Re: [Paddlewise] How tough are SOF

Gordin - some way cool paddling fun. Thanks for the description. I think I 
was playing in rock garden and surge channels my second day paddling, never 
looked back. Admittedly, I was fearful in those first tender years but 
through constant desensitization, overcame the fears and can now spend 
countless hours of existential bliss in these places.

You do require a unique blend of both situational awareness (as expressed by 
your ability to take in the whole scene, including incoming hydraulics and 
the ability to think in tri-dimensional levels ahead of time) and tactical 
awareness (as expressed by appropriate strategic understanding of your 
immediate situation in the context of overall dynamics and more immediate 
changes to the volatility of the spot you are playing or planning to move 
to). Tactical awareness includes timely use of paddle stroke 
counter-maneuvers and boat edging to avoid hazards and make responsive, 
anticipated reactions.

I notice my library of linked sites to trip reports and photographic support 
suggests that conditions on the west coast of Vancouver Island can vary 
significantly during the prime paddling seasons. Places like Brooks 
Peninsula can be flat calm at times, other days - wild beyond belief. Ditto 
Nootka Sound, though places like Nootka often give you the advantage of 
exposure by degree, relatively close to good camping spots. This works out 
well for rock garden paddlers, allowing sufficient opportunities to find the 
level of risk you want as you venture further out. Barkley Sound gives you 
close proximity to the outer islands where you can dissolve into the white 
froth of fun and frivolity at the base of the wilder outer sides, once 
experienced enough to know what buffer your threshold will allow.

I hope you get paddling further afield as you skills expand and new 
challenges attempted to enjoy some of these more remote rock garden areas. I 
suggest not coming out of your boat in these spots. :-)

And perhaps a little extra awareness in an SOF.

Your comments of group paddling were insightful.

Not sure if you know Jonathan Walpole's site, but check out some of the 
newer action like this one (very moderate conditions, but fun nevertheless):

http://web.cecs.pdx.edu/~walpole/Nootka.html

Doug Lloyd


> Hey, I'd forgotten about that photo.  There was some real intense moments 
> on that trip.  That picture was snapped just after I'd surfed in from the 
> right and through the centre gap.  I got turned around just as that 
> monster crushed through.  I came through on a baby compared to that.
>
> But the real scary part came at the end of the day.  Everyone was on the 
> way back.  The guys I was with don't like rock gardens and it turns out  I 
> got seperated playing in the rocks.  I mistakenly thought they were on the 
> outside waiting for me.  I'd just paddled through this one area and was 
> watching the swells come down this intersecting channel.  I waited and 
> watched from my relatively protected side channel that was maybe 10 metres 
> into the adjoining 30 metre surge channel.  Anyway with my usual bad 
> timing I paddled out into the channel just as an unusually high wave 
> entered from the ocean.  I was compleletly perpendicular to the oncoming 
> wave. The channel was about 20 feet wide and the waves power was getting 
> concentrated rather quickly.  When it hit I did a high brace and was swept 
> along racing for the barnical and rock wall at the end.  Luckily the 
> channel did not narrow or I think the bow and stern might have had a hard 
> time of it.  When the wave, me and the boat hit the wall I was doing a 
> combination sculling and draw stroke on the port side in an effort to 
> avoind crashing into the wall on the starboard side. It seemed like I was 
> on an express elevator. The boat and I flew up the wall and just kissed a 
> barnical at the top of the ride.  Then just as quickly we slipped back 
> down.  On the ride down, the retreating wave, and I suppose my sculling 
> kept the boat clear of the wall. Didn't even scratch the hull.  At the 
> bottom Iswung the bow for the enterance and paddled like mad cause half 
> way down was the second wave.  I climbed up and over and got out.  I 
> stayed out of the rocks for a good half hour after that.
>
> Inside the rock garden I had only intermittent views of my partners. 
> Often I was so focused on the conditions that there was no time to watch 
> to see where they were. When I popped out of the channel they were 300 
> metres away, backs to me and heading for home.  I was a tad disappointed 
> in that as they're always going on about staying together. I concluded 
> staying together is one of those things with a slippery definition, you 
> know it means different things at different times.
>
> Anyway Deception Pass has been on my list for a long time.  So has Nitinat 
> Narrows.  Get healthy and we'll make plans.
>
> Gordin
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