Kayaking how to Blog

from BBC News – Saturday, 23 May 2009 UK

A teenage boy from Somerset is believed to have become the youngest person to cross the English Channel in a kayak.

Christian Hosie, 13, and his 19-year-old brother Wesley from Taunton took on the challenge to raise money for the charity Children with Leukemia.

The brothers set off from Dover at 0901 BST and arrived at Sangatte near Calais in France at 1459 BST.

Speaking after his return to Dover, Christian said: “It was tiring. I didn’t think it would be so long.”

He said: “The conditions were really good, it was flat apart from when there were swells from the ferries.”

He added that he had only taken up kayaking recently, on the suggestion of his father Bill.

Kayaking Alaska gives boaters an opportunity to enjoy relaxing wilderness scenery or to test their limits in the frozen wilderness. Alaska is home to the nation’s largest national park. Both the park and the state have much to offer beginning and experienced kayakers. Tours and rental kayaks are available for kayak experiences throughout the state.

Le Conte Glacier Bay

Le Conte Glacier Bay is a 12 mile fjord carved out of the mountain range by glaciers. Le Conte Glacier is the southernmost tidewater glacier in North America. It is an active glacier, fracturing and calving constantly, filling the bay with thousands of icebergs.

Kayak day trips through the bay give boaters a glimpse of lush forests, ancient, sheer rock walls, thundering waterfalls and icebergs in every imaginable shape and size. Kayaking Le Conte lets boaters see and experience the majestic and sometimes fierce side of Alaskan nature.

Big Creek on Frederick Sound

The Kupreanof Island coastline offers miles of beaches and coves waiting to be appreciated by sea kayakers kayaking Alaska. Marine mammals in the area include stellar sea lions, porpoises, harbor seals and pacific humpback whales. River otters and bald eagles also call the island home.

Tebenkof Bay

Tebenkof Bay encompasses 65,000 acres of coves, bays and small islands – a dream destination for Alaska kayaking. The area is one of the most remote and wild parts of southeast Alaska.
Tlingit once lived there. No humans reside there now. Black bears, wolves, and Sitka black-tailed deer inhabit the area.

Stikine River

The Stikine River is the largest, navigable undammed watershed in North America. The river flows more than 400 miles from head waters in British Columbia to the Alaskan Delta.
Flat-water paddling the Stikine takes boaters through areas once used by natives and gold-seekers. Kayakers can visit a hot spring, view the towering Cottonwood trees of Ketili River and see salmon spawning.

Prince William Sound

Prince William Sound is said to offer some of the best kayaking in Alaska. 7,000 miles of ocean, river deltas, tidal flats and glaciers make up the Sound.

Shoup Glacier, unique because it can lay claim to not one but two tidal basins, boasts the fastest growing Kittiwake rookery in the Sound with over 20,000 birds and 6,000 nests.

Columbia Glacier, aka the world’s speediest glacier, is currently the largest glacier in Prince William Sound and the second largest glacier in Alaska. The glacier is moving backwards as much as 4 feet per day during the summer months.  Kayakers can take a boat to the glacier then set out via kayak to paddle among icebergs and through bays that motorized boats cannot access. Harbor seals, sea otters, sea lions, bears and whales are likely to be seen. Such areas are what sea kayaking Alaska are all about.

Sitka Sound

Experienced sea kayakers will find wilderness beaches, bioluminescent waters, and experience kayaking in ocean swells, rock gardens, sea cliffs and outer caves while paddling Sitka.
Coastal tide pools and kelp forests abound. Eagles, otters, seals, porpoises and whales call the area home, as do many smaller animals.

Less experienced kayakers will still find plenty of Alaskan beauty to tour.

Tongass National Forest

Tongass National Forest is America’s northernmost rain forest and the largest national forest in America. Almost 17 million acres, or over 20,625 square miles, make up Tongass forest. Saltwater and fresh water kayaking opportunities abound in this part of Alaska.

The Tongass is home to a wide variety of plant and animal life. Black and brown bears, caribou, sheep and goats call the forest home. So do moose, bald eagles, foxes, beavers and other small animals. Swans and hummingbirds are two of the birds boaters are likely to glimpse.

The destinations mentioned here are just a few of the many Alaska kayaking opportunities for beginning and experienced kayakers. Paddling among glaciers, kayaking in sea caves, and seeing Alaska’s wildlife in their natural habitat are some of the reasons kayakers visit the state.

Kayaking is an activity enjoyed by many people of all ages. It requires little or no experience and nearly anyone of any skill level can participate. It’s most popular as a summertime sport, but is also a great activity during the winter. Kayaking also seems relatively friendly to the environment; more so than speed boating or water skiing. Because a kayak doesn’t create large or frequent waves, require fuel, or disperse hazards into the air, it is indeed a fairly safe activity for humans and wildlife alike.

Kayaking on freshwater lakes and streams creates little turbulence and therefore, does not disturb fish or other aquatic life. Actually, the gentle paddling and movement of the kayak helps to bring kelp and seaweed to the surface, making for convenient snacking to the fish. However, there is a downside to kicking up an all-you-can-buffet for your fishy friends. In addition to bringing food to the surface, kayaking also stirs up litter that’s been lurking beneath the waters. Most fish will not eat the trash that rises to the top, but other aquatic animals will mistake it for food. This could cause the animals to choke on the indigestible litter, leading to death. As hazardous as this sounds, it isn’t very likely for such an event to take place. Most litter in lakes and streams is found along the shoreline and settles in the sand and dirt, and isn’t likely to drift away to the main body of water.

Unlike boats operated by motor and fuel, kayaks pose little or no harm to the fish swimming beneath. Kayaks don’t move at a rapid pace, and the fish swimming below have ample time to move out of the boat’s way. And because kayaks do not have a motor, fish have no risk of getting caught underneath the boat.

One potential hazard that results from kayaking is human waste. This depends solely on where you plan to kayak, and if there are resources available (such as campsites) along the shoreline. When there are no facilities in sight, you’re paddling in the middle of a lake, and nature calls, then often you are given no choice but to expel your waste in the middle of the water. While human waste is considered biodegradable, it can be harmful when ingested by fish. The only preventative measure is to avoid using the water as a restroom, but again, this can’t always be helped. Some public lakes and streams have taken steps to preserve the quality of the water by requiring permits for kayaking. This won’t eliminate a human waste problem, but does help regulate entry into the lake and prevent it from becoming overcrowded.

An important factor to remember when kayaking is that you are a guest in someone else’s home. You may not be greeted by anyone or be able to kick up your feet and watch TV, but the water is home to many aquatic animals and wildlife. Just as you would not throw trash on the floor or destroy the home of another, you shouldn’t do it outdoors either. Keep all trash with you in your kayak and properly dispose of it after you return to shore. Don’t dump anything in the water, and try to avoid expelling human waste if at all possible. By doing your part, you will help keep kayaking a safe and enjoyable activity for yourself and the environment.