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)

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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

Sunday, May 31st, 2020 - 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM - Energizer Paddle - Island View Beach to D'Arcy Island Paddle
Saturday, June 06th, 2020 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Relaxed Paddle - Spirit Bay to Becher Bay clockwise to Movie Set beach Paddle
Saturday, June 13th, 2020 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Relaxed Paddle - Cadboro Bay to Telegraph Cove Paddle
Saturday, June 13th, 2020 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Relaxed Paddle - Brentwood Bay Ferry Wharf to Mackenzie Bight Paddle
Saturday, June 20th, 2020 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Relaxed Paddle - Oak Bay Marina - Parking Lot to Gonzales Bay Paddle
Saturday, June 27th, 2020 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Energizer Paddle - Moses Point to Russel Island Paddle
Saturday, June 27th, 2020 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Relaxed Paddle - Telegraph Cove to Cormorant Point Paddle
Tuesday, June 30th, 2020 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Light Paddle - VCKC Clubhouse to Portage Inlet Paddle
 

by Alan Campbell
 

All SISKA Members
It has been more than two months since our many club activities were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Although the coronavirus continues to pose a risk to all of us, Vancouver Islanders along with other British Columbians have worked hard to reduce the number of new cases to a level at which, it has been determined that some activities and services may now be redesigned and resumed.
Since Public Health authorities are beginning to permit the cautious resumption of recreation and other activities, we are pleased to announce that small group paddles will be offered for your participation beginning May 30^th. You will see these listed on the website as soon as they are organized.
While we are delighted to resume club paddling, it is most important to emphasize our collective responsibility to stay vigilant and avoid the spread of the coronavirus in our communities. 
Please carefully review the sea kayaking safety guidelines appended below. They are intended to promote Covid-safe paddling during the continuing pandemic. SISKA will closely monitor these paddles and evolving guidance from public health authorities and will adjust the guidelines as required.
Please enjoy our beautiful coast and stay safe!

Alan Campbell
President, SISKA
 
Guidelines for SISKA Paddles during the Covid-19 Pandemic
 
During the current 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 social 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 the required physical distancing.
 
SISKA paddles should be:

• Planned in locations with sufficient space to permit required distancing

• Planned to minimize the likelihood of adverse conditions
• Limited to no more than 6 paddlers in total, including the paddle leader

 
All paddlers, except for those living in the same household, should:

• Avoid carpooling.
• Wear gloves to assist with 2-person kayak carries.
• Bring and use hand sanitizer to maintain personal hygiene
• Bring and use disinfectant to clean surfaces as required (eg. kayak carry handles)
• Carry their own gear between their vehicle and the water.
• Enter and exit their kayak without assistance.
• Not share food or beverages.
• 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
• Not congregate after the paddle, unless a short outdoor debrief is required.

 by Alan Campbell
 

by Alan Campbell
 

A Somewhat Relaxed Small-Group Paddle from Cadboro Bay to Cattle Point - May 30, 2020
 
This was a first small-group paddle, limited to 6 SISKA club members, including the paddle leader.
There was no problem with appropriate Covid distancing at the long beach off Gyro Park…

Cheers, Debbie

by Lynn Baier & Heather Jones
 

Big thanks to Heather Jones for this recipe. I haven’t tried it yet, but Heather says it travels in hatches well and it sounds delicious.

Peanut Butter bars
 350 degrees    12 mins .. makes about 7 bars

 1 egg                                1/2 c. unsweetened coconut
 1/2 c. peanut butter           1/2 c. rolled oats
 1t vanilla                            1/2 c. brown sugar
 1T of Maple syrup              1t. baking powder
                                           1/2 t. salt
                                           1/4 c. chocolate chips
 
 Whisk egg and mix in the wet ingredients in small bowl.
 Mix dry ingredients in medium sized bowl.
 Mix Wet into dry
 Roll into 1 inch round and 4 " long rolls... pat rolls onto cookie sheet creating rectangles which are 1/2 inch deep. you can use a rubber spatula to shape them on the pan.
 "If your hands get too mucky, just wet them and the dough won't stick". ( I've added a bit of oat flour or more oats to the mix if it's too wet )..
 
 Bake until light brown.....  and cool on racks...  These bars should be firm on the outside but softer and chewy inside... a good bar for kayak camping as it holds together well and can be wrapped and eaten like a granola bar!.
 
 This recipe can be easily doubled and is likely more practical
 
 P.S... I tried baking them in a square cake pan like a brownie but it didn't turn out as good as I had to bake them longer... also cutting them into rectangles after baking made them more fragile than shaping them into rectangles before baking..
 
 Enjoy!!   
 
 Cheers!... Heather

by Dorothea Hoffman
 

Article HERE

by Fred Pishalski & Alan Campbell
 

All SISKA members are welcome to participate directly in the BC Marine Trails review described below. If you are interested in having your say on these matters, please send your feedback to John Kimantas at john@bcmarinetrails.org.

Invitation to peer review BC Marine Trail’s proposed Code of Conduct
 
BC Marine Trails (BCMT) is seeking the participation of your organization in refining an initiative of significant importance to the long-term environmental integrity of the British Columbia coastline.
 
For years, BCMT has been guided by Leave No Trace principles. Unfortunately, we have found that, while fundamentally important, many of those principles are not applicable to the British Columbia coastline or the preservation of some key coastal environmental and ecological values.
 
To address these issues, BCMT undertook a lengthy research initiative to understand and evaluate the potential impacts of both sustained and short-term recreational use of the British Columbia coast. The approach was to seek a negligible baseline for impact from human interaction to sensitive ecologies, habitats and wildlife based on scientifically-backed best practices and principles. 
 
The resulting strategy is three-pronged. Two of those strategies will be implemented in the coming years as funding is available: a Site Environmental Evaluation Program to assess and protect environmental values at recreation locations coast-wide; and a Public Education Program to make best practices the norm for recreational users of the coast through outreach and education.
 
The first strategy, however, is the BCMT Code of Conduct. It stipulates the necessary behaviour coastal visitors must adhere to in order to achieve environmental sustainability and integrity while visiting the British Columbia coast. 
 
Your role in this can be crucial. We are currently distributing the draft Code of Conduct for peer review, feedback and input. This input will shape the eventual final version of the Code of Conduct that will become the standard of behaviour for anyone visiting any of BCMT’s inventory of 2,500+ sites to which this Code would apply.
 
The Code of Conduct exists in two formats, the short form for quick review and the more detailed long form. We are asking for your review of both formats.  
 
For additional information, we refer you to the supporting principles and key findings that led to the creation of the Code of Conduct, and the appendices of research and resources used in this process. 
 
We gratefully ask that your contribution to this effort be submitted to BCMT in writing by Sept. 1, 2020 for consideration. If you have questions on any aspect, please email John Kimantas at john@bcmarinetrails.org or call 250-244-6437. If you could confirm whether you are interested in participating, it will help us ensure we have sufficient input to successfully complete this peer review process. Thank you in advance for the consideration and participation.
 
Cheers, John Kimantas
--
John Kimantas
BC Marine Trails

by Alan Campbell
 

Catriona and I landed at Brentwood Bay Ferry Wharf beach last week, hit a very sharp rock and put a 1” hole in our thermoform Eddyline Whisper double kayak. Yikes! If we hadn’t been on the beach we might have sunk! I’m pleased to pass along, courtesy of Blackline Marine which doesn’t repair thermoform boats, that there is a repair service available:
Brad Morrison, Thermoplastic Welding and Fabrication, 2429 Mt St Michael Road, Central Saanich
profabbrad@gmail.com
Brad repaired our kayak so it is stronger than before and did so very quickly.
Now we can get back out on the water again and try to avoid those sharp pointy rocks!

by Lynn Baier, John Abercrombie, Anne Graves
 

 

by Vic Turkington
 

Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, due to Covid-19 travel restrictions and the mandatory 14-day self-isolation requirement, John Vance and his group from the CCKA in Ireland have had to postpone their kayak trip to Vancouver Island this year. However, this is just a postponement and they plan to visit us next year in 2021.
John wants to thank SISKA members who had generously offered accommodation and kayaks\gear for their trip. Further updates will be posted in the Newsletter as their plans develop next year.

by Fred Pishalski
 

The BC Marine Trails seeks volunteers, short-term and long-term, for a number of roles.

Regional Manager
A number of Regional Managers are needed. You need not live the geographic area that the Regional Manager is responsible for. Current vacancies exist for the Central Coast, Discovery Islands/Mid Coast and North Coast areas. The job description is currently being rewritten and will be available shortly. As a RM you will be part of the Trail Development Committee. Fred Pishalski is SISKA’s representative to BCMT and is also the Vancouver Island Regional Manager. For further information please contact him at fredpishalski@hotmail.com.

IT Volunteers
IT Volunteers will be working in a team, but remotely on cloud-based systems, using their own equipment. Volunteers with experience in WordPress, MySQL, PHP, HTML, CSS, photo-editing, or vector graphics, are preferred, but anyone with aptitude and willing to learn will be trained by experts.

Website Content Editor - volunteers will be working to organize and migrate site content to a new Content Management System.

Website Content Coordinator - volunteers will be organizing images in an existing archive, creating graphics, and working with image metadata.

Wordpress Programmer - volunteers will be working to modify/develop custom modules to make Wordpress work better for BCMT.

Mobile Application Programmer - volunteers will be working to develop an Android (then iOS) application for BC Marine Trails.

Photo Editor - will be responsible for processing photos submitted to site for news stories, ensuring we have correct permissions, etc.

Please contact Allan Edwin, IT Team lead for more information - allan@bcmarinetrails.org