Kabloona in the Yellow Kayak: One Woman's Journey Through the North West Passage [Paperback]

Victoria Jason (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1999

During the summers of 1991 through 1994 Victoria Jason and two companions - Fred Reffler and Don Starkell - set out to kayak from Churchill, Manitoba to Tuktoyuktuk on the Beaufort Sea. When she set out 1991, Victoria, already a grandmother of two, had only been kayaking for a year and was still recovering from the second of two strokes.

Her 7,500 kilometer journey last four years. In the first year Fred dropped out due to an injury, and Victoria suffered serious internal bleeding ulcers. The second year Victoria and Don reached Gjoa Haven together, but Victoria was forced to drop out there, suffering from edema caused by excessive fatigue. Don continued alone and almost died from extreme frostbite before being rescued by authorities just 46 miles short of Tuktoyuktuk.

Not content with her failure, Victoria returned to the North the following two years and completed her triumphant journey alone from west to east, paddling from Fort Providence on the MacKenzie River to Paulatuk in 1993, and from Paulatuk to Gjoa Haven in 1994.

Among the Inuit people she became known as the Kabloona (the Inuktitut word for stranger) in the Yellow Kayak.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...Jason's story is one of raw courage." -- Chatelaine

"A Fluid, often lyrical tribute to the land and its people... [a] magnificent narrative." -- The Montreal Gazette

"Utterly astonishing...An improbable journey, an amazing woman." -- Canadian Geographic

About the Author

Born in Manitoba, Victoria Jason spent four years near Churchill, where she fell in love with the North while raising her family. Victoria moved to Winnipeg, working for many years as an employee of the Canadian National Railways. After following her dream to kayak the North, she worked to reintroduce the Kayak to the Innue. She also toured the country sharing her experiences and adventures until Spring 2000, when her illness made it impossible for her to continue.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Turnstone Pr (February 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0888012187
• ISBN-13: 978-0888012180
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,168,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #97 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Kayaking > Sea Kayaking

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A most courageous woman!, May 26, 2000

By 

Lisa Graber (Crystal Lake, Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kabloona in the Yellow Kayak: One Woman's Journey Through the North West Passage (Paperback)

A friend lended me Victoria's book a few years ago, and I am grateful for that. I found her to be such an inspiration. This book has had a profound influence on my life. Her experiences are fascinating, her inner strength is amazing, and her love for the beauty of man and nature is uplifting.

Victoria was a terrifically generous woman. In spite of the fact that she was battling a very aggressive brain tumor over the last year, she gave me the pleasure of her company for an afternoon during a recent trip through Winnipeg. She spoke of a second book she was working on about her return to the North. Unfortunately this second book remains unfinished, as Victoria passed away on May 20, 2000. She was a great lady!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you like sea kayaking and wilderness you'll love this..., July 29, 1999

By 

Thomas M. Heineman (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kabloona in the Yellow Kayak: One Woman's Journey Through the North West Passage (Paperback)

A great adventure and wilderness story. The author displays a sensitivity towards nature and a bit of insanity (good insanity) given the risks involved in the trip through the Artic. If you like to sea kayak you will enjoy this book. If you like adventure stories you will also like this book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars outstanding story of a womens determination, June 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Kabloona in the Yellow Kayak: One Woman's Journey Through the North West Passage (Paperback)

If you have never been to the artic you might not understand the true heroics and determination of this Grandmother. It is an unforgiving land spotted with with wonderful interesting people and the author puts her story to paper telling of her fantastic adventure, kayaking the North West Passage. The first part of the book covers the turmoil of traveling with a man who is filled with his own ego and a times incredible stupidity.At times you wonder how he survived after striking out on his own. Victoria Jason full fills a life long dream and shares her adventures in a most entertaining writing style. Its like sitting across the table sharing a cup of coffee and listening to a great adventure story of just a common country girl.She has talent to tell a story and the spunk to have lived it.