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Siska February 2026 Newsletter

Introduction

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, newsletter@siska.ca . If you would like to start a regular column, please let us know!

Jane Jacek (SISKA president) and Tony Playfair (editor)

Convenient Links

SISKA on Facebook

Siska's Youtube Channel

Siska's Newsletter Archive - Mailchimp or Siska Newsletters Website

List of all stewardship fees

Rocky Point Demolition Blasting Notices

SISKA Partners - Join Mailing Lists

by Jane Jacek

To receive regular emails and newsletters from our kayak partners, in which you will read about courses/clinics they are offering and possible club member discounts, please follow this link.

Upcoming SISKA Events


Sunday, February 01st, 2026 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Energizer Paddle - Oak Bay Marina to Gonzales Beach via Trial Island Paddle
Sunday, February 01st, 2026 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Relaxed Paddle - Cadboro Bay to Uplands Exploration Paddle
Saturday, February 07th, 2026 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Relaxed Paddle - Brentwood Bay Ferry Wharf to Mackenzie Bight Paddle
Sunday, February 08th, 2026 - 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM - Open Pool Session
Sunday, February 08th, 2026 - 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM - Edging and Bracing Clinic
Saturday, February 14th, 2026 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Relaxed Paddle - Fleming Beach to Esquimalt Harbour/Cole Island/Portage Park Paddle
Saturday, February 14th, 2026 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Energizer Paddle - Brentwood Bay Ferry Wharf to Spectacle Falls Paddle
Sunday, February 15th, 2026 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Energizer Paddle - Telegraph Cove to Discovery Island Paddle
Friday, February 20th, 2026 - 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM - SISKA SOCIAL at the Fernwood Inn
Saturday, February 21st, 2026 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Relaxed Paddle - Amherst to Tsehum Harbour Tour Paddle
Wednesday, February 25th, 2026 - 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM - Monthly Meeting
Saturday, February 28th, 2026 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Energizer Paddle - Spirit Bay to Cabin Point Paddle
Saturday, February 28th, 2026 - 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM - Kayak Repair Clinic
Sunday, March 01st, 2026 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Energizer Paddle - Pedder Bay to Whirl Bay Paddle
Sunday, March 01st, 2026 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Relaxed Paddle - Island View Beach to James Island Circumnavigation Paddle
Friday, March 13th, 2026 - 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM - SKILS Tides and Currents for Paddlers
Saturday, March 14th, 2026 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Relaxed Paddle - Telegraph Cove to Cadboro Gyro Park and Uplands Paddle
Saturday, March 14th, 2026 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Energizer Paddle - Fleming Beach to Equimalt Harbour/Cole Island/Portage Park Paddle
Sunday, March 15th, 2026 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Relaxed Paddle - Spirit Bay to NEW MEMBERS Movie Set Beach Paddle
Wednesday, March 18th, 2026 - 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM - Monthly Meeting
Friday, March 20th, 2026 - 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM - SKILS Navigation and Chart Works - Part 1
Friday, March 27th, 2026 - 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM - SKILS Navigation and Chart Works - Part 2
Saturday, March 28th, 2026 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Energizer Paddle - Amherst to Portland Island Paddle
Sunday, March 29th, 2026 - 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM - Energizer Paddle - Fleming Beach to Victoria Harbour Loop Paddle

SAVE THE DATE! FRIDAY FEBRUARY 20TH -- SISKA SOCIAL at the Fernwood Inn

by BJ Porter

SAVE THE DATE!

  • Event: SISKA SOCIAL
  • Date: FRIDAY FEBRUARY 20TH
  • TIME: 12:30pm-4pm
  • Location: FERNWOOD INN
  • Address: 1302 GLADSTONE AVE, VICTORIA, BC
  • https://fernwoodinn.com/

The back room at the Fernwood Inn has been booked for the annual SISKA Social.

It is an informal affair, without an agenda and with diners ordering from the menu and paying separately.

However, as the Inn would like to have an idea of numbers, please RSVP if you ARE attending to BJ Porter at bjporter108@gmail.com.

The booking is for 1230 to 1600 hrs and last year there were about 40 attendees.

If you are so inclined, please bring small toiletry items or warm socks to be delivered to Our Place. Thank you.

Siska February Monthly Meeting Agenda

by Fred Pishalski

TIDAL CURRENTS and KAYAKING with Dr. Richard Dewey - Oceanographer

Wednesday February 25, 2026 - 7pm.

The presentation will provide an introduction to the theory of tides and what causes the variations on time scales from hours to months. There will be a brief review of tide information sources and how to interpret them. Finally, we will discuss key aspects of local tides most boaters and kayakers in the Pacific Northwest may be familiar with, including tidal fronts, back-eddies, and wind-wave-tide interactions.

Dr. Richard Dewey is a Physical Oceanographer who has lived on and studied the ocean around Vancouver Island for most of his life. Growing up in Victoria, he spent summers cruising throughout the Salish Sea with his family before university, including degrees from both UVic and UBC. Recently retired from Ocean Networks Canada at UVic, where he was a founding director, he once again cruises for 3-4 months each summer with his wife on their 1980 36' tri-cabin trawler.

Monthly Meeting Location

The location is the Unitarian Universalist Community of Victoria, formerly known as First Unitarian Church of Victoria. Address: 5575 West Saanich Road Victoria, BC

Map

Volunteers Needed!

by Pat Hill

Spring Training 2026

by Konrad Sechley & Andrew Cusack

SISKA is holding a series of Spring Training workshops in conjunction with our company partners from March to mid May 2026.

We will be offering 41 workshops from six SISKA company partners over this time period, including GoKayak, Best Coast, Blue Dog, Skils, Cross Currents and Dancing with the Sea.

The workshops will typically run for 3 or 4 hours and will appeal to a range of skill sets from the beginner to the advanced paddler – including:

  • Risk Management
  • Reading Water
  • Stroke Improvement
  • Greenland Stroke
  • Edging
  • Rock Gardening
  • Rolling
  • Currents
  • Surfing
  • Rescues
  • Underwater Composure
  • Charts & Navigation
  • Tarp 101

We are aiming to send out the list of workshops early February, so do keep your eye open for our upcoming announcement. The workshops will also be posted on the SISKA Calendar.

We look forward to seeing you on the water.

The Ocean River Paddling Symposium

by Jane Jacek / Ocean River

Book Now

Tips From The Trips

by Debbie Leach

Handy Tool. Dreaming about camping...nice to have a tent peg hammer and puller all-in-one.

Camp Cookery

by Lynn Baier

CHEESE FONDUE

Here’s a fun idea that Ali M brought along on our New Year’s Eve campout on Darcy Island. Who doesn’t love a cheese fondue? There are a few brands. This one can be found at Superstore. Just bring along a baguette and some dipping vegetables, and voila, you have dinner. She heated it up fireside in her Trangia stove set. Delicious!

Safety Item

by Sybil Seitzinger

Emergency Repair of a Dry Suit Gasket

So, you’re on the beach getting ready for a day trip or a multiday paddle—or you’re already deep into a trip—and as you pull your dry suit on ...oh no! A neck or wrist gasket tears. Suddenly your dry suit is no longer watertight, and if you fall in, cold water will rush in, turning a safety essential into a liability.

What can you do?

Joanne Nicolson suggests carrying a package of "flexible" tape in your repair kit for gasket repairs. There are a few different varieties one can purchase. For example, Tear-Aid Type A is an elastic, clear, strong, and watertight patch for on-the-spot emergency repair such as of a torn gasket.

Of course, this is very much an emergency measure, not a long-term fix. Plan to replace the damaged gasket once you are home.

As a bonus, Tear-Aid Type A and other similar flexible tapes are a versatile addition to any paddler’s kit. They also bond to synthetic fabrics so work well for quick repairs to tents, torn dry suites, puffy jackets, dry bags, and other gear when you’re far from help.

This small addition to your repair kit just might save a trip when you least expect to need it.

BC Marine Trails News

January Newsletter

Kayak Accommodation Partner - Sea Otter Lodge

by Jane Jacek

Sea Otter Lodge welcomes all SISKA paddlers with a 10% discount on custom lodge rentals. Comfortably accommodating 10–12 guests.

Learn more and book your trip:

https://www.seaotterlodgebc.com

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.

Our partners are: