T h e F i l m m a k e r Cur Justine genven 36


BANGOR, GWYNEDD, WALES YEARS CANOEING: ONE, WITH A FEW DABBLES BEFORE


“I


T h e E x p e d i t i o n C o o r d i n a t o r


Brooke Martens 39


EDMONTON, ALBERTA YEARS CANOEING: 13


B


rooke Martens’ childhood paddling ended with a crunch when her dad


drove into a low-roofed car wash with the family’s cedarstrip canoe strapped to the roof of their van. Luckily for us, the professional forester-


turned-nanny rediscovered canoeing as an adult and has never looked back. “My passion is definitely canoeing,” ex-


plains Martens, who jumped in at the last minute to help organize the 2008 David Thompson Voyageur Brigade from Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, to Thunder Bay, Ontario. “When we got to Thunder Bay, a bunch


of us were having so much fun we all said, ‘Let’s keep going.’” This is the short version of how Edmonton-based Martens ended up at the helm of the 2010 David Thompson Brigade, which departs in July. She expects that up to 60 paddlers in five


to six, 35-foot Montreal canoes will make the journey this summer to Montreal. For Brook Martens, the expedition ties to-


gether an interest in our cultural heritage, a passion for canoeing and a growing interest in the explorer David Thompson. “I love orga- nizing these brigades and just getting lots of everyday, ordinary folks exposed to paddling,” says Martens, who’s hard at work organizing and recruiting people for this year’s event. At the same time, Martens hopes to keep


canoes on the roofs of vans and in water- ways all across the country. Just watch out for car wash ceilings. —Dave Quinn


T h e P o l i t i c i a n


The Honourable Steven Point 58


VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA YEARS CANOEING: 42


B


ritish Columbia’s Lieutenant Governor, Steven Point, is now a well-known canoe


builder. After discovering a half-finished dug- out canoe on a Ross Bay beach in Victoria, Point brought it home. During late-night carv- ing sessions with the help of Kwakwaka’wakw Chief and master carver Tony Hunt, they transformed the ancient 500- to 800-year-old piece of red cedar into a canoe. “It’s not just a piece of art anymore; it’s an


actual working canoe,” said Point. “You can paddle around in it; you can go fishing in it.” “When I first found the log I had to let it sit


for about three months because it was so water- logged; it was really heavy,” explained Point. Just over a year later, on April 10th, Point


launched the four-metre-long canoe into the waters off the same Victoria beach. Point has named the canoe Shxwtitostel,


which is a Hul’qumi’num word meaning “a safe place to cross the river.” “I see my job [as a politician] over the last 20 years as trying to find ways of bridging the


gap; trying to find ways of communicating; trying to find common ground to bring people together,” he said. “So a bridge—the idea of a bridge—is what I’ve been working on for a long time.” Point has donated the canoe to the Govern-


ment House Foundation where it will be held in perpetuity for the people of British Colum- bia and moved around the province for people to see. “We get so much from this country,” said Point. “I wanted to give something back.” —Stephanie Park


www.canoerootsmag.com 43


love being outside in the elements, espe- cially on long journeys,” explains Justine


Curgenven, who has spent the last five years pursuing her passion for sea kayaking and sto- rytelling in her multi-award winning This is the Sea adventure films. The self-made adventure filmmaker recent-


ly decided she would try her hand at canoeing and has spent the last 18 months travelling around North America and the United King- dom filming canoeists and creating the newly released hit DVD, This is Canoeing. “The canoe appealed to me as it would


allow me to cut right through the middle of places as opposed to exploring around the edges with my kayak,” says Curgenven. But she candidly admits that it was a steep learn- ing curve. “When I first started, I thought gun- wale was pronounced gun-whale.”


Curgenven has a talent for bringing the sto-


ry of canoeing to life, thanks to the hands-on experience she gained as a TV reporter and multi-skilled program maker. She found the canoeists she interviewed to be very approach- able and friendly. “I came away with a feeling that canoeists are good people—very friendly, kind, thoughtful and fun.” This is Canoeing has already wowed audi-


ences across the globe and in only months has received a shower of awards. “Filmmaking is a way of life for me,” says Curgenven, who single- handedly captured the essence of canoeing in what has been described as the “best collection of canoeing films, ever.” —Stephanie Park


PHOTO: BROOK MARTENS


PHOTO: ADRIENNE DUNTON


PHOTO: SCOTT MACGREGOR


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