A Guide to Sea Kayaking in Newfoundland and Labrador

Louise Karch is a career consultant with Carswell Partners in London, Ontario.

A Guide to Sea Kayaking in Newfoundland and Labrador enthusiastically
describes the joys and dangers of this wild and beautiful coastline.
Illustrated with enticing photos, the book is divided into two parts.
Part 1 contains four in-depth chapters titled “The Nature of the
Newfoundland Coastline,” “Natural History,” “Ocean Hazards,”
and “Preparation.” Part 2 provides 55 detailed route descriptions.

The care with which the authors describe the history, geology,
ecosystems, and its inhabitants will be appreciated by paddlers who not
only want a physical adventure but also want to immerse themselves in
every facet of their expedition. Safety is continually stressed, with
Redmond and Murphy providing tips on managing everything from bears and
swarming mosquitoes to tricky coastal landings, bad weather, and
shifting icebergs. Minimal-impact wilderness travel and thorough packing
lists complete the advice.

The second section provides expedition descriptions accompanied by a
map of the area and beautiful photos. Kayakers choosing their trip will
appreciate the lists of journey options (distance and duration), water
notes (tides, channels, and ship traffic), special features (wildlife,
history), tales of the authors’ travels in the area, logistical
advice, and which topographical maps to bring.

Kayakers will be thankful for the thoroughness of this book. However, a
more stringent editor would have toned down some of the prose and
removed unnecessary sentences such as “The land bordering a large body
of water is called a beach or shore.” That said, people eager to
discover the “rock” from a sea kayak’s vantage point will welcome
this new guide.