In Pursuit of Choppiness

Friday, May 26, 12023 Human Era (HE)

Sans Surf in these Seas

A few years ago, while researching downwind stand up paddleboarding (SUP) in Vancouver (K’emk’emeláy), I came across the video below. With the exception of specific conditions, the waters within the eastern part of the Salish Sea (i.e., the Strait of Georgia) do not typically see surfing conditions. Vancou ver Island (the island was inhabited by too many different tribes to pick one representative indigenous name) acts as a barrier to the mainland and blocks any significant swell from reaching our shores. It is possible to find surf on the eastern side of Vancouver Island, but it is the westside surf spots that are spasmodically spoken of. A rare reality (and only rumoured to me, as the Doubting Thomas in me must see it to believe it) is that the south shore of Səl̓ilw̓ət (Burrard Inlet), is known to see surfable waves. I don’t truly doubt the wave conditions on the Northshore, as my meteorological maniacal musings have convinced me that the phenomenon is real. I have just yet to experience it, as the conditions are a relative rarity. And rarer still is my availability to be on the water during those times.

So, when I saw the opportunity for predictable surf-like conditions in K’emk’emeláy (Vancouver) from the wake of the MPV Constitution paddlewheeler, naturally my curiosity peaked.

Previously, my closest experience of surf-like conditions in K’emk’emeláy (Vancouver), was the more chaotic churn of wind-swept waves that come into our cove when the North Pacific High-pressure system drive westerly winds inland (for more details on this synoptic weather pattern see this document from Nav Canada: The Weather of British Columbia, specifically, the section from Chapter 3 title “The Mean Atmospheric Circulation System” on page 60). Given the complexity of the conditions necessary to culminate into westerly waves of warrant, the paddlewheeler seemed like a much more predictable source of wave power than the whims of North Pacific westerly winds.

Searching for a Wake

A few years ago, I took a SUP lesson with Deep Cove Kayak Centre. At the end of the session, my instructor made the comment that at a future lesson, we could chase boat wakes. Ever since the idea was planted, I’ve always kept an eye out for wakes to chase. Typically, I haven’t been super successful. But the transition from an inflatable SUP to a race performance oriented hardboard has made catching bumps easier.

So much so that my Icarian hubris pictured me perfectly paddling the waves in the promotional video below from Harbour Cruises. Harbour Cruises is the outfit that charters the MPV Consitution. The video is queued up to give you a view of the unique wavey wake that the paddlewheeler makes. In addition to the standard divergent stern wake of a boat, a paddlewheeler is unique in creating a larger transverse stern wave wake.

Wake Chase Case

Armed with inspiration, I now had to find the boat. At this point, I knew it was a paddlewheeler, but I didn’t know how to find, let alone track it. I recognized some of the scenery from Sen̓áḵw (False Creek) from the first video above. The question was whether the paddlewheeler pictured still frequented False Creek, and if so, could I find and catch it?

Some internet sleuthing revealed that there are two operational paddlewheelers in the Vancouver area. The MV Native and the MPV Constitution.

The MV Native. Image source: Marine Radar App.

The MPV Constitution. Image source: Marine Radar App.

Using a combination of the vessels’ chartering websites and a ship-tracking application, I was able to locate and track the boats’ launch sites and typical sailing routes. The MV Native launched from Quayside in New Westminister and often travelled down the Stó:lō (Fraser River) to nearby Westham Island. Whereas, the MPV Constitution launched out of Coal Harbour (Harbour Cruises) and mostly did a short tour around the Vancouver Harbour east of the Lions Gate Bridge. That area is, unfortunately, off-limits to paddle-powered watercraft, as I found out a few years ago. However, on occasion, the MPV Constitution exited the harbour, rounded the point of X̱wáýx̱way (Stanley Park), and made its way toward Ayyulshun (English Bay Beach) and Sen̓áḵw (False Creek). I set my mark on trying to catch it on that route.

Time Tracking the Wheelers

Knowing the boats’ names and launch sites, I set my sights on tracking their movements more precisely via the Marine Radar App. In the app, once you have selected a vessel, you are able to track its movements over the last 24 hours. So once I knew which vessels I was clocking, I added them to “my fleet” and kept a semi-watchful eye. I was less than perfect at checking at the end of the day whether the ships had sailed.

The MV Native seemed to sail spasmodically, while, the MPV Constitution’s course clocked less commonly (though a recent search for the MV Native revealed that it has not sailed since January 10, 12023 HE). However, I found that the Constitution floated frequently enough into False Creek for me to fathom following it. Plus, its proximity to me was an added perk, not to mention my preference to potentially plunge into the Pacific versus the Stó:lō (Fraser River).

Sailing Snapshot

Below are the typical routes taken by the MPV Constitution. The first image is the inner harbour tour, and the second is the out-of-harbour sojourn. I see a speech bubble in the first and a heart in the second image if we are doing Rorschach test style inkblot tests, and you want to glean insights into my personality and psychology.

Last Summer

I had collected all this information by last summer. However, I never did get out to chase the paddlewheeler, nor did I even see it on the water. On my recent Səl̓ilw̓ət SUP to Thywates Landing, I was able to ride a few boat wakes and that reinvigorated my desire to chase the Constitution. So I started clocking its course yet again.

Serendipitous Sightings

I am not one for superstitions, so take the following with a playful side of skepticism. But a few weeks ago, crossing the Lions Gate Bridge, I spotted the MPV Constitution heading out around Prospect Point. Chalk one up for superstitions. Then, crossing over the Granville Street Bridge, I could see the wheeler coming into view at the mouth of Sen̓áḵw (False Creek), just north of the Burrard Street Bridge. I snapped a photo from the passenger side of the car. Sans skepticism it was a surefire sign from the sea gods that I was slated to search out the ship! However, reviewing the photo later revealed I was actually looking at another of Harbour Cruises’ vessels. Scratch away one point for superstitions. Though the Constitution was, in fact, visible in the distant background. Score one more for supernatural sea signs.

The kicker was a week later when I found myself killing time during a car servicing in North Vancouver. I went for lunch at the Lonsdale Quay, and who should I see, my MVP of the sea, none other than the MPV. She was making her inner harbour tour. My mind was set, and I would catch the Constitution yet.

Paddlewheeler Pursuit

Re-inspired, I reviewed the YouTube footage of the local SUPers chasing the wake to confirm their technique. I must admit I was surprised at how close their approach was. So, given my added level of apprehension, I decided to search more on the topic.

Columbia Gorge: Oui, C’est Possible

There is ample evidence online of SUP surfers chasing the wakes of the sternwheeler down the Columbia River Gorge (e.g., “Surfing the wake of a sternwheel steamboat,” “SUP Surf a Sternwheeler??,” and “Surfing The Gorge Sternwheeler (The Endless Bump…)“). So it is possible and not completely crazy.

Legality and Safety

While I couldn’t find any clear-cut guidelines on the legality of chasing random boat wakes, I did come across a few resources related to rules and safety.

Safety First

Transport Canada’s Safe Boating Guide gives general guidelines regarding boat wakes and travelling around other vessels to avoid collisions. Maintaining visibility and knowing that larger vessels have the right of way and can not easily turn are important safety considerations. Rob Casey from Salmon Bay Paddle gives the recommendation of making eye contact or waving to boaters to let them know that you see them before attempting to ride their wakes. He even discusses speaking with the tug boat operators in advance of surfing their wakes as an added courtesy and safety.

Wakesurfing versus Surfing Wakes: A Minor Distinction

For clarity, in my mind, there are two different ways to ride a boat wake, surfing a wake and wakesurfing. Wakesurfing is when the rider rides the wake behind the boat and is typically performed at a close distance. Surfing a wake (in my eyes at least) is when the rider rides the bow and stern wakes off of a boat and is often pushed away from the boat. The distinction is important in my mind mainly for the proximity difference. The former generally involves close proximity to the stern of the vessel. Whereas the latter can be done at a distance, and generally, the rider rides the bow wake away from the vessel.

It is essential to note that if you are truly wakesurfing (i.e., directly behind a boat), it is imperative that you know the motor/propeller style. For true wakesurfing, only an inboard-style propeller is safe, as you are typically within three metres of the back of the boat and risk fatal injury from contact with an outboard-style propeller.

In the case of a paddlewheeler, you are likely in a liminal space. While you are wakesurfing, in the classical sense, you are at the stern of the sternwheeler. The wake waves are different. The wake is a wavey trail of bumps that allow the riders to not be directly behind the boat (at least that is my assumption based on the videos I have seen, I am no expert on the matter). However, there is still the threat of a propeller-type incident that would come in the form of a thorough paddling if one were to get too close to the stern. And, at the same time, some modern paddlewheelers are outfitted with propellers to boost their efficiency while maintaining the aesthetic of a paddlewheeler. As far as I can tell, this is not the case for the MPV Constitution. But I do not plan on being the pilot pig of probing that premise.

What are the Rules?

The Port of Vancouver‘s Covid-19 guidelines were to keep a two-metre safe distance from other watercraft. That’s not a bad piece of advice in the context of trying to catch random boat wakes. And in the context of propellers, it is probably too close. While there does not seem to be specific proximity practices presently post-pandemic, there are general guidelines regarding safe distancing and maintaining awareness of your surroundings. It also follows as a common courtesy to use common sense and approach other boats cautiously. There is a good chance they will be unaware of your intentions, so it is best to keep a safe distance whenever possible when coming into closer quarters, and to do so cautiously while simultaneously trying to let your intentions be known.

Boaters are told to limit their speed to reduce their wake in sensitive areas and around paddle craft as a common courtesy and safety practice. Therefore, if you are approaching them, they may find it peculiar or slow down their vessel in an attempt to reduce their wake for you.

I could not find any explicit rules regarding riding random boat wakes, let alone the paddlewheeler’s. Thus, my conclusion was that it was street-legal purely based on past precedent locally and the wider allowance of sternwheeler pursuit regionally. I am well aware of the weakness of this argument and the blatant bias in my reasoning.

Weekly Schedule

With my newfound motivation to ride the MPV Constitution’s wake, I made a conscious effort to track what nights in made its longer excursion out of the inner harbour and into Sen̓áḵw (False Creek). My limited data set suggested that Friday was my best chance as that seemed to be the most consistent sailing. Next, most frequent seemed to be Saturday, though, I also did track it out on a Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday. I decided to try for a Friday night.

What Did You Do Friday Night?

Knowing the MPV Constitution’s sailing route, I decided to launch from the Vanier Park Boat Launch and attempt to rendezvous with the vessel around Ayyulshun (English Bay Beach). I was undecided whether I would attempt to ride its wake or just survey the waters to get a sense of what I was getting into for a future attempt.

Once I had my kit in order, I did a quick check of my Marine Radar app to see if the MPV Constitution had launched yet. There was no sign of any action, so I set out, launching around 1830 hours. My tracking had shown that the paddlewheeler typically crossed underneath the Lions Gate Bridge around 1830 hours, so I assumed that it was running late. Not to worry, it was a beautiful night, so I decided to paddle north before rechecking my radar.

A little while later, there was still no action. Maybe it wasn’t coming out this Friday, I thought. I paddled further north still, killing some time by riding some waves and weak wakes into shore. There were a few sections of decent waves, but not the wave action I had been anticipating. After a while, I gave one more check on the MPV Constitution. There was still no sign of motion, so I decided to return towards Sen̓áḵw (False Creek).

En route back toward Sen̓áḵw (False Creek), I spotted a few bigger boats exiting the inlet. I decided to cross over toward the point at Vanier Park to try catching some bumps there. As I made my way across to the mouth of the inlet I kept a watchful eye over my shoulder back toward X̱wáýx̱way (Stanley Park), in case the MPV Constitution made its way out on a later run. There was no sign of it, and by the time I made it over to the point, there was not much in the way of waves.

Dejected, I decided to try my luck in the inlet. The dual hull water taxis can give you a bit of bump if the conditions are right. As luck would have it for the night, the conditions and my timing didn’t seem to coincide.

On that note, I decided that it wasn’t meant to be and set my sights on the boat launch to land.

Well, uh, haha, what have we here?

It was only after loading my board onto the roof of my car that I heard the faint sound of water churning. I looked down to the water to see what was making the sound only to be surprised by none other than the MPV herself. For fuck sakes, now you show up. Briefly, I considered getting my kit in order and racing down to the water to catch her on the return leg. Instead, I concluded it wasn’t meant to be and just walked down to the dock to survey.

The remnant of her wake did not seem too terrifying when I reached the dock. Granted, she had sailed past already and was likely going at a slower speed to limit her wake. But at least with the confines of the inlet, the wake seemed manageable.

Confused as to what went wrong, I vowed to review my data. Though I took consolation in knowing that at least I got the day correct.

Later, at home, I realized my error. The Marine Radar app reports the vessel tracking times in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). For some of my first data tracking points, I simply took screenshots of the app and then later converted the times. When I later did the conversion, I quickly Googled the time difference between UTC and Pacific Standard Time (PST) and failed to consider that we are currently on daylight savings time (PDT). Damn you daylight savings time you got me again! So the paddlewheeler was not an hour late, I was an hour early!

Recalibration

In the interim, since uncovering my error, I have confirmed the times for the paddlewheeler and clocked a few more day datum. But I have yet to have had another chance to chase the Constitution as of the summer solstice. Unfortunately, its sailing time currently coincides with my children’s bedtimes which makes catching it complicated. Hopefully, I will catch a wake soon.

SUP Stats

Below are the map and statistics of my route recorded with Geo Tracker.

In Pursuit of Choppiness

Sans Surf in these Seas

Searching for a Wake

Wake Chase Case