Hear the tales of epic rowing adventures by local islander

Hosted by the Wooden Boat Society of the San Juans

Sunday, March 8, 2020, 6:45 p.m., Odd Fellows Hall

— from Steve Mckenna —

In the years between 1979 and 1985, long time Orcas islanders, Steve and Mary Gropp made a series of long distance wilderness voyages by rowing boat and kayak. These included two transits of the Inside Passage from Orcas Island to SE Alaska as well as a complete 80 day circumnavigation of Vancouver Island in a 16′ wooden Banks dory.

Trading the dory for a wood framed folding military kayak they made a challenging voyage starting in Juneau, Alaska headed west via Icy Strait and Glacier Bay to make a complete circumnavigation of Yakobi, Chicagoff and Baranoff Islands returning north by way of Chatham Strait and Lynn Canal to Skagway. This 70 day trip was a shakedown cruise for a 145 day kayak trip in 1983 to the wild and remote icy coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador in Atlantic Canada.

This was followed the next year by a solo kayak circumnavigation of Alaska’s Prince of Wales Island from Petersburg as well as a voyage from Skidegate to Anthony Island and return in Haida Gwaii.

All these travels were totally self supported and self funded with the most basic equipment, no publicity and the slimmest of budgets.

Donations gratefully accepted.