Introduction
Dear <<First Name>>,
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 a Meetup site for "impromptu" and other paddles organized by club members. For more details, go to https://www.meetup.com/SISKA-Meetup/. To join this, you have to be a club member.
PPPS: You can find the SISKA newsletter archive here: http://goo.gl/VUkafR |
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Upcoming SISKA Events
Tuesday, June 30th, 2020 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Light Paddle - VCKC Clubhouse to Portage Inlet Paddle
Saturday, July 04th, 2020 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Relaxed Paddle - Spirit Bay to Becher Bay Paddle
Sunday, July 12th, 2020 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Relaxed Paddle - Gonzales Bay to Oak Bay Marina Paddle
Tuesday, July 14th, 2020 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Light Paddle - Bowden to Tsehum Harbour Paddle
Saturday, July 25th, 2020 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Relaxed Paddle - Spirit Bay to Becher Bay Paddle
Saturday, August 08th, 2020 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Energizer Paddle - Cadboro Bay to Chatham and Discovery Islands Paddle
Sunday, August 09th, 2020 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Relaxed Paddle - Cooper Cove to Sooke Basin Paddle
Tuesday, August 11th, 2020 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Light Paddle - Telegraph Cove to Gordon Head tour Paddle
Sunday, August 23rd, 2020 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Energizer Paddle - Whiffin Spit to Cabin Point Paddle
Saturday, August 29th, 2020 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Relaxed Paddle - Brentwood Bay Ferry Wharf to Mackenzie Bight Paddle
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SISKA Continues Small Group Club Paddles in July and August
by Alan Campbell
All SISKA Members
It is great to see many activities and services resume as BC’s Restart program has moved into Phase 3 and more restrictions are gradually eased.
Over the past month, in line with this, SISKA successfully resumed small group club paddles in various areas with the help of our volunteer leaders, and they have been very well-received.
On South Vancouver Island we are fortunate to be able to easily enjoy sea kayaking, a wonderful recreational activity focusing our attention on our marine environment, promoting fitness and wellness in equal measure.
We will continue to schedule group paddling outings through the summer months, and hope that many of you will use these opportunities to refresh your skills and experience. Look for them to appear in our online calendar and upcoming paddle list!
Our service partners, professional kayak skills training businesses serving our area, have also begun to resume their operations and we recommend that you check out their many services to further improve your paddling skills and enjoy kayaking adventures. Several offer discounts to SISKA members and some may be offering additional special promotions at this time.
https://siska.ca/prod/docs_public/SISKAsKayakSkillsCoursePartners.pdf
Please remember to stay vigilant to avoid the spread of the coronavirus in our communities!
The sea kayaking safety guidelines below promoting Covid-safe paddling during the continuing pandemic have been amended as highlighted. SISKA will closely monitor these paddles and evolving guidance from public health authorities and will continue to adjust the guidelines as required.
Enjoy paddling our beautiful coast and stay safe!
Alan Campbell
President, SISKA
June 30, 2020
Guidelines for SISKA Paddles during the Covid-19 Pandemic
During the continuing Covid-19 pandemic, we must all be aware of the need to self-isolate at home if we are feeling unwell, have had contact with a symptomatic individual in the past 2 weeks, or have arrived from outside the province. Even if we are apparently well, we must maintain the prescribed distance (2m) from others whenever and wherever we are outside our homes. In addition, of course, we should frequently and thoroughly wash our hands, avoid touching our face and routinely disinfect high-contact surfaces.
As active sea kayakers we maintain our health and fitness partly through regular paddling, so the following guidelines are intended to ensure that we abide by the direction of our public health authorities to minimize the risk of contagion and maintain required separation.
SISKA paddles should be:
- Planned in locations with sufficient space to permit required distancing
- Planned to minimize the likelihood of adverse conditions
- Limited to 6 people in a paddling “pod”; multiple pods with additional leaders may be organized at the discretion of the paddle leader
All paddlers, except for those living in the same household, should:
- Avoid carpooling
- Bring hand sanitizer to maintain personal hygiene as required
- Bring disinfectant to clean surfaces as required
- Carry their own gear between their vehicle and the water.
- Enter and exit their kayak without assistance.
- Not share food or beverages.
- Always maintain 2 meters distance from others
- before and after the paddle
- during launchings and landings
- during any rest/lunch break
- while on the water, unless involved in an emergency
- during any post-paddle gathering
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Don’t be a NO SHOW
by Gary Jacek
We have many members who are unable to join our club paddles because these events are over-subscribed. If you registered for a paddle and cannot attend, please advise your paddle leader as early as you are able. This will give a waitlisted paddler enough time to prepare and join the paddle. Don’t be a NO SHOW.
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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.
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What’s in a Name?
by Vic Turkington
Weir's Beach
Robert Weir left Scotland in 1852; he sailed in the HBC barque Norman Morison with his five sons and arrived at Royal Bay near Victoria, in 1853, after 5 mths. of gruelling passage around Cape Horn. He was hired as the head HBC stockman on Craigflower farm. In the 1870s, he bought land around Pedder Bay and William Head to become the largest land owner in Metchosin. He farmed sheep and dairy cattle and his sons worked in mining and logging endevours. Descendents of the Weir family still live in the local area.
Weir's long sandy beach is delightful, although sometimes prone to piles of sea weed washed up after storms. It is accessible from Sandgate road and also forms the start of an interesting coastal hiking trail to Devonian Regional Park. It is a favoured launch point for kayakers en route to Pedder Bay, Bentinck Island, Whirl Bay and beyond.
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Broken Group Access
by Jane Jacek
Secret Beach kayak launch and campsite is closed for the season.
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Takaya Painting on Discovery Island
by Alan Campbell
Next time you kayak around Discovery Island make sure to checkout the lighthouse area for this painting recently done by Paul Archer.
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Check out this CHEK news article also.
Paul also painted a mural of Takaya next to his shop across from the Downtown Y.
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Tips from the trips
by Debbie Leach/Alan Campbell
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Save your clear, round plastic bottles for gear stowage in your kayak. Check above to make them waterproof! If you need a few, let me know - my peanut butter habit provides a steady supply!
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Camp Cookery
by Lynn Baier
BEEF AND BARLEY SOUP
This is a hearty soup, that can be accompanied by a roll or biscuit to make a delicious camp dinner. As usual my measurements don’t exist as I really feel calorie needs vary a lot. Soak and wash pearly barley, then cook it al denté. Dehydrate it along with an assortment of chopped vegetables and beef (extra lean and well cooked). Make sure you have colour. I used red peppers, celery, carrots, onions, kale, peas and corn. Rehydrate with beef broth or bouillon and water, by bringing to a boil and letting it sit in a cozy for roughly an hour. This is easy and hearty. Enjoy!
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Safety - Local Knowledge
by Lynn Baier
I’d like to make a ‘local knowledge’ bit part of the safety section of the newsletter. I’m going to ask those of you who frequent specific launch/paddles to help out by sending me your experiences on a given paddle, thus making it an easier go or no go decision for paddlers not as familiar with the area.
I’m going to start in my neighbourhood with Albert Head to Witty’s Beach. Thanks in advance for your help!
Albert Head beach, on Park Drive in Metchosin, to Witty’s Lagoon is a fabulous approximately 6nm return paddle that can easily be done if you only have a smaller time window. The beach can be steep and is often rearranged by winter storms, but is generally an easy launch, once the logs are negotiated.
Sticking to the shoreline will provide some rock gardening opportunity and almost a promise of seeing river otters, seals and birds. Albert Head Lagoon is only accessible at higher tides, but it is popular with seabirds, so please be respectful of that. Staying close to the rocks will keep you out of the main current and I’ve never really had a problem finding back eddies or working with the currents. A southwest wind can be troublesome once you get around the head, so watch for the summer wind that comes up frequently in the afternoon. Check the predictions for wind at Hein Bank. If wind direction blows into the beach, it can get quite active and big at the head and generally a strong southeast wind is also to be avoided as there is a good fetch, but once you pass the head, it is more protected. Watch for a rock that exposes itself at lower tides just inside the small island beyond the head. There are a couple of pocket beaches at Tower Point which make a protected stop if you need.
If you’re lucky when you get to Witty’s, you might find some baby surf to practice in. You will need a nine foot tide at William Head tide station to get inside the Lagoon and up to the gorgeous Sitting Lady Falls. Don’t get stuck in there. It’s boot sucking mud! There are pit toilets by the long staircase. If you have a bit more time, paddle on down to a gravel beach just this side of Weir’s Beach. I welcome any additional hints to enjoying this paddle.
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Trip Reports
4 by Alan Campbell
Relaxed Paddle from Brentwood Bay to Tod Inlet and Willis Point – June 6, 2020
We had planned to paddle around part of Becher Bay, but very strong SW winds forced a switch to the calm waters of Brentwood Bay instead. 12 of us launched from the beach behind the little park at the bottom of Verdier Avenue at 10 when the tide was quite low, and by noon we had reached the zero low tide so intertidal life was very visible! We explored Brentwood Bay itself, Butchart Inlet, Tod Inlet and the shoreline out to Willis Point before returning to our launch site. Lots of things to see and a safe paddle on a very windy day!
Alan Campbell and Sandy Senyk, Co-leaders
https://www.relive.cc/view/v7O9wnBN1Qq
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Relaxed Paddle from Brentwood Bay to McKenzie Bight – June 13, 2020
12 of us launched at the beach behind the little park at the bottom of Verdier Avenue, just before the Ferry Wharf and paddled out to Willis Point and south along the Saanich Inlet shoreline to McKenzie Bight for lunch and to stretch our legs. With the tide out so far, there was plenty of beach at McKenzie Bight – you could even have your own landing shoal if you wished! The calm waters made it easier to practice maneuvering strokes as we navigated the various rocky shores and docks along the way, and then a light southerly breeze helped us back to our launch site again after a 6nm paddle. A delightful day on the water in Saanich Inlet!
Alan Campbell and Bob Purdon, Co-leaders
https://www.relive.cc/view/vMv85kjypNO
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Relaxed Paddle from Oak Bay Marina to Gonzales Beach – June 20, 2020
12 of us launched from the beach beside the Oak Bay Marina parking lot and paddled west around Gonzales Point, through Enterprise Channel, around McNeil Bay and Harling Point to Gonzales Bay for a break on the beach. Happily, the strong westerly winds came much later in the day, so we experienced mostly friendly current, but otherwise calm waters as we stayed close to the shore. Mike Jackson paddled over from Cadboro Bay to join us and back again after we returned, so he went quite a bit further (and faster!) than the 6nm we enjoyed. Mike is knowledgeable about local history as well as flora and fauna! He explained how Harling Point was named and shared an old news story of dramatic rescues there in 1934. Another fabulous day on the water!
Alan Campbell and Mike Jackson, Co-leaders
https://www.relive.cc/view/v26M8LRj23O
https://mhjpaddling.blogspot.com/2020/06/june-20th-gonzalez-bay-51.html
https://oakbaychronicles.ca/?page_id=100
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Relaxed Paddle from Telegraph Cove to Cormorant Point – June 27, 2020
This was a relaxed paddle on a very windy day! The strong westerly winds in Juan de Fuca Strait were successfully blocked by the land so we experienced brisk breezes in only a few places on our paddle from Telegraph Cove to Cormorant Point. We divided into 3 pods and launched a bit apart, so we had space between us to explore the rocky headlands and lovely beaches along this stretch of Arbutus and Gordon Head coastline. At Cormorant Point, we were visited by Gary and Jane Jacek! Gary took the last two photos here and several more he later posted to the SISKA Facebook site. When we landed back at Telegraph Cove, after our 6nm paddle, Mike headed west for his home beach in Cadboro Bay and made slow progress once he rounded the wind corner at Cadboro Point. Another great day on the water!
Alan Campbell, Mike Jackson, and Jim Lamb – Co-leaders
https://www.relive.cc/view/vmqX1k9GMov
https://mhjpaddling.blogspot.com/2020/06/june-26th-gordon-head-53.html
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Cherries and Ferries: Moses Point to Russell Island
by Debbie Leach
On June 27, nine paddlers island-hopped from Vancouver Island to
Saltspring to Isabella to Russell to Piers to Arbutus and back. We
landed on the shell isthmus at the ‘Hawaiian’ island of Russell,
visiting the homestead with ripe cherries, promising apples and a
myriad of flowers. After hiking the circuit and lunch, we saw the
Fulford ferry pass so started back across Satellite Channel. Our
'pacesetter' radioed Victoria Traffic on Channel 11 to alert the
approaching Spirit of BC to our float plan. Thanks to Edgar for that,
to Delcie for co-leading and to those who shared photos and our 10.2
NM track.
Cheers,
Debbie
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Announcing the Siska Virtual Gear Swap
by Gary Jacek
During the COVID19 lockdown, you’ve probably had the time to find a small pile of paddling gear you no longer need.
Or you’re looking for that one last item to make your paddling ensemble complete…but no local retailer carries it.
If so, you’re in luck.
While SISKA cannot hold in-person gear swaps this year due to COVID19, we have created a virtual swap meet for SISKA members who use Facebook.
Just sign onto Facebook and search for “SISKA Virtual Gear Swap”. Ask to join and answer a couple of easy questions.
If you are a SISKA member, your request will be approved very shortly.
Why wait? Many SISKA members have already joined and are posting items.
Happy gear swapping.
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Good Service
by Jennie Sutton
I have just had the most amazingly good service from North Water. My pigtail on my towing system had lost it’s elasticity. I contacted the company and they responded immediately. I then I mailed it to them on Thursday and it arrived back here today…Sunday, with a new pigtail section and no cost except the first postage to Vancouver!
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Get Ready for Summer with SISKA’s Kayak Skills Course Partners!
by Alan Campbell
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To Buy or Sell
Wanted: I am looking to buy a Seaward Ascente in good condition. Please contact Sandra at shundza@uvic.ca
Wanted: I am looking for a good used 16-17 foot light weight either fiberglass or Kevlar kayak that has a rudder. If you have such a boat and are interested in selling please contact Gail Miller at gailmiller@shaw.ca I am not sure what exact boat would work best for me, if you have any suggestions (even if you don't have a boat for sale) I would appreciate your recommendations. Thanks, Gail
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.
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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/docs_public/SISKAsKayakSkillsCoursePartners2020.pdf
Our partners are:
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