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!
Michael Jackson (SISKA president)
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
Gail Miller & Fred Pishalski spent a month last winter touring all over Colombia. The country previously known as the bad boy of South America has gone through significant changes in the last few years. Their photo and video show will take you from the big cities like Bogota and Medellin to the high mountains and down to the Caribbean and yes there is even kayaking in the presentation
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Community Events of Interest
none available at "press time"...
If you are aware of an event that should be included in the next Newsletter, please email Alan Campbell at alanglencampbell@shaw.ca.
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Save the Date! SISKA Christmas Party
The annual SISKA Christmas Party lunch will be held on Saturday, December 1st at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club.
Registration will be announced and open in November once we have the pricing and menu details.
Socialize with friends, eat good food, drink fine wines, listen to kayaking stories, sing Christmas songs, win great prizes….
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Call for New Paddle Leaders
We hope you’ve enjoyed our fine summer weather and some on water adventures, with perhaps a SISKA paddle or a few.
Some of you may have also upgraded your certification to Paddle Canada Level 2 or higher this year. If that describes you, now would be a great time to consider giving back to the club by becoming a SISKA Paddle Leader. It’s easy. It’s painless. It’s a great reason to spend more time on the water.
SISKA paddles don’t happen without paddle leaders, and we’re always looking for new leaders so we can offer more outings.
If you’d like to help out, please contact Gary.Jacek@shaw.ca
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What’s in a Name? Knapp Island
Kayakers crossing Colburne Passage NE of Swartz Bay and SE of Piers Island, pass Knapp island (shaped like a cashew nut). The island was named after Kemster Knapp (1858), an instructor aboard HMS America. It was also known, in the old days, as Mosquito Is. (presumably for good reason)
The island was owned by Joseph Quadros from the Azores, who also acquired Pym Is. in 1889. Subsequent owners included Hollywood film director Victor Fleming and a Texan multi-millionaire Guy Waggoner who built a luxury home and small boatyard. Entrepreneur Andrew Evans and his wife Ann, a Shinto princess, bought Knapp Is. in 1995 and built a Shinto shrine and a practice space for martial arts; the island is private. The Fulford Harbour ferry usually passes between Piers and Knapp islands, reminding us to be cautious. A beach at the southern end of Knapp Island provides a good spot to regroup before crossing Colburne Passage and evading the BC ferries.
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Tips from the trips
Know your Knots. A clove hitch, taut line hitch and a bowline will do most tricks.
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Vitamin Sea
from Jennie Sutton
Life is better with Vitamin Sea. Side effects may include improved cardiovascular fitness and muscle tone, decreased levels of stress hormone cortisol, and a boost of serotonin levels. Take daily! (from PaddlingCanada magazine)
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Camp Cookery - Tom Kaa Gai
by Lynn Baier
I have been fortunate enough to enjoy this dish several times. Alan Campbell has generously shared it. Just substitute canned chicken for sliced. All the rest of the ingredients both travel and keep well.
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Safety tip
by Lynn Baier
Here’s a gem passed to me that is great when you’re tripping. Laminate the marine guide map to ‘follow’ the wind from reports on you vhf radio. Record relevant info on the laminated accompanying worksheet with a china pencil, so it can be erased and re-used. Also, you can record the forecast on your phone, as it’s hard to take it all in and remember it.
The Forecast Recording sheet. (link to a web copy of the pdf)
The Marine Weather Guide for the Pacific Coast is
http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2014/ec/En56-233-2013-eng.pdf
And this page provides lots of marine weather information:
https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/general-marine-weather-information/regional-guides/national.html
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Kayakable Birding
After a short, romantic northern holiday for nesting, many of the birds who like to winter here are back.
The Surf Scoter is a bulky sea duck that fishes a bit offshore in small flocks. The white patch on the back of the male's head and thick orange beak are distinctive. If we paddle too close and cause them to take off, their wings make a pronounced whistling. |
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| Surf Scoter, male and female |
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Identifying many shorebirds is tricky, as the plumage of many species changes dramatically with the seasons. One tall, elegant and distinctive shorebird that looks the same all year is the Greater Yellowlegs. It likes shallow shorelines like Willows Beach or mudflats where you will see it gracefully walking in the shallows. As it takes off, you will hear 3-4 short, loud calls - deew, deew, deew. |
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| Greater Yellowlegs |
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To Buy or Sell
none available at press time...
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 http://siska.ca/docs_public/SISKAsKayakSkillsCoursePartners.pdf.
Our partners are:
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