Sitting in a narrow boat that is really more like clothing than a watercraft. Some people shoot down rivers, others wander around lakes and the ocean, often for days or weeks at a time. We call the first group river kayakers, and the second sea kayakers. I’m a sea kayaker.
The following is a passage from my work in progress, The Kayak Chronicles, about a kayak trip through the Salish Sea during the summer of 2020 -Woody The ocean is a desert With its life underground And a perfect disguise … Continued
The following is a (mostly) true story from my time in the early 2000s as a sea kayak guide in the San Juan Islands. This story appears in the Summer 2021 edition of The Mount Baker Experience. Martine was dead … Continued
It’s barely summer in the PNW and we’ve already had three days with temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Thankfully, Giovannina and I had previously planned to spend the weekend on Orcas Island to celebrate her birthday, visit some friends and … Continued
Background – My wife and I are two weeks into our six-week kayak trip around the Salish Sea during the summer of 2020. These events occur just south of Washington Park in Anacortes, WA along the rocks to the west … Continued
This short essay is a reworking of a piece I wrote earlier about our kayak from Langley to Camano Island State Park. -Woody We were sad to say good-bye to Giovannia’s parents, but the sea was calling and we had … Continued
Here’s another excerpt from the Kayak Chronicles. This one focuses on the most famous of all kayak skills: the roll. -Woody “Ok,” Bob said. “Remember what I told you: feel for the surface with your blade, sweep the paddle, snap … Continued
On January 11, 2021, and as part of the Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators (NAME) virtual speakers series, Giovannina and I gave a Zoom presentation about our Summer 2021 kayak trip. We were excited to see almost fifty people in … Continued
We awoke the next morning to a growing haze in the sky. By now, the forecast called for increased smoke over the weekend and all of our friends had wisely chosen to stay home rather than go camping with us … Continued
We awoke Tuesday morning, ready to make our push south and found the air had grown heavy. Looking out over the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the west, the skies had turned yellow and we could no longer see … Continued
Our trip was nearing its end. Our hope was to get to one of the campgrounds in Hood Canal by the weekend so we could meet up with friends and enjoy some time together. The pandemic made it hard to … Continued