Don Lockwood kindly sent a replacement skeg down from Comox Valley Kayaks.
He also sent instructions for its replacement, which we publish here in unedited form. Those of you who read Don's contribution in Winter Harbour will understand.
Skeg installation instructions for Doug.
1. Open the envelope being careful not to scratch the skeg.
2. Hand the skeg to either Penny or Anne.
3. Send Jonathan away to fuss with gear as Anne says he's not good at fixing things.
4. Assemble all "fixing" tools from the resupply boxes. Be sure to check each box at least twice so as not to miss something.
Directions for Penny and Anne.
1. While Doug is assembling tools grab a screw driver and replace the skeg.
2. I vote for Anne to do the assembling and Penny to supervise (much easier than jump starting a tractor)
3. Doug will be still assembling tools for a good 3 hours so I suggest you ladies go for a nice lunch.
WARNING: Failure to follow these directions will result in this project taking far too long.
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We are attempting a circumnavigation of Vancouver Island during May, June and July of 2008. We are paddling NDK Explorers, British skeg kayaks. Doug Taylor and Jonathan Reggler
About us
DOUG TAYLOR - former officer in the Canadian Forces (36 years) and manager at Osgoode Hall (7 years), retired to the Comox Valley in 2004. Can be found in my NDK Explorer HV, when not having a coffee at Rhodos or hanging out at Comox Valley Kayaks where I teach Paddle Canada courses.
JONATHAN REGGLER - Ex-British Army medical officer, became a civilian GP in the United Kingdom for 11 years then immigrated to the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island, BC, in 2003. Sea kayaking since 2004. Family physician in Courtenay.
JONATHAN REGGLER - Ex-British Army medical officer, became a civilian GP in the United Kingdom for 11 years then immigrated to the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island, BC, in 2003. Sea kayaking since 2004. Family physician in Courtenay.
WHERE ARE WE?
Click on the link to maps.google.com in the latest post and follow our progress.
A message sent in the evening means we have been paddling and have reached a new place. A message sent in the morning means we are staying put.
If there is no SPOT message for a few days do not panic! SPOT is new technology and a glitch or two may happen. We have loads of back-up with VHF radios and EPIRB.
A message sent in the evening means we have been paddling and have reached a new place. A message sent in the morning means we are staying put.
If there is no SPOT message for a few days do not panic! SPOT is new technology and a glitch or two may happen. We have loads of back-up with VHF radios and EPIRB.
Comments
Doug and Jonathan love the fact that so many of you are following their progress but they also enjoy reading your comments when they have access to the internet. The links are at the end of the Spot message for the day. To read the comments: click on the Comment link. To leave a comment: click on the Envelope. They even answer some of them!!
WHAT WE ARE DOING
When Don Lockwood, the owner of Comox Valley Kayaks, a fine kayaking emporium stuffed with goodies, learned of my plan for a solo circumnavigation of Vancouver Island (I did not imagine I would find anyone willing to join me) he put me in touch with Doug Taylor. We met, gelled, and the trip was on.
We leave on May 4th, weather permitting. Vancouver Island is a fantastic kayaking destination and we both feel extremely lucky to live here and to be able to undertake this expedition. We are not racing around the island. We want to be able to make safe decisions each day and to stay on dry land when that is the sensible thing to do. We also want to take the time to nose into inlets and thoroughly explore some of the more remote parts of the island.
We have lots of safety equipment. Doug and I will be wearing dry suits. We will have incendiary flares, laser flares and GPS. Both of us carry VHF radios. We each have a personal locator beacon which allows us to alert the emergency services in case of disaster, via satellite.
Doug's personal locator beacon is a little electronic wizard called "Spot". Spot will send an email message out twice daily, via satellite. Each message will appear on the blog. Clicking on the link in the latest message will allow you to see where we have got to - maps.google.com will open in all its glory, showing you a satellite image of our last notified location. If we appear to have stayed in the same place for more than a night the possibilities are:
- The weather is foul, we are hunkered down under a tarp waiting for a storm to blow through
- The weather is great, we couldn't resist a day lazing in the sun
- Doug lost Spot on the beach.
JR
About NDK Explorers - for our non-paddling friends
Both of us will be paddling Explorer HV kayaks designed by Nigel Dennis in Wales. Explorers are small by the standards of kayaks designed in North America. They are narrow of beam and low in profile but this makes them extremely easy to control in water that is bouncy. In common with almost all British kayaks Explorers do not have rudders, which means the paddler steers by means of differences in paddle stroke power, good (hopefully) paddle stroke technique and by setting the boat on its edge. There is a drop-down fin near the stern, called a skeg, but this is to help with straight line tracking in wind - it is not for steering. In case of capsize Explorers are also easier to right using the "eskimo roll". We absolutely love them. Anyone on the Island who is interested in Explorers or one of the other Nigel Dennis boats can try them out at Comox Valley Kayaks. No one else on the Island has them.
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