Nature, Kayak and Travel

Another Great Discount on Kayak Tours

2011-05-14T19:17:00.001-07:00

Check out the following link to receive 15% off of a Discovery Sea Kayak Day Tour.

This is a great opportunity to save a little on your San Juan Island vacation.

Paddle the west shore of San Juan in search or Orca Whales, Seals and other wildlife. Enjoy distant views of the Olympic Mountains and Vancouver Island. This is truly one of the best kayak tours you can go on and with 15% off, it is the best price on the island.

It is true. I am using my blog to try and bring in a little extra business and help those looking for a San Juan Island Kayak Tour save a little money.

Thanks

Kayak Tour Discount

2010-12-13T09:10:00.000-08:00

Discovery Sea Kayaks is offering a great deal for those shopping for San Juan Island Kayak Tours for this coming summer 2011.

If you book your trip and prepay we apply a 15% discount to the price of the kayak tour. The prepay is nonrefundable, but we provide the flexibility for you to change your tour date to another booked tour of the same value on the 2011 calendar.

This deal is good until March 31st of 2011. So if you are planning a San Juan Island vacation and know that you would love to get on the water for a few day and do some camping. Well BOOK NOW and PAY NOW and SAVE!!!

http://www.discoveryseakayak.com/kayak-trips/multi-day-trips

Sea Kayak Guide/ Naturalist Guide Jobs

2010-12-09T11:10:00.001-08:00

Discovery Sea Kayaks has started the quest for new Kayak Guide Staff for 2011. We are located in the Pacific Northwest on San Juan Island in Washington State. Our tours travel amazing routes throughout the islands. Wildlife encounters range from Killer Whales to Bald Eagles.

We seek outdoor enthusiast that have a keen interest in water sports and natural history. Out tours are mix of fun and education. Guides provide the Naturalist information that the guest seek to enhance their vacations.

We operate Half Day and Full Day Kayak Tours as well as Multi Day Expedition Kayak Tours.

If you have experience kayaking or guiding, that is a bonus. If you are someone who wants to get into the outdoor industry as a guide we offer intern positions as well. All guides regardless of experience have to go through guide training.

If you are interested in working for Discovery Sea Kayaks, send your resume and an attached photo of you kayaking or enjoying another outdoor sport. Please make sure your resume includes all your outdoor experience, training and medical/first aid certifications.

Send resume to: info@discoveryseakayak.com

Jason Gunter

Discovery Sea Kayaks

Buyer Beware

2010-09-29T12:06:00.001-07:00

Have you every wondered what it must be like to show up after booking a kayak tour and meeting the outfitter you have selected and not feel like basic safety protocols are being followed.

I know that I may be a bit strict in my thinking here but really as a commercial outfitter you would think some things would be basic. Something as basic as wearing a life jacket (PFD) should be a must.

I can hear some of you now. It is 90F outside and the water is 80F. That is true and on your own I feel if you do not want to wear a life jacket then that is your business. But as a professional outfitter you should be an example setter.

In the Pacific Northwest where air temperature is not always that warm and the water is never warm. I still see images of people not wearing life jackets on commercially operated kayak tours websites.

Coast Guard records will show that most kayak and canoe related deaths can be attributed to the person not WEARING a life jacket. Having it simply strapped to the deck or in the cockpit does not count as wearing your life jacket.

Not only is it "my opinion" that it is a bad practice for commercial operators to tell guest it is okay to not wear life jackets. But to have images on their websites is, again in "my opinion", irresponsible.

As a guide I feel it should be your job to promote safe paddling concepts and good stewardship all around.

So if you find yourself in a situation where your outfitter/guide tells you it is okay to not wear a life jacket or any other behavior that does not seem to be obvious basic safety. Don't do it and feel free to ask questions. Any questions of safety should be dealt with and your outfitter should handle your concerns with respect.

Going out with a commercial outfitter is suppose to be fun and above all safe. So pay attention to all the images on the websites when shopping. Think to yourself if what you see in the images on these sites are adhering to common sense safety.

I respect any ones opinion to disagree with me on this topic and hope you can respect my opinion.

Kayak Guide Jobs San Juan Island

2010-08-31T14:25:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to post a note that Discovery Sea Kayaks is looking for people for the 2011 kayak season. I know it is early to start thinking about 2011 kayak season on San Juan. But we get a lot of people that are passing though the area and should come out and get on the water with us if they are interested in getting a position in 2011 as a sea kayak guide.

We are looking for outdoor minded people that understand the seasonal lifestyle. People that show up prepared to work long hours and day after day if need be. If you have kayak skills and interested in becoming a guide, get in touch. If you have strong outdoor skill and have guided in the outdoors, but do not have tons of kayak experience, get in touch.

We have an extensive training period that will help develop on skills you have or new skills. We cover natural history and human history of the San Juan area as well.

Guides must be responsible and punctual. A guide must be prepared to help out in anyway possible. Guiding consist of: shuttling vans, cleaning gear, packing kayaks, hauling kayaks, taking care of guest, washing vans, and various duties and at some point there is kayaking. So my point is there are many duties other than kayaking. It is a must that you can take directions and follow them to completion.

Being a kayak guide can be fun or stressful. It really depends on the perspective you bring to the job.

So if that all sounds good to you get in touch: info@discoveryseakayak.com 360.378.2559

Kayaking San Juan Island in Jeopardy??

2010-08-20T13:52:00.001-07:00

I know that many may have forgotten all the mess last fall when NOAA announced the possible closure of the majority of San Juan Islands west side. The west side of San Juan Island is one of the best places to kayak in all the San Juan Islands.

The following link is full of information from last fall that I posted here on my blog. There are links in the post that will take you to the Recovery Plan and info on the closure prospects.

http://seayakwc.blogspot.com/2009/07/noaa-proposal-to-close-west-side-of-san.html

So what is going on today?

The San Juan Island Kayak season has been in full swing and the season has been busy. As a commercial operator that runs tours out of San Juan County Park we have agreed to new terms in our permit that is call the Kayaker Code of Conduct. This is good stewardship information that we pass along to every guest that we take to the park for kayaking. We collect signatures from each guest that they have received the information. If you are a kayaker heading out on your own to San Juan County Park. You will have to pay a fee and listen to a short presentation before you can launch from the park.

Here is some info that some may not know. There are observers along the coast that are recording kayaker behavior around the whales to see if the Kayaker Code of Conduct is enough to have people act in a more respectful manner around killer whales. This information that is collected will be used to determine if: A. Commercial Kayak companies can be a self regulated industry. B. If the public will follow the new regulations without enforcement.

What does all this mean?

So as of last year after the public comment period NOAA decided to have a grace year where the new Kayaker Code of Conduct would be in place and monitor its success.

In the end the area that we all love to kayak is still in jeopardy of being closed to all kayakers. I am sure that this fall NOAA will have a public statement to present. What that statement will be, I have no idea. Either way I fear over regulation by any government organization.

From an outdoor enthusiast point of view, I hate to see any public lands and/or waterways closed. I understand the need to protect resource such as wildlife and land. I come from a biology background and support conservation. But when we have an issue like we have here, where there is a total lack of information on how Southern Resident Killer Whales react to kayaks. Combined with an overwhelming amount of data that supports depletion of food resource as the major cause for concern for the killer whale population here in the San Juan Islands.

I fully support realistic endeavours that will foster a healthy salmon population. Given the complex problems dealing with fisheries I find this should be the area where most energy should be spent. Figuring out a sustainable way of replenishing fish stocks for the San Juan Island region would go a long way to fostering a healthy environment for the killer whales here.

The killer whale population has arguably been in decline. I say arguably because when we look a the historical numbers before orca captures and I am not sure we are taking fish (salmon) stocks at the same time period in to account. The carrying capacity for species change when the habitat evolves. Basically we cannot expect the numbers to increase for a species if their habitat cannot support feeding at an increased population level. We all know that salmon populations are low and can then deduce that we cannot expect the Southern Resident population of killer whales to reach historic levels.

If we look at the numbers of Souther Resident Killer Whales over the past 10 years we do see a rise and fall of the population. A possible indicator of reaching a threshold for the habitat. So why do we see a higher mortality rate some years vs other years? There are some orcas in the population that are fairly old and the life span of killer whales have been decreasing due to increase toxins in the environment and the food web. So if we have a bad salmon season and the killer whales are having a harder time making a living. We might see an increased mortality that season due to a couple of reasons: 1. Natural mortality of aging animals in the pods. 2. Bioaccumulation of toxins combined with the lack of food means the animals will have to produce energy from fat stores. This will increase the likely hood of death by the toxins interfering with other physiological processes.

So in the end I feel the government should be spending all of their energy working on the food source issue. But instead they have amassed a lot to money to challenge that kayaks, of all vessels on the water, are contributing to reduction of the Southern Resident Killer Whale population. In a time where government resources are maxed out and that economies are backed against the wall. We see a total disregard of tax dollars going to solve a problem, that in the end, will do nothing to save the killer whales. Harder questions should be asked here. Ones that justify the expense. How can we get good to the killer whale population? How can we further protect our watersheds and waterways from toxins?

But instead we get, kayakers are a threat to the Southern Resident Killer Whale population.

So keep your ears and eyes open. There will be a statement coming this fall. This is only my intuition that leads me to believe NOAA will start following up with the closure. Read news papers or check back here. I will post any updated info I get.

Help protect San Juan Island kayaking and support logical, sustainable conservation efforts.

Thanks for reading.

Kayaking San Juan Island Wa State

2010-07-12T14:56:00.000-07:00

Finally our summer is in full swing and then today the winds moved in. It is still nice and warm, at least warm for the Pacific Northwest. But today the winds are strong and keeping people off the water. We do have a tour out today but we changed our kayaking location to get away from the wind.

I had a really nice Half Day Kayak Tour out just the other day. The water was nice and the skies were clear. Really nice to be out there on the nice days.

Looks like the wind will die down tonight and then it is looking really nice for the rest of the week.

Getting ready to head out on the water.

Nice and clear out. The Olympic Mountain are in the distance.

Team work when paddling a tandem is a good idea.

Well if you plan on getting on the water. Check out our web page: www.discoveryseakayak.com

We are operating tours daily and can get you on the water for a great time.

San Juan: Open for Business

2010-07-05T11:36:00.000-07:00

Today is kind of crazy here in the little town of Friday Harbor. Lots of people came over to enjoy the weekend for the 4th of July. Plenty of fun things to do while they were here. Town hosted a wonderful small town parade. The evening was filled with music from Rock the Docks.

I went to a friends house and BBQ'ed. His house is on the water so Robin and I took our kayaks to do some rolling practice. The evening was met with clouds, light rain and then sunshine again.

The whale were in the area all weekend, so I am sure there are many happy folks that went out whale watching for power boat, kayakers that explored the west side of San Juan and those who visited Lime Kiln State Park.

Discovery Sea Kayaks was busy as ever on the 4th and the 5th seems to be no different. Now I sit watching loads of people stage for the ferry to head back to the mainland. Back to their normal pace in life. It is nice that for a short time San Juan Island can offer a break from the day to day life of the city goers.

Now that the holiday is over, the island will remain busy but with a bit more of a relaxed vibe. So from here on out it is a great time to come out and join Discovery Sea Kayaks on a Kayak Tour.

Take a break and come on out..

New Lodging in Friday Harbor

2010-06-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

If you are looking to stay in the heart of Friday Harbor and have a harbor view, check out 123 West.

123 West has a fun modern design with interior details you will love. From culinary kitchens to stunning vies of the harbor. You will be close to everything in town.

They recently launched a new website and if you are planing on coming to Friday Harbor for a visit, you should check them out.

123 West San Juan Island

On another note Kayaking have been great the past week. The Souther Resident Killer Whales have been hanging on the west side of San Juan Island almost everyday. Stop by the Discovery Sea Kayaks blog for pictures or book a tour.

Thanks for visiting

Jason

Check out Discovery Sea Kayaks Blog

2010-06-25T15:26:00.000-07:00

So I am starting the use the companies Blog a bit more. I will continue to blog here as well but I plan to update more kayak tour and trip information on the Discovery Sea Kayak Blog.

So Stop by and check it out and bookmark it please.

http://www.discoveryseakayak.com/blog

San Juan Kayak Tours and Adventure

2010-06-17T11:41:00.000-07:00

Summer is slowly working its way in here on San Juan Island. We have been running lots of tours to the west side of San Juan and have had early success with orca whale encounters.

Remember if you are shopping for a Kayak Tour on San Juan Island that Discovery Sea Kayaks has the smallest group tours on the island. The main benefit to small groups is that you get great service from your guide and you travel with less impact on wildlife. Since we travel through prime killer whale feeding areas, we do everything we can to minimize impact. One of the best ways to do this is by reducing the number of boats in a group.

I have been out having fun with a couple of our interns doings some fun kayak training. Yesterday we practiced towing exercises. Plus we working on off side rolls and a few other skills. It is nice to have a chance to help young paddlers develop their skills.

Multi Day Kayak Tours seem to be very popular this season and it is a great way to see the San Juan Islands. If you have a group of friends come out and see us. We put together a tour that you will remember for years to come.

Discovery Sea Kayaks is located a few hundred feet from the ferry landing in Friday Harbor. So we are easy to reach. Just walk on the ferry in Anacortes and walk up the the shop and we will take care of you. It is an easy day trip from Seattle.

Kayak is one of the reasons to come to Friday Harbor, San Juan Island. People travel from all over the work to kayak here. I know of you live in Seattle the Juans are you back yard. But everyone should come check it out.

If you book a Half Day, Full Day or Sunset Tour with Discovery Sea Kayaks and a Whale Watching tour with Western Prince Cruises you get 10% OFF each tour.

Yikes! Sometimes you can get surprised by an Orca. Even when we try as hard as we can to maintain distance from Killer Whales, they get curious..

Discovery Sea Kayaks - Kayak Tours San Juan Island

2010-06-15T12:15:00.001-07:00

Not only does Discovery Sea Kayaks offer the best sea kayak tour adventures on San Juan Island, check out our new website! http://www.discoveryseakayak.com/

We specialize in providing Half Day and Full Day San Juan Island Kayak Tours and Trips to areas where Killer Whales (Orca) are commonly seen. We launch our Kayak Trips in the heart of the wildlife view area for San Juan Island. No need to spend half the day kayaking just to get to the zone when you go with Discovery Sea Kayaks, we spend the entire day in the area. This increases your chances to have encounters with Killer Whales from kayak.

If you are looking to go out for more than one day. Check out our Multi Day Kayak Tours. We will take you all over the islands in search of beauty and wildlife. Camp on outer islands and enjoy meals prepared by your guide. When I say meals, there are no dehydrated beans here. We prepare fresh foods using as much locally grown goods as possible. So be assured this is the top of the line tour for San Juan Island Kayak Tours.

Let us take are of you! Contact: info@discoveryseakayak.com or call 866.461.2559

3 Day Kayak Tour

2010-06-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I was out guiding a 3 day kayak tour. I took one of our new guides along for training. It was a nice small group of 4 people. It was really a great trip despite the rain.

The first day was a nice long paddle day as we made our way to Jones Island to set camp. Soon after arriving at Jones Island the wind picked up and we were all happy that we were off the water. Katie and I set camp and started working on dinner prep. The guest took off for a nice hike around the island. Even with the winds the evening was amazing. Off the bed early to avoid the chill of the wind and get a bit of rest after a long day.

Day two, Katie and I were up early and the guest got up slowly at their own pace. The day was shaping up to be beautiful. The sun was bright and the temps were warm. The day had little tide exchange so the water was really flat. We made our way across San Juan Channel towards Spieden Island. Once we reached the north shore of the island we slowly moved though amazing kelp beds. We then headed over the the Cactus Islands. Wonderful current moves around the Cactus Islands with waving kelp at the surface of the water. Eventually we ended the day on Stuart Island. Once of my favorite islands to visit. I usually do not go to Stuart because it get so much use, but the season has been slow so I figured we would be safe from the masses.

We ended day two with a hike to Turn Point on Stuart Island. This is truly one of the best places to catch the sunset in the islands. Not only did we get to see the sunset we go to see Orcas from the bluff as well. It was a great end to the day.

Day three we were revisited by the rain. Though we had a day of rain the day was really nice. We took off early in the morning and headed off to San Juan County Park. On the way we had two Orcas pass by.

The trip was a great trip. It is always fun to be on the water with great people sharing a kayak experience on the island.

Rockpool Alaw Bach TCC Kayak

2010-05-31T15:18:00.000-07:00

Once again sorry for not having any images.

I recently had a chance to paddle the Rockpool Alaw Bach TCC kayak that is made here in the US. It is being manufactured by Eddyline in Carbonlite material. I have almost no experience with the Carbonlite material so I will not get into much detail on Carbonlite.

First off I will start with saying the kayaks are beautiful. Great lines and the Carbonlite finish is smooth and flawless. The interior looked liked the kayaks are put together with care and for a little flare there are sea star shapes pressed into the bulkheads.

I am roughly 5'9 and 195 pounds, I thought the kayak had a great fit. It is a bit more narrow than my NDK Explorer and has more of a snug fit and a slight different knee orientation than I get in my NDK Explorer. I worried at first that I would not be comfortable sitting in the kayak for a long time, but after a decent paddle I did not notice any discomfort. Make sure you check the seat if you are going to take on for a demo. The seat has thumb screws forward and aft of the seat. The seat is designed to slide forward and back. Once I found the right place for the seat I was comfy and ready to get on the water.

My first paddle was short. I basically got off work and ran to the water to hopped in. I played around in flat water with different stokes, braces and some rolls. Overall I found the kayak very maneuverable and stable on edge. Moving forward through the water is nice and easy. When brought up to speed it cruises at a good clip. The Alwa Bach TCC tracked nice and straight. When using draw strokes the kayak responds quickly and smoothly. It also seemed to be a good rolling kayak. The back deck was nice and low so you can really lay back on the deck. I was a bit interested in how easy I would exit the kayak if I needed to. The cockpit is long and narrow with very little room between the thigh braces. But I found with a bit of a wiggle a came out clean and in control of the kayak. Cowboy/Cowgirl rescues were not a problem.

Day two I took the kayak out in a windy and choppy condition. With a nice strong breeze and a decent tidal exchange the water was nice and choppy off the points of the island. I headed out to an area where the sea was mildly confused with wave refracting off the rocky shore into on coming waves. The Alaw Bach TCC was solid. I felt very stable heading downwind. The kayak was nice and easy to turn around in the chop to head back into the waves. It was pretty fun crashing through the waves. I had the most fun paddling along the shore with waves rushing up along he rocks and simply drawing up and down the waves as I paddled the shoreline. The Alaw Bach TCC really handled well and responds so nice to the hanging draw.

After messing around the shoreline I set up to try and catch a few wind waves to see how the kayak would handle when catching a small wave. It was a different experience than my NDK Explorer but after a few rounds I started to trust what I was feeling. The one thing I noticed is how straight the kayak would travel on plane. It really seemed to resit broaching.

When I headed out in the wind I was prepared to the kayak to be a weather cocking machine. But to my surprise it held course without issue. With the up swept bow I just assumed I was going to have to fight it the whole time or use the skeg. I ended up not doing either.

All hatches were super dry. They were easy to put on and just a bit of a struggle to get off. Which is fine with me. But I was happy to see how dry the hatches were after playing in the waves and playing upside down.

So what do I think about the Rockpool Alaw Bach TCC??? I have to say I was sad to give it back and I think that I may end up with another kayak soon.

How do I feel about Carbonlite??? Well like I said I really do not know that much about it. But it seemed really durable and I did not notice any more flex in the full when loading it than I do with some of the glass kayaks I own. The finish is far better than that of standard plastics and it is more ridged. I think I would prefer to have a fiberglass model. But if you look at what they are trying to do with the design, then Carbonlite makes sense.

The idea is to produce an amazing hull that is a performer. But do that at a cost that is reasonable. There are a lot of great kayaks out there from NDK, Valley, P&H, TideRace etc... But you will easily spend 3500 bucks or more. The Alaw Bach TCC is retailing at 2999. For those really looking to get a great kayak that is truly a performance machine at a great price, then check out the Alaw Bach TCC.

I will get some link up soon....

Thanks

Jason Gunter

Discovery Sea Kayaks

Emotion Kayaks

2010-05-31T15:04:00.000-07:00

The long weekend was full of clouds and rain here on the island. So the weekend is was not as busy as we would have hoped it to be.

I hosted a Emotion Kayak Demo Day on Saturday and it was rainy and windy. Not many people showed up. But those that did come by had a blast messing about with these fun recreational class kayaks.

If you are not familiar with Emotion Kayaks and you are looking for a recreational flat water style kayak, you should check them out. I took all the demo models out for a little paddle and it was really fun. If you are looking for a "sea" kayak then this is not the brand for you. But if you live on a protected bay, lake or slow moving river, then you would have a blast.

So the update for the shop on demos. We have select models available for demos. All you have to do is give us a call and set up a time and we can get get you on the water for a test paddle.

In stock in the shop I have the Glide, Advant-Edge and the Spitfire. I also have the Temptation, Grand Slam, Tandemonium and the award winning Comet.

So if you think you are in the market for a fun and stale recreational kayak, give me a call (360.378.2559) or drop by the shop.

Sorry I do not have photos. My digital cam has been missing since I moved but it has been relocated and I will start adding images to upcoming post.

Kayaks I Like to Paddle

2010-05-10T12:44:00.000-07:00

There are lots of kayaks out there and they come in different designs. But we all end up setting on designs and kayaks we are most comfortable with. Not all people like the same kayaks as I do and that is why they come in different designs. But I thought I would give everyone a bit of info on the kayaks that I like to be in.

First my two primary kayaks are a Nigel Dennis Explorer and a Nigel Dennis Romany HV. So my might start to see I am a pretty solid NDK fan but there a few other kayak out there that I love to paddle as well.

Why I do I like the NDK kayaks so much? First off my two NDK's are several years old and are built pretty much like tanks, which is the way I like. I know that they can be a bit heavier than other kayaks out there, but I am not to worried about how hard it is to get on and off my car. I am more worried about running a tiderace with rock all over and not destroying my kayak. My NDK's have taken a beaten and just keep on going. That is not to say that I have not had to patch a whole or add some gel here and there. They have their wounds, but they were earned honestly.

I decided on the NDK as my primary kayak years ago. I had the chance to paddle one for a summer and after being in various conditions with the kayak. In the end it was a solid performer that I felt at home in. The round hatches can be a bit of a pain to pack but that is a minimal issue for the great performance I get from these kayaks.

Now that said here are a few other kayaks I like. I own a P&H Capella 167. I really love playing around in this kayak. It feel a lot different than the NDK Romany to me. It is nimble and still can hold a good pace. It does great with dynamic water conditions and really is an overall sweet kayak. The lay up is a bit light for my taste but the design is pretty awesome.

Tiderace Kayaks are another group of kayaks I like. I have had the chance to play around in the Xcite but not the Xplore. The Xcite is a fun kayak. The overall construction seems to be great. The color schemes are very catchy and fresh. I am sure the Xplore is a great kayak as well. The one thing that holds me off on these two kayaks are their cost. They just seem to be a bit more than other high end kayaks out there and I am not sure they warrant the extra cost. But if you have the cash and don't mind shelling it out, it is a fun kayak.

Another option that I hope to be checking out soon is the Rockpool ALAW Back TCC. Rockpool is another UK company that produces an amazing design but the cost for a fiberglass kayak is just to expensive. But Eddyline kayaks is producing the kayak in their Carbonlite material. Now that it is being produced in the states the price drops. Though the material is different than fiberglass, I am very excited to check out the kayak. The kayak is designed for dynamic water conditions and the TCC material is suppose to be very durable. So this could turn out to be a fun kayak to play around rocks with. I will let you know after I demo the kayak.

Last but not least is Valley Canoe Products. Valley makes a full line of kayaks from hard chine to round chine kayaks. Valley pretty much makes all nice kayaks. From construction to performance they really have a good line of kayaks. Of course I am partial the round chined kayaks (Aquanaut and Avocet). But I would check out Valley if you haven't yet.

That is a nice list of kayaks that I really enjoy. There are tons of others and I am sure that some out there have different taste than I do. If you would like to share your favorite sea kayak, please leave a comment on your favorite kayak and why...

Thanks

Jason

Discovery Sea Kayaks

Sea Kayak Safety Full Circle

2010-05-05T09:11:00.001-07:00

Now that I have reached a good place in my post about safety. I wanted to bring things full circle and kind of give a thought process to safety. I hope the reading has not been to bland, but I feel this is a topic that really is good for anyone who is on the water, cold or warm waters.

After you have reached the point of purchasing a kayak and all the extra gear needed to be safe. It is time to practice. I cannot emphasize how important it is to practice with all of you equipment. This will allow you see what works and what might need to be modified or replaced. It is better to find flaws and weakness when you are practicing and not depending on the gear for your life.

Practice with partners you plan to paddle with. This will develop you kayak relationship with you partners. In the process you will learn each others strengths and weaknesses. This is invaluable information when faced with real world emergencies. Work with each other on scenarios that will help develop better techniques and do not hesitate to focus on areas of your weakness.

Take a rescue and paddle strokes class. For some it is nice to take a class that focuses on certain aspects of kayaking. Some may even want to get certifications to go along with all their hard work. You can readily find classes offered by the British Canoe Union (BCU) and the American Canoe Association (ACA). Approach your local paddle shops, as they most likely offer lessons that may not have certifications at the end. But none the less they still offer quality kayak lessons. When you go for lessons it is best to listen to the instructors on the flow of education. Many people stop in my shop and all they want to learn is to roll a kayak. Like most things in life, we must first crawl before we walk. So be patient and let your skills develop.

OK, lets say that you have taken some classes and practice wit you kayak partners, now what? Well depending on the region you are kayaking, make sure all of your gear is sufficient for the area you are in. From here we need to develop a plan. Even if you are heading out for a few hours, a full day or a week. It is best to create a plan and leave message of your plan with someone back on land.

Planning: I always create my paddle plan based on my traveling desires. I ask my self where do I want to go and for how long. Being in Washington State, the tides have a broad range so that is where I start. I check the tides and then refer to a current table. After the tides and currents are worked out I check the Marine Forecast. When listening to the forecast I am generally interested in what the have been doing, what they are currently doing and what they might be doing later. After all of this basic information is collect I look at my desired travel area and see if it is still a logical place to go for the paddle.

Gear Check: Once my plan is in place I make sure I have all the gear I need for the paddle. I start with the basics. First I check my standard gear, which you can learn more about by reading my post "So Whats In Your Kayak". Then depending on the type of trip I am going on, a day trip vs a camping trip. I will add the gear necessary, such as tent and sleeping bag etc.

Now if am equipped with my Chart in hand, travel plans and all gear to be safe and have fun. I know this sounds like a lot of things to do just to head out for a paddle. But I assure you that if you do your planning ahead of time before getting on the water. You will save your self much needed time if something goes wrong out there.

Being out in nature has its inherent risk. But being prepared and practiced will help mitigate issues that arise when you are far from help and you depend on yourself and your partner for survival.

A bit of personal advice:

Never become complacent about the areas you travel. Even if you have traveled there a 100 times or you have years of experience. Always take the proper steps to ensure safety while traveling on the water.

Know your limits and your partners limits.

I could go on and on with advice but I will stop here. My over all goal here is to set a bit of a tone about safety as the sea kayak season is kicking off for the summer here in the Pacific Northwest.

Please feel free to write questions and comments. I always try to address any questions.

Jason

Discovery Sea Kayaks

Should I Wear A Drysuit?

2010-05-04T12:49:00.000-07:00

So I have been focusing some of the past few post on safety issues and equipment. There always is some interest in should I wear a drysuit, westsuit or dry top and dry pants. I am going to give my opinion on the topic and you can take from it what you wish. But please be clear that the information here represents my opinion only.

As always, it really depends on the region you are paddling. I paddle the Pacific Northwest most of the time, so my experience padding cold water is a reflection of my what I say here.

To be upfront, I paddle a Kokatat Gore-tex drysuit. I wanted to get that out in the open first. Before I started paddling in a drysuit I either wore a wetsuit or just clothes I did not mind getting wet.

When I got into sea kayaking and wanted to learn skills that require capsizing and being out of my kayak, I wore a wetsuit. For my daily pursuits I generally work some quick dry pants and polypro. Working rescue skills in the cold water was doable, but not much fun when in my wetsuit. Being wet and cold really start to set in after a good amount of practice.

Wearing no immersion garments in my daily pursuits now seems a bit careless after my years on the water. I would not recommend heading out on the water, in regions where cold water is an issue, without some sort of immersion protection.

Eventually a reached a point where I decided to try out a drysuit. Man did things start to change. When I wanted to go out and practice rescues there was far less hesitation is getting on the water. My drysuit seemed to afford me more time and comfort in the cold water. This enabled me to hone my skill more. I also could push the limit more in my practice as the psychological barrier of the cold water seemed to fade. My skills started to increase at a more rapid rate. I attribute this partly to the addition of the drysuit to my kayaking closet.

So what do I do now on a daily basis? Most of the time you will find me in my drysuit. When I am leading trips I almost always wear my drysuit. Even if the weather is warm. It is easy to cool off with a simple roll. But if I am out leading a day trip and its a scorcher out, which is may be 85F here, I will wear a shorty dry top by NRS and dry pants. My wetsuit days are in the past.

When I am asked should I buy a drysuit, here is what I say. First I ask what is your budget. If it is unlimited or your not concerned with price then I say get a drysuit. If you are a bit on the budget shopping side, I say get a good farmer john wetsuit and a nice drytop.

The wetsuit, dry top combo works well. The dry top will keep you dry while bracing and rolling and if you come out of you kayak, the neoprene wetsuit will aid in keeping you warm.

So you might want to know why I did not mention the dry top, dry pant combo. I usually do not mention the combo because I feel if you are going to spend that much money, you should just get a drysuit.

If you have a big budget and want the flexibility. Then get a drysuit and buy the dry pant, dry top combo as well.

My end advice is: If you are going to paddle cold waters and want to be safe. Then paddle in a drysuit. If a drysuit is out of your budget, get the wetsuit, dry top combo. Just as on land heading out for a hike you always hear, Cotton Kills. Well take some good advice. Not wearing the proper clothing in cold water paddling regions can kill as well.

Thanks for reading.

Jason

Discovery Sea Kayaks

So Whats In Your Kayak?

2010-05-03T12:10:00.000-07:00

I have noticed over the years that people seem to head out kayaking for the day with little to no spare gear. Being a guide for so many years around the cold waters of the Pacific Northwest I have developed a system of always having gear in my kayak. Depending on where you live, this may seem a bit over kill.

Here is a list of things in my kayak by hatch:

Day Hatch

First Aid Kit: I always have a basic first aid kit that I can access while on the water.

Emergency Signal Devices: I have a few different types I like to have on board. I have signaling smoke, signaling flares, strobe, chem lights and a spare whistle.

Warm Items: Spare gloves and beanie

Stove: I keep a Jet Boil Personal Cooking System handy. On cold rainy days having access to hot water in a hurry really is nice.

Documentation Materials: I like to keep a paper and pen/pencil along with tide data in a water proof case.

Water Bottle and Snacks: I like to keep a water bottle for drinking and a extra for emergencies. For snacks I like to have Swedish Fish, Snickers, fruit and trail mix or granola bars. I know some of you think having Snickers is not good, but they really hit the spot when I am about to crash.

Forward Hatch

Dry Bag with Spare Clothes: I generally have spare socks, gloves, beanies, fleece top and bottoms. I will admit I have a few extra clothes than what you might need if you are just looking after yourself. But even so I try to take in mind my paddle partners in case of emergencies.

First Aid Kit: I keep a larger kit in the forward hatch than I do in my day hatch. This may be unnecessary for those not leading kayak tours.

Emergency Blanket: Super light weight, but hold in a lot of heat.

Stern Hatch

Shelter: I keep a tarp structure in the rear hatch for emergencies or for simple comfort when the rain is heavy.

Food: Besides the snacks I have in the day hatch I pack my lunch in the stern in a dry bag.

Roaming Gear

I have some gear that lives in the day hatch sometimes, on the front deck sometimes and on me sometimes. It depends on the condition and situation of the moment.

VHF Radio: I generally keep my VHF (ICom M72) in my day hatch. When I am in need of updated weather info or other info I attach the VHF to the lines forward of my cockpit. In rare occasions I will have the VHF attached to my PFD.

Signaling Devices: The signaling devices I have in my day hatch will on occasion be attached to me on my PFD.

PFD

Knife: I carry my knife in a pocket of my PFD. I have it attached to a lanyard that is equipped with a quick clip release.

Hand Held Compass: I keep my hand held compass in my PFD.

Sun Care: Sun block and lip protection live in my PFD.

Whistle: I have a whistle attached to my PFD all the time.

I wear a tow belt that is separate of my PFD and not attached to the kayak. I prefer the North Water Sea Tec.

Nautical Chart: Generally I have my chart in a water proof case attached to the deck lines just forward of the cockpit.

It is important to be familiar with all of your gear and where it is located. Practice sitting in your kayak on land and retrieving and replacing gear to your Day Hatch. When you are out for a paddle with friends and the water is a bit choppy, practice the exercise again. Be careful to attach gear removed from the hatch to deck lines so waves don't claim them.

If I notice any items I have missed I will update promptly. If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment and I will get back to you.

Thanks:

Jason

www.discoveryseakayak.com

April Fun (Kayaking, Tall Ships and More)

2010-05-02T14:20:00.000-07:00

April is over and man what an April. I was luck enough to get on the water to guide some trips. We ended up having a pretty good month as far as tours go. The weather could have been a little better, but you deal with what you get. I hope that May will start to mellow out and the winds start to fade.

But all in all there was lots of fun to be had. We had one multi day tour out in April and it was a blast. The first two days of the journey were rainy. But the last day was calm seas and sunshine. The beauty of the San Juan's stepped out from behind the clouds and graced our last day with sun and red checks. It was a larger than average tour so I had two co-leaders long with me, Shawn and Richard. It was so much fun to be out with other guides, as we usually operate alone.

Early morning view from my tent. Rain all night and rain for breakfast.

A few days after the tour, back on San Juan, two tall ships came to port. The Lady Washington and the Hawaiian Chieftain were open to donation to hop aboard and check them out. It was fun to check out the tall ship style. Though they are not old originals, they are still beautiful.

Hawaiian Chieftain up front and Lady Washington in the back.

To end the talk of April I will part with what everyone hopes to find at the end of a Rainbow.

A PREVIA!

Kayak Demo Day San Juan Island

2010-04-30T14:39:00.000-07:00

Welcoming Emotion Kayaks to Discovery Sea Kayaks.

To kick off the new line kayaks arriving at our shop we are hosting a Kayak Demo Day May29th. Starting at 9:30am we will have kayaks at Jackson Beach for test paddles. Bill Walker, the rep for Emotion Kayaks, will be here to provide in depth information on the different models.

Discovery Sea Kayaks will have kayak packages for sale in the shop, 185 First St Friday Harbor Wa. If you test out a kayak you like just drop by the shop and take it home. We have great package deals in the works for the Demo Day.

Demo Day will end at 5:30pm May 29th. So make sure to drop in and check out the kayaks.

Emotion Kayaks are great for beginner kayakers, wildlife watchers, photographers, fishermen, and to toss on your boat for quick exploration of bays.

You can pre order a kayak package before May 15th and receive 10% the package price.

Contact for details: 360.378.2559

www.discoveryseakayak.com

Mothers Day Special

2010-04-29T17:36:00.000-07:00

Discovery Sea Kayaks is offering a Mothers Day Special. May 9th all Moms receive 50% Off West Side Half Day Kayak Tours departing at 930am and 230pm. Please check out the tour on the company website: West Side Half Day Kayak Tour.

Limited Space: Book Now: 360.378.2559

Discovery Sea Kayak, Seattle Magazine

2010-04-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

Discovery Sea Kayaks was mentioned in Seattle Magazine May 2010 for Great Escapes for 2010.

Here is a link to the article: We are mentioned in the "what to do" section

http://www.seattlemag.com/0p135a2071/great-escapes-2010-friday-harbor/

Once again the Discovery Team is very grateful for being recognized for our hard work. We strive to provide the highest quality kayak adventures possible, not just in the San Juan Islands. The Discovery Team's passion for kayaking and the outdoors shines on every tour. Thanks to our great Guides and Staff we are able to share our vision with everyone who joins a DSK San Juan Island Kayak Tour.

Thanks again.

Inspirational

2010-04-27T10:29:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to share this video that is posted on the Canoe and Kayak Magazine homepage. It is a short video and will only take 5 minutes of your time. I hope you can take the determination of this one person and let it inspire you to take on the difficult tasks in your life.

Discovery Sea Kayaks Recognized

2010-04-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post a quick announcement that Discovery Sea Kayaks took Second Place in the King 5 Best of Western Washington contest. We are always faced with touch competition here in the Pacific Northwest, where there are lots of outfitters. But we were please to see we made the mark at Second Place. Though First Place is always the hope, this leaves us a bit more room to improve and provide even better service than before.

This is Discovery's second year making the list in the Top 5! Thank you to all who voted to help Discovery be recognized for all of our hard work.

http://best.king5.com/discovery-sea-kayaks-san-juan-islands/biz/168553

So come back and join us on a true kayak adventure around the San Juan Islands...

To Skeg or Rudder? That is the Question.

2010-04-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

I have had a few people looking to get more information on buying a kayak with a skeg or a rudder. I am not going to write a post and say you should have one over the other but I will give some simple facts and then my opinion.

First I will start out with the skeg. For those who are not familiar with the skeg system, I will give a quick description. The skeg is located on the hull side at the stern of the kayak. It is deployed from the cockpit via by a rope system or a cable slider system. When deployed it moves vertically out of the hull and retracts the same. It can be adjust variably to reach the desired effect.

The most common mistake people make is thinking that the skeg is just a different form of a rudder. A skeg is not used to maneuver a kayak. The skeg is used to create lateral resistance. So you might ask yourself, why do I need this lateral resistance?

To answer this question we have to look at the design of kayak and a few terms. Kayaks generally will turn into the (weather cock), by design, when the kayak is neutrally loaded or unevenly loaded with heavy weight in the bow. By neutral loading I mean that heavy point of the kayak is centrally located, being you the paddler. Given a neutrally or bow loaded kayak with wind off the beam. Most kayaks will turn bow to the wind (weather cock). If you are making a course between two points with a nice wind off the beam, maintaining you course may become difficult. This is where the skeg comes in. By lowering the skeg you increase the resistance in the stern. The increased resistance at the stern corrects for the beam wind. The result will be one of two things. You will start maintaining your course with more ease or your bow will start to turn down wind (lee cocking). If you start to have lee cocking you have lowered the skeg too far and creating too much resistance in the stern. For this reason the skeg has a variable drop, so that you can fine turn or trim your kayak.

So with above explanation I hope you take away a couple of key points.

Weather Cocking: the kayaks tendency to turn up wind when neutrally loaded or bow loaded.
Lee Cocking: a kayak will turn down wind with a skeg lowered to far or a stern loaded kayak.
The skeg is NOT a rudder and maneuvering the kayak will be done with edging combined with proper paddle strokes.

Now we can move on to the rudder. The rudder is used to maneuver the kayak left and right. Rudders come in all types of deployment methods and shapes. I am not sure of the big difference the shape makes in a rudder but they all serve the same purpose. The rudder has a more simple explanation than the skeg. So I will not spend as much time on the rudder system.

In simple terms, if you are using a rudder and need your kayak to turn to the right or adjust to the right to maintain a course. You just have to press on the right foot peg to control the rudder. It is nice and easy system: Press the RIGHT foot peg to go RIGHT and the LEFT foot peg to go LEFT.

Now let's get to why you might want one over the other. For this section I will be giving my personal opinion. My experience with the different systems has developed over many years as a kayak guide and kayak educator. To get any biases out of the way, I paddle a kayak with a skeg.

I feel skeg style kayaks have lots of positives.

You rely on your skills sets to master maneuvering your kayak.
When paddling in rough conditions you can use the foot pegs to to push against to aid in rotations and power.
Learning bracing and rolling the foot pegs, once again, offer a stable platform to push off of with your lower body.

A couple of negatives:

It is very common that the skeg gets jammed with rocks. So if you plan on using the skeg while paddling, make sure that you clear it before leaving the beach.
The skeg housing in the stern of the kayak takes up storage space.
Not very often, but the skeg cable/ropes can break.

I will list the rudder bullets all in one and let you decide what is negative or positive.

You can maneuver the kayak left to right via the rudder and minimal skills.
Easy to maintain course with a poorly packed kayak.
Rudder cables break and leave you without the ability to steer if you have not learned proper skills to maneuvering.
Rudder assembly breaks and you cannot deploy the rudder or do a simple field fix unless you have spare parts.
Foot pegs do not lock place so you do not get a strong platform to push off of for power paddling, bracing or rolling.
Foot pegs get jammed requiring repair.
Rudders can become dangerous in rescue situations.

My overall personal opinion:

I do think that rudders have a solid place in the market of kayaks. But I think it is important for each individual to decide what type of paddling the will be doing or what type of paddler they want to become. If you plan on learning all the proper paddle strokes and edging techniques and would suggest getting a skeg kayak. This does not mean you cannot do the same in a rudder kayak. You would just learn with the rudder not deployed.

In the end I prefer to not use either. I have a skeg in my kayak and have used it very little over the years. I pack my kayak for the condition I am in and use edging to maintain my course. I have found this work well for me and deal very little with weather cocking issues.

A quick rule of thumb for skeg kayaks.

Skeg up = Weather Cocking possible
Skeg down = Lee Cocking possible

I hope that I was able to clear a few things up for some folks. If there were any questions or I have confused you more than you were before. Please leave a comment for me to address..

Thanks.

Transient Orcas

2010-04-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

So I was at work yesterday day and the Marmot order came in. So it was time to open boxes and start getting it all in the computer, priced and then out on the floor. I decided to grab a quick lunch with my buddy Eduardo when my phone rang. It was my buddy Ivan who is the owner of Western Prince Wildlife Cruises. He got word there was a pretty good size group of Transient Orcas out in the Straits. He called around and wanted to see if anyone wanted to go out on his fast boat Western Explorer. It is nice to be able travel fast when the Orcas are pretty far away and the Western Explorer does just that, TRAVEL FAST.

It was a great day out. There was a bit of rain when we left the harbor but the sun won the battle by the time we got on the scene with the Orcas. There were a couple different groups just traveling around. There was a few tail slaps here and again and we got an unexpected close pass by a small group.

There were some great photos taken from the encounter. I only had my IPhone with me. I did not have much time to get prepared to head out. Even so, everyone else aboard had nice DSLR's with good lenses to catch the event. I will post my few image below. But I am going to include a couple of links to pages that have much better pictures..

Western Prince Facebook (Ivan has images posted from the day and many more cool images to check out.)

Whale of A Purpose Blog (Jeanne is an avid whale watcher and picture taker. She does not have new images up as of this post, but she has some other up and I am sure new ones to come.)

Check out my images below and remember they are IPhone images, so not the best. I have to get back to work, ENJOY.

A large mail passes by and gives us a nice tail slap.

Dorsal fin of the large mail know as "Chainsaw"

Another view of "Chainsaw"

Here is a cool grouping passing the side of the boat

A couple of dorsal fins off the bow

Robin joined me on the outing. She even got a little work done by doing a couple of plankton tows.

How to Select a Kayak Outfitter

2010-04-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

I am going to outline some basic steps to help find a kayak outfitter to take a kayak vacation. I will mainly use references to sea kayaking as that is what I am most knowledgeable about, but this advice could be applied to many kinds of outdoor adventure vacation activities. Through my years as guide and business manager, I have seen people put in unsafe situations and people spend money on vacation activities that was less than it could be - if not a bad experience. Therefore I thought I could provide some helpful tips to get the most out of your kayak vacation.

Many regions have a different sets of guidelines for choosing and outfitter and it is important to understand the environment in which you will be heading out in. Being the in Pacific Northwest where the water temps are pretty cold, winds can be strong, the currents can be extreme. It is important that you know a bit about the situation and that you choose to go with guides that are skilled and tall all the extra precautions to make you safe and comfortable. Some of my comments may not apply if you are looking to go with a company that offers sit-on-top tours in Florida, but even then, it is good to know what your getting into.

With all that said I hope this will help people find respectful and safe companies to go kayaking with.

Outfitter Websites: As with most things today the Internet is usually the place to start window shopping for your kayak outfitter. This is a good way to isolate outfitters in the region you plan to visit, but be careful when reading the content of the websites. Many companies will make amazing claims and show you images of great wonders with wildlife piled high in one image and kayaker in the middle. Here are a few things to think about.

Images on the site: Do the images seem to be even possible. Believe me I have seen it all and Photoshop computer software can do a lot to images to make a fantasy out of bits of reality. Use good judgment and good common sense. If a company is willing to dupe potential customers with images on a website, then imagine what they will do once you arrive.
Exclusive paddling areas: This statement I have seen more than once. There are times when this is true. But usually it means they are based in a resort and have an exclusive launch location, but the area can still be accessed by other companies leaving from a different location. But when you see these statements be careful. Usually this is marketing to get your business and when you arrive at the launch beach with every other company in the region, well you start to feel a bit taken. More often than not, outfitters paddle the same regions.
Research or Non-Profit: I have seen this claim a few times. Yes, it can be true some of the time and yes, some organizations may even be registered as non-profits. Though this sounds philanthropic, it is in your interest to follow through and see what these organizations really do. I have found some really do research, but I have also found the opposite. Using the non-profit status and research tag is a great marketing tool that has been used more than once to attract clients. They use marketing tag lines such as, "Feel good knowing your money goes to save the wildlife". Such a statement should raise a red flag and behoove you to looking into such claims. Be sure to explore the company's website and explore their associated businesses and research institutions.
Guide Training: You might be concerned about safety and if you aren't, you should be. Guides should all undergo training and their training should be on-going. Just because a guide is shown how to do something once, does not mean they have perfected the techniques needed to be proficient in rescues. Like everything else, kayaking takes practice, being a trip leader takes practice and being a rescuer takes practice. I have been a guide for many years and I am continually practicing my skills and taking courses to both refresh my techniques and learn new ones.
So, if you see claims like, "oldest company" or "I have been leading tours for the last 30 years", ask them if they continued their training or what level of training they have had, including first aid. In some areas, tandem kayaks are common for guest to paddle on tours. Be cautious of any company where the guide exclusively leads trips in a tandem kayak. Sometimes companies cannot help it, but they usually try to get the number of guest to be even to ensures the guide is in a single kayak which is easier to maneuver in a rescue. Single kayaks are more agile and creates a safer environment for the guest. Avoid at all cost, tours where odd number groups are required to run tours. This means the guide will must be in a tandem kayak, NOT GOOD. In addition, make sure the company provides all the guest with life vest (PFD's) and that the guides carry first aid kits, tow ropes, radios or other forms of communication if available, and extra warm gear in case of emergency.
Better Business Bureau: Check the company out with the Better Business Bureau and be sure to check all names a company may have. Sometimes a company will have more than one name associated with them. Check them all out as it is hard to say what complaints have been filed.

Make Phone Calls: It is simply not enough to just read a website and book you kayak tour. The website should be used as a resource to collect information so that you can ask good questions when you call. During your phone call you should voice all your concerns and questions, all of which should be addressed without issue by the company. Again, use common sense. If you feel some of your questions have created a defensive nature to the person on the other line, then something is wrong. Respectful companies will go out of their way to make sure you are well informed and answer any questions you have.

Check Travel Sites for Reviews: Though this is not a sure fire way to get information since companies that are issue prone will go to great lengths to leave an overly grand review for themselves. Sites such as YELP and Trip Advisor can provide information from past guest on tours.

Other Red Flags: Just wanted to bullet a few extra tips while looking over sites and chatting with kayak tour outfitters.

Equipment: It is always best to figure out what you are paying for. Some tours market all inclusive but you end up providing half the gear yourself. Small details to think about. Will you be provided dry bags or foul weather gear for your day tour. If you are going on a camping tour will you be provided tent, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, dry bags, foul weather gear, forks, spoons, cups etc. You will find all "inclusive" means something different to everyone.
Food: If you are going out for the day some outfitters will provide you lunch and some will as you to arrive with you own lunch. Make sure to ask what food will be served for lunch if it is provided. If you are going on a camping kayak tour see if all meals are provided. Some may not include lunch. Ask about snacks and other energy based foods that will be needed for the day while kayak touring.
Payments: See if they accept credit cards and if they do be concerned if they want to add a percentage if you decided to pay by credit card. If they want cash payments only be concerned if you are dealing with a legitimate company. Requiring a person to pay large amounts of money in cash could mean to company is not on the up and up with the IRS or other tax collecting agencies. BIG RED FLAG!
Outfitter Insurance: This is a very important issue. Some kayak tour operators may not carry liability insurance. A lot of the time these operators will avoid using areas for camping and launching kayaks that require permits, since most launch locations that require permits also require outfitters to have have proof on insurance. You do not want to go with an outfitter that does not carry liability insurance.
Hints on Safety: You can get somewhat of an idea on safety by looking at the outfitters website. If you see images of guides or guest kayaking without proper safety equipment such as PFD's (life jackets). In any area I personally feel PFD's should be worn. But in areas where swift currents and cold water are common, PFD's are a must and should always be worn by guides and guests. Not wearing such safety equipment and posting images of such online is irresponsible of the outfitter. Use common sense and look for clues on unsafe behavior.

So what can you do to protect yourself from the above? It's simple.

First go over the site with your common sense goggles on. Shopping for a grand adventure is fun, but do not let a websites content take advantage of you with unrealistic claims and images.
Make a list of things that caught your attention, negative or positive.
Call the company and discuss things that may concern you. You should always call before booking, even if you end up booking online. Collect as much information as you can about the company over the phone.
Ask pointed questions. If they do research or make such claims, ask what it is they do. If they donate to research or conservation organization, ask for a history of who they donate to. See how recent the company's research is or donations have been.
Check Travel Review Sites for further information.
Feel good and comfortable with your decision. If for any reason you have hesitation, KEEP LOOKING FOR A OUTFITTER.
Ask companies if they are members of local associations or business groups. Most lodging places receive commissions for send guest to certain outfitters so they are not always the best source of information. You should feel free to ask your lodging front desk when inquiring about an outfitter, if they pay commissions.

All in all I feel there are a lot of good outfitters out there working hard to do the right thing and provide a great adventure. But there are those that choose to take a different route to simply get as much business as possible.

I hope this small article has provided some good information for those looking to for kayak outfitters for their vacation. Shop smart and just use good judgment and all will be okay... and hopefully have fun!..

Kayaking All Weekend

2010-04-11T22:03:00.001-07:00

I was on the water leading kayak tours Saturday and Sunday. It was nice to be out and on the water all weekend. Saturday the tour started out with a bit of chop and following seas. The winds were out of the NNE at a steady 15kts. But the wind pushed us South pretty fast. We arrived well ahead of schedule at Deadmans Bay. We got out and took a short walk along the coast. Before long it was time to head back out on the water. The NNE winds were stiff so paddling was slow and choppy. My guest did well and had a great time being on the water.

Today was a bit nicer with lighter winds out of the N. I had a group of students from the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Labs. It was a good size group and everyone did a great job. It was a nice time to be on the water. The winds faded as the afternoon turned to early evening. Tours are always fun when you have a large group that listens well and gets on the water quickly and on the flips sides gets things loaded quickly. Clean up is always a bummer with all the gear and kayaks to clean. So I did not get out of there until later, around 830pm. But all is clean and ready for a tour tomorrow.

Guess I really do not have much else to share as I pretty much just kayaked this weekend.

Nice day for a hike.

2010-04-09T17:26:00.000-07:00

Well after work Robin and I decided to head out and get a bit of hiking in. It was a great walk. We headed out to the DNR land to explore the area. As we hit the trail head Guinness was excited to be outside as he sniffed and tugged at his makeshift leash.

It was nice and windy but we had some protection as we approached Young Hill from the East and with the wind being out of the West, it was nice. The sun was warm and bright, though the trail was nice a muddy. Spring flowers were popping out of the ground everywhere. We managed a few off trail excursions though some nice thickets. But we always returned to the trails to move on. We poked around having fun along the way and finally got the to top of Young Hill. Reaching the top, we were met with lot of heavy gust of wind. It was still a beautiful sight. We did not hang out to long as it was getting a bit chilly in the wind. We headed back into the woods and down the hill. On our way our we saw a few deer starting to move about.

After a bit of time we made it to the car. It was a really nice little hike in a great forested area of the island. Just what we all needed after sitting in offices all day.

Tomorrow brings great fun as I am hopeful the winds will be down and I have a Kayak Tour to take out. The whole weekend is looking pretty good. So I hope people are coming out to enjoy. Discovery Sea Kayaks will be on the water and I will be guiding, so come join me.

Robin and Guinness under some pretty nice Cedar Trees.

HUGS.. Guinness never gets enough hugs ;)

A large Madrona on the ground. The wind must of got the best of it.

A view from the top of Young Hill. I promise it was windy up there..

That is all I have for the day. Check back for pictures from my kayak tours this weekend.

Let the wind blow.

2010-04-08T13:47:00.001-07:00

Well it is another windy day here on San Juan Island and luckily we do not have any tours out. There seems to be a good amount of people roaming about town, but I am sure that kayaking is the last thing on their minds today.

I hope to get out for a short walk or run today. It will be a cold one out there, but I need to get out. I have a kayak tour going out on Saturday and there are spaces available. Stop by the DSK SITE or give us a call to join, 360.378.2559.

Western Prince Whale and Wildlife Tours are operating tours as well. Enjoy a trip around the island looking for wildlife and enjoying the scenery. Plus if you book a tour with Discovery Sea Kayaks and the Western Prince you will get 10% Off each tour.

**If you have a Washington State ID Discovery Sea Kayaks will give you 15% Off our West Side Day Tour till May 15th.

Looks like the winds are forecast to ease up this weekend. So the kayaking should be good. So don't be afraid to travel on up to the island and enjoy the early season. Great deals can be found all over the island for the early travelers.

Hope everyone out there is enjoying their day.

Kayak Tours and Wind

2010-04-07T18:02:00.000-07:00

Well it has been busy over the week and I have been getting on the water for some guiding. I had a good 6 days in a row of Day Tours. That is always good, but not when the wind will not stop blowing. The sea state has been a bit cranky due to all the SSE and SSW winds we have been having on the island. Though the seas have been rough my groups have been having a great time.

I have not seen any Orcas yet, but I have read reports of some Transients out near Race Rocks. Bald Eagles have been busy building on their nest and going through the motions of courtship behavior. Some of the summer sea birds are hear and a few loons are still around. We had a great encounter with a fox on the shoreline. The fox had to scale a pretty steep area to get down to the waters edge. But when we approached, it scaled the near vertical with ease. On one trip we had a great view of two different California Sea Lions swimming north in the Haro Strait. So there is plenty to see right now.

Today I mainly worked in the shop. It is time to get ready for all of our new gear and clothing. All our Marmot and The North Face clothing gets here in a couple of weeks. So if you need some new clothing for the outdoors, stop by the shop.

Plus we are gearing up for our garage sale. April 24th: New and Used Equipment. Boreal Design Esperanto tandem kayaks, a few single kayaks. Plus camping gear: Tents from The North Face, and sleeping bags too. Plus some good deals on New clothing and outer wear.

Well I guess that is all I have to say today.

My Explorer setting at Deadman Bay while we were taking off to hike to the Lime Kiln Lighthouse. Discovery Sea Kayaks.

A view from Deadman Bay. Not a bad day until the wind picked up. Then is was fun and tougher to lead people home. But Fun! Discovery Sea Kayaks.

San Juan Island Kayak Tours

2010-03-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that Discovery Sea Kayaks is OPEN and operating Kayak Tours. Day Tours are already booking for this weekend. Plus we have a great deal going for those who are residents of Washington State and have a Washington State ID. We are giving 15% OFF our West Side Day Kayak Tour with your Wa State ID till May 15th.. This is a great opportunity for those that live around here to beat the crowd and get a discount.

Multi Day Tours are also booking. We are getting lots of interest in our 3 and 5 Day Kayak Tours. So if you are thinking of getting a group together for and Kayak Island Adventure, give us a call 360.378.2559.

If you are looking to buy your own kayak, we have some good deals on USED KAYAKS.

So I have had some questions when people have called lately. They are concerned about the Ferry ride and thinking about taking a tour in Anacortes instead.

First let me say that the Washington State Ferry ride from Anacortes to San Juan Island has long been thought of as one of the most scenic and beautiful ferry rides one can take. Second the ferry route is now part of the Washington State Scenic Byway. The cost is more than worth the relaxing ride through forested islands with rocky shores. View Harbor Seals and Bald Eagles along the way. The beauty encountered during the ferry ride alone is worth the ride and more than rivals what you will see while kayaking out of Anacortes. So when you are planning your vacation to the San Juan Islands don't let the idea of ferry hassle stop you from actually getting here. Half the experience of a San Juan Island Kayak Tour is the amazing ferry ride to welcome you to Friday Harbor.

Here are couple of links about the Ferry Route.

http://www.experiencewa.com/scenic-byways/san-juan-ferry.aspx

http://www.visitsanjuans.com/visitors/scenic-byway/sanjuanislandsdrivingtour/

King 5 Great Escapes

2010-03-22T14:14:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone.. Discovery Sea Kayaks has been nominated for King 5 News Great Escapes contest for Best Eco Adventure. Please cast your vote for Discovery Sea Kayaks....

We feel that our hard work and dedication to safety, quality and offered experience. That Discovery Sea Kayaks operates one of the best kayak adventures on the West Coast. So help us be recognized for all the years of work.

VOTE HERE

Every vote helps.

Thanks everyone....

Rain, Sun and a little Kayaking

2010-03-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

Well I did not get much kayaking in between the spring like rains we had today. But I wanted to get off of San Juan Island and do a little woodland exploring on a near by island. Since the weather was a bit on the fowl side I decided to load and go over to Turn Island. The paddle is supper short and Turn Island is a beautiful little island with nice views and a nice little hike. Plus there was not one else there. Nothing like having your own island for a few hours of space and mental freedom.

It was nice a green with mushrooms popping out of the ground every where. Flowers speckled the forest floor with colors of white, purple and yellow. Heavy clouds loomed over the channel and slowly inched their way towards me. I enjoyed a nice little loop around the island and bit more time exploring the wooded areas of the island. There is a great granite boulder (glacial erratic) along the trail that is a wonderful chunk of rock to look at. it sits in the middle of the trail and depending on which direction you approach, it can look like a small rock to a huge boulder. I approached from the direction of the more huge appearance. It supports two medium to large trees that have fallen over.

There were plenty Harlequin Ducks cruising the shore along with a few Mergansers. The tide was nice and low so you could see all the interesting intertidal critters.

All in all it was a mellow few hours of just being out of touch. Some times that is just what I need.

A view towards Cattle Pass from Turn Island.

The large granite boulder.

Looking to the north from Turn Island

Spring flowers are blooming!!

A mushroom popping out of the ground.

A couple a News Updates:

** You can now follow Discovery Sea Kayaks on Facebook.

** You can also get Twitter updates for Discovery Sea Kayaks.

** Last but not least, Discovery Sea Kayaks will be having a Garage Sale April 24th. Used Kayaks, Camping Equipment and more! Plus we are going to having a drawing to win a free kayak. Check out the following link for details. http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=22729899977&topic=14120

All right that is everyone... Have a great day.

A New Blog in Town

2010-03-19T16:58:00.000-07:00

So I just wanted to write to introduce a new blog that is out there. For those who are interested in learning about algae and its possible impacts on the future of bio fuels, climate change and many more applications. Then check out the new Algae and Energy blog.

Expect frequent updates on whats going on with Algae research and business applications. This is an opportunity to learn about the amazing possibilities that Algae may provide in the years to come.

Hope everyone enjoys the recommendation.

On another note. The weather is wonderful today on San Juan Island. We have a tour out on the water today and the whales were passing Lime Kiln just the other evening. So if you are thinking about or wondering if it is a good time to come out and kayak. Let me answer that question for you. YES!!

WOW, Been Awhile

2010-03-05T09:21:00.000-08:00

Well it has been awhile since I have update the blog. Reason......

1. Posting to facebook just became much easier to deal with.

2. Managing the Discovery Sea Kayaks Facebook page.

(Join DSK on FB http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=22729899977&ref=ts)

3. Managing the Discovery Sea Kayaks Twitter page.

(Join DSK here for Tweets http://twitter.com/DSKayaks)

4. On and off the island a lot this winter.

What I plan to do now. I have decided that keeping the blog going is fun and I need to be more active at making small post frequently. So you can expect to see more post. I plan to post reviews and short post on island kayaking. I hope to start adding more images once again for everyone to enjoy.

Sorry it has been soooooo long.

But what is up with the Washington State weather. There has not been much going on with the snow in the mountains. Overall the temps have been pretty mild on the island and plenty of sunny days. We are not seeing very much kayaker activity here yet and I am not sure why. So I wanted to post so that maybe local Washington State sea kayakers will start coming out. There are no crowds and almost zero boat traffic. A great time to be here and take advantage of this early spring weather.

The above image was take on a trip I took this nice couple out in January. Blue skies and calm waters. I am looking out over the water now and it looks great!

Good Times

2009-10-09T09:31:00.000-07:00

The weather here has been amazing. Most days I am still in short sleeve shirts and enjoying the warm temps. I know it will soon be changing, the Pacific Northwest always changes to the gray and wet. But for now I am happy to soak up the nice weather.

On Oct 7th we headed off island on the 6 pm ferry. The sunset on the ferry ride was amazing. It felt a little silly leaving such a beautiful scene. But we were headed to Seattle to spend some time before heading off for a weekend of fun. I have included a picture of the sunset below.

The weather has been nice here in Seattle the past couple of days. Oct 8th was my birthday and I spent it being pretty low key and then we went to Richard Dawkins lecture on his new book, The Greatest Show on Earth. It was the first time I have seen him speak. It was a pretty funny scene, but none the less it was fun to be there. A short stroll through campus and we were headed home.

Our weekend plans are up in the air as of now. We had planned on going to Tonasket to the barter fair, but we are not sure right now. Looks like we are going to head to Leavenworth tonight.

I know I usually share pictures of the beautiful San Juan Islands. But after the weekend I hope to share pictures from other areas of Washington State. Overall this is a beautiful state and many opportunities to see scenic views.

The sunset from the car deck on the ferry. It was really a nice sunset. Actually on of the best ferry rides I taken.

Messing about with the camera. I know it is a dark image, but it is still nice.

Check back Monday for more pictures.

Septemeber Day Paddle

2009-09-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was happy to get out on the water for a few hours with friends. Robin had a childhood friend in town. They just got back from backpacking in the Olympic Mountains and wanted to go out for a short paddle. It was a beautiful day to kayak on San Juan Island. The heavy grey clouds loomed over head with a bit of rain falling. It was the perfect temperature out and we were ready to enjoy the smooth waters. We had a blast laughing and paddling the coast looking for sea stars and other creatures at the waters edge. Bald Eagles perched high in trees looking for an easy meal. Dall's porpoise were everywhere. Some groups were moving slowly along the surface making shallow dives and others were speeding along throwing a rooster tail of water forward. Drifting back home in the flood current was nice and easy and we just bobbed along with smiles. It was really nice to meet Robins friend Melissa. I hope she enjoyed here short stay on San Juan.

OPEN YOUR EYES!!! LOL

Robin enjoying the clam waters around San Juan.

Ahhh. Old Friends.

Melissa leaving Small Pox Bay

Rafted checking out the beautiful scene.

Kelp Beds are lots of fun.

Heading down the coast!

Well that is all I have to share. This is a wonderful time to come out and doing some kayaking. We (Discovery Sea Kayaks) will be running tours all fall, so come out and have some fun!

NOAA Proposal to Close West Side of San Juan to Kayakers

2009-07-31T18:03:00.000-07:00

In the below information please understand that KAYAKS are included in the no-go zone!

Please make a public comment to NOAA. orca.plan@noaa.gov

NOAA states that public comments can have a major effect on the decisions made in this process. There is a limited time period of 90 Day for comment. You do not have to be a resident to make a comment. Please comment now.

NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) recently released a proposal on Vessel Regulation in the presence Killer Whales in the San Juan Island region. In the proposal they have set a closure zone that would prohibit most vessels (power, human power or sail) from entering the area.

Exception Vessels will include Treaty Vessels engaged in commercial fishing, research vessels, government vessels, cargo and rescue vessels and private land owners with beach property in the closure zone.

The proposed regulations would prohibit vessels from entering a no-go zone along the west side of San Juan Island. The area would extend seaward from the mean high water line to a line approximating 1⁄2 mile (800 m) offshore, from Eagle Point to Mitchell Point, and include an area totaling approximately 6.2 square miles.

Click above map for larger view.

Much of the information cited in the Proposal as scientific justification for the closure to kayaks has, in my opinion, little scientific relevance to the Southwest Orca population. Creating a closure that would not only decrease the amount of people visiting San Juan Island for the purpose of personal kayak trips but would also have a significant impact on the commercial kayak companies who have limited public use beaches for operating tours, is unjustified.

Economically speaking, many San Juan Islanders who make this our only place of residence, rely in some way on the tourist populous that visits San Juan Island. Eliminating kayaking on the west side of San Juan Island could have far reaching effects on the economy of the island.

The following information was obtained though the cited publication:

Economic Development Overview of San Juan County

R Civille, K McKenzie, I District, WA … - islandway.org
Page 1. 1 Economic Development Overview of San Juan County December, 2000

http://www.islandway.org/Reports/sjceconoverview_FINAL_2000.pdf

*The study concluded that the County economy is driven primarily by tourism.

*In 1997, it was $19,548 and ranked thirty-fifth among

Washington’s 39 counties. The statewide average was $30,755.” The report

shows that the county has much of its employment base in the tourism-related

services and trade sectors.

Kayak Tour Companies provide a service that brings people from all over the world to kayak here. Limiting areas of access would have an impact on the number of people traveling to San Juan Island. Given the number of people that arrive here each year to go kayaking, there would be a trickledown effect in the economic loss as less people come to kayak. This would have an effect on various businesses such as: Restaurants, Hotels and B & B's, Retail Shops, and Camp Grounds. Tax revenue derived from tourist would drop and have an accumulated effect on local service where tax money is used for the County.

Kayak Tour Companies work hard to ensure all guides are trained to understand operations and guidelines while the Killer Whales are in the area. Guides double as Naturalist and pass great stewardship practices to guest on each tour. Guides provide education to guest that have travel from various locations local and non-local. As an educator their role is to pass along proper information to guest that will increase awareness for issues that face all wildlife in the San Juan's.

Many have made a proposal to have a permit system set up and have an education system set up so that guides can be certified to lead tours in Critical Habitat Areas. All of the ideas NOAA states is not cost effective and there insufficient research on the success of such programs.

To view the NOAA Proposal please follow the link below.

http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Publications/FR-Notices/2009/upload/74FR37674.pdf

Take notice of the following pages"

Pg. 37679 Vessels Subject to Proposed Rule

Pg. 37680 Outline of the Proposed No-Go Zone on San Juan Islands West Side

Pg. 37683 Alternatives. Notice NOAA has take the most drastic of the alternatives.

Please understand that the Southwest Killer Whale population is listed as endangered and in part of the reason for the designation was due to the display of being culturally unique. In the concept of culture I feel it would be most appropriate to use scientific research that was done with the Southwest Killer Whale population. Most of the cited research pertaining to kayaks was done on different species in different geographical locations. Give the idea of culture I would thing that cultural tolerances would be different in different cultures, not to mention different species.

Therefore creating a closure with the current scientific evidence could be seen as negligent. The concept of the closure could be seen as an experiment in its self. But at the expense of a small community that relies heavily on tourism. Nothing but clear and concise science with definitive proof should ever be considered when dealing with the lively hoods of those affected by unfounded scientific proposed regulations.

Please make a public comment to NOAA. orca.plan@noaa.gov

Thank you for reading

Jason Gunter

Kayaking With Friends

2009-07-26T20:21:00.000-07:00

I took a couple of days off to hang out with some friends and doing some kayaking. Last Friday we headed down to South Beach and launched in the fog. We set up a shuttle so we could paddle one way to San Juan Co Park. The water was calm and sea birds and gulls were everywhere. As we made out way along the shore enjoying clear water and a wonderful low tide, there were lots of Harbor Seals. It was fun to see so many of them messing about the kelp beds. As we headed north the fog started to lift to blue skies above. There were five of us on the paddle and most of them I had just met. It is always fun being on the water with new friends.

We stopped for a quick bite on a little pocket beach and then hit the water for some more fun. We were getting a nice push from the current as we headed north but soon we lost the push. Shifting gears and paddling a bit harder out pace slowed. Which was not big deal to slow down. We really were in no big rush to get off the water.

We finally made it to San Juan Co Park and the hard part started, loading gear. It was a bit of a juggle but we all ended up at home eventually. I know I was pretty tired and hit the hay early.

Guinness Update:

Things have been rocky for ole G Dog. I have had him on steroids since he has been home from the vet. I tried to reduce his dosage and he started to get worse. I consulted a close friend of mine who is a Vet and we both decided to go back with the higher dosage. Since then things have been a bit better. It is amazing how much things have changed for Guinness and for me to. I can see that our relationship has changed a bit. I know I have to use more patience and he tries to do things he could do before and just cannot do and ends up needing lots of help. Plus he never seems to want to say put! So he walks around slipping and falling on the hardwood floors. But we are working it out. I have a week left of meds for him. After that we will have to see how he does. If the swelling or whatever is going on in his back is reduced and he can walk without meds all will be well. If he cannot walk, well then I have tough decisions to make.

I hope everyone out there had a great weekend.

Here are a few pics.

Ah. San Juan Island Sunsets!

This deer was sleeping on the beach we had lunch.

Just enjoying good company.

Wait a minute, what is the punch for? LOL

Live music outside. The Elephant Revival. Good stuff!

Busy Times

2009-07-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not getting around to posting. I have been busy with work and some personal life issues. Things are starting to even out a bit.

So the season has been busy, a bit down compared to previous seasons, but we are doing ok. Guides are busy but not over worked as we seemed to be in the past. So given that, spirits are still high as we approach August.

I was out on a multi day with a great family and on my return I was hit with bad news all at once. First on the plate was Tayrn (Guide) freaking out because one of our trailers had a metal failure on the frame of the trailer while driving down the road. No one was hurt and that we just luck. But some kayaks were damaged and the trailer is a loss. So operations are going on with the normal loads of guest. It just takes a bit more logistical detail. We are awaiting a response from the company that custom built the trailer. Sandy and good friend who is a master of fiberglass has been working hard to get the damaged kayaks back on the water. She amazes me with the amount of skills she has. She has all but two kayaks already for use to use! WOW!

The next set of bad news was that my dog Guinness was at the vet. A couple days before I left for my trip Guinness slipped on the stairs on the way to my room. It was a minor slip but just enough to cause a limp. The day I was leaving on my tour he seemed to be having a hard time getting up. I asked my friend Robin to check in on him and if she felt he needed to go to the vet, just take him. Things seemed to be fine as it just seemed he had pulled a muscle. But on my return day from my tour, Robin was most concerned as it seemed he had lost the use of his rear legs. She rushed him to the vet (Thank you so much).

I got to land around 330pm and had to get some work done. I tried to get some stuff done, but the other guides told me to leave that they would take care of the rest. I meet up with Robin since I had no idea what vet Guinness was located. When we got to the vet they told me he was paralyzed in his rear. If he did not regain mobility in 48 hours he probably would not walk again and that he could not empty his bladder on his own. So a decision would have to be made on putting him down. I have had Guinness since he was a tiny little puppy. He as been though a lot with me in my life. He is for sure a valued family member. Just thinking of having to decide to put him down was a bit much for me and as I went to the kennel to see him, well I did not do a graceful job of holding back my emotions.

He stayed the night at the vet and I was planning on bringing him home the next day. If he had to be put down I would set the date for Friday and we would have a party with Guinness's friends so everyone could say bye. But we went back to the vet in the morning and Guinness was able to stand. I would not say walking was something he was doing but he was moving. That afternoon I took him home. He needs assistance getting down the stair to go out. I can deal with that.

Today he is doing a bit better. Stairs are still a problem and I help him with that. But outside he stumbles about with a bit more mobility than before. I doubt we will share times on the trail jogging anymore but right now I am happy that he is home and seems to be doing a bit better. He will have to learn to operate with his new condition but he adapts well.

Thanks to everyone who helped me out with my tour clean up. Thank you Robin for being there for G Dog.

For those that live here, feel free to stop by and say hi to Guinness. He loves it when people come by.

Kayaking Days on San Juan Island

2009-06-29T10:11:00.000-07:00

The past week was really busy for us here at Discovery. But we are seeing a bit of a slow start to this week. I unfortunately have a cold now and I am not too happy about it. It is never fun to have a stuffy head when the weather is sunny and warm. The weather has been pretty good for us over the past week. We had a bit of wind but over all it has been pretty nice out. Between getting on the water to run a Day Tours I was busy getting vans to pick up locations and back to be unloaded and back out to get others. It was a fun week of musical vans!

Yesterday I decided to head out and have a little kayak time without paying guest. My roommate came with me and we had a nice day messing about on the water. It was really calm out, which is not always the best when we are out looking to have a little fun. Though a few large cargo ships passed by and we were able to play around in a some rock with the waves hitting the shore.

Last night I went out to a buddy's birthday party with some friends of mine. It was a nice time but I was fading fast due to the cold. We loaded up and went back to one of my friends house and relaxed there. All in all a pretty wonderful day and night.

Here are a few photos of my day.

Here you can see Lyle in a sweet kayak I just bought. Sorry for the dark image.

Looking to the north along the coast of San Juan Island.

Pig Roast! My buddy Tawm had a great party with love music and a roasted pig! Lots of fun and good music!

A few folks enjoying the sun, drinks, music and great food!

Oh the rough life of living on San Juan Island.

Well that is all I have for now. Other than trying to fight off this cold things on island are great!

Backpacker Magazine

2009-06-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to post a quick note that you can see Discovery Sea Kayaks highlighted in Backpacker Magazine.

http://www.backpacker.com/may_09_top_3_glowinthedark_trips_/nature/13087

San Juan Island and Amazing Sunset!

2009-06-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

Last night I got a chance to get out for the sunset. I arrived just as the sun was making its way behind the western landscape. Though I missed the sun I did not miss the beautiful show that followed. The clouds were looming with amazing color and contrast north to south. The light breeze was enough to add a comforting chill to the air and the water was jostled enough so you could hear the sea releasing energy at the shore. This time of year people migrate from town the west side of San Juan Island to enjoy these peaceful scenic moments. Sometimes it can be hard to sneak away once I am off work. But I am happy that I made it out there last night. The view was more than wroth it. Let me know if you agree.

No captions needed on the above images. Simply a beautiful sunset. I hope everyone finds time to enjoy a few before the summer is over!

San Juan Island Times

2009-06-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

It has been a pretty nice week. But today we have a few clouds and showers in the area with wind moving in over night. That will soon pass and give way to sunny skies and warm temperatures.

Wednesday we had a meeting with all the guides. Now that everyone is here it was time to get us all together in one place and cover some topics for operations. After the meeting we treated to dinner at my place. We cooked out and had a great time.

We have a busy week coming up. I am sure I will not be able to get a post up until some time after the 27th. But I will do my best to get some images and info posted.

Here are a few pics.

AH! Beautiful!

The crew on my front deck!

Relaxing over a few beers!

Well I know it does not look like your normal executive meeting room. But I will take it any day over an enclosed closet for a meeting room!

Catching Up!

2009-06-15T13:25:00.001-07:00

Well I am really sorry that I have been behind in updating the blog. I have been busy training new guides, running kayak tours and setting up new ideas! I will update you all on that at a later date.

The island has been really nice, so we have been pretty busy running tours. Next week we kick off a couple of weeks on insanity and I think we are all ready for it! All in all things could not be better on the island. So far it has been a great summer for me and I hope for it to continue!

I have some pictures to share with you all and I hope you enjoy them!

Getting on the water for the day.

Just off Lime Kiln State Park.

Doing a bit of rescue practice with tandem kayaks.

This can be pretty tough. The tandems are heavy. Kelly is doing a wonderful job!

This is from my perspective in the water.

Taryn and I floating around in the cold water!

That is it.

Well I know it is not much and sorry I do not have more time to post more information. Things are just a little busy and will only get busier, I hope!

Sunny Kayak Days On San Juan Island

2009-06-07T16:27:00.001-07:00

Today started early with a few clouds hanging around the sky. But by the time I was to pick up my clients for the day, it had cleared. A nice breeze mixed with strong currents made for a fun day on the water. I was doing a half day trip today as a training trip for our new guide Taryn. It was her first time to tag along on a tour. Yesterday Taryn and Lyle, both new guides, went out for some rescue training. So I wanted to get her on a tour so she could start to get the flow of how things work.

The day was nice. We saw a couple of Bald Eagles and Harbor Seals. A few sea birds were hanging out as well. The Orca Whales have been gone for some time now and not sure if they were spotted anywhere near the islands today. There is a female Elephant Seal at SJCP beach. The rangers there are busy keeping people away from the animal. She sure picked a busy beach to hang out. Yesterday she was making friends with a tandem kayak on the beach. But we do our best to stay away and keep clients at bay.

All in all a wonderful day. The water was great, the clients were great company and Taryn is doing well.

Enjoy the photos.

Taryn and the clients hanging out as we drift back to the North.

The clients paddling and enjoying the light roll to the sea.

The Elephant Seal was getting of the water and take a new place on the beach.

Here you can see one of the Park Rangers working to set up ropes to keep people from getting to close to the animal. By the time the ropes were set up she had moved to the other side of the ropes and was laying in the middle of the walking path for kayakers to access the beach. No the best location ever, but she does not seem to mind. For an animal that is suppose to be shy and like privacy. This particular animal seems to not really care.

Anyway, that is my day. Have a good one yourself!

Yesterdays Kayak Tour

2009-06-04T23:04:00.000-07:00

I was on the water yesterday running a West Side Day Tour. It was a great day to be on the water and the group I had out was wonderful. Flat calm conditions with unseasonably hot weather. Truly a wonderful day. On the tour when we reached Dead Man Bay there was a dead Harbor Porpoise. I called the office to have them reach the stranding network as the animal was in good condition and could be of use for getting some data from. I have plenty of pictures to share so enjoy.

A dead Harbor Porpoise.

The Porpoise being taken away.

Another view.

Smooth waters.

Ah I was in a double. I was lucky to have a good paddle partner.

That is me at the bottom. Wearing one of the new Discovery Sea Kayaks hats.

Paddling home.

A nice day.

Sorry I did nit have much for image comments. But it is getting late.

Night

Discovery Sea Kayaks in Seattle Magazine

2009-06-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

Recently Discovery Sea Kayaks was mentioned in two local Seattle publications.

First was in the May 2009 Seattle Magazine under Island Getaways. List with The Big Attractions to San Juan you can find information about us under the heading "Being One With The Orcas" Read the article HERE!

Second we were mention in Seattle Metropolitan June 2009. They have a segment written by local from each island. Detailing the special things about each island. We were most happy and thankful to see that we were mention. Read the article HERE! I would like to say thanks to John Boyd "JB" for the kind words!

I just wanted to share some of the exciting news with everyone. I was on the water yesterday and plan on posting pictures later today. So please check back for some nice kayaking images.

A Great Island Day

2009-05-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was on the water with a nice guy writing and article for Sierra Magazine. Mainly about Orca Whales. We spent the day on the water enjoying the sunshine. The currents were strong and a stiff breeze out of the west. There were no signs of the Orcas, but the day was still amazing. On our way back to the beach to go home the tidal exchange was in effect and the sea was choppy and confused. Once off the water we all headed for South Beach. Another night where there was live music and good food. The wind gained strength and the water was beautiful. I have some pictures to share with you. A little slice of island life!

The band set up to play at the beach!

People having a great time. Olympic Mountains are in the background!

PARTY! LOL. It was more chill than that.

More people!

Chickens on the rotis. YUMMM!

This little guy was making quick work of this ear of corn.

Jamming!

Ah, looks like trouble to me. LOL.

The set up. It takes a moment, but worth it for slow roasted chickens.

This is from the earlier part of my day.

Before the chop we had amazing conditions! It was a great day on the water.

Well there you go. A little part of the island life. Good kayaking, good people, good music, good food and a GREAT time!

Hope all is well.

Western Bluebirds

2009-05-26T11:35:00.000-07:00

The Western Bluebird Reintroduction on San Juan Island has been hard at work getting a new group of birds set on the island. I have volunteered a few different times to help out. I helped early on to move and set up a couple of aviaries for the birds, a trip out to see them when feeding and the latest was to help snap a few photos of the babies in the bird boxes. The project seems to be a success, as some Bluebirds are staying on island. But it has been fun to see the adult and the babies. Soon they will be banding the new borns before they take a leap out of the nest boxes for their first flights.

You can learn more about the project here-----> https://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/domestic/sitebased/wbb_reintroduction.html

Baby Bluebirds!!! These guys were piled together. CUTE!!

This is from a different nest than the above images. The babies are a bit smaller. Really awesome to see life in its early stages. Young and helpless and one day they will be beautiful adults flying along tall grass in search of insects.

Just wanted to share some images of these cute little birds!

Busy Weekend

2009-05-25T16:45:00.000-07:00

San Juan Island was full of people this weekend. Sometime on Friday it seemed the flood gates had opened. People filled the streets, restaurants and local businesses. We had tours going out and sales ring at the new shop. It was the first really flurry of business for the season. On Saturday we had three trips go out and I was happy to hear some guest from Portland had requested me as their guide. With a nice group of 6 people I arrived at San Juan Co Park. The day presented a light breeze and strong currents. But not long after we got on the water we had Orca Whales all over. We rafted together and drifted along in the current. Orcas swam past close off our bows. We then moved in shore to avoid the strong currents and it was time to raft again. Orcas were swimming along the shoreline. This time we were able to anchor in a kelp bed and enjoy the show. As we sat watching the group move North we noticed they all have turned and were heading back. We spent all of our time on the water with the Orcas and then headed back to the park to pack up. It was a great day to be on the water and a great day to see Orca Whales.

Today I spent the day in the shop. It was fun to see all the people in and out of the shop. The streets were teaming with people, most trying to figure out which ferry they could catch. It is amazing to watch the loads of people with cars that are now stuck here until the late ferry and they have been waiting all day. The ferry workers are working patiently to get everyone in loading lanes all over town.

By the end of the day there will be few tourist left on the island. Islanders will take a deep breath and relax as we prepare for the next wave as the summer season has now kicked off.

Sorry I do not have any photos to share. Moving in to my new house and being busy with work. I could not even begin to tell you where my camera is.

Anyway, I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!

The New Shop

2009-05-23T08:59:00.000-07:00

So we opened our doors to the new shop this weekend. Thursday was the official day we opened the new shop. Friday was our kick off to see how the walking traffic was going to be. We were very pleased with the first test. Today we should be a flood of people from the morning ferries.

Since I was here early I took a few pictures of the inside of the shop to share.

The back of the shop. Most of the paddle sports gear is in the little cave area in the back.

A view towards to the front of the shop from the back.

Again.

The new front desk.

Anyway, that is what I have. Stop by if you are in town!!

Yesterdays Sunset

2009-05-21T00:02:00.001-07:00

I decided to head out for sunset yesterday. I was in need of some time to just watch the simple pleasure of the sun setting. I took a couple of pictures to share.

I like the image. Not sure why, but I do.

A good view of the sun before it tucks behind the clouds.

A little bit of everything going on here.

I just wanted to share a couple of my images from yesterday. Today I spent my time getting the shop done! A few minor things to take care of, but as of today, it is done!

Anyway, I hope everyone is well.

My Big Project

2009-05-19T19:07:00.000-07:00

So I have made comments about my big project I have been working on and now I am letting the cat out of the bag. Some of you know this already. If you live here are if you are close friends of mine. I have been working on the new Discovery Sea Kayak location. We just opened a new shop in Friday Harbor. We spent nearly 5 years at the last location and we were looking for a change. Though we did not move far, a block up town, we feel it will be a better location for out business. The new shop is the old location of the Blue Dolphin on First St. We could not be happier with the new location! I finally got the outside of the building the way I wanted and the inside will be done tomorrow! I feel it is a great addition to the town core and is an attention getter for sure.

We will be having a Grand Re-Opening Sale this Friday through Sunday! So if you are on island come by and help us celebrate our new location!

I want to give a special thank you to Jenn Riggs for helping me get things together. I know I will owe her a more formal thank you at some time.

I have a couple of preview images of the store front. So enjoy and come by and say hi of you can.

The overall look of the outside is very eye catching!

Here you can get an idea of the window of the shop. Being ground level in town is amazing. It is a lot of fun being in the shop and having so many people walk in to see what is going on. I cannot wait to have the doors open for business!

I hope to get images of the inside posted soon. Tomorrow I will finish the move and take some images. Combine this with moving my personal residence to a new place. It has been busy!!

ANYWAY, hope all is well.

Sunny Skies and BBQ

2009-05-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was beautiful here on San Juan Island. I started my day with a little work at the shop but called it a bit early to come home and throw a couple of Pork Shoulders on the grill. Called a few friends and the time was set for the evenings BBQ. Since the shoulders cook over low heat for hours, I got a bit of packing done. My roommate and I are moving to new digs. It has been nice living on Argyle St. but it is one of the major road in and out of town. The new house is tucked away from the road noise. I still have a lot of work to do before I am moved in.

The clouds are here this morning and I have a few things on my plate for the day. Work a bit more on my Discovery Sea Kayak project, I have an a guide here for an interview and get more moved if possible.

I will be on the water for a bit for the interview and I will try and snap a few photos off to share.

ANYWAY, I hope everyone is doing great today.

Still Work That Needs To Be Done

2009-05-15T22:19:00.000-07:00

Well I had hoped to have pictures of my exciting project I have been working on. But it looks like I will need a few more days before I can post images. But tomorrow will finish up a big part of the project then I will just a need a day or so to get things set. I cannot wait to share with those who visit my blog.

Plus I will be moving out of my house and into a new location. It will be sad saying good bye to the ole house here on Argyle. But the new house will be great. I had lots of fun living in my current house but it will be passed over to another group of kayak guides from another company. So I will be able to enjoy the amazing back yard.

Work is busy and trips are starting to be more consistent. The weather today was great and Ocras were on the West Side.

I know I have been lame at getting new post up and really lame by not having any pictures to share. But as soon as I am doing working on my project. I promise I will start getting more kayaking pictures posted.

ANYWAY,, I hope you all keep coming by and checking to see if I have updated.

Have a nice night.

Spring Rain

2009-05-11T08:34:00.000-07:00

For the most part last week was wonderful and the weekend was great. But a bit of rain moved in over night. Having the rain overnight is pretty nice as it adds a bit of soothing noise while sleeping. We were pretty busy with tours over the weekend. With the nice weather people are getting on the water. Plus J Pod is now back in the area and with that news people are wanting to have the opportunity to see them from a kayak.

I have been busy working on my other project and I was told the work that was needed will be done by this Saturday. This means I can finish up what I need to do and get some photos and show everyone what I have been working on.

Soon I will be getting back on the water and sharing more pictures of the San Juan Islands from my kayak. But I have been taking it a bit easy due to a back problem I have been having. Hope that it gets better soon!!!

ANYWAY,,, that is all I have for now.

Here Then There

2009-05-06T11:52:00.000-07:00

No pictures today, sorry! I just wanted to post a quick update on whats been going on.

Yesterday I got the early ferry with a friend and headed to Seattle. I was there picking up a bunch of stuff for the Discovery Sea Kayak shop. It was a mad dash down and back. Getting to the Seattle shops around 10am and getting done around 1pm or so. Pouring rain and a truck load of stuff scantly tarped. Made our way to Anacortes and had a nice Mexican Dinner with Margaritas for Cinco de Mayo. I arrived at the ferry dock around 503pm and was lucky enough to get on the 5pm ferry. We like to call this ferry karma. I have seen it a few times and my friends have experienced it as well. It is like winning the lottery. Strange I know, but if you have ever dealt with trying to catch a ferry here and just miss it and have to wait it out for the next ferry. Well it is no fun!

Soon Discovery Sea Kayaks will have a brand new look and I am excited. I will post images as soon as everything comes together.

Anyway,,,, I hope everyone out there is doing well.

Sunrise On San Juan Island

2009-05-02T19:03:00.000-07:00

Over the past few days Shawn and I have been going out with Paul Beauchamp and his assistant Keila Collins for a photo shoot they were here to do. It was pretty funny. Paul is here working for some company on an ad campaign.

The first shoot was done on the west side of San Juan Island around sunset. We pretty much just floated around while the images were being made and positioned our kayaks in place for the shots he wanted. We paddle tandem kayaks for the shoot. Paul was in the back of a tandem while Shawn sat in the front and I was in the back of the other tandem while Keila sat in the front. Over all it did not take to long and we were on our way home.

The next shoot I did not take place in. It was the night of the Halibut cookout at my place. It as another sunset paddle. After they were done they came over to the house and we all made our way to the local watering hole, Herbs Tavern.

The took a day off from shooting to pass everything by the client to see if the images were what they were looking for. We ended up getting a late phone call saying they wanted to get a sunrise shot. AHHH... This meant waking around 4am and getting on the water early. The first location we went to was Cattle Pass at the southern tip of San Juan Island. It was an amazing sun rise. The water was calm and you could see from Mt. Baker to Mt. Rainier. After zig zagging in front of Paul's kayak with my tandem kayak we left for a second site. We were in the Griffin Bay area and the water was super calm.

That night a group of friends got together to go out to eat at The Place. After a wonderful dinner, Thanks Jenn, we headed to South Beach. A buddies band was playing music off the back of a big flat bed. We had some beers and enjoyed the sounds of the jam session and hanging with friends. The night trailed along to late in the night.

I have a few photos from the sunrise paddle.

Sun Rise at Cattle Pass San Juan Island

Nice morning.

Keila wishing she was not in a kayak at 5am.

Looking toward the Cattle Point Lighthouse

4th of July Beach

Driftwood!

Anyway,, Have a nice night!

The Grill Is Out Of Storage!

2009-04-30T22:39:00.000-07:00

Got a call from my buddy Madden to get some folks together and get the grill ready. I made some calls and cleaned the grill and waited for the evening to come. As the day passed we were getting ready to heat the coals and toss on the Halibut. It was a great night. We had great wine, food and company. Island cookouts are great. After having some food we all headed out the bar. So the fun kept going strong into the night.

It was really a fun night and was good to see everyone getting together.

Madden putting on the slabs of Halibut.

A grill full of fresh Halibut! TASTY!

TOAST!

Oh yea just way to cool!

People moving to the inside. Small house but there are more folks behind me.

Well I hope to get some kayak images up soon. I have been doing kayak repairs and getting gear ready for the season. The weather has been great and kayaking time is here. So come on out and join us on a tour.

Anyway, Good Night Everyone!

West Side Paddle

2009-04-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful day on San Juan Island. Unfortunately we did not have any tours. So I rounded up Lyle and Shawn to get on the water and do some training. We started with a few clouds in the sky but later on the sun came out. It was a really nice day to be on the water. Shawn and Lyle did a great job and it was just a lot of fun being out there today. Not much really went on, I spent most of the day on on the water. But when we got done, in kayaker fashion, we went out for a beer.

Here are a few images.

A wonderful day to be on the water.

Floating in the flood tide.

You can see Shawn out front.

Lime Kiln State Park

Shawn

Lyle working on a bit of sculling for support.

Well that was pretty much my day. It was not bad at all. Plus overall I feel it was pretty productive.

BEACH TIME!!

2009-04-21T15:55:00.000-07:00

Made it out to the beach with a couple of friends today. They were heading out to try a bit of skim boarding. But the water was a bit choppy and the tide was too high. Bumped into them while I was getting some lunch from the grocery store. They convinced me to head out to the beach with them. The weather is nice, but it seems a bit cooler than yesterday. None the less it was still perfect to hit the beach and get some sun. I grabbed Guinness and we all took off.

I got a few pictures while I was out, so here you go.

South Beach.

My dog Guinness taking in the sun.

We have a bit of a mess with us.

One more of Guinness.

Just Me.

Breaking Out The Sandals

2009-04-21T09:03:00.000-07:00

The weather has been amazing the past few day and this morning could not be better. The smells of spring in the air. Nice and cool in the morning and warm by noon. Calm water and no wind. Prefect!

Yesterday was a nice long day of being on the water. I had a nice young lady come over for an interview and we got to do some paddling. When I was done with that, Shawn and I got on the water for some more training. It was a great day. But I was really tired at the end of the day.

There is some exciting new stuff going on with Discovery Sea Kayaks. I am really excited the change is going to be awesome. I will give out more information when the time comes to share. But I am cannot wait!

Last night was an amazing sunset. The water was mirror smooth and pink clouds over Vancouver Island. The Olympics Mountains faded into the dark purple of the sky.

It was an amazing sun set. But I did not have my camera with me for any part of my amazing day. So I do not have any images to share.

Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well.

Calm Waters

2009-04-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend has been beautiful. Yesterday I was on the water with a couple that came up from Portland Or. They were really nice folks and we had a great day on the water. I forgot to grab my camera when I left the house so I do not have any pics of the trip. But the water was FLAT calm. The winds were light and the tides were small so the water was perfect. There were no other kayaks on the water and few power boats past by. We had great view of Bald Eagles and even got the see the Peregrine Falcon pair. As we neared the Lime Kiln Lighthouse a lone Elephant Seal popped up. An adult male! He was a big guy and was only around 50 yards away. He looked at us for a moment and then simply ignored us. It was a really nice view, wish I had my camera.

Today I went out to help my buddy get a boat load of people over to Yellow Island. He has a new high speed inflatable that he uses to do Wildlife Tours. After beaching and dropping the people off we went for a little ride. Taking off and reaching a top speed of 36 knots, FUN! We did a few tight turn maneuvers and that we even more FUN! It was time then to go enjoy the calm water and wildlife. Harbor Porpoise seemed to have been everywhere we looked. A Stellar Sea Lion made quick surface and then disappeared. Plenty of Bald Eagles were in the area flying around. It was a nice time to be on the water. When I left the house there was the cool smell of spring in the air. On the water there was the amazing smells of the ocean. It was a nice way to start the day. I am off the teach kayak lessons at 430 today. So I am going to keep this short. I do have a few photos from the boat ride today.

Amazing how calm the water was today.

Spieden Island. A few wild sheep grazing the hillside.

A view of Green Point.

Cruising around enjoying the nice weather and calm water conditions.

Could if be any nicer? Really!

Not the best view. But I really like the little red boat.

We were leaving port and this beautiful boat was in the harbor. A mother ship from Glacier Bay AK. An amazing vessel.

ANYWAY, I hope all is well in your world today.

What's Been Going On

2009-04-16T21:01:00.000-07:00

I have not had a chance to get an update posted. But I am taking the time to get everything up to speed. I have been on the water everyday for the past four day. Not that I have been on tours all on all of the trips but with training and tours.

Shawn, a new guide for Discovery Sea Kayaks, just moved out to the island. We have been working on kayak rescues and personal skills. Things are going great and I foresee him being a great new member to the team.

Today I took a couple out to the West Side for kayak tour and we had a great time. The water conditions were great. The skies were cloudy as they are calling for rain to move in tonight. We had great views of Bald Eagles and encounters with Dalls Porpoise. There were a few Oyster Catchers walking the shore, but overall it was a nice time on the water.

Yesterday I took a new employee out for a day of kayaking. Once again another nice day on the water and with good company. Swift currents and a light breeze did not stop us from having a wonderful paddle.

I did another trip a few days ago or so. I am not really sure on the exact timeline. It was a nice short trip and it was pretty windy. But at the end of the trip we all had a great time.

The weather this weekend is looking nice, so I hope to be on the water on a tour. So come on up and visit me and go on a kayak tour.

ANYWAY, here are a few photos.

Here is Shawn getting ready to do some capsizing.

Out on a tour. Shawn was tagging along and enjoying the day.

My clients for the day doing some rad padding.

Just messing around off Dinner Island.

A nice breeze was giving a bit of chop to play in.

Here is a different day with calm seas.

Getting ready for a bit more water time.

Well that is all I have for now. Hope everyone is having a wonderful night.

Wind, Rain and A Beautiful Sunset

2009-04-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

I woke up to the sound of rain tapping on the roof. The winds were light and forecast to increase to Gale Force winds over the course of the day. After an evening of hanging out with friends and the ambiance of the rain. I stayed in bed a little longer than I normally would. When I finally roused myself out of bed my roommate was heading to town for brunch. I decided I would meet up with him and a group of guys to have some food. Many laughs later and brunch was over. Lyle and I decided we would try and get on the water for a bit of windy weather kayaking. But after arriving back at the house, we both were feeling a bit tired and run down. We had spent the weekend evenings out with friends, so I assume it all was just catching up to us. So we decided not to go kayaking. The rest of my day was spent in a half slumber.

The winds increase through the day and I could only imagine how much fun it would be to be in my kayak. I just did not have the energy to make it happen. The rain subsided and the sun came out. I needed to get out of the house and get some fresh air so I headed to the West Side of the island to watch the sunset. When I arrived it was great. The winds were stiff but falling off from the higher speeds from earlier. The tide was in the midst of the flood to ebb exchange, so the water was really confused. Wave were crashing into each other and erupting with white spray everywhere. A few rips that develop off the point of the island were moving with intensity. Combined with what wind was left, the seas were looking nice and sloppy.

I have a kayak tour in the morning. If the weather works out I will get some photos from the water. But here are a few from shore.

Hello Everyone!

Lots of clouds to the South.

I wish I could have taken better pictures of the water condition.

A nice view.

The mighty Haro Strait.

The sun is slowly fading into the clouds.

As the sun goes down so does the temperature.

All Gone!

ANYWAY, have a good night all.

Clouds and Rain For The Weekend.

2009-04-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

Last nights BBQ was wonderful. Great food and great fun. Today is cloud covered with lite rain with winds moving in overnight. You can check the maritime weather at the following link.

http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/marine/forecast_e.html?mapID=03&siteID=06100

With the rain in the forecast we typically do a bit less business with kayak tours. Being April it is still a bit early for season to kick off, but it would be nice to get out on the water. Tomorrow the winds are suppose to kick up and I know we will not have tours going out. So I plan on going and doing a bit of kayaking on my own. I will do my best to get some pictures to share.

Cloudy skies over Friday Harbor.

Please click on this image to view. I took this picture from my buddies deck where we had the BBQ last night. The view is of San Juan Channel and Presidents Channel.

I hope everyone is having a nice weekend and that it is not raining where ever you are.

San Juan Days

2009-04-10T16:55:00.000-07:00

April is here and things seem a bit slow on the island still. We have been having wonderful weather but it looks like this weekend things may take a turn to the rainy side. I hope that things pick up soon as I am ready to get on the water with guest and share the islands via kayak. I cannot wait. One of my new guides is moving out here on Sunday so training will start Monday! That will be fun and I will start to post some fun images for the water.

Summer may not be here yet but that is not going to stop us from breaking out the BBQ and have some outdoor fun. Tonight we are set to have a little BBQ action at my buddies house. It should be great. His house has a great water view and I hear there might be a few margaritas around.

But not much else going on. I have been spending most of my days in the kayak shop tyring to get some bookings for kayak trips.

I hope everyone is having a good day and I hope to get some fun images posted soon. Anyway, till next time.

San Juan West Side Kayak

2009-04-06T21:07:00.000-07:00

Made it in to the shop today and while I was working some nice folks came in wanting to get out on the water for the day. I was setting there inside looking outside at the sunshine, hmmmm, yea I can take you guys out. It was a great day. The water was so calm and that the temperature was warm. It brought back memories of summer on San Juan and I cannot wait for season to really get kicked off.

The day went by without stress or worries. Everyone was really enjoying the sunshine and taking in the scene. The Olympic Mountains were full of snow and presented an amazing setting for the day.

Here are a few images from the day.

Looking north on the Haro Strait. The nice couple I had for the day is just ahead of me.

Another image of my clients working hard in such rough paddle conditions.

Here you can see how calm the water was for the day.

NICE DAY!

ANYWAY, I hope everyone is having a good day. Season is almost here and being back on the water with guest is going to be fun. How could anyone give up such an amazing job ;)

Orca In Friday Harbor

2009-04-04T23:50:00.000-07:00

Yes today I spotted a new Orca in downtown Friday Harbor. If you are ever over near the Cannery Landing, you should stop and check it out. It is pretty funny. I could not resist having my picture taken with it. I think everyone should stop and get their picture with the Orca and we should come up with a name for it.

It is pretty big. From a distance it looked really small. But once I walked down there it was much larger. Pretty Funny!

ANYWAY, have a nice night everyone

Discovery Sea Kayaks Shop Is Open!

2009-04-04T13:39:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to put a small post to inform all my local readers that Discovery Sea Kayaks has the shop ,located a 1 Spring St next to the Ferry Landing above the Place Restaurant, open for booking tours, lesson and retail sales.

We carry a full line of outdoor sports wear from The North Face, Marmot, Outdoor Research and many other quality sports and paddle wear companies. There is a lot of nice gear out for 2009 and we have hand picked what we feel are the most useful components for the Pacific Northwest Environment. We have plenty of rugged rain gear, warm base and outer layers and some nice looking casual sports wear.

We also have some of the remaining 2008 products on sale for 50% to 70% OFF!! It is worth the look around to get a good deal on some really nice products.

If anything drop in and say HI. We are here and enjoy the company of others as they pass through the store.

Hope to see everyone soon!

Jason

Orca Challenge Kayak

2009-04-01T18:52:00.000-07:00

Well I may be in Denver but I am still checking my email and this came in today. The 1st Annual Orca Challenge. It is a fund raiser event. Please see the following link for more info..

http://expeditionpaddlers.blogspot.com/2009/03/6-weeks-to-go-until-first-annual-orca.html

Another Rainy Day

2009-03-30T10:54:00.000-07:00

All the signs of spring are here. The song birds are singing, the days light lingers on to late in the day and I have even seen a few Turkey Vultures back in the area. But the ever present rain is here today. Dark skies, a cool breeze and rain. Soon the rains will dissipate and the San Juan's will become a sun haven for a few months. Warm days and cools night will come in to replace the cold. The island will be covered with visitors. Kayak tours will be going out daily

I am leaving for Seattle tonight and then off to Denver for the next few days. I am taking advantage of my last chance to get off the island before I have to be here everyday.

I start training new guides as soon as I get back from Denver. So check back for some fun kayak photos.

More Images From Johnstone Strait

2009-03-27T15:59:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more images from my trip.

A few Sea Stars.

Stuck in the tent looking over tides and chart.

Just a nice pic.

My buddy Kyle enjoying one of many Ferry rides. I am in the background lounging on the car.

Getting ready to take off.

Hmmm, maybe we are lost. Just kidding.

It is a blurry image but I like it.

Lost of Urchin left overs on the beach. Guess there are Otters around. We never saw any.

Back Early

2009-03-26T13:15:00.000-07:00

We arrived back on San Juan Island ahead of our scheduled time. Mainly due to the weather in Johnston Strait and the limited amount of time my paddler partners Kyle and Katie had to enjoy their spring break. Just to note for some reason SPOT, our tracking device did not record all of our kayaking route. Not sure why but thought I would mention it.

We arrive on Quadra Island in BC Canada on the 22nd and made our way to Surge Narrows Road. This would lead us to an area where we could get the kayaks on the water. It was a short but steep carry to get all the gear down to a tiny dock. This is where we loaded kayaks and took off. We left the dock with little light left in the sky and headed toward the Octopus Islands. We were luck that Surge Narrows was nice and calm when we passed. Since we had just put on the water and were pushing to make camp before it got much later. We moved along and the water conditions were fine. Beautiful views all around. We made it to some unknown small rock of an island and it was decided this would be home for the night. It was not the best place to set up tents, but would have to do. Dinner was done and time for bed. Rain came during the night and so did the wind.

After waking and having a bit to eat and a scout mission for fresh water. We decided the forecast as not that great but we needed a better camping spot. As we headed out the wind died off and the water was great. Nice current moving through, but overall the water was flat. Light rain was off an on. Along the way we found a nice place to camp with a few flat areas to set up tents. By the time we had the kayaks unloaded the rain started to get a bit heavy. It was time to get the tents up fast and get all the gear we needed dry inside. A bite to each for lunch and then wind had started to build and rain was not stopping. So we headed off to our tents. Laying in the tent there was not much to do. I made a few journal entry's and snuggled deep into my sleeping bag. As time passed I as in and out of a sleep. Waking making wild guesses at what time it might be, but not really caring too much. Eventually night time came and the rain and wind were still going strong. No dinner that night, just slept right through. I remember waking the next day to the sounds of wind and rain. As many as 15 hours has past since I entered my tent for my hibernation. It was time to get out. Rain gear on and ready to go out to view the weather, yep, still raining and still windy. We had some food and it was decided to kayak back to the car, regroup and head to Cortes Island.

As we made our way back the winds backed to a light breeze and then stopped all together. The gray skies reflecting gray off the water. It gave you a sense of being caught between two layers, compressing down. Fog draped over snow covered tress and the sounds of streams running on the Strait. As we approached Surge Narrows we could hear the accelerated water generating waves as it passed though the narrow slot. We made a plan, not a very organized plan, as we were being pulled into the waves. We all headed for what we thought was out best route. Heavy loaded kayaks getting smashed into a rock would be very bad. It was exciting and fun bringing smiles to our faces. We all passed though safely.

Off to Cortes Island, a small wonderful island. We drove around looking for a place to get more fresh water and camp for the night. Water was easy, we got it from the tap at the local Co-op in town. We camped at Smelt Bay and the forecast was for clear skies with increasing winds. The next morning was a bit cold and a strong wind. A bit of discussion was made and it was decided to make the long journey back to San Juan Island. After 4 ferries and a day of travel we landed on San Juan Island around 1030pm. I set off to grab a beer and catch a few laughs with friends. One of the nice things about small island towns, you can show up from camping and smell like hell and it is ok. A few of us made it back to the house where it was shower and bed time for me.

Today Kyle and Katie are off kayak near Cattle Pass. It is Kyle's birthday so we will be having a bit of fun tonight and they plan on leaving tomorrow.

You never know what a trip to nature will be like. I know it is always fun and I learn new things every time. Though it was not as long as we planned it was still a great time.

Here are some of my photos. I will post some photos from Kyle and Katie soon.

In my home town of Friday Harbor Wa waiting for the ferry with all of our gear to start the trip.

Kayaks on the front deck of the Wa State Ferry.

Hmmmm, A weak battery never makes it when listening to music waiting for the ferry. Horseshoe Bay.

Leaving Horseshoe Bay.

Packing up.

Here is the start of the paddle. Nice calm water. Too bad the winds had to pick up.

My trusty MSR FURY tent. Amazing, all I can say!

Kayaks pulled high on the island for the night.

On a small island in Johnston Strait.

Getting ready to head out on the water.

No wind and flat water. Surge Narrows is just ahead around the point.

Katie just after we passed through Surge.

Kyle getting the camp stove ready.

If I look cold it is because I am.

Ah, snow in the Mountains.

A view from Cortes ferry dock.

Whaletown on Cortes Island.

On the ferry back to Horseshoe Bay in Vancouver BC.

Well that is all I have for now. Anyway, I hope you all have enjoyed the images and I will post some more when I get them from Kyle and Katie.

Heading Out Of Town

2009-03-20T17:27:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post that I am heading out of town to do a bit of kayaking in the Johnstone Strait region in British Columbia. I leave Saturday March 21st and hope to be on the water by Sunday March 22nd. Once I am on the water I will activate my Spot Satellite Tracker. I will have it on during the times I am paddling and you can follow along at home by following this link.

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0VEczhk70Xp9hp1s8Gjj7o23ulPcbCKOo

I should return back to San Juan Island March 27th. I hope to return with great new photos and stories to share.

Have a great weekend and next week. Check and see where we are and come back to see some cool images from my kayak trip.

TideRace Kayaks Coming to Washington State

2009-03-18T11:54:00.001-07:00

Today I had a short chat with my good friend Matthew Ross of SeaKayakShop.com in Anacortes Wa. He was excited to inform me that he will be a dealer of TideRace Kayaks out of the UK. I had a chance last fall to demo the TideRace Xcite. It was an impressive kayak. I hope to have the opportunity to paddle the Xplore as well. It was defiantly a kayak I put on my wish list.

He is thinking he will get some of the kayaks in the his shop, located at 2515 Commercial Ave in Anacortes Wa, by May. This is a pretty awesome kayak to have available to paddlers in the region. There are a lot of high performance kayaks out there and to add this to the list is exciting.

If you are searching for a high performance kayak and have been looking at NDK's, Valley, or P&H kayaks. Check out the TideRace kayaks when they come in.

For more info on TideRace Kayaks visit their site. http://www.tideraceseakayaks.com/

For more info on Matthew Ross and SeaKayakShop.com visit his site at

http://www.seakayakshop.com/

Spring is near and before you know it summer sea kayak weather will be calling you to the water. So if you are gear up and get ready.

Seattle, Brett Dennen Show

2009-03-16T08:17:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I left for Seattle. It was a quick trip, just one night. But I was heading down to catch a show at the Show Box. With the current Ferry schedule to get off the island, it is hard if you miss a 10:00 ferry then you have to wait until 1:30. It pretty much rained the whole drive down. But once in Seattle is was a good time catching up with some friends and seeing what was new with them. Two of my friends which are a couple, have sold everything they own and bought a 1976 VW Bus and are getting ready to embark on a 1 year journey of travel with no certain direction. The old bus needs work but looks like a great project. I love having friends that will just up root and go against the grain of the usual fabrics of life. You go guys!

The show its self was amazing. If you ever get a chance to see Brett Dennen live, DO IT. It was a sold out show and that was a bummer since some of my buddies were going to buy tickets at the door. I had purchased mine early online. It was great to stand in a crowd of stranger and see everyone tuned in and having a great time. Brett's music puts out a wonderful vibe that brings a smile to your face.

Check out Brett Dennen's website for information and tour dates.

http://brettdennen.net/

We stayed in North Bend at a friends brothers house. It was nice to have a place to crash after a night on the town.. Many Thanks! The next morning the drive was a mix of rain and snow, finally giving way to just rain. The ferry ride home was windy. We kind of wished for more wind that what we had, but it was still nice. Crossing Rosario Strait we had strong winds with white caps stretching as far as you could see. There was a rainbow over the water that you could see where it landed on both ends in the water. It was a nice welcome home. Being in the city is lots of fun. The great food, walking the downtown streets and all the people. But for me it is nice to return to a nice place, tucked away from the business of the city. A place where nature rules the scenery and not high rise buildings and massive highways.

I have a couple of photos to share.

You can see the texture of the surface of the water. The wind is sweeping along the surface leaving visible streaks.

So we traveled in the best road trip/kayak vehicle ever. The Toyota Previa. Here I am kicked back catching some ZZZZ's waiting on the ferry.

As you can see the Previa offers a nice amount of room for sleeping. I like to call it the PKTV, Personal Kayak Transport Vehicle. Ahh, waiting on the ferry. If you live here and travel enough, this is what you do all the time.

The Last Few Days

2009-03-13T15:02:00.000-07:00

Over the past few days I have been busy doing a bit of work and having fun. Well work is fun since it is kayaking, but we will call it work. After the snow the weather got much nicer. It took a bit of time but the day time temps were on the rise.

Tuesday I met up with my friend Monika and headed out the our typical area to check out some birds. It was nice and sunny and at first we did not have much to see. We were searching for the Red Tailed Hawks (RTH's) that we have been watching. We spent our time basking in the sun and thumbing through this wonderful book of mine. Raptors of Western North America, it was gift I was given for my 32nd birthday. It is full of wonderful information and tons of color photos. Which great since there are so many variation in Red Tail Hawks, it is nice to see them all. Out of know where a Norther Shriek flutters along and land near by in a shrub. I was able to get the scope on it and get good detailed views. This was the first time I have ever heard a Northern Shriek vocalize. It was pretty amazing. At the same time a fox was hunting in an area of tall grass. We observed with anticipation of a kill, but after a nice pounce and no success we turned back to looking for the hawks. Just at that moment one of the RTH's makes a low pass. Were lucking and got to see some really nice aerial display and a great view through the scope when it perched.

Thursday I had kayak lesson to teach. A student of mine who has been working really hard and I decided we would head to the West Side of San Juan Island to enjoy some paddling time. Sometimes taking a break from all the learning and simply going on a small journey helps in seeing the success they are having. It was a day with a light breeze, warm air and a good tidal exchange. So we had good moving water and a bit of chop. It was a good experience to get her out in and let her use some of her new tools. They day was a nice success and since she was set to have another lesson Friday we took it a bit easy. Later I went out for sunset and it was amazing. The mountains were clear and packed with snow. The sky with different shades of orange. I could not of asked more out of a day than Thursdays.

Friday was kayak class again. Today was set to be a wet day on the water. Some high clouds and bit cooler temp than the previous day. We worked on support strokes (bracing and sculling). Set some partner rescues and went over the details to get a paddler back in the kayak quickly. It was lots of fun and exciting for her when I taught her how to static brace. After a short paddle we called it a day and headed for home.

I am set to leave the island tomorrow to head to Seattle. Not often that I have been off the island this winter. But I am going to see Brett Dennen at the Show Box and meet up with some friends. It will be nice to be off the island, but it will be a quick trip. I am back Sunday as I have to be on the water early Monday to lead a tour.

I have some images to share and I hope you like them.

ANYWAY,

A cargo ship making a close pass by San Juan Island.

Ahh. Her first Static Brace. NICE!

Look towards the North from the West Side of San Juan Island.

Just another nice view.

Heading back to Small Pox Bay after a short paddle to the the lesson.

Lichen growing on a rock. I just liked the colors.

Calm water and blue sky!

Hmmm. Can you really say anything to this image. Beautiful Sunset!

Update From Today

2009-03-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

When Monika was out taking photos she snapped off an amazing image of the Cattle Point Lighthouse. You can see me and Guinness in the distance.

Check out Monika's Blog http://orcawatcher.blogspot.com/

It is the top image from todays post. You will see us out in the open hiking along. Plus there are other great images to enjoy!

SNOW!! AGAIN!!

2009-03-09T17:22:00.000-07:00

This morning was once again a surprise with snow wisping through the air and a cold wind. I kind of thought that the snow was over since yesterday afternoon was nothing but sunshine. But I was wrong. After spending time in doors getting a few work related things done I headed to town for lunch and then off to the outdoors.

A nice cup of soup from The Market Chef and back by the house to pick up Guinness. We arrived at the trail head at the south end of San Juan with snow patched trails. One of the Red Tail Hawks was kiting in the wind near the parking area. A good start to the hike. While I was at lunch I was asked how my day was. I took a minute and thought, humm nothing has really happened, good or bad. So I asked if it were ok if I answered with indifferent. We kind of laughed and I said the day was not over and I am sure by then end it will have been a great day. I was in a nature wonderland for awhile. Tracks on the trail give way to the fact that others where ahead of me somewhere. As I progressed along I could see track from fox and the many deer that have crossed that hiking path. Some areas of the path had more snow that others, though all the trees seemed to be covered in the decorative white. Out to the Southwest looking of the Strait you could see dense clouds covering the Olympic Mountains. I am sure there were getting lots of snow. But high above my head was blue sky. A cold Northeast wind has set in and when you reached and area where there was little cover protecting me from the NE, the wind cut right through.

I did not see any much wildlife as I hiked. Main the signs left in the snow that they have already passed by. I did spot two Bald Eagles soaring circular patterns around each other. I laughed and wondered if they ever get dizzy. I am sure they don't, but it was a funny thought. As I was lost in my mind I started to think that everyone that reads my blog must think I spend a good deal of time alone. Well my day time hours during the week are pretty much that way. It is enjoyable to hike trails with conversation of others. But I must admit I cherish my time alone on the trail. Guinness does not offer much conversation, but is a great trail companion. So it works. My summers are spent with people everyday. Often meeting groups of new people everyday and then spending either the day with them or the whole week. So finding time to be alone is a winter thing.

My thoughts moving on I notices some small birds deep in the thickets near the ground. As I got a bit closer I could see Spotted Towhee's hopping about. Cresting the back side of Finlayson I could see Cattle Pass and the Lighthouse. Snow covered the grasslands below and the wind was cold. Crossing over the water side of the road I make my way back toward the trail head. Not using any trail I just made my own path through the briers and snow. Guinness wildly sniffed the ground whenever we crossed fox tracks. I could see he was having a great time. As I reached the area I usually park and watch for Red Tail Hawks, I bump in to Monika. She was just out for a drive and checking out what the scenery. We chatted for a bit and a few clouds moved over the sun dropping the temperature a bit. I added a quick layer and said my good byes and headed on. Making my way back to the car I could now confirm today has been a great day. Fresh air, beautiful view with patches of snow, a bit of wildlife and time to just take in the sound and smell of nature. Yeap... A great day!

ANYWAY, here are some photos from my day. Don't for get you can click on the images to view them larger.

Snow starting to fall.

The trail head. Nice covering of snow.

This image for some reason was really dark. Guess that is what I get for using a point and shoot. Oh well, it is still pretty.

If you check my post from yesterday you can see this exact image but without snow. The snow was covering the beach right down to the waters edge.

I was almost back to my car and I could not resist these wonderful clouds. The snow covered rock and tall grass just made it a great scene.

Hope everyone is enjoying their day.

San Juan's Wild Weather

2009-03-08T18:43:00.000-07:00

The forecast called for snow and we did see some snow falling at my house. With no accumulation on the ground. But when I was in town there were cars coming in from other parts of the island with a few inches on top of their cars. The sun soon came out and blue skies were all you could see. I decided I was going to head out to the south end to see if I could find a hawk or two. I called Monika and she was ready to get out as well.

On our way out we passed through an area where snow covered the ground. When we arrived at the south end of San Juan there was no snow. It was actually really nice outside. We made our way to Cattle Point pull out and took advantage of the nice warm sun and went for a short walk. We did spot one of the Red Tail Hawks. It was soaring high above then out of sight. We watched from the top of the bluff as a male Merganser was doing his best to woo the females around him. It was pretty fun to watch. Moving along we bumped into Richard as he was out enjoying the sun.

We soon moved to the other location where there was lots of warm sun. Not much bird activity but we sat there with beautiful views of the water with sun showering us with warmth. Soon my friend Kerri pulled up and joined us. After awhile we did see the Red Tail we call RTH1. But he soon disappeared on his way. We sat there laughing and generally taking in the sun and the fun loving company. A Northern Harrier then appeared. Landed in a small tree right in front of us. It was one if the best views I have ever had of a Harrier. The sunlight was just right and enhanced the colors of its feathers.

Soon it was time to head home. We all had plans with either friends or significant others. It was a simple time, with easy going conversation and lots of laughs. The short amount of time in the day that makes it all worth while. Spending time with friends in the beauty of nature sharing laughs. Sometimes it is truly a simple life. But only sometimes. ANYWAY, enjoy the two images.

Looking over South Beach.

Erosion is taking its toll along the south end. But it is a beautiful view.

San Juan Days

2009-03-06T16:04:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to put up a quick post to catch everyone up. I have been delayed in getting information post due to a friend from out of town visiting. We did lots of hanging out and just having fun. So that is the main reason I have not posted recently.

I was teaching kayak class today and it was a nice time on the water. I had return student who had been struggling with some of the kayak skills and today she really seemed to be putting it together. I gave her a few simple home exercises to do to help gain muscle coordination and memory. It seems to have helped and she agrees.

Just letting all of my friends back home that even though I live in the Pacific Northwest. I still have the home state represented with a Razorback on the bow and stern of my two personal kayaks! The is the bow view

Here is the stern view.

GO HOGS.

Now that things are getting back to normal for me and my friend got on the ferry today. You can expect to see more wonderful photos of San Juan Island and more kayak information coming out most every day!

Why Choose A Kayak Outfitter When Going On Vacation

2009-03-04T12:57:00.000-08:00

When planning your vacation to San Juan Island there are a lot of things to consider. If you are coming from out of state you have to look a plane tickets and what sort of transportation you will be taking to the island once you land in Seattle. If you are driving to the island you have to look at what times are best to get out of the city to get in line for the ferry. Ferry lines can often get backed up and throw your travel plans off. So if you want to do a kayak trip on San Juan Island and not use and Outfitter, imagine all the other details you will have to cover. Things such as kayak route plan, weather, tides and currents. If you plan on doing a kayak camping trip you have to account for places to camp, camping equipment, meal planning and much more.

So this brings me to the subject of this article. What are the benefits of choosing to go with a Kayak Outfitter such as Discovery Sea Kayaks.

Taking the load off is what you are doing when you book with a quality Kayak Outfitter. You are passing the challenge of getting all of the kayak details taken care of. This can be a huge release to your mind while you are traveling to be on San Juan Island. To have peace of mind that once you arrive on San Juan Island, your kayak adventure is all ready to go.

Some of the Key Benefits.

First you have the availability of office staff that will help you with your travel options to San Juan Island from Seattle. The office staff coordinates flawlessly with guides to do the best they can do at making sure time of departure and return from you kayak adventure gives you the time necessary to pack for and unpack after the tour. In the event of an emergency the guides have communication with the office at anytime to attend to needs. Office staff will also make sure that you arrive well prepared for your trip. That you have all the information needed to pack the proper clothing and what you can expect from you adventure.

Equipment is a huge factor when deciding to go with a Kayak Outfitter. Quality Outfitters will make sure you have the best equipment while on your adventure. From the best kayaks and kayak equipment to the best camping equipment. Outfitters can set you up with a kayak camping tour that will provide all your camp needs from tents, sleeping bag and pad, mess kits, dry bags, and much more. Quality food will be prepared. All of the items you would have to somehow pack and bring with you will be waiting for you when you arrive.

As a guide, I feel the most important part of going with a Kayak Outfitter is your guide. A good guide works hard to ensure you have the best possible kayak adventure. Guides are special people that have a certain set of skill sets that allow them to work in such an environment. Many guest look at guides as having the best job ever and most guides will agree. But it does take a certain type of person to be a strong leader with excellent judgment and be patient with new paddlers in adverse conditions. Remember a guide is doing this all season. When you show up for your kayak tour, your guide may have been working for weeks or more already. So when you see the level of energy your guide has when you arrive, you begin to appreciate how hard they work and maintain such high and exciting energy. Having a guide along you get the benefit of amazing local knowledge from water safety, wildlife and you also gain a great camp buddy. Guides will prepare meals and coordinate your day. Things such as route planning, weather assessment, tides and currents are taken care of. Routes can be complex at times given the tides on certain days. So having the knowledge to know when you need to get across a channel or around a point before the currents get to strong is very important.

Guides at Discovery Sea Kayaks are well trained and prepared. All guides go through a period of in house training for kayak skills. Guides are trained to not only to be great kayakers but to use great judgment. We use various scenarios to test the level judgment skills in our training process. Guides are taught how to interpret variables of the environment to aid in developing safe routes or times you may not want to be on the water. Many of our guides have science back ground college degrees. Even so they all have to go through another period of training on natural history and local human history. When all of this is complete we send guides to various kayak instructors so that they can further their skills and gain diversity of kayaking concepts. Once guides return from the training they shadow senior guides to get an idea of the flow of tours. Senior guides will provide feedback and once positive feedback is received. The new guide is set to lead kayak tours. It is a process and in this process you can see why your guide is such a valuable asset to have with you.

From office staff to highly skilled guides, going with a Kayak Outfitter can really enrich your vacation. Travel with the peace of mind knowing your kayak tour is being planned and setup. That you can arrive and be assured that your experience kayaking in the San Juan Islands will not only be safe but adventurous and educational. The San Juan Islands are truly a magical place; this is why I choose to live here. The distant views of mountains to the incredible wildlife viewing opportunities, you really cannot ask for more. It is one of the most gratifying parts of my life sharing San Juan Island kayak adventures with people looking to connect not just with their traveling partners, but with nature as well.

If you are interested in kayaking in the San Juan Islands of Washington State and would like to be accompanied by a highly skilled kayak guide from one of the Highest Quality Kayak Outfitters on San Juan Island, visit Discovery Sea Kayaks Website.

I would be more than happy to take all of you kayaking and share in the kayak adventures here on San Juan Island.

Packing up and heading out!

San Juan Island sunsets are more than worth the visit.

Nice campsite with beautiful views.

Your guide will make sure to keep you away from rips such as this.

Pristine paddling waters in calm conditions! San Juan Island is one of the best sea kayak tour destinations.

Sunset

2009-03-02T16:13:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. I am just going to make a short post today because I spent a good amount of time writing a nice long post and saved it as a draft. I left to go watch the sunset and when I got back the draft was not there. So I am not in my happiest of moods as it was a nice educational piece.

Oh well. It was a nice day here today. The temperature was nice and there was sun in the sky. I spent my time in and out of the house today. A bit of time just outside to be outside. I ended up on the West Side of San Juan Island to watch the sunset with my buddy Jesse and his daughter Ayana. We played music and reveled in the beauty of the sunset. We once again looked at each other laughed a bit and took in just how lucky we are to be able to have such a beautiful place to live and better yet a good friends to share it with.

I took a few images when I was out there. So here they are and I hope you all enjoy them.

Anyway, have a great night all.

SUNSET :) It was beautiful. Good Night Everyone!

Cold Day on San Juan

2009-02-28T18:48:00.000-08:00

The weather just seems to sway between spring and winter. Today the clouds moved in, temperature dropped and the wind started to pick up.

Though it was cold it was a nice relaxing day. I met up with my friend Monika to go check out the Red Tailed Hawks. We watched then kite in the wind in search of food. We never got to see them make a kill. We started to wounder what there success ratio is. The Olympic Mountains were beautiful today. Clouds made a serpentine like impression around the mountains and the snow covered peaks stood proud. With the dark sky there was almost a feel of purple to the clouds over the mountains. Though we sat in the cold and the Red Tails were busy doing their thing, we had a great time.

If you have time check out Monika's Blog http://orcawatcher.blogspot.com/.. She has a bunch of great photos to enjoy.

Here are couple of images I took.

It is best to click on the image to get a better view.

The Olympic Mountains in all their glory.

Hope everyone is having a good night.

Spring is Back on San Juan Island

2009-02-27T15:50:00.000-08:00

If you look at my pictures from yesterday you will see snow. Today you will see blue sky and no snow. Oh how fast the weather can change.

I ended up going out to check on the Red Tailed Hawks (RTH) and seeing what they were up to. It was lots of fun I got to see the pair RTH1 and RTH2. They were doing some pretty nice high soaring. After awhile RTH2 went somewhere and RTH1 stayed back to provide nice entertainment. RTH1 was gliding into vertical stall and flipping back over into a steep drop. It was lots of fun. Then RTH1 would dive steeply out of sight in to the trees.

Heading further down the Rufous morph was perched in a nice shrub and was I think is its mate was near by in a tree. I have not had much time to view the pair. The Rufous is pretty easy to id and today I was able to get good views of the possible mate. It has a few white feather on the back of the head that really stick out. This will help id it when it is perched.

Got a nice view of a fox just sitting in the sun. It seemed to no really care when I was there taking pictures. The fox seem to get a lot of human handouts in that area and have lost any fear they had of humans.

I pretty much took it easy today and spent most of it outside looking at the wonderful hawks and enjoying the scenery.

ANYWAY, here are few images.

As you can see today was much different than yesterday!

Rough day for the fox. I mean laying around with no worries in the warm sun. Thats got to be rough.

Here is the new RTH if you enlarge the image you can see the few white feather on the back of the head. Image was taken through a scope, not the best quality.

Here is RTH1. Image taken through the scope as well.

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Winter Returns to San Juan Island

2009-02-26T13:11:00.000-08:00

Last night the temperatures started to fall off and a bit of freezing drizzle had started. By this morning there was a light blanket of snow covering the ground. It was in the upper 20s when I woke and had plan on going for a run today. So I sat around thinking about it and then decided it would be a great to be out in the snow for a run.

I got Guinness roused from his sleep and headed to the Finlayson Trail. The drive out was as I expected, Beautiful! I geared up in some warm running clothes and was ready to hit the trail. At the trail head is was so nice. The snow tends to make everything seem quiet. It was cold but perfect for a run. As I headed into the woods the trail was pretty clear. The tree canopy had kept most of the snow at bay. Ferns along side the trail had a faint covering of snow. It was really nice. The back side of the trail I climb the hill to the open view of the Olympic Mountains, as I reached the clearing there was a Bald Eagle flying at eye level in search of food. I took a moment to take a few pictures and decided it was best if I kept moving. On my return I saw one of the Red Tailed Hawks I have been watching over the past weeks. It was perched in the top of a tree all puffed up trying to keep warm.

All in all it was a great time on the trail. The snow did not change the fact that I was running and breathing hard. It simply added a nice decorative touch to the scenery.

This will be my only post for the day. I do have some images to add. But I have things to get done today. Plus I have a birthday get together for a friend. So I will not be getting back out to enjoy the spoils of nature.

ANYWAY, enjoy the photos and have a great day and evening.

This picture was taken a few nights ago. But this is pretty much how I looked this morning. Nice and cozy. Hard to pull your self from the warm comforts of home to get out in the cold some times.

This was just a view off the side of the trail.

Here is the start of the trail. Pretty nice!

You can see a nice little covering of snow. Dark skies!

Cattle Point Lighthouse in the distance. My little digital camera was having a hard time metering with the snow. Will have to get it out and work with it to see if I cannot improve the images.

Hope everyone enjoyed checking out the little bit of snow we got. Any amount on the island really just adds another dimension of beauty.

Discovery Sea Kayaks

2009-02-25T11:19:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to make a quick post for now to invite those of you who know or know of Discovery Sea Kayaks, to helps us out.

Currently there is a running for the best Eco Adventure Company in Washington. We feel that we (Discovery Sea Kayaks) hits the top of the list in quality and safety in sea kayak touring for Washington State. Many of you who visit my blog have either been out on a tour, have taken lessons or are aware of the high quality standards Discovery Sea Kayaks adheres to.

So I ask those of you that feel that Discovery Sea Kayaks deserves to be recognized as the Best Eco Adventure in Washington State, to please proceed to the following link and cast your vote.

http://best.king5.com/discovery-sea-kayak/biz/168553

We work hard in developing exciting and new opportunities for people to connect with nature via kayak. We promote kayak safety and education so that everyone can enjoy a safe experience. Please help us be rewarded for our determination and hard work.

Many thanks to all of you who come to my blog daily. It means a lot to me to share my knowledge gained about kayaking and my island life, kayak and travel experiences with everyone interested. We all live diverse lives in this world and I simply offer a window to another view of someones journey.

Kayak Towing

2009-02-23T15:41:00.000-08:00

There are many tow belts on the market and it is important to get one that you can work with. Some tow systems are mounted the the kayak and others are attached to the paddler. All tow systems should have a quick release. Given the various styles, I can really only speak of one. I have found it to be the easiest to use when I need it. My choice is the North Water Sea Tec Tow Line. It has been easy for me to use and when I daisy chain the tow line I can set it for various lengths.

So when is it time to use the tow belt. Well being a sea kayak guide, you are asked all the time to provide assistance to tired paddles. But this would be a bit of a misuse of an important rescue tool. It is not worn by guides to give clients free rides. Plus over working your guide in a non rescue situation is not a good idea. You want you guide to have plenty of strength I a real towing scenario were to develop. Some examples of when to tow.

1. An injured paddler needs assistance getting back to shore.

2. An incapacitated paddler is being supported by another kayak and a tow is needed to get to a safe location.

3. A paddler is stuck in a dangerous situation such as crashing waves on a rock wall. A rescuer paddler can assist them to safer waters with the use of a tow.

4. I have done this in the past. When you are leading a group across a channel with swift currents and one of the kayaks in the group is getting sweep too far off course. The tow can rejoin them with the group to set a new angle of attach to getting across the channel as one group.

So no where in the list did I list a paddler just being tired. In most cases were a paddler is tired you can try to adjust the group pace to relieve the stain on the tired paddler. Have good group dynamics and control as a leader is very important.

There are a few variations of towing you can use. When setting up a tow with a tow system (belt) I always make sure to attach to the other kayaks bow deck lines. The perimeter deck lines are attached in various places along the kayak. If for some reason one of the mounts breaks you are still attached to the deck line and do not lose the paddler being towed.

First I will introduce the Contact Tow. This is a simple town that can be used for a short distance and quick setup. The kayaker in need of a tow simply grabs hold of the the bow of the kayker providing the tow. If the kayak in need of assistance is positioned so that they are face to face to the rescue kayaker. Then communication is very easy between the two kayakers. This can be a good method if there are only two kayakers and one is sea sick. The sea sick paddler can rest by leaning on the the rescue kayak and the rescue kayaker can move them to shore.

Second is the Straight Tow. A rescue kayak is attached to the bow deck line of a paddler in need of assistance. If there is only two of you the kayaker needing assistance must be capable for maintain balance to prevent capsize. The length of the tow can be decided on a couple of factors. I have found if it is going to be a long tow, then I like to have a nice long length of line out (around 30 ft). If I am going to be doing a short distance quick tow I usually have about 15 ft of line for the tow. The next factor to consider is your direction of travel in relation to the sea. Are paddling into the waves or do you have a following sea. With a following sea (waves approaching from the stern) then I suggest 30 ft of tow line. Kayaking into the waves (wave approaching from the bow) then I go with about 15 ft. Make sure you have good communication with the paddler being towed. This means you may have to use a loud voice to project over wind and waves.

The third tow is the Rafted Tow. This is used when there are more than two kayakers and the kayaker in need is not able to maintain balance to prevent capsize. The set up is close to the Straight Tow except the tow line is passed through the bow deck line of the support kayak then attached to the kayaker in need of assistance. The will bring the bow of the two kayaks being towed together making it easier for the rescue kayak. The support kayak is to aid in balance and communication. Sea sickness often causes paddlers to be off balance, therefore this is a great tow for that situation.

The last town I am going to mention is what I call the In Line Tow. When you have a group of paddlers on the water and one of the kayakers finds themselves in need. This can help increase the speed and distance you can cover. The set up is the same as the Rafter Tow, except the kayak providing the tow now gets assistance. This in done by a fourth kayaker attaching to the bow deck line on the kayak towing the raft. This is set up like the Straight Tow. Now you have two kayakers providing power to the raft.

There are other ways of setting up tows, but my focus here was to introduce kayakers to the main tows that I have used and found successful. All these tows should be practiced with your paddler partners. Towing can be very exhausting, so pace yourself if you are in for a long tow. Remeber a tow belt is a rescue tool. Use it as it was intended and do not give out free rides.

Hope everyone was able to follow the diagrams I made. Please leave comments if there are any questions.

ANYWAY,,, I hope everyone is having a wondeful night.