Tim Dyer
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Squallerus Hollerus 2008 BS
(“before springtime” in case you were wonderin’!)
Download Holler to read at your leisure with your feet up by the fire.
It’s the dark times of winter, a time when little boys and girls should really be off skiing, not worrying about watery times to come. But Mother Nature works in wild ways. Right now there’s a 50 knot blow on the Bay with a full-on riot of big waves. A fine way to get in the mood to ramble on about paddling…..
Superior Dreaming
Have you ever taken a big tipi and woodstove and stuffed it into the back hatch of a kayak? Well we did in late Oct. for our annual staff adventure up the northeast shores of Superior (see photo gallery of Superior pics). After long, wet and freezing-cold days (yup, it’s pretty fun!) .... nothing compares to paddling back to a warm tent, good food and a hot toddy. Sleeping in a canvas tent rocks my world in the early spring and late fall – all ya gotta do is find someone with a really big back hatch and distract them for a little while. Give us a call if you want some info on tents and stoves that work. Over the years we’ve made most of the mistakes so you don’t have to! By the way, just as we were leaving, ol’ Stevie Harper himself was up there to talk about the new Marine Conservation Protection Area in Northern Superior. This was big news, and we were surprised that he didn’t tell us he was coming. Seriously though, a major hats off to all folks up there who have worked for so many years to see this spectacular area of Superior protected.
Georgian Bay Kayak & Canoe Festival
Our annual paddling party starts May 2 in the evening and carries on throughout the weekend. Fri. night, sit back for the Reel Paddling Film Festival World Tour and the best water films on the planet. Headlining this year’s Sat. Night Concert are the “Arrogant Worms!” Ever since they first sang the praises of Manitoulin Island’s “Mounted Animal Nature Trail” we’ve been fans of these crazy Canucks and can hardly wait for their first appearance at the Squall. You can take part in paddling and camping seminars both on and off the water with Ontario’s best instructors and paddling schools. Highlights include the ever soggy Cardboard Kayak & Canoe Race, along with seminars on cooking, singing, paddling, whittling, winter camping, edible wilds, rocks, stars, rescue and more. It’s a folk festival for paddlers! Car pool if you can.
New Kids on the Block
After many years. we’re welcoming back Valley Sea Kayaks from the UK, as well as an expanded lineup from P&H. Being a Brit (ok, I was 18 months when we emigrated) I really like Newcastle Brown and roast lamb and their boats are pretty good too! We’ve gone heavier into Canadian-made Delta kayaks after a strong inaugral season with us. Current Designs, our flagship line, has a ton of new hulls– particularly in acrylic/abs, and I think they are the company with the most comprehensive lineup in the industry. I still mostly take out my trusty Gulfstream even though the whole stable sits there wanting to go. We’ve also made a bigger commitment to Canadian made Boreal. Their poly boats seem to stand up exceptionally well. We’re bringing in more Seawards and Impex, both built in Canada. We are stocking Scott, Souris River and Nova Craft canoes & are bringing back Bluewater (an old favourite) in an infusion laminate called “Golden Brawn” which sounds like me in the summertime ( so everyone says) , and is really strong and light.
Outhouses & A Great Summer Job!
The Bay needs looking after, and we’re involved with several community groups working together with both levels of government to hire and train summer students as Bay Stewards. It not only provides great summer jobs, but their presence out on the water encourages campers to paddle and tread softly. It’s a grass-roots success story, and we’ll continue to help. I figure one day I’m gonna apply for that job …. read more about this.
Oil & Water Do Mix
Puddles of oil….that’s mostly what boats are – and we’re just plain lucky that science has figured out how to transform it into vessels able to explore the back corners of our planet… at a price most of us can afford. It gives us no more right to do that, in fact we have a much bigger burden to use this stroke of luck with respect. What boggles my mind is that boats are going down in price as our planet heats up. Near as I can tell, oil is only getting scarcer, and the cost of cleaning up the mess we create by building these things is skyrocketing. So for the very short term you’re getting quite a deal. Don’t be surprised to see your dream boat costing a lot more when we finally come to our collective senses. In the meantime, enjoy the ride….cause it’s way cheap!
Talent in all the Right Places
When I think about our resource staff for this summer – I’m still amazed at the breadth and depth of their knowledge and experience. We blithely offer astronomy, geology, ecology and photography trips as if it’s old hat – when the truth is, they are staffed by some of the top people in their fields. And now we’re happy to introduce Yoga with Theresa Gregory. She’s a very accomplished teacher of Kripalu Yoga and is really easy to learn from. I can attest to this, being one of the most inflexible students ( in more ways than one) she has ever had, yet I enjoy every minute of her class. She has signed on to join us in a trip based out of cabins on the north-eastern coast of the Bay. These cabins are pretty cool…..and are part of the Diamond Key Camp. We will also offer our Ecology (Messin' about with Gerard) and September Moments trips out of the same spot. It’s not the Ritz, but think of clean beds and wholesome Squall meals in a rustic setting. We’ve never done an October trip on the Bay, though it’s my most favourite time to be out there – so this year we’re hoping to talk some of you in joining us for a farewell tour to the summer out in the Minks and McCoys. Highlights for this season of day programmes include: Rolling Clinics, Family Daytrips, Bayside Inn Weekends and a full slate of Paddle Canada national certification courses along with Wilderness First Aid Training. We’re also doing a lot with schools and camps this year, so the old Squall will be trucking along on all cylinders. And we can only do that with some of the best people to teach and guide you. When I look at who works here, I’m continually amazed at the knowledge, skills and training they have and are so willing to share both in the town shop and at the paddling centre. It gives a guy hope for the future to see young and not-so-young people alike, working together and being almost as friendly as Benji and the chickens.
…….Being named as one of the top five paddling outfitters in the world by National Geographic Adventure Magazine this past fall was quite an honour. We know there are lots of other centres that didn’t apply, but still – it was nice to be recognized. It took Graham the better part of two days in the busiest part of the summer to answer questions and compile all sorts of information along with participant contacts so they could interview them. I would have settled for being in the top five this side of Ardbeg. Thanks a lot for supporting us, and we hope you can visit this summer. Bye for now – Tim
Read more about the History of White Squall......
