Pedder Bay Mini Vacation

Robyn and I were able to get away for a mini vacation at the Pedder Bay RV Resort and Marina over this past weekend prior to gearing up for the Victoria's Largest Little Airshow next weekend. Other than just taking it easy for once we planned to do a little birding, hiking, playing in our kayaks and try to catch some crabs. That's our way of taking things easy! LOL

Unfortunately the winds were averaging 20-35 kts around Race Rocks all weekend and it blew pretty hard in camp too but at least it was sunny and warm. Although we didn't get to do as much kayaking as we wanted to we did manage to set our crab trap a couple of days.

Robyn in her Wilderness Systems 155 Zephyr loving the sun.

Our Friday set produced good results with 2 very large female dungeness which were released but we also had a large male that became our dinner that night. Yum!!

Let's just say that we are getting pretty good at catching crabs from a kayak.

Our Saturday set wasn't as successful with only a couple of small red rock crabs which managed to scamper out of the trap on their own. It's not uncommon to see at least 50 traps set in Pedder Bay during the busy summer months which probably depletes the fishery too.

Birding wasn't as good as we hoped for due to the high winds but we did catch glimpses of the usual suspects such as American Goldfinches, House Finches, Chestnut-Backed Chickadees, Orange-Crowned Warblers and Spotted Towhees. While hiking one morning we tried to stealth our way closer to a couple of Belted Kingfishers but they reacted to the slightest movement or noise and flew away before I could get a good picture.

While kayaking we did come across a very friendly Pigeon Guillemot that followed close by for a short period of time. Although I didn't have my good DSLR Canon camera our Fuji XP's captured a few good shots for identification purposes.

A Pigeon Guillemot with its bright red legs 

Sitting around camp on Saturday afternoon a couple approached us asking if we were Mark & Robyn (Oh Oh! LOL) and although they looked familiar I couldn't put names to their faces. It turns out that they were Duncan and Joan Barwise who are fellow kayakers based sometimes in Maple Bay, BC and sometimes in Scotland and blog about their adventures at Oceanpax. We have been following each other on social media for the past several years but up until this day we had never met in person. It turns out that they were scouting kayak launch locations around Victoria and knew we were at Pedder Bay because of one of my Facebook posts so they stopped by to see us. Nice!! It was great to meet them in person and share stories and if your want to read about some fabulous kayaking experiences in Scotland you have to check out their blog!

On Sunday we actually did relax spending most of the time around camp reading, composing this blog post, walking to the marina for ice cream and watching the latest episode of Big Brother. Yes we lead a hectic lifestyle! LOL

Distance: 6.86 nm (12.70 km) -3 crab sets

P&H Aries 155 – Really?

Friday July 28, 2017

I recently upgraded my play kayak from a polyethylene P&H Delphin 155 to a composite P&H Aries 155 and something just didn’t seem right with it. Other than the construction of the the two kayaks they do look similar in design but the Aries is considerably more maneuverable, comfortable and faster than the Delphin but there was always something ……..

What's wrong with this picture?

Today I figured it out when we were getting ready to paddle and  my Aries 155 was sitting next to Robyn’s polyethylene Wilderness Systems Zephyr 155. The sterns were aligned perfectly but when I went to the bow ends my Aries extended a considerable distance past Robyn’s Zephyr. Can you picture my face with that look of confusion? OK, I agree that some of you might see the confusion look a lot so stop rolling your eyes. LOL

Both the Wilderness Systems Zephyr and P&H Aries are 155's

Anyway, at first I thought that Robyn’s cheaper plastic kayak must be undersized and actually could be a 15 foot kayak. 

Sidebar #1: In my kayak world when a kayak is identified with the number 155 it means that it is 15.5 feet long. But …. hold on, that’s only my assumption!

Robyn being a smarty pants then said “do you have a tape measure?” and I did the rolling eyes as I walked to the truck thinking yeah I carry one of those around with me all the time. To my surprise inside the hidey hole of the console I found a little white unopened box and I brought it back to Robyn knowing what was inside .. 

The limited edition Hartley's
 Autobody tape measure

LOL ... Yup, a tape measure courtesy of Hartley’s Autobody that I got probably 10 years ago and totally forgot about until I found it today.

Sidebar #2: My buddy Hartley Hughson who owns Hartley’s Autobody retired today …. weird coincidence huh?? 

So anyway, we put the Hartley’s Autobody tape measure to work and sure enough Robyn's Wilderness Systems 155 kayak was actually 15.5 feet long or for those of you who still might be confused that's … 15' 6" long! Now I’m thinking WTH (what the heck) and measured my more expensive composite P&H Aries 155 and sure enough it was 485cm / 191 inches or 15'10.9452"  (so let's just say it's 15 feet, 11 inches to make things easier) so wouldn't that also make it a 159 in kayak numerology? 

191 inches or 485cm would make it 15'10.91" or maybe a 159? LOL

Now I'm thinking this is quite amusing and decided to check out the specs and sure enough the Aries is listed at 485cm in length or 15'9" imperial. LOL Really? 485cm is 15'9"? LOL You try the calculations for yourself.

In any case, I love everything about my P&H Aries 155 no matter how long it's supposed to be because size really doesn't matter. Time to go paddle!

Sidebar #3: The Hartley Autobody tape measure is now a collectors item now that Hartley has retired and so I'm taking bids for it. Shipping and handling are the responsibility of the successful bidder.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

During the summer of 2014 we saw it happening right before our eyes. Sea stars were dying off from a mysterious wasting syndrome and it was effecting every species of sea stars. The ochre star (Pisaster ochraceus), the most abundant of the sea stars along the BC coastline started to show signs of decay until they totally disappeared. Unfortunately the disease wasn't isolated to our coastline and soon millions of sea stars along the whole west coast of North America from Alaska to California died off. Although there have been similar events during the 70's, 80's and 90's they all seem to be the direct result of warmer ocean temperatures. 

Earlier this year I was paddling around Trial Island and noticed several tiny ochre stars no more than a couple inches across. I was pleasantly surprised and wondered if the sea star populations were making a comeback? This past weekend I was on Thetis Island which is located a few miles off Chemainus, BC and while there I spent some time beach combing during the very low tides of less than 1 foot. Approximately 3 to 4 feet below the high water mark I started spotting that familiar deep purple of ochre stars in every nook and cranny of the rocky terrain. Along a stretch of coastline less than 1000 feet I estimated that there were several hundred ochre stars that were about 7 to 9 inches across and they all looked very healthy. There also was a very good population of leather stars (Dermasterias imbricata) and a few large pink sea stars (Pisaster brevispinus).

Only time will tell if global warming will increase the regularity of warmer ocean temperatures and what effect it will have on the sea stars. It's a wonderful story of the sea stars recovery and hopefully the next die off event won't be permanent.  

Ochre sea stars

Leather sea star

Chillaxin at James Island and Sidney Island

Today we decided to just chill and relax or a combination of both known as chillaxin and so we did a short paddle from Sidney over to James Island to set our crab trap. Then it was another short paddle over to Sidney Island where we found a nice quiet sandy beach to have lunch, nap and just chillax. It felt really good to soak up the warm sun and watch life go by.

Robyn hauls the "new and proven" larger crab trap out to James Island

Just a bit of wind against current action crossing over to Sidney Island

Chillaxin! Watching the crab run to our trap. LOL

Time to check what's in the trap.

It's all about location. No dungeness today but a couple of nice size red rock.
Steak and crab for dinner tonight!!

Distance: 7.21 nm (13.35 km)

Power To Go - Goal Zero

Some might think that having the ability to communicate with the outside world while doing single day or multi-day kayaking trips is just wrong. The fact is, we live in a society that relies upon the rapidly changing technology and social media that has become part of our every day lives.

Even when paddling off the grid Robyn and I rely upon devices like a VHF radio to receive weather reports and hopefully not send out a distress call. We send SPOT messages daily to our loved ones telling them that we are OK and once again hopefully not send out a distress message. We record images or video of our adventures on our multiple cameras to share with our followers. We read or listen to music on our Apple devices and we're able to see around camp after the sun goes down using our headlamps. And here is the big taboo for some folks .... engage in social media, chat or answer emails on our iPhones. Guilty as charged! LOL

The one drawback about our technology is that they all require electrical power and it needs to be rationed carefully ...... unless you have the ability to recharge! For the past 5 years we have been using a couple of 6600 mAh ProLine Universal Portable Power Bank units that I first blogged about in June 2012. They have worked great but their ability to hold a charge has decreased over time and once depleted they just become extra weight to carry around.

On our recent 10-day Gulf Islands trip where we did use social media daily to post our activities and the Power Bank units were depleted well before the last day which made me think about investing in a solar charging set up when we got home. Some of my solar charging "wants" were having the ability to charge directly to a device, charge to a battery which then could charge multiple devices at night or when there is no sun, ease of use, compact and light, expandable in terms of adding on extra features and finally something that wouldn't break the bank account. Having a couple of MEC gift cards helped in my case and so I did a little research on the Goal Zero line of products that MEC carries.

For our needs I decided on the Goal Zero Nomad 7 Plus Solar Panel ($130 at MEC) that is smaller and lighter than my iPad when folded up. Some of the features listed by Goal Zero include a rugged and modular detachable kickstand providing optimum angle placement, natural shade for charging devices and a vented pocket for temperature regulation. Weatherproof layering easily sloughs rain and snow. Solar Capacity: 7W (8-9V), Power Output via USB 1.4A (7W) and weighing only 12.8 oz.

Small, light and well built the Nomad 7 Plus solar panel

4 LED's indicate solar strength and charge speed.

Another great feature is the Solar Intensity Indicator + Junction Box. This is where the brains of the Nomad 7 Plus live. The easy-to-read LED indicator displays strength of solar conditions and I receive immediate feedback on panel-to-sun placement to improve solar charging experience.

Check out a video from the guys who made it ... yup the engineers here!

I also chose the Goal Zero Venture 30 Recharger ($135.00 at MEC) which is charged by the Nomad 7 Plus. It has a battery capacity of 7800 mAh delivering 30Wh (3.6V) through (2) 4.8A USB ports, (1) Micro USB port, weighs 8.8 oz. and has an IPX6 weatherproof rating.  Being Solar Ready™ with a Built-in Charging Tip there are no extra cables to lose. During my initial charge testing it took only 4 hours from the USB on my computer and less than 9 hours of full sun for the Nomad 7 Plus to fully charge.

Goal Zero says to dunk it, spray it, use it in the rain. Power that handles whatever Mother Nature can throw at you. No rubber plugs needed. Sounds kayaker ready to me!!

Check out another video from the guys who made it ... yup the engineers here! :-)

The Goal Zero Nomad 7 Plus solar panel and Venture 30 charging.

I mentioned expandability as being another "want" and Goal Zero delivers this to the end user. Having the ability to charge AA or AAA NiMh cells to power our GPS's or other cell dependent devices is a big plus. In the past we have used multiple sets of alkaline cells as back ups but we will be purchasing the Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus to use with our existing NiMh cells.

Now .... all we have to do is take our Goal Zero products off the grid to do some real testing. Yes ... I will be doing a follow up blog too!

SISKA Butchart Gardens Fireworks Paddle

July 8, 2017

This past Saturday night Robyn and I lead a paddle for the South Island Sea Kayaking Association and took 11 other paddlers on an evening tour to watch the Butchart Gardens fireworks from the water in Todd Inlet. It was a perfect evening for a night paddle with just a few clouds and a hint of a breeze.

Launching at 8:00pm near the Brentwood Bay ferry terminal we made our way through the moored boats led by the pace paddler Gary Jacek around the marinas into Todd Inlet and checked out the new beach that is part of the CRD restoration project for the inlet. Arriving at our small viewing beach Robyn passed around a big box of two bite brownies as we waited for the show to begin.

Right on time at 10:00pm we could hear the background music in the gardens followed by the customary glow of the low level pyrotechnics. We have watched the fireworks from this vantage point before and it never disappoints. The thunderous booms of the aerial rockets overhead could be felt in our bodies and echoed through the inlet.

Once the show ended we turned on our headlamps and Gary led us back out of the inlet towards the put in location next to the ferry dock. We did manage to catch a glimpse of the full moon and I heard a number of our paddlers ahead of me howling (at the moon) as we paddled :-). Robyn and I assisted the group packing up and we were on our way back home by 11:30pm.

A group shot at the end of the inlet.

Beverely and her sidekick "Bella" came along for the show too!

A quick stop at the new CRD beach. Pretty nice place for kayaks to land.

And ... one big rubber duck was also in the inlet. LOL

Getting ready for the fireworks at our little beach.

A pretty good show from our vantage point.

The low level part of the show looked like a forest fire but of course it wasn't.
 An interesting note is that when the show begins a very sophisticated sprinkler
system waters down the trees to prevent any fires.

Lots of very high rockets exploding over our heads followed by loud booms that we felt too!

Distance: 3.53 nm (6.53 km)

Coastal Fire Warning

It looks like coastal BC is in for a long hot summer and an open fire ban for 2017 has been implemented earlier than usual. This year's ban is over a month sooner than the 2016 fire ban that was from August 17th to September 1st.

Effective July 6th and until further notice, no open fires are permitted and for kayak campers like us this means not having a small fire to cook on or to have at the end of the day. The only exception at this time is the "Fog Zone", a 2 km or 1.079 nm wide strip along the west coast from Owen Point near Port Renfrew in the south to the boundary of the District of Port Hardy. Haida Gwaii is also not effected by the ban at this time.

For cooking purposes, CSA/ULC approved gas stoves such as Jetboil, MSR etc. using either liquid or gaseous fuel with a flame not exceeding 15 centimeters are permitted. For more information check the BC Government link here.

Fines for violating the campfire ban range from $1,150 up to $100,000 for a wildfire that spreads so think twice about where you are before staring a fire.

It's Been a While .... So Double Discovery Day!!

When did I last post???? Some time in the summer of 2016?? Ya ... lots of things have transpired since then. My ticker decided that it didn't want to stay in rhythm so I had that fixed in late November and passed my 6 month anniversary of sorts without any recurrences of A-Fib. So it looks like the surgery corrected the problem (Yea!!) and while I was recuperating I also found another new passion in photography. Specifically I love to shoot (take pictures :-) our avian friends and started a Facebook page of my work which you can see here Mark Byrne Photography  

We did get back onto the water in early April and since then Robyn and I have taken a trip to Surge Narrows on the Easter long weekend with a bunch of friends and Robyn bought me a P&H Aries 155 while I was test riding it! We then teamed up with our tripping friends Lynn, Morley and Gary for a Gulf Islands National Park Reserve trip May 12-21. It's been great to get back onto the water and this past weekend we even figured out how to fish for crab after 4 years of frustration. You know what they say .... "Go big or go home" and so we bought a bigger crab trap!!

July 2, 2017

This past Sunday morning we launched out of Cadboro Bay and dropped our new crab trap in a secret location (hahahaha) and then made our way across Baynes Channel to the Chatham / Discovery Islands. Arriving at a place known to us as the slot, I said "Hey, a dog" but I knew I was looking at the Coastal Wolf that has made its home on the islands since 2012. So cool!

It was great to finally see "Staqeva" watching us paddle by.

To the Songhees First Nations who govern the islands it is known as “Staqeya” (Wolf) and Robyn and I felt blessed to be greeted by him this morning. As we made our way along the shoreline he followed us and then began to howl as if he wanted us to stay.

 

The wolf lay down on a bluff and watched us as we continued on our way and although we felt that it must be lonely all by itself, one thing for sure was that it looked very healthy.

Our goal for the day was to paddle to the Discovery Island Marine Provincial Park located at Rudlin Bay and hope to see the wolf there but we also noticed that the westerly winds were picking up more than predicted with white caps visible beyond Discovery Island. Since the wolf had already seen us (LOL) we decided to head back to Cadboro Bay via the slot and see how our crab trap was doing. 

Robyn enjoying the calm conditions inside the islands

We heard the wolf howling at us as we approached the slot and then we spotted a bald eagle on a nearby beach looking at something. As I drifted closer I spotted a dead lingcod in the shallow water nearby and figured that the eagle must have been trying to figure out how to get the fish out of the water. I managed to scoop the lingcod up with my paddle but the eagle left just before I could retrieve it. 

What is the Bald Eagle looking at?

Eagle dinner!

Everyone knows that eagles have "eagle eyes" (LOL) and sure enough as soon as I threw it on top of a rocky islet it was heading my way. A couple of passes close by and the eagle came in and took my offering towards the tree tops on Greater Chatham Island. Another blessed moment interacting with nature.

Patiently waiting for the lingcod that I managed to scoop up 

We crossed back over Baynes Channel and found our crab trap float and as soon as I started hauling it up I had a feeling something might be inside because it was sure heavy. I think I might have even heard Robyn say "Octopus" in jest! LOL  To our surprise, after 4 years of no luck while kayak crabbing there were an assortment of dungeness and red rock crabs adding up to 11! We sorted through the legal size ones and released 6 including a single female leaving us with 5 nice size crabs to take home for dinner! Since there was still bait in the trap we decided to set it again and would come back the next day to see what an overnight soak would produce.

Oh yea, we got crab legs!!

Not a bad way to spend 4 hours of paddling by seeing a wolf, feeding an eagle and catching crab!

Distance: 7.62 nm (14.11 km)


July 3, 2017

The following morning we were joined by Gary Jacek in his recently purchased Delta 17 and headed out towards the crab trap. The sea conditions were much better than the day before so we decided to paddle to the Discovery Island Marine Provincial Park located at Rudlin Bay and pick up the trap on the way back.

Gary's first sea trial of his new Delta 17

New wolf signs at the park

Although we searched, we didn't spot or hear the wolf on this paddle but enjoyed a relaxing lunch at the park in the amazing warm sunshine. It was only recent that the park was reopened for day use due to family last year who arrived by a powerboat with a dog off leash (prohibited), and venturing out of bounds (prohibited) only to be greeted by the same wolf that we saw the day before. Fearing for their safety they called the Canadian Coast Guard and instead of holding the family accountable for their park violations the BC Government closed the park to all visitors while they could "study" the wolf's activities for the past year. Still ... we are eagerly waiting for the park to be reopened to overnight camping as it is one of the best places to kayak camp so close to home.

Discovery Island Marine Provincial Park ... such a spectacular view

We were assisted by the 3.05 kt flood along Discovery Island and past Chatham Island on our way across Baynes Channel to where our crab trap was. I was thinking of those full crab pots you see on Deadliest Catch that are left to soak for more than 24 hours as I started to haul up ours. It felt heavy but once it came into view the extra weight was nothing but a big piece of bull kelp wrapped around the line and only two small crabs in the pot. The strange thing was that the 3 chicken legs that were in the bait bags were gone except for two small bones. Did the bait get eaten by smaller crabs who escaped the pot or was the trap possibly poached? Either way we know the crab trap works and we look forward to more crab feasts!

So our Monday paddle may not have been as exciting from a wildlife perspective as the day before but it still was a great paddle to one of our favorites places.

Distance: 8.18 nm (15.15 km)