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2023 - R2AK Prep - February

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February played out as a different sort of training month. Emma had planned a solo three-week trip to New Zealand, and with my race plans, I was unable to join her. While she was away, I was in charge of taking care of our dog and finalizing our sponsorship plan and equipment. To keep moving forward, I attended every pool rolling session throughout the winter put on by the South Island Whitewater Club. After a few weeks of consistent practice, I felt confident rolling on both sides—at least in flat water. With day paddling trips bookended by dog walks, I explored the local waters around Sidney and Brentwood Bay, playing around with our GoPro and figuring out if, and how, I would want to capture video while underway. I also finalized plans for a fundraising cause, choosing KidSport Victoria—a local organization that uses funds raised to remove financial barriers to organized sport through grants. I had a lovely phone call with the local area lead, who asked, " How much do you think...
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2023 R2AK Prep - January

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January 2023 " So if you are going to do this, you need to manage it like a project " Emma commented, as she is prone to doing. To this point I had a few ideas of weekend training paddles, course campsite selection and logistics, but there were clearly some gaps. She's right, I thought. We sat down and made up an R2AK project plan thinking of every possible angle that we could to approach for a successful race. Mapping out the R2AK Adventure We decided that such a big undertaking warranted partnering with a charity, and I landed on KidSport Victoria, an organization I knew from my time rowing at the Victoria City Rowing Club. I took charge of race planning, logistics, and scheduling, while Emma led food prep, sponsorship, and fundraising. Training Day 1 The first training trip of the year took place in the second week of January. My plan was to paddle out to Saturna Island, where Emma would meet me by car with our dog, Rupert. I carried all the camping gear, stove, and wa...
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Pushing Boundaries - 2022

  Building Confidence in the Boat I have found that the best way to build comfort in adverse conditions is to put myself into them, preferably in a controlled environment, until they become normalized. The mind swirls with thoughts of "what ifs," from "What if I capsize?" to "What if I get separated from my boat?" to "How long would a rescue take in these conditions?" All are good thoughts to have for self-preservation, but as I have spent more time in the boat, I have noticed that each time I face a new challenge, my heart races, my body tenses, I grip the paddle a little tighter—then, over time, I start to find rhythm and relaxation. Up to this point, I had always pushed myself within the confines of highly controlled environments with medical support on hand, whether for rowing, 10K running races, cycling events, or a half-Ironman. In these events, you can always stop and likely find support in a matter of minutes. But when you are out on the ...
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Pushing Boundaries - First Stroke towards R2AK

Trading Oars for a Paddle After a decade of flat water rowing, where millimeter adjustments, precise timing, and maximizing fitness combine to make a boat with a beam less than the width of my hips travel 2000 meters as fast as possible, I was ready to try something new.  Keen to see a new body of water rather than Elk Lake, my wife Emma and I signed up for the Paddle Canada Level 1 course through Blue Dog Kayaking in the summer of 2020. We had a fun weekend, making friends, learning the ropes (literally and figuratively), and proving we could get back in our boats without assistance after swimming next to them. We left without thinking much about continuing and went back to our usual Gulf Island weekend bike trip and Vancouver Island backcountry hiking ways. Since it was 2020, many of these activities were seeing increased attention as everyone tried to make the most of the outdoors we are blessed to have in our backyard - especially those who didn't have a backyard of their own....
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Leaving the Beach

There’s a moment, just before launching, when everything is still. The gear is packed, the kayak is loaded, and the water stretches ahead. It’s the last breath before the first stroke, and it holds both excitement and uncertainty. This is the start of the   Sporting Chance Adventures blog , a journal of past notable paddles, future plans, and a place for me to write. For years, I’ve been drawn to the water initially on family summer sailing trips around the southern BC coast, later on for a decade as a flat water rower and now exploring what I can see and do in a kayak. Whether it’s a rough water surf trip or an ambitious expedition into the unknown, every outing brings something new. This blog will be a place to share those stories, the miles covered, lessons learned, and the moments that I want to look back on. Hopefully you enjoy the journey.
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Location: Victoria, BC, Canada
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