Just got in at midnight last night after a whirlwind trip to Vancouver, BC, Canada....1,400 miles in 3.5 days, and every mile was worth it!

Got into Bellingham, WA at 2:00am PST Saturday, slept in Reg Lake's driveway...we got up and paddled the Ski to Sea race course...I did pretty well with my GP; Reg put his GPS on my foredeck so I could watch my speed. He said at first he hated the idea of a GPS, then realized what a great knotmeter it would be (barring the effects of current, of course!) I did 3.5mph without even thinking. 4.0mph with a good knee crunch. 4.5mph was easy with good, focused torso rotation. In a sprint with good form, I could hold 6.5mph for a few minutes.

Hit a nice chandlery near the marina (not many of those in Montana)..they were closing in 15 minutes..started madly throwing things into the basket--belly ripper knife for a rescue hook, tarred whipping twine for lashing sof's, curved needles, ss screws, vinyl gloves, orange smoke flares...so much to buy, so little time. The staff were more anxious to get home for their Memorial Day weekend than to take my money! Also went to Hardware Supply--wow!!! Puts Home Depot to shame. They spend their money on inventory and paying helpful people, instead of orange paint and marketing. What an idea!! Found an 8 oz. tube of Aquaseal for $15. Even if I only use 1/2 of it before it goes hard, it's a bargain! 5200, polypro webbing for nylon drybags, nylon cord for tuilik hoods. I love shopping for toys!

Hit Vancouver the next morning, and met some very cool people at the Meet-at-the-Beach. Thanks Rod and Joanne for hosting--as with any great event, time was too short! With all the great folks there to visit with, it could be a 3-day event, and feel too short! Great to meet Mark Reuten and play with his Brooks avataq. It was a treat to paddle his SOF...it was a nice fit--19" x 17.5', I think. I just cleared the masik, and put my toes under his footbrace. It was interesting that I could not do any forward-finishing rolls in his boat, but came a lot closer to sculling under the boat than I ever had before. Did pretty well then with the forward-finishing rolls in my 21" hardshell Cormorant. Hmm...

It was a treat to meet and visit with Robert Morris--he's a super friendly guy and very willing to share his love and knowledge of SOF boats. A couple of his students were there, Pete has a beautiful frame ready for skin, and I could tell he was eager to continue its progress.

Got to match "faces to names" also with Mick Allen and "Ian in Vancouver" Cohen, and was enjoyable to visit with them and catch up on their projects.

We headed up to the Orca boats shop for beer and burgers, and more boat talk. I had plans to meet a college buddy who lives in the area for dinner, so I reluctantly had to leave. I will absolutely be back to this beautiful city and great "boat people"! I truly love paddling, but the more events of this sort that I visit, the more I'm convinced that the most valuable part is the wonderful people that boatbuilding attracts.

Shawn