Sunday, June 14, 2015

A journey from Maple Bay, Vancouver Island...

Moments before the launch at Maple Bay,
the Pacific Northwest canoe...and two children to give scale.
Image: Courtesy of Linda E.
The weather in Scotland, these past couple of weeks has been somewhat challenging. Our sea kayaks enjoyed a training session of balance and self-rescue exercises on Loch Tay a week ago. But on Friday, the planned launch from Arbroath, on the North Sea, had to be postponed at the last instant when the "haar", a cold sea fog materialised around us, changing conditions from the forecast Force 1-2 winds to a chilly and energetic Force 4...in a matter of minutes.

Back home in Maple Bay (Vancouver Island), however, the conditions are perfect today for a memorable paddle. It will have to be, for us, a vicarious experience.

Today, our friend, Linda, is embarking on a voyage of discovery with teachers from our local Cowichan Tribes...in a most magnificent craft, a Pacific Northwest canoe. Amongst our Canadian First Nations people, there are three great art forms: plank houses, totem poles, and canoes. Culturally and spiritually, the greatest of these is the canoe - a product of elegant engineering and sophisticated joinery design, older than time itself.

Constructed of the centuries-old, massive trees, felled or harvested from the forest floor of Vancouver Island, these canoes are sturdy, ocean-going vessels, capable of transport and exploration. Ideally constructed of Western Red Cedar, they are strong, relatively lightweight, buoyant, and resistant to deterioration in the unforgiving ocean environment. Traditionally, three carvers would take about eight weeks to complete a 25 foot canoe.

Ten paddlers (or many more) and a steersman would propel the canoe through our island waters, and beyond to the coastal ranges of the mainland.

It will be an amazing journey for Linda and her companion paddlers...and we look forward with great anticipation to her story.


6 comments:

  1. It was an amazing journey...23 of us in the canoe! Much different from kayaking on your own but a wonderful experience of teamwork.
    L

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    1. Good news, L, I'm so glad. Look forward to hearing about it! Warm wishes. D.

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  2. What a great journey that sounds! Is the story online?

    Best wishes

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    1. Hi Ian, it sounded like it was quite extraordinary. I'm going to check for you and will send you a note. Warm wishes from us both. Duncan.

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  3. Looks exciting...canoes are ancestors of kayaks I guess, but thesedays most of us prefer a kayak to a canoe... looks like Scotland conditions with the the wind and the fog were very challenging.

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    1. Hi Maria, both canoes and kayaks undoubtably have the simple dugout as their common ancestor...and go back a very, very long time. We do see a lot of "Canadian" canoes here in Scotland and chatted with a group of about 20 young people last week at Loch Tay. They were completing part of their Duke of Edinburgh awards program on a three day paddle down the loch. Looked marvellous! Warm wishes. Duncan.

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