Who Dares, Wins
On the cloudless afternoon of September 21st, ten courageous students - and two staff - from Brentwood’s Outdoor Pursuits program commenced their bold venture to circumnavigate the island of Salt Spring. With essentially no time between lunch and launch, the students scrambled into their life jackets and spray skirts, mimicking Fighter Command pilots during the Battle of Britain, packed their final personal possessions into the kayak hatches and set off for Princess Margaret Island with the pace of an F1 start.
On the numerous campsites the Outdoor Pursuits team stayed at, we dealt with the difficulties of missing toiletries, persistent precipitation, and animal incursions by playing card games such as Cheat, cooking delicious meals for everyone and conducting traditional outdoor nighttime activities, for instance, Star Tipping, Light as a Feather, and Stiff as a Board.
On Wallace Island, a wooden board was carved with the phrase “20 BCS ODP 23” as a permanent reminder of the journey. The talented carver, Tighe K, Privett ‘25 stated, “I felt that placing a memento on Wallace Island was a nice way to show how far we got in our journey around Salt Spring, even though we couldn’t finish the loop. There will always be that sign on Wallace to show that we got past the halfway point”. A looming storm forecast to feature 100 kmph winds, forced an early conclusion to the odyssey.
With a confused blend of insatiable snacking, I Spy and ‘repeat after me’ songs, the team kept themselves entertained during the daily three to four hour long sessions of paddling and grew to enjoy each other's company. On several occasions, high-spirited members of the crew kicked off a paddling race, usually during the middle of the journey and annoying the more strained. On the third day, to the excitement of the ten wanderers, the formidable kayaks rafted together in a windy Trincomali Channel and conducted a re-creation of the voyages of 18th century tea clippers. A fellow ODP kayaker, Aiyanna M, Hope ‘25, expressed that “I felt that we were able to make really meaningful connections with each other throughout the trip from the different struggles we faced to bonding over our shared appreciation for the natural world.”
Although the valiant circumnavigation effort was met with a windy & premature end, the ten students, along with Mr Norman and Ms Crookshank, were satisfied with their achievement of paddling for four consecutive days, without the creature comforts of hot showers, clean clothing and electronic devices.
Some would call certain members of the ODP Salt Spring 2023 team Brian, Iguana or Baby Carrot, but without a doubt, the ten noble students can be proud to become some of the most audacious, dauntless and intrepid students to ever exhibit Grit and Joy on the high seas.
Tyson N, Ellis ‘24