Reports from the Field

We had our last whale sighting of the Spring yesterday!
Jeremiah was out on a Full Day kayak trip yesterday when he and his group were out on the west side of Allan Island. Almost every day this week we've had whales near Anacortes, and the last three days they have been going all the way down to Deception Pass.

In other news, our new guide Gary Goldfinger and his guests had a very rare, but very cool, opalescent squid sighting! These secretive marine mollusks are rarely seen during the day and it was a treat to get a look at one.

Summer is officially here today, and we are in full swing and running all of our tours daily. Join us!

Wednesday we had the pleasure of taking out another great group of people from W.L. Gore (Gore-Tex). The morning started off a little less than perfect, with 30 knot winds buffeting the San Juan Islands along with some fairly heavy seas. By mid-day the wind had died down a bit, and we had already decided on "Plan B". Instead of kayaking around Burrows Island, as we originally intended, we moved the trip down to Deception Pass State Park so that we could launch in the protected waters of Bowman Bay. This proved to be a great decision as the skies cleared above us and the gorgeous shorelines of Deception Pass were the only area that was not experiencing the wave action from the winter storm.
Thanks to George and Barb Gronseth from the Kayak Academy we were able to outfit everyone in brand new Gore-Tex dry suits (naturally) made by Kokatat.
After taking off from Bowman Bay we snuck around the corner into the Pass. The seas were moderately rough, but this crew was gung-ho and properly outfitted for the conditions so we pushed on through the waves and made it into the calm waters of the Deception Pass Narrows. A light flood tide pushed us towards the bridge so we let the current do the work as we enjoyed seals swimming nearby, and Bald eagles roosting in the trees. Floating under the bridge is always an exciting experience when folks do it for the first time, and this was no exception. Leaning back in our kayaks we could see the diminutive figures of people walking across far above our heads.
We stopped for lunch in protected Cornet Bay while we waited for the beginning of the outgoing (ebb) tide. When we saw the current switch directions it was time to saddle back up and start paddling. The ebb current pulled us easily out of Deception Pass, and this time the current was opposing the incoming swell so we had some fun rollers to bash the boats through.
Sadly all trips must end, but when we returned to Bowman Bay these guys couldn't resist the opportunity to put their product to the test. Everybody jumped in together and marveled at how warm and dry they stayed, despite the 45 degree water! Gotta love Gore-Tex!
A great big Thank You goes out to the Kayak Academy for the use of the dry suits! And thanks Gore-Tex folks, for coming out with us! We will see you next summer!

Labels: anacortes kayak tours, gore-tex, kayak academy, San Juan Islands, sea kayaking

There are now eight new certified coaches in the San Juan Islands as most of our 2010 staff just completed their British Canoe Union (BCU) Level One Coach training and assessment. It's a pretty proud moment for us here at the AKT office. Seven years of hard work to redefine the standard of kayak tour guiding in the San Juan Islands is starting to pay off as more and more skilled and committed paddlers are coming to the AKT program. This year's staff was off the charts, I honestly don't think that there has been anything like it before in the region. We keep setting the bar higher and higher in hopes that the rest of the industry here will follow suit to help create a safer and more enjoyable environment for all of our guests.

A great big thank you goes out to Shawna and Leon from Body Boat Blade, as well as the Administrator for the BCU North America, Bill Lozano who also runs the New York based Atlantic Kayak Tours (the East Coast AKT). The three of them were incredibly well prepared for this intensive course, which is why it exceeded our expectations in every way. We now know why these guys are often referred to as best coaches in North America, and we are very fortunate to have two of them (Shawna and Leon) in our own backyard.



Now we will spend the next few weeks wrapping up the tours for the year. It has been yet another great summer for us, made even better by the contributions of our staff. We're looking forward to the quieter days of winter when we, ironically, get to paddle much more regularly.

(A final thanks to Bill Lozano of Atlantic Kayak Tours, he and Alan Mapes took these great photos posted here!)

Labels: atlantic kayak tours, BCU coaches, body boat blade, british canoe union, kayak coaching

Wyatt seems to have the knack for attracting those Transient Orca whales to his tours. He was up on Sucia on Friday and they came by yet again! I'm trying to figure out how he does it. It can't be that he looks like a promising meal....he's too skinny.

Megan and I took the boys up to Patos Island on a sort of "busman's holiday". We were accompanied by Shawna and Leon of Body Boat Blade, and four other friends, as we launched our triple kayak from West Beach on Orcas Island. The weather was less than perfect (a Small Craft Advisory) and so the first few miles were pretty exciting. The kayak handled the waves with ease, and even though the occasional wave broke into the boys' cockpit they kept smiles on their faces during the whole crossing. I couldn't have been more proud of the little guys!
We only had one night to enjoy up there, but the boys had a terrific time playing on the beach, exploring the tidepools, and walking out to the historic lighthouse. That evening we had an awesome time as Brett showed us how to make a fire using a bow drill. Not your ordinary bow drill though, this one was BIG, and we got the ember going in just a few short minutes. The video can be seen at http://www.vimeo.com/14853835 (Thanks Scott for posting the clip!)

The crossing back to Orcas Island the next morning was less rough, but still a lot of fun when we hit the tide rips out in the middle. The boys said that the waves were the best part of the trip, they like the bouncy water. I guess that opens up some more opportunities for Mom and Dad now that we know they can handle it. Sweet!

Labels: kayak tours, Patos Island, San Juan Islands, sea kayaking

It looks like the Stellar Sea Lions are moving into the area again after spending the summer out in the breeding colonies on the ocean coast. Tiffan has had several encounters over the last week, including a close pass (10 feet!) by a big male while paddling on an overnight trip at Cypress Island. In fact, on that trip she and her guests saw just about everything there is to see out here. Tons of sea stars, loads of porpoise, seals, seal pups engaging the kayakers, eagles, and so forth. The only thing that they didn't see was Orca whales, even though they did go by in the early morning hours.
We love this time of the season when the animals that winter-over in these protected waters start showing up and giving us new things to marvel at.