This Month's Videos

April-May 2003

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
To download a pdf copy of the magazine click here: > DOWNLOAD

BC IS NUMBER ONE

British Columbia has been chosen as the No. 1 destination in North America for kayaking and whale-watching by the British Harpers & Queen Magazine's annual Travel Awards. The magazine's 2002 Travel Awards list includes the best 150 places on earth, and this is the third year in a row that BC has been named the best in this category.

VANCOUVER'S NEW OCEAN KAYAK STORE

Fuelled by the tremendous popularity of paddlesports in Vancouver, a new ocean kayak specialty store has opened - BC Dive & Kayak Adventures. Dealers for Wilderness Systems, Seaward, Nigel Foster and Discover Kayaks, they are ready to help you find the right equipment to meet all your paddling goals and objectives, carrying lines popular in BC as well as new products from around the world. BC Dive & Kayak also stocks complete lines of dive equipment and has an established dive school. Longtime international guide and instructor, Paul German, is looking forward to showing you around the store, located on the corner of 4th and Pine in Kitsilano. 604-732-1344. kayak@bcdive.com. Web: bcdive.com.

TOFINO EXPRESS

The Tofino Bus is a new scheduled passenger bus that operates between Victoria, Nanaimo, Vancouver (via BC ferry and the new Harbour Lynx ferry) and Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island. It's an express bus with daily departures that service the needs of Tofino-bound travellers. The bus transports kayaks, surfboards and bikes so passengers can bring their gear to Clayoquot Sound or to the surf on Long Beach. 1-866-986-3466 or 725-2871.

info@tofinobus.com.

Web: tofinobus.com.

SCOTTISH SEA KAYAK SYMPOSIUM

The Sixth Scottish Sea Kayak Symposium, May 23-26, 2003, is set on the Isle of Skye, the best paddling area in Scotland, famous for its mountains and wonderful scenery. The full program, including paddling events, slide shows, and seminars mixed with cultural events, is available at www.seakayaksymposium.com. The theme this year is Inuit craft building and skills. The symposium attracts top BCU coaches from around the British Isles. The cost is around $90 US with accommodation at $27/night (or camping at $4.50/night). The major British kayak and canoe manufacturers will be on hand with boats for demos: Brookbank, Pyranna, P&H, Reed Clothing, Valley, Knoydart, Carlisle Canoes, Nigel Dennis, Lendal Paddles. gjmaskell@creditquality.com. Tel: 00 44 131 337 1439.

FUNDRAISING EVENTS

Marine Trail Marathon

Chris Ladner of Vancouver's Ecomarine Ocean Kayak Centre has been one of the main supporters of the BC Marine Trail Association for many years. Again this year, he will be hosting the annual BCMTA Marathon kayak race on July 13th, at 9:30 am at Jericho Beach, Vancouver, with all proceeds to the BCMTA. Chris will also be holding Ecomarine's annual Demo Day, May 31 at Jericho Beach (10 to 4 pm), with continuous draw prizes every 20 minutes and lots of new boats to try out. Check www.ecomarine.com for further information or call 888-4-C-KAYAK.

Visions of the Wild

Two wild journeys - two different worlds. Join photographer Dag Goering and award-winning author Maria Coffey on two extraordinary journeys by kayak: around Vancouver Island and down India's sacred Ganges River. With stunning photography, video and music, they recount their challenging and sometimes hilarious adventures on opposite ends of the earth. Proceeds support the Sierra Club and the preservation of the Brooks Wilderness Area. Preview and ticket info: www.hiddenplaces.net/presentations.html. (April 1st Saltspring Island, BC; April 2nd Sidney; April 4th Kelowna; April 5th Nelson; April 10th Duncan).

Kayak Against Cancer

The Kayuba Club, a kayak dive club from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is holding its 3rd Annual "Kayak Against Cancer" fund raiser for the American Cancer Society, June 7, 2003.

For more information contact kayuba@hotmail.com. Web: kayuba.com.

I finally broke down and bought a good camouflage tent, but now I can’t find it! www.frikoutdoors.com

Paddle to a Cure

Paddle to a Cure is a series of sea kayaking trips on the Great Lakes and around the Gulf Islands, with participants raising funds and awareness for breast cancer research, education, diagnosis,and treatment. The goal this year is to raise $250,000 for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

Breast Cancer survivors and those who support them (men and women both) are invited to become involved. The fullyoutfitted trips are led by women and promote a cooperative, challenging and fun marine-based adventure experience. Paddling the rocky shorelines of the scenic Gulf Islands and Great Lakes, combined with healthy meals and great conversation, offers the opportunity for personal growth and challenge within a supportive group environment. The guides are all experienced paddlers and outdoors-women who volunteer their skills and time, leading 10 people per trip.

Participants must fundraise a minimum of $2,500 each. Those who wish to get involved, but choose not to kayak, can make a donation or participate in community events. During 2002 over $200,000 was raised thanks to the participants and generous sponsors such as Seaward Kayaks, Eureka! Tents, as well as Ontario and BC Parks, the M2000 Group Inc, and countless other individuals throughout Ontario and BC.

The BC trip runs August 11-16, from Mayne Island. Ontario trips run through July and August on Lake Superior and Georgian Bay. Anyone over 19 can apply and need not be an expert kayaker. Some kayaking experience is necessary on certain trips, but beginners are also welcome. For more information contact The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, Suite 1000, 790 Bay Street, Toronto, ON M5G-1N8 or 1-800-387-9816 ext 544. www.paddletoacure.com.

PROTECT WILD SALMON!

Wild Salmon Diner's Guide

Increasingly, people are becoming aware of the problems associated with net-cage salmon farming. As a result, many seafood lovers are putting pressure on the industry to change its practices, by choosing not to buy farmed salmon until it's safe for us and safe for the ocean.

In order to help people avoid eating farmed salmon, the Georgia Strait Alliance has developed a web-based, searchable database of restaurants in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island that only serve wild salmon. By not serving farmed salmon, these business owners have taken? an important step in helping to protect the marine environment and ensuring wild salmon survive long into the future. We hope you'll support them.

To view GSA's Diner's Guide or to learn more about salmon farming issues go to www.GeorgiaStrait.org.

Go Wild!

Business Week says 'When it Comes to Fish, Go Wild' - the free-range varieties are better for you than their farm-bred cousins. See www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/03_04/b3817133.htm.

Fish Farms Hire PR Giant

The BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA) has hired the notorious multinational public relations firm, Hill and Knowlton, to provide a range of communication services and media relations. Hill and Knowlton has been described as a "preeminent international spin machine" with 50 offices in 20 countries - one of the world's largest public relations firms.

A spokesperson for the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform, Chris Genovali of Raincoast Conservation Society, comments that, "The fish farm industry has utterly failed to prove it is not a threat to wild salmon and to the marine environment, so it has now resorted to hiring a multinationalPR firm that specializes in representing totalitarian governments and corporate polluters."

"Hiring Hill and Knowlton speaks volumes about the real intentions of this industry and the lengths to which it will go to dupe the BC public", he says.

The Public Relations Journal has called Hill and Knowlton one of the "most formidable public relations/lobby machines in history." Its dubious accomplishments include helping set up the Tobacco Institute to promote cigarette smoking, helping the lead industry suppress public health concerns, helping US Gypsum dismiss asbestos worries, calming the public after Three Mile Island, helping Exxon recover from the Valdez oil spill, helping restore China's image after Tiananmen Square, helping Pacific Lumber log California's ancient redwoods by distributing fake Earth First! material calling for violence, and representing the Indonesian government regarding its human rights abuses on East Timor.

Hill and Knowlton is the same PR firm that helped sell the first Gulf War to the American public. They went so far as to help manufacture the now infamous 'babies on the floor' charade in which Iraqi soldiers were accused of having removed Kuwaiti infants from their incubators, leaving them to die on the hospital floor.

Ian McAllister of Raincoast ConservationSociety remarks, "You would think that the fish farm industry would have learned from the BC's forest companies that hiring expensive transnational PR companies does not make for better environmental practices and, in fact, it only increases public suspicion of an industry already suffering from a lack of credibility".

Source: www.corporatewatch.org

FORESTS AT RISK

Walbran Logging

The Western Canada Wilderness Committee in Victoria, BC is warning that US forest giant Weyehaeuser is stepping up logging plans and activity on Vancouver Island. They warn Weyehaeuser is about to log in the Walbran Valley, and that logging road building is going on at East Creek on the north side of the Brooks Peninsula where many kayakers go. Check out www.saveeastcreek.com for more info. It's an important issue and paddlers should get active on this one.

'Working Forest'

Few British Columbians are aware that the BC government is planning right now to turn all unprotected public forests into permanent logging zones.

Kayakers in BC are inextricably linked to the province's forested coast for its scenic viewscapes, for its exploration value, andthrough its ecological connections with the ocean. The forests are home to the spawning rivers of salmon that so many marine mammals eat, to nesting eagles and murrelets, and to bears and wolves that forage along the shorelines.

The 'Working Forest' initiative is aimed at obstructing future efforts to protect forests on 45 million hectares of BC - in other words, all forests other than those currently in parks! The Working Forest would hinder the protection of scenic viewscapes, fish and wildlife habitat, watershed reserves and new parks.

How would the Working Forest hinder forest protection? It would:

• facilitate the government's ability to sell-off Crown lands to private logging companies
• legally emphasize timber extraction as the first priority in all land-use decisions.
• force BC taxpayers to pay more to private logging companies when public forests are protected
• create 'timber-access targets' that quantify the area of forest that must be available for logging
• at worst, require that a protected forest must be opened up to logging in exchange for new forest protections.

Essentially, the Working Forest would eliminate public options on public lands.

Time is short so it's crucial that paddlers write concerns to Stan Hagen, Minister of Sustainable Resource Management, Legislature, Victoria, BC V8V 1X4; email: stan.hagen.mla@leg.bc.ca; fax: 250-356- 8273. It's vital to keep up the pressure.

Thanks to Ken Wu, Executive Director of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee in Victoria. wc2vic@island.net. www.wildernesscommitteevictoria.org

GABRIOLA ISLAND EVENTS

Big Gabriola Weekend

April 12-13th is a big weekend, combining the 5th Annual Silva Bay Launch Festival, and the 2nd annual West Coast Workboat Weekend. Come see the only full-time accredited wooden boat building school in Canada.

The Silva Bay Shipyard School and Silva Bay Resort will be hosting the Festival as a celebration of maritime life, starting Friday night with a Maritime Feast and guest performer. Saturday, students will launch the boats they have built at 1pm. Live music, great food, boats and demonstrations will fill the day.

The Workboat Weekend is joining in the celebration this year with working and converted boats on display in the marina. They'll hold a forum on workboat maintenance and conversion issues on Saturday and a sailpast Sunday. WaveLength's Willmar II will be there. For more information call Silva Bay Marina at 250-247-8662 or email silvabay@canada.com.

Gabriola Paddle Get Together

Join Gabriola Cycle & Kayak and friends for a fun weekend of paddling the shores of Gabriola Island in BC's beautiful Gulf Islands, May 24 - 25. The event features a salmon barbeque on Saturday night, and a group slideshow that evening. Registrants are invited to bring their favourite slides and stories for the show.

Organized by Peter Marcus of Gabriola Cycle & Kayak, the WaveLength Magazine team will also be on hand to meet registrants. Thanks to Peter, all registrants will receive a year's subscription to WaveLength and be entered in the draw to win the WaveLength subscription prize - a Ritchie Kayaker's Compass! Call 250- 247-8277 or email peter@gck.ca.