Mothership Meanderings: Kayaking Year-Round

October-November 2003

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
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by Alan Wilson

Preparing for a winter’s day paddle.
Laurie MacBride photo.

SUMMER CRUISING

On our summer holiday cruise this year we saw a LOT of kayaks. There were large and small kayak groups as well as solo paddlers and couples. But by far the largest number of kayaks we saw were on the decks of power and sailboats.

Sometimes it seemed like almost every boat had at least one kayak aboard (or in the water tied up beside it). Twin kayaks strapped to the lifelines on sailboats were common. Some fancy power yachts had double kayaks on davits, and one smaller boat we saw had a kayak standing on end, tied to the boat’s mast.

Most of the kayaks were ‘compact kayaks’, from 8'-14', usually in pairs, but larger boats often had full size single and double touring kayaks.

The logic of carrying kayaks on the deck of a larger boat is so obvious, it’s become almost the norm.

When we started writing about ‘mothership kayaking’ back in the 90s, only a few boaters had kayaks aboard. Now it’s clear the phenomenon is sweeping through the boating community. Although most kayak motherships, like ours, still carry a dinghy too, some boaters have replaced their dinghies altogether by kayaks.

Motherships make great launching platforms for paddling into otherwise inaccessible lagoons, shallow rivers, rock-strewn passages and, of course, for transporting you to more distant, less populated shores. Once anchored, we often use the kayaks to check out any rocks or other hazards nearby.

In the off-season there are yet other advantages to mothership kayaking.

Typical sailing mothership. Laurie MacBride photo.

WINTER GETAWAYS

One thing you notice in the shoulder seasons and especially over the winter is thatthere are many fewer boats on the water. Spring and fall offer often glorious days, yet markedly few boaters take advantage of them. When ‘Boating Season’ ends, most tie up for the winter.

Whether you’re seeking the best anchorages, space at a dock, or a prime wilderness campsite, there’s much less competition in the off-season. Not infrequently, even in the Gulf Islands, we’ll discover no one else is even in sight.

Nice fall days, especially here in the Pacific Northwest, have the leftover warmth of summer, even into October. Spring, of course, has the advantage of long daylight hours. But winter has special qualities all its own. For those prepared to handle the risks, there are some exquisite times to be had and sights to be seen.

Beautiful days are fewer in number in winter but with fewer wakes churning up the surface, you can have more mirror calm moments. Calm winter water offers a stillness that’s breathtaking. Photographers may well have their best reflection shots on still winter days, and good side lighting due to low sun angles.

In the Pacific Northwest, winter is the season for ducks. Enormous populations of waterfowl travel to the coast to over-winter here. For many winged species, the wetlands in the Puget Sound/Georgia Basin are a vital way station on vast, intercontinental migrations.

Some of our signature species, like herons, seals and eagles are resident year round. You’re as likely to find yourself staring into a pair of big brown eyes (harbour seals) in winter as in summer. But in winter we have bonuses such as California sea lions.

Every boat seems to have a different
scheme for carrying kayaks. Ron Mumford photo.

Despite all this, I’ll readily admit that we don’t ‘meander’ nearly as much in the offseason as we’d like, more because of our work pressures than weather opportunities. But when we do make it onto the water in fair-weather windows, it’s something special.

Mothershippers who are trying out offseason paddling have the option to tie up at docks (shore power is a nice touch when the days are short). If the weather kicks up, there’s certainly more safety tied up, but we prefer to anchor nights in more isolated and paddleable spots.

Mothershipping or just straight paddling is a year-round sport for the well prepared, but you have to remember that all the risks one undertakes in venturing onto the water are heightened in winter, whether in amothership or a single kayak.

Cooler, wetter conditions tend to prevail. Shorter daylight hours reduce travel times. Poor weather can lead to severe conditions. With few or no other craft in your vicinity there’s less immediate emergency assistance available.

Anyone boating and paddling in the offseason must be doubly sure to have the required safety equipment, sufficient training and appropriate apparel. It’s recommended to always paddle with a partner, and this is especially wise in winter.

That said, we expect to see a lot more off-season mothership paddling in future. And we’ll certainly be out there ourselves when we can, enjoying what nature has to offer.

Although some of the most isolated coastal resorts and services are closed in off-season, a surprising number are open year round and have a hearty welcome waiting. Get yourself a good guide book and start planning your trip.

We hope that whatever this winter brings, you’ll find a way to get onto the water in your mothership or your kayak, to reconnect with the reality of the Marine on this water planet of ours and take a break from our terrestrially-fixated culture.

Some of our favourite ‘meanderings’ suitable for the off-season are available online at WaveLengthMagazine.com.

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