Counting the Go Days

February 18, 2011 | Johan | forecast, Georgia Straight, kayaking, Project30, weather | comment »

Crossing the Georgia Straight… by kayak… in March… can only be done with a stable weather window. We’ve only counted 2 “Go Days” in the last two weeks! But I KNOW that the window will be there when the time comes. I have no doubt Aeolus, God of the Winds, will look favorably upon our expedition.

Go to Aiolos, king of the Sky-born Winds, and to him too convey my wishes, which are that he should order all the winds of heaven to cease. The sea must not be ruffled by a breeze. All I ask for is a soft air from the west . . .

Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 4. 762 ff (trans. Rieu) (Greek epic C3rd B.C.) :

Circumnavigating Vancouver Island

November 7, 2009 | Johan | gulf islands, kayaking | comment »

It’s high on my bucket list: kayaking around Vancouver Island. Not this year, not next year, but soon. I don’t know why, but it is an adventure which has an irresistible pull on me.

An online paddling community I often visit, WestCoastPaddler, features a slideshow by ComoxPaddler of his trip around VI. It gets me even more excited to start planning this trip, and by his quote: “it reminds me why we all paddle”.

All photos thanks to ComoxPaddler!

Types of sea kayakers

April 8, 2009 | Johan | books, kayaking | comment »

Best (and funniest) description of the colourful characters you meet on the water:

From the highly recommended book:
Sea Kayaking Illustrated – A Visual Guide to Better Paddling

Island Escapades / Day guides course

March 19, 2009 | Johan | gulf islands, kayaking | comment »

Today I joined Jack Rosen of Island Escapades for the first day of their Day Guides course. Jack has operated Island Escapades on Salt Spring Island for over 18 years, and offers a whole range of outdoor activities from his store in Dowtown Ganges. He also carries a small but very well selected range of kayak gear, clothing and camping equipment.

Jack explaining a rescue

On this bitterly cold winter day,  we started by reviewing all the essential paddle strokes and later progressed into edging, leaning and bracing. After lunch and hot tea brought our core temp back to normal,  it was time for the inevitable swim.

While practising both self- and assisted rescues, I was shocked how quickly I started to loose useful functioning of my hands and fingers. The initial cold shock and icy water also made it really difficult to think straight, and I found myself making a stupid mistake in a standard self rescue which I have done a 1001 times.

So the one thing I learned this day, is that my current wetsuit and paddling jacket are no match for the winter conditions. Not even with all the extra wool and fleece layers I was wearing. Guess it’s time to bite the bullet and buy that hideously expensive but oh-so-comfortable dry suit…

Movie premier: Eastern Horizons

March 19, 2009 | Johan | video | comment »

Tonight is the Vancouver premier of Eastern Horizons, an action-packed sea kayaking film exploring the Antlantic coast of North America. Made by Brian Smith, who last year brought us the much awarded Pacific Horizons, this film documents the entire length of the East Coast from Georgia to Newfoundland. Here’s the official trailer:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u1Lc_3NFsI[/youtube]

The premier is hosted by Ecomarine and will be held at the Jericho Beach Sailing Center. More info can be found on www.ecomarine.com/events/premiers.html

New waterproof camera

March 18, 2009 | Johan | camera, photography | 1 comment »

Bringing a camera on a kayaking trip is always a risky affair, since most electronics do not like water, sand and salt – let alone a combination of the three. However,  the new Tough-series by Olympus is build to thrive in exactly that environment.

The top model (Mju Tough 8000) is waterproof up to 10 meters, can take a 2 meter fall and will work in below freezing temperatures. It has a large high contrast LCD display and buttons which are easy to operate, even with gloved hands.

Olympus Mju 8000 camera

I tried this camera out on my first paddle of this year, and was very impressed with the ease-of-use and the excellent image quality. Even with cold and shaky hands and adverse lighting conditions it produces sharp en well-lit images. It has a 12 megapixel (!) sensor and a new image stabilization system helps prevent blurry pictures.

Highly recommended for all outdoor enthousiasts who want a camera that will perform well in the most demanding conditions!

First paddle of 2009!

March 17, 2009 | Johan | kayaking | comment »

It is early March, and I arrived on Salt Spring Island just five days ago. Winter is still in full effect, with blistering cold winds, sudden storms and regular snowfall. The fireplace is roaring all day.

This friday however, Mother Nature gave us a break: blue skies, light winds, plenty of sunshine and a balmy 6 degrees Celsius. You don’t pass up such an opportunity, especially not this early in the season. After being land-locked for almost six months, I just had to go out and paddle.

click the image for a photo impression!

test post for categories

March 7, 2009 | Johan | comment »

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