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Kayak expedition team are the next generation of explorers and adventurers

students will be departing on their
own adventure of a lifetime in
October of this year.

Ron Smith, Jean Paradis, Mar-
tin Vseticka and Mike Arens will
be kayaking the entire coastline of
Mexico, froin the Bay. of Cortez
on the Pacific side, through the
Panama Canal, and up the Gulf
of Mexico coast to the Texas city

Sit in a comfortable chair and
read the books you've always
wanted to?

Most of us can only dream
about diverting our mail, cancel-
ling the milk delivery, and turning
the answering machine off before
heading out on a lifetime adven-
ture,

Four former Capilano College

WHAT WOULD you do if
you had the next 18 months
to spend as you tike?

By A.P, McCredie
News Reporter

Trek through Europe and
Southeast Asia? Explore Africa?

a3 “a

NEWS photo Cindy Goodman

RON SMITH, Mike Arens and Martin Vseticka (left to right) are gearing up for an 18-month kayaking
. odyssey along the coastline of Mexico and Central America. The fourth member of their expedition

team, Jean Paradis, is in Summerland, B.C., overseeing the construction of the custom-built ocean
* kayaks that will be used on the adventure.

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sponsorships,’’ said.Smith.

of Corpus Christi.

The trip is dubbed *tAround the
Turtle's Tail.”’

Native legend holds that the
continent of North America
resembles a turtle, with Florida,
lower California, Alaska and
Newfoundland making up the
arms and legs. The isthmus of
Mexico and Centra! America rep-
resents the turtie's tail.

What possesses someone to
spend almost two complete cycles
of seasons paddling a six-metre
(20-foot) boat around Mexico?

“About eight months ago a
group of us in the Capilano Col-
lege outdoor program = started
discussing putting an extended
kayaking expedition together,"
recalled Smith. ‘‘When we
discussed the location of the trip,
we all agreed on Mexico and Cen-
tral America because there is so
litle information about kayaking
these coastlines.’

Notice that Smith used the word
expedition, not trip, to describe
the adventure.

The logistics of an t1,000-km
(7,000-mile) paddle along a
coastline are daunting.

“We figure the end pricetag will
be in the tens of thousands of
dollars, excluding the equipment
we are stocking through generous

The custom-built vessels in
which the four will paddle are
under construction at Seaward
Kayaks in Summerland, B.C.

North Vancouver companies

Dobson Sailmakers and North-
water Rescue Equipment are
among a number of businesses
supporting the venture, without
whose help the trip would not be
a teality.

But Smith is still looking for
more sponsors.

The trip’s sponsors will also be
getting something in return for
their involvement in the expedi-
tion,

Smith and company — all expe-
rienced in the kayak tourism in-
dustry — have a number of pro-
jects that will occupy much of
their time while cruising around
the turtle’s tail.

These include developing a
detailed map of the coastline of
Mexico using a portable Global
Positioning System (GPS) that
makes charting your location in
the world quite simple. ;

The idea of creating the chart
grew out of the group’s discovery
that the only charts available for
the coastline were nautical charts
designed for large shins. *..° ">

“Kayakers need to know where
inlets and coves are in case of a
quick change in weather,’’ ex-
plained Smith. ‘‘We hope to de-
velop a definitive chart of both
coastlines and publish it in a:
kayaking in Mexico guidebook."’

Other projects the four paddlers
will be developing are exploring
Mayan ruins that have not been
exploited by the Mexican tourist

trade. .
See Public page 22