No Call Tonight

No word from the boys today. Most likely this is because they are still in the same spot at Cape Scott. The forecast for today was ugly and it doesn't get much better tomorrow. Seas are 3-4 meters, with SE gales 35 knots, which is directly into the bay they are camped in and is a headwind for the next section of their journey. The forecast for tomorrow is SE gales easing then rising to NW gales 30-40 knots by tomorrow evening. If I were to hazard a guess I would say that they may get only a small window tomorrow where they can get on the water and maybe get down to Sea Otter Cove. Beyond that is a very long section of no landing zone (in a large swell), so it will be difficult for them to go far tomorrow. The outlook for the following days is strong to gale force northwesterlies, then another storm system coming in Wednesday. Welcome to the "wild" west coast! -- Jon

ps. Click on the following links for the current weather conditions and the long term pressure forecast.

Rounded The Cape

A quick call in by satellite phone this evening (5/18) at 10.30pm. They have reached and rounded Cape Scott. Despite arriving late, they decided to round the cape and make camp at the bay on the South East side. The winds started to build quickly near the end of their paddle today and they experienced some rough seas around the cape (surprise, surprise!). But at least they can rest better tonight knowing that they have passed one of the crux points of the trip before the bad weather hit.

The highlight of the day was sighting some black bears at close range. They spent a long time watching and photographing a large male bear chasing a female and cubs up a tree! They hope to have some good video footage of this.

They are safely in camp now watching the weather build. The forecast is for gale force SE winds tonight (35-45 knots) with seas building to 3-4 meters by tomorrow. Given that they are now on a south facing beach it may be difficult to get off in the morning! But given the forecast of strong SE and S winds tomorrow (to 35 knots) and a very long section of coast south east of them with no landing zones, hopefully they will take the opportunity to have a rest day and wait for better weather. If swells remain large even after the wind has dropped, they have the option of doing a 1/4 mile portage back across to the north facing beach to launch and round Cape Scott a second time! -- Jon

Pictures From Port Hardy

Pat Kervin of Odyssey Kayaking sent in these pictures of the boys departing from Port Hardy yesterday afternoon. By the way, if anyone happens to talk to Keirron or Jeff before I do, they need to call Christian Knight of Paddler Magazine. Apparently, it is urgent. I have his number. -- Jon

Leaving Civilization

Keirron and Jeff are back on the water again. They left Port Hardy this afternoon and paddled out of Port Hardy Bay and part way up Goletas Channel. They are in camp preparing for a long day tomorrow. They have turned over a new leaf, determined to get to bed early so they can get up and on the water early! Given the short day there is not much to report, other than the fact that they enjoyed their stay in Port Hardy and have stocked up ready for the long wilderness journey ahead. The weather forecast is for SE winds tomorrow which should help them on the final push to the northern most point on the Island. The forecast for the weekend, Saturday in particular, looks ugly though, so they may have problems getting around Cape Scott undelayed. Well, they did say they were getting sick of all the sunshine! -- Jon

From Port Hardy - Week in Review

Thanks for the updates and sorting out our notes Jon - you're making us look good!

So ... with weather like that in those pictures, why aren't the boys rounding the Brooks Pen right now? Fair question. Most of you distance paddlers and adventure racers know how it goes.

• Sleep - we both started this thing a little sleep deprived (and Keirron had the time change). Got into a pattern of paddling late to try to catch up, leading to a few late nights (and subsequent late mornings). We've reset the clocks for early morning starts down the west coast, as the dark is easier to launch in than land.
  
• Exposure - time in the boat is wearing on us surprisingly early. While we're both in great shape, I've trained mostly on fresh water and the salt is having it's way with me. Keirron appears salt-water proof and powers all day, but 8+ hours in the boat and even his legs get sore.
  
• Sun - doesn't help. While we're not dehydrated, we've burned a little every day. Plus it tends to set us both into photographing frenzies - lowering our avg speed. Sun will not be a problem much longer according to the forecasts...
• Gear - "nothing new on race day." Both of us received sponsored gear which is extremely appreciated. However, neither of us had a ton of time with it before heading out. We've made adaptations over the last week, and are more comfortable with it now.

Everything's performing well and we look forward to seeing Cape Scott tomorrow, and beginning the southeast run.

Many thanks to Shawna and Leon of Body, Boat, Blade who took time from work and hosted us magnificently at the trip start. Couldn't have launched without you! (Really wish we could make it back before you both head for the Charlotts, but doesn't look likely.)

Many thanks also to Pat Kervin of Odessey Kayaking who hosted us with a last night. What a feast! His facility here in Port Hardy is equipped nicely to handle our salty, wet gear and selves.

Off to check and load the Triton, then get to Shushartie Bay tonight.

--Jeff

A Few Pictures From Week 1

Click on the image for a larger version.

Resupplying in Port Hardy!

I got an email tonight instead of a phone call! Thats got to be a good sign ... unless they are really just hiding around the corner! No, they also sent some photos (coming to the blog soon).

They are in Port Hardy, cleaning up and resupplying for the crux part of the trip around the North end of the island and down the exposed and largely uninhabited west coast. In Jeff's words, they are "imitating the walking dead" right now.

They've had some memorable experiences coming up the inside passage, including seeing Pacific whitesided dolphins just North of Seymour Narrows, and playing chicken with barges towing huge rafts of logs! Apparently, these often deviate from the shipping lanes. I hear it can be quite unnerving in darkness when you can hear and smell the logs, but can't see where they are!

The bioluminescence has been brilliant. Off Telegraph Cove they saw three streaks of bioluminescence cruise beneath their boat fast, and then heard a popping breath. The assumption was dolphins, but equally likely it could have been an orca, given the high concentration of orcas in that area.

The hoped-for Easterly winds never actually materialized today. They just got the good old Northwesterlies in the face as usual. A strong/gale wind blew up for a while so they took the opportunity to brew up and have a nice dinner. Then they proceeded to paddle again once the evening calmed. They claim all this night paddling is to avoid the wind, but a few readers have suggested that this is just a ruse and its really all due to the color of their boat!

They are considering leaving Port Hardy tomorrow (5/17) morning to do the last stretch up to the head of the Island before heading out in a Westerly direction along the exposed North coast of the Island. The forecast is for winds Northwesterly 5 to 15 knots easing to light overnight then rising to Westerly 10 to 15 Thursday afternoon. Its about time those Northwesterlies stopped, but unfortunately this is just in time for their west-bound leg towards Cape Scott!. The outlook for the following days is winds backing to light to moderate southeast then rising to Strong to gale force. This should be just as they round Cape Scott and start the long slog down the coast in a South Easterly direction! Ouch! As Keirron says, "we wouldn't want to do it the easy way, would we?"

-- Jon

A Nice Push Through Johnstone Strait

A quick update from Jeff at noon today (5/15). They picked up a tidal current table yesterday and passed through Seymour Narrows on slack late yesterday afternoon. They felt a bit cheated due to the fact that it was totally calm (earlier in the day it was running at 14.6 knots against them). They got a good push from the tide up into Johnstone Strait. They are currently in Johnstone Strait about 47 miles SE of Port McNeill. They plan to push on and try to reach Port McNeill later today. Forecasts are for following winds and tide. I'll post a map of their location later this evening.

-- Jon

ps. Several people have asked about distances paddled. If you click on the map you will see a larger version with dots that indicate last known locations, with dates. At the bottom of the map there is a bar indicating 100 nautical miles. You can use this to get a fairly close approximation to the distances paddled each day. They are currently averaging around 35 nautical miles a day, nearly all against the wind, and some against the tide ... both factors somewhat self inflicted ;) By the time they get on the West coast they will finally get some SE winds, but by then they will be heading the opposite direction! Seriously, it does look like they could get some bad weather for a couple of days at least next weekend.

Getting There The Hard Way

I just got off the phone with Jeff and Keirron. They are in Oyster River, about 10 miles south of Campbell River (see map). They were in good spirits having taken off the water "early" tonight at 7.30 pm. This is the first night they haven't paddled at night in an attempt to escape the headwinds. Landing after midnight last night was reportedly a bit of an epic. Their SKUK Triton sea kayak demonstrated its durability by remaining intact and afloat after an hour of beating into rocks in an attempt to find a landing in rough conditions and darkness. Tonight they stopped early and even found an official camp ground with a hot shower!

They are both getting along well and report that they have finally clicked as a tandem team. Apparently, the night paddling really helped here. Since they couldn't see what they were doing they had to focus on feeling the timing. They are now moving along more efficiently.

These first long days (and nights) of paddling have resulted in an average of around 35 nautical miles per day. While this is quite an accomplishment, they report that progress has been slower and more tiring than they expected. In part this is due to the head wind, and in part due to a seemingly endless battle against the tide every day. They also reported that they do not have sufficient tidal current information with them, which is a bit daunting given that they are about to enter a region with much stronger tidal currents. Tomorrow, they should pass through Seymour Narrows - a channel known for exceptionally strong currents of up to 15 knots on spring tides!

The weather forecast looks good for the next few days. They are planning to paddle twice a day to take advantage of this and to hit the tidal flows going in their direction. Maybe they will even pick up a tidal current table so they can figure out when/where those are! (Ed: say no more). Hopefully, the remainder of the trip North will be smoother going and they will get a bit of a break before embarking on the west coast and the crux of the trip.

-- Jon

Strong Headwinds

Got a brief text message from Jeff today (May 12) at 4.40 pm. They are in French Creek, which is between Qualicum Beach and Parksville on the east coast of Vancouver Island (see map). They have been paddling north along the Strait of Georgia, and as expected have been fighting a headwind which has slowed progress. Today they experienced strong NW winds, which were forecast to ease off later, so they planned to continue north towards Courteney later and hopefully reach Campbell River tomorrow (Ambitious schedule! They must still be feeling good!). The forecast is for winds northwest 20 to 25 knots easing to variable 5 to 15 Sunday morning, with an outlook of light to moderate variable winds, so they should see a significant improvement over what they have had. -- Jon

Into Canada

A quick update from Jeff and Keirron at 5.26 pm Thursday May 10. Yesterday they paddled over to Bedwell Harbor on South Pender Island in the Southern Gulf Islands. Bedwell Harbor is an official Customs Canada port of entry. Passing through customs at an official port of entry is a requirement for legally entering Canada. Now they are free to roam around the island. The weather forecast looks good and they plan to paddle north towards Nanaimo on Friday, with a brief stop off for a media interview with CH News along the way.

-- Jon

And They're Off !

Jeff and Keirron launched their record attempt at noon today (Thursday, May 10) from North Beach on Orcas Island. The forecasts show a nice window of fair weather over the next few days, dominated by a ridge of high pressure. This is the kind of weather pattern they were hoping for, but it also means predominantly NW winds which will likely slow progress on the first leg of the journey up the inside of the Island.


Stay tuned for more progress reports as Keirron and Jeff report in by satellite phone. -- Jon

When does Pink become Purple?

Keirron Tastagh (http://www.adventurousexperiences.com/) flew to Vancouver, BC, where he was met by Leon Somme (http://www.bodyboatblade).



The lads then proceeded to unwrap an unlikely package ... which turned out to be this pink SKUK Triton.





So ... is it pink or is it purple?

Keirron and Leon had some time to run down the charts:

And Keirron took the opportunity to check out some Specialized Expedition Kit - remember, don't try this at home...

In the middle of this, Jeff's ferry came in for their first inauspicious meeting. Here Keirron hooks Jeff up with some kit and a little of his enthusiasm...

Finally, we took the Triton out for a test drive:

We'll be updating this blog daily, though not all bivvies will be as wired as this one ... Check in, and feel free to post comments - we'll address them as we can. Cheers!

Jeff and Keirron

Gearing Up

Keirron is in the air today flying into Vancouver. I'm driving up to Orcas Island Wednesday, where we'll meet with Body, Boat, Blade's Shawna, Leon, and Bryan. That will be the first time Keirron and I meet, first time we see some of our kit (including the kayak), and we'll make those last-minute outfitting adjustments.



There's the typical massive pile of crap - drybags, freeze-dried turkey tet, piles of fleece, partially-stuffed tent - on my futon this morning. I'm excited, my dog Maya isn't (how does she know when she's not invited?).

We're still assessing which end of the island we begin from - this is a weather-dependent decision. As someone pointed out, we don't have flexibility in our schedule - so we'll have a little in our starting location. This will allow us to optimize timing for conditions along the more exposed parts of the trip (though video footage of us "paddling off" might be a little contrived).

Four days out:
http://weather.unisys.com/gfsx/4d/gfsx_pres_4d.html

Should I forget later, thanks all for your help and support!

T-Minus 9 Days...

But who's counting?

Ordered food today (thanks Mountain House); trimmed gaskets on the drysuit (kudos Kokatat); Keirron emailed his air itinerary; I'm contemplating a smaller, lighter tent; and shopping for potential replacement for the decade-old GPS I finally killed a couple weeks back (yes, for backup only - though as a cyclist I find staring at speed-made-good fascinating). Amazing how much wear and tear happens to gear BEFORE the expedition!



Tonight - I will finally finish loading the detailed waypoint list (significantly influenced by Roy Massena's excellent list - thanks Roy!) into Google Earth. Might be of interest to individuals, and could help our "remote blogger" show where we are.

Jon Walpole will be acting as our home base and remote blogger via satellite phone. Jon will relay weather info/predictions to us while posting progress/trip reports here while we roll. Thanks in advance Jon - this is so cool. And it's good you're getting all that canoeing in now, we're going to have lots of questions about weather like this:

"Gale warning continued.
Winds southeast 25 to gales 35 knots with gales 45 near the Headlands this morning. Winds rising to southeast gales 35 to 45 This evening and easing to 25 to gales 35 Wednesday morning. Periods of rain. Seas 2 to 3 metres.
Outlook. Strong to gale force southeast easing to moderate to strong southerly."

(http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/marine/marine_e.html?C-WRU)

Good times, good times.

Website Launched

http://www.pinkkayak.org/

Here's a link to a simple info site for Keirron and myself - we'll post a coupld high-resolution photos here and additional information about press releases.

If new sponsors sign on in the next ... three weeks (!), we'll post that info here too.

See you on the water,
Jeff

An Invitation To Help

The following letter is being distributed through our network with these goals:

• raise breast cancer awareness;
• promote fund raising directly for Ginni (below); and
  
• promote fund raising for the foundations supporting research for breast cancer.

Dear Friends,

As many of you may have heard by now, our good friend Ginni Callahan faced one of life’s most daunting experiences this past winter: breast cancer. In true Ginni style she’s doing it with grace and dignity.

Breast cancer has no boundaries. It can hit right out of school or right before retirement, and can affect women as well as men. It can impact those with no family history. Ginni - a professional sea kayak coach who lives along the Columbia River, Washington - is a healthy, young, active woman with no family history of cancer. This is a reminder to all of us to get checked and self-test as early detection is our best defense.

More detail about breast cancer risk factors, controllable and less so, is summarized at the Susan G. Komen for the Cure website:
http://cms.komen.org/komen/AboutBreastCancer/

Breakthrough Breast Cancer in the UK has published this excellent awareness page:
http://www.breakthrough.org.uk/about_breast_cancer/

Ginni is many things to us: a leader, an author, coach, paddling partner, and certainly an indomitable inspiration. Just after Thanksgiving, 2006, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS, a non-invasive cancer limited to duct tissue) extending beyond the limits of the biopsy sample in all directions. Doctors recommended mastectomy, which was scheduled for December 12. She was home from the hospital recovering that afternoon - and on the road to The Baja by the beginning of January.

Ginni headed to Baja not only for the "surf therapy" needed to help her recover but also for her livelihood. Seasonal, migrating kayak coaches have to keep moving to keep solvent - and still rarely allow that they need help.

While she has been gone a group of friends devised ways for her compadres (that’s you!) to help Ginni financially. Not everyone can get down to Loreto for one of her brilliant classes - so here are some options. Two ways you can help:

1. Donate to your nearest foundation. If you’re in the States, that’s Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Click here to reach the Oregon and SW Washington Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. This secure form accepts most credit cards and has a Verisign secure certificate.

UK-based readers may use their cards securely to donate to Breakthrough Breast Cancer here: http://www.justgiving.com/seakayaking.

Both sites can accept payments from other countries.

2. Send a check directly to Ginni and receive a personalized thank-you. Please make check payable to:

Virginia Callahan

and put it in the mail to:

Chick
PO Box 473
Nehalem, OR 97131

• $40 gift. With this gift you will receive a 5X7 photo off Ginni’s Favorite Photo page. Please specify which photo you would like and include a return address. You will receive your photo in May.
• $60 gift. With this gift to Ginni, you will receive a new copy of Steady As She Goes: Women's Adventures at Sea, edited by Barbara Sjoholm (now out of print), while supplies last.
• $100 gift. With this gift you will receive a copy of This is The Sea (I) DVD, and an 8 x 10 photo off Ginni’s Favorite Photo page. Please specify which photo you would like and include a return address. You will receive your photo and DVD in May.

Don't forget a return address!

Anything is appreciated, and the most important thing to take away from this experience is to stay informed about breast cancer.

More information about Ginni Callahan:
http://www.columbiariverkayaking.com/
http://kayaktravel.blogspot.com/

More information about a couple guys paddling a pink kayak and helping to raise awareness:
http://www.adventurousexperiences.com/expeditions.htm

Press Release: Kokatat

Kokatat has released their official PR of their support for this expedition:
http://www.kokatat.com/documents/pr/KokatatVancouverIsl.pdf

Thanks, Kokatat! As Keirron says, this kit rocks.

See you on the water,
Jeff

p.s. Look for additional PRs near the end of this week.

Oregon-Based Training, Donations

Training on this side of the pond looks a little different from Keirron's spirited loops ... here Karl calls in a pizza near Willamette River mile 2, Oregon. (Now who has the hand sanitizer?)

Meanwhile, while we work on the official "Press Release" for our support of breast cancer awareness and research, here's your opportunity to contribute to the Komen Foundation's Oregon affiliate:

Donate to Komen Oregon.

Why did we color (colour?) our boat pink and take up a "cause" other than cultivating tendonitis-proof wrists?

Our mutual friend Ginni had an "experiment" with the cancer last fall. Columbia River Kayaking's December 7, '06, blog entry "The New Adventure" began this way:

"The adventure is not always what you anticipate. In a slight detour, our kayak guide is temporarily experimenting with breast cancer..."

More recent blog entries document her quick and successful operation and nearly-immediate seasonal migration to The Baja:

"Freedom Report: News the other day was good. No chemo, no radiation. Baja bound in 3-4 weeks! ..." (2006-12-22 post, http://kayaktravel.blogspot.com/2006_12_01_archive.html)

Survivors of cancer sometimes need a little support. Stay tuned for how you can support Ginni directly, or consider a donation directly to the excellent foundations mentioned in this blog.

See you on the water!
Jeff

Breakthrough Breast Cancer - donations

Jeff and I made the decision to use this Record Attempt to help a worthy cause. Due to circumstances close to home, which Jeff will be best at explaining, we have chosen to join the fight against Breast Cancer, and we have each selected local charities, to which donations will be directed.

This is the reason for the choice of colour of 'Triton' double kayak!

My local charity is Breakthrough Breast Cancer, and a donations page has been set up with the following link;
http://www.justgiving.com/seakayaking

This will be on the Adventurous Experiences main website Expeditions page, and other sites with links or sponsors of the Trip.
More updates and news shortly
All the best
Keirron