Introduction
Dear Tony,
Thanks to those members who contributed photos and materials. After enjoying a SISKA event or paddle, please consider sending a short (100-150 words) summary article; for more information, contact one of us. If you would like to start a regular column, please let us know!
Alan Campbell (SISKA president) and Tony Playfair (editor)
PS: You can find SISKA on Facebook at this link.
PPS: Siska has it's own Youtube Channel HERE
PPPS: You can find the SISKA newsletter archive here: http://goo.gl/VUkafR |
|
Upcoming SISKA Events
Thursday, February 03rd, 2022 - 4:00 PM to 4:00 PM - VHF Radio for Kayakers
Friday, February 04th, 2022 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Energizer Paddle - Swartz Bay/Barnacle Road Public Dock to Moresby Island Loop Paddle
Saturday, February 05th, 2022 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Energizer Paddle - Swartz Bay/Barnacle Road Public Dock to Moresby Island Loop Paddle
Sunday, February 06th, 2022 - 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM - Pool Session
Sunday, February 06th, 2022 - 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM - Pool Session + Rolling Lesson with Jo!
Saturday, February 12th, 2022 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Energizer Paddle - Amherst to Portland Island/Shell Beach Paddle
Sunday, February 13th, 2022 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Relaxed Paddle - Oak Bay Marina to Ten Mile Point Paddle
Saturday, February 19th, 2022 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Energizer Paddle - Telegraph Cove to Discovery Island Paddle
Sunday, February 20th, 2022 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Energizer Paddle - Spirit Bay to Cabin Point Paddle
Saturday, February 26th, 2022 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Energizer Paddle - Brentwood Bay Ferry Wharf to Mackenzie Bight via Bamberton and Spectacle Falls Paddle
Sunday, February 27th, 2022 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Relaxed Paddle - Amherst to Tsehum Harbour Paddle
Saturday, March 12th, 2022 - 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM - Strokes and Maneuvers Refinement
Saturday, March 12th, 2022 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Amherst to Portland Island Paddle
Saturday, March 12th, 2022 - 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM - Turning Strokes
Sunday, March 13th, 2022 - 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM - Strokes and Maneuvers Refinement
Sunday, March 13th, 2022 - 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM - Relaxed Paddle - Telegraph Cove to Margaret Bay Paddle
Sunday, March 13th, 2022 - 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM - Turning Strokes
Thursday, March 17th, 2022 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Light Paddle - Brentwood Bay Ferry Wharf to Todd Inlet Paddle
Saturday, March 19th, 2022 - 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM - Rescues Session
Saturday, March 19th, 2022 - 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM - Introduction to Currents
Sunday, March 20th, 2022 - 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM - Towing
Sunday, March 20th, 2022 - 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM - Introduction to Currents
Sunday, March 20th, 2022 - 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM - Forward Stroke Polishing
Saturday, March 26th, 2022 - 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM - Edging and Strokes Tune-Up
Saturday, March 26th, 2022 - 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM - Edging and Bracing
Saturday, March 26th, 2022 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Energizer Paddle - Whiffin Spit to Cabin Point Paddle
Saturday, March 26th, 2022 - 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM - Beginner Currents
Sunday, March 27th, 2022 - 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM - Edging and Bracing
Sunday, March 27th, 2022 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Brentwood Bay Ferry Wharf to Mackenzie Bight(NEW MEMBERS PADDLE) Paddle
Sunday, March 27th, 2022 - 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM - Self and Assisted Re-Entries
|
|
Community Events of Interest
These events are not formally supported by SISKA, but considered to be of interest to a significant number of our members.
Any member may request an event to be included in this section by sending a note to chairperson@siska.ca.
|
|
February 2022 Siska General Meeting Agenda
by Fred Pishalski
Please come join SISKA’s February 23, 2022 monthly club meeting at 7pm by Zoom.
Our presenter will be Liam Ragan from BC Marine Trails.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86173290826?pwd=aEJDN1VXSXNYV1FOOERKbUVWbU5uQT09
Meeting ID: 861 7329 0826 Passcode: 090722
Liam Ragan is an avid birdwatcher who will be explaining why the Salish Sea is so critical to seabirds and the importance of various species to local First Nations. He will also explain how our seabirds are faring with a focus on how ocean kayakers can minimize disturbance and support their conservation.
Liam has volunteered to lead a paddle in the spring (more info on this at a later date) which will showcase some of our local coastal birds plus demonstrate appropriate birdwatching protocols.
Liam is a lifelong nature enthusiast and a Canadian settler living on the traditional territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples in Victoria, B.C. He has a Bachelor’s Degree from McGill University where he studied Anthropology and Environment, with a focus on community-based conservation. Throughout his career he has had the tremendous fortune to work with and learn from a number of Indigenous communities including the St’át’imc of Tsal’alh, B.C. and Kanien’kehá:ka of Kahnawá:ke, Québec. Liam is proud to have worked with BC Marine Trails since 2019 as its First Nations Liaison in helping to guide respectful relations between the marine paddling community and the numerous First Nations in whose territories we paddle. He is a critical member of BCMT’s First Nations Working Group. Liam also studies ornithology and currently doubles as the Provincial Coordinator for Important Bird Areas in B.C. Special thanks to the Trans Canada Trail team for providing the funding to make this possible.
|
|
Let’s Keep on Paddling and Stay Healthy in 2022!
by Alan Campbell
The overwhelming majority of eligible provincial residents have now been double-vaccinated, and booster shots are well underway to help maintain immune resistance to the highly transmissible Omicron variant now dominant in BC.
SISKA strongly supports the continuing advice from Public Health authorities for everyone to receive available Covid vaccination doses as soon as they are offered to you. In addition, maintaining a safe social distance, wearing an effective mask, and practising good hand hygiene, particularly in indoor public spaces, reduces the likelihood of infection.
Since new Covid cases have outstripped our ability to use the contact tracing strategy previously followed, Dr. Bonnie Henry recommends that we all carefully monitor our personal health, and self-isolate as soon as potential Covid symptoms arise. She pointed to consistent research findings that, if infected, those who are vaccinated are much less likely to become seriously ill and require hospitalization than those who are unvaccinated.
The rules for self-isolation and self-monitoring vary depending on one’s circumstances:
http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/self-isolation#scenario1
SISKA members must have confirmed their vaccination status to attend in-person events such as paddling trips and workshops. We very much appreciate the willingness of the great majority of our members who have done so and thereby helped make club events safer for everyone.
However, since the virus is now so prevalent in our communities, it is reasonable to assume that exposure to it can occur in any group setting, including SISKA’s outdoor activities, even though the likelihood of transmission outdoors is low.
If you have attended a SISKA event and subsequently develop potential Covid symptoms, you should self-isolate and advise the event leader as soon as possible so that others who were at the same event can be made aware. Your privacy will be respected, but notification of potential exposure will be communicated to the group for their attention.
We know that sea kayaking is one of the safest ways we can stay fit and well in these challenging times, so let’s keep on paddling and stay healthy in 2022!
|
|
VHF Radio Clinic for Kayakers
by Edgar Hulatt
A second zoom clinic VHF for Kayakers is being scheduled for Thursday 3rd February at 7.00 pm. Unfortunately we are not able to access the Wait List from the first clinic so anyone who put their name on the Wait List in December will have to register from scratch.
For more details about this Off Water Clinic or to register click here
|
|
Spring Training 2022 Registration Update - Jan 30
by Alan Campbell
Read latest news HERE
|
|
From your (would be) "Librarian"
by Heather Jones
You may not be able to borrow books and DVD's from our Library but I do have two "Gasket replacement kits".. which can be borrowed! So many paddlers get anxious about replacing their own neck and wrist gaskets so I have provided "Youtube help"!!
You just need to purchase a tube of aquaseal!
Cheers!... Heather
|
|
Many Thanks To Jennie Sutton for Coordinating SISKA’s Instructors!
by Alan Campbell
|
|
Jennie Sutton, one of our club Instructors, who has been SISKA’s Instructor Liaison Coordinator since 2020, has decided to make more space in her life for other activities and is retiring from this role as soon as a replacement is available (see recruitment ad in this Newsletter!).
During her tenure in this capacity, Jennie worked hard to connect our club instructors and promote their continuing involvement in on-water clinics for SISKA members. She collaborated with Webmaster Dave Ostapovich to create an instructor tab/function on the website to make it easier to connect and organize training events, and with On-Water Coordinator Ellen Wood to make them available to paddlers.
Among her many interests, Jennie is a keen naturalist, well-known for observing inter-tidal life, sea birds and mammals while paddling, sometimes taking amazing underwater photos from her kayak! A former Physiotherapist, she loves helping paddlers and others regain mobility to stay fit and active, and with both her own hips now replaced she definitely “walks the talk”!
Thanks for your many contributions to SISKA, Jennie – we wish you well in pursuing your several other interests, as well as paddling even more in future!
|
|
SISKA VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY: INSTRUCTOR LIAISON COORDINATOR
by Alan Campbell
|
|
SISKA is seeking a Club member to volunteer as Instructor Liaison Coordinator.
The Instructor Liaison Coordinator is responsible for:
- encouraging SISKA members to become new instructors,
- developing resources (workshops, clinics, on-line materials) to facilitate ongoing instructional and skill development for SISKA instructors,
- providing opportunities to facilitate ongoing maintenance of Paddle Canada Instructor certifications,
- reviewing, communicating and implementing the SISKA policy for reimbursing certification costs for instructors,
- liaising with the SISKA On-Water Clinics Coordinator and the SISKA Pool Sessions Coordinator to provide instructional leadership for SISKA in-house courses and clinics, and
- providing for social interaction among SISKA instructors.
The ideal Instructor Development Coordinator candidate will:
- be a certified Paddle Canada Sea Kayak Instructor,
- be organized and motivated to undertake the duties of the role, and
- possess demonstrated communication skills to liaise effectively with SISKA Instructors, On-Water Clinics Coordinator and Pool Sessions Coordinator
If you are interested in volunteering or learning more about this position, please contact:
- Jennie Sutton who is retiring from the position jlsutton50@gmail.com
- Alan Campbell, President alanglencampbell@gmail.com
- or any other member of the Club Executive
https://siska.ca/prod/about-siska-contacts/contact-us
|
|
Canada Safe Boating Council offering three virtual Cold Water Workshops in the Spring of 2022
by Edmond Duggan
|
|
BE SAFE AROUND COLD WATER THIS YEAR!
|
|
3 ZOOM WORKSHOPS WITH DR. GORDON GIESBRECHT
(aka PROFESSOR POPSICLE)
1) TUESDAY FEBRUARY 15th & THURSDAY FEBRUARY 17th
2) TUESDAY MARCH 29th & THURSDAY MARCH 31st
3) TUESDAY APRIL 19th & THURSDAY APRIL 21st
8:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. Eastern
|
|
|
If you’re a first responder, work or just spend time recreating on or near cold water, this workshop is for you. You will learn everything you need to know to survive an accidental cold water immersion and also how to help others who may have become hypothermic. It is hosted by the Canadian Safe Boating Council (CSBC), delivered over “Zoom” and will cover...
✔ Understanding the Myths Around Cold Water Immersion and Hypothermia
✔ How Our Bodies React to Heat and Cold Stimuli
✔ 4 Ways Our Bodies Lose Heat
✔ What Happens to Our Bodies When Immersed in Cold Water
✔ Immersion vs. Submersion in Cold Water
✔ Cold Water Survival and Thermal Protective Clothing
✔ Basic First Response…When You’re The Only One Who Can Help!
✔ The Decision to Stay or Swim When You’re on Your Own
The cost of this online Cold Water Workshop is only $75 and participants will receive a certificate of completion. Registration can be completed by going to the Canadian Safe Boating Council website www.csbc.ca and selecting Cold Water Workshop under “Events” or click here. Please note that the course instruction will be in English.
|
|
|
|
$50 SISKA SUBSIDY FOR FIRST AID CERTIFICATION/RECERTIFICATION
by Alan Campbell
To encourage our members to take a First Aid course, or to recertify and keep their current certification valid, SISKA will provide a $50 subsidy to those completing a basic, advanced, or wilderness first aid course. Simply enroll with the course and organization of your choice and email chairperson@siska.ca to confirm when you have completed it successfully.
Numerous accredited trainers are available in the Victoria area including Alert First-Aid, Red Cross, St John’s Ambulance and several community recreation centres, through which a variety of courses are scheduled at different times.
In order to manage this new program, we have set aside $1,000 in our 2022 budget at this time, and will re-evaluate it once the first 20 members have claimed a subsidy.
So…don’t delay, sign up for a first aid course today!
|
|
First Aid on the Water
by Debbie Leach
If you’ve taken a first aid course and want to practice scenarios on a day paddle - this clinic is for you. Either May 27 or June 11 with Mike Barnes, instructor with Alert First Aid and Wilderness First Responder with Paddle Canada Level 3 skills. Watch for emails to register and brush up on your first aid skills.
|
|
What’s in a Name?
by Vic Turkington
THE TILIKUM
The Tilikum set out from Oak Bay in May 1901 with master mariner Capt. John Voss and ship's mate Norman Luxton, heading for the Cook Islands and Australia to navigate the globe. Capt.Voss (1861-1922) went to sea at 19yrs of age, sailing in square-riggers and had an adventurous background including sealing, smuggling, gold prospecting in Colorado and British Columbia. He settled in Victoria, where he co-owned the Queen's hotel on Store street.
The Tilikum was a 38ft whaling dug out canoe, which was thought to have been built by “Old Moses” of the Nuu chah Nulth Nation, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, in 1895. Ocean-going canoes were carved out of a single cedar tree with adzes and mallets and then refined into shape with finer tools and were a good example of indigenous marine expertise and craftsmanship. The canoe was purchased by Capt. Voss from an indigenous woman for 80 silver dollars and the deal sealed with a bottle of whisky. He then took the canoe to Galiano Is., where craftsmen converted it to a three masted sailing vessel with gaff rigged sails. The name Tilikum meant “friendly” in the Chinook trading language of the day.
Capt. Voss was an experienced mariner and accomplished whisky drinker with an adventurous and fractious personality. On the way to Samoa, he argued strongly with his mate Norman Luxton, who finally quit in exasperation, when they reached Suva in Fiji. Voss found another mate in a bar in Suva. Sadly, the mate fell overboard with their only compass, during a gale with heavy seas in the Pacific Ocean. Voss had to sail 1200 miles to Australia single-handed and navigating only by the stars.
He arrived in Sydney in March 1902, where he was widely celebrated and displayed the Tilikum to the curious public. Later, he sailed to Hobart in Tasmania and on to New Zealand, where he became a media frenzy and gave lectures of his adventurous voyage in order to raise funds. The Tilikum was again displayed to the public and drew thousands of fascinated visitors. He left New Zealand in August, sailed past Papua New Guinea into the Indian Ocean and eventually to Durban, in South Africa. His next stop was St. Helena and then Pernambouc in Brazil. Finally he sailed north via the Azores, arriving in London after 3 years, 3 months and 12 days (1199 days and 40,000miles). He was greatly celebrated again in London where he gave lectures, displayed the Tilikum and was nominated as a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
The Tilikum was eventually sold to a number of owners, before it was eventually found lying derelict in the Thames Estuary. In 1930, it was repatriated by freighter to Victoria and lovingly restored by the Thermopylae Club. The Tilikum was displayed at the BC Maritime Museum in Bastion Square in Victoria until 2015. It is now stored at the Ogden Point Ship Terminal, due to a lack of exhibit space. A centenary plaque (2001) of the Tilikum's voyage was erected on the small promontory\car park adjacent to the south pebble beach at Oak Bay marina, where we often launch and practise rescues.
We are all familiar with the name “Tilikum”, as we paddle under the Tilikum bridge on the Gorge, travel the road and visit the shopping centre - what's in a name!
So as we launch from Oak Bay, we can imagine Capt Voss also leaving in 1901 to navigate the globe in his converted dug out sailing canoe Tilikum (without GPS or satellite navigation) – a tribute to Victoria's maritime history.
|
|
Ross MacDonald’s Marine Weather 101 Resources, Courtesy of SKABC
by Alan Campbell
SKABC kindly invited SISKA members and others to join their recent online presentation by Senior Meteorologist Ross McDonald, Marine Weather 101. It was very well received!
The presentation slides and accompanying resource list has now been posted on the SKABC website for public access at
https://www.skabc.org/2022/01/ross-macdonalds-marine-weather-101-resources
We appreciate SKABC sharing this material, and hope to have Ross give his presentation to all interested SISKA members at a monthly Zoom meeting later this year.
Note - Meeting Confirmed!
|
|
UVic and Ocean Networks Presentation Series, Jan 29 to Feb 19
by Alan Campbell
This upcoming UVic and Ocean Networks Canada webinar presentation series will be of interest to SISKA members.
https://www.uvic.ca/retirees/assets/docs/uvra-2022-ocean-webinar-series-updated.pdf
|
|
Safety Tips
by Lynn Baier
A Cautionary Note
After looking over some of the recent posts on PNW paddling groups, I thought it would be a good idea to share some general principles about cold water safety. Sort of a reality-check antidote to all the Kumbaya "Winter is a great time to paddle" articles that lure thoroughly unprepared paddlers out on the water in the off-season.
At a bare minimum, if you value your life and you're paddling in the PNW at this time of year, you should be wearing a well-secured PFD and either a wetsuit or drysuit that provides enough insulation for the water temperature. Simply "wearing" a wetsuit or drysuit is not enough. You need to be absolutely certain that your gear and techniques are equal to the conditions.
You should also be wearing neo gloves to protect your hands. Why? Because they can become numb and useless very quickly at this time of year - even if you're wearing a drysuit with plenty of insulation underneath it.
This is survival gear, so you should be intimately familiar with how it works. How? By field-testing and swim-testing. You should also be very proficient at cold-water rescues in case you wind up in the water. This requires sufficient cold-water practice so that you know, from direct personal experience, that you can do them quickly and smoothly. Also, paddling on ice-cold water is extraordinarily dangerous. There is zero margin for error when you're "icebreaking".
I'm very serious when I say that you have absolutely no business paddling in most areas of the country at this time of year unless you meet the above criteria. Why? Because no matter how "experienced" you think you are, if you're unprepared, a capsize is going to be a very big and unpleasant deal that may well require an emergency response.
Besides your own frightening experience, when EMS or SAR arrives and see's how unprepared you were, kayaking gets a bad name and this in turn invites government regulation.
BTW - If you haven't spent at least 5-10 minutes in the water with your gear on, you really have no idea whether it's sufficient or not. And if you're paddling on 35-50F water and haven't done rescues at those temps, you have no idea what it's like and no idea how much more difficult it can be.
Be safe and have fun!
|
|
Camp Cookery
by Lynn Baier
To new members, or those new to camp cooking, there are lots of recipes in the archived newsletters. There is also a camp cookery video on the SISKA YouTube channel. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you need suggestions, or better yet, to give me some.
This recipe looks wonderful. I haven’t tried it yet. Because it’s developed in the US, I’m not sure that we will be able to find the pouch of cooked chicken. I’m sure the Costco canned chicken will work ok, or better yet, dehydrate your own. If you try it, please let me know what you think.
|
|
Paddle Canada Basic & Level 1 Courses Available
by Jennie Sutton
Information HERE
|
|
Tips From The Trips
by Debbie Leach
|
|
KAYAK TIE DOWN LOOPS
DIY loops for your vehicle to tie down the bow line of your kayak. Fold a 10 inch piece of webbing in half and burn a hole through both ends using a butane torch and large spike. Secure webbing beneath a bolt under the hood. Fold loops inside when not in use.
Cheers, Debbie
|
|
Trip Reports
Millstream Falls Paddle Jan 16
by Rod Stiebel
The weather was near perfect. A bit of fog cleared up before our launch at Esquimalt lagoon, the water was flat all day. We had 2 pods of 8, as a crowd of 16 would be too much up Millstream. The first pod, the Rod Pod, hit Cole Island for a quick tour. Well, lots of work had been done since my last visit, and we had the pleasure of an actual tour from one of the members of Friends of Cole Island ( friendsofcoleisland.org). It was interesting! Pod 2 led by Tim Frick hit the island on the way back out of the falls, for the same tour! Going up to the falls, we did notice a few extra “obstacles” in the water, with one very large tree that fell across the stream. We were able to paddle over and around it to get to the falls. I did note there are a few very large trees that are also in danger of falling, due to erosion of the shoreline as of late. Any paddlers going upstream should be aware. We had our standard lunch stop at Portage park, in warm weather, with the sun just straining to break through, but never did. All in all a great day on the water.
Rod
|
|
Whale spotted off 10 Mile Point by Siska Members recently
by Rob/Debbie
Thanks to Barry Andruschak for taking the video.
|
|
|
|
Recent Whale Spotting near 10 mile point
|
|
Announcing SISKA Cleanup Paddles
by BJ Porter
Although our shores and waters are relatively pristine, closer examination often reveals human garbage. Many of us pick up debris that we encounter on beaches and in the water as a matter of course but now paddlers have the opportunity to take part in SISKA Cleanup Paddles and Special Cleanups as part of our Environmental Stewardship.
You will see the word (CLEANUP) in the Destination field of the paddle.
If you register for a Cleanup, please bring work gloves to protect your hands from glass and sharp metal edges, and ropes and bungee cords to affix material to your kayak deck. If possible bring ordinary household garbage bags for small items. Large strong clear bags will also be provided.
Participants are asked to dispose of trash themselves, in their domestic garbage or a municipal facility.
In a Cleanup only an hour or so will be spent cleaning the shoreline. The more ambitious Special Cleanups will entail more time, larger items and disposal provided by SISKA or other organizations such as municipalities or businesses.
Please direct questions re Cleanups and Special Cleanups to BJ Porter at director1@siska.ca
|
|
More Information
If you purchase large clear 3mil garbage bags and provide a receipt to SISKA Treasurer Roger Botting, you will reimbursed for the purchase. These will float and be towed filled with Styrofoam or other light materials and tied tightly.
SISKA now owns a bolt cutter, and I am in the process of collecting donated tools to create a toolkit. If you have small saws or shovels or wire cutters to donate let me know.
Cleanups are scheduled in the list of paddles on the website. When you would like to make a paddle you lead a Cleanup, please put the word (CLEANUP) capitalized and bracketed in the Destination field of the form. Then provide details in the Plan A field. Here is sample text you are welcome to use:
""This is an Energizer* Cleanup, conforming to the criteria for an Energizer* but with the added component of about an hour spent removing debris from the shoreline and beaches en route. Participants are asked to provide work gloves and rope and/or bungee cords for affixing items to their kayak decks. Garbage will be disposed of in our own household garbage or recycling or at municipal facilities.
* Insert the word Relaxed if appropriate. (Light paddles will not be Cleanups because of the expectation that they be as stress- and demand-free as possible.)""
Also in the works are Special Cleanups which will be more ambitious. The main purpose of these outings will be the removal of jetsam from a shoreline or area. They will require pre-planning, and will sometimes involve quite large items, other water craft, landowners, municipal help to dispose of trash, or cooperation with other organizations. They will be announced on an ad hoc basis.
-----------------------------------------------------
BJ Porter
Director at Large
|
|
The Inaugural Offical SISKA Cleanup
by BJ Porter
An Energizer, this paddle took us from Brentwood Ferry Wharf to Mackenzie Bight via Spectacle Falls on January 29th. It all went very well and feedback from paddlers has been solidly positive. The experience was aided greatly by a beautiful day, overcast but with a soft sun visible and illuminating all with a silver glow. The water was for the most part like silk.
Even though the area appears quite pristine, there was enough garbage to make it a satisfying experience for all. We picked up: a huge piece of styrofoam and smaller chunks, a deflated dinghy, a large plastic tarp, various discarded lengths of rope, a large tangled mess of rope and floats, tin cans, an old tire, a water jug etc.
In the absence of garbage our plan was to see if there were any invasive species to be collected.
We operated on a buddy system, so that if people got out of their kayak in a less than easy spot there would be someone close by to steady their kayak. More than one person mentioned how their confidence was increased by physically climbing onto the rocks, and by realizing you don’t always need a beach to land. We shared the tasks, challenges and successes of the day among the group.
If you see a beach or length of shoreline that could benefit from a SISKA Cleanup, please let me know.
BJ Porter, Director at Large, director1@siska.ca
|
|
Wanted - Chief Elf
by Jennie Sutton
Chief Elf to be the coordinator for the annual SISKA Christmas Party in early December.
There are already a number of eager elves on the committee to assist so the Chief Elf’s job is primarily to coordinate their efforts! This entails contacting the elves in September to start contemplating prizes/donations to purchase and/or ask for donations from retailers as well as deciding on the 2022 “party favour”. RVYC is already booked and the current Chief Elf will mentor you and stay on the committee.
Contact Jennie Sutton if interested.
jlsutton50@gmail.com
250-592-6434
|
|
Moresby Island Cleanup
by Gary Weeks
Here is a summary of what is happening at Moresby Island.
We have permission to drop styrofoam and debris and docks at Moresby Island dock or ramp. Tim Frick and I have the phone number for Josef the caretaker. We just advise Josef a day before we are out there and he will dispose of the waste. The Caretaker and landowners of Moresby Island support this project.
BJ, James Lamb and myself did a paddle to Moresby on Jan 5th. We took 3 loaded kayaks to the dock and unloaded styrofoam and a plastic drum at the Moresby dock that day. We found that the heavier piece of dock was too heavy for us to move to water. We flipped the dock piece over and then did an assessment of the surrounding beach before loading and heading to Moresby. dock. There is considerable breakdown of styrofoam on Moresby Island. So much so, that there are some spots that have 12 inches of styrofoam snow mixed in with beach gravel. We can not pick this up without some kind of sifting process. Any ideas? It becomes apparent as to why we should be moving styrofoam blocks when they are large and together.
I have a paddle proposed for Wed. Jan 12 and another for Friday Jan 14th to further look at and move some material up to Moresby Island Dock ....larger pieces are to be left at the Moresby Island Ramp just 100 feet further along from the dock. The paddles leave Swartz Bay at 9am from the Barnacle Road launch site. We have favorable currents to tow any material along Moresby Island on these dates. Additional dates might be required and I am looking at the last week in January to add a paddle or two.
The overall plan is to move two pieces of dock and styrofoam plus up to five tire floats from the beaches between Seymour and Fairfax Points. There is additional floatsome that we are discovering as we move along and tackle some of the larger pieces.
We have found that the towing works quite well and does not impede our paddling to a significant amount to this point in time. As long as we work with current, we move along quite well.
Cheers
Gary Weeks
|
|
Dock removal on Moresby now complete
by Gary Weeks
We have now completed the dock removal at Moresby Island. Two dock pieces and bunch of Styrofoam, plus a bunch of wire, plus 4 mooring tires were towed up to the Moresby Island Ranch. Josef, the caretaker, has allowed us to drop everything at the dock and will dispose of the debris in a pit somewhere as I understand it. I called Josef this morning and thanked him for accepting all the debris. Without his assistance we could not have done this project! He graciously acknowledged our efforts as well and thanked us for making the huge effort to keep the beaches clean. He is aware of the large derelict can bouy remains on Seymour Point. Additionally, two large contractor garbage bags of Styrofoam were picked up and taken to Sidney by two fishermen. They were also grateful that we made such an effort and were very willing to assist in disposing of the two bags of Styrofoam.
You are correct….towing in this case was strenuous. We towed the last pieces over 1 nm with 4 paddlers and let me tell you, it was not completely simple. We tried different configurations and different setups. As it turned out a “V” tow worked out the best with two kayakers in line on each side of the “V”. This was a great project in learning how to set up tows for short and longer distances. It also taught us not to completely rely on current maps. We confirmed some knot tying skills. We learned and experienced how to time out such a project. How many separate paddles it took, how long it took to do each section. We had the practice of setting up different towing configurations and experienced what worked the best. We practiced reconfiguration on the water. So if in the future, and if you need a tow……you can call upon anyone of the following paddlers ….. Barry Turner, Mike Teachman, James Lamb, BJ Porter, Gary Weeks…..
Please see the attached pictures
Cheers
Gary Weeks
|
|
Haida Gwaii Kayaking Adventure August 13-26, 2022*
by Gary Weeks/Jim Lamb
This ten to twelve day paddling adventure will begin on August 12 with a six hour water taxi ride from Moresby Camp at the north end of Moresby Island to Rose Harbour, where we begin our kayaking and camping adventure the next morning. We will have twelve days to cover the approximately 110 nautical mile distance back to Moresby Camp.
We plan to paddle about 10-20 nm each day and set up camp at a different spot most days, weather permitting. The exact schedule will be flexible and allow for a couple of extra days in case of delays.
We hope to visit several Haida heritage sites, including SGang Gwaay (Ninstints), Tanu, Windy Bay, Skedans & Cumshewa, and return to Skidegate with time to see the award-winning Haida Heritage Centre before leaving Haida Gwaii. Other special places we hope to visit, as time permits, are Hotspring Island, Six Mile Camp, and Mathers Creek Cemetery, a 1943-1945 logging site for Aircraft Spruce. There is also an old fish hatchery there we may want to visit.
Paddlers must have a minimum of Paddle Canada Level II certification, or equivalent, and significant paddling and wilderness camping experience and equipment. Although we will paddle as a group of peers, supporting each other as needed, all paddlers must be responsible for their own safety and comfort. Group size will be limited to a maximum of seven paddlers.
*(August 9-28 including transportation time from and return to Victoria, BC)
|
|
Probe Your Strobe
by Gary Jacek
Editor Note - This article was missing photos last month (Editor error) so I am repeating it.
Years ago on a SISKA visit to our local Rescue Coordination Centre at CFB Esquimalt, I chatted with a former SARTEC about the best ways to make yourself visible to rescuers. His response was to use the VHF/PLB to call for help. When rescuers are spotted in daylight, pop a smoke flare. If it is dark or you expect it to be dark soon, or your hands are getting cold, start up a strobe. Strobes operate for many hours and light up the whole sky in the rescuer’s night vision goggles.
As advised, I purchased strobes and smoke flares.
Years passed.
On this cold winter day I decided it was a good time to inspect gear and replace worn items.
I planned to strip the kit off my much-too-old PFD, inspect and reinstall it on my replacement PFD.
So off came my water supply, knife, tow rig, VHF and PLB. All in good working order.
The final item was my Princeton Tech Strobe which was sewn to the shoulder patch. Yes, still operating when tested.
Off it came, and of course I opened it to inspect the alkaline battery.
It turns out the battery was just starting to ooze. Fortunately, the metal strobe components were not yet affected by the evil ooze.
Tossing the battery, I decided to soak the internal housing (not the cap) of the strobe with white vinegar in order to neutralize the battery residue.
As I poured in the vinegar, it promptly poured right back out the bottom of the waterproof strobe housing.
Hmmm…not good.
Careful inspection of the housing revealed a crack around the unused lanyard attachment point.
The crack is difficult to see, so I have marked it with a red sharpie in one of the photos.
Riding high on my shoulder, the strobe only gets wet when I roll or practice rescues. And of course during the momentary post-paddle, freshwater rinse.
In a real emergency, when I could be in salt water for hours, the strobe would have soon flooded and expired.
Have a good look at your Princeton strobe and all your other gear. Is it ready for another season on and in the water?
|
|
Beyond The Day Paddle
by Debbie Leach
|
|
BC Marine Trails
January Newsletter HERE.
|
|
To Buy or Sell
If you have any buy/sell items that you would like to post in the Newsletter, please send a short description and your contact info to newsletter@siska.ca.
|
|
SISKA’s Kayak Skills Course Partners
There are some fine discounts available from our kayak skills course partners for SISKA members who sign up for their skills training programs; have a look at https://siska.ca/prod/docs_private/siska_docs/siskas_kayak_skills_course_partners.pdf
Our partners are:
|
|
|
|
