Introduction
Dear <<First Name>>,
We are looking forward to seeing lots of members at the party on Saturday December 3rd. It has been a sell out event. Thanks to Alan Campbell and his team of elves for organizing!
Here is the next edition of the SISKA newsletter. We hope you enjoy it. We also hope that members will continue sending in 100-150 word articles from our various paddles; if you can, please contact one of us.
You can find an archive of all our past newsletters at: http://siska.ca/members/siska-newsletter-archive
Michael Jackson (SISKA president) and Ben van Drimmelen (editor) |
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Upcoming Events
December 3, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm, Cadboro Bay to Cadboro Bay Christmas Paddle (RELAXED PADDLE)
December 3, 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm, SISKA Christmas Luncheon & Party! (now sold out)
December 11, 9:30 am - 3:00 pm, Albert Head to Witty's Lagoon Paddle (ENERGIZER PADDLE)
December 18, 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm, Songhees to Victoria Harbour Christmas Caroling Paddle (RELAXED PADDLE) See details below.
December 18, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm, SISKA Pool Clinic and Drop in session
January 9, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm. Injury Prevention in Sea Kayaking - Keeping you on the Water with Jennie Sutton
January 17, 6:00 pm - 9:30 pm, Tides & Currents with Mike Miles
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SISKA CHRISTMAS CAROLING PADDLE 2016
Join paddle leader Debbie Leach in the fun of a caroling by kayak round Victoria Harbour. We will launch by the totem pole near Delta Ocean Pointe at 1:30 on Sunday December 18, raising our voices in West Bay Marina and Fisherman's Wharf. 'Twill be fantastic if you and your boat are looking particularly festive!
Alan Campbell has printed and laminated carol song sheets for us. (To preview and practice the carols http://www.nwoc.com/xmassongs07.pdf). Sign up on the SISKA website for a merry-making afternoon and celebrate the season in style.
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Many thanks to Glynis Newman and her helpers Susan Duhamel and Gary Allen who have coordinated paddles to our Christmas parties over the years.
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What’s in a Name?
This is our local name series! Most of our featured names are drawn from “The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names” by Andrew Scott. We have a copy in the library!
Becher Bay and area
Two of our club paddles this month were based out of Becher Bay, so it seems appropriate to focus on the names around Becher Bay for this newsletter. Captain Henry Kellett was again responsible for many of the names - this time, he was honouring many of his RN surveyor colleagues. Captain Kellett named all of the following features.
Becher Bay
Becher Bay was named in 1846 after Alexander Becher (1796-1876). Becher was a Royal Navy hydrographer who began his career charting lakes in eastern Canada. Sometimes this bay is misnamed Beecher Bay, perhaps in confusion with Beechey Head!
Beechey Head
Beechey head was also named in 1846 after Frederick Beechey (1976-1856) who was a prominent Royal Navy navigator and geographer. Beechey served under Franklin and Parry and was eventually elected for a term as president of the Royal Geographical Society.
Bedford Islands
Once again it looks as if Capt Kellett was responsible for naming these islands, in this case after one of his midshipmen, Bedford Pim. Bedford was already a famous name in RN hydrographic circles at the time as two brothers, George and Edward Bedford were prominent Royal navy surveyors.
Alldridge Point
Alldridge point was named after another RN surveyor, George Alldridge.
Creyke Point
And Richard Creyke was yet another RN surveyor.
Frazer Island
This island was named after a RN surgeon, Thomas Frazer, who served with Kellett on board HMS Starling during the 1st Anglo-Chinese war of 1840-41.
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BC Marine Trails Network message:
The Salish Sea Marine Trail is forging ahead, and we need your support to help complete it. The trail project will result in a 257-km paddling route linking Vancouver and Victoria as part of the Trans Canada Trail and create potentially 11 new paddling campsites along the southern BC coast. The project is budgeted at $55,000 and so far we have $25,000 funded. We are looking to raise $10,000 from the public through crowdfunding to help with some of the vital tasks that are necessary.
https://fundrazr.com/salishseamarinetrail?ref=sh_e6H8g3
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Tips for the trips
Stumbling in the Dark
A 'bright' idea for a stocking stuffer, perhaps? Hanging a small light at the top of your tent makes It is easy to find at night. You can even leave it there when you strike your tent.
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Camp-suited Cookery
Lynn Baier advises that Roger Botting has a simple but excellent pizza recipe, a bacon, apple, blue cheese treat.
For the crust: 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 heaping tablespoon of Quick Yeast, about 1 cup warm water and 1 teaspoon of sugar (to get the yeast really going). Mix the flour, yeast and sugar in a large greased bowl and add warm water (almost too warm to hot tub in) and stir until the dough forms a ball. Not stiff, not runny. Let it sit for a couple of hours for it to rise.
For the topping: Cut 4 strips bacon into small pieces. Cut 1 apple into small chunks and gently fry 1 small onion. Set aside a handful of shredded mozzarella cheese and another of crumbled blue cheese.
Then put it all together: Fry the bacon until its almost as cooked as you like to eat it along with the onion in a 12 in cast iron fry pan. Pour out most of the bacon grease and scrape off the bacon crumbs. Then carefully spread the pizza dough into the greased pan, using wet fingers to gently spread the dough around until it covers all of the pan and a small bit up the sides. Cover with the mozzarella almost to the edge. Then, lay out the bacon, onion, apple and blue cheese. Bake in a hot (450 degree) oven, checking every few minutes until it looks to be cooked through.
This could easily be done in a dutch oven with about 5 hot briquettes underneath and 3 on top or on a skillet with one of those silicone cooking covers. And you can use your own ingenuity to slightly adapt this to a series of pre-prepared ingredient packets for a kayak camping trip!
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2016 Off-water Clinics
A huge thank-you to workshop leaders for the time and effort they put into presenting their clinics this year. Thanks also to the coordinators who orchestrated and facilitated these clinics - Barbara McDougall, Edgar Hulatt, Don Tunstall and Don Scott.
The leaders were able to offer the following clinics:
Injury Prevention for Kayakers Jennie Sutton
GPS Mike Jackson
Kayak Repair Andrea, Blackline Marine
Tides and Currents Mike Miles
Drysuit and Gasket Repair Larry New and Tony Playfair
Weather and Waves Don Tunstall & Sheila Porteous
Clayoquot Sound Trip Planning Rob Zacharias
Charts & Compass: Navigation Basics John Abercrombie
Kayak Trip Advice Doug Alderson
Paddle Meals for Group Trips Debbie Leach, Lynn Baier, Paula
Ball & Beth Anne Masselink
Background & State of Kayaking Industry Brian Henry, Campbell Black
& Mike Henderson
Radio Operators Course Edgar Hulatt
Radio Operators Refresher Edgar Hulatt
Wilderness First Aid for Kayakers Alison Harle
Marine Communication and Traffic Services Tour
Detailed Planning for a Lengthy Wilderness Lynn Baier, Jennie Sutton,
Kayak Trip Debbie Leach, Alan
Campbell, John Minkley &
Morley Eldridge
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Rescue tip:
Jennie Sutton was able to demonstrate a rescue technique during our November 13 paddle from Spirit Bay to Cabin Point.
Sometimes, a swimmer can't get back into their kayak right away; for example, if one's empty kayak is bouncing back and forth in a surge channel. Waiting for the kayak to reach a location where others can safely extract it can take a while. In such a potentially-prolonged immersion situation, the swimmer can get chilled even with a dry suit.
It is best to get totally out of the water. This can easily be accomplished by having the swimmer climb onto the stern of a first rescuer’s kayak. That gets the swimmer mostly out of the water, but makes the rescue kayak less stable. That stability is provided by having a second kayak raft up with the first. Now the swimmer can swing her legs onto the nice stable platform provided by the two rafted kayaks, completely out of the water as others bring the wayward kayak over.
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Step 1 - Out of the water, but tippy
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Step 2 - Dry AND stable
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Paddling Video tip - Greenland and Euro paddles
A short video explaining key differences between Euro and Greenland Paddles.
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