Archive:Winter overnight sea kayaking expedition

Synopsis

Intermediate trip. It's winter so you should be well practiced at self rescue procedure and have full immersion gear (French immersion not mandatory but encouraged). Exact destination to be determined at pre trip meeting based on weather and collective experience level. Possible destinations include Halkett Bay on Gambier Island, Plumper Cove on Keats Island or Indian Arm as a backup if Howe Sound is stormy. Email the group if you have other ideas. This trip is weather dependent. I am NOT certified as a kayak guide or instructor.

Skills required

• Strong swimmer (able to swim 200m unassisted in under 8 minutes)
• Competent wet exit self rescue, ie when you flip, you need to be able to get out of your boat upside down, then turn your boat over and get back in using your paddle float and practiced skill. This can be practiced at the voc kayak-polo sessions in the pool every other tuesday night.
• Definitely check out this brilliant set of animated tutorials

Equipment required

• Ocean kayak (not a river kayak)
• Hand pump
• Paddle (bring an extra if you can)
• Paddle-float
• Sprayskirt
• Wetsuit (5mm full body) or drysuit or combination of farmer john wetsuit with drytop (drytop is half a drysuit, has sealed gaskets)
• Neoprene booties or rubber boots (or if using drysuit with integrated feet then wear shoes overtop)
• PFD (Personal flotation device, life jacket)
• All of the above can be rented from:

   -Ecomarine on Granville Island
   -MEC
   -Bowenislandkayaking if we go that way
   -Deep Cove Canoe and Kayak if we go that way

• Dry change of warm clothes, including toque, gloves, rain jacket
• Drybag(s) big enough to keep all of said clothes dry
• Sunglasses
• Headlamp (both for seeing and for being seen)
• Emergency kit in another dry bag including (but not limited to) basic first aid supplies
• Tent (it will rain), sleeping pad, sleeping bag etc
• Lots of food and food-related paraphernalia
• Anybody have a SPOT tracker?

Weather and Tides

• Weather
• Tides

• Important: If the weather is too dangerous, we may postpone until another weekend and/or alter our route

Questions? Ideas?

• Again, This site is brilliant!
• email me
• Time dependent idea 1: if you have snorkeling gear and want to use it, that would be sweet.

Participants

Limited to 8 participants. This number may change depending on ratio of experienced to non-experienced people.

• Sign up here, include your experience level and whether you plan to rent gear