Sea Wolves Chase Kayak!

Canso Village is reputed to be one of the oldest fishing villages in North America. Today is it the very end of the road on mainland Nova Scotia. One of the islands, called Green Island just across the harbour, is where one of the first trans-Altantic cables came ashore. Today you can go out there, tour the island and read about its history. Of course today Canso is also famous for the Stan Rogers festival it puts on each summer.


With that done, I paddled through a narrow gut between two of the larger islands and came out in a maze of granite islands which reminded me very much of the part of Georgian Bay I had visited a month or so ago.


This lone cabin looked over the island group. It had a commanding view of the whole archipelago almost to itself, although there were a couple of other houses hidden on one of the larger treed islands a bit further out. All in all, a quiet little paradise on the day I was there. I suspect things can get a lot livelier when the wind kicks up!


Returning to the mainland I headed southward in Glasgow Harbour to get a look at what the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia looked like. Again, it resembled Georgian Bay with the addition of salty water, tides and grey seals. This group attracted my attention with their wolf-like howling. When I got closer to investigate, many of them got in the water and swam out to have a closer look at me. Bobbing up ever closer, we all got good views of each other. Several followed (chased?) me for a while as I paddled away to explore some more.

Water Yes, Land No

Glenn MacKay and I took to the warm waters of Northumberland Strait yesterday in mid afternoon. Glenn wanted to head down the coast a ways to have a look at the fossil cliffs in Arisaig Provincial Park. Conditions were perfect, a bit of wind, some current and warm weather, it was shirt-sleeve paddling. The run down to the park was fairly rapid and it seemed we were at the cliffs in no time. Ice cream was on our minds, but after landing and making a few enquiries, it was discovered, the Park was an ice-cream free zone. Incredible! What an over-sight!

We had a look for some fossils and Glenn found a rock on the beach with some tiny shell impressions on one of its surfaces. They didn't look that interesting at first glance, but when you realize they are some of the world oldest shell fossils, literally hundreds of millions of years old, their importance to science begins to sink in. I thought these rocks, carefully placed in little niches in the cliff, made up for the fact I didn't find any fossils...


It then occurred to us that if we couldn't have ice cream, we could get some fresh fish and chips back at Lismore where we'd put-in, so back we paddled. A cairn on the shore marked the landing site of boatloads of Scots who first landed in this area to begin new lives having been removed from their ancestral homes in Scotland. Scottish culture is still visible in this region as a result of the successful homesteading these people carried out.

Boats back on the van, we headed up the road to our fish feed. The place was closed. Another over-sight! We crawled back to Glenn's, weakened from our efforts and finally settled for pizza gratefully provided by Glenn's sympathetic wife. A great day on the water no matter we didn't find exactly what we wanted on land!

Visiting the Sisters

Nova Scotia's Cape Chignecto Provincial Park has some great paddling spots probably the best of which is a visit to the Three Sisters. These are a series of spires and stacks just off the cliffs. At high tide it's possible to paddle around them and gaze into the numerous small sea caves under the cliffs. At low tide, the area turns into a walking tour after you paddle to the site. I chose to paddle longer than necessary. There's a put-in in Spicers Cove only a short distance away.

My paddle to see the Sisters from Apple River Bay began about an hour before high tide. This gave me time to paddle the distance, see the girls and then return to my put-in before the Fundy tides had their way with me. Earlier in the day I'd had lunch at the Cape d'Or lighthouse and watched the tide have some fun in the Dory Rips just off the cape. Truly a sight - and sound - to see and hear! It's a spot only the best of paddlers might want to find themselves in and then only by choice.

Once at the Three Sisters, I was astounded at the site of the needle-like spires of rock, some black and others red jutting out of the sea. Some veered off at unlikely angles, others were slender needles pointing straight up. The on-shore cliffs, glowing red in the late afternoon sun, towered overhead and were pierced by wave action all along their bases. I was lucky to have quiet sea conditions and sunny skies during my visit. On the paddle back to the car, fog came and went and a thunder cloud rumbled now and then over my left shoulder

Blogging off the Beach!

One of the delights about travel is making sudden and unexpected discoveries. At the last minute I changed directions, turned off the east bound highway I was on and headed south to visit Nova Scotia's Fundy shore. In a few moments I was in Springhill, the home town of Anne Murray . a well known Canadian singer. Not long afterwards I was looking across the Minas Basin. Here the narrow entrance creates interesting tidal currents not intended for the faint of heart, with streams running over 12 knots at times.

I turned westward towards Cape Chignecto, a potential paddling venue in the coming few days. The Cape and Bay area offer cliffs, currents, stacks and sea caves, everything to make a paddle along the coast interesting and exciting - provided the weather cooperates. We'll see what the days ahead will allow...

For now, I'm camped at The Old Shipyard Beach Campground in Spencer's Island. The ghost ship 'Marie Celeste' was actually built here on the beach years ago. She was christened 'The Amazon' at her launching, but later became more famously known as the 'Marie Celeste' when she was found drifting at sea, abandoned by all aboard.

Eastern Paddles

With any luck at all, I'll finally head down the road on Monday towing my micro-teardrop style trailer. I'll be heading east into the map area above, arriving eventually in Nova Scotia, sampling paddle opportunities here and there along the way. So if you live in Maine, New Brunswick or Nova Scotia and think I ought to be paddling where you do, leave a note in the comment section below and I'll try to hook up with you. My email address can be found on my profile if that works better for you.

I'll be out there for a few weeks, so posts for the next little while will be sporadic at best...

Cheers!

Look Ma, No Pictures!

I spent the weekend on - or near - Seneca Lake in New York State. The purpose of paddling over there was to take in a Greenland style paddling clinic given by Turner Wilson and Cheri Perry. I've joined their classes on several previous occasions and without fail I've come away a better paddler. This past weekend was no exception, especially in the stroke department.

I've paddled for years with a Greenland style paddle and really thought I knew most of what there was to know. Wrong! Turner had more to offer me. Cheri did as well in the rolling and bracing department. Unfortunately for me, the heat had got to me and I didn't do as well as I had hoped. I'm an old arctic hand, as they say, and really like to have a bit of ice in the water or in a nearby glass, at least, to get the most out a paddling experience!

All to say, if you have the chance to take a clinic with either of these two people, don't hesitate. Great instruction given by two very generous and knowledgeable people!

Oh, and the fact I don't have a picture of all this fun is mostly due to the fact I was too busy enjoying the day to bother taking pictures...

Wine on the Go!

There's nothing like a small glass of wine with dinner after a long day's paddle! The problem has been not the wine, but the container it comes it. Glass has a nasty tendency to turn into shards for some reason, especially when dropped. I've used bagged wine which is sold is a box on several trips, but have never been overly pleased with the quality of the vintage. For some reason, the product tends to be a cheaper blend of so-so wines. Not what I have in mind at the end of a tiring day on the water.

On the other hand, this little box, pictured here about to be recycled, is yet another way wine is being delivered these days. Much like a sturdy milk carton with a screw top, these new packs bring with them a much improved, high quality product. This particular wine, a Shiraz from South Africa, was excellent. Even better, it comes from a grower who raises his grapes organically and produces a wine with minimal additives. I like that! I'll be stocking my kayak with more of these containers...

Lowering the Bar

In spite of careful measuring and a host of other precautions, the rim of my re-constructed skin-on-frame qajaq sits too high off the hull and thus manages to gouge a groove out of my back whenever I try to lay back on the rear deck. This past weekend, I decided to see what I could do to change this annoyance.

I began by gluing a new flange to the rim just underneath the present one. Once it was set, I cut off the old flange. In the photo above, you can see I've got about half the flange cut off. I actually left the forward part of the old flange on the rim to make the skirt easier to pull on or off and also provide slightly more chance for water coming over the deck to be deflected off should I happen to paddle skirtless. This lowered the rim about half an inch. Once that was done, I 'sculpted' the top of the flange itself making the rear section slope gently into the cockpit, giving it a wider, gentler surface area, which will hopefully make it more comfortable when I lay back for a snooze - or a roll! I'd already provided for the rear of the rim to 'float' by lowering the cross-piece at that point, so I have great hopes...

I'll have the boat out for a tryout tomorrow once everything dries out a bit...

In case you're wondering what the 'hull liner' is in the picture, it's a Krazy-Karpet' left over from winter sliding fun. It makes a perfect slip in - slip out, with a whole lot less wiggling and reverse knee bending!

Greenland's Gift

It's no longer much of a secret that Greenland style kayaking - or perhaps I should say qajaqquni - is taking the world by storm. Almost anywhere one goes these days to meet up with fellow paddlers, one sees Greenland "skinny stick" paddles and even a few home-built 'skin-on-frame' kayaks. There is a reason for this recent diaspora of Greenland qajaq culture and much of the reason can be seen and heard in Dubside's latest video: Modern Greenland Kayaking.

This is the latest product coming out of the collaboration of Tom Sharp and Dubside. I was lucky enough to wrangle a copy out of Dubside's hands when we were both in Toronto last month. It should be available now through his web site and I can highly recommend adding it to your collection. The DVD takes the viewer through the re-birth and transformation of Greenland's qajaq culture as it moved from a hunting implement to a national sport. Well documented are all the varied aspects of the sport from the qajait themselves, to the rope gymnastics, the rolling and the racing. From there the video moves to the United States where a number of early pioneers like Cindy Cole and John Heath brought the rich and varied qajaq culture home to people in North America and now it's busy spreading around the world.

So get out there and buy this video! Then get involved in one of the most fascinating parts of the kayaking world, one that goes directly to the heart and spirit of its beginnings - and future.

Canada Day in Hatley Village

If you live in North America, then you know your country's birthday celebrations take place in early July. In Canada, it's July 1st. All over the country, villages, towns and cities put on some kind of special event. In Hatley Village this year they put on their 100th consecutive parade and fireworks display. Literally the money that is collected from those who donate to see the morning parade, is all blown up later that night on a big noise and light show in the skies. Dogs, babies and grannies for miles around cower under their beds until the racket settles down and another year of bucolic peace takes over.

Golden Summer Days

There is something special about paddling the boat you built, with the paddle you carved, on a lake you love. They all came together for me yesterday on a golden summer day.

Stories of Northern Leaders Series

Much has changed in recent years in the Canadian Arctic. This is especially the case surrounding the creation of Nunavut, the new territory which was carved out of part of the former Northwest Territories. Several Inuit were responsible for this happening and gradually the series of books called 'Life Stories of Northern leaders' is bringing their biographies to light. The latest to appear is on Peter Ittinuar. Here is part of the press release regarding the book's launch...

La biographie de Peter Ittinuar intitulée "Teach an Eskimo how to Read..." est enfin publiée. C'est le quatrième volume de la série "life Stories of Northern Leaders" et il est disponible auprès de Lise Fortin ( Fortin G ) au coût minime de 25$. La couverture attachée à ce message vous donner plus de détails sur le contenu du livre.

Les histoires de vie d'Abe Okpik et de John Amagoalik ont déjà été publiées dans la collection, celle de Paul Quassa et James Arvaluk devraient sortir sous peu).

If your French is a bit shakey, then it's interesting to note that this title is the fourth in the series following biographies of Abe Okpik and John Amagoalik. Two more are in the works on Paul Quassa and James Arvaluk and will be out soon. All can be obtained from Lise.Fortin@CIERA.ULAVAL.CA at Cdn$25 each. If you're at all interested in the development of Nunavut and its 'Fathers of Confederation', these people are ones to read about. They changed their world!

Herbert's Fish 'n Chips

One last thing before I leave the Killarney area...


No visit could possibly be considered complete without somehow visiting Herbert Fisheries' Fresh Fish and Chips bus right on the dock near the public wharf. I was able to 'park' on the town boat ramp and get my fish 'n chip 'fix' as I paddled through town on my return from Baie Fine.

It isn't that obvious in the photo, but the reason these fish and chips are so worth the trip to Killarney has to do with the freshness of the fish. Tied to the wharf behind the chip bus, which you can see in red, is the boat that catches the fish. Fresh fish, hot batter and chunky chips all go together with the friendly service to make this place beyond belief. If you've just come in from a long paddle, there's nothing in this world that's as good!

Killarney Park - Baie Fine

This posting is a continuation of the previous three about paddling around Philip Edward Island in the Killarney area of Georgian Bay. Having completed the island tour, I returned to the Park put-in to re-adjust some of my equipment (left off some surplus-to-needs items and picked up my pump which had been left behind. I then set out for the town of Killarney and Baie Fine.


A day later, I camped about half way up the fjord-like Baie Fine and the following day took off for the 'Pool' at the very head of the Baie. I'd sailed in this area years ago, but never had the time to more than peek into Baie Fine, so reaching the Pool was a long held goal. I was excited to see this long sought spot!


Leaving my camp intact, I crossed to the opposite shore and followed the white hills with their tree speckled covering until I reached the narrows. At this point, the Baie closes in on itself and becomes a quarter of its width.


Lunch time had me hauled out on a pink granite 'beach'. I'd made it to the Pool, the quiet ring of water at the head of Baie Fine. I could see why so many boaters set this place out as a destination. Surrounded by high hills and dense forests, it's tranquility was total. I visited a small pond created by beavers just a few feet above the Pool. After lunch I paddled around and examined the shores for signs of other wildlife. I saw nothing, but birds of all sorts.


The paddle back to the camp I'd left setup from the night previous turned into a race against a thunder storm moving in from the west. Just as I made it into my tent, the rain came pouring down and lasted for several hours before clearing.


The skies cleared again in the evening giving me a sunset view up the Baie as I cooked my supper. As I took in this scene, a beaver came out of the wood not five meters from me dragging a freshly cut alder branch to the water's edge. There it began chewing off all the smaller branches one by one. Finally satisfied with its work, it entered the water and slowly circled. Suddenly it seemed to sense my presence. It slapped its tail on the surface in warning and plunged into the depths. A moment later it surfaced and continued to swim about, finally heading along the shoreline, out of sight.

Philip Edward Island - Part 3

With a light offshore breeze, the following day was perfect for paddling the Georgian Bay coast of Philip Edward Island. An onshore wind off the bay makes this shore a dangerous one as it's cluttered with rocky islets and shallows.
Not only is navigation difficult thanks to the incredible number of similar islands, but also the chances for being smashed into one of the thousands of hazards is very high. One would think it was possible to take refuge behind the outer islands, but in many cases this doesn't seem to be much of an advantage as one is forced into more and more shallow water. Needless to say, I kept a close watch on my charts and foredeck compass to try and make some sense of where I was!

I slowly worked my way along the coast, marveling at the variety of colours found in the rocks along the way. All had been smoothed and polished by ancient glacial action. In many places it was still possible to see the gouges made by the glacier as it slip over the surface on its southern drift.

Eventually, the white quartzite hills of Killarney began to appear through the islands. I was getting closer to phase two of my trip: Baie Fine, a long fjord-like stretch of water which ran for miles into the hills of Killarney.


I passed through the narrow channel in front of the town of Killarney and from there westward into Lansdowne Channel. Here I set up my second campsite just outside of Rat Portage Cove. I actually checked out the portage as it would have cut many miles off my trip. Part of it has been paved! Somehow, that seemed a bit too tame, so I elected to paddle around via the 'Hole in the Wall' gap, a place I'd been before on several other trips, including the paddle around Manitoulin Island in 2004. (A kayaker I met a few days later told me he had dragged his plastic Necky over the portage and found it very usable)

I managed to recharge my cell-phone during lunch at the 'Hole in the Wall'. I was also amused to discover my old tent site had mysteriously turned into a bed of white flowers. Now how strange could that be?


The crossing of several miles over to the entrance to Baie Fine went smoothly in spite of a brisk cross wind from the west. Waves were just at the breaking stage, which made things interesting! The good news was the same wind pushed me rapidly along Baie Fine and to the next campsite above, perhaps the nicest spot I stayed at during the whole trip.

Philip Edward Island - Part 2

Above is a Google view of my trip route, beginning with an eastward leg up Collin's Inlet to my first camp in Beaverstone Bay.


Finding the entrance to Collin's Inlet can be tricky until you make the adjustment between the chart scale and the various features around you. I initially misjudged the scale and headed too far out into Georgian Bay only to become confused trying to locate what I could see around me with the features on the chart. I returned to my last known point, spent a few moments identifying the various islets etc, and then set off in the right direction.


While the day began in sunshine, it slowly turned foul as I paddled further down the narrowing channel in the Inlet.


In no time the rain was pelting down... The 'post' on my deck is my Sticky Pod which holds my video camera so I can film hands-free.


Once I arrived at the eastern end of Philip Edward Island, the rain ended, the skies began to clear and I could see the opening to Georgian Bay ahead of me.


Twenty eight kilometers of interesting paddling brought me to my first campsite of the trip on this little islet in Beaverstone Bay. While the rock looks hard and uncomfortable, in fact, I was quite pleased with the warm, smooth surface and enjoyed my stay in such a beautiful area!

Tomorrow's post will take us westward towards Killarney and Baie Fine.

Philip Edward Island - Part 1

Killarney Provincial Park is located in the northwest corner of Ontario's Georgian Bay. It is a land of contrasting rocks, red granite, white quartzite and grey limsetone all over lain with a scattering of pine and oak forest and crystal lakes. It's one of Canada's paddling paradises. Leaving my car at the campground's put-in located on a small stream leading down to Georgian Bay, I decided to first paddle around Philip Edward Island just east of the Park. The island is about 20 miles or so long and roughly 10 miles across at the widest point.


The boat ramp at the Park's put-in.


The stream to the Bay meanders around a bit alternately revealing banks of alder bushes and pink granite bluffs.


At the mouth of the stream, one is suddenly presented with a maze of islands, some bearly above water, others, like this one, high and topped with wind-blown evergreen tree, the trademark of Georgian Bay.


As the sun was out and the wind was up, I decided to head out into the Bay to play in the waves and warm up the muscles for the 2o mile paddle ahead of me. I was soon lost among the dozens of islets all around! Good map and navigation skills are definitely an asset in this area. Finally oriented once again, I headed into Collins Inlet, the narrow channel which cuts Philip Edward Island off from the mainland.

MEC's Toronto Paddlefest 2008

First stop on my recent jaunt was PaddleFest, an event put on by Canada's Mountain Equipment Coop chain in various cities across the country. I chose to head up to Toronto to meet Justine Curgenven and Dubside, not to mention anyone else who wanted to smile back in my direction.


It was a happy gathering of the water world. Water craft of every description were out on the bay enjoying the day, the boats and the instruction. I ran into Dubside, caught up on his news - he's incredibly busy these days - and we discussed his latest video production, a sort of history of Greenland paddling and Delmarva for the past several years.

Justine was as charming a person as you could ever hope to meet. We watched, listened and interrupted as she led us around New Zealand's South Island. It was a story on her blog account, but to hear her tell it, it was so much more. Truly a grand adventure!

After a fun-filled day, I headed northwards to Killarney Provincial Park for my own little adventure. I'll spend the next few days showing you what I saw there.

Ckayaker in Mexico?

Footprints found in 2003 in Mexico have recently been re-dated to about 40,000 years BP. The fact that they were found along the shores of an ancient lake also strongly suggests that the footprints belonged to early Inuit tourists wintering at one of the Mexican kayaking resorts probably popular back then. From the look at the prints, together with my newly acquired knowledge of muddy footprints, their depth and so on, I'd be prepared to say they were Inuit carrying one of the heavier Canadian style kayaks rather than the lighter Greenland version.

So it's good to know that early Canadian Ckayakers opened the door for me to visit Mexico - 'La terra del Dios' - in the distant past! No doubt I'll be welcomed back to the same paddling spots with open arms and cold cerveza, of course. Like many of you, I've often wondered why the word 'gringo' sounded like a corruption of the word 'kayaker'. Now I know! Science is so cool.

Friday I hit the road on my first paddling trip of the season. Expect posts to drop off until/unless I find internet in unexpected places...

Getting Old...

Or maybe it was the heat, which with the humidity soared from about 15°C on Friday to over 33°C yesterday and again today. Either way I couldn't figure out how I was going to paddle in either my drysuit or my Reed gear. Then it hit me. Why were other people swimming and I was still wearing full immersion gear! Hello, Michael, it's nearly summer!

So today for the first time this year, I braved it, went paddling in swim suit and short sleeved top and my new funny sun hat. Then I too went to a swim. I'm getting old I guess... Next year I'll get younger and be more on the ball when summer strikes suddenly.