Dear <<First Name>>,

Last month, we referred to having have fewer SISKA paddles in fall and winter, which increased our need for short articles from members. Turns out, that was our misinterpretation - generally there are 2-3 paddles per month regardless of time of year. Still, the Newsletter always needs material, so after enjoying a SISKA event or paddle, please consider sending in a short (100-150 words) summary article; for more information, contact one of us. And if you would like to start a regular column, please let us know!

A new column begins this month, "Community Events of Interest". It highlights events occurring in our community that may be of interest to our members; talks, shows, workshops about kayaking, marine life, weather, environment etc. sponsored by other associations/societies.

You can find SISKA on Facebook at this link. SISKA also has a Meetup site for "impromptu" and other paddles organized by club members. (To join this, you have to be a club member.) For more details, go to https://www.meetup.com/SISKA-Meetup/.

And of course, best of the season, all ye merry paddlers!

Michael Jackson (SISKA president) and Ben van Drimmelen (editor)

December 2, 2017, 11:45 am - 3:30 pm. SISKA Christmas Party lunch

December 3, 2017, 9:30 am - 3:00 pm, Esquimalt Lagoon to Esquimalt Harbour/Millstream Falls Paddle (RELAXED)

December 17, 2017, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm, Rolling Clinic plus drop-in pool session at Crystal Pool with Michael Egilson -  michael.egilson@shaw.ca to pre-register.

December 17, 2017, 9:30 am - 3:00 pm, Albert Head to Wittys Lagoon Paddle (ENERGIZER)

January 11, 2018, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm, Bunsby Islands, Kyuquot and Fair Harbour - Been There and Done That - Lynn Baier & Morley Eldridge

January 13, 2018, 9:30 am - 3:00 pm, Cadboro Bay to Telegraph Cove Paddle (RELAXED)

January 22, 2018, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm, Weather, Wind and Waves Clinic put on by Don Tunstall with assistance from Vic Turkington

January 24, 2018, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm, Monthly Meeting

January 27, 2018, 9:30 am - 3:00 pm, Amherst to Portland Island Paddle (ENERGIZER)

 

 

 
A popular SISKA destination, James Island is an easy 1 nm paddle across Cordova channel from Island View beach. It has long sandy beaches with easily identifiable sea cliffs (190 ft) at the southern end.
 
The island was named after BC governor Sir James Douglas and was first settled in the 1870s. It later became a private hunting reserve and in 1913, the site of a major explosives factory (CIL -Canadian Industries Ltd.).  At its peak, a village housed 800 factory workers and during WW ll  the plant produced 900 tons of TNT per month. The plant closed in 1977 and the village was disbanded in 1979.

James Island is now privately owned with luxury homes, an air strip, a yacht basin in the lagoon and a Jack Nicklaus designed golf course. The island's value was assessed in 2009 at $76 million.  Access to the island is prohibited but the sandy north beach provides a convenient lunch spot for kayakers, below the high water mark. A beacon at its NW tip houses a single flashing light (chart symbol Fl). Circumnavigating James Island makes a very pleasant and interesting energizer paddle.

- Jennie Sutton
 

- Gary Jacek
 

- Lynn Baier

Adding an Oven

Mastering a Dutch oven is a way to increase the range of dishes you can make on a kayak trip. An outdoor Dutch oven has a flat-rimmed, slightly concave lid that can hold coals from your campfire on top plus (usually) three short legs that allow coals underneath as well. This transforms the thick-walled pot into an oven rather than a pan, so that you can add dishes that you can make in your home oven to your trip. Dutch ovens are usually cast iron, but aluminum models are a third of the weight and work well. A couple of tips:

1. Have a few more coals from the fire on top of the oven than under it.
2. Use a clear glass of water to level the Dutch oven when you're cooking anything liquid.
3. Avoid early lifting of the lid. Checking to see if your dish is done too early slows the cooking process. When you can smell the food, wait a few minutes, then check. It's not exact science, but that makes it more fun.

OK, a recipe. There's no need to dirty several pans for breakfast when you can make the entire meal in one Dutch oven.

Partially fry 1/2 lb bacon in a Dutch oven over a bed of coals, then move the bacon to the edge and fully cook another 1/2 lb of sausages. Remove bacon and sausage and set aside.

Then sauté a cup of broccoli slaw in pan drippings until tender. Add 3 cups of spinach leaves and cover for a minute. Move the vegetables to one edge of the Dutch oven and add bacon and sausage to the opposite edge. Crack five or six eggs into the middle of the Dutch oven and partially scramble. Salt and pepper to taste.

Place Dutch oven over a half-dozen evenly spaced coals, cover and add twice that many coals on top of the lid. Let it cook 5-7 minutes or until eggs begin to set. Uncover and sprinkle some shredded cheese over eggs. Cover again and cook an additional 3-5 minutes or until eggs are fully cooked and cheese is melted.

Pull it from the coals. Placing a couple of coals on the lid of the Dutch oven will keep it nicely warm until ready to serve.