TOURS: News from Deer Island's Seascape Kayaking Tours

You're receiving this newsletter because you signed up with Seascape Kayak Tours. Having trouble reading this email? View it on your browser . You can unsubscribe here . SEASCAPES - Fall 2010 The newsletter for the SKT community Welcome to our new e-newsletter format! Even though we have been e-mailing our SKT community the link to our online newsletter for several years, this is our first real e-newsletter, and we would love to hear your feedback on the design. We still have all of our newsletters, including this one, on our web site, here.  If we have sent you this e-mail in error, we apologize. If you no longer want to receive quarterly or biannual e-mails from us, please just click the link at the top of this correspondence to unsubscribe and we'll take you off our database immediately. All the best, ~Frances SILENT REFLECTIONS FROM BRUCE, SEPT. 26 Deer Island, New Brunswick: A cool wind is blowing from the northeast as I paddle slowly out of the harbour. The slight swell is soothing as I make my way out to the islands. I’m smiling. Today is my first opportunity to paddle solo in over a year. While paddling silently, I reflect on the summer that has so quickly come and gone. I think about the sense of community, the adventures, the laughter, the smiles, the wildlife and the beautiful weather. Our guests all make a personal connection to our special place, and for this my heart is happy... Two porpoise break the surface in front of my boat and I continue to smile. It takes a tremendous amount of work to bring a Seascape experience to life and I am fortunate to have a very talented and committed group of people to join me in this mission. They share my passion for paddling and for the Bay of Fundy. I want to thank our team for all the hard work and diligent attention to detail with every aspect of our programs on Deer Island over the past five months: Frank Postma, Katinka Postma, Guy Quinn, Dave Laverty, Emily Laverty, Tim Hanford, Sandra Luken, Tammi Winchester, Mabel Ketchum, Chris Hoyt, Lauri Nemetz, Glenn Munro, Deb Hum, Tom Peters, Joe Twardowski, Shana Wallace, Nancy Conley, and our marketing guru Frances Figart who works so hard to get the Seascape message out. Thank you all for your contributions above and beyond this summer... Without you, Seascape would not be possible. Two seals follow me back into the harbour, almost as if to make sure I land safely on the beach... Prior to landing, I look out at the water and whisper a quiet thank you for the opportunity to connect with this special place... Pura vida, ~Bruce Learn more about our staff Back to top^ UPCOMING TRIPS: COSTA RICA & BEYOND If you are planning your winter vacation, consider joining us in our southern base on the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, or in the Caribbean for a new mothership kayak experience in the Spanish Virgin Islands. Here are some trips you can join: Back to top^ Dec. 23-Jan. 3 Holiday Pacific Paddle and Cloud Forest Pre-Trip Extension Start in the magical Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve staying at a private lodge where researchers study the endangered Three-wattled Bellbird. An important character you'll meet is Debra Hamilton, conservation biologist, mom, Bellbird research specialist, owner and manager of a small bookstore and café, and director of the Costa Rican Conservation Foundation. She has devoted her life to studying the rare and endangered bird species that make the mystical Monteverde Cloud Forest their home. Next you'll travel to the Nicoya Peninsula for a 5-day camping and paddling experience with sea turtles, tropical white-sand beaches, and turquoise waters of the magnificent Pacific. "Bruce has an exceptional understanding of the marine environment in general and local environment in particular and is able to impart that to his clients during the trip, teaching in a way that is low-key and focused," said Elizabeth Hertz of Maine, who participated in a multi-day Costa Rican paddling experience. "He paid close attention to group dynamics and facilitated cohesion and bonding within the group. He developed individual relationships with each of us on the trip and, through these individual relationships, was able to create special moments for each of us that stand out in our memories of this wonderful trip." US $2,500 tax included per person. Click here for details. Back to top^ Jan. 7-15 KaYoga: El Espiritu del Mar Clients who have taken this trip with Bruce and New York-based yoga instructor Lauri Nemetz can’t stop talking about what a great combination it is. Sandwiched in between sunrise and sunset yoga sessions on a white-sand beach, you’ll paddle around islands and through arch formations in the Gulf of Nicoya. "Lauri pays an extraordinary amount of attention to each individual, tailoring every pose to each person’s needs and abilities. She’s always watching, always caring, always supporting," says Sharon AvRutick of Pleasantville, NY, a participant on the January 2010 El Espiritu del Mar. US $2,350 tax included per person. Click here for details. Back to top^ Mar. 13-19 Spanish Virgin Islands Mothership Kayaking in Puerto Rico Seascape invites you to discover an exciting new paddling destination, the latest in our SeaStar Collection Trips. Join Bruce Smith on the 90-foot Wanderbird, a classic North Sea fishing trawler built to rigorous Dutch standards, and explore the lesser known Puerto Rican islands of Culebra and Vieques via daily kayak excursions. "We offer eco-tourism cruises that reflect our great reverence for the natural world and its creatures," says Captain Rick Miles of the Wanderbird. "All of our projects are carried out with the well being of the wildlife and environment as our first and foremost consideration." US $2,449 per person through Beyond Boundaries Travel. Click here for details. Back to top^ Jan. 17-24 & April 6-13 Las Islas del Golfo Pacific Paddle Enjoy 5 days kayaking, 4 nights camping in the Islas del Golfo de Nicoya, an island archipelago comprised of small fishing hamlets, lowland tropical dry and humid forest, mangrove estuaries, the crystal clear Pacific and abundant wildlife. Local contact is a critical component of ecotourism; you will encounter friendly local people in the small fishing villages. This is the real Costa Rica. US $1,990 tax included per person. Click here for details. Back to top^ Bruce Smith wins Lifetime Achievement Award Please join us in celebrating: It was announced August 13 by New Brunswick’s Environment Minister Rick Miles that Bruce Smith is the winner of the Department of Environment’s Lifetime Achievement Award, one of six Environmental Leadership Awards presented annually to individuals, groups and businesses in New Brunswick that demonstrate exceptional leadership in the enhancement and protection of the environment. I deeply appreciate the support and confidence placed in me by the Department of Environment and by our provincial government in honoring me and the entire Seascape team with this important recognition,” said Smith, who founded Seascape Kayak Tours in New Brunswick in 1994. “My passion is to raise awareness about environmental issues such as ocean pollution and industrial projects that threaten the West Isles Archipelago of the Bay of Fundy, an ecosystem just as diverse as the rainforest, and one that provides habitat for four types of whales and a host of other marine wildlife. Hopefully this recognition can help me in protecting it.” Read the press release Back to top^ Seascape presents at eco conference Bruce Smith spoke as part of the Tour Operators Roundtable at The International Ecotourism Society conference in Portland, Oregon, Sept. 8-10. The Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference (ESTC) brings together 500+ business leaders, industry professionals and community stakeholders, and features dynamic sessions, public forums and social functions that offer insights into the latest sustainable tourism business strategies. “In an era of companies merging and getting bigger, and having the mantra that ‘bigger is better,’ Seascape has always decided to stay small and manageable. The size of the company, I believe, has allowed us to do a lot of things that larger companies, corporations, adventure travel groups, are really not able to do,” Bruce said during the presentation. “People who come and paddle on our programs become friends… and when we work with local partners in Newfoundland or in Costa Rica, it’s like having family.” Next year’s ESTC will be hosted by Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA, September 19-21, 2011. View video excerpts from the talk Back to top^ Learn more about Seascape Copy for Seascapes Newsletter written by Bruce Smith and Frances Figart. Photo credits: Summer 2010 Canada KaYoga Group: Frank Postma; Bellbird: Lapa Rios; Quesera Sunset, Estuary Paddle and Hermit Crab: Mike Postma; Whales: Laurie Murison. Read our latest blog entry. Access all our newsletters.  Join us on Facebook for daily news and photos. Follow us on Twitter. E-mail us now.  Back to top^ ©Seascape Kayak Tours Inc. 40 NW Harbour Branch Road, Richardson (Deer Island), NB, Canada, E5V 1S1 May-October Toll Free: 1.866.747.1884 Local: 506.747.1884 October-May Dial long distance: 011.506.8314.8605. Substantial long distance charges may be incurred, so try e-mailing us if possible. Forward this email to a friend . Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe Instantly .

KAYAKING: A fabulous description and fabulous photos of a fabulous paddle in fabulous Cobscook Bay

No videos or pictures in your ILQW email? See them at http://ilovequoddywild.blogspot.com

Cobscook Bay/Lubec

Underwater scene on Pope's Island.

Scalloper (?) at Cobscook Bay

Basics: State Launch off South Edmunds Road, Edmunds TWP. Lots of parking, outhouse, paved ramp, dock. Launch 11:40 AM Finish 3:40PM, High 3:40PM. 9 miles.
State Launch/dock on Washington St, Lubec. Limited parking, there is a second lot though. No facilities. Launch 8AM, Finish 11AM, Low 10:30AM

Cobscook Bay looks like a tiered cookie display, two curved thin layers of water with a divided stem up the middle. Through that narrow stem runs enough water to give the area a 22 foot tidal range. With all that water flowing through, it is no surprise that at the biggest squeeze point, Reversing Falls in Pembroke, the current can reach over 10 knots.

A few years ago we paddled Cobscook Bay just after low tide, delighting in the variety of seaweed and sea life exposed by the massive tide. I spotted a sea cucumber and a young flounder caught in a tidal pool. This time though, I thought we might try high tide, allowing us to explore the edges of the bay.

My preference is to paddle narrow sections on an incoming tide, that way, if I do run into trouble I should be pushed back to my start. Reversing Falls is the worst of the squeeze points, but a look at the chart shows it is not the only narrow area. I think it is also important to launch from an all tide ramp, which means avoiding the ramp in south Whiting Bay which is surrounded by acres of mud at low. We used the ramp off S. Edmunds Rd.

Read the entire fabulous article and see all of the fabulous photos here: http://penobscotpaddles.blogspot.com/2010/09/cobscook-baylubec.html

One of the world’s true wonders remains under threat

No videos or pictures in your ILQW email? See them at http://ilovequoddywild.blogspot.com

Guest contribution from: SEASCAPES – Spring 2010

By Art MacKay

Hopefully the Bay of Fundy will soon become one of the acknowledged “Seven Wonders of the Natural World,” a title that it truly deserves as one of the most unique ecosystems on the planet. But the future of the Bay, the thousands of marine species that occur here, and the important eco-economy that it supports remains in doubt as Fundy continues to see the development of “Superport Fundy.”


MINKE WHALE BY LAURIE MURISON

It seems like a blink of time since I started my official career here 46 years ago at my little home corner of this world in the Passamaquoddy area, a place that literally teemed with life along all of its shores and rivers. During that time, I have watched important forage species and the dependent invertebrates, fish, birds, and mammals pushed away from the near-shore by continued and growing pollution and, throughout the Bay, larger species such as the whales continue to compete with growing numbers of ships that feed the port of Saint John while coastal quarries and other developments are an ongoing threat along all of the shores. Others continue to push for heavy industrial development in inappropriate places and it remains to be seen just what the impacts of tidal energy developments will be.

While the Bay of Fundy remains a phenomenal place, there are many areas requiring TLC. Every year, the battle to conserve this important resource becomes more and more balanced as people of conscience, companies like Seascape Kayak Tours in addition to other world-class organizations become focused on protection and restoration in the Bay of Fundy.

Art MacKay, publisher of the popular site I Love Quoddy Wild, is a freelance biologist who has been a teacher, researcher, publisher, consultant, and environmentalist in marine biology and related fields in five countries over the span of nearly 50 years. Read more about Art and the Bay of Fundy. Vote for the Bay of Fundy to be recognized as one of the New 7 Wonders.

Bay of Fundy's Seascape Kayaking Tours in the finals for Parks Canada Award

No videos or pictures in your ILQW email? See them at http://ilovequoddywild.blogspot.com



Greetings,It has just been announced that Seascape Kayak Tours is one of three finalists for the Parks Canada Sustainable Tourism Award, presented by the Globe and Mail. 

Read all about this and other news, including a new trip to Baja, upcoming Costa Rica tours, yoga and paddling combos, and much more in our Fall 2009 Newsletter at this link: http://www.seascapekayaktours.com/media-center/newsletter/

Frances Figart
Director, Marketing and Communications
Seascape Kayak Tours Inc.
40 NW Harbour Branch Rd.
Richardson (Deer Island), NB
Canada E5V 1S1
Toll free 866.747.1884
frances@seascapekayaktours.com
www.seascapekayaktours.com

Juvenile Bald Eagle, West Isles

Hi Art,
Not a shot of a whale this time around but a nice close up of a juvenile bald eagle, taken last week on the east side of Dinner Island. I have been out to the Campobello / Spruce / Casco Islands area with paddling customers every day this last week, high tide being timed ideally
for our multiple hour paddle excursions. We spotted numerous finbacks every time we were out there. It's just great and I feel so privileged to be able to see these beauties from our boats or whilst enjoying a snack or lunch on one of the many small beaches on Campobello.
Regards,
Frank
Seascape Kayak Tours
Deer Island

Kayakers' close encounters.- August 10

Hello Art,

We were out on a full day kayak tour yesterday, August 10^th, one double and 4 singles, and found ourselves approximately 300 yards off of the south east corner of Casco Island at 3 pm, when a Minke whale surfaced 4 times in total before going for a deep dive, the second surfacing not more than 25 feet south of our kayaks! What a spectacular and special moment. Another kayaker paddling around told us there were actually two Minkes around south Casco for the last few hours. High tide was at 2:38 pm so the fishing must have been good. A few minutes earlier, paddling towards Casco from Sandy, we were also treated to 5 porpoises in very close proximity to the boats. The seas were too rough and the surfacing of the Minke too surprising to for us to get our cameras ready.

Frank Postma

Seascape Kayak Tours Inc.

40 Northwest Harbour Branch Road

Richardson (Deer Island), NB

Canada, E5V 1S1

Toll Free: 1.866.747.1884

Flotsam and Jetsam

Hi Art,
Katinka and I spent today paddling from St Helena to Spruce, lunch on Sandy, beach clean up on Sandy!...and out towards Campabello lighthouse. Between Sandy and Campobello we saw a pod of 7 porpoises at 13:50. Down towards the north point of Casco a bull seal showed us his territorial behavior.
Not sure whether the attached photos are of interest, but two show the results of our beach clean up on Sandy...depressing, and the third photo is of a flouresant light tube floating just off Sandy beach.
Frank

Seascape Kayaking Takes Quoddy Seriously!

Beach Clean Up Oct 6th 2008

Art. At Seascape we always try to include a beach clean-up, in particular with school groups. Last year, on Oct 6th, we did a clean-up on one of the beaches on the west side of Beans Island. We actually found an old fashion 13 inch computer monitor on the beach. And this baby doesn’t float! So how did it get there?
Frank

You can add that to the VW bug on the bottom off Indian Island and the armchair alongside "Haddock Ledge" (the one at Letang). Mysteries of the sea?

Art

Bay of Fundy Kayakers Sight Caiman

Seascape Kayaking tours out of Deer Island is one of the local businesses that profits from the diversity and beauty of the Quoddy Region. But ... come winter guess where they escape to!!! You can read all about it here.

http://www.seascapekayaktours.com/media-center/newsletter/

Pura vida, Art