The Coconut Telegraph, Issue 26

There are some things in life that are very difficult to surpass and one of them is summer, specifically, summer in Ontario. It is something that must be experienced to appreciate. After a long winter of hibernation, Canadians are ready to get outdoors. Summer is a celebration. There are so many things to do; from music festivals and cultural events to exploring the thousands of lakes and rivers that make up this great province.

As Jimi Hendrix put it: "are you experienced?" If the answer is "no", I recommend you put that on your 'bucket list'.

Without a doubt, Canadians love their cottages. There are literally thousands of hectares of land bordering lakes and rivers and these are dotted - sometimes clotted - with cottages of all shapes and sizes. From the traditional wood cottage or log cabin to the modern colossus, each lake has a different ambiance. My sister and brother-in-law have a place on a lake 40 minutes from Ottawa on the Quebec side. It is a magical spot. The classic cottage. Since it is the only place on a 20 hectare island, it enjoys unprecedented privacy.

Summer G&T on the dock

Likewise, 'HJ' has a cottage on 41 hectares of reforested land on the shores of a lake roughly 200km southwest of the city. It has a different character, with a greater sense of remoteness and a completely different physical geography. As you will see in the photos, some friends caught up there this summer.

In late August, I had the pleasure of paddling my kayak from Ottawa to Kingston on the Rideau Canal. The complete length of the canal is 202km. I cut off 20kms on each end as they are mostly locks - which can take an very long time - with very few open stretches between. I paddled the first 80km solo to Perth, Ontario, where I visited friends. My friend Cam met me Perth and we paddled southward 89km. Ramblin' on the Rideau was a nice surprise.

Joe remarried this summer. His bride, Jennifer, is an excellent addition to the 'family'. She has many qualities, but the one I like best is that she makes Joe a happy man. It is tradition to have 'stag', so we did. A few close friends gathered on a boat to laugh, drink, eat, drink and laugh some more on a gorgeous June evening.

And Ted resurfaced a few times this summer! It was great to catch up with him and share a few laughs.

Enjoy the last of the warm weather my northern friends ... the days are getting shorter. Please visit The Coconut Telegraph to read this and other tales.

The Coconut Telegraph Issue 23

I was lucky when I arrived in Bangkok as the flooding was just starting and getting out of the city was not a problem. I had arranged for a minivan to meet me at the airport to take me to Cosmos Composite and pick up my new wave ski and two sea kayaks. During my layover in London, I confirmed that everything was okay. At the airport, my driver was nowhere to be seen and the man who arranged the minivan had a dead cell battery. Eventually, I contacted Khun Prasit and he told me that his driver could not come as the road was washed away and the van could not move. So, he came himself to try and sort things out. Although he had not planned to drive to Ranong, Khun Prasit felt responsible for me - so he drove me to Ranong himself.

We arrived later in the evening and went directly to the pier. I dumped the three boats and we went to Tinidee Hotel for the night. I showered and crashed, having come directly from Ottawa non-stop. But sleep took some time as the Ice Bar beside the swimming pool was thumping out big bass tones that shook the hotel. Not the best for such an expensive place. But I made up for it by eating like a trooper at the breakfast buffet!

Tim Morch at Aow Yai, Koh Phayam

Made the slow boat at the last minute, threw the boats on the boat and proceeded to Koh Phayam. With the island in view, I called Clay at South Star and he told me he would meet me at the pier. Clay arrived, a tractor came behind and everything went across the island nice and easy.

When the boat approaches Koh Phayam, there is a glaring barren land on the northern end of the island that has been decimated by loggers. This is becoming a huge problem on the island and if the people do not stop this activity there will be no more jungle in a few years. It is truly a sad state of affairs.

There were waves when I arrived and I was eager to test my new custom, carbon fiber waveski from Cosmos Composite. It is a total rocket ship, delivering speed and agility far superior to my last waveski!

The sea kayaks are a pre-production version of an RTM model that never went into full production. It seems the market favours the sit-on-top and plastic models and the fiberglass boats were cancelled. But lucky me, I got two of the last units from my friend Laurent who used to work with RTM! It is called the "Tooka" and seems to work quite well.

Click HERE and enjoy this edition. I am off to the Philippines for two months to sea kayak with Ian Taylor - reports to follow later.

The Coconut Telegraph, Volume 22

Summer has raced past. My first contact with Canadian weather was a cold and rainy spring. That soon changed into one of the finest summers for weather I can recall in recent times. Unfortunately, speeding time eclipses reality: July was a blur, August was fleeting, September came and went in a flash and now October is upon us. Like all migratory species, I start to think of flights and warm thoughts. And it will be only a matter of hours until I board a flight to SE Asia.

Summer highlights included the Ottawa BluesFest, with an impressive set of performers and performances. Stephen Marley played an awesome set, mixing his music and father Bob's seamlessly. Bootsy Collins rocked and Ben Harper rolled as we 'burned one down'. The surprise show was John Fogerty. He played Creedence Clearwater Revival songs with an energy and spirit befitting a 21 year-old, while his guitar showed the experience of a seasoned artist. Wow! There were many others, too many to list. And let us not forget the stage blowing down on Cheap Trick (perhaps a message from above). As always, good times with great friends.

This summer marked the entry of two friends into the Harley family. Both arrived via different highways: Bubba renewed his passion for riding after a long hiatus and Mike just decided to go buy a Fatboy. Perhaps the three of us will squeeze in a trip next summer.

Although I did have a few jobs secured for the summer, I learned early on where I was to spend the bulk of my time. I went to Mike's house to replace "a couple of rotten boards" and discovered that the chimney was rotten all the way to the roof, a mere 30 feet above. A couple of rotten boards turned into a career for me, much to the chagrin of Mike's bank account. In addition, I had the pleasure of doing some building out of town for other friends. These "away games" are always wonderful as it allows me the opportunity to spend some quality time them and their families. How fast those wee ones grow into young adults.

I managed to put my kayak in the water a mere four times so far this summer. Sad, I know, but sometimes life gets in the way of living. The paddling highlight was a few days in the Kawartha region with Cam Taylor, complete with a wee dose of poison ivy.

As happens every summer, I had the pleasure of visiting several cottages in within a couple hundred kilometers of Ottawa. Kenny Island, Fifth Depot Lake, Ella's Place and Jayman's as well. These are quintessential cottages, situated on small lakes in the Canadian wilderness. Although they differ in several ways, they are also very much the same in what they represent.

Please visit the following link to read the whole story: Volume 22