Journal #1
The Canoes are on their way and that is a
great piece of news. We have been imagining each person climbing
into their personal drybag, cinching it around their waist and paddling
furiously for the Bay. But thanks to Keith Robinson at Souris River
Canoe we will be comfortable and safe in their Wilderness 18's.
These canoes will have the capacity, speed and toughness required to
handle our little adventure.
To reality of Voyage to the Bay 2006 is finally dawning on
each of us. Until this point in the planning eveything has seemed a
little unreal. Though we certainly have been dreaming of getting
onto the water and beginning the trip, it seemed very distant until this
moment. From now until 1 June 2006 when we depart from the height of
Navigation near the site of historic Jasper House things will move very
quickly indeed.
The search for sponsorship of canoes was one of the first
priorities that we approached. Their are literally dozens of
boats on the market that are suitable for the task, but from all the
models, we had to choose one that would provide a balance of features.
Our first and second criteria were integrally related.
We required a boat that combined sufficient hull speed and cargo capacity yet
remained within the 18' (5.4m) maximum shipping length for VIA Rail.
Other considerations were to find a boat that was light and resilient to
the rigours of a three month expedition.
All of these properties were to be found in the Kevlar/epoxy construction found in the Souris River Wilderness 18. These
boats have a tremendous reputation for maintaining hull-shape while on the
water, yet remaining flexible enough to absorb impact when inadvertently
coming into contact with a rock or log. Follow this
link for a story
and photos about their durability.
Many thanks to Keith and his staff for their patience in
custom building these boats for us on such a tight schedule. We are
looking forward to actually receiving these boats and putting them to the
water for the first time.
For more information about these incredible boats you can
visit their website at
www.sourisriver.com or stop by the factory in Atikokan, Ontario.
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Contact us at ddelafield@gmail.com
Voyage to the Bay 2006
c/o David T. Delafield
5029 57t Street
Lacombe, AB
T4L 1K8
403.782.1642
Sourir River Canoes