The Expedition in our own Backyard

Pedro Frigola kayaking off Anacapa - photo by Bryant Burkhardt

Bryant Burkhardt has been an avid kayaker since his first day on the Pacific a decade ago paddling the swells off Catalina Island in Southern California.  He is an ACA Instructor Trainer in both Whitewater and Coastal Kayaking.  He has headed the UCLA Sea Kayak Program and was the Valley Program Director for California Canoe & Kayak.  In 2006 he captained the U.S. National Kayak Polo Team at the World Championships in Amsterdam, Netherlands.  In 2010 Bryant produced his first paddling DVD entitled Paddle California and now works full time as an instructor and film-maker.

Bryant has paddled to six of the eight Channel Islands, including a six day, 180 mile tour of the four northern islands (San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz and Anacapa) and a paddle out and back to Santa Barbara Island from the mainland.  In 2009 he completed a 300 mile solo circumnavigation of Moresby Island in the Queen Charlottes, BC.

Pedro Frigola has been an avid sea kayaker for nearly 20 years. He has paddled extensively in California’s Channel Islands, visiting all of the publicly accessible islands.  His memorable trips in the area include a week long tour of the Northern Channel Islands (including crossing to and circumnavigation of San Miguel Island), and a weekend crossing to/from Santa Barbara Island and the mainland.  Pedro has also enjoyed extended trips in the Pacific Northwest, where he has kayaked in the San Juan Islands, Canadian Gulf Islands, Desolation Sound, and Tofino.  Other paddling destinations have included Canada’s Georgian Bay, Lake Powell, Yellowstone Lake, Florida’s southwest coast, French Polynesia, and the Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands.  Originally from Cuba, Pedro has spent most of his adult life in Southern California and enjoys a variety of outdoor activities, photography, and occasionally even work.   He shares his photographs at pedrofrigola.com.

Sean Morley originates from the UK and is now a resident of Marin Co. CA. He has been kayaking for 35 years and took part in his first kayak race in 1978 and has competed in many disciplines of paddle sport since then including white water slalom and downriver racing, marathon, sprint, wave ski, surf life saving and surf kayaking with success at national and international level. 

He began expedition sea kayaking in 1996 and in 1998 set a record for the fastest crossing of the Irish Sea in 11 hours 6 minutes. In 2004 he achieved his childhood dream by completing the first solo circumnavigation of the UK and Ireland by sea kayak; the first ever to include all of the inhabited islands. The 4500 mile expedition took 183 days and is the longest kayak journey ever undertaken in British waters.  Sean raised over £10,000 for charity and was nominated as the Royal National Lifeboat Institute’s ‘Individual Supporter of the Year’.

In September 2008 Sean attempted to break the record for the fastest circumnavigation of Vancouver Island. He completed the 700mile (1000km) circumnavigation in 17 days, 4 hours and 49 minutes taking over 6 days off the previous record. 

Sean is an ACA Level 4 Coastal Kayak Instructor and Level 3 Surf Kayak Instructor and an employee of California Canoe and Kayak. Sean is also the founder of Expeditionkayak.com a Worldwide Kayak Adventure Community and the Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium. 

The ROUTE 

You can view our proposed route on Gmaps Pedometer here.

The basic plan is as follows: leave Gaviota and cross to San Miguel, paddle down through the archipelago visting each island (Sean will attempt to circumnavigate), cross back to mainland from Catalina to San Pedro (Sean will return to Gaviota via the northern islands).

You will be able to track our progress because Bryant and Sean will be carrying SPOT Satellite Trackers.

Bryant’s SPOT here.

Sean’s SPOT here.