Where were you in 1988, back when kayaks were still a novelty, and small boys would ask "How fast does that go?" Long before Harris Ivens learned to roll using only his hands. Back when Harris was seven or eight years old, when we could go on a trip and not be surprised to see no other kayak. Because that was the year GLSKA was born. This year GLSKA becomes an amazing ten years old, and we had a birthday cake to celebrate, at the ACM on November 14.

      GLSKA was born on the premises of Trailhead and MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op) in Toronto. The one on Front Street, and the other, across the road on Wellington Street, almost facing each other. (Both have since moved.) It was in the Fall of 1988 that the first meeting took place, after hours in the basement of Trailhead, organised by David Smrtka, who at that time was with Trailhead but is now with Chlorophyll in Chicoutimi, Quebec. About forty people, with lots of fancy ideas attended. How about leasing the lighthouse buildings on Flowerpot Island, off the Bruce Peninsula, as a sea kayak base? Each of us chipped in $5 for the cost of the first newsletter, and we set up a steering committee, supporting the view that rudders have their uses (although in a kayak you can steer without one).

      The second meeting, a few weeks later, was on the MEC premises, and I believe Mark Hill, one of the MEC staff (He has since moved to Vancouver.), had a hand in organising it. About 25 people were present, perhaps a more realistic group. No newsletter had materialised. A name was agreed on: The Ontario Sea Kayaking Association. The Upper Canada Sea Kayaking Association was suggested, but rejected in the interests of democracy; thought to be too snooty, although, of course, the "Upper" refers to up the river from Quebec and has nothing to do with "upper class", but by the eighties we were well into the dangers (ice bergs, perhaps: cold with hidden hazards) of political correctness. (By the way, "down north" similarly refers to down the rivers to the Arctic Ocean. Both "Upper Canada" and "down north" reflect our heritage of canoe and kayak travel.) The meeting at MEC accepted three or four volunteers for the first Board of Directors to try and get things running for the following spring. Stewart McIlwraith, Stephen Threlkeld, and Michael Kundu were members of this first board. Stewart became the first president of GLSKA, and in asking Sandy Richardson to become a member of the Board and become the editor of the first newsletter, he did GLSKA a great service. Sandy remembers it was with some reluctance he agreed, and considered himself an interim editor until a permanent one was found. Fortunately, ten years later Sandy is still the editor. All who are interested in sea kayaking in Ontario owe him a considerable debt. Let us hope there will be no need to find a "permanent" editor.

      Early meetings of the first Board saw the name changed to the Great Lakes Sea Kayaking Association; this following discussions with Canoe Ontario. These early meetings set the character of the association, with a strong emphasis on paddling and trips, and four trips were planned for the spring of 1989, and, in addition, the first Rendezvous. The Rendezvous, held on Beausoleil Island, off Honey Harbour, in Georgian Bay Islands National Park, was a success. A picture of an array of thirty or more GLSKA kayaks along the beach on the west side of the island, appears on the park brochure. And it brings back happy memories, a time of meeting new friends, and some old ones, and the pleasures of kayak camping. The first trip, the very first trip, organised by Michael Kundu, was on May 7, 1989, on Lake Ontario in the Ajax area, "to explore sheltered bays, and possibly observe a loon nesting area". I think there were four of us and it was a grey somewhat misty day. I do not remember seeing any loons. On July 22, Doug Cunningham organised the first trip of what was to become one of our annual events, the trip around Lyal Island, on the west side of the Bruce.

      Looking back today over the first newsletter I must say I am impressed. GLSKA was off to a good start. The Inuit name Qayaq was chosen for the name of the newsletter. The name reflects the fact that the kayak is a part of our Canadian native heritage. Of the eight pages in this first issue, two of them were devoted to trips; trip guidelines, trip classifications, and the trip programme. The editorial, signed "Sandy Richardson, Interim Editor", lists the members of the first newsletter committee: Robert Aucoin, Tim Baetz, Tom Brown, Arden Ford, Stewart McIlwraith, David Windrim, and of course the editor, Sandy Richardson. The first issue of Qayaq, Volume 1, Number I, was published in the spring of 1989, at which time the association had sixty-two members. Ten years later, in 1998, a very successful Rendezvous, organised by Don Smith and Donna Griffin-Smith, was held on Byng Inlet off Georgian Bay with over sixty-two members taking part, almost double the numbers for the first Rendezvous.

      From the start GLSKA had a trip committee, a very important component as trips are really what GLSKA is all about. The first trip committee leader was Vic Thompson, followed by (surprisingly) Stephen Threlkeld (known for an article in Qayaq on how NOT to run a trip, based on a trip organised by himself – we live and learn, or some of us do), and then as the years went by, the trip organising responsibilities were taken over in succession by Richard Dunning, David Ivens, and then Warren Williams. Incidentally, Warren, who has done an excellent job, retired this year, and at the AGM as no one was volunteering to replace him (there was a deafening silence), I once again offered my services. Immediately I did so, four others offered theirs. Now there’s confidence for you.

      And of course the Board of Directors has changed over the years. The first board: Stewart Mcllwraith (President), Michael Kundu, Sandy Richardson, and Stephen Threlkeld, in 1989, with Vic Thompson joining in 1990. In 1992, Sue Hutchins (the first woman to become a Board member) joined the Board (the license plate number on her car? QAYAQ). The Board underwent several changes later in 1992. Robert Aucoin became President, Sue remained on the Board, and new members Shane Stuck, Richard Dunning, Martin Mittelstaadt, and Robert Theissen replaced Micheal, Stewart, Vic and Stephen. In 1993, Shane and Robert were replaced by David Ivens and Stephen Threlkeld back on the Board again. In 1994, Martin and Richard stepped down and Stewart McIlwraith and Vic Thompson again joined the Board; Stephen Threlkeld became president. In 1995, there were several changes; Dale Cramm, Hart Haessler, and Cynthia Farrell joined Stewart, David and Stephen. In 1996, Davd Ivens became president, and Catherine Maunsell and Don Smith replaced Dale and Stewart. In 1997, Joe Child and Jim Mark replaced Hart and Stephen. For 1998, look at the News page.

      And what did all these people actually do, besides argue? First there was a constitution to hammer out, and we, as Canadians, all know the difficulties with that process. Then two major accomplishments were the incorporation of the association and the purchase of insurance. Both of these protect the association and its individual members; most clubs of our type seek protection in this way. The Boards also set up trip guidelines with particular concern for safety, noting that if we do not look after our sport competently some government agency likely will (but not necessarily competently). Keep in mind that GLSKA is the major sea kayaking association in eastern Canada, and accordingly has responsibilities. Sandy tells me that we have received requests from other groups as far away as New Brunswick and South Carolina for advice on how to organise a sea kayaking club. We have every right to be proud of our club. Another important issue discussed by the Board is the annual programme, not least of which is the Rendezvous. The Rendezvous location sometimes needs an on-site inspection prior to a decision. Preparation for the AGM also takes time and thought.

      Over the years certain events have fallen into the class of annual traditions. The Rendezvous, of course, and the AGM, but also the Fall Gathering (usually at Killbear), and, as I think of others, Doug Cunningham’s Lyal Island trip, so also the Dunnings’ trip (usually five or six days on the French River or in Temagami), and Sandy Richardson’s Symphony of Fire trip, watching the fireworks in Toronto harbour, and perhaps my own, early in the year Hamilton Harbour trip, followed by a barbecue. And many of us enjoy Tim Dyer’s White Squall Symposium early in the year. Although not a GLSKA organised event, it appeals to GLSKA members, and Tim is also a member. Another event that I can see becoming an annual tradition is one initiated this year, in the interest of good stewardship, a clean-up weekend. This year a group of dedicated individuals did a great piece of work cleaning up Franklin Island. The event was organised by our Georgian Bay Committee, and was part of the Fall Gathering. Earlier in 1998 GLSKA, working closely with officials from the Provincial Parks (The Ministry of Natural Resources) and with White Squall (Tim Dyer), built and installed Thunder Boxes (outdoor toilets) in strategic locations on Georgian Bay, notably Franklin Island. Apart from the conservation friendly nature of Thunder Boxes, the pleasure of finding one of them in the woods in time of need, particularly if you happen to be arthritic, is near exquisite. And think of the view.

      Intimately tied to the history of GLSKA is in fact the history of the Georgian Bay Committee. The idea for the committee grew out of comments by Doug Cunningham at the 1993 AGM expressing his concern for the preservation of Georgian Bay for future generations. There followed meetings at Miller’s Family Camp on the Bruce Peninsula, April 30 and May 1 in 1994, and April 29 and April 30 in 1995. Other meetings were held at the home of Howard Williams during the winter of 1995. From these initial meetings there gradually evolved concepts on how the Georgian Bay Committee might best work for the preservation of Georgian Bay. The Committee is well on its way to publishing guides designed not only as a paddling guide to Georgian Bay but also as an educational resource for good stewardship and conservation practices.

      Throughout the ten years of GLSKA’s history a high quality, quarterly newsletter has been produced, with wide ranging articles such as Land of the Long White Cloud: Part I - Kayaking on New Zealand’s North Island (Doug Hamilton) 1998, Dried Food for Kayaking (Howard Williams) 1997, The Real Experts (Tim Dyer) 1996, The Saguenay in May (Brad Allard) 1996, Moonlight Paddling in Sioux Lookout (Rob Cosco) 1995, Prismatic Coefficient Demystified (John Winters) 1994, A Wild Run from the Minks (Warren Williams) 1993, Trip Leadership (Tim Dyer) 1992, Ice Caves and Castles (Lake Superior) (Bruce Lash) 1991, Birds of the Leslie Street Spit (Mark Taylor)1990, In the Wake of the Voyageurs: Key Harbour to French River (Richard Dunning) 1990, Kayak Safety, (Mark Hill) 1989. This is but a small sample of the many articles published in Qayaq, and in addition to the articles there was room for poetry, and Songs of the Great Lakes, and not least were the accompanying drawings by our artists Peter Graham and Jung Chao. Educational programmes have been offered, pool sessions and paddle-building workshops during the winter and numerous workshops at the Rendezvous. Friendships have grown, and the enjoyment and concern for our province has deepened. Many people have made contributions, some mentioned above, but there are others who also have made important contributions, for instance those who have stepped in to help out at last moments, and those who are involved in instruction in the pool sessions and the Rendezvous workshops, those who worked on the Thunder Box project, and those who write articles like the ones listed above; and so it goes, on and on.

Doug Cunningham

      A different kind of Fall Gathering, picking up other people’s garbage! The members of GLSKA’s Georgian Bay Committee decided to organize this year’s Fall Gathering around a stewardship theme. We had previously arranged to have 5 Thunder Boxes (built by Joe Child and David Ivens) installed (by Dave Ivens, Brian Perks and Tim Dyer) on Franklin Island to address the concerns expressed by many that the Island was being turned into a garbage dump by the irresponsible activities of boaters, party animals, and yes, kayak campers. Accordingly, we set aside the weekend of September 11-13 for camping at Killbear Provincial Park, enjoyable paddling excursions, the fellowship of great friends, and garbage detail. As my wife, Paula, our friend Tim Watson, and I searched on Friday night for our campsites in the Killbear darkness I couldn’t help wondering if all those who had expressed their support for our "clean-up" would actually show up at Snug Harbour the next morning. Maybe we would be a work detail of three.

      Perfect weather and what a turnout! Here it was, 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning and 21 people had gathered at the Snug Harbour Marina ready to be garbage pickers for a day. I had divided Franklin Island into three paddling areas and was fortunate to have experienced leaders for each area. Ron Colson took the exposed outer coast; I took the Henrietta Point through to Burritt Point section; and Wolfgang Kruskche took Burritt Point down the Shebeshekong Channel and around Corbman Point to Cunningham Bay. As people were deciding which paddling group matched their comfort zone I noticed a gentleman standing at the back whom I didn’t recognize. John Noye was an American cottager from Kentucky who had heard about our stewardship action on the radio and wanted to be part of it. He volunteered to patrol the coast of Franklin in his motor boat and ferry our garbage bags back to the Snug Harbour Marina as we filled them.

      Throughout the day we paddled, explored, laughed, and picked up everything from a bus seat and a freezer, through the normal garbage of broken bottles and rusty cans, to piles of human excrement and toilet paper! We noticed that the worst areas for garbage were located between Henrietta Point and Burritt Point, areas easily accessible from shore for the day trippers, party animals, and those sailors and motor boaters in search of a safe haven from the storms of the Bay. We paddled into Franklin’s interior Little Lakes region behind Regatta Point, inaccessible except to those travelling in a canoe or kayak, and noticed that these campsites were, for the most part, pristine. It didn’t appear that kayak or canoe campers were the main source of the garbage problem. At one location, just to the north of Regatta Bay, we came across what appeared to be a magnificent campsite until we went ashore. Broken beer bottles were all over the sloping rock face, numerous beer cans littered the beach, and in the forested and exposed rock areas behind the beach, there were countless small dumps of human excrement. But it was the three huge piles of toilet paper, excrement, and sanitary napkins that really got to us. We needed a shovel to address that problem! Pity the poor family who comes ashore to enjoy a family picnic and their toddler or family pet heads up into the bush.

      By 7:30 p.m. we had all returned to our campsites at Killbear and after supper we all spent an enjoyable couple of hours socializing under the stars. The following morning everyone gathered for a group photo session, and all agreed that this should become an annual event.

      Tim Dyer received a letter from Moira Hoogeveen of the West Carling Cottagers Association thanking the Georgian Bay Committee and GLSKA for this stewardship initiative. She indicated that the Cottagers Association had been thinking of petitioning the Ministry of Natural Resources to ban overnight camping on Franklin Island because of the garbage problem. As a result of our cleanup activity they have abandoned their petition plans and instead have offered to provide funds to install two more Thunder Boxes in the heavily used areas. She concludes her letter: "We are indeed grateful for the responsibility shown by GLSKA, and perhaps some of our members would like to volunteer to help in next year’s cleanup should it become an annual event."

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