The PaddlerUK magazine March 2015 issue 1 | Page 87

Delights we sampled included sea lion soup, smoked salmon, canned salmon, baked halibut, reindeer bolognese and sea urchin eggs slurped straight from the shell.These times spent with people who chose to live on the fringes of modern society were really special, although ironically the modern tool of Facebook will allow me to continue to watch these new friends as they catch salmon, harvest berries and beach comb for glass balls. Some of the paddling was really committing and we didn’t always know how long it would take us to buck currents and reach land. On one 30-mile crossing we were swept away from land for two hours, not knowing if or when the current would change to allow us to reach solid ground before it got dark. Once the current relinquished and allowed us to inch towards land, a headwind ensured our progress remained slow, and our bows crashed into oncoming waves, losing momentum and requiring continuous hard work to reach safety. Sixteen hours later, I felt like kissing the ground. ThePaddlerUK 87