Ocean River Sports is proud to participate in the second annual Victoria Salmon Kings Eco Night March 13, 2010.  For the second year in a row, TLC and the Salmon Kings hockey team are partnered up to celebrate a night promoting ecological awareness.  The Salmon Kings and TLC hope to educate the Capital Region and encourage fans to support initiatives that protect the habitat and environment. As part of Ocean River Sports commitment to the community and to the environment we are donating a Clipper Canoe to TLC and one lucky participant will get a chance to win it at the game on the 13^th. Get your tickets early! $3 from every ticket sold before March 11 goes to TLC. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting TLC The Land Conservancy of BC or Select Your Tickets.

It has been one year since Paddlers rallied together to appose the proposed Mega Yacht Marina in Victoria, BC’s inner harbour.

Despite the developer not having the necessary approval from government and the ongoing opposition from local paddlers and the community at large, the promoter and the Alberta based developer are moving ahead.  Ten Thousand dollar deposits are being taken on the proposed berth reservations where currently canoes, kayaks, row boats and Harbour Ferries navigate the waters off Songhees.

Taking 6.4 acres of shared waters from Victoria’s Harbour to moor ship sized yachts is akin to taking 6.4 acres of Beacon Hill Park, another urban gem, to put up an RV park. Would any prudent government entertain an application to do that?

Visit Save Victoria Harbour to learn more or to let you’re Federal and Provincial members know your feelings or check out Save Victoria Harbour on Facebook

Tim Houlihan

http://www.timescolonist.com/travel/Songhees%20marina%20berths%20marketed%20despite%20lack%20approval/2544321/story.html

Hayley Shepard, a New Zealand paddler currently living on Vancouver Island, is attempting to be the first person to solo paddle around South Georgia Island, a Sub-Antartic Island well known for its remote, rugged beauty and rich abundant wildlife.  She is attempting this trip in order to raise awareness for the Wandering Albatross, the largest of the Albatross species who is facing a great threat to their numbers.

Why? Longline fishing.  Longline fishing is the cause of the 100s of thousands of seabirds that are getting killed when foraging on baited hooks as they sink slowly just after being set.  Huge fishing vessels set fishing lines up to 130km long, dropping to 2000 meters and carrying 10 ­ 20,000 baited hooks and are hauled numerous times a day attracting thousands of sea birds which attempt to feast on the baited hook buffet.

An estimated 1-3 billion hooks are set each year by the world’s longline fishing fleets. This has made the traditional feeding grounds dangerous places to be for all sea birds. In addition to these numbers, illegal vessels are also fishing and are less likely to use fishing methods which deter the sea birds.

What Are they Fishing For?  They are fishing for Patagonian Tooth fish (Chilean sea bass), which are caught in the Southern Ocean, near the sub Antarctic Islands and is a huge industry.  Europe, Japan, the USA and Canada are the biggest consumer markets. In 2003 they imported over 70% of the industry, which is over 40,000 tons of Tooth fish caught legally.

There are no benefits from this needless slaughter. A drowned, lifeless albatross is of no value to the fishermen. They would much prefer their hooks to catch the fish for which they were intended.
Right now in the southern ocean an albatross could be dying. In fact, on average, every 5 minutes another albatross is hooked and drowned.

Ocean River also has a connection to this expedition.  Beth Anne, one of Ocean River’s first guides, is going along on the support vessel, as a kayaking insurance policy.

We wish them both of them the best of luck on this incredible journey.

You can also follow their progress on their respective blogs…

Beth Anne - http://betsyguide.blogspot.com/

Hayley Shepard - http://hayleyshephard.blogspot.com/

By Sarah Duhamel

Camping and hiking on Vancouver Island is plentiful during the winter. The beaches are less populated, the trails less trodden, the coastal storms intriguingly ferocious. From snowy mountaintops to sandy beaches, we are blessed to live in this temperate ʻwinterʼ play land. To truly enjoy the outdoors at this time of year, however, requires a little planning.

A few years ago, some friends and I drove out to a beach, out past Jordan River Beach to camp and watch the fireworks from Port Angeles on New yearʼs Eve. We got there just before dusk, when the setting sun was hitting the last remnants of rain in the air that created pillars of light reaching from the water into the sky. Breathtaking. We set up our cozy network of tents and tarps under an overhanging tree on the beach, tucked back just far enough to stay out of reach of the waves at high tide. You see, the trick with winter camping, especially on the ʼwetʼ coast, is to create a comfortable and dry environment for yourself; a place that no matter how hard it rains, it will remain dry. Confidence in your gear leaves you free to have fun in any kind of weather. Key pieces for camping include: a dry tent, a warm sleeping bag, a comfortable pack that carries your load and keeps your essentials dry, and comfortable outdoor clothing. Of course there is a myriad of accesories, all of which make your life outdoors easier and more comfortable. With the right waterproof clothes and footwear, the rain can be truly joyous! Thatʼs right, joyous!

As far as my New Years Eve camping trip went, we enjoyed the spectacular scenery and battering storms from the comfort of our warm and dry camp. Happy winter camping!

By James Rogers

The Island mountains are covered in snow!  Skiers and snowboarders are carving and riding with extra zest.

Skiing and snowboarding require specialized equipment and technical knowledge for people to have a good time. This also applies to the clothes you choose, especially on our west (sometimes wet) coast. The key to
staying comfortable is choosing good quality outdoor clothes and wearing several layers. Island skiing and
snowboarding can be alternately cold, warm, wet, sunny, cloudy and sometimes all around yucky. The one big warm jacket that may serve you well skiing in the Rockies can be too hot for skiing here and not be waterproof against our soggy snow.

Skiers and snowboarders should check out their local outdoors store for all the necessary clothing, starting
with thermal underwear like Icebreakerʼs Merino wool “Bodyfit” or “Super-fine.” Next comes the second layer with an Outdoor Research fleece or light-down jacket. To top it off is that all-important waterproof breathable layer of a Gore Tex jacket and pants from Arcteryx.

Now, you are ready to get out there and rip it up!

Now that you have new clothes for Christmas, bring in your old sweaters and jackets to Ocean River to help support Stelly’s Global Perspective students when they travel down to the Sacred Valley in Peru this March.

They will be building a kindergarten in a small mountain community and installing clean burning stoves into individual family homes.  They are looking to bring down donations of warm sweaters, fleeces and water-proof jackets.  Please help us by donating these used items so that we may bring them down to the community we will be working with!

The free heel returns to Ocean River

Telemarking is not new to Ocean River.  About 20 years ago, we used to sell telemark and backcountry skis,and all the gear.  We also ran very successful telemark clinics for our customers.  Some of you reading this may have been on those great weekends.  It is with excitement that we bring back these clinics.  The format is very much the same - all based around having fun, while getting out there.  This is a guaranteed good time as we all hit the slopes together to learn how to be graceful on those funny skis with free heels.  I plan to get up again on the first tele clinic - for the fun of it.  -Brian

Ocean River is offering some amazing kayak adventure tours for 2010 including our second year in Kyuquot Sound –for a real west coast experience – This base camp tour is deluxe with real beds and gourmet meals along with paddling in protected waters of Koyuquot Sound and the options to paddle our open wild west coast.  This trip is whatever you want to experience to be with our experienced guides to take good care of everyone. Basic kayak experience is necessary in order to enjoy the full experience.

For next year, we have arranged a special Mothership tour on the MV Columbia where we will head from Campbell River into Desolation Sound for some kayak training which will teach participants the skills to paddle in tidal currents of Surge Narrows – a kayaker’s playground.  This tour will have our head guide/instructor, Gary Doran,  to lead the tour in June 8^th to 12^th.  Learn in comfort with us on our Mothership tour.  $1449 each.

Ocean River is proud to announce that we’re now offering a new unique course geared towards a different (and traditional) style of paddling.  Below is a brief description, and also watch for 2010 courses to be posted by Dec. 1st.

Whether youʼre curious about this alternative paddling technique or are already paddling with a Greenland-style paddle, this course will interest you! In the comfort of a heated pool, you will learn how to use the Greenland-style paddle for support strokes and Greenland-style rolling techniques. You will learn how to perform a static brace, sculling for support, and different kinds of Greenland-style rolls. The
Greenland-style paddle is considered easier with which to roll, so if youʼre at a level where you are learning to roll, you may find using this paddle can boost your ability. Before taking this course, we recommend that you have basic kayaking and rescue skills.

2010 Dates: Jan 23, Mar 27
Cost: $80

Full course description (PDF)

Article by Bill Langford, from the Haig-Brown Fly Fishing Association Newsletter

I had never been in (on?) a kayak in my life, although my son has been whitewater kayaking for years. My usual comment was along the lines of “I have no intention of being upside down in water with a boat on top.” Early this summer I read that kayak fishing has become immensely popular in the US. I picked up an excellent book on the topic (Kayak Fishing - The Ultimate Guide: Heliconia Press, Beachburg, Ontario www.helipress.com) and became intrigued.

Fishing kayaks have evolved rapidly over the past 8 years or so. Nearly all are ’sit-on-top’ as opposed to ’sit-inside’, are beamier and much more stable than standard kayaks, yet still track beautifully through the water. The book, and sources such as YouTube, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PNU2fhJFJ8) abound with pictures and videos of fishermen, usually somewhere off an American coast, landing all sorts of fish, including even marlin, from a kayak. Reasons given for using a kayak include:- going where it’s too shallow for boats and too muddy for wading; exploring places that are inaccessible to other craft; easy to transport;
move over the water; silent approach to avoid spooking fish.

Probably none of these would have been enough to persuade me to try kayak fishing, but for a very recent breakthrough in design. Last June, Ocean Kayak introduced a new model, the Torque, which comes with a purpose-designed Minn-Kota electric motor (in a floating, drop-in module!) and infinitely-variable speed control, permitting speeds between extremely slow trolling and a claimed 5 knots max. Both companies
are owned by Johnson Outdoors (www.johnsonoutdoors.com) so the package fits together neatly. I had for some time been thinking about getting some kind of power assistance for moving around larger lakes, so I decided to have a go, and bought a Torque kayak. Ocean River Sports on Store Street is the local agent. I used it for the first time on Prospect Lake late in September. It was quite amusing seeing other fishermen watching surreptitiously as the kayak gently glided across the lake without any apparent effort on my part! I caught two and lost a third in an hour’s fishing, which ended unexpectedly when I got my line wrapped around the propeller….all part of the learning curve!

The books and articles I’ve read all emphasise the importance of rigging your kayak to suit your own type of fishing. I’m doing this slowly. To begin I installed two flush-mount inserts for my Scotty rod-holders just behind the seat, in easy reach. I’m still not sure whether I’ll troll two lines or simply keep a different set-up available in the second holder. Time will tell whether the kayak will replace my pontoon boat: at the moment
both hang from my garage ceiling.