Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Cortes Kayaks bioluminescence tours have been setting out from Mansons Lagoon every Friday and Saturday for the past month.
There were about a dozen people in our group, which was mostly composed of off islanders from Vancouver, Victoria or the Cowichan Valley. The only experienced kayakers were our guides, Jolaine Boucher and Maria Francis. However most of the group had some experience and the only rookie was me.
“How can you live on Cortes Island for twelve years and not go out in a kayak?” asked an astonished Boucher.
This is her fifth season as a guide and she has not lost her enthusiasm.
It was in her voice as she squealed with pleasure, paddling close to the phytoplankton covered marine vegetation along the west bank of Mansons Lagoon. A milk-like bioluminescent trail followed every stroke.
Or when her awestruck voice came through the darkness, “Did you see that shooting star?”
Boucher was our principal guide, who we followed.
Francis kept to the rear, where she could come to the aid of any stragglers. Not that there were many stragglers. Our trip from Mansons Landing to the mouth of Gorge Harbour was punctuated by periodic regrouping, as Boucher ensured all of her flock kept together. This is Francis’ first season as a guide, and I suspect she will soon be leading groups on her own.
Assembling at Mansons Lagoon about 8 PM on Aug 13, 2022 – Photo by Roy L Hales
Our session began with an introductory lesson of everything from a ‘bum drop,’ as you are entering the kayak’s cockpit, to how to hold a paddle.
“Never stand up in a kayak,” explained Boucher. “98% of all flips occur when you are entering or leaving the kayak.”
The only thing I found difficult was sitting in the kayak with my legs sticking out in front of me. I blamed this on my 71-year-old body’s loss of flexibility. While it is more efficient to paddle sitting erect, I could only do this for short distances. Googling this later, I read, “the muscles used to maintain erect posture are out of tone.” I slouched back in my seat throughout most of the trip.
