Island Paddlers: April 2014

Living on the most eastern of the San Juan archipelago islands, Fidalgo island, the variety of trip & training paddle routes from here are endless. While strong currents do exist in nearly every channel surrounding our island shores, learning how to use these currents to travel in the back eddies, the mid-channel-river-like 'green tongue', along with harnessing the strength of the winds (with kayak sails), is what paddling the San Juans is all about to us... Efficiency. Speed. Using what Nature offers to help us achieve our paddling (distance travelling & racing speed) goals. Which sometimes mandates a combination of styles & skills from river and sea kayaking mixed in with occasional surfing and sailing. Adreline rushes. Personal Speed Records. Risk-taking. Innovation. ~Paddle the Islands and let Nature Inspire.~

Friday, April 25, 2014

7th annual Jones island kayak campout!

Jones Island Easter Campout 2014 from Northwest Adventuring on Vimeo.

What started years ago as an early season, long distance, stormy weekend paddle has turned into our annual Salish Seas pirate tribe's most beloved spring tradition, welcoming longer days full of adventures at sea.

This years forecast of gale winds and rain could not deter 11 friends from embarking from Anacortes, Bellingham and Orcas island

on 5 to 30 mile/ 50 km paddles and sails each way- through darkness with glowing bioilluminescense seas to strong currents and even stronger winds and big waves to share a weekend of merriment and joy together on a remote island in the San Juan Islands.

Happy Spring Adventuring in the Salish Seas!

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

La Ruta de Conquistadores

Trading training ultra miles with a paddle back to pedals in recent years refueled a fire within Jim to step up the self-challenging, epic endurance adventure levels a notch through testing himself in new and unusual ways- like racing across foreign countries through extreme conditions! So in October of 2013 we flew to Costa Rica for the race experience of a lifetime! La Ruta de Conquistadores, dubbed one of the toughest races on earth.