Kayak, Bike, Nature and Travel

Today I got a call just before 8am from my good friend Ivan who is the owner of Western Prince Whale Watching  .  He had set up a ride on a zodiac from Cowichan Bay on Vancouver Island.  His buddy Simon who is the captain of the boat from Ocean Ecoventures .  It was an end of the season get together for Ivan's staff and had a few spots free for others to ride along.  We out for about 6 hours and it was a great time.  The zodiac can run at about 30 knots, which is a bit faster than most of the whale watching boats out of Friday Harbor.  We got to see Transient Orcas, which are the ones that hunt marine mammals.  We got to see them eat a harbor seal.  It was not too bad, we did not get to see the details to close.  We also got to see a few Minke Whales while we were out.  I never get to see Minke Whales, so I was really excited.  Plus it was the first time I have been out to Race Rocks.  It is a grouping of rocks in the Str...

Well it is almost October and the weather could not be better.  It was such a nice sunny day today, I had to give up on work and head out on the water.  I mainly went out to practice a static brace, but that ends up being rolling practice as well.  Yea I took a quick picture of me.  Self portraits never look to great.  But the good thing the sun is so bright I could not open my eyes all the way.  Since the sun will be going away soon, I'll take the squint. Heading out around Dinner Island with Meaghan to see if there are any seals hauled out. There were a lot of seals hanging out.  The picture is not the best.  It is hard to shoot with my little point and shoot and try and stay away from the haul out.   It was a short paddle but it was fun.  We mainly went out to practice rolling and bracing.  But we say a large deadhead log and decided to investigate.  So figured we may as well go check out the harbor seals.  On the way back Meaghan decided to try and stand on the deadhead log.  T...

Not the most eventful day in the world.  But that is the reason we like to live on the island sometime.  The sun was out today but I ended up spending most of the time in the shop.  We just set the shop up for our end of season sale.  So I was rearranging the clothing for the sale.  But I did get a chance this morning to enjoy the cool fresh air while on a bike ride.  This evening I drove to the west side to see the sunset.  I have a few pictures of the sunset to share.  I know that someone that visits my blog misses seeing the San Juan sunsets.  So enjoy.   

I think paddles are very specific to the person using them, but I can say that most people fall in love with the Werner Ikelos  or the Werner Cyprus .  Both paddles have carbon shafts with foam core blades wrapped in carbon.  I like the neutral bent shaft as it provides a comfortable feel as you put on miles.  The Ikelos is my personal paddle and I have been using it for over 4 kayak seasons now. It is still in great shape.  The adjustable ferrule is great and can go left or right feather in 15 degree increments. The Ikelos is a big blade with lots of surface area.  This can be quite a workout moving trough the water all day.  The Cyprus has less surface area and can be a bit easy on fatigue after kayaking all day.   I find the  Ikelos is nice and smooth through the water.  It did take a bit for me to get use to, as the blade feels more buoyant due to the foam core center and while sculling I found it easier to use if I slow down my stroke.  In slowing down the sculling for support str...

As a kayak guide I get to use lots of different gear and refine what works best for me.  You also learn small tweaks to your equipment by paddling with other kayakers, guides, and by taking formal training classes.  I have decided to make a quick list of products that I use while I am working.  I hope by adding this information new paddlers might be inspired to not only get safety equipment but take classes to ensure proper use. Guiding in the San Juan Islands in Washington State you have to be prepared for the cold water. The average water temperature is 48F.  This is pretty cold and hypothermia is an extreme concern.  So I use a Kokatat  Dry Suit.  It is a gortex suit that has latex gaskets at the neck and wrist.  The suits are pretty tough and keep you pretty much dry if you have to enter the water. With proper base layers, it provides you some time to perform a self-rescue.  Dry Suits are so important, in my view, to open new pa...

Last weekend I went to Port Townsend Washington to the West Coast Sea Kayak Symposium.  It is a great event where anyone can come and enjoy taking classes, sitting in on lectures and demoing lots of kayaks.   There was a new kayak that caught my attention and I decided to take it out for a demo.  The kayak is named the Xplore by TideRace Kayaks .  I wish I could have spent more time in the kayak and enjoy it in various conditions.  But I will just give my first impressions. At first sight the lines of the kayak are very pleasing.  The color schemes are very catchy as well. Overall the finish of the kayak looked really solid and has an additional hatch just forward of the cockpit.  The placement of the day hatch seemed to be a bit of a problem for me.  It was centered behind the cockpit, making it difficult to access.  I am not sure but maybe the future builds will have the day hatch offset to one side.  The Xplore is 18 feet long and has a beam of 21 inches.  It seems to be a very fast...

Forecast for the day called for winds to shift to the SE and build to 3o knots. Well I am not sure that it has made the 30 knot mark but it is around 15 knots or so right now.  Pictures are of Griffin Bay, an area we typically run Half Day Tours.  But not on days like today.  SE winds are great for choppy water in Griffin Bay and offer lots of fun for kayak play time. Not the best pictures in the world. You can see the change the wind can have on the water.  See my post Cattle Pass to see water conditions without wind.  Add some wind to the situation and you get a few more white caps and even a few little breaking wave. It is a shame that the wind had to build so late in the day.  It is hard to find people to kayak with at such short notice to go out and have fun in these conditions.  I was lucky last year and Michelle living here and she was ready to go anytime.  I wish she was here this afternoon.

I decided to put a few words out there about the ICOM M72 for those who might be in the market for a handheld VHF radio.  I have only used the M72 for one season but it has turned out to be my favorite radio thus far. I use the radio for collecting weather information, communicating with other kayakers and boaters in the area.  Give that the hard shell case is exposed to the salt water all the time I choose to keep it safe in a aquapac radio case.  This reduces the salt water exposure greatly.  The M72 is nice and slender so when added to the aquapac it does not feel over bulky as some radios have in the past.  The function buttons are all easy to use through the case.  Best for me is the amount of volume you can get out of the radio.  While on the water the radio may be on the deck of my kayak and the wind could be blowing hard restricting my hearing.  While listening for updated weather I can easily hear the M72. The M72 also can operate at 6 watts of power.  This provides a nic...

Today I took off on a nice kayak from Cattle Pass on San Juan Island and made my way over to Lopez Island.  I was on the look out for Stellar Sea Lions and I was not disappointed.  There were some hauled out at Whale Rocks and a few swimming in the channel.  I had a great shoreline paddle along Lopez Island where I saw many purple sea stars.  I took just a few photos since the water was so calm.  It was a great day.