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I think I have been smiling almost constantly for the last couple of weeks. It was so wonderful to take some time out of editing and regular ‘life’ to escape to the ocean with 2 great friends.

It’s been 4 years since Shawna Franklin, Leon Somme & I paddled around the Queen Charlotte islands together and over 2 years since I saw them, but  it soon felt like yesterday. They are such fun and happy people to spend time with, aswell as talented and safe paddlers.

Their friend Seth kindly picked me up from Comox and drove us both up to Port Hardy where we met up with Shawna & Leon, who had just put in a tough 30 mile day to get there on time to meet us. Fittingly, they were already in the pub devouring burgers and beer when we arrived and we were very happy to join them! After a ‘rest’ day of shopping & eating (all of us), plus doing laundry and checking up on their seakayak school that they’ve deserted for 44 days! (S + L), we set off from civilization and headed north and west on the water, breathing in big happy gulps of the fresh wild air.

I knew the West coast of Vancouver island can be a very challenging place to paddle, with large swells, lots of boomers, surf landing and strong winds but I hadn’t done much research into the specifics of the trip ahead as I’d been busy editing. So I was excited when Seth told me that paddling around Cape Scott and the Brooks range were usually the 2 cruxes of a trip down the West coast. Cape Scott forms the NW tip of the island and juts out into the powerful ocean, and the Brooks range invades 5 miles into the swirling seas, creating it’s own weather systems. How amazing to paddle around both of them in a 10-day kayaking trip. And a little intimidating.

In reality, we had amazing weather for my time on the water & neither crux posed much problem on the day. There was a small localised tidal race at Cape Scott and the biggest challenge rounding the Brooks was negotiating paddling round (or through) the many thick kelp beds at low tide.

The wind was against us probably half of the days, but it wasn’t that strong most of the time. It never prevented us from paddling, although it did slow us down quite  a bit one day! The swell didn’t rise above a metre and was often a mere ripple on the surface. It was just enough to provide some fun surfing near the shore and between rocks, without ever being worrying. It meant we could land on lots of beaches which are more regularly guarded by smashing waves and search earnestly for Japanese glass balls. Unfortunately, I suspect other people have had the same idea but got there first as we didn’t find any! And Shawna certainly looked very thoroughly!

Seth left us by Winter Harbor after 5 days and headed back in to Coal Harbor – seeing wolves on the beach on his last day (happily from his kayak)! We headed south, stopping at some glorious sandy crescent beaches, each one framed by rugged mountains and lapped playfully by clear blue sea. Even sand in my sleeping bag, clothes, glasses and everything else couldn’t dampen my mood at spending time traveling through this gorgeous landscape.

We saw quite a few black bears on the beaches – one on the same beach as us at the same time, some whales (although not as many as when I was in Haida Gwaii), lots of cute sea otters, quite a few majestic eagles and a few sealions. The life in the rock pools was incredible, so many shells, crabs, anemones and little fish.

I’m writing this at Vancouver airport, just before boarding a flight home to the UK. I’ve had a great time on Vancouver island. Even the filming and editing for our rolling DVD with Cheri & Turner was fun in a strange hard-working kind of way. That was at least in part because we had a lovely time staying with Monica & Trevor Russell and enjoyed great food, sitting outside in their garden every evening, relaxing pleasantly after grafting hard. I’m now looking forward to being home for a while and seeing my sweetie!

Another gorgeous day in Comox……. what a stunning place to be spending time and filming. I heard rumors of a terrible summer in BC, but since I’ve been here I can count the raindrops I’ve seen. I can see why Monica & Trevor live here, they are less than 5 minutes drive from the sea and are surrounded by wonderful views of mountains and the oceans. They paddle lots, and they eat VERY well! Thanks again to them and their family for letting us use their lovely house as a base for filming and editing and looking after us so well. (and thanks to Cheri for making me breakfast and lunch every day!)

Today, I leave Comox and head north to Port Hardy where I’ll meet up with Shawna & Leon who have paddled there from their home on Orcas Island, Washington. Their friend, Seth is picking me up in a couple of hours and we’ll both join them to paddle as far as Winter Harbor. Seth will then head into Coal Harbor, and weather and time permitting I will continue with them around Brooks Peninsula until Fair Harbor. I have to be back by 18th August as I’m giving a talk in Campbell River on 19th and flying home on 2oth!! I’m delighted to be joining them on a portion of their trip around the island with the aim of going slowly enough to enjoy the surroundings. Shawna wants to stop and paint — I think I’ll stick to looking around and reading! I’m really looking forward to seeing the wild west coast & spending some time with good friends who I haven’t seen for far too long! It’s still an aim of mine to find a japanese glass ball, so maybe this will be my time!? The only drawback I can think of is that I’ll have to learn to make my own breakfast again!

Local paddler Doug Taylor, who has also made a loop of Vancouver island, has kindly lent me his SPOT device and other bit of kit. I’ve set up a shared page with a map so you can follow our progress here if you like. Or look out for new updates on the Cackle TV facebook page.

Making a rolling DVD is a new experience for me, and for Cheri & Turner. In our search for clearer shots of the more advanced rolls, I had a crash course in diving from Trevor, who showed me how to breathe safely while diving straight down in shallow water.

After a short lesson on the sea, we headed to Comox Lake where the water is green and clear. Cheri put the scuba kit together for me, and I sunk down under the surface with my video camera in it’s waterproof housing. Co-ordinating things with Cheri & Turner was tricky – you can’t say ‘too close, or turn your bow 45 degrees to the right’ when you are a couple of metres below the surface (or at least, it wouldn’t be a good idea with breathing apparatus in your mouth, and no-one would hear you anyway!). But I was able to point the camera in the right direction and get some well-framed shots. Obviously whenever I breathed, a trail of bubbles shot to the surface in front of my lens so I had to time breathing in between rolls! Combine that with a brisk wind creating a current and kicking up a bit of sediment and all in all, it wasn’t as ‘easy’ to get great shots as we imagined it might be. But we did get some good images to go with some very clear water footage we already have from Sicily’s Aeolian islands last year.

“This is the Roll” is out November this year. Keep checking the blog or the Cackle TV facebook page for more information.

Technology today is so great that you can edit anywhere with a laptop and a small hard drive. Yesterday the already ‘moblie’ edit suite, moved again to an outside desk, so Turner could skin his new kayak, while being involved in the editing process! This rolling DVD is more work than any of us realised when we started out, but hopefully the end product will reflect all the hours we are putting into it. “This is the Roll” starring Cheri Perry & Turner Wilson, and featuring them teaching some of their students in Wales, Scotland and Canada will be released this November.