Gulf Islands Solo Trip: Part 3: "Downwind"

Doubled my distance for the day, saw orcas, downwind all the way and the sun came out to make this arguably the best day of my trip.

I paddled with a smile on my face, woohooing to nobody as I surfed the bumps all the way down the east side of Galiano Island. The wind continued to build and made for some small but perfect size waves for the board I was on.  The Starboard K15 is great for paddling with gear but it does ride a little bit low and if the waves got any bigger I found that it would swamp and slow me down.

Heaviest Barrel on the West Coast

I finished my downwind run with about an hour of daylight left and pulled into Porlier Pass which separates Galiano Island and Valdes Island. A little bit of current running through here but nothing too challenging.  The sandstone cliffs and rock formations are pretty neat at this end of the island.  Overhanging sections of rock carved out by years of water, waves and current.









I camped for the night in Dionisio Point Provincial Park which is a water access only marine park and campground.  Great spot to spend the night sheltered from the southeast winds. Up until this point I didn't have any worries about camping on my own but this night was the first time I got a little bit nervous.  I began to hear noises in the woods behind me and didn't really like it.  I would shine my headlamp into the dark forest and all I could see was multiple sets of bright red eyes staring at me from the woods....Just raccoons looking for a meal but it was enough to get my imagination running.




I managed to get a decent nights sleep and was able to sleep in the next morning because I had to wait for the currents in Porlier Pass to switch directions before I could paddle out. My smile came back shortly after I started paddling again as the winds from the day before had continued and gotten stronger. I am sad to say I didn't get to experience too much of the sights on Valdes Island because I was drawn into the middle of the channel to surf the bigger waves. As the wind dropped I headed closer to shore and paddled along some of the huge sandstone cliffs at the North end of Valdes.  Definitely another beautiful spot worth checking out if you are every paddling in the Gulf Islands.


I came around to the north end of Valdes, paddled through Gabriola Passage and into Silva Bay on Gabriola Island.   Last night of the trip so I figured I would stay in the marina campground and walk over to the pub.  Spent a couple of hours at the Silva Bay Pub eating some great food and sharing a little bit of my story.

Got an early start the next morning and paddled with a beautiful sunrise and some light winds.   I had about 23km to the Departure Bay ferry terminal. About half-way to Departure Bay I noticed a big yellow plane flying low over the water towards me.  I figured it was on its way into Nanaimo Airport but then it did a tight turn over my head and flew away.  I didn't think much of it until it flew over my head a second time.  I didn't see any other boats on the water that morning and wondered if they were looking for me?  Shortly thereafter the Coast Guard boat came across from Nanaimo lights flashing and pulled along side me.  A concerned citizen on Gabriola Island called into the coast guard and reported somebody standing on top of a capsized boat trying to paddle to shore.  Now I would like to think that I paddle a little bit more efficiently than someone on a capsized boat but I guess from a distance I probably didn't look like I was moving too quickly.

The Coast Guard folks on the boat were in the middle of a training exercises in Nanaimo and so there were a few people on the boat who came out to answer the call.  They had a few questions for me and were mainly just curious to hear what I was up to.  They also told me that they called off the hovercraft which was on it's way over from Vancouver.  I was impressed with the response speed. Based on where I was paddling from and where they found me it couldn't have been more than 40 minutes before the boat got to me.  Not bad for tracking down a small moving target.


The boat left me for my last paddle back into Nanaimo but I was asked to then check-in with Victoria Coast  Guard Radio every 30 minutes until I landed safely.  Thankfully, I only had about 1 hour of paddling left and so I checked in with my VHF radio when I arrived at Departure Bay.  It was a good experience for me to be able to test my VHF radio and make actual calls to the Coast Guard.  Nice to know that someone would actually hear me if I needed help.

I landed in Departure Bay and it felt pretty good to be done.  It was a really great feeling to have planned and executed a trip on my own. I covered over 120km(75 miles) in 4 days. My average pace for the trip was about 7km/h with max speeds of around 20km/h while paddling downwind.  I covered most of the major islands missing only Saturna and Thetis.

While I did the trip solo I certainly had plenty of support.  Thanks to Deep Cove Outdoors, Starboard, Kokatat, Werner Paddles and Q Energy Drink for giving me the time and gear needed to make this trip happen.  Thanks to those of you who took the time to read my blog and I hope to do many more trips in the future.  I would like to share this experience with anyone who is interested so if you would like to take part in a trip like this in the spring please let me know.  Thanks again and paddle on!

Gulf Islands Solo Trip: Part 2: "Paddling"

I woke up to a sea lion patrolling my beach.  Sea Lions are nice enough from shore but when you see one close up from the water they can be pretty intimidating.  No bother, I packed up, checked the ferry schedules and got onto the water for my first crossing from Saltspring to Pender. This was the last day of Northerly winds so it was perfect for my crossing and my paddle south towards the gap in between North and South Pender. I got a good little push down the coast along North Pender and then I started to feel some current.  It was nice to have my gps on my wrist to be able to check my speed.  Light currents can play tricks on you and make you think your paddling faster than you are.  I was able to check my speed and decide if I should be closer to shore trying to find eddies or out in the main channel getting a push.

I paddled close to shore and saw lots of wildlife on this stretch. Throughout the whole trip anyone I came across  including animals, were very surprised to see me. Seals would pop up casually right in front of me and then freak out and dive back under as soon as they saw me.  I guess they don't see paddlers in November very often.

I came around the corner and into the channel between North and South Pender.  This is a really neat spot with some sheltered bays, nice beaches and The Poet's Cove Resort and Spa which I only paddled past this time.  I stopped in for a hot lunch at the Port Browning Marina which was very nice.  "Good pub, nice facilities, quirky waitress" to quote my notebook entry that day.

I paddled further on that afternoon and had planned on camping at the first good looking beach I came across   I had done this in the summer time and there are plenty of nice beaches good enough to spend one night. The issue I ran into is that during the whole week of my trip we had some of the highest high tides of the year which really limited my options. I paddled on and finally found a nice beach that I figured would keep me above the high tide line....Just to be safe I woke up at 4am, about an hour before the high tide and checked the water.. .I was high enough and stayed dry.

I had a very early breakfast and got onto the water at first light. I started my paddle casually out of the bay and was greeted by a small pod of Orcas about 500 metres off shore.  I couldn't stop smiling as I just stood there and watched them cruise by. I could see one big dorsal fin and at least 2 smaller fins.  Sorry but no orca photos, it was still quite dark and my camera just couldn't capture them. This was my first orca experience on the water and it was neat to be on my own.  I normally like to share things with others but it was very early in the morning, end of November and there was a good chance I saw these whales all by myself.

 I crossed over to Mayne Island and pulled into Dinner Bay to check out the Japanese Garden I was told about before the trip.  It's a very well kept garden and I hope to go back and check it out in the spring time. There is a fair bit of Japanese history in the Gulf Islands going back over 100 years.  Most of the Japanese families came over from the Steveston\Richmond area to fish and some families stayed on the islands all year-round.  My Japanese Grandmother was born on Galiano and lived in the Gulf Islands until the Second World War when she and all other Japanese Canadians were put into internment camps. The park in Dinner Bay on Mayne Island has a few tributes to the Japanese families that were forced out during the war and just a few weeks ago my Grandma was given an honorary high school diploma because she was unable to finish high school due to the war.  Not a paddling story but it's a good story that is close to me and the Gulf Islands , Click here to see some more about this story.

The wind picked up while I was checking out the garden and when I got back onto the water, the trees were swaying and whitecaps were forming.  The forecast South East winds had arrived in full force.  They gave me a good push out of the bay and a bit of a side push on my way towards Active Pass.  I crossed Active Pass towards the end of the ebbing current which made the crossing quite calm.  There was still some good moving water but few waves and boils.  The ebbing tide also gave me a good push as I started my paddle along the West coast of Galiano.

 The winds were at my back, I had no more big crossings so it was time to put in some mileage.  I made it to Montague Harbour (my camp destination that day) before 11am.  Instead of setting up camp I figured I would ride the favorable winds and keep paddling.  I made a quick stop for lunch, checked in on Facebook and got back on the water. 16 km down and plenty more downwind daylight left!

Gulf Islands Solo Trip: Part 1 "Logistics"

What a trip! From the weather to the wildlife, everything went as planned and made for an unreal experience in the Gulf Islands.

This trip was a culmination of a few different goals that I had. I've never done a multi-day solo trip and I wanted to experience that to see if I could do it.   I wanted to experience the Gulf Islands without the summer crowds and I wanted to see if unsupported trips on a Stand Up Paddleboard were realistic and possible.  My goals were realized and I certainly gained a lot of insight into SUP tripping.

The Gulf Islands are not the most exposed and hardcore of paddling destinations but for my first solo trip I thought it would be a good choice.  That being said the Gulf Islands sure felt exposed when you are by yourself at the end of November.  The only boats I saw were ferries and the only sign of human life was the smoke coming from the chimneys of the warm dry year-round island residents.  I was not short on company though.  Regular visits from seals, sea lions, otters, deer, eagles, racoons and one pod of orcas kept me pretty entertained.  With no one to talk to for 5 days I did find myself saying hello to all of the animals I came across....pretty one-sided conversations most of the time.

I knew in the winter time the prevailing wind on our coast comes from the South East.  This made my decision to go from South to North quite easy. Unfortunately, the South East winds are also usually associated with a lot of wet weather.  I packed my good rain gear, two tarps and my drysuit.  I wouldn't do this trip without a drysuit.  It kept me dry during the rainy days and gave me a lot more confidence when conditions got a little bit more rough.  There's also no way I would have woke up at 6am in the dark and the rain and put on a wetsuit.  They are a bit pricy but if you are thinking of doing any kind of winter, multi-day trips you need a drysuit...and Kokatat makes the best ones (shameless plug).

 I got dropped off at the Tsawassen Ferry Terminal and walked onto the ferry with my board on wheels and gear on the deck.  I could do a whole post just on the specific gear but for this trip I really appreciated having wheels, a camp chair and the K15.  Kayak wheels were the only way I was going to get my board and gear on and off the ferry by myself and the camp chair doubled as a board stand while I was waiting.  The Starboard K15 is the only board I considered using for this trip because of it's length, but most of all the dugout deck that allowed me to stow my gear securely on board.  During the trip I had a lot of waves wash over the deck and I was glad to have my gear secured on the board.

After making a mad run off the ferry in Victoria ahead of the off-loading cars, the ferry workers guided me to the exit gate that gave me access to a nice put in beach that I have used before to get onto the water.  I packed my gear onto the board, strapped it down, put on my drysuit and took a moment before getting on the water.  I wasn't prepared for this moment of nervousness that I experienced.  I had a few thoughts of 'why am I doing this' as I looked out onto the water and ahead at how far I was planning on going.  I thought some more about the awesome adventure I was about to go on, I started paddling and immediately felt better about the whole trip.

One of the few things that made me nervous during the trip was ferry and shipping traffic.  99% of the time I was near shore and well out of ferry and shipping lanes but occasionally I needed to make some crossings or leave ports.  A little preparation goes a long way and knowing the ferry schedule was very helpful throughout the trip.  It also gave me a little bit of extra entertainment trying to guess when the 9 o'clock ferry would make the turn out of Active Pass.  During crossings and entering ports I also monitored the shipping traffic channels on my VHF radio.  Big ships need to call into Victoria traffic at certain points so it was nice to hear where ships were throughout the trip.  Getting more advanced, I also dabbled with an App called shipfinder which gives you a real time display of ships on the water.  I wasn't able to use it while paddling but it's a neat app if you want to take a look at what ships or ferries might be heading your way.

My first paddle was about 11km into a light headwind towards Saltspring Island.  The board felt heavy with all my gear and a headwind didn't help.  My cruising speed was quite slow which made me really think about running into adverse conditions.  SUP's are hard enough to paddle in any wind that isn't at your back, but when you add the extra gear weight it made getting out of tough conditions more challenging.  This is really where I felt vulnerable compared to my previous trips in a kayak.

I had a calm and clear first night with a beautiful full moon.  I had a quiet night and enjoyed what I knew would be the only dry night of my trip.  The next day I had planned for about 25km of paddling through the Pender Islands.

Check back in for Part 2 of my trip coming soon!

Purpose Built Paddles

I can appreciate the ease of having one paddle that "does it all". The problem with that is usually a paddle that "does it all" comes along with a number of compromises in performance. Most paddle companies have a few different models with end-use, cost and durability in mind. Werner Paddles has been making paddles for a long time and they have a pretty good idea of how to make paddles to handle different environments.

Racing:  Werner Grand Prix M1000  -  81"

This is Werner's race specific paddle.  It is full carbon and extremely light to allow for a faster stroke rate and less fatigue over time.  I tend to prefer a faster stroke rate and I really like the longer, narrow blade rather than the wider teardrop shape.  I am noticing a lot more companies coming out with this narrow shape for 2013 so there must be something to it.

Werner also makes this paddle in the bent shaft.  I have started using the bent shaft for training paddles this fall and am looking forward to using it for some longer distance races.  The bent shaft gives a noticable increase in forward reach but does take some getting used to especially if you have been paddling straight shaft for some time.




Surf: Werner Nitro - 79"

In the surf I use a paddle that is 2" shorter than my race paddle.  This allows me to paddle comfortably in a surf stance when I am crouched low to catch waves.  The shorter paddle also allows me to use a high cadence stroke for quick acceleration.  Surfing can put a lot of stress on the paddle so it is important to use a good strong paddle that you can rely on.  When I'm surfing I pull harder to catch waves than any other paddle or race. For this reason I like to use a smaller blade to reduce the risk of injury.









Whitewater: Werner Stinger - 78"

The newest SUP Paddle from Werner.  This paddle is truly purpose built and performs its duties very well.  The Stinger has a very unique blade shape that is perfect for whitewater. The narrow tip of the blade allows for a lighter stroke and a soft catch. The blade gets larger towards the shaft of the paddle to give the paddler more surface area for bracing and power when needed.  The reverse teardrop shape lets you decide how much blade goes into the water.  The rounded tip of the blade is also great for moving the paddle around under the water.  A lot of whitewater strokes like draws, rudders and braces keep the paddle in the water in transition.







I understand that it doesn't make sense for everyone to go out and buy 3 or 4 different paddles but it does make sense to choose a paddle that is designed for what you do most.  Make sure you pick a paddle that feels good in your hands and that you trust.  I always recomend paddlers spend a little bit extra on their paddle.  It can be the most important piece of equipment you use so take the time to pick a quality paddle that is right for you.

Battle of the Paddle 2012

My second trip to the Battle of the Paddle certainly did not disappoint!  I got a chance to paddle with the best paddlers in the world and some of my Canadian SUP colleagues!

 I was again amazed at how easy it is to do a weekend trip down to Southern California.  It is a little more expensive but in the same amount of time it takes to go from Vancouver to Tofino you could be on a plane, in a rental car and surfing without a wetsuit in Southern California.  Yes it is a little bit more expensive when you factor in the flight, rental car and hotel but it is a pretty reasonable extended long weekend.

We headed down to the beach in our rental van with myself and Karly and other members of the Canadian Starboard Team: Gary Parsons, Shannon Bell, Lina Augaitis, Yannick Michaud and Sarah LaFerte.  We got to the beach and found members of the International team and North American team unwrapping some of the brand new 2013 boards.  After seeing the catalogue about a month ago I was excited to finally see the boards in person.  More info about the 2013 boards to come in a future post.

The weather looked great for the weekend and the swell was forecasted at about 3-5 feet with a long period.  Perfect conditions for the race, not too big, but enough to really make it interesting. I have never been more nervous leading up to a race.  I didn’t want to come all the way down to California and disappoint myself with a poor performance.  My goal was: make it to the finals and have a fun race.

 With a higher tide for the first heat the waves were little bit smaller and breaking closer to the beach.  This meant the challenging section of this heat would be the boneyard.  The boneyard is a shallow rocky section on the right side of the race course where waves break right at the almost 180 degree buoy turn.

I started the race next to fellow Canadian Norm Hann and we managed to both get off to a good start towards the middle/front of the pack.  We made it out to the first buoy turn in good positions. Being near the back of the pack gets pretty clogged up around this first turn so it was great to be near the front. I had a pretty clean race with only one fall and I managed to squeak into the finals after passing a few paddlers on the last lap of the qualifying heat. Norm managed to pull ahead of the little group I was in and was able to paddle a good clean race as well, making it through to the finals.

The Open race took place on Saturday in between the Elite Qualifying heats and the Finals.  Over 400 Stand Up Paddlers in one race setting a new Guinness World Record for the biggest Stand Up Paddleboard race ever.  Some of our Canadian crew paddled in the open race and did very well:

Karly Cox:  2^nd for Female 12’6: 19-29

Lina Augaitis: 1^st female overall (despite what the results say)

Gary Parsons: 6^th overall – First Male 14’: 50-59

Tim Quarles: 4^th in his category

The tide dropped a lot for the finals of the Elite race in the afternoon.  This made for a pretty gnarly, rocky beach and some more hazards in between laps.  I made a poor choice an started near the right side of the beach that was scattered with rocks just below the surface.  Normally a good start is one of my strong suits but after hitting a few rocks with my fins and falling a couple times I had to start the race from behind. Shallow conditions also meant that I bashed my Werner Grand Prix off of a few rocks but it held up very well throughout a rough weekend of racing.  I know there were more than a few paddlers who had some broken paddle issues (Cyril Burgiere in particular).

I ended up near the back of the pack off the start and wasn’t able to make up much ground on a field of truly elite paddlers. I was finally able to relax on my last lap and really appreciated how much fun the day of racing was. I caught some great waves in my last couple laps and passed a couple paddlers in the transitions.   I’m not used to placing 65^th in any race, but against a field like that I can’t be disappointed! I’ve got some work to do for next year and I’m looking forward to trying to better my results in 2013!

As if that wasn’t enough that was just day one. Day 2 held the Distance Race, Kids Races, SUP Surf Relay and an attempt to break another Guinness World Record, this time for the most surfers riding a single wave.   I chose not to paddle in the distance race and spent my morning surfing and checking out some new boards, paddles and other exhibitors.

I paddled out on an 8’5” Starboard Pro to watch the start of the distance race.  A mass on-water start for the 10 mile race is pretty neat to watch first hand. I caught a few waves while everyone was racing and then headed to the finish line to watch Danny Ching paddle into the beach uncontested for the victory.

The final event of the weekend was the spectator favorite SUP Surf Relay.  I was reluctant at first because I was sore and a bit tired but we had to represent Canada and put a team together.  Each paddler on the 4 person team had to do 2 laps of a short sprint course in and out of the surf.  There were almost 50 teams and our Canadian Team of Norm Hann, Gary Parsons, Lina Augaitis and myself managed a 10^th place finish which is very respectable!  As most relay races are, this one was full of fun, carnage, swimming and laughs.  Turns out Lina was right and it does end up being the best way to cap off a great weekend.

Big thanks to all of my sponsors for helping me out throughout the season and for helping me get down to Battle of the Paddle.  I am already looking forward to next year and I hope to see even more Canadians in the mix for 2013!  Thanks to Starboard, Deep Cove Outdoors, Werner Paddles and Nikki Rekman Sales for all your support!

Tofino SUP Surf Race!!

I’m sunburnt, tired, sore and in a 2 hour ferry lineup…yes I just spent a July weekend in Tofino.  There are certainly worse ways to spend a weekend. Thanks to the whole gang from Surf-Sup/Compass Adventures for putting on a super fun weekend of surf racing.

I drove into Tofino late on Friday night and was kindly greeted with a cold beverage and roaring beach bonfire thanks to Kristian from Starboard.  After a few more beverages we decided on an early morning surf session before demos and clinics started on Saturday.  I was skeptical at the time, but impressed the next morning when I was woken up for a 7am surf session.

After checking out Long Beach and Chesterman we ended up at Cox Bay which looked the best based on the swell direction.  Cox Bay is not typically a place I would recommend for Stand Up Surfing but with the small swell and a very early morning we were able to find some nice waves to ourselves.   It’s super important for us as Stand Up Paddlers to be respectful out on the water.  I want SUP to be accepted in places like Tofino and the only way that will happen is if we respect other surfers and follow the etiquette. I could and probably will write a whole entry just on SUP surfing so I will leave it at that for now and get back to my weekend of racing.

Saturday was a day for Demos from Starboard SUP and Clinics put on by Stu from Compass Adventures. The usual summer fog was hanging around so Saturday was a little bit quiet on Mackenzie Beach but it was a nice day to relax and try out some boards.

Mackenzie Beach is located North of North Chesterman Beach and is one of the best spots in Tofino for SUP.  You can always find sheltered flat water in the Southern Corner of the bay and in the Northern corner depending on the swell direction you can usually find some small, uncrowded SUP friendly waves.  In the winter Mackenzie Beach can get some good sized swell which brings in the surfers but in the summer it is mostly quite calm.  Tofino Paddlesurf, which is owned and operated by Catherine Bruhwiler,  has set up shop on Mackenzie Beach in conjunction with the Tin Wis Best Western Resort. Catherine runs lessons, tours and rentals and is definitely the person to talk to if you want some info on SUP in Tofino so go check out her shop! She has some awesome Starboard SUPs and some cool accessories and clothing in her new shop.

Festivities on Saturday night included a video and presentation from Norm Hann and his Stand Up For Great Bear initiative.  Look out for his new video STANDFILM.  Following the video was some live music to finish off the evening.

Sunday was the big race day and I was looking forward to this one as the 3^rd stop on the BC SUP Cup Series.  We awoke to some awesome sunshine and a little bit of wind which was perfect for race day. Perfect weather to provide a fun atmosphere on the beach and some challenging conditions on the water.

The day featured a Kids Race, Women’s race and then a Men’s race.  The group of kids/groms/youth, whatever you want to call them, were awesome.  Some really strong paddlers and I’m sure they are going to be leading the way in the mens races in a few years if they keep it up.  The women paddled next and were also very impressive. Even in the past year it has been great to see some more female paddlers coming out and making these races very competitive.

All of the races were on a counter-clockwise course in and out through the surf zone at Mackenzie Beach.  The course was set up very well to allow for different angles into the wind and waves.  There were definitely some challenging sections and the run certainly didn’t allow you to rest in between laps. 12’6 Men had to do 4 laps of the course.

I got off to a slower start than I would have liked and the first lap was grueling as I tried to make up some ground on Norm and Stu who were up front.  After a couple of hard laps I started to feel stronger but it wasn’t enough to catch Norm and Stu who kept pulling away after each lap.  I finished in 3^rd behind two very strong paddlers and I had a lot of fun out on the race course so I couldn’t complain.

 

Course racing with a beach run component is so much fun and is great for spectators.  It feels great to get cheered on by other paddlers and spectators as you make the run in between each lap.  Definitely makes me want to get down to the Battle of the Paddle this year and challenge myself against a tougher course and some world class paddlers…as long as I have a cheering section to push me through each lap.

All in all it was a very well organized race and a super fun course with a great BBQ and prizes afterwards.  Great job to the race organizers for putting together a great event.  I’d say there were close to 50 total racers which is an awesome turnout for a destination race.

A few of us discussed the idea of having the big races on Saturday rather than Sunday to allow for some post-race festivities without everyone rushing to get home or catch a ferry.  That way you can get the big important race out of the way and party it up on Saturday night! Sunday could be set aside for demos, clinics, surfing and fun.

Thanks to Surf-SUP, Compass Adventures, Tofino Paddlesurf, Starboard SUP, Werner Paddles and most importantly thanks to Deep Cove Canoe and Kayak Centre for giving me the weekend off to race!

Weekend with the Pros

This past weekend I got the opportunity to share my neck of the woods with a couple of Starboard Team Pros, Nikki Gregg and Dan Gavere.  After much planning and a weekend of racing in Vernon at the Kal Classic I was stoked to get some surfing done.

The plan was to spend two days up at Skookumchuck Rapids surfing the standing wave that forms there on a large flooding tide. For those who aren't familiar with the wave, it is a smooth glassy wave that forms over a rock shelf during the flooding tide.  The wave is clean, glassy and green up until about 10 knots of current. When it gets above 10 knots the wave foams out and is not as easy to ride.  Above 10 knots the whirlpools, boils and waves also get considerably harder to deal with if you fall off the main wave.  For the brave few, the wave also greens out again at around 14-15 knots but the mess behind the wave gets pretty scary....maybe next trip.

We made the trip up to Egmont the night before our surf day and camped at the put in at the Backeddy Resort and Marina. From here it's about a 30 minute paddle into the wave...or a 45 minute walk.....or a 2 hour trek through the woods on a mountain bike with 4 boards on a homemade trailer(see video).
Sketchy gear shuttle into Skook

I paddled into the wave on a Starboard Coast Runner towing my 9'0" Starboard Converse which worked out very well.  We had a tough headwind but we made it there much faster than Dan on his bike. When I arrived on my board the wave was just starting to form.  It's amazing how fast the current builds, one minute you would think you were in Deep Cove on a glassy morning and the next minute you start to see eddy lines forming and boils and whirlpools beginning to form downstream.

The glassy wave is best surfed on a Sea Kayak or SUP so we shared the wave with a few sea kayak friends from Deep Cove.  I started the session waiting for the wave to get bigger so I decided to try surfing the Coast Runner.  14' of board was a little bit challenging to move around but once I got it on the wave it held pretty well.

As the wave built to the max current speed of 9.2 knots we had a nice steep wave that held some shorter boards in very nicely.  We even got a little bit of sunshine to dry us out.  My board of choice on the wave is my 9'0" x 30" Starboard Converse.  I feel like it has just the right amount of stability and maneuverability.  Other boards that worked really well were the Starboard Whopper 10'x34", the Starboard Element 9'8"x30" and when the wave was steep we had some fun on the 8"5x29 Starboard Pro.

After an awesome day of surfing we spent the evening at the Backeddy Resort and Marina...(and Pub). I went to bed ready for another day of surfing and an even steeper wave.  I awoke to torrential rain that wouldn't let up. After a quick breakfast we packed up and got on the water.  The rain still hadn't stopped and I was glad to have my Kokatat Drysuit instead of a wetsuit.  I literally lived in my drysuit for 2 days and managed to stay warm and comfortable in some pretty ugly west coast weather.

We surfed our way through the rain and had some awesome surfs.  The wave foamed out pretty quick but there was still a small pocket of green wave that we could stay in.  Dan was working the little pocket really well, carving in and out of the foam.

The sun finally decided to show itself after about 11 straight hours of pouring rain and we had a nice paddle back from the wave....The only downside being that now we had 3 people and 6 boards to paddle out.  Chris towed one board behind the 11' Starboard Slick he was on.  I managed to stack my 9'0 onto the 10' Whopper and paddle them out together.  Dan put together his Search and Destroy Rig which consisted of a 14' Coast Runner, drybags, camera bags, rolling luggage and an 8'5 Starboard Pro duct taped to the nose.

As if two days of surfing wasn't enough, we decided to get back to Vancouver and run the Capilano River the next day.  The Cap was running at a lower level which made it a little bit rocky but there was enough water to have a lot of fun through some of the rapid sections. The Starboard Astro Whopper was the right tool for the job here, very stable and could handle getting bounced off the odd rock. There aren't too many Stand Up Paddlers running rivers yet but I can see some potential for the sport to grow.  It was very challenging but a lot of fun and I was very glad to have Dan in front of me so I could follow/copy everything he did.  I'm stoked to get out there some more and hit up some more rivers.

Overall, it was an awesome weekend hanging out with some top paddlers in the industry. Thanks a lot to Dan Gavere and Nikki Gregg for coming up to see what BC has to offer for Stand Up Paddlers.  Also a huge thanks to Chris Emerick for shooting photos all weekend, hanging out and paddling.  And a big thanks to Starboard SUP, Werner Paddles, Kokatat Watersports Gear and Deep Cove Outdoors....without them I would be cold, wet and swimming.

Tour de Indian Arm 2012 Recap

2 weeks of beautiful weather that just couldn't hang on for one more day!  The first rain in days didn't keep the racers at home over the weekend for another instalment of the growing Tour de Indian Arm Paddlesport Race.

In the past the race has been primarily a Surf Ski and Kayak race but the growing SUP division made up a good share of the racers this weekend.  Last years race was the first to feature SUP as a category and we had a total of 12 racers.  This year we had a total of 31 Stand Up Racers in a variety of categories, not a bad turn out for an early season race in the rain.

As many are aware by now, this was the first race in the brand new BC SUP CUP Race Series.  Racers who competed in this race will gain points that will go towards their final placement in the series after the Final Race in August out at Jericho Beach.

The race began with the double surf skis, then surf skis, then the short course kayaks and finally the Stand Up Paddlers.  I was lined up in the middle of the pack on the line and hoped to get a quick start. Getting stuck in a tight group with other paddlers right off the start makes it difficult to put in good strong strokes so I always try to get a quick jump.  I shortened up the grip on my new Werner Grand Prix and went for some high cadence paddling right off the start in an attempt to get away from the pack.  It worked fairly well but I still had a couple of people who stayed right behind me and I could see Norm Hann and Beau Whitehead pulling ahead from their respective positions off the start.

Rounding the corner towards Grey Rocks it looked like Beau and Norm were going to lead the way and the tighter race would be the one for 3rd place.  I was in a small pack with Yannick Michaud and Mathew Abbott and the three of us stayed pretty close for most of the race.  I stayed ahead until about halfway through the race  until Yannick started putting some good strokes in and pulled ahead of me. I knew I had to stay near him or catching up at the end would be tough.

I managed to stay close while an unnamed surf ski paddler was attempting to draft him and I think that distracted him.  I stayed a few board lengths behind until the final turn into Deep Cove where I had to try and give it my all to catch him. We ended in a sprint to the finish and I managed to pass Yannick right at the finish line...I think I won because I happened to get the last stroke in at the finish line, it was that close.  Good race Yannick!

There were some good battles I heard about out there including Greig Gjerdalen on his Naish 14' and Kristian Pearson (Starboard Rep) on his Starboard Carbon 14' Coast Runner.  Starboard came out on top on this day with Kristian making a good push to the finish.

Post race festivities included a BBQ, cold beverages and prizes!  We had a great selection of draw prizes from Sponsors like: Werner Paddles,  Starboard SUP, Kokatat, Think Kayaks, Clif Bar, Bartlett Tree Experts, Ryders Eyewear and more!

All in all, it was a great event despite the weather and I am looking forward to some more BC SUP Cup events this season!

Transport Canada Releases Statement about SUP's and PFD's

Hey All,

Check out the recent statement from Transport Canada regarding PFD usage for Stand Up Paddleboards.
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/marinesafety/debs-obs-resources-menu-4139.htm

While it is nothing groundbreaking it does show that they have been hearing the requests for specific rules and are beginning to make some changes.

David Johnston does a great job summing up the article in his website at Paddlinginstructor.com
http://www.paddlinginstructor.com/safety/4513-transport-canada-compromises-and-makes-a-ruling-on-sup-pfd-use.html

I think that he makes an excellent point that I have to agree with, when he says
 "They have a hard enough time trying to convince everybody just to bring a PFD (let alone wear it) when in a boat that it really confuses the message to say it’s ok for one type of vessel but not the other"


We'll see if any more changes are made by Transport Canada but I have a feeling that this is where the regulation changes will stop regarding Stand Up Paddleboards and Transport Canada.

Werner Grand Prix Paddle Review

After putting my order in back in January I have been waiting patiently to get the new Werner Grand Prix Paddle in my hands and finally that day came last week.  Werner has spent time developing this paddle as a pure race paddle and with the change in blade shape and drastic drop in weight it sounded quite promising. After a couple training paddles, one down-winder and two races the Grand Prix didn’t disappoint.

Out of the Box:

My first reaction when I picked up the paddle is that it was very light. The swing weight was minimal and felt considerably lighter than the other ‘high end’ paddles at our shop. I was slightly concerned that the drop in weight would result in a lack of stiffness.  I ordered the mid-size blade which comes in at 98 square inches for blade size. The size is about the same as the Werner Nitro but it is slightly shorter and a little bit wider.  Werner has a pretty unique handle on all of their paddles and the updated carbon version feels comfortable and reduces the weight even further.   I also liked the updated logos on the blade, the yellow logo looks great and stands out in a crowd of similar paddles…Appearance is everything after all.

Racing and Touring:

I glued the handle on and went for a short down-wind paddle that afternoon. The blade feels great through the water with it’s dihedral shape and didn’t flutter.  I liked the narrow blade which allowed for a quick stroke rate and kept my stroke close to the board.  I tend to prefer a faster stroke rate rather than longer more powerful strokes and I felt that the reduction in weight didn’t translate to a lack of stiffness.  Maybe a bigger stronger paddler would notice more flexibility but it felt pretty stiff to me.

It didn’t take me long to get used to the paddle but I did find that during the down-wind paddle and even when the wind picked up while I was racing; the paddle was so light that when switching hands it gets blown around in the wind quite easily.  Not sure if that is a con or something I just need to get used to.

I know that over a long day of touring or racing that any reduction in weight is a blessing and I’m excited to use the paddle for this season of racing.

Final Thoughts:

I think that once people start getting this paddle in their hands and giving it a try we will see plenty of them on the water.  With 3 different blade sizes and the option of Werner’s bent shaft there should be a paddle to fit everyone.  The paddle will easily compete with the Quickblade Kanaha Elite Racer and is actually lighter and cheaper.  If you are interested in trying the paddle we will soon have two for demo at the Deep Cove Canoe and Kayak Centre waterfront location.  A bent shaft and straight shaft will be available for demo.

 If you are ready to buy they will also soon be in our retail store Deep Cove Outdoors and retail for $389.  Werner has donated a Grand Prix paddle to be given away as a draw prize at the Tour de Indian Arm race coming up on May 20^th so come out and race and you might walk away with a brand new paddle! 

BC SUP CUP!

British Columbia, Canada - (March 21, 2012) - The athletes have spoken!  BC is getting competitive on the Standup Paddleboard stage and proud to announce the formation of the first BC CUP Championship Racing Series.
This summer, both competitive and recreational paddlers will get a chance to compete in a formal series that stops at several well-established race events across the province – Four unique events that capture the full essence of Standup Paddleboard racing in Beautiful British Columbia, complete with year-end awards and titles. 
It’s a step in the right direction allowing BC to be at the forefront in developing the competitive level of SUP racing and the series welcomes all levels of paddlers who can choose to compete in the Competitive or Recreational classes – A great chance to experience the thrill of racing on BC’s waterways in a variety of conditions including flatwater ocean, lakes and surf-race.   Introducing the 2012 BC SUP CUP:

·         #1 – May 20, Deep Cove – (Tour de Indian Arm) ‘Season Opener’

·         #2 – June 23-24, Vernon (Kalamalka Classic SUP Festival)  ‘The Classic’

o   June 23 – Short Course – 12’6, Junior, Surfboard

o   June 24 – Long Course – 14’

·         #3 – July 15, Tofino – (Surf SUP Island Series #2)  ‘Surf Race’

·         Final – August 26 – (Vancouver SUP Challenge)  ‘Grand Finale’

To make the series accessible to as many athletes as possible, your top score for any one of the three BC SUP CUP races plus the BC SUP CUP Finale’ will be combined for year-end scores and awards.  To qualify for a year-end ranking and award, athletes must attend and compete in the final race.  BC SUP CUP titles will awarded at the final race along with other awards and sponsor prizes.

Racing Classes: (Year end titles) *

·         14’ Men

·         14’ Women

·         12’6” Women

·         12’6” Men

·         Junior Men (18 & Under)

·         Junior Women (18 & Under)

·         12’2” & Under Surfboard Women

·         12’2” & Under Surfboard Men

              * (Additional formats, qualifications and rules to be announced)

An exciting season SUP Racing is less than two months away so it’s time to start getting ready!  The series welcomes sponsors and partners as we continue to build up the premier Provincial racing series in Western Canada. 

About the Organizers
The 2012 BC SUP CUP Series is a collaborative effort between Gary Parsons, Kevin O’Brien, Mike Darbyshire and Stuart Robinson – The respective race organizers from the various events.  With their diverse backgrounds in Standup Paddlesurf and other water and land based sports, the group has joined forces to bring the series to life and help further develop Canadian athletes.   The group will next launch a basic website to keep everyone informated and educated.  See you on the water! 

SUP Surf Course

Hey Paddlers,

Want to learn how to surf? 
Norm Hann and I have just set a date for another SUP Surf Course in Tofino. The 2 day course runs on Sunday March 25th and Monday March 26th. 2 nights of beachfront accommodation is included and participants can arrive in the afternoon on Saturday March 24th. For more information please contact Norm or myself! Space is limited so sign up quick!
Mike Darbyshire: school@deepcovekayak.com
Norman John Hann: norm@mountainsurfadventures.com

Paddlesurfing in Mexico!

Hey Everyone,

I love Canada and I am definitely a cold water paddler/surfer....but it felt pretty darn good to surf in nothing but board shorts.  I missed my 5mm wetsuit, booties, gloves and hood...ok fine I didn't miss it that much.  Check out my Youtube Channel and my Recent photos to see some vids and pics of my recent trip to Mexico.

Cheers!