NWT man paddles 2,100 km around Newfoundland

Jack Kotaska, from Yellowknife, has completed an epic paddling journey around Newfoundland, travelling more than 2,100 km in 49 days.

The trip had “definitely a lot of special moments, a lot of challenging times,” he said after finishing the journey with travelling partner David MacKay earlier this month.

Kotaska grew up paddling the lakes and rivers of the NWT, from short canoe trips to multi-week trips throughout the Tłı̨chǫ region. For the past four years, he has worked for tour operator Jackpine Paddle guiding wilderness canoe and kayak trips when not attending university in Victoria, BC.

MacKay was first exposed to sea kayaking during family trips and later worked as a kayak guide on Newfoundland’s southern shore. That experience inspired his idea to circumnavigate his home island.

The two “hadn’t spent that much time with one another before this trip,” Kotaska said. They met in Yellowknife while MacKay was on a work trip. A British company, Nigel Dennis Kayaks, agreed to sponsor them and supply boats and paddles.

“As soon as we got confirmation that they were shipping the boats, that’s when we were fully committed,” MacKay said. “We had an ‘oh crap’ moment, you know? We’ve got to do this thing.”

The two launched from Quidi Vidi, a historic port in St John’s, in mid-June. Over the next month and a half they paddled an average of 60 km a day, travelling clockwise around Newfoundland.

Along the way they experienced “all the weather you could imagine,” MacKay said, including long stretches of rain, fog, sunny days, calm weather and rough conditions. They saw plenty of marine wildlife such as whales, sharks, porpoises and puffins.

They took 12 rest days, usually due to weather conditions or occasionally to explore an interesting area. Paddling 10 hours a day or more also took a toll physically.

“At the beginning of the trip, we definitely needed some rest days for our body,” MacKay said. “After two weeks, I would say our bodies were pretty adapted and used to that kind of mileage.”

While the trip mostly went well, MacKay said there were times it could get “pretty miserable.”

“It always took a couple hours to get the rust off in the morning and really get into the flow of paddling,” Kotaska said.

What kept them going was a piece of advice they’d received from MacKay’s mother before they started the trip. She told them simply to enjoy the journey.

“We kind-of scoffed at that when we first heard it,” Kotaska said.

“We’re like, nah, we’re going to go as fast as we can. Like, you don’t have to enjoy the journey. But then, the longer we’re out there, the more we realized that was going to be an essential component of us actually finishing the trip.

“You’re out there for so long and if you’re not enjoying any part of it, then it’s going to be miserable, and it’s hard to keep going at something miserable for a month and a half.”    

The two kept each other company by listening to music and talking about “almost every possible topic of conversation,” MacKay said.

“I like to think we took challenges in stride, and helped one another through them,” Kotaska said.

And they were guaranteed a pleasant moment at least once a day, he added. “When you were about to stop paddling – that always felt good.”

Local help along the way

Enjoying the journey included getting to meet lots of people.

“I’m used to paddling canoe or kayak routes that are quite remote and you don’t get to see other people for the whole trip, let alone stop into towns and resupply,” Kotaska said.

Stopping in at outport communities, talking to locals and learning about their way of life was one of the highlights of the trip, as was a glimpse into the history and culture of Newfoundland.

Strangers’ reactions on learning what Kotaska and MacKay were doing generally came across as “shock” and “disbelief,” MacKay said.

People invited them to camp in their sheds, offered meals or the use of their vehicle, and – on one occasion – someone gave them tickets to see Blue Rodeo perform in Gunner’s Cove. The two factored in time off to see the show, which MacKay said was “pretty great.”

Insignificant in the Atlantic

Paddling in the Atlantic Ocean, compared to paddling in the NWT, left Kotaska feeling “like you’re on something way bigger than yourself.”

“You feel pretty insignificant out there, but also impressed by how grand the vast open ocean is,” he said.

“For the majority of the trip, you could look to your left and you wouldn’t be able to see any land. The ocean was amazing to paddle on … the water was beautiful.”

The trip ended on Sunday, August 4. The final day turned out to be “the toughest day of the trip in some ways,” MacKay said, as they had to fight “a big headwind and big seas.” It took 14 hours of paddling to cover the final 60 km.  

That final push was “demoralizing, but the prize at the end was a good motivator to get us through,” Kotaska said.

As they reached their end point of Quidi Vidi harbour, a small fleet of kayaks paddled out to greet them – including both of their fathers. More supporters were waiting on the shore.

“I just had the biggest smile on my face,” Kotaska said. “I felt a bunch of different emotions… relieved to be done, grateful for everyone that was there supporting us and everyone that made the trip enjoyable along the way, a little bit surprised and, yeah, in disbelief that we actually completed the trip.

“It seemed like such a huge task that it would never be attainable. It was a crazy feeling to finally pull back up on the slipway.”

“It’s hard not to smile and to tear up a bit when I got to see my sisters and my parents again,” MacKay said. “We had a good homecoming.”

Now back on shore, Kotaska and MacKay have been enjoying food they missed – such as fresh fruit and berries – and time with friends and family. Kotaska will soon head back to school for the winter.

Both said they would do another trip together and have already started talking about a trip to explore more of either Canada’s east or west coast.

“I’ll definitely be thinking of other routes that we can tackle next,” Kotaska said.

“Maybe by kayak, maybe sailing. That seems quite appealing, the harnessing the wind aspect. And, you know, sleeping in a bed seems all right.”