explore Port St. Mary. I set my course to cross Bay ny Carrickey and Castletown Bay and headed straight for the next head land Langness Point 5 Nm away.

My plan to deal with Langness; was to sneak through on the inside as close to the head land as possible. Because of the distance I had to cover and the conditions on the SW coast I knew there would be no way to avoid the tide race of this point. I think I arrived sometime between 5 hours before and 4 hours before HW Liverpool.

Right at the critical part of the point I was hit by an oversize wave, luckily I was able to make the right adjustments ( a low brace and edged into the wave) and use the wave to surf me through a good piece of the tide race. Later while Looking at the map I spotted an off shore rock that I must have missed before. The wave that first caught then carried me on around must have washed over that rock.

As I reached the end of Langness Point I turned the bow NE and headed up the opposite side of the Isle. It felt great as half the Isle was now behind me. According to the map St. Michael's Island looked like the first place I'd be able to land. Even though the back eddy was against me I choose to stay inshore looking for a place to pull out.

I reached St. Michael's Island after 3 hours and 50 minutes in the boat. The island is connected to the main island by a causeway and that is were I pulled the boat out and stepped out.

There is a beautiful old abandon chapel on St. Michael island just above where I had landed. If I had known it was a destination for retired clergymen and history buffs I'd landed some where else, anywhere else as all I wanted was to relieve myself.

However pouring down from the chapel came a gaggle of old men, a couple of kids and protective grandmothers, calling out to all to be careful. If they had known what I was about to do they would have called out, “Oh my don't look over there, you kids come back here right now.”

These sort of things happen to kayakers all around the world. In Sidney BC I am convinced there is a net work of grannies who have set up a spotting service. They sit by their windows waiting and when they see you returning to a launch site they get on the phone to let their friends know.

“Mildred those kayakers in the tight rubber pants have come back, if we hurry we can get down to the parking lot and catch them with there pants down. Come on Mildred we don't want to miss out on the show.”

Refueled on soup and hot chocolate I was soon back on the water. As the next 3.5 Nm crept by it felt as though I was paddling through glue. Straight across to Santon Head, then on to Pistol Castle, Gob Lhiack, Little Ness until finally I pulled around the corner and made for Port Soderick. There was a beach on the bay here and I was ready for another break.

As I approached three kayakers where preparing to launch. It was Jim,Catherlean and Duncan. As we sat in the boats exchanging greetings and info on the sea state they decided to change plans and head NE with the wind and tide to Douglas.

Off they shot, full of energy and enthusiasm. I plodded along a 100 meters behind, drained, tired, and hating their seemingly perfect form and ease of boat handling. My form was gone. In fact I knew from experience that I should not be on the water. My body was screaming go ashore. Except now there was no where to land.

Just before leaving Port Soderick we came across the group of paddlers who had abandoned Port Erin the day before they were heading south having launched on the NE calm shore and paddled down the isle. The bad news was they had been run off the camp spot at Sea Lion Cove and told no one was allowed to camp there. That was my end destination for the day.

Bad news. The thing about misfortune is it does not like to travel alone. Shortly after entering Douglas harbour and on perfectly flat water Jim's very expensive camera slipped from the deck and into the deeps.

All the photos he'd shot for an up coming guide book, plus the pictures he'd documented of my circumnavigation, now lay at the bottom of Douglas harbour. To his credit Jim took it well.
We offered to hire a diver in the hope that the memory card might be salvageable but Jim declined. He was already moving on. Pulling out a waterproof Olympus he just continued shooting photos.

It was a lesson I observed and would be able to reflect on and draw from in a few days time when misfortune would pay a return visit.

After discussing the options with my unofficial support team I decided to get a room and bunk down for the night in Douglas. This would give me a chance to rest and recover for what would be a long fourth day. I'd paddled 14 Nm through some difficult seas and day three was over.

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria Kayaker) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:41:15 +0000

In close against the cliffs on my little shelf of land I was completely out of touch with Liverpool Coast Guard. During the previous day I'd contact Liverpool on my VHF, identified myself as the sea kayaker Gulf Whiskey and stated my intention to circumnavigate the island solo. They requested that I check in hourly which I agreed to.

Unknowingly I'd committed myself to a lot of extra paddling as the only way I could consistently reach Liverpool was to paddle anywhere up to a mile off shore. Reception was totally dependent on the topography between me and Liverpool. When ever the shore steepened up the signal would disappear.

A mile off shore was much further out then I wanted to paddle. It also put me out into the full force of the southwest winds. That night after making the beach landing I was not able to raise Liverpool nor was I able to get the mornings weather forecast.

On Tuesday August 19 I awoke and looked out into what where likely force 4, to 5 winds and force 5 seas. Consequently I decided to head straight south to Port Erin 4.5 Nm down coast. I'd call in from Port Erin where I hoped to get a detailed weather forecast.

Kerrion had encouraged me to launch up on the NW coast, rationalizing that this would put me somewhere around Port Erin where I could hook up with a group that his company was leading around the Island.

I suspected upon waking that the group would not be leaving from Port Erin due to the sea state. I also dragged out departing to ensure that I'd arrive after their scheduled departure as I did not want to travel within a large escorted group. As it was the group left from the NE end of the island to avoid the weather. I could have started earlier.

Once under way the conditions became just part of the paddling rhythm. On occasion I'd use a low brace as an outsize wave would wash over me and the boat. Still it was slow going. There was only one place to land, Fleschwick Bay and in the rain and gloom I miss read it's location.

I was far enough out to see both the Caff of Man and Chicken Rock, a spire that looms out of the sea south of the Caff. Unfortunately I was misinterpreting both as a head land further north. At this point I was seriously misreading the map. I was calculating that Point Erin must be just inside what I thought was a bay. Turns out I was actually looking at Caff Sound.

As soon as I rounded Bradda Head my error became obvious. Port Erin was immediately to my right tucked in at the end of Port Erin Bay. Due to the conditions, wind, waves and contrary tide it had taken me three hours to cover just 4.5 Nm.

Even getting into Port Erin was a struggle as the current was now fully against me. When I landed I dragged the kayak well up the beach to within a short walk to the Cosy Nook Cafe and walked over for a coffee. I had pretty much made up my mind that this would be as far as I would go.

After a coffee I walked down the promenade to the red call box (phone booth). I checked for broken windows and the smell of urine before stepping in; i'd been warned about the alternative use for call boxes. For 30 pence I was able to leave a short message on Kerrion's answering machine. Unfortunately the phone then stopped taking coins.

Calling the operator I discovered that all the pay phones on the Isle of Man were programmed to accept pay phone calling cards only. So off I went in search of a calling card as I needed to contact Liverpool Coast Guard, the weather office and to confirm Kerrion had received my message.

I walked into a dockside book store where I was able to pick up a neat little tide table and the sailing directions for the Isle. Together these documents really enabled me to take control of the planning of the circumnavigation. Until this point I'd been following the advice of well intentioned volunteers. But from this point on I felt much more comfortable in my own planning and decision making. I was the person interpreting the tides, checking the weather and selecting my course and paddling times.

I still needed the phone card, mostly for a weather update. stepping out of the book store I looked across the street and there before me was a kayak shop. I walked in and asked if they had the weather forecast for Tuesday afternoon. Jenny the owner was great, she printed a copy of the afternoon and following 24 hour forecast from the computer.

As I read it over and explained what I was doing a look of concern came over her face. I assured her I was not going any further for the day as the forecast was for the winds to pick up and the sea conditions to worsen but to improve the following morning.

Jenny volunteered to let me store the kayak in her compound at the end of the beach right next to the Cozy Nook. With the boat stored I changed into street clothes I went off to explore and find the elusive phone cards.

Up town I soon discovered that my three leads, the Co Op, the newsstand, and the Post Office all carried cards but not the type I needed. No one knew who would have them. I decided to change tacks, I stopped worrying about Liverpool coast Guard and set out to explore.

Although I arrived by sea I soon discovered a great number of people come to Port Erin by steam train. This is the southern terminus for the steam rail line on the Isle. The station also houses a rail museum. After poking about I wandered back down to the sea wall. Turning a corner, there in the window of a small coffee house was a perfectly restored Vincent Black Shadow motorcycle.

To a motorcycle enthusiast, who came of age reading Hunter S Thompson this was the holy grail of motorcycles. The Black Shadow was capable of speeds well in access of 100 miles per hour, contained sophisticated engineering that was years ahead of its time and most significantly the company had gone bankrupt in 1952. Yet here before me was the legendary bike.

Turns out this is the home of the Vincent Motorcycle Owners Club. Meetings are held every week. I was amazed.

Further down the beach at the Cozy Nook another group of motorcycle enthusiasts had taken over the cafe. I wanted the place to close as I wanted to pitch my tent in the adjoining compound where the kayak as tucked away.

The laughter and good times seemed likely to carry on for some time so I headed back up the hill with the hope of finding a hotel with a pay phone that would take either my credit card or coins. Directly up from the beach I walked into the Grovner an explained what I was doing.

They had a phone I could use however when she asked me were I was staying for the evening I didn't want to tell her I was going to camp down at one end of the beach. I suspected that this might be illegal. So I told her I did not know.

Stay here, we have one single room left and I'll let you have it for 38 pounds. I thought for a Nano second, hot shower, a warm room in which to plan the following days paddles, it was no contest - I checked in.

Turned out to be a wise move as the rain fell with a vengeance that night. It also gave me the time to carefully work out the detailed plan of how to tackle the Caff of Man and the southern section of the island.

When I spoke to people around Port Erin and explained what I was doing, the overwhelming response was concern, “stay in close to the right side of Kitterland as you go through,” or, be careful at Spanish Head,” “Langness Point can get very rough.”

All the advice was sincere. Yet each person could not help but convey with a look, a raised eyebrow, or a catch in their breath that I must be mad. The sole exception was the kayak store owner Jenny who understood everything.

By early evening, my phone calls made, including a far to short call home to my son, saw me safely squirreled away with my ordinance map, my tide tables, and the sailing directions. Soon I had laid out my plan that would take me around the difficult south part of the island and onto Douglas and eventually to Sea Lion Cove my next camp site. Day two was over.

Cluanie Inn, Glen Shiel - Always marks the start of a good adventure !

Eilean Donan Castle, Loch Duich

Eilean Donan Castle, Loch Duich

Karen testing her balance

Joy and Ann

Joy and Ann

gitcheegumeeguy@gmail.com (DaveO) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:22:54 +0000

The photo above is of the US Canadian border where the Pigeon River flows into Lake Superior; Canada on the left and the US on the right of the image. Last week about a half mile from that spot, a Polish national was arrested for attempting to smuggle a fellow Pole and a Slovakian across the US-Canada border. He walked them across Middle Falls on the Pigeon River and told them he's pick them up in his car at the state park. They were arrested at Ryden's store, right next to the customs station, probably the dumbest place to go if you're trying to be unobtrusive and can't speak English. Since they walked through Grand Portage State Park I immediately emailed my fellow Lake Superior junkie who works at the park and jokingly asked him if he made the arrest. His response was, "Yikes!......that's the first I've heard of it....the border patrol doesn't tell us about such things when they happen".

I talked to some friends on both sides of the border and apparently the Border Patrol does not have a very good reputation in the area since 9/11. The three folks I talked to all used the same adjective when describing the attitude of the agency; arrogant. One incident last fall ratcheted up local resentment of the Border Patrol significantly. A local doctor had stopped on the Gunflint Trail, a countyl blacktop road, to clear a tree that the wind had blown on to the road. He had just fired up his chain saw when an SUV coming from the other direction at about 50mph hit the tree, became airborne, and landed on him. He was killed. It was a clear night on a straight stretch of road and the driver of the SUV was a US Border Patrol agent.

The Star Tribune article in the link above does a great job of describing the situation. The Grand Marais office has swelled from 2 to 15 agents and the local business folks say that Border Patrol vehicles are all over the place, more often than not speeding. One of them killed two baby moose in a reduced speed zone. The other problem with the beefed up force was that, "they weren't very friendly".

The agent who drove the SUV that killed Dr. Petersen was transferred to Grand Forks, ND. She was indicted by a grand jury on misdemeanor charges of careless and inattentive driving. She refused to appear, claiming immunity as a federal officer and also refused to answer any questions or respond to emailed questions. The Border Patrol has also stonewalled and refused to even provide basic information to the grand jury, such as how long she had worked prior to the incident. Apparently its secret information, crucial to national security and keeping us safe. Again, the Strib article has great detail on the entire situation, none of which is very flattering to the Border Patrol. As my buddy said, Who'll keep us safe from them?"

As evidenced by the bumbling Polish smuggling attempt, its seems to be a pretty good idea to have people patrolling the border. Another really good idea would be to develop trust with the local folks, who can likely help spot people that don't fit in. It's apparent that community and customer relations is not a curriculum item at either the Customs or Border Patrol training facilities. Either that or the skills are not utilized in everyday dealings with the public. Apparently the agencies are trying to establish some rapport with local folks but even simple informative meetings apparently require approval from federal officials outside the state. You would also think that if people were found coming through the Grand Portage State Park that it might be wise to alert the park officials so they could keep their eyes open. Instead, signs like the one above have been cropping up along the border. I figured I'd give the number a call and see what I needed to do to Help Secure Our Border. A very friendly and courteous woman answered the phone up in Grand Forks, ND and told me she would put me on hold for a minute and speak with someone who could answer my question of what I could do to Help Secure Our Borders. The answer, after a couple minutes on hold, was to be sure to report any suspicious activity ( like two guys conversing in strange eastern European languages and looking uncomfortable in Ryden's Store) and simply keep my eyes open for unusual things. Instead of putting up a bunch of signs, I think if the border patrol folks made the effort to get out of their vehicles and talk to the resort owners, outfitters, and outdoor folks, they might actually be able to develop a network of people who are genuinely interested in helping them do their job. If they keep driving around (at high speed) wearing mirror sunglasses and acting like agents Mulder and Scully from the X Files, there is no chance in hell the independent minded folks in Minnesota's arrowhead region, or anywhere else for that matter, are going to give them the time of day. People are much more likely to communicate with 'Officer Bob', the guy that stopped and introduced himself or said hi at the coffee shop, than the nameless, faceless, federal Border Patrol office. Beat cops have known this for years. It would be a good time for the feds to figure it out.