THE NEWSLETTER OF KAYAK NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR Fall 2005 Volume 5(2) Ebb & Flow IN THIS ISSUE: Paddling the Gulf, Northwest River favourite, descending the Sandy Harbour River, swift water rescue, towing tips, KNL news, and more... Meet your Executive Neils Burgess - president [email protected] Volunteers drive Richard Alexander - vice-president [email protected] KNL’s success Peter Armitage - secretary [email protected] Louise Green - treasurer President’s message [email protected] Dan Miller - past president [email protected] This Ebb & Flow marks the end of strategic goals to guide the club's future Members at Large KNL's most successful paddling season efforts. A new Board will be elected at ever. There were more club activities the November annual general meeting, Betsy Willson this past year than ever before and in all and it will soon be looking for Sue Duffett areas including sea kayaking, volunteers to assist with the many tasks Mark Simpson whitewater and indoors. There is one that will drive KNL's success in 2006. Ian Fong good reason for this success -- club We especially need Central and West Darren McDonald members who stepped forward to Coast members to step forward and help organize and lead each of these events. organize chapter activities. Peter If you are one of the volunteers who Haliburton and Deanne Penny have done Letters to the editor took the initiative to help make a club a great job leading the chapters in 2005, event happen in 2005, please accept my but they now need help, if we are to Address your letters to warmest thanks on behalf of each and build upon their efforts. [email protected]. Published letters every KNL member! If you are a KNL may be edited for length and clarity. member who enjoyed participating in a Finally, I want to warmly thank several club event in 2005, please make an long-time Board members who are Cover photo - Urve Voitk & Darren effort to thank the organizers and leaders stepping down. Richard Alexander and McDonald below Tresle Rapid, Northwest who devoted their time to making your Dan Miller (both past presidents) and River, fall 2004 (photo Dave MacDonald). paddling safer and more enjoyable. If our secretary Peter Armitage are passing you have not yet helped out with a KNL their batons to new hands. I know that event, I hope you will step forward in all three will continue to support KNL Newsletter Submissions 2006. and kayaking in a host of ways. The club is also saying goodbye to Betsy Willson Kayak Newfoundland and Labrador is a In your Ebb & Flow, you will find this and Geoff Minielly, chief organizers of provincial kayaking club representing the winter's Calendar of Events. There's lots the last two Retreats, which were simply interests of both sea and whitewater going on across the province. Please fantastic. You have all given us many kayakers. Ebb & Flow is the club’s official dive in and join a pool session, lecture, fine paddling memories. There will be newsletter and is published twice a year. slide show or Christmas party. The goal many more to come! is to have fun! We welcome your submissions to future I am proud of KNL's many members issues of the newsletter. However, we can’ t Your KNL Board has worked very hard who have made contributions, big and guarantee we’ll publish them all. We during 2005 to increase the list of high- small, to promoting safe and enjoyable reserve the right to edit submissions for quality club activities, to foster the kayaking right across the province. We style, spelling and length. If you have an growth of the Central and West Coast all share the benefits! article you would like to contribute, please Chapters, to get feedback on what contact Peter Armitage at the email address members want, and to develop a set of Neil above. Ebb & Flow production Letters to the Editor Peter Armitage (editor in chief), Richard Most people know I have an affinity to think we have the contacts to Alexander (copy editor) & Louise Green the Merasheen Islands area out in accomplish this sort of thing. It would (layout assistance). Placentia Bay. I've been there three also cost a bit more than usual. Just as times and I'm always promoting the area the club offers support in its day paddles Interested in joining Kayak to other kayakers. The club sponsors for people to get together with others to Newfoundland & Labrador? various day trips, mostly near St. John's experience more paddling, perhaps some in order to help people get on the water people would like to have that support Membership renewal- April 1st (one year) and network a bit to get like-minded staff there as they venture into another friends for future paddling. I want to joy of kayaking, the overnight trip, with Drop us a note by snail mail at: suggest that we expand a little bit and all the fun, and sometimes rigour of Box 2, Stn. “C”, St. John’s, NF, A1C 5H4, look to have a club paddle out of Best's camping on the coast of Newfoundland. or pick up an application from our website - Harbour on the Ragged Islands. It would www.kayakers.nf.ca. require quite a bit more planning, but I Paul Delaney, St. John’s. 2 Interview with Justine Curgenven KNL met up with sea kayaker and film maker, Justine wouldn't maybe push yourself as much, because it's cold. I'd be Curgenven, at St. John's airport in early June 2005, on the eve a bit more cautious here because of that. of her return to the U.K. Her Newfoundland footage is included in her new DVD - This is the Sea 2. Visit Justine's website for a I'm surprised how varied the coastline is. There's lots of cliffs preview http://www.cackletv.com which I really like paddling under, and there's also these narrow fjords, and the vegetation is different. And everywhere that KNL: What have you been doing since you arrived in North we've been has been really nice. And you think, that's really America three weeks ago? pretty. I wasn't expecting so many birds either. I've never seen so many birds as at Witless Bay, or at Cape St. Mary's with the Justine: We came over to the Retreat that you guys hosted, gannets. which was a lot of fun. And then we did a day on the river, because I hadn't been paddling on a river for ages. Then we KNL: You get cold water back in Wales, don't you? went to a symposium on Lake Michigan. After that we did a three-day trip out to the Manitou Islands, which are quite nice Justine: Back in Wales the water temperatures in the winter are islands. Lots of sand and trees. And then we came back here. 7 or 8 degrees. Here it's 2 degrees or so. That's quite a big We've been paddling in Newfoundland for nine days. We went difference. I guess tides are a difference as well. We haven't to Witless Bay, Cape St. Mary's - paddled out to see the Gannets encountered very strong tides here. I know there are quite - had a nice time there after a foggy day. reasonable tides in places but we haven't paddled in any. It's just nice to explore new places. We saw moose, which I know isn't And then we went up to Quirpon lighthouse, and stayed there very exciting for you, but it was for me. for a couple of days, and paddled around an iceberg that was about a mile off of the end of the peninsula. And we've just KNL: Is there anything about this place that you could be been to Gros Morne National Park, where we paddled in the critical of? Western Brook fjord. We didn't have a very good day for that. It was raining, and raining and raining. We stayed in the tent for about 20 hours, and then we got up and had a paddle in the mist. Today, we've flown back here, and we're going home. Justine on Western Brook Pond (photo Cackle TV) Justine: I could say the weather. But I quite like the fact that the weather is fickle. Even so, we've been quite lucky in general. Justine at Cape St. Mary’s (photo Cackle TV) We've had moments of fog and rain, though we've also had really nice days, nearly everywhere that we've been. But I don't KNL: What are the highlights of your trip? know what I'd feel like if I lived in St. John's with fog a lot of the time. To visit it's fine, it's part of the experience. Justine: Overall, it's been the people that you meet, and it's nice to go home knowing that you have some new friends. I felt KNL: You paddle with a number of high profile kayakers, quite a nice connection with Newfoundland in general. I like people like Nigel Dennis, Nigel Foster, and others. What are the place. I like islands. I like places that are quite wild, where you going to tell these people when they ask you about your there aren't many people, but where the people are friendly. paddling experience in Newfoundland? KNL: How does the paddling here compare with other places Justine: I will definitely recommend it.