I took a pool lesson with Joe O’Blenis and was able to roll within the two hour lesson. It’s definitely not smooth or bomb-proof (yet) as you can see in the video below but I was able to pull off 6 rolls on my own before getting too tired and bailing on the seventh attempt so I’m pretty happy. Joe’s a great teacher with a lot of knowledge and patience which is the main reason I was able to do a roll my first time.

We started with practicing hip snaps by holding the edge of the pool and honestly, after 20 minutes of this, I was doubting that I would pull off a roll that night. It’s harder and more tiring than it looks (and my beer belly doesn’t offer very much flexibility). After that we did a few assisted rolls with Joe making sure everything was in proper position and going through all the motions slowly. Joe spotted me on a couple more rolls and realized that I could pull one off on my own so I took a quick break and attached the camera to the bow of my kayak.

The first roll is a little sloppy but knowing that I pulled it off on my own was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had (notice the ear to ear grin on my face in the video). The last few seemed fairly easy at the time but looking at the video, I can see that I didn’t have the greatest form and was putting my paddle too deep. I think the sixth roll was my best. On my seventh attempt, I brought my head up too soon, could sweep myself up and went back under. I was too tired so I didn’t even make a second attempt at it and bailed. I was still happy with the overall progress so bailing didn’t bother me at all.


If you’re in Thunder Bay or going to be in the area and would like to take a one-on-one rolling lesson, you can contact Joe through his website: http://www.geocities.com/outrageous_outdoors

Routes and distance are outlined below.
From the boat launch:

1. paddle around the entire lake – 10 km
2. paddle around the islands - 6.5 km
3. paddle around the islands then cross under Hazelwood Drive to the dam and back – 8 km

We can paddle from the boat launch to the first island and decide from there if we would like to continue around the lake or circle the islands.

Getting There:
Hazelwood Lake Conservation Area is approximately a 20 minute drive from Thunder Bay.

Follow Dawson Road (Highway 102) past County Fair Plaza to Hazelwood Drive. Turn right on Hazelwood Drive and follow it to the end at Hazelwood Lake Conservation Area. You’ll see the boat launch on your left.

Time:
6:30 - Meet at the Hazelwood Drive boat launch (red star on the map)

For anyone who hasn’t been to Hazelwood before we can meet in the County Fair Plaza parking lot (by the TD Bank) at 6:00 and drive out together.

Weather Forecast:
High: 20°C, Low 10°C
Scattered showers
Wind: NW 5 km/h

The water is still pretty chilly so make sure you bring a sprayskirt and all your safety gear.

Superior Kayak Club
If you would like to join the club, please bring the application and waiver forms along with your membership fees to our next paddle.

You can print the forms the links below:
Application
Waiver

Membership fees are $15/individual or $20/family.

Non-members are more than welcome to join us to see what the club has to offer.

Click below for more information about the club and previous paddles:
http://www.geocities.com/outrageous_outdoors/ThunderBaySKClub.html

The Grand Kam Canoe and Kayak Tour has been postponed until August 30th. New forms will be posted on their website soon.

http://www.childrenscentre.ca/grandkam2008/index.html

There was still some chaos in the region Friday evening so, unfortunately, we weren’t going anywhere until Saturday. I checked with the MTO first thing Saturday morning to see which roads were open and since time was wasting, we decided to stay close to town and headed to Dog Lake.

I haven’t been to Dog Lake for years and have never paddled there so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. The last time I was there, we were at Silver Falls campground. I wasn’t sure of public boat launches but knew we would be able to put in at beach so that’s where we headed. I remembered Silver Falls campground being somewhat of party place so neither of us wanted to camp there if we didn’t have to. We were hoping to find a nice beach to camp on.

Trying to get organized at Silver Falls “beach”. Good thing the Tempest has lots of storage space.

We had a late start so we didn’t get to Silver Falls until noon and, as you can see in the photo above, we weren’t really packed and ready anyway. We both packed more than we actually needed but at least we were comfortable and ate good for the remainder of the weekend.

After about 40 minutes of organizing and packing, we were finally on our way. We were in the water but still didn’t have a planned route. All we knew is that we wanted to avoid the camps/cottages on the South side of the lake so we headed North. Unfortunately, that plan was short lived. We paddled a couple more kilometres against a very strong crosswind and large waves and eventually decided it would be best to turn around and head back South.

The lake was calm at first but I had to keep both hands on my paddle for most of the next 5 hours.

The weather instantly changed once we started heading back. The wind completely died down and the lake was calm again for the next few kilometres. As soon as we got back into a crosswind we were getting hit with 3 foot waves. Three foot waves aren’t huge but they were definitely big enough that I didn’t feel comfortable taking my hands off the paddle to snap a few photos. Looking back, I wish I did take a couple because the water is so calm in the photos I did take. Anyway, we continued for a couple more kilometres but the wind was getting stronger and waves were getting bigger. We didn’t know how much further we would have to paddle before we found somewhere we could land and wait for wind to die down so, once again, we turned around and headed to a beach we passed a few kilometres back and had lunch.

It’s amazing! Again, as soon as we turn back and take a lunch break, the waves die down. We had lunch and relaxed on the beach for a little less than an hour before we headed back out. The waves where we just came from looked like they had died down a little so we headed back that way to continue on and try to find a campsite. Wouldn’t you know it? As soon as we got back to the point, the wind picked up again. The waves weren’t as bad this time so we ventured on. Once we passed the point, we got into the dreaded 3km stretch of “cottage country”. One good thing about the water being so high and rough, was that there wasn’t many people at their camps and only a few power boaters on the lake. Still, we wouldn’t be able to camp anywhere here but once we got passed the cabins, we thought what we saw was a beach about 2km ahead in Hawk Bay. Once we got closer though, it turned out to be a marsh with nowhere to camp.

It was starting to get late and we still haven’t found a place to camp. The lake was just too high from all the recent rain so there were no beaches in sight except for where we had lunch. We could continue paddling ahead but chances were, we wouldn’t find anything anyway so for the third time today, we had to backtrack.

We took a 15 minute break to stretch our legs at a public boat launch and began our paddle back to the one and only beach we could camp on.

Other than a 15 metre crossing of 3-4′ waves (Dog Lake’s mini Skookumchucks), the paddle back was relatively calm. There was still a fair amount of white caps and two-footers but overall, it was smoother sailing than the first part of the day. The waves were fun and all but at this point, we were both pretty tired and just wanted to get back, eat and get some sleep.

Once we were back paddling through “cottage country”, we noticed that the majority of docks were a few inches underwater. Since most of them would normally be several inches above the water, you get a better idea of how high the lake was this weekend. The cottagers were out in full force at this time of the night and I got to chat with a few of them about the storm and the lake. A few said the waves were 5′ but either I can’t judge height from a kayak, they were exaggerating, or we totally missed those waves. If they were that high, I’m glad we missed them tonight but I’d like to come back someday and paddle them when the water warms up.

We landed around 9pm, unloaded and setup camp. My day hatch cover (VCP) has severe cracking around the edge so I was kind of anxious to see how much water got in from all the waves crashing over the stern. When I popped it off, everything was floating in 3″ of water. I’ll order a replacement this week but in the meantime, it’s nothing that some duct tape on the inside and a plastic grocery bag on the outside can’t fix. It’ll be ugly but at least it’ll be (somewhat) dry. The bow and stern hatches had a little bit of water but nothing out of the ordinary or anything to be concerned about. At first glance, the soft rubber hatch covers on the Tempest didn’t seem like they would have a watertight seal but we were both impressed to see that all three hatches were completely dry.

Once we setup camp, it was time for a late and long overdue supper. My stove wasn’t working right and was stuck on a high flame so everything I ate was either totally burnt or just right on the outside and ice cold in the middle. I was pretty hungry though so it was all good. By the time we were done eating and cleaning up, it was almost midnight. Time flies when you’re having fun but I desperately needed some sleep.

4:48am
I woke up to the loud sounds of panting this morning. I knew it wasn’t Jamie because I could here him snoring wildly in his tent 20 feet away. I was a little freaked out because it sounded too loud/heavy to be coming from a fox and there were no cabins in the area so I doubt it was a dog. I could hear whatever it was running back and forth between our tents. I don’t have a window in my tent and didn’t want to unzip the front vestibule to take a look but I did sit up and had a knife in each hand just in case. Whether it was a wolf or a sasquatch, it got bored and took off after about 10 minutes. It took me a little longer than that to fall back asleep though and I was still clutching one of the knives when I woke up. Later on in the morning, Jamie mentioned that he heard branches breaking around that time but just thought it was me making a fire.

We both slept in and were a little sore when we eventually got up so things were pretty slow going. The lake was calm and the sun was shining so we weren’t in a hurry anyway. It was almost noon by the time we ate breakfast and had everything packed up. Since we already paddled back & forth along the South side of the lake, we didn’t want to paddle that route again. Also, we didn’t really feel like backtracking on the North West side either so we decided to just paddle back to the campground and call it an early day. We swapped boats today since I didn’t get a chance to paddle the Tempest on Saturday and headed back to Silver Falls.

Paddling on clouds. Hard to believe this is the same lake as the day before

I’ve been wanting to paddle a Tempest for the last couple years and almost recently bought one instead of the Chatham. I liked it a lot. It’s a great kayak but, for the majority of paddling I do, I’m glad I went with the Chatham 17. It’s still on my short list of kayaks to choose from when I get an expedition kayak in the next year or two though. I’ll keep the Chatham for day trips and overnighters but I would like to do some multi-day/week long trips next year and when I do, I want something with a little more volume than the Chatham. The Tempest has great initial stability but since the lake was so calm on Sunday, I couldn’t judge the secondary. Jamie seem to feel pretty comfortable in Saturdays rough water though. It actually felt pretty similar to the Cape Horn but slightly faster. It seemed a little faster than the Chatham on calm water as well. I think the phase 3 seating is a little overdone. It’s a lot better than the old seats Wilderness Systems used but still, there was something about it that I didn’t like. Maybe if I spent a little more time fine-tuning the adjustments I would have liked it better. Or, maybe it’s just hyped a little too much and I was expecting more. Don’t get me wrong, it is comfortable but I still found my basic foam Necky seat a little more comfortable.

Rounding the bend to Silver Falls beach

We paddled 24km on Saturday and only 4km on Sunday but being Jamie’s first real paddle of the year and my first since my wrist healed, it felt like double the mileage for both of us. It was a fun 24 hours but I wish we could have been out a little longer and actually been able to paddle the North side of the lake and found a campsite. I’ll probably make it back at least once more this year since it’s so close to Thunder Bay but I really want to paddle/camp at some less populated lakes this summer.

Friday July 11th

• 6 PM - 8 PM - Registration at Finlandia Club
• 8 PM - 9 PM - Guest Speakers and Announcments
• 9 PM - 11 PM - Mike F. Live

Saturday July 12th

• 8 AM - 9 AM - Sign-In at Chippewa Park
• 9 AM - 12 PM - Morning Paddle Tour (Squaw Bay or Mission Marsh)
• 9 AM - 12 PM - Kayak Demos

• 9 AM - 12 PM - Clinics
• 12 PM - 1 PM - Lunch Break - Catered
• 1 PM - 4 PM - Arvo Paddle (Squaw Bay or Mission Marsh)
• 1 PM - 4 PM - Kayak Demos

• 1 PM - 5 PM - Clinics
• 5 PM - 7 PM - BBQ and Corn Boil

Sunday July 13th

• 8 AM - 9 AM - Sign-In at Chippewa Park
• 9 AM - 12 PM - Morning Paddle Tour (Squaw Bay or Mission Marsh)
• 9 AM - 12 PM - Kayak Demos

• 9 AM - 12 PM - Clinics
• 12 PM - 1 PM - Lunch Break - Bring Your Own
• 1 PM - 4 PM - Arvo Paddle (Squaw Bay or Mission Marsh)
• 1 PM - 4 PM - Kayak Demos
• 1 PM - 5 PM - Clincs

click for more details

Anyway, it was a perfect night for paddling and neither my wrist or knee bothered me in the slightest. Unfortunately, as nice of a night as it was, I forgot to bring my camera so, no photos this time. The nice weather brought a lot of people out for walks tonight, which means a lot of people asking questions about kayaking during the unloading/loading process. That’s a good thing though. Hopefully they give it a try.

Karl Wilson and David Mcgratten just set out on their kayak expedition around Lake Superior. They launched from Thunder Bay’s Marina Park around 10am this morning with quite a few of their friends and family to see them off and wish them well on their journey. Also on hand were a few reporters & photographers from the local media so be sure to watch TBTV news tonight and pickup tomorrows newspaper for more info.

As we were waiting for the launch, Bryan suggested that Karl’s dad should paddled out with them so we headed over to Wilderness Supply and loaded up a Current Designs Storm so he could paddle to Chippewa Park with them.

Dave and Karl will both be paddling Current Design Sostice GT’s and expect the 2200 km (1370 mile) expedition to take anywhere from 8 to 12 weeks.

Read more about their expedition on the Big Water 2008 website:
http://www.bigwater08.com

Click here to track their progress

Local Media Coverage

TBTV News

Thunder Bay Source
Pair sets out on kayak trip around Lake Superior
read article….

Karl & David Mcgratten are heading out first thing in the morning on their Big Water 2008 expedition around the coast of Lake Superior.

Read more about their journey here: www.bigwater08.com

I just got back from Grand Marais with my new (but second-hand) poly Necky Chatham 17 . I wasn’t planning on getting another kayak this year but was checking out the Superior Coastal Sports website and saw this one listed for a good price. I’ve always liked the Chatham so decided if I could get a good price for mine, I’d buy it. I contacted the owner to make sure it was still available, put my Cape Horn up for sale and had a buyer next day.

The Chatham is a little more scratched up than the Cape Horn and the day hatch cover will need to be replaced soon but overall, it’s in really good shape. It’s also four years newer than my Cape Horn. Another selling point for me was that the asking price was less than mine, so it really only cost me the difference from the $120 I had to pay for taxes (GST & PST). Isn’t it great that the Canadian Government charges full tax on used items when they’re brought back across the border? At least the Canadian and U.S. dollar are on par with each other these days so I didn’t have to worry about losing out from the exchange rate. I guess I should also factor in the cost of gas and travel time but Grand Marais is a nice town and a fairly short drive so I’m happy to go there whenever I can.

We got to Grand Marais fairly early and, because of the time difference, we had a couple hours to kill so we decided to do some shopping and go for lunch before picking up the kayak. Don’t worry, I won’t bore you with the shopping details. After a couple shops, we went to the Gun Flint Tavern for lunch. Neither of us had ever been there before but it always looked pretty busy when passing through town before and I heard they have a good selection of beer on tap so it was a no-brainer. I’ve never heard anything about their food but the first thing I noticed when I walked in was that they had Summit and Blue Moon on tap so I wasn’t too concerned about the food (it turned out to be really good anyway). I’m not a mathematician but know that good food + good beer = a return visit sometime soon. After lunch and a couple pints of Summit Extra Pale, it was time to head to Superior Coastal to do some more shopping and to get the kayak (a former employee was selling it). We chatted with the owner for a bit, bought a few things, loaded up the kayak and headed on our way back home.

Mt Josephine rest stop. Overlooking Lake Superior

It was a beautiful day, actually, I think it was the first really nice day we’ve had this summer so it was difficult being stuck in the car and driving along the coast of the largest lake in the world with a new kayak strapped to the roof. I was originally hoping to get home early so I could go for a paddle the same night but…. I sprained my wrist a couple weeks ago and every time I thought it was getting better, I would go paddling and it ended getting worse. Even though I really wanted to paddle it today, I held back in hopes of letting my wrist finally heal properly. It’s going to be a tough couple of days staring at it sitting on the grass but now that I have a new paddle leash AKA camera leash, I’ll take a bunch of pics when I actually get to go paddling.

I also got a Snap Dragon Sea Tour EZ spray skirt.

Other than length, the Chatham 17 and Cape Horn 17 are two completely different boats so once I’m able to get out paddling again, I’ll post a comparison of the two. One thing is for sure, I’m going to miss all the storage space that the Cape Horn has.

It’s official. I no longer own a kayak.

The good news is that Thunder Bay has one more paddler to add to the local kayaking population and hopefully, the Thunder Bay Sea Kayak Club will also get a new member.

I’m picking up my Necky Chatham 17 on Saturday and can’t wait to go paddling!