OK, I thought today the weather was snippy, we have been talking about this phenomena where all of a sudden when you are changing after a wee paddle you feel like time is of the essence, and you want to be dry again NOW!
That is called winter, and yes I know the paddlers from the rest of the country are laughing at me while they read that page, but what do they know about winter paddling anyway, their water freezes! It’s called ice!
Whatever…
Here if there is ice we paddle through it to the water, and we play year around… thanks for little victories… especially if you are the lucky owner of a drysuit. No this is not advertisement!

It’s just my personal point of view, nothing like a couple of dry fleece layers and a drysuit to keep me happy in January.

The good news is that there are many options on the market, in term of materials, brands, prices… price is usually a big one… And there is always the WetSuit option, should I spend all that good money or get a wet suit!
Here is a link to a GEAR REVIEW written by Canoe&Kayak about your options, Christmas being just around the corner.. Halloween is not good for paddlers. The article will go into details about every Dry or Wetsuits you could ever dream of, and give you the opportunity to become a international shopper, with suits from the UK, the US, or our good old Canada (Level 6).
The list of wetsuits is impressive as well, and they will keep you warm. Here is my only concerns about wetsuit, on day 2 of that winter trip, in the morning after your second coffee, you will look at your wetsuit (by then wet and cold Suit) and realize you have to crawl into it!!! Haaaaaa, nightmares still haunt me from those days, and I highly recommend pouring some warm water in your wetsuit before you try getting in, or shop for a drysuit and boost the paddling economy! More to the point, here are the main reasons to look at buying a suit.
I think the main argument is this: you go from a 3 month paddling season to a 8 months paddling season, or year round if you are adventurous. Certainly those late falls day where it’s still warmish and sometimes sunny or those early spring outings will be a lot more comfortable and realistic if you are dressed in a drysuit. Rain, drizzle, winds, no big deal as long as you worked out your under-layer system! Landing for a tea break or your lunch, you can walk in the water and keep your toes dry, sit on a drenched log and start eating… get back in your boat warm and dry.
There is also the “Confidence” factor, paddlers wearing a drysuit are more likely to try new things, edge a little, punch through a small wave… as your skills level go up, your paddling season extends again.
The drysuit around here can also be looked at as a safety item. While the suit won’t replace every safety gear you carry with you and make you safe any-day in any-conditions, it certainly help diminishing the consequences factor of a capsize, a roll, a good rescue, strong rain and the rare (but too real) “fall of the boat” while getting out at the lunch spot which happen to be 3 hours away form the car…
Finally having your toes dry and warm is priceless to me, the hood is sometimes very appreciated, the relief zipper… well, provide relief!
All around, the drysuit provides warmth and comfort, both physically and mentally. You certainly don’t NEED one, but if you get one there will be no going back… Food for thoughts!

Yesterday afternoon, after a few hours of Strong SW winds, a little playing by the rocks….

NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT BUT…. I couldn’t resist, forgive me!

Just a short video of the first surf of the season, it was so much fun to get back at it, with some nice smooth waves (not in the video, smooth waves ride looks boring… too bad, they are my favorites!)

At MEC right now you can get Lendal Paddles on special, and you could also demo them from the shop before you spend the money. If you decide to try that, you could book a time at the store and try one of their boat as well, no sense in wasting a good opportunity to fall in love with a new kayak…
The Lendal are the paddle of choice in the UK and appears in all the movies by Justine Curgenven , This is the Sea 1, 2 , 3 and 4 and seem to be loved by a lot of European paddlers. I just happen to get a couple of them, and give it a try.
Loved it!
The paddle give a very solid feel. Lendal claim to fame comes from their locking system, and it’s Fame all right. Paddling a 4 pieces paddle feels like a one piece. Now why would you paddle a four piece, that is the question?
A 2 piece would allow for a lot lighter of a paddle, but the idea is to make it possible to keep the same shaft but have access to different paddles as you can purchase different blades for different sizes, materials, shapes… or just replace that one broken blade without chucking the paddle all together! Hum, why not!
In any case, I found the paddle (Lendal Kinetik 600 CC Blade) very smooth. There is plenty of power for forward paddling, and plenty of volume for playing, rolling, skulling, and bow Rudders… Yet it did not feel like a huge blade that would tear my body apart in the next few years, and the blade move very gently in the water (yet you have to get use to it, changing paddle is always tough).
Another thing was that the bent shaft ( you could get a strait shaft) on a 210Cm kept my hands pretty close to the center, and you can’t put your hands past the bend so… a smaller ” paddling box” but oddly this felt good and forced me to keep close to the core, a solid feeling.
It’s maybe a little heavy for the price if you own a Werner Carbon, but you can be rough on your Lendal and still be gentle with your Werner, depending on your mood.
I went surfing with this paddle and even thought it’s a “touring” paddle, there is plenty of power for playing, broaching, bracing and rolling. Maybe my new favorite…
I liked it a lot, give it a try, I had 2 ladies try it and they did not want to give it back, so if you get one just don’t give it to anybody! Apparently Lendal paddles as a company is having some difficulty and you can read about that here! You can also visit the Lendal Website for more info.
Good day, happy paddling,
Nick

A video link to a 1932 video shot by Capt Bartlett, form the British Pathe Video library:
QUOTE “Along with bluff old Capt. Bartlett (who accompanied Peary to the Pole), we reach Greenland’s coast and meet the hardy Eskimos.”
Shots from on board the schooner Morrissey. END OF QUOTE
There are several awesome clips to watch but that one just caught my attention, the comments are priceless, here is a teaser: ” The Eskimo can do almost anything in a kayak, it’s pretty hard in liquid ice (Rolling) but it’s an easy way to wash off your face or wake up in the morning!”.

On this one you can watch some actual Walrus hunting done from a sea kayak, and lots of footage from the every day life of an Eskimo… pretty cool, I found all this interesting stuff at OnKayaks, a very witty paddling blog!

Greenland paddlers, original 1930 movie

A short video I took a week ago of some salmons waiting for the rain, mostly Chum salmons. There were bears swimming, salmons swarming and jumping, you just have to drive to Thasis and get it all!
I have more videos and I hope to eventually make a short clip with close ups and slow downs, cool footage to work with.
But for now the water is calling, and here I go!

Food for thoughts, often paddlers run into the same problems over and over. During rescues it’s ” I don’t know where to put my paddle”, about stowing gear it’s ” should I have my VHF radio on me?”, and should you carry your towing system with you at all time????
To me it all come down to working out your Systems, your gear should work for your System to achieve your goals.
When it comes to Towing I have decided to carry a North Water PFD Quick Release Sea Link because it’s always on my PFD, it has a good quick release system, I can use it as a Pig Tail for contact tows, for clipping my paddle on, for walking along the shore line with my own boat on tow…. but also for a short tow with the 5 meters of line stowed in the pouch or a long tow if I rig it with my mandatory Throw bag.…
All those things work for me because I use them often, play with the gear on a regular basis, and for some reason I worked out all the kinks out of that one.
My systems might work for you, or not!
Design your own!
But if I change anything in the system I have to train with it again, New PFD is an issue I try to avoid but I need a new one every so often, and it play tricks on me… I want a towing system, a pocket for my VHF radio, enough room for my grease pen and a strobe somewhere (notice that the strobe bother me as it is always attach on your back where you could not activate it without taking the PFD off…talk about a good System right there)…
Anyway, I just ran in to that article form the archives of Canoe&Kayak about PFD and Coast Guard regulations… Since the weather is looking Grey I figure it would make for some good reading!
Happy paddling.

MEC Gear Swap is all about gathering the community’s “gear heads” and promoting the reuse and recycling of used gear! MEC invites any co-op members to register to have a table for $5-$10 and sell or swap their no longer needed gear. In addition MEC brings a huge collection of their own used or warrantied gear to sell at awesome deals!

This year Gear Swap:
WHEN: SUNDAY OCTOBER 18TH 2009. 11am – 3pm

LOCATION: JAMES BAY COMMUNITY CENTRE
140 Oswego St, James Bay, Victoria.

For more information, please email lkelsey@mec.ca or contact the store at 250.386.2667.

A Stunning and Inspirational Slide Show by Shawna Franklin and Leon Sommé. The presenters are none others than :Shawna and Leon co-own Body Boat Blade International on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands, an award winning kayak school devoted to producing the safest, most skilled and fun loving paddlers and coaches in the world. Their passion is to teach other paddlers the skills that they need to safely kayak in the beauty of a stormy sea. They are literally neighbors!

In the summer of 2007 Shawna Franklin, Leon Sommé and renowned cinematographer Justine Curgenven successfully circumnavigated Haida Gwaii – Thee Queen Charlotte Islands. This rugged archipelago is perched at the edge of the continental shelf off the northwest coast of British Columbia. Come hear the story of their journey around this magical land!

Haida Gwaii waters are some of the most challenging in North America. Miles of rugged shoreline on the exposed west coast make for committed long distance paddling with few safe-landing spots.

Living out of their boats for 4 weeks, the team traveled lightly, without logistical shore support, allowing them flexibility to respond and react to the challenges they met on the sea and to get to know the warm and gracious inhabitants of this remote outpost.

You can Visit their website here, and the show will take place Friday 23 Oct 19:00
Where: UVIC’s Harry Hickman Building Room 105 (HH105)

Hope to see you there,
NIck

This is what the Georgia Strait Alliance had to say:
” Thanks to your efforts, and the loud voices of protect from many other groups and individuals in the region, on September 30, 2009, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) announced that it would put aside its decision to de-staff lighthouses on BC’s coast.

Instead, they will conduct a thorough review, including consultations with lighthouse keepers and other stakeholders. GSA will keep the pressure on DFO to ensure that the review process is transparent, comprehensive and includes all coastal communities.

Keep checking our website – http://www.facebook.com/l/6528c;www.GeorgiaStrait.org – and our FB page, for more information, and thanks for adding your voice to the opposition to DFO’s plans “.

For once we made a difference, always a good feeling!