delivering a couple of vacuum pumps, a radiant heating setup and various other bits and pieces to Bellingham. I’m riding shotgun to interview Donalson. The equipment in the back of the truck is a generous donation
from Henry and his former business partner Campbell Black. Henry owns Ocean River Sports—a paddlesports store in Victoria and a Sterling Kayaks dealer—and Black owns Blackline Marine, a yacht repair company. We meet up with Donalson and Reg Lake on the Canadian side
of the border and transfer the equipment to their truck—it will go more smoothly if they import it into the U.S. Upon first meeting, Donalson is instantly memorable: he is a big
bear of a man, and he has only one leg. Diagnosed with bone cancer at the age of 15, his leg was removed at the hip. He deftly uses crutches to help get around and seems barely slowed by the lack of a limb. This is the first clue that this is a man not easily deterred from doing what he sets his mind to. And that he is no stranger to overcoming adversity. As we transfer the equipment, Donalson takes an informal
inventory. He spies an older vacuum pump and instantly knows what brand it is and what it will be good for. He’s pleased with the equipment—it’s some of what he needs to rebuild his business. “When I was watching the shop burn, I called my wife Marsha
and told her ‘everything is burning—it’s all gone!’” he remembers. “She asked me if everyone was okay and when I said that nobody was hurt, there was a pause, and then she said, ‘Fresh start.’ Just like that—‘Fresh start.’ So that’s what we’re doing.” Many others within the paddling community (and without) have
STERLING DONALSON REVERSE-ENGINEERED
NEW PLUGS FROM SURVIVING BOATS. PHOTO: ALEX MATTHEWS
also rallied to help. After the fire, several Sterling dealers submitted new orders for kayaks as a show of support, and in a bid to ensure that there would be cash flow. We head to Donalson’s home and sit down in the kitchen for
More tanker trucks arrived, but with the fire feeding off of
volatile, highly flammable resins and solvents, firefighters decided the safest course of action was to confine the inferno and let it burn itself out. Donalson watched helplessly as the blaze consumed his molds,
boats, materials, tools and the one and only master copy of his newest design. No one was injured, but the 100-by-60-foot, rented building that housed his shop was completely gutted. Virtually everything that he’d invested years making was gone.
NEARLY TWO MONTHS LATER, it’s 4:30 a.m. and I’m up in the pitch dark of a January morning to catch the first ferry off of Vancouver Island. Today’s agenda is twofold: most importantly, Current Designs Kayaks founder Brian Henry is
“She asked me if everyone was okay and when I said that
nobody was hurt, there was a pause, and then she said, ‘Fresh start.’”
44 ADVENTURE KAYAK | SUMMER/FALL 2013
coffee and snacks with Sterling and Marsha. Their small kayak business is very much a family affair—Marsha does the company’s books—and their welcome is informal and
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