The
Boat Shed
Small
Boat Camp Cruising
And
the lady said “Cayaque”
Blind
Bay (or a mini kayak critique)
I know this is the
busy time of the year for us all. Here are some of the things our members
have been up to.
Jack Bearden has been
building a Volkskayak on site at Gerry Gladwin’s. This boat is basically
finished and he will start a second one right away at home. You can’t own
just one kayak! Besides, what would Jack paddle after Lois takes this one?
Can’t wait to see his paint jobs.
While on the VK front, Gerry has had a busy, productive winter with the coming summer even busier. He will be on PEI doing a class making 6 boats, then from May 28th-August 3rd, at the Museum. Stop in and see him or better yet, build a VK.
Anne and Ryerson are happy to have their baidarkas finished, and working perfectly after some “adjustments”. Tully Mars, their 15 foot skiff is ready for the water and will be sailing from Shearwater again this year.
Ken Lamb has built himself a beautiful kayak seat, words can’t describe it, ask to see this work of art. Ken has also been busy making a hollow mast for his 16 foot cat boat, “ Chelsea Victoria”. This mast will be stayed, but far lighter then his present one. Ken will also be sailing from Shearwater this season.
Also on the hollow mast theme, Fraser Howell should have his finished and installed on his 20 foot cat boat, “Ichy and Scatchy”.
Watch for these boats any nice day along the water front or around McNabs.
Andre and Olga Massicotte will take delivery of their not so small boat in August. This large live aboard power cruiser will make a good “mother” ship when we want to try some open water follies. Andre and Ross Pottie have been very busy building the 11.5 foot tender for it over the winter. A real beauty made from lapstrake ply/epoxy. Those who attended the meeting in March at Andre’s got a good look at it. Can’t wait to try a row in it myself.
Alex Chisholm hasn’t been idle this past winter either. He has been steam bending oak frames and making long skinny pieces of wood for a skin-on-frame Greenland style kayak. He hopes to have it finished soon, and may well be at the time you read this.
Small
Boat Camp Cruising
by Ryerson Clark
“Look at the moon” whispers Anne not wanting to spoil the peace and quite of the moment. Propped on one elbow, I look past the bow of Tully Mars and the moon, full and yellow, is rising above the trees and is reflected in the still waters of our secluded cove. Earlier at dusk, two blue herons glided across the water making prehistoric “grocking” calls as they settled into their roost trees nearby.
On the perfect evening mentioned, we are just three miles away from our home, and if we look past our stern, we see all the colorful lights of Halifax. Anchored securely in Ives Cove and protected by McNabs Island, our “yacht”, Tully Mars, is a 15 foot sailing skiff designed for camp cruising. Inside the boom tent we are stretched out on our self inflating mattresses on the boats bottom boards, a thermos of coffee is made for the morning and perfect weather is forecast for the next day. We have spent many nights like this and even one in a thunder storm. With a tarp quickly thrown over the boom as extra rain protection we never had a single drop come inside. In the morning we will cook breakfast aboard before raising the anchor and sailing on to another McNabs cove for the second night.
A fully outfitted camp cruiser can be a skiff, dinghy, cat boat, or small multihull and either sail, motor or oar powered. In comparison to when we kayak camp, this is pure luxury! The load of gear such as water, food, extra clothes, books, dogs, cats, you name it, that we can take is amazing. With a good trailer these little boats cost much less to own and maintain and give you more mobility then a larger cabin/keel yacht. I have friends with large boats who never seem to get to new cruising areas. With Tully Mars on her trailer, we can be 1600KM away in 24 hours, dead to windward. In four easy days we can be cruising the Florida Keys.
Another aspect of mobility, and maybe the most important, occurs on the water. Most camp cruisers draw less then one foot, so, unlike deep keel boats, they can sail in shallow coves and inlets and right up on the beach. I have stepped ashore dry many times. We tend to spend as much time exploring islands as we do sailing around them!
This shallow draft increases your safety as well. By removing your fear of going aground, you can sail or anchor close into a fog bound shore which gives you a visual navigation reference and keeps you in water too shallow for larger boats to run you down.
On the cost side you save by not having storage fees, launching and haul out fees, and marina fees (Tully Mars does have marina fees as we keep him at a club for quick use in the harbor). Gear, such as anchors, sails and spars etc., because they are smaller and lighter also cost less, and, for this very reason are less likely to cause injury when handling them.
So what makes a good camp cruiser? It’s very much an individual thing and depends on your circumstances. Do you cruise alone? Do you have children? Do you want to sleep aboard or ashore? There are many considerations but we will touch on a few basics here.
If you have a larger family you will need a bigger boat for the extra people and gear. If you are alone, a smaller boat may be better and easier to launch by yourself. With some exceptions, 12-18 foot boats are best and - if they don’t have a cabin - are that much lighter for trailering and launching. On some small boats a cabin will work, but on most they take up too much space and are really too small to be comfortable. A tent on an open boat however can create a large uninterrupted airy living space.
Your boat should have water tight compartments, both for safety (floatation) and dry storage of bedding and spare clothes. A cruising boat is not for racing but it should still be a good sailor, beamy enough to be stable and comfortable enough for moving around the tent without fear of capsizing; it should have flat floor boards to keep you out of the bilge when sleeping.
If you have children, camping on a beach may be more interesting for them. They will have lots of room to run and explore, but your trips will require more careful planning to be able to reach a new camping spot from your last. Not all islands and coves have beaches or good areas to tent, and they may be private, less of a concern when anchored off.
Other then the occasional night in a convenient Inn, Anne and I always sleep aboard. We find it more satisfying and less bother then carrying everything ashore and re-packing the boat every day. Once the anchor is down, Tully Mars becomes a private floating “camp site” in about 10 minutes with no fuss. Anchored off we enjoy less, if any, bugs.
Bugs aside, camp cruising brings you closer to nature. Even in our home waters of Halifax Harbor, we often see whales, seals, osprey, blue herons and eagles. The wildlife is always there, but at our slower pace we notice so much more.
SWBANS as a group has quite a few camp cruisers out there. Ask around to see them, then build one and join the fun.
And
the lady said “Cayaque”
by Andre Massicotte
Tuesday 19:32
YOU HAVE A MESSAGE
: “Hi André uh, this is Gerry, I mean Gerry Gladwin. Look
I just got off the phone with a reporter. CBC wants to do an interview
on my kayaks and how to build them. This is really fantastic.
I don’t know exactly what she wants to talk about, her English was not
that great and my French non-existent. As a matter of fact I sort
of pointed her to you so that you guys , like can speak the same language.
Right.? Anyway, I also gave her your phone number. As a matter
of fact, she’ll give you a call soon to interview you about the Volkskayaks.
Bye!”
Wednesday 09:47
“Monsieur Massicotte
? Mon nom est Danielle Foucart de Radio Canada. We are really interested
in doing a spot on building “cayaques”. On Saturday, we have a program
devoted to the outdoors and this week we will feature do it yourself projects.
Now, we tried to speak with a Gerry Gladwin about his “cayaques”.
Does he speak English? Because we had a hard time understanding what
he was saying. Anyway, our team is meeting in a few minutes about
what we will talk about and I would like to set you up for an interview.
Is that OK with you? Can you talk about those “cayaques” ? “
Wednesday 10:36
“Monsieur Massicotte
? This is Danielle speaking. OK, we will do a 2- 5 minutes
interview and talk about building “cayaques”. I need a bit more information
and I’ll have our research team working on it as well.
How long does it take
to build a “cayaque”? OK 6-7 days.
Is it really easy?
So, basic manual skills like cooking needed.
Can you get the parts
anywhere? O K, plywood is used, the rest is frills.
Where do you get the
“pagaies”? A sports store you said?.
OK I think that’ll
do for now. We’ll give you a call on Saturday morning around 10:00.
It won’t take long. Thanks a lot for your help.”
Wednesday, 10:54
“André?
It’s Danielle again. Sorry to bother you but I need more information.
The program is really
for people in Montréal. Like, could you build this “cayaques”
in your apartment say on the 10th floor? Oh, so it is 17 feet long.
You need the space to build it. Yes, I understand, epoxy and carpets
don’t mix. What did you say? Elevators are not 17 feet high.
Yes, I guess you’re right.
Now to go back to
what you need to build them. Does Gerry ship the kit by Canada Post
or Purolator? No, I guess not.
But, can people use
those things around Montréal? Yes, yes of course, we have
the Saint Laurent and Lac Saint Louis. Oh, so you can put them on
top of your car. Now I think Gerry said he put his in the trunk of
a Honda Civic. What?, you cut it in three part? How does it
float? Oh, bulkheads! What are those……
I saw one on his Web
site. Is Gerry the guy with the ugly beard? No, I wont mention
it. But, do they really float? Are you secure in them?
A life vest you said?
Alright, I thinks
that’s enough for now. Talk to you Saturday.
Wednesday 11:05
“André, I am
having a real problem with this “cayaque’ thing. You see, the other
feature on the program is a portable knock-down cottage. It takes
one hour to put together.
How can we convince
people that it takes 6-7 days to build a kayak? Yes, I’m listening.
You mean take a vacation in Halifax and build one with Gerry? That’s
great. I’ll use that. I hope Bernard Landry will not be listening.
You know, the “Not Made In Québec” syndrome.
Bye. Talk to you Saturday.
I think!”
Saturday, 10:20
André, this
is Danielle. You’ll be on air in 10 minutes. Make sure your
cell phone reception is good I can barely hear you. By the way, I
found out more about the cottage guy. That guy is really neat.
He builds Hydraulic Cottages. They’re 24’ by 24’ by 3 feet thick
and you push a button and the whole roof and walls lift up hydraulically.
It even has a fully fitted bathroom and kitchen. The counters are
low but, you know, this is Quebec.
What? No it
doesn’t float . But it’s outdoorsy kind of stuff so it will fit with “cayaques”.
And so the legend
of the Lady and the Cayaque was born. Montréal was never the same
again.
Blind
Bay (or a mini kayak critique)
by Fraser Howell
Four of us went out
yesterday to Blind Bay for a little kayaking. We launched at a “common
area” set aside within the development “Shag End”. On the chart,
that is next to the outflow from Welsh Lake. After you pass through the
iron gate it is the first lot on your right, maybe 60 feet from the gate.
We cut across the bay and went up the channel west of Clarke Island, around
McGrath and Coyle Coves, then around the South end of Clarke Island and
into the coves between Clarke and Big Island. Then back
across Blind Bay to
return.
Terrific area. Sheltered,
shallow water, and lots of scenery. There was a wicked north wind
that came up when we were out (Saturday), but we were well sheltered except
for the last mile getting back. Which was a bit of a back breaker.
The winds were forecast to 20 km/h, but were in fact much stronger.
The Sympatico weather said they were 37 km/h when I checked after getting
home. We would have postponed if the prediction had been closer to
the real. Had there not been that wind, we’d have
gone out further,
and around Long Island. That’s for next time.
Afterwards we swapped
kayaks. I got to try a new CLC 16 and a Sealoution. I found
both boats to be stable, the CLC a little more tender. The CLC tracks exceptionally
strongly, and seems easy to keep up
a good speed in.
The Sealoution felt very comfortable and safe, but is a little more difficult
to keep going. Unlike the CLC, the Sealoution was quite easy to turn.
I liked both boats. I wouldn’t be able to choose between them.
I’m beginning to think that there is not much to kayak design, the nuances
and subtleties are lost on me. The most stable boat I’ve been in
is still the Volkskayak.
Note from Fraser: Blind Bay is next bay from Halifax past Shag Bay. About a mile past Granite Springs (where Andre and Olga live). We came back at low tide. I found lots of mussels there. Just ate a bunch. No ill effects to speak of.