Sea Kayaking Isle of Man - Tofino KAYAKING.

It's been a week now since I sent a polite email to the Tofino Sea Kayaking Company regarding a solo kayak rental (see previous post). Apart from the automated reply acknowledging the receipt of my message, I still have received no reply from a human being at that particular company.

I thought I was doomed to a kayaking free spell in the paddling mecca that Tofino, Vancouver Island, is! That is until I found Paddle West Kayaking. Their courteous and thorough staff first ensured that I was competent and equipped to solo paddle around the Clayoquot Sound. Once satisfied they provided me with a boat, a paddle and all other necessary gear. And at 10 CAD per hour the price seemed pretty good too. OK, the boat was plastic, green and North American but I was so grateful I didn't care.

For your kayaking needs in Tofino, BC, Canada I would recommend Paddle West Kayaking.

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Sea Kayaking Isle of Man - NO KAYAKING!

The World is becoming health and safety crazy. The individual is no longer responsible for his own safety and well being. Particularly where there is money is involved the threat of litigation looms large. But its all for our own good. We can live longer and have fewer accidents. We also grow fatter and take Prozac. Our lives become empty as we languish in our cotton wool shells created for us by the lawyers.

So why am I blowing off about health and safety and why are there moody pictures of Long Beach, Tofino, Canada instead of kayaking photos on this particular blog entry? Well I'm told that the only place I can rent a kayak in Tofino, Vancouver Island, is from the Tofino Sea Kayaking Company. The pleasant lady behind the counter told me that they only have two rules when it comes to kayak rental. The first is that you have to be an expert, and the second is that you cannot paddle alone! I just want to go for a solo blast around the Sound, something I have done many times before when I fetched my own 3 piece kayak to Vancouver Island all the way from the Isle of Man. I followed up with an email to the Tofino Sea Kayaking Company offering to sign a waiver for the solo trip. Now, I don't blame them for not letting me paddle alone in one of their boats. That's the way the World is now and I'm sure they have taken sound legal advice. I do blame them for not replying to my email sent two days ago. But I thank them for keeping me safe, if not a little frustrated!

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Sea Kayaking Isle of Man - Pain!

Modern advice is not to rest when you experience many sorts of back pain. Instead carry on with your usual daily activities if you can, take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (if you can) and maybe get some physiotherapy. The days of taking to bed for three weeks with pain killers and Valium are mostly gone! I'm not sure this advice should include tidal race paddling at spring tides and in the aftermath of a force 7 however! I was in agony for 24 hours after my experiences in the Sound on Sunday. Much of tidal race paddling is about edging the boat, especially in a rough water kayak like the Rockpool Alaw Bach. Clearly, with a lumbar back injury any sort of edging is agony but unavoidable in a tidal race at full pelt.

Having said all that my back is much better than it has been for weeks today and so the jury is out. Thanks to Ian's Dad for the top two photos.

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Sea Kayaking Isle of Man -Ballyquintin Pt.

Of late my own attempts at tidal race paddling have been a little disappointing. A combination of the wrong tidal conditions, the wind flattening off the waves and a grumbling, but slowly resolving back injury have put pay to any hopes of a satisfying tidal race session. Not so for John Grant over in Northern Ireland who seems to be slowly mapping out his local tidal races. All the above photos were sent to me by John and you can read more about his adventures here.

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