On June 8th and 9th, the 4th annual Vancouver Festival of Ocean Films will open its doors at the Vancity Theatre to screen some amazing films focused on the beauty of our oceans, and some of the threats to its health. V.I.A. is a proud media sponsor of the festival, publishing a series of blog posts highlighting some of the Festival’s films.
Photos and words by Nicolas Teichrob
STAND is a surf and SUP film focused on the west coast of British Columbia from north to south, and what is at stake with the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline and tanker route. Produced by Nicolas Teichrob (of Roberts Creek) and Anthony Bonello (of Whistler), STAND was a two-year production that involved some of the most difficult logistical obstacles either of these filmmakers had ever faced. The film follows expedition stand-up paddler, Norm Hann (normhann.com) as he travels the length of Haida Gwaii, a group of Bella Bella students building their own wooden SUPs, and west coast native and iconic surfer, Raph Bruhwiler, on Vancouver Island. These elements are presented in the film thoroughly, but what isn’t shown are the behind the scenes stories and ups and downs that occurred while producing STAND. Here is a look at a few of the more memorable moments from STAND.
Mike McQuade and Norm Hann going over some maps in Mike’s surf shop (North Beach Surf Shop).
During Norm Hann’s 2010 paddle expedition that saw him paddle the tanker route from Kitimat to Bella Bella, Norm looked across the ocean to Hecate Strait and fixated on Haida Gwaii. There was a spark born at that time and this manifested itself in a 2012 expedition to paddle from Masset in the north to SGang Gwaay in the south. Running a bit more of a freestyle ship than we as filmmakers are used to, the crew made their way to Masset in June of 2012. The Soul Haven sailboat spent a month cruising up to Masset from Squamish, while the remainder of the crew flew in a few days before the expedition was to begin. With only 3 weather days scheduled in the trip, the plan was a tight one, but doable. As the north does oh so well, weather came up and the whole team was stuck on the boat for the first two scheduled days of the trip. Spirits remained positive however and that time was used to connect with the people in Masset and figure out some last minute logistics. We did not know anyone in Masset, but after a short time, we became good friends with Mike McQuade from North Beach surf shop. Unexpectedly, Mike became an instrumental part of the start of Norm’s expedition. He provided local intel, map descriptions and a truck. During the first day of paddling, Mike rallied his truck up and down North beach with Anthony and myself tagging along, stopping at various points to film Norm during his paddle. Mike’s willingness to help us out had us believing that Norm and him had been friends for a while, and when asked how he knew Norm, he said ‘I don’t, he just called me the other day for the first time’. This was a moment that showcased the true spirit of the people in Haida Gwaii and their incredible hospitality and generosity. Mike also gave us a pile of crabs while docked in Masset waiting out the storm.
Nigel, Norm, and James taking a break on the Soul Haven during the last day of the Haida Gwaii expedition.
The Haida Gwaii expedition was supported in part by Soul Haven sailing and the Escape Route (a shop in Squamish and Whistler). Soul Haven’s captain, Nigel Praine, is a man of great sailing experience and his second in command on the trip, James Retty (owner of The Escape Route), was certainly no slouch when it comes to sailing experience. Nigel and James provided such great support for Norm and the production team during the expedition that we really can’t say enough good things about them. As Norm paddling day in and day out, Soul Haven puttered along, sailing when possible, following Norm or yo-yoing ahead and meeting at key check points. Soul Haven provided a stable platform for Norm to eat, sleep, and go over maps the daily paddle plans. It also was the hub for everything STAND related during the trip. A few of the more memorable times on the boat included: sailing around Rose Spit at 4 a.m., which had Anthony and myself scrambling to get ourselves on deck before our dinner made it’s way out of our stomachs. Once on deck, we were in our first real sailing experience, and in an ocean that was chaotic and dangerous. That was quite the wake up. Another crazy time was when we were sailing through Burnaby Narrows. Burnaby Narrows is a very small channel of water that allows boats to safely pass through only at certain tide levels, and with strict A to B lines of travel that must be followed to avoid grounding the boat. Nigel with all of his experience was very nervous about this section, and as the clearance on his keel was getting less and less he remained cool and focused and piloted the boat successfully without hitting ground….even though at one point in time the depth sounder read <7ft (the ‘draft’ or keel depth was 6ft!). Massive kudos goes out to Nigel for taking that boat to the limits of it’s ability but no further. The third crazy time on the boat, and arguably the gnarliest, was sailing from Rose Harbour (south tip of Haida Gwaii) to Port Hardy (northern Vancouver Island). The winds had picked up to 56 knots SW (100km/h), and the following day was down to 20 knots SE. This presented a window of wind direction allowing for a straight line sail for the next 30 hours. The seas were total chaos with a massive swell from the previous day’s 56 knot SW winds. Needless to say we all got sick at some point (except maybe Nigel), and I spent the better part of the time face down, eyes shut inside the boat. That sail opened our eyes to some intense and real conditions, and outlined the intense volatility the ocean has in these regions (total glass one day and 56 knot winds the next).
Norm Hann spends some time with an eagle that had recently died on the edge of a river in the Great Bear Rainforest
Norm Hann’s experience on the North Coast is vast, and we were fortunate to have him share some of his favorite zones with us and our cameras. In search of some old growth cedar trees, we ventured up a river system on the west side of Gill Island. Cruising up the riverbed we stumbled across a dead bald eagle. This moment was really intense for me, to see an animal that has so much power and mystic about it, laying down with its head tucked in and wings spread. We could not determine the cause of death but noticed that the eagle had been crawling along the riverbed for over 200 feet before finding its final resting place. Still soft and nearly warm, the passing of this bird had been very recent. Years ago Norm had been gifted an eagle pendent, which he always wears around his neck. He laid the pendent on the fallen bird and shared a story with me about the only other time he had found a dead eagle. The power of these experiences is indescribable and can only be achieved by spending time outside and tuning into the natural world around oneself. I will never forget this moment or the feeling of holding a bird of this stature and power. The Great Bear Rainforest presented many moments to us, as filmmakers and people of the coast, moments that were totally unpredictable and incredibly powerful and life enriching. On this same day we also spent time swimming with a bloom of moon jellyfish, sharing the ocean with feeding humpback whales, and walking up a creek full of wolf-killed salmon (and likely wolves watching us from a safe distance). I will forever be grateful for the places and people that Norm has shared with me during this project.
Nicolas, Norm, and Anthony up a creek in the Great Bear Rainforest that was full of wolf-killed salmon. When food sources are rich, the wolves only eat the brains of the fish, as they have evolved to know that eating other parts of the fish could possibly give them worms, and thus those parts are avoided.
Surf camp, west coast styles with Raph Bruhwiler, complete with luxurious sleeping quarters, fire, and solar power to keeps things ticking.
Another element of the west coast that we wanted to infuse into STAND was that the people and landscapes potentially affected by an oil spill would not be limited to the north, but rather the whole west coast of B.C. For this, we worked with Tofino resident, Raph Bruhwiler. Raph shared his intimate knowledge of the coast with us and too us to some new places to film surfing, both in sunny conditions and in super ugly stormy conditions. What some people may or may not know, is that when filming in such locations, the crew is always working in some pretty rugged conditions. On this particular shoot (referring to the image above), Anthony, myself and Raph were camping for a few days of nice but cold weather. We would wake up early to a frozen ground, and slip our way down the cobbles to get camera angles as the first light hit. Raph was always up in the dark, building a fire and warming himself up before suiting up and hitting the water. Everything involved with these shoots is logistically difficult. This was a boat access only location, which meant that we throw all of our gear off the boat and swim it to shore and drag it up the beach. Staying warm in the winter months is also a constant chore with a keen eye on the fire to keep it going day and night. Camera gear would charge via solar power, and batteries were stored in our sleeping bags at night. Personally I love these kinds of trips and take them regularly for ‘vacation’ and really value the off-the-grid and out of contact living that these environments demand. If you try and battle the weather or the environment, you will fail, but if you work with what you have and understand what is around you, success is always there waiting for the right person to find it, capture it, and share it in a way the portrays the vibe of these wild places.
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