Web Archive
September 5, 2006
For immediate release
Paddling Prince Edward Island ~ Book Launch September 8, 10 a.m., Trout River Conservation Park
Tourism
Paddling Prince Edward Island is a comprehensive guide to the best places to canoe and kayak on and around the Island. It includes seventy-five paddling areas suited to every ability, driving directions to access points and detailed maps showing paddling routes as well as Island history and cultural information.
“This book could position Prince Edward Island at the forefront as a destination for tourists looking for kayaking and canoeing adventures,” says Tourism Minister Philip Brown. “It answers virtually every question someone might have about paddling our Island.”
Ironically, the book was not written by an Island resident but rather a Virginia couple who have been coming to Prince Edward Island every summer for 15 years. Bob and Marsha Gillette have paddled almost every waterway the Island has to offer and, while they have canoed and kayaked all across North America, it is PEI that has captured their hearts.
“Prince Edward Island is a mystical place that fosters all sorts of meditation,” says Bob Gillette in the preface to the book. “There is so much to experience on this small Island…that one visit here will never be enough. The spirit of the place seeps into your soul and reemerges throughout the time you are away.”
Because their canoe is always fastened to their roof rack when not in the water, Bob and Marsha found themselves constantly being asked by other paddlers, “Where’s a good place to put in our kayak?” “Where can we go canoeing?” They decided to collect all their experiences and put them in a book.
“We’ve gone everywhere there is water on the Island. Quiet ponds, rivers, bays, harbours and open coastline,” explains Gillette. “Because we love to canoe and we love Prince Edward Island, we’re elated to share our experiences and special haunts.”
“Paddling Prince Edward Island is an amazing resource,” says Ardelle Hynes of Outdoor Expeditions, who assisted Gillette with plotting kayak routes in the book. “I don’t know of any other province in Canada with such a detailed guide for paddlers.”
Briarcliffe Inn bed and breakfast operator, Mary Kendrick, believes Paddling Prince Edward Island is going to make it easier to attract canoe and kayak enthusiasts to the Island. Located at Salutation Cove in Fernwood, Kendrick says they will begin marketing paddling packages using the book as part of the draw.
A book launch is being held at Trout River Conservation Park (on Route 239) on Friday, September 8 at 10 a.m. Representatives from several kayak/canoe outfitters, tourism operators and Parks Canada will be attending the launch to talk about the significance Paddling Prince Edward Island could have for tourism. There will also be people with canoes/kayaks for visual opportunities. In the event of rain, the book launch will take place at the same date and time at the Sterling Women’s Institute Community Hall in Stanley Bridge (intersection of Highway 6 and Rattenbury Road).
Paddling Prince Edward Island is A Falcon Guide published by Morris Book Publishing and distributed by Globe Pequot Press. The book will be available at The Bookmark, Indigo and Coles and may be ordered online at: www.globepequot.com/globepequot/index.cfm?fuseaction=customer.product&product_code=0%2D7627%2D4117%2D1&category_code=
