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A page for any info about the trip to British Columbia, July 2009….
Cool…time is ticking by before we head to BC; 4 weeks and counting (down)!!
Just thinking aloud about arrangements getting to the airport….flights are at 3pm so that would mean we would probably need to be there with all gear and ready to go at 1-1.30 pm…Fran, myself and Ronnie are not taking boats so myself and Fran are going to get the aircoach from Sandyford leaving about 11.30 am…I am not sure what Ronnie wants to do but I can do the following:
If Gearoid and Steven want to stay at my gaff the night before (Sunday 13th July) then I will drop them up to the airport with their boats and gear early in the morning and then drive back home to drop off my van before catching the aircoach with Fran. If Ronnie wants to stays as well then cool…I would be looking to leave for the airport about 6.30-7am in order to have enough time in rush hour to get back home…Please let me know if this is cool or if alternative arrangements are in place.
Also don’t forget to get travel insurance etc. Then we need to take out extra CLDW insurance for the car hire. If we take this out with an external agency before we hire the cars in BC then it’s much cheaper…last year we got it for about €150 per car for a year…I will organise it for the one car if Ronnie or Gearoid can do so for the second car-get in touch and I will point you where to get it..
Finally if anyone wants to meet to discuss trip plans, gear etc then let me know. Thanks.
Check the weather in Wickow
Dargle Guage Feed
Online Kayaking Gear!!(and in person!!)
Blogspot for Team I-Canoe
From our man in Terrace: Jason's Blog
Grand Canyon Trip Planning
Private Boaters Association of the Grand Canyon
Irish Paddling Scene Information
message board
Water Levels Irish Rivers
my flickr photostream
doh…doh…doh…I realised that the site needed a lot of streamlining so I did a real good job on it and ended up deleted too much….but no problem now we can start from scratch in an easier way…all upcoming info relevant to BC will be on this page:
I guess you have checked out the baggage policy for Globespan in the new posting..
…If I read it correctly then both Steven and Gearoid are good to stay at my gaff Sunday 13th June and get an early spin up to the airport before I head back home and catch the aircoach from Sandyford at about 11.30 am or so…still waiting on Ronnie…
….as far as camping and gear goes etc then I have 2 lightweight stoves which will suffice; however an extra one could be useful, or alternatively we could buy a bigger camping stove over in MEC as we will be car camping (the 2 stoves would then be grand for the multidayers)
…tents: your call as to how you want to share-remember baggage etc. I am probably going to buy a small lightweight small packing tent over there with the Grand Canyon in mind…same for a sleeping bag-thinking of the Canyon I want a smaller, lighter and warmer bag(winter trip down the Canyon )…
…roof racks: hopefully the cars have rails as asked so one option is bits of 2 by 4 cable tied on with a bit of foam as protection…has anyone got handy access to wood which could be put in the boats?…otherwise we could pick some up over there..we could try inflatable racks etc but we may need to put 5 boats on one car at times when doing shuttles if they are long…
….other gear such as pots and pans etc can be got cheaply enougn over there…
…be in touch via this page, and if people want to meet to discuss get back with times and places which may suit all..
gonna buy as much as i can over there id say, with as u said the grand canyon in mind gonna buy things like tent and sleepin bag over there, dont have a camping stove, have a paddle bag if needed, and i wudnt have any trouble gettin timber if ya give me the dimensions.
the best would be standard 2 by 4 and then long enough to fit across the roof of a jeep type vehicle…prob around 1.8 metres or so (can always cut down if a bit long)…options to source for free over here and put in boats at bit of extra wieght or try to buy over in Vancouver from a timber place; however that would mean having to leave people in airport whilst the search was on for wood! prob best to take with us…
Good plan stan on the old getting gear over there gig (espe cially with the Grand Canyon trip in mind)..
I will post something about this later with regards to my ideas / needs etc with regards to what gear we need, including compulsory gear…later!
steven wat u doin about camping gear?
+yeah i think we will have enough trouble with getin d boats on with out packin them to the brim…it took several phones calls to get them booked on caus everytime u got a different person you had to start over…
…so i imagine with the desk ppl we could have to start from scratch again.. i.e. they could easily be weighing them again.
Wahey finally found this…
Re: Airport – I’ll probably get a lift direct to the Airport on Monday morning, and meet ye there.
As regards the other stuff, I’ll also be getting as much stuff as possible over there, is it possible to get paddling gear over there as well – nearly all of my gear could do with renewal at this stage…..
I have a large stove but it’d probably be better to source another small one – the one I have is a bit cumbersome…
i hope so, not planning on bringing a cag/dry pants over and buying a kotakat dry suit over there
boo…i want a dry suit;-(. dont no wat d price is like for gear over there..i take it its cheaper lik d boats r.cant b more expensive surely ;-0
so r u 3 all taking ur own tent?
mmm…dry suits all round woud be super..especially with a winter descent of the Canyon…they are a good bit cheaper alright…as comparison kokatat drysuits (good gore-tex meridians) are costing €950 – €1000 at Colm’s place compared to CAD$890-$950 at MEC (950 Canadian dolars is just over €600 so saving around €300!! I may email the place where boats are being bought and ask if they can do a deal if we buy a few dry suits- see what price they will give us..
Further to the above… Sea to Sky shop stock Immersion Research and Level 6 Dry suits…all of whihc have similar features to the Kokatat (not Gore -tex but still 3 ply waterprrof, breathable fabric)..they have decided to have a rear zip instead of a front entry zip, as they have had feedback that the rear zips are more comfortable and less eaky with decks and buoyancy aids…prices are CAN $749.99 for Level 6 Barrier Dry Suit and $775 for the IR Double D dry suit…gonna email sea to sky see if can get a wee discount if a few are bought..
Do this crowd have a website?
If you talking about the place where we have organised to get our boats (Sea to Sky Kayaks) and I am emailing about drysuits then yes….check the link in the blog roll on the right side column… (http://www.squamishkayak.com/)
do ya kno anythin about the IR or the Level 6 dry suits? just that kotakat are defo a safe bet, also we r prob gonna need to call into mec for tents n sleeping bags .etc anyway?
also u kno what the prices are of the werner paddles in squamish kayak? they dont seem to list prices on the website or mabye im blind.
check out the IR double d dry suit….seems good etc…I know Kokatat are excellent but they are more expensive and if we get the IR suits from Sea to Sky they will give a deal. We will not get a deal on the Kokatat suits form MEC…check them out and get back to me as if we are going to go with the IR suits I need to email sea to sky back soon so they can order more in…they are due to get back to me with a deal if we but 3, 4 or 5 suits from them.
i guess better check and see who else is gonna get a dry suit first and see if we have enough to get a discount .etc,
about 130 euro in the difference between the IR and the kotakat suits without any discount.
Tin has that level 6 one and is over in the alps at the mo, dont kno how hes gettin on with it as yet, but i doubt anyone would put a huge weight in his opinion on gear anyways :p
right ill sort out the 4 2×4 each 4m long, prob should sort out travel insurance sooner rather then later, do u usually just get normal travel insurance or something from like bmc to cover ya on the river?
Thanks nice one Gearoid…remember they only need to be about 1.8 metres long (wide enough to get across the roof of a jeep) and not 4 metres…also they won’t fit in the boat at that length!!
With regard to travel insurance we went through annual multi trip insurance which covers for 45 day trips throughout the year. It also covers some kayak activities but not if kayaking is the reaon for your holiday…the choice is your chance a policy like that or go the correct way through eg, the BMC….
We still need to arrange excess insurance for the car hire, otherwise we will be stung big time when we go to pay for the vehicles over there…I will arrange for one car. If I remember correctly the policy needs to be in the main car driver’s name; ie myself and Ronnie..we went through whitehorse insurance I think or insurance4carhire..
Finally I don’t know if folk want to meet up before we go for a final chat type thing to tie up loose ends such as gear, airport arrangements, provisional plans yadayadayada…As far as my ideas and some sort of vague arrangements I have made with contacts over in BC I was thinking of heading to the Kootenays when we get there to hook up with Carl Jacks and other. for a week or two, then head up to Terrace (couple of routes: one via East Kootenays to paddle Skookumchuck Creek and others; or via Quesnel where we can hook up with Graham Gerry for a local run or two)…we need to be in Terrace in time for the Bank Holiday Weekend at the start of August for the Terrace Paddle Party..I would like to stay around Terrace for at least 2 weeks as there is loads in and around there, loads of contacts in Terrace as well as the fact that Kaya ( a friend who says we can stay in her gaff in Vancouver when we arrive and leave) will be up there as well..Also there are creeks, large volume rivers, multidayers as well as a super tidal play wave (akin to Skookumchuck)called Butzie…there are a few photos of it in the BC photos on flickr (in blogroll on right hand side)..Then head back towards Vancouver and maybe hang out at the Ashlu Festival if it is on (usually around mid August) near Squamish / Whistler..Also depending on tides I feel Skook would be best left to when we head back towards Van at the end of the trip (my opinion only)…also BUtzie is very similar to Skook and we can probably easily hire / borrow playboats up in Terrace from friends etc…
…anyway enough waffle lets get it on and if people want to chat about this let’s organise a meet and a pint or 2..however this would need to be this week / weekend as Fran is off back to Donegal for a few weeks work before we go…
oh sorry i ment 4 of them, ie 2 for each car.
I dont mind putting insurance on my credit card in terms of cars, but no idea in terms of the details. Also as soon as u organise your travel insurance can you forward me on the details, dont mind if someone needs to use my card for it just let me kno.
I’m heading to a wedding this weekend in england from friday till late sunday night, in very late on sunday night, but could prob get work off on tuesday and then meet on monday evening?
oh and in terms of where we go when we get there, mabye leaving scook to the end wud be a good idea, wud be nice to wind down at the end. Also wud ther be a warm up river to start (well easy grade 4 kinda thing) ?
enjoy the wedding…not sure if that’ll work-I think Fran will be heading back to Donegal to work for a couple of weeks possibly that monday..
we got travel insurance a while back for when we went skiing-it was from http://www.annualmultitrip.com (gold)…
I will send on details of car insurance if I need you to get it-thanks…
Yes…depending on water there are a few runs right in North Vancouver-the Capilano (easy) and Seymour Canyon (bit harder)…then the Chilliwack about 1.5 hours east of Vancouver towards the Kootenays, which has a few sections (grade 3 – 4 +). There are also a few creeks around those parts such as the Norrish-I will get deails towards put ins etc from some locals..After the Chilliwack we did a section on a river called the SImilkameen (again a couple of sections which can be combined depending in access-last year there was a problem so we did a shorter top section..I think there maybe a new take out for the lower part-again I will try to find out details in the next few days or so..
From gearoid
picked up the lengths of 2×4 anyways. bit of weight in em in terms of flying, but i guess makes things alot easier when we get there instead of trying to find a builders suppliers.
would prob need ya to collect me/them from trinity at some stage cos wudnt be able to bring all my gear and the 4 of em on the bus.
…reply: good stuff Gearoid…can put 2 pieces into both boats…I can pick you up from Trinity with all gear the sunday (July 14th ) if you are staying here that night, otherwise I can pick them up a different time…
We will need to be packed etc sunday eve (July 13th) as we will be leaving for the aiport farily early Monday morning..
Please can we try to keep all comments re the BC trip on this page to make it easy for us all to keep track-I will temporarily make it the homepage for now.
sounds good james, ya would be alot more hassle on monday if i didnt stay at yours on sunday night
Ok folks been doing some more boring admin..ie sorting out car excess insurance and sorting out care hire monies into correct credit card accounts..
Here goes:
1. Car hire excess…We booked the excess for 2 cars on Steven’s Credit card..this cost €190 which works out at €38 each.. I have paid this into Steven’s account (minus his €38) so everyone else owes me €38..
2. Car hire with hertz for the 2 vehicles is approximatey €2000. ie €400 each..(it may be slightly more when we are over there..)..so in order that Steven and Ronnie have enough money in their credit card accounts to cover hire in Vancouver. we are going to put money into Steven and Ronnie’s accounts…Fran is going to put €400 into Steven’s and I am going to put €200 into both Steven’s and Ronnies (well €200 – €38 into Ronnie’s!), so can Gearoid put €400 into Ronnie’s (if you can get his details etc…). Thanks. THen we should be covered with Ronnie and Steven paying there €400…
Hope this makes sense yadayadayada…
James
ah joy joy joy….the delights of America and running the Grand Canyon…
As you may or may not be aware our Bouyancy Aids are not goign to be adequate / useable on the Canyon trip-we need to use Bouyancy Aids which are both approved by the USCG and marked with a USCG label! SO that means no Palm B.A’s and even worse no Astral 300 Aquavests bought in Europe (like mine!)which although USCG approved do not the appropriate USCG label when sold in Europe (just a CE label)-I have checked this out with various sources and thay all come back the same…here is a quote from Astral:
”Hi,
Yes, the Aquavest 300 is a USCG approved (type V Rescue) PFD.
However, you will need a PFD that has a USCG label in it. Jackets that were purchased in Europe, might only have a CE label in it, but not a USCG label.
If your jacket has a CE label in it, the Grand Canyon park rangers will not let you paddle the river in it. (yes, they will inspect your jacket at the put in and make wear a different one.)
I’m sorry if this is disappointing news, but that’s how it works in the Canyon…
Sincerely,
Yonton Mehler.”
So I am looking to probably buy a B.A over in BC..anyone else? I am trying to see if they are in stock at SeatoSky etc and tryingto give them numbers who may want one..so please let me know asap if you do..
Thanks.
just checked mine, peakuk river guide but only CE approved so will have to get a new one when im over there aswell.
Any other problems with anything other then BAs in terms of helmets or any other gear?
ill get in touch with ronnie and get the money into his account asap
yes tis a bit of a bummer alright..I have an almost brand new Astral 300 Aquavest bought in Ireland which is only CE approved and is not going to pass for the Grand Canyon trip.. I am going to have to sell this and buy a new one over in BC..
The shop where we are getting our kayaks from does not have many Astral 300’s and the ones they do are all Large as these Bouyancy Aids are gradually being phased out to be replaced by the new Green Jacket.
This was supposed to have a release date of July 11th to the dealers but I have been onto Astral themselves and release is being delayed whilst they wait for USCG approval—they hope the end of July which is a bit awkward if you want to wait for this as you will need to take out your B.A and then come home with 2…this is what I am thinking of, although will see what other B.A’s with USCG approval they have over there.
At the moment I don’t think there are any other major issues with gear; if any crop up I will post.