PORT ANGELES — Justine Curgenven, an expedition kayaker and award-winning filmmaker, will share stories of adventure in the keynote presentation of the annual Port Angeles Kayak & Film Festival, which begins today.
The presentation, “Sea Kayaking the World,” will feature clips highlighting Curgenven’s trips along the wild coasts of Russia, Antarctica, New Zealand, Patagonia and the Aleutian Islands, event organizers say.
The keynote presentation will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday at Peninsula College’s Maier Performance Hall, 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door or at www.portangeleskayakandfilm.com.
The address is part of the third annual Port Angeles Kayak & Film Festival, which begins today with outdoor and adventure films at Barhop Brewing, 124 W. Railroad Ave.
The festival continues Saturday and Sunday with more than two dozen classes in and around Port Angeles.
A demonstration beach will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at Hollywood Beach.
Passes to test-drive the kayaks are $10.
Curgenven arrives at the festival having recently completed a 700-mile expedition in the South Pacific.
Many of her adventures have involved paddling in treacherous conditions.
“I’ve been scared many times,” Curgenven said in a festival news release.
“I try to use good judgment so that I don’t get into any life-threatening situations, but a few times, conditions have surprised me and I’ve ended up worrying that I’ll get caught out.”
Films
Curgenven’s first film, “This is the Sea,” features footage from difficult sea kayaking expeditions, including a 400-mile journey along the east coast of Russia with a novice paddler.
In the film, the team encounters 6-foot surf, brown bears at camp and arresting soldiers.
The film was a finalist at the 2005 Montreal Film Festival and Wet West Film Festival in New Zealand and resulted in four sequels shot around the world between 2005 and 2013.
Curgenven’s other films include “This is the Roll” 1 and 2, “This is Canoeing” and “Kayaking the Aleutians.”
Curgenven’s films have garnered more than a dozen awards, including Best Adventure Film at the Banff and Kendal Mountain film festivals.
“We are honored to host one of the world’s most accomplished expedition kayakers,” festival co-organizer Tammi Hinkle said.
“Justine is an adventurer’s adventurer, and she’s done it all. Her stories are captivating.”
Former TV reporter
Curgenven learned videography as a TV reporter and began her own editing, storytelling, scripting and sound recording in her next position as a program maker.
She eventually bought her own camera and began shooting adventure films that describe self-sufficiency and lessons learned at sea.
A native of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands off the coast of France, Curgenven began kayaking 10 years ago.
Her expedition trips on six continents include the first all-female circumnavigation of Tasmania, which covered 900 miles in 42 days, a 14-day solo trip around Iceland’s West Fjords, a 120-mile trip from London to France, a 50-mile trip from Russia to Japan and three crossings of the Irish Sea.
“I feel at peace when out kayaking,” Curgenven said.
“It’s probably the sum of the parts that I love: the untamable nature of the sea, the delicious fresh air, seeing wildlife up close, the exercise and the satisfaction of journeying under my own power.
“It’s a chance to always be learning and to share stories with isolated people from different parts of the world,” she added.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
