Hello fellow paddlers,

We here at Adventure High Sea Kayaking hope you are all enjoying your New Year and are having a wonderful winter.  It seems it is getting a bit colder up there in the north.  We say this because both Kevin and Ryan have been down south in Antarctica since November.  We actually did have the chance to come back home for Christmas and New Year’s but have recently flown back down south to the white continent just as the temperatures began to drop.   Kevin spent the month of January exploring South Georgia by kayak and Ryan is also back exploring Antarctica by Kayak.  This was the first time Kevin and Ryan have worked together in the past four seasons in Antarctica.  Working on the Ocean Endeavour, Quark’s newest ship, was a successful challenge and of course many good times were had. 

We do miss our family and friends but are excited about being back down south.  We are also extremely excited about the up coming 2016 summer on Grand Manan Island as we are developing many new programs designed around skill development, adventure and creating passion for the sport for all ages and skill levels.  Epic multi-day trips locally, to remote islands and out of province, skill development programs, a kayak festival run in collaboration with Summer’s End Music Festival, CKNB guide training, and much much more!!!

Please stay tuned to hear more about these exciting new programs.

The summer paddling season is here!

The 2012-2013 Antarctic season has come and gone, with many good times had on ice. Kevin returned once again to share his love for paddling the southern ocean. Ryan also traveled to Antarctica this past winter to guide sea kayak trips off the fly-in cruise packages. You didn’t even need to brave the Drake Passage to join him for some of the most fantastic kayaking around. We also had the opportunity to work with a new wellness guide down south, and recruit her as an assistant kayaking guide for the summer season on Grand-Manan. It wasn’t too difficult to convince Sarah to take a break from the summer heat of her home, Montreal. Sarah came for a canoe trip around the islands of Grand-Manan on her vacation last year, so she was eager to come back for more Fundy fun.

The 2013 summer season has been building steadily. When we’ve been really busy with kayak trips, we’ve been lucky to be able to depend on Susan and Linda’s brother Perry for an extra hand. Their knowledge and enthusiasm is always a treat to have along for the trip. Mark our long-time guide, has also been back this summer help out. You always learn something new paddling with Mark, who’s been with us for 20 Years now!

Our newest venture has been running the Compass Rose Heritage Inn, which has kept us very, very, very busy! Linda has been serving delicious continental breakfasts to guests every morning in the beautiful dinning room. You don’t have to stay at the Compass Rose to enjoy a meal with fabulous ocean views either. We’re serving fresh lobster dinners every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, at 5:30 and 7:30. Dinner begins with a homemade soup, and the lobster comes with three sides – so make sure you bring your appetite! Linda is enjoying serving, and her son is wowing customers with his excellent waitering.

We still have availability at Nature’s Window and the Post-Office this summer, if you’re interested in cabin rentals.  The stunning views of the western cliffs, and Seal Cove from each of the cottages respectively continue to keep our guests endlessly entertained. Of course there are entertainment systems in each unit, but the Bay of Fundy is pretty hard to beat.

 

It is now October 2012 and looking back it’s been a whirlwind of a year.  First part of the year (Jan-March), you could find me kayaking in the Southern Ocean.  I have been very blessed to have the opportunity to paddle in two of the most spectacular places on earth – Antarctica and Grand Manan.

 

The spring kept us busy getting things ready for the 2012 kayak season.  The biggest thing we needed to do was hire a new guide.  Fred, who was with us for four years, decided to take the summer off.  This was a decision he did not take lightly, as he and his family love Grand Manan, but due to family obligations felt it best they stay in Ontario.

 

Fred left a big void and we were concerned about finding someone who could step in and fill it.  Fortunately, we found Ryan (or he found us) and he has done a fantastic job.  While we definitely miss Fred and his wicked sense of humor, the business didn’t suffer.  Ryan proved himself to be a great guide/leader and everyone who went on one of his tours have commented positively about him.

Mark Mykytyn was also back for the summer and it was, as always, great having him around; if for no other reason than to have him cook!  His restaurant experience was put to good use, both on the multi-day trips and at home.  We had a record number of multi-day trips this year and that was Mark’s domain.  Everyone enjoys Mark’s chef skills on these trips.

Along with the multi-day trips we had our day trips.  It proved to be a great season when we had to reschedule people due to full trips – a positive problem!  We had excellent kayaking weather this summer and I’m sure that also contributed to our success.

Linda’s brother, Perry, pitched in and helped as an assistant guide and he did a great job.  Everyone was kept extremely busy and the summer seemed to fly by.  Elliot and Susan were both back this summer and helping out whenever schedules allowed.  Elliot shines when we have the Rhode Scholar groups and they all love having him as a guide, especially since he has so much local knowledge to share with them.  Susan also helped out as an assistant guide and her love of the island and paddling is contagious!

Along with the kayaking, we did lots of maintenance, renovation and repair work on both the cabins and the kayak shop.  Ryan especially is looking at this winter as a chance to relax.

We haven’t sat down to figure out exact numbers yet, but we think it’s been a the best summer we’ve had in recent years.  That being the case, shouldn’t we have more money than what we have??!!  Maybe because we spend it as fast as we make it??

 

The cabins also did well this year.  July and August were both full and while we had some vacancies in September, we were pleased with our bookings.  Just to let you know for future reference, some of our best weather is in September (if you’re planning a vacaton for next year).

If we weren’t busy enough, we decided to upgrade and update our website – which has turned into a full-time job!  We’ve added Facebook and Twitter to our website, figured we may as well tap into the social networking scene.  Also on Facebook we have our Adventure High Cabins and Adventure High Sea Kayaking pages.  Feel free to check it out and “like” us, as we are always looking for more friends.  We want to expand and build our friend list, so please send it along to your friends – it is all really appreciated.

You can click here to like Adventure High Cabins and click here to like Adventure High Sea Kayaking.

 

We’re also adding more pictures to our picture gallery, so if you have any pictures or comments you’d like to share of your adventures with us, please send them along and we will add them for all to see.

The last week of October, which is quickly approaching, will have me heading back to Antarctica for another season of kayaking.  I will be blogging about my experiences there and adding pictures, so check out our new blog page.

Just on a side note, all of the pictures on this site are protected by copyright.  If there is a picture that appeals to you, please ask as I am sure we can work something out.  The picture of the penguin sliding down the hill has been stolen a number of times and use on other sites, as well as calanders!

The 2012 season has sadly come to an end.  It was a successful one and had lots of great adventures.  We are now in the process of madly cleaning up and getting geared stored away for the winter months.  While in the middle of it all Kevin is getting ready for another epic adventure to Antarctica, with another season of great kayaking in store for him.  Keep checking back as he will be adding pictures and stories of his adventures down south.  While kayaking here on Grand Manan has finished for this year, we still have cabin rentals available for you to enjoy during the beautiful fall weather.

 

We would love to hear from you about your experiences with Adventure High, so please drop us a line so we can share your stories and pictures with everyone.  We are in the process of developing a picture album that will include all the great pics that you’ve taken with us, so send them along.

We’d like to thank everyone for making this one of our best seasons in recent memory and look forward to seeing you next season.  Have a great fall and hope you have many more adventures!!

PS  If you’re looking for an amazing experience you should join Kevin kayaking in Antarctica – home of the penguins!!