Category Archives: Sea Kayaking

Going Paddleabout: Sea Kayaking around Bella Bella, BC (Part 1)

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a bottle of rubbing alcoholPrelude
I’d driven up Vancouver Island to Port Hardy the evening before my 7AM ferry to Bella Bella departed, and car camped a few miles from the ferry terminal. As I sat in camp about 8:30, I realized with horror that I’d left the bag with all my alcohol at home. No, not that alcohol — the fuel for my stove! So I raced into Port Hardy. Just before they closed, I scurried into the pharmacy section of the local grocery store, and cleaned them out of their rubbing alcohol. As he rang up my eight bottles, the clerk eyed me with a mixture of pity and contempt. I decided any explanation would sound like protesting too much, so I rolled with it. Back at camp, the test burn in the stove went well: a little sootier than proper meths, but plenty hot. Continue reading →

Resail: Grafting a New(ish) Sail Onto An Old Kayak

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Regular readers know my fondness for sticking sails onto anything that floats. I even fitted a Hobie Mirage sail and Side Kick Amas onto my previous single sea kayak. As the pic below shows, the combination was a hoot for zipping around on daytrips. However, it proved too bulky to stow easily on or in the boat when not in use, so it was never very practical for touring. That’s why when I replaced my single kayak, I opted for a Falcon Sail. But that left me with a perfectly serviceable sail and outriggers crying out to be used.  A single sea kayak equipped with a Hobie sail and amas. Continue reading →

‘ Yak Hacks: Raise Your Light High For Night Paddling

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Off-the-shelf kayak lights are an excellent way to increase safety when night paddling. By raising your light a few feet above the deck you can ensure it remains unblocked by your body and visible through the full 360. Plus, it won’t nuke your night vision by shining directly in your eyes. Continue reading →

Last Kayak Camping Trip of 2015

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My Personal Transport Team (AKA my long suffering wife) dropped me with my boat and gear at Deep Cove about 14:00 hours on December 30th. I’d been waiting for a window of clear weather; the temperatures are lower under cloudless skies, but it’s easier to stay safely warm in dry cold than in icy rain. That’s true both in the kayak and in camp. Continue reading →

The Night Before Christmas, Kayaker’s Version

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by Philip Torrens

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the boathouse,
Not a creature was stirring, no, not a sea-louse.
The sea-socks were hung by the Coleman with care,
in hopes that Saint Neptune soon would be there. Continue reading →

A Review Of The Falcon Kayak Sail. Part 2: Exhilaration

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a selfie with the Falcon kayak sail

My prior experience with commercially-made kayak sails has been mostly with the Pacific Action sail and the Spirit Sail. I used them both for more than a decade on my previous kayak, and loved the versatility of being able to raise either or both so I could sail in anything from strong winds to gentle breezes. They were especially fast on broad reaches. But they are functionally square rigs, optimized for downwind sailing. On my new kayak, I wanted better across-the-wind performance and some upwind ability. So I upgraded to a Falcon Sail.

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‘Yak Hacks: 3 Quick Mods To Improve Your Sea Kayak

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1. Cover Your Coaming Edge

Ever had a friend tension a piece of cloth with their hands while you sliced it with scissors? Then you know that stretching fabric over sharp edges is an excellent way to cause running cuts (or “progressive failure” if you’re a materials geek). Run your finger along the outside of your sea kayak’s cockpit rim, paying particular attention to the top and bottom corners of the lip. Unless it’s been factory equipped with trim, there are your sharp edges. And your stretchy neoprene sprayskirt deck? There’s your tensioned fabric, sawing itself against those edges every time you pull the skirt on or off.

a sharp, uncovered cockpit coaming
a smooth, trim-protected edge

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A sail, a swim and a kayak self-rescue: doing the paddle float re-entry for real

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The wind had been whipping in from the Strait of Georgia at 20 knots for several hours, carving the water into a bouncy succession of blue and white furrows. That made for a bit of a grunt paddling my sea kayak from English Bay out towards Point Grey, but also for a lively ride as my bow cleaved through each oncoming wave and slammed down into its following trough.

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Making Camp On The North Coast

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The sun was shining when you launched your kayak this morning. But shortly after noon, it clouded over and the rain set in. You aren’t surprised: you are paddling the British Columbia coast not far south of Alaska, just off the most verdant rainforest on Earth.

bringing the kayak ashoreThe fjord-like channel you’re travelling offers few landing spots, so it’s six in the evening before you ground the bow of your kayak as gently as possible on a cobble beach. Hours of rain have given you bathtub hands.

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A Mammal Trifecta: Deer, Otter and Orca

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Recently, I got in a quick kayak voyage through our local and lovely Gulf Islands. In addition to great weather and excellent company, I enjoyed three animal encounters.

A deer grazes in the underbrush

On Cabbage Island, I watched a deer graze. It must have been commuting from one of the larger islands, since Cabbage is too small to support a herd. On the islands with permanent human populations, some residents consider deer to be, at best, venison-in-waiting, or at worst, vermin (they pilllage the gardens many islanders grow). But on this uninhabited islet, this doe foraged only for natural foodstuffs.  Continue reading →