Moonlight Paddle

I have to write this while it is fresh in my mind. Earlier today I discovered that a group from the canoe club were going for a moonlight paddle in a voyageur canoe this evening. So, I decided to join them.

We met at the boathouse at 7:00 pm. 10 of us pulled the voyageur canoe from the boathouse down to the water front on its trailer. We had a few strange looks as we crossed the road in Fort Langley. It's about 2 C right now, and not many think, "What a great night to paddle!"

We paddled upstream into the moon, which was surrounded by an enormous ring. It was almost as though we were paddling right into the moon. We continued up to West Creek, just east of Fort Langley, then went up the creek - with our paddles!

We meandered up the creek for awhile before turning around and heading back to the Fraser, and downstream to the launch. I think we're were out there for almost two hours, and I didn't even feel the cold. I had layers of fleeces on, a toque and paddling gloves. My arms are a bit wet, as I dip a lot when I paddle, but that's it. It was an exhilerating experience, and I hope to do it again someday.

I'm not brave enough to take my camera out on the water, so you'll just have to imagine what it was like!

MissFits

Two weeks ago, we had a beautiful, sunny Saturday to paddle in the Fraser River in an OC6, or 6-man Outrigger Canoe. We are the MissFits, 7 members of the Paddle Pushers dragon boat team who are rotating to go out each Saturday afternoon through the winter season. Because temperatures are dipping, and the Fraser River is now quite chilly, we wear wetsuits to paddle. In the event that we huli (OC speak for "capsize"), we have about 3 minutes to right the boat and start to bail before hypothermia sets in. How did we meet? We are all members of the Fort Langley Canoe & Kayak Club, a club that offers programs for young people and adults in both flat water paddling (kayaking) and big boat paddling (canoeing, voyageur canoeing, dragon boating, outrigger canoeing).



Before we could go out in the OC6 as a team, we all had to attend a huli clinic. It was a crash course in the architecture of an OC6 and the technique needed to right it once upended. To this end, we dressed to get wet and intentionally capsized. I did the clinic in October, and it was already quite cold in the Fraser River!!

The outrigger canoe is made up of the canoe body and the "pontoon". The float part of the pontoon is called the ama and the arms to the float are called the 'iako. When the boat is upside down in the water, the ends of the two 'iako, on the opposite side of the boat from the pontoon are called the muku. They are important in the process of righting the boat.

If the boat is capsized, seats 1 and 6 have the job of gathering the paddles from the water. Seat 6 also must have the paddlers count off to ensure that no one is missing. Seats 3 and 4 swim to the ama and push it up out of the water and over, before swimming to the ama side to scramble back into the canoe. Seats 2 and 5 scramble over the boat and stand on the muku, then lean over to take hold of the 'iako and use their body weight to help seats 3 and 4 heave the ama over to right the boat. They then also scramble in, at which time any free hands start to paddle for shore, while the rest of the crew bails the boat as quickly as possible.

We are very much self-taught at the moment. As you can see, the OC paddle is quite different from either a regular canoe paddle or a dragon boat paddle. The paddle has a concave blade, and the blade is pulled through the water on the curve side, which is counter-intuitive for my not-so-scientific brain. Seats 1 and 2 set the pace for the boat, and each seat paddles on the opposite side to the seat in front of it. The steersperson can paddle, but may simply steer, which (speaking from experience) is quite a challenge in river currents and eddie!

Every 20 strokes, we cry out "hike hup hoe". I have since found out that hoe means "to paddle." Theoretically, we should not lose our rhythm in the switch-over, but we're still a bit out of time in that department - but improving with each time we go out!

On this particular Saturday, two weeks ago, we decided to paddle downstream, then work away around and upstream past MacMillan Island and the Albion Ferry docks to the east end of the island. From there, we battled (for an eternity, it seemed) the cross-currents to get back into the Bedford Channel and paddle downstream to the dock. We did have to pause briefly, then paddle like crazy so as not to get caught in the wake of the crossing ferries. We waited until they were both docked and unloading, then "power stroked" to get past before they had reloaded and launched. Along the way we saw Canada geese and sea gulls, which are standard fare. But we also encountered a loon in the channel and seals playing in the river. At Fort Langley, the Fraser River still has some salt water. The float planes often fly overhead as there is an airport just upstream from Fort Langley.

Our goal, as the MissFits, is to race in one regatta, perhaps in January. We are working on endurance training, and many of us are doing cardio-core cross-training. The "short" races are 1 km in length. As you may have discerned from the terminology, outrigger canoeing has a South Pacific origin, and the boats are designed for open-water ocean canoeing. I imagine that a huli is much more likely in such conditions than in the relative calm of the Fraser River. Perhaps we'll become very good and race in Hawaii! In the meantime, I'm certain we may be paddling in one or two snow falls, which will be an adventure if nothing else.

October and Part of November, or What have I NOT done?

The 1st Term has flown by. It is hard to believe that school started 2 1/2 months ago, and that Christmas break is just over a month away!

Besides teaching, Paul and I were at the fundraiser party for my dragon boat team, the Paddle Pushers. In October, I also began my winter paddling project. I am paddling with 6 women from my dragon boat team on an OC6 team. An OC6 is a 6-man outrigger canoe. It is narrow, with a pontoon out to one side. In preparation for paddling, we had to learn how to huli, or upend the boat, right it, and bail it. Outrigger canoes are notoriously tippy. Because of this, we paddle in wetsuits, as the Fraser River is already very cold. Having said that, I have yet to feel at any point that we have been in danger of capsizing, and we've had some not-so-pleasant Saturday afternoons. Coincidentally, we all bought the same wetsuit, but in different colours. So, we call our team "The Misfits." Hopefully, we'll be able to participate in one race this winter. The OC6 regattas usually involve distance, with races being 1 kim or more. In the dragon boat, we have only done 500 metre races.

We had a finale dinner for the dragon boat team, in part to say farewell to our steersperson and thank you to our coach, Cheryl MacIntosh, who is moving on to more competitive dragon boating in the next season, and will not be able to be our coach. So, we're now on a quest for both a new steersperson and a new coach. I have steered, but prefer paddling.




Toward the end of October, we took my English 10 Transitional class to Whistler for the traditional "Grade 10 Whistler Field Trip." I drove one of the school vans, and Rick, who teaches with me in the fun August summer school, drove the other. Kevin Krikke came as well, and another teacher, Jordan, who works with my students at their Saturday School.

We took the foot picture in Whistler Village after a very full day of Tree Trek Adventures, skating, and painting ceramics. My pictures are in here back end too, so you'll get the back-track version of the trip. It actually ended on Tuesday October 30 as we stopped at the BC Mining Museum at Britannia Beach. The students had fun touring the mine, and panning for gold afterward. They have finished some of the renovations at this mine, which was used as the set for "Scoobie Doo 2", so there was more to see this year. The concepts we learned at the mine reinforced what the students learned last year on the 9T field trip to the Okanagan when we stopped at the Mascot Mine in Hedley, BC.




After our morning of trekking through the rain forest and before settling down to doing some art work (painting ceramics), we went skating. The computers were down at the recreation complex, so we skated and used the rental skates for free, which was a perk. I thought the students might be tired and bored after an hour or so, but we spent the whole afternoon at the rink, and only left when it closed at 3:00. Part of what kept the students interested was a pick up hockey game, which everyone played. Some of the students aren't very good skaters, but we had a great time! I was the [very bad] goalie for one of the teams.

The first morning in Whistler was spent exploring the rain forest with Tree Trek Adventures. We were bussed to the forest, then spent an hour and half walking up and down stairs, over board walks and across suspension bridges. Our guide was excellent - she was both knowledgeable and entertaining.

We stopped at Porteau Cove for a photo on our way up to Whistler on October 28. In past years, it has been too rainy/snowy to stop for a picture, but the rain let up this year for just enough time to record the group.

Last week was very busy. On Wednesday night, Kevin Krikke and I took our Grade 10 students to the Canucks game, with four students from Team Canada. Pacific Academy has Outreach Teams in the high school that go overseas on missions trips during the two-week spring break. Team Canada stays in Canada and works with the International students. Part of their ministry is befriending the International students and building relationships with them, so they often tag along on field trips. They also put on events for the International students, and this weekend I'm taking them to the Fraser Valley Gleaners Society to cut up fruit/vegetables for 3 hours on Saturday (see what we did with 9T at the Okanagan Gleaners Society in my earlier blog).

Anyway, the Canucks played the Edmonton Oilers, and if any of you watched the game, you know it was NOT well played by either team. It went to a four-man overtime period, then the Oilers won in the following shoot-out.

The next day, I packed my bags and headed over to Vancouver Island with the Pacific Academy Synchronized Swimming Team, of which I was selected to be the coach. I know - the irony is unbearable - I am a competitive swimmer...

The twins, pictured here, did very well, taking first and second respectively in the Tier 7 figures and routine. The girls who competed in the much lower Novice Star 1 level also did very well, but I am still waiting to find out their actual placing.

We spent the night before the competition in Victoria, and were up bright and early for the BC School Sports Synchronized Swimming Championships. On the ferry that night, I ran into a couple from our Bible study whose daughter was competing in the BC Sports Swim Meet that started right after the Synchro Meet.

I had reserved a 4:00 pm ferry for Friday as the latest possible sailing we could take to get back to the mainland in time for me to make it to Westminster Abbey in Mission for a women's retreat. We left the pool just after noon, and I felt confident that we had lots of time to stop for lunch and even make a much earlier sailing. So we enjoyed lunch, then arrived at Swartz Bay at 2:00, thinking we might get onto the 3:00 sailing. Well, the 3:00 sailing was already full, and when I pulled out my reservation for 4:00, we discovered that the 4:00 sailing was cancelled all together due to a mechanical problem. So, we booked onto the 5:00 sailing, and settled in for a 3 hour wait. I called Paul to let him know - and he'd been trying to reach us because BC Ferries had actually called the house. Then I called Annette Fergusson to let her know I wouldn't make it up to the Abbey that evening, but would be there for breakfast at 7:10 am the next morning. Patience and waiting on God were two topics at the retreat, and I had a first-hand lesson!

It was great to get home and sleep in my own bed, and get to see Paul for a wee bit before heading out very early Saturday morning.

Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the physical and spiritual rest and refreshing. Annette and Jim, who married us (some of you have met them) have been doing these retreats up at the Abbey for several years now, and I always look forward to them when I can make it! There was a collection of women from different churches and denominations, and we had a great time! We have really missed Jim at St. Mark's, although we love Jonathan and Deanna, so it's great to see them. We drop into to St. John's in Vancouver occassionally for a visit.

Paul is finished his Monday night teaching for the semester, so it's been nice to share 4 suppers a week!! He'll be finished Friday nights next week, and Tuesdays and Thursdays shortly thereafter, and will have a break until January 7, which is when I go back too. I won't be off until December 21 this year. Mom M arrives on December 14, and we are very much looking forward to her visit. Sadly, we had news today that Sable will be put down tomorrow. We're feeling pretty sad. It's just over a year since Dad M passed away, and Sable has grieved for the year, as her health has deteriorated due to age. She's been a great dog, but really lost heart when her best friend "went away." It's amazing how sensitive animals are to change.

Oh yes - t the biggest news of all for these two months... David is now a father of Benjamin Fraser, and Philip is a father for the third time, this time of a son, Nathan Holden.