Next Meeting Tuesday February 1, 2005 Van. Maritime Museum 7:30 p.m. Speaker: Karen Jettmar of Equinox Expeditions Topic: “Kayaking among the Glacial Giants of Alaska’s North Pacific Coast” * * * Tuesday March 1, 2005 Van. Maritime Museum 7:30 p.m. Speaker: Anna Christensen, Curriculum Development Director of Wilderness Alert & Author of Mis-Adventure: Rise to the Challenge - A Step by step Guide to Accident Handling Topic: “First Aid in the Wilderness” an experiential ‘workshop’ for kayakers TO PROMOTE FELLOWSHIP, SAFETY, THE EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION AND SKILLS; TO ENCOURAGE CONCERN AND RESPECT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND ABOVE ALL, TO ENJOY SEA KAYAKING In Vancouver, our Indian summer had been exceptional, but it was October and I knew it had to end. Sure enough it did, bringing cold and damp weather by mid-week. I was left humming a Moody Blues’ tune “if you gotta go, ya you better go now”. Fortunate for me, I’d reserved a two night camp over with three full days of kayaking and exploring on California’s Santa Cruz Island. On a fog free Ventura California day, you can gaze twenty five miles across the Santa Barbara Channel and see Santa Cruz Island. Its 96 square miles area with 77 miles of jagged coastline and 2,000 foot cliffs makes it the largest island in the Channel Islands National Park, otherwise known as California’s Galapagos. You can study nature or history, hike or explore the sea caves by kayak. Like the Galopagos, the Channel Islands were always isolated from the mainland. A product of tectonic upheaval. However, birds, animals along with seeds made the crossing before glaciers dredged the channel too wide to cross or return. In time, unique plants and animals developed there. The tiny Island Fox, the giant Island Scrub Jay and eight species of plants that can only be found on the Channel Islands. You’ll find underwater marine parks, marshes, grasslands, craggy cliffs and groves of eucalyptus and pine on the islands. There is a total of 145 endemic species of plants and animals and Santa Cruz hosts 60 of them. Off shore, on islets or cliffs, are large colonies of nesting sea birds including the endangered California Brown Pelican. Xantus’s Murrelets and Ashy Storm Petrels nest there also, neighbours to seals and sea lions, dolphins and divers marine life. There is even a bat cave. I hope you are intrigued to read on. I was intrigued by the islands and I even got Rosemary to accompany me – bonus. It takes two days to drive to Ventura Harbour. From there, Island Packers Charters will ferry you and your (continued on page 4) Upcoming Events Robbie Burns Evening Saturday, January 29, 2005 Time: 6 pm - 11 pm Vancouver Museum - downstairs January 2005 PADDLE: the SKABC Newsletter California’s Santa Cruz Island
Transcript
Next Meeting
TuesdayFebruary 1, 2005
Van. Maritime Museum7:30 p.m.
Speaker: Karen Jettmar ofEquinox Expeditions
Topic: “Kayaking among the Glacial Giants of Alaska’s North
Pacific Coast”
* * *Tuesday
March 1, 2005Van. Maritime Museum
7:30 p.m.
Speaker: Anna Christensen,Curriculum Development Director
of Wilderness Alert & Author of Mis-Adventure: Rise to the
Challenge - A Step by step Guide to Accident Handling
Topic: “First Aid in the Wilderness” an experiential ‘workshop’ for
kayakers
TO PROMOTE FELLOWSHIP, SAFETY, THE EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION AND SKILLS; TO ENCOURAGE CONCERN AND RESPECT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND ABOVE ALL,
TO ENJOY SEA KAYAKING
In Vancouver, our Indian summer had been exceptional, but it was October and I knew it had to end. Sure enough it did, bringing cold and damp weather by mid-week. I was left humming a Moody Blues’ tune “if you gotta go, ya you better go now”. Fortunate for me, I’d reserved a two night camp over with three full days of kayaking and exploring on California’s Santa Cruz Island.
On a fog free Ventura California day, you can gaze twenty five miles across the Santa Barbara Channel and see Santa Cruz Island. Its 96 square miles area with 77 miles of jagged coastline and 2,000 foot cliffs makes it the largest island in the Channel Islands National Park, otherwise known as California’s Galapagos. You can study nature or history, hike or explore the sea caves by kayak.
Like the Galopagos, the Channel Islands were always isolated from the mainland. A product of tectonic upheaval. However, birds, animals along with seeds made the crossing before glaciers dredged the channel too wide to cross or return. In time, unique plants and animals developed there. The tiny Island Fox, the giant Island Scrub Jay and eight species
of plants that can only be found on the Channel Islands. You’ll find underwater marine parks, marshes, grasslands, craggy cliffs and groves of eucalyptus and pine on the islands. There is a total of 145 endemic species of plants and animals and Santa Cruz hosts 60 of them.
Off shore, on islets or cliffs, are large colonies of nesting sea birds including the endangered California Brown Pelican. Xantus’s Murrelets and Ashy Storm Petrels nest there also, neighbours to seals and sea lions, dolphins and divers marine life. There is even a bat cave. I hope you are intrigued to read on. I was intrigued by the islands and I even got Rosemary to accompany me – bonus.
It takes two days to drive to Ventura Harbour. From there, Island Packers Charters will ferry you and your
(continued on page 4)
Upcoming EventsRobbie Burns Evening
Saturday, January 29, 2005Time: 6 pm - 11 pmVancouver Museum - downstairs
January 2005 PADDLE: the SKABC Newsletter
California’s Santa Cruz Island
Editorial
Hope everyone had a great time over Christmas and New Years.
To my joy, an article was submitted to the newsletter and I had something to publish. Thanks to Mike McCarten, we are getting a newsletter in January. The publication lives and can only survive by support from its members. It needs stories (or at least a story) for it to go to print. I’ve been getting a few emails and phone calls asking when the newsletter is going to be sent because they hadn’t receive it last month. Well, if the membership wants a monthly newsletter, send me articles (please note: I don’t re-type hard copy). Your submissions need to be in a Word document and sent to me by email as an attachment. Don’t phone and ask if I’m interested, just send it to me. It doesn’t need to be a story relating to a club sanctioned trip. It can be on anything related to sea kayaking. Although, there are some stories about club events that haven’t been submitted, i.e. the surfing course in Tofino, the strokes and rescue course in West Vancouver, the annual trip to Gambier, the circumnavigation of Bowen. Where are the stories for these events? Also welcome are independent trips, i.e. where you put in, what the beach was like, points on interest, hazards, encounters with whales, tugs, ferries. Anyone want to tell the membership about gel coating their boat, best way to store a kayak in the winter, preparation for an extended trip. In order to have a vibrant monthly newsletter, I need your submissions.
And thank you Maureen for submitting your accounting of the trip to Westham Island.
Please send me your articles. My email address is: [email protected] look forward to hear from you.
Blair Mann
If you have articles, ads for items you’d like to sell, photos or comments, you can send them by email to:
$45.00 for one year and is pro-rated for new members only.
SKABC Mailing Address:Box 751, Station “A”
Vancouver, BC V6C 2N6
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January 2005 PADDLE: the SKABC Newsletter
Now AvailableThe new Navigation DVD at a one time deal to Club Members of SKABC, PIKA, Cork and Kelowna Canoe and Kayak Club at 20% of the retail price.
Cost is $39.95 less 20% plus tax. I would deliver them at no cost to a downtown location.This is very well done with the primary instructor being John Dawson and includes John Dowd, Shelley Johnston and Lee Moyer.
If anyone in the Club is interested, please send orders to Steve Moon.
SKABC RadiosFive are available free of charge tomembers participating in club trips.
Please note: A RadioOperator’s Certificate isstrongly recommended.
If you don’t have a VHF radio,cell phones are an option areaswith available coverage. Dial *16to connect directly with the Vancouver Coast Guard Radio or*311 to directly connect to theVictoria RCC (Rescue CoordinationCentre). Or dial 911
Reflective DecalsFor Sale
One of the biggest safety issues on the water is our low profile and poor visibility to power craft operators.Reflecting decals make your kayak and your paddle strokes visible from a great distance, even on sunny days!Now you can purchase decals that stick well on paddle blades and on hulls/decks of kayaks. A set of reflective decals including 6 smalldecals and three large decals, all printed with the SKABC logo, costs a mere $5.00.
Decals are available at club meetings.
Club Meeting DatesFor 2005
First Tuesday of the month@ 7:30 PM
Vancouver Museum in thePlanetarium
Message Boardin
Yahoo GroupsTo join you have to go tohttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/skabc/.If you do not already have a freeyahoo profile you will have toestablish one.I approve new memberships tothe group; I will check newmemberships against the publishedmembership list beforeapproval, so I need to be able tofind your email address in themembership list.This message board should beuseful for selling stuff, organizingtrips, and discussing issuesaffecting club members.Please email me any comments toEdwin Bussey: [email protected]
A Paddleto
Westham IslandNovember 11th, 2004
As arranged, eight of us met at the dock at 10:30 a.m. and were on the water by 11:10. We arrived in the mist, but by the time we set out, the sun was already breaking through and we enjoyed sun on our faces for the rest of the paddle. We headed up to the North East tip of Westham then back to have lunch on the dock at the rowing club and back to Captain’s Cove by 3:00 p.m. A round trip of 10 miles, completed in four hours. A perfect B2 rating.
Thanks to Bruce for volunteering to be our fearless leader and to all who joined to make a thoroughly enjoyable paddle.
Submitted by Maureen Benzon
Christmas PartyThe Christmas Party was well attended by 40 people.
All enjoyed a great festive meal. The turkey was cooked to perfection by Jake and was organized by Sue McLeish with help by Kathleen and Julie.
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middle. I was told to set my watch by the afternoon breeze and to head north in the morning and let the wind bring me home in the late afternoon. It was good advice and made paddling easier. The first afternoon the breeze was already up so we went in some of the closer caves. The routine with sea caves is to wear your helmet and headlight and don’t go in if you don’t have a guide and are unsure of the swells. This worked well for us and depending on the tide we got to go in some and not some others. Most are quite small paddle in -- back out caves. Some have two entrances. One has a blue-green bottom. Some are scary, some are well lit and not scary. The bat cave is closed but was too far anyway. The day we tried paddling to it, we rounded Cavern point and explored a trio of caves named Neptune’s Trident. Wanting to continue on but being the only two out there with wind and waves picking up we chose to return. Leave some caves for next visit I say.
If you like snorkeling, the water is clear and California’s national fish, the bright orange Garibaldi (where have I heard that before), will show you around the gorgeous kelp beds. They are impossible to take a picture of from a kayak. One highlight are the thousands of California Brown Pelicans roosting on the guano encrusted islets. A pelican is a very majestic bird, except when he plunges headlong into the waves. Their
(continued on page 5)
kayak to the Channel Islands. They share an office with the National Park Service. You’ll need to register and pay first if you intend to camp. You can rent boats in the harbour or as I did, arrange a package trip online. Two local options are Island Kayakers or Island Kayaking. Also, the San Diego Kayaking Club often leads trips there (go to: http://www.sdkc.org/tripsreports/santacruz/ if you really want a good kayak story on Santa Cruz …but please read mine too). One note: I heard they don’t like to fuss with fiberglass boats, only roto-molds. So better check if you plan to bring your own boat.
The company I chose provided self-guided tours (a kayak, helmet, PFD, a good map and a good talking to before boarding). They were very accommodating and informative. They reserved and paid for couple of nights camping and the transportation and kayak and loading. It came to US $120 each. That’s three days of fun – a very good deal.
California sea lions bid us a safe trip out of Ventura harbour. The hour and a half crossing was very choppy and we passed by an apartment sized oil derrick in mid-channel. We were treated to a sighting of a small Blue whale and a Humpback whale from the two-tiered hydrofoil assisted ferry. The Humpback was spectacular, breaching five times. I got four photos of the backs of peoples heads and one close-up photo of a minor tidal wave, but no whale.
We pulled into Scorpion Anchorage
and off-loaded the kayaks and gear. Leaving the kayaks on the beach I hoofed it ¼ mile past a very old Spanish Ranch house and into the campsite under a grove of huge eucalyptus trees and set up camp. Chumash Indians were having a ceremony at the sight. Spanish farmers lived here in the 18th and 19th centuries, but the Chumash were the first people to inhabit the island so it was appropriate they were there that week.
I headed straight back to the beach with Rosemary in tow, or the other way around. October water temperature is about as warm as it gets. I had brought a wet suit and my own life jacket, recommended for comfort, with me but did not need the suit as the water was semi-tropical at 70F. This was good because I forgot to mention we rented sit on top kayaks. Tide pools, sea caves and beaches were everywhere to explore, but first off, I had to try tipping my 15-foot Scupper Pro from Ocean Kayaks. It was kind of beat up but had hatches fore and aft, good for keeping things dry. I found the thing a snap to turn, hard to tip and scratchy to re-enter – oh well. Off we went to the first cave listed on the waterproof map provided.
It is probably best to give you a general idea of the caves. The map shows thirty caves within roughly a 2 ½ mile stretch of shoreline. Our landing being approximately in the
January 2005 PADDLE: the SKABC Newsletter
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Santa Cruz Islandcont’d.
numbers have made a spectacular recovery since the banning of DDT. In 1970 only one chick survived.
I would love another visit here. I saw the giant Scrub Jay, but not the tiny Island Fox. From the height of the cliffs, I saw a wonderful sunset over Santa Rosa Island. If Rosemary lets me go again, I want to watch the morning sunrise over Anacapa Island.
Written and photos by:Mike McCarten
Tsunami AwardThe Tsunami Award is an annual award given to a member voted by the membership for outstanding contribution and years of service to the club.
Votes for the Tsunami Award are still being accepted. The votes will be counted in February. The award will be handed out to the winner in either in March or April.
Please send the vote for your choice to Steve Moon at:[email protected]
The Executive will set up a sub-committee to oversee the votes and award a recipient.
* * * Editor’s Note * * *The use of the name “tsunami” in the context of this award has become inappropriate considering the resent disaster in Asia. I have been informed that the Executive will be discussing a name change for the award at their next meeting.
If any members have suggestions for a new name, please send them to Steve Moon at: [email protected]
Blair Mann
President’s MessageTo All Members ... I hope you get to explore new boundaries.
Please help the club to grow by donating your time and energy, come out to our monthly meetings, support your newsletter by submitting articles and have a safe kayaking year.
TRAINING OFFICER Urgently Needed
At press time, we still do not have a Training Officer.
If we cannot fill the position, it will mean that NO courses will be offered this year.
We have people who will offer their time to give courses, but we need a volunteer to organize pools, dates and put dates to courses. In short, we need a coordinator.
If you are interested, please contact Steve Moon at:604-298-0893.
DisclaimerKayaking is inherently a risky activity involving unpredictable weather and water conditions. All SKABC trips are considered to involve “groups of common adventurers”.
Trip participants must personally assess the risks involved in relation to their own level of skills and experience and are solely responsible for their own safety. The publication of kayak trips in this newsletter, on the website and elsewhere does not imply SKABC’s endorsement of the trip itinerary, the coordinator’scompetency or safety practices involved.
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Club Property LogThis is a list of club property and where it currently residesDescription Held By NoteBanner 1 Steve Moon
Banner 2 Steve Moon
BBQ (propane) Steve Moon
Computer Heather Kirk
Display stand Tony Clayton
First Aid Kit Karin Rennert
Flipchart / whiteboard Steve Moon
Library Ray Saadien
SKABC Club brochures Tony Clayton
SKABC Club Business Cards Paul Rae
Collection of Marine Charts Dan Wicke
VHF Radio 1 Tim Morris Head Caretaker K Rennert
VHF Radio 2 Cindy Carson Head Caretaker K Rennert
VHF Radio 3 Karin Rennert Head Caretaker K Rennert
VHF Radio 4 Rob Leeson Head Caretaker K Rennert
VHF Radio 5 Dan Wicke Head Caretaker K Rennert
Date Destination Class Coordinator, Contact, Trip Description
Day Trips
Wednesdays Various Varies Paul Rae (604-987-0523). Weekly day trips most Wednesdays. Call trips line for trip location and times.
Late March Day trip out of Lions Bay
A1 Coordinator needed. On the water leader Tony Clayton.
Spring Fisherman’s Cove C2 (17 kms each way)
Maureen Benzon (604-929-1035, [email protected])Launch at Ambleside and paddle up to Fisherman’s Cove for lunch. Bruce suggested that non-kayaking partners (if there is such a thing) can join us for lunch and bring along a BBQ Leader Bruce Caird.
Spring Burnette Park B1/B2 (10 kms each way)
Maureen Benzon (604-929-1035, [email protected])Launch Deep Cove and paddle to Burnette Park for lunch - this can be open to families with non-kayaking partners.
Monday evenings April 2005
Indian Arm A1/A2 Maureen Benzon (604-929-1035, [email protected]) 2hr (possibly 3hrs depending on the daylight and strength of the group) beginner paddles on Indian Arm
Weekend TripsEarly June Gambier Island B1 Geraldine MacLear (604-984-2682 [email protected])
August 21 - 27 Johnston Straight B3 Maureen Benzon (604-929-1035, [email protected])5 days on the water - whale watching, some currents, Alert Bay for the Sea Fest. On-water leader needed.
2004 – 2005 SKABC Trips(Last Updated: December 12, 2004)
