[Admin]

Hi, I’m also interested in your experiments and will try the green tea idea next time.

[Nancy More]

One more thought about the chlorine.  If using filtered water, you would have to be much more diligent around keeping your bags clean or perhaps boiling the water first (removes the chlorine as well as killing microorganisms).

[Nancy More]

I believe that chlorine is related (it needs to be for my tea theory as it it chlorophenols that we were tasting for.  I thought I might fill a bag with filtered water or bottle water and see what the difference is.  Aren’t you all glad that I am easily amused by figuring things out?

[Tony Clayton]

Regarding Maureen’s comments about the possible effect of chlorine on the Dromedary lining. In Lions Bay our tap water is very lightly chlorinated and is very ‘sweet’ so perhaps that is why we do not detect any adverse flavours.

 

[Maureen Benzon]

Hi Nancy,

This topic is raised every couple of years. I paddled a while ago with a couple who claimed the water in the bags made them physically nauseous until they installed a fancy water filtration system in their house. They swear it is the chlorine in the tap water that reacts with the lining of the dromedary bags and that the new water, with the chlorine filtered out, remained sweet tasting and did not affect them adversely. Knowing your analytical approach, I would like to see if you can fit this into your experiment. Keep up the good work!!

🙂 Maureen

[David Murray]

Hi Karin,

I will join.

Thanks

David Murray

[Tony Clayton]

Fascinating experiment

We have two 10 l. MSR Dromedary bags of considerable vintage. Maybe we may have less sensitive palates but the reported phenolic flavour  of has not been something that we have noticed . I do not know whether this has to do with changes in MSR specs over time or the fact that as a trip preparation routine we flush the Dromedaries with a weak bleach solution then rinse before filling with tap water. We do use Pristine water treatment for any water we collect from streams so perhaps there is some incidental benefit in that to suppressing any phenol taste.

Nancy, I remain interested in your ongoing investigation.

[Chantal Ethier]

Hi Nancy,

I just wanted to drop you a line to say that I enjoyed every line of that post, useful and serious with a hint of humour (or that’s how I read it)…  I’m looking forward to hearing more.

I hope all is well.  Thanks for conducting this experiment and reporting to the rest of us.

Chantal 🙂

[Nancy More]

Hi guys

This is a preliminary report on some kitchen chemistry that I have been playing with (it’s okay, my university degree was in Chemistry).   While some of this may sound odd, it is based on experience with sensory evaluation of beer.

We all hate the phenolic (think bandages and hospital disinfectant) flavour that the MSR Dromedary bags add to our water.  I have been thinking about this and decided to finally see what I could do.  MSR says to try baking soda and hot water.   My experiment with that showed it was relatively useless.

I filled bags up and left them for 24 hours and then tasted the water.  On the 2 bags that I have done so far (one much newer than the other), the flavour developed within 24 hours.

Bag 1:  Filled it with hot water and baking soda and left it for 24 hours.  Flushed it out, refilled it with tap water, left it for 24 hours and the flavour was still there, maybe slightly reduced.    Then I filled it with hot Earl Grey tea (only black tea I had in the house), left it for 24 hours, emptied, refilled it with tap water, and left it for 24 hours.  It had a slight phenolic taste but I wasn’t sure if I was confusing it with some residual bergamot from the Earl Grey.  Refilled it with hot green tea and left it for 24 hours.  Emptied it and refilled with tap water and left it for 24 hours.  The flavour was gone.   Hallelujah!   I left it for 3 days and tasted it each day.  There may have been a hint of it at 3 days, but not so much it would offend me.  I then emptied the bag and left it to dry completely.  I have now refilled it with tap water and will check it out over time to see if this is a lasting phenomena or if I just have to treat my bags before each trip.

Bag 2:  I filled with hot green tea and left it for 24 hours.  I then rinsed and refilled with tap water.  The 24 hour taste was clean and I will hold it and continue to taste.

If anyone is still reading this lengthy post, I have another 2 1/2 weeks before my next camping trip so will continue my little experiment and keep you posted as to if I had found a way of making water from Dromedary bags drinkable.

Cheers, Nancy

[Nancy More]

Hi Karin

What time are you planning to be back?  I have a birthday party that night that I can’t miss.

Cheers, Nancy

[Peter Mountstevens]

Hi Peter

I don’t know any launch sites on the north west side of Galiano. Portier Pass Rd always looks to be a possibility but I’ve never tried and I’ve not heard of it being used.

My preference would be setting off from Salt Spring Island, driving north from the dock at Long Harbour and launching from Hudson Point.

https://www.bcmarinetrails.org/map#marine-trail-sites-within-bc-parks You’ll need to accept the terms to view the map

There is a ferry dock at Vesuvius, on the west side of Salt Spring, and a beach that’s accessible as well but you’d need to check on overnight parking before trying there. It might be your best bet or else you’re only left with Montague Harbour.

Sorry

[Peter Tutak]

Peter-

We’re going out for only two nights. If we do Wallace, it might be a different campsite at a different site each night.

I’ve done the cart before on the Washington State Ferry system in the San Juans, but for expediency this time, we’re saddling up the Volvo to take on the ferry. Besides, it’ll be with us on Mayne, so might as well keep using it.

Right now I’m leaning toward my a. option, i.e. Galiano, and paddling to the Secretarys, and then SE to the Wallace Islands. Accoringly, I’m looking for a place to launch from on the northwest side of Galiano, to take advantage of the morning ebb, paddle across to the Secretarys and then mooch along the current to Wallace. Do you have any suggestions regarding places to launch on the NW side of Galiano ? (I’d also be leaving my car there for a couple of nights.)

I know Bodega Ridge PP is mostly high bluffs, so that’s out. Is there anywhere along Portier Pass Rd north of Bodega to launch from that you might know of ?

Thanks for the insight on your experiences that you’ve offered in your responses. They give me food for thought for future trips up into the Gulf Islands. I’m *most* appreciative – not knowing any paddlers in BC, am indeed indebted to you for any information you can provide.

Regards,
Peter

[Peter Mountstevens]

Hi Peter

I agree with the other members having rounded it myself whilst is the flooding. I don’t know what percentage it was at but it was certainly at low tide. I would certainly do it again if I knew I was within an hour of slack in an ebb current because that would be enough. The current was strong but only for a 200-300 meters and then eased off although I admit it was still quite a slog into Navarez despite being a short route.

How long are you out for? I normally take my kayak as a foot passenger using wheels when going on the ferries and park the car at the terminal if I can’t get dropped off. The Cabbage Island trip we took the ferry to Sturdies Bay, crossed Active Pass at slack before a flood tide and headed down to Cabbage.

I’ve also disembarked at Maine and headed straight to Prevost, overnighted there (nice site with deers and fruit trees), moved to Portland for 2 nights with a day trip to Gooch and back and then into Swartz Bay and the ferry home.

Coming the other way I’ve gone to Nanaimo by ferry and paddled to Pirates Cove via False Narrows, going through an hour before slack on an ebb. Pirates Cove to Wallace, camping there at the camp site in the northern tip for two nights (best site I’ve ever been to!). Over to Montague Harbor for 1 night and then into Long Harbour and the Ferry home.

There have been a other combinations of those trips but I recommend using the ferries as a foot passenger and the kayak in wheels over taking a car anywhere because it eliminates the necessity of doing a round trip when you can enter and exit for different terminals.

Good luck with your trip and I’d be interested in how it went and where you went.

Peter

 

 

[Shelley Lear]

A leisurely paddle from the parking lot at Harris Rd.  Meet at 10:00 am, bring a lunch.  No whitewater involved – more of a slough than a river.  Usually lots of birds.

Contact Shelley at 604-437-1549 or shelleyxx99@gmail.com for more info.

 

[Peter Tutak]

 

Peter-

Thanks so very much for your input on this. Other folks I’ve talked to suggest navigating East Point at slack, and no other time. I’ve consulted the Current Atlas Tables for my date and approx. times to transit this area, and it shows the current flow is strongly SE off Trumbo, strong NE off East Point/Boiling Reef, and W/SW off the entrance to Narvaez Bay. (Althogh the resolution on the current charts is very high level, I can’t recommend these enough.)

That’s enough for me. I know it’s a short paddle from Cabbage to Narvaez Bay, but that part of the route sounds a little too dicey for me at those times. I’m pretty conservative.  Accordingly, will re-plan my route.

Right now, I have three options-

a. Early morning ferry from Village Bay to Sturdies Bay, drive N to north end of Galiano and launch from there across Trincomali to the Secretary Islands, and SE to Wallace Island Marine Provincial Park, overnighting there.

b. Same as above, except shove off from Montague Harbor MPP and paddle NW alongside Galiano, veering WNW to Wallace Island MPP.

c. Same as b., except transit to Prevost Island/James Bay to overnight.

d. Early morning ferry from Village Bay to Otter Bay, and launch from there to Prevost/James Bay.

I’m aware that c. and d. encounter a lot of pleasure boat and ferry traffic, so I’m leaning to a. or b.

If you have any comment on my alternates, by all means, please let me know.

With Thanks,

Peter

 

 

[Author]

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