D'Arcy Island .... All to Ourselves!

It’s the middle of summer and we haven’t gone kayak camping yet! What the heck?  So off to D’Arcy Island (Gulf Islands National Park Reserve) we went last Friday morning, ahead of the wind warning for Haro Strait that was to build in the afternoon.

We didn’t really have an on the water time but still we managed to get up early and left Amherst Beach at 9:30 am, loading on a low tide which meant that we would be paddling against the incoming flood all the way to D’Arcy. Trying to combine the perfect departure time, correct current direction and good wind conditions always seems to be a problem with one or more of these criteria not being met. In our case, it was the current flowing the opposite direction and so we started the average 2.5 kts paddle towards the island. A quick rest stop at Sidney Spit and we continued to our destination (7.65 nm) arriving at 12:30 pm.

Low, low tide at Amherst Beach. Loaded and ready to head out.

Pit stop on Sidney Spit

Little D'Arcy on the left and big D'Arcy on the right while Slogging our way down Sidney Channel

Sidebar #1: D'Arcy Island was once a leper colony for Chinese immigrants in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Just as we were landing, a couple of researchers from the University of Western Ontario were leaving the island after checking up on their deer study which involves tracking the movements of the deer on the island and how recorded sounds affects them. We were a little surprised not to find anyone else in the campsite or any other boats anchored in the small bay and we wondered if that would change later in the day.

Our favorite site #2 

And the rest of the sites completely empty!

It wasn’t long before we had our camp established and settled in for some well-deserved relaxation time.  For the rest of the day we watched the world go by on the waters between ourselves and San Juan Island (U.S.) only a few miles away. There were lots of cargo and tank ships, a few sport fishing boats and quite a few whale watching boats running at high speed.

Our kayaks were the only ones on the beach this weekend.

Sidebar #2: A typical 3-hour whale watching tour out of the Victoria Harbour costs around $120.00.

As predicted, the westerly winds did increase through the afternoon but we were sheltered on the east side of the island and felt only a slight breeze. Haro Strait was a maelstrom of dark seas and whitecaps which was probably the reason why nobody else arrived during the rest of the day. D’Arcy Island would be all ours for the first night.

Wind and current in Haro Strait Friday afternoon.

D’Arcy Island sunrises are spectacular and it’s one of the reasons why we love going there. The campsite faces southeast which means on a great day the sun bathes the beach area until around 5:00 pm when it settles in the west and the last of its sunrays sneak through the forest behind the campsite.

Goooooood Morning from D'Arcy Island. Bliss!

The wind forecast was much better for Saturday so we expected we would get some visitors either arriving by kayak or powerboats. Other than a few small hikes to a couple of vantage points we did nothing other than cat nap in our Helinox chairs, read and have a few snacks and happy hour beverages during the day. By the time the sun left the beach area and dinner time had passed so had the opportunity for visitors to arrive at our island retreat. D’Arcy Island would be all ours again for the second night.

That's the Discovery Island lighthouse in the distance

Fenced off ruins of the buildings for the Chinese immigrants leper colony from 1894 to 1924 

Sunday morning was another amazing start to the day and it looked like we were going to get all three conditions (time on the water, current direct and wind) for an ideal paddle back to Sidney. There was no rush to leave as slack before the flood was at 11:38 am so we watched the birds playing all around us in the foliage close to the beach, a family of river otters frolicking in the bay, the same four female Harlequin ducks who paddled around the waterline all weekend, a fawn that was around camp all weekend, an elusive Belted Kingfisher who wouldn’t sit still for me to take its picture and when we least expected it .  .  . a Humpback whale surfacing in our bay!!!

On of the many warblers that we spotted. Here is an Orange-crowned Warbler

A family of River Otters

Female Harlequin Ducks

A baby fawn deer

The Humpback surfaces in the bay

The Humpback in between little and big D'Arcy Islands

We kind of expected that we might see Orca passing by in Haro Strait in the distance but we never thought that a Humpback whale would appear so close to us.  We watched the whale as it made its way into our bay and through the shallow waters between ourselves and Little D’Arcy Island only a few hundred yards away. Realizing that the whale couldn’t pass between the exposed rocky islets at the low tide, it turned around and made its way back out and around Little D’Arcy Island and into open water.

While dismantling our camp we did have a couple of visitors in a powerboat on a day trip from Victoria visit us for a few minutes before they continued on their way in search of the Humpback that we told them about. All of the excitement of the morning had put our departure time behind schedule but it didn’t matter as the flood current would assist us home.

Ready to head home

As we made the crossing from D’Arcy Island to James Island we once again spotted the Humpback whale a few hundred yards away and hoped that we wouldn’t get a surprise close-up encounter on our crossing. Yeah right .  .  .  we both wanted it but it didn’t happen. Unlike our paddle to the island, the return transit back to Sidney resulted in an average moving speed of around 5 kts.

Crossing over to James Island after spotting the Humpback again.

Arriving back at Sidney wharf in only 2 hours we decided to paddle into Port of Sidney Marina and see if there was any action at the Blue Dog Kayaking dock but there was nobody around. On a nice day like today the crew was probably out giving lessons or touring a group through some of the islands nearby. We paddled to our put-in at Amherst Beach and with a rising tide it meant a relative easy unloading of our gear.

Blue Dog Kayaking's Port of Sidney operation

Sidebar #3: Robyn and I are both Paddle Canada Sea Kayak Level 3 graduates of Blue Dog Kayaking.

It was a wonderful weekend of solitude on our very own D’Arcy Island which doesn’t happen very often. See ya on the water!!

Yup! That's us!!

Distance: 15.66 nm (29.00 km)

Gecko Goes Blue

When I first started kayaking coming up to 5 years ago, I never would have thought where it would take us and what I would be doing with it now. Some of you who know me well enough might have guessed pretty close but I can honestly say that I didn't see it coming.

The Gecko Paddler blog has been primarily our personal kayaking journal right from day one back on September 12, 2011 and my goodness we have done a lot since then. Looking back it makes me wonder how the heck we found the time and money to make it all happen. No regrets at all .. none! But now ... it's time to give back.

This past weekend I was asked to be the head instructor for a Paddle Canada Sea Kayak Skills Level 1 course for Blue Dog Kayaking based at the Mill Bay Marina. Blue Dog Kayaking is owned by David Nichols and I received my Paddle Canada Sea Kayak Skills Level 3 and Paddle Canada Sea Kayak Instructor Level 1 certifications over the past 18 months from him.

So this blog post really isn't about another one of our adventures but really is about 3 people who decided to start or enhance their own sea kayak journey like Robyn and I did a few years ago.

Talk about a small world .... Sandra and Kevin live on the mainland and decided to take a Paddle Canada course with Blue Dog Kayaking while visiting her parents nearby. Where did they find out about Blue Dog Kayaking? None other than the Gecko Paddler blog so they were really thrilled to have "the" Gecko Paddler as their instructor for the weekend. LOL  The only kayaking experience they had up to this weekend has been using Delta Kayaks 10's a few times.  

Katelyn is a SISKA member who just joined the club after having relocated from the interior where she has done some lake paddling and kayak camping. Her goal this weekend was to work through the Level 1 skills to prepare herself for a Level 2 course with Blue Dog Kayaking at the end of June.

Tagging along for the weekend was Robyn who also is Paddle Canada Sea Kayak Skills Level 3 certified and she fulfilled the role of demonstrating some of the in the water rescues with me. She also partnered up with Katelyn which allowed our students to do more instead of sitting back and watching.

The Paddle Canada Sea Kayak Skills Level 1 course is jam packed with lots of different paddle strokes and rescues that need to be completed on day 1. Day 2 is really about using the skills learned on day 1 while planning and going on a day paddle. Being my first full hands on course I needed to keep a close watch on our timeline to ensure that we would complete the skills requirements. Time management was key and I prepared well in advance the week before by having my flip chart, waivers and schedule ready to go for 9:00am on Saturday.

Sandra, Katelyn myself and Kevin ... time to get to work

Checking out different types of paddles. I think Kevin likes the twig one. LOL

Saturday morning was all about paddle strokes with an emphasis on the forward paddle stroke.

Coming back to the dock for lunch Sandra uses her newly learned draw stroke.

It was really amazing to see the paddle strokes skills progression during the morning. From the time our group left the dock until we returned for lunch it was like night and day. For me that is the reward I seek because during this short period of time they learned to purposely maneuver their kayaks in a manner that they were dictating what the kayak was doing instead of the kayak dictating where it wanted to go. And the smiles .... Oh my!!!

During lunch it was time for me to present short Seamanship, Weather and Navigation lectures that would prepare them for Sunday. Once again my preparation paid off as I didn't need to write on the flip chart while speaking and I found the students to be like sponges soaking it all in.

Utilizing time well ... lectures while having lunch.

After lunch it was time to get wet and for Sandra and Kevin they would get to experience their first wet exit which probably is the #1 apprehension of most new kayakers.

Time to get wet. Nervous .... heck no!!!

Kevin went first and Sandra preformed the Assisted Rescue with him.

Then it was Sandra's turn!

See! Big smile!! Not so bad huh??

I demonstrated a paddle float Self Rescue

Kevin completing a Bow Rescue on my kayak

Being a relatively small paddler Katelyn performed an Assisted Rescue on Kevin and
worked through the expected issues of helping a larger paddler.

Kevin back in the kayak. It's not about strength but more about technique and Katelyn figured it out nicely!

Sunday morning they were back at it at 9:00am and started working on their day trip planning. This involved getting the latest weather report via VHF, internet (since we had connectivity) and I also introduced a few apps that I like to gather information from. Then it was onto looking at the local chart, discussing tides and currents, how weather interacts with the water to create the sea state and then look at a float plan for the day. Lots to cover before we headed out but the lesson was that this is something that needs to be done every time before taking to the water.

Using the chart we could determine where we were going, how long it should take us and when we
should be returning. And ... how the weather, tides and currents might impact the paddle or change during the day. 

Big smiles on day #2.... Like!!

Just a slight breeze with an incoming tide allowed for a leisurely pace to our destination. 

Before stopping for lunch we did a little boat management. This is a skill helpful in performing rescues.

And communicating from a distance. 

During lunch I talked about Leave No Trace, the environment and a little bit about the history of the areas we paddle in.

We also covered off contact towing without ropes and towing using tow release systems

These students were F.A.T. - Flexible, Accessible and Trainable which made my job easy.
Congratulations to the newest Paddle Canada Sea Kayak Level 1 certified paddlers.
Thanks Dave at Blue Dog Kayaking for letting me join your team of instructors!
A big thanks to my wife Robyn for being the scenario / support paddler ... loved having you along

2016 Easter on Portland Island

Storm after storm after storm has been the weather pattern the past month or so but things were starting to look a bit better heading into the Easter long weekend. After checking the camping gear (minimizing again) we decided that we would head to Arbutus Point on Portland Island for 4 days. We really didn't care what the weather would do as long as the winds didn't stop us going or coming back home. Tarps, rain gear and multiple layers of warm clothes were packed along with what seemed like a whole fridge of food (we really need to work on that).

We meet up with Beverely (and Bella the dog), Lynn and Morley at Van Isle Marina in Sidney at 07:30am to take advantage of the predicted light winds and a slowly increasing ebb which we would be paddling against. For Robyn and I this was our first time launching at the marina and I must say what the heck were we thinking of the last 3 years launching from some of the local beaches with limited parking? Van Isle Marina has a nicely paved unloading area which allowed us to load and wheel our kayaks down the ramp with ease. And ... a great parking lot to leave the car in!

Launching out of Van Isle Marina

Leaving the ramp at 08:30am we headed towards our destination via John Passage, Pym Island and on to Shell Beach. As expected the ebb currents were starting to build and it was a bit of slog approaching Brackman Island so decided to take a rest stop at Shell Beach, which to my surprise was completely empty of campers. While stretching our legs we spotted Jo not far behind us so we waited for her to catch up to us and continued on our way to Arbutus Point.

One of the things about arriving at Arbutus Point is that you never know who might be there especially on a long weekend. To our surprise there wasn't a soul around so we had our choice of the tent pads and one of the first things I noticed was a new kiosk welcoming travelers like us.

The new welcome sign

  

The sign welcomes visitors to SXEĆOŦEN and explains that for thousands of years the Coast Salish have considered Portland Island to be part of their traditional territories. SENĆOŦEN is one of the Coast Salish languages spoken in this area and SXEĆOŦEN is the traditional name for the island which translates to "dry mouth".

Life is tough .... enjoying the sunshine

Some of the recent upgrades to the campsite include a new metal food cache, composting outhouse and each pad site has a new picnic table. The changes are a welcome sight as the last time we visited in late 2014 I thought Arbutus Point was starting to look a little run down. We went to work setting up camp which included tarps over the tents and tables since rain was in the forecast later that night. As we were relaxing after brunch, fellow paddlers Dave, Kevin and Gene arrived from Mill Bay and somewhere Reale and Jeff were still on the water.

Dave, Kevin and Gene arrive after paddling from Mill Bay

As our group number was increasing it pretty well took up all of the available tent pads except for one until a super pod (10+) of kayaks and canoes started to arrive just after noon. One by one they landed on the crescent beach behind the campground and came into the camping area surprised to find us here. As it turns out they were a nice bunch of people who had been coming to Arbutus Point at Easter for the past 10 years or so. While they were deciding what they were going to do about camping our group headed out to hike around the island. The coastline trail seems to be a ritual for us when ever we visit the island but there also is a central trail that Robyn and I have never explored.

Morley, air cast and all made the trip and catches up on some reading around camp.

Taking approximately 2 hours to complete the circumnavigation of the island, we stopped at the Shell Beach and Princess Bay campgrounds and surprise, surprise they were both completely empty (still). Shell Beach is a wonderful location to spend a weekend but can be a popular spot for power-boaters and occasionally is a party beach. Princess Bay is a grassy meadow like campsite near an old orchard but on this day it was pretty wet and 'boggy' which would make setting up camp pretty difficult.

Brackman Island just off Shell Beach

Jo heading back home

Arriving back at Arbutus Point we found the "Easter group" of campers scattered through the trees behind the main camping area. Obviously they must have done this in past years with the number of people in their group. Reale and Jeff had also arrived while we were away but unfortunately Jo need to start heading back home to look after her sick kitty.







We spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening sharing stories and enjoying each other company before heading off to our inviting tents just near dusk. The forecast for the evening was for rain and just after we climbed into our sleeping bags it started to pour. However, it was comforting knowing that our tarps were doing their job and so were my ear plugs as I drifted off to sleep :-)

On Saturday morning we woke up to clearing skies and our group started making plans for the day after breakfast. Gene, Dave and Kevin would be heading back to Mill Bay as there was a potential for high westerly winds on Sunday. Reale, Beverely and Jeff decided they would also be heading back towards Victoria but only after paddling over to Point Fairfax on Moresby Island. Robyn, Lynn, Morley and I headed out on a circumnavigation of Moresby Island which we have never done before. I must say that it is fantastic day trip from Portland Island and it also gave us the opportunity to get a closer looker of a destination we are heading to at the end of April. Where you might be wondering? The San Juan Islands!!

Stuart Island, one of the San Juan Islands on the left and Rum Island on the right. A short paddle across Haro Straight.

Lunch stop near Point Fairfax

Zzzzzzzzzzzz

We stopped for lunch and a nap for me on a nice little crescent beach on the west side of Point Fairfax. At last reported, Moresby Island was up for sale in the neighborhood of 50 million dollars. It would be nice to see a good chunk of the island designated as a new Gulf Island park but that probably won't happen in my lifetime. Arriving back at camp our little band of travelers were now down to the four of us and the Easter group which now had a couple of additions not related to them. It seems that 2 Russian speaking fellows arrived by stand up paddle boards and they too were camped back in the woods.

Relax, relax relax ....... repeat!

The Easter group gathered on the crescent beach just behind the campsite to cook a turkey on in a portable dish like hibachi and they even came by and offered us some too but we politely declined as we had just finished our dehydrated meals. For the rest of the evening we just hung out on the bluff near our tents and simply watched life go by. :-)

I took the time to shoot some pictures of birds along the shoreline.

My first picture of an Oyster Catcher

Great Blue Heron

Sunday morning was a real lazy start to the day, no rush, two cups of coffee and I went for a full breakfast consisting of hash browns, bacon and eggs. Robyn and I decided to hike the trails inside the island while Lynn and Morley did a little hiking on their own. Morley recently got back to kayaking after suffering a skiing injury over Christmas. Even this weekend he was is still in his air cast while his torn Achilles tendon is healing. He did quite well around camp on his crutches and is happy to be able to paddle again.

The trails inside the island were a wonderful surprise of raised board walks, tall fir trees and even several large arbutus. I'm glad I brought my new Canon 70D SLR with 18-135mm lens with me on this trip and I used a lot of time to shoot over 800 pictures mostly because I was trying out different modes, shutter and aperture settings.

Raised boardwalk on the Kanaka Trail

Very quiet and beautiful on the interior trail

Dark Eyed Oregon Junco ... who sees who? 

The magic of the weather. 

Arriving back at camp we settled in for some early appetizers and as the weather forecast predicted we were graced by several rain squalls coming from the northwest. They say every cloud has a silver lining and for us it was much more colorful.

Our last sunrise before packing up and heading home

Monday morning we woke up to partly sunny skies and a building wind from the north (as predicted). After a quick breakfast we dismantled camp and headed onto the water as white caps were building in Swanson Channel. As we all expected the winds decreased to almost to nothing once we reached Shell Beach because we were now in the wind shadow of Portland Island. We made our way back to Swartz Bay in full sunshine and took the scenic route through Page Passage and into Tsehum Harbour and finally back at Van Isle Marina.

It's official ..... kayak camping season is now full on!!

2016 Paddle #8 - Van Isle Marina to Portland Island
Distance: 5.00 nm (9.26  km)
YTD: 60.77 nm (112.23 km)

2016 Paddle #9 - Arbutus Point to Moresby Island
Distance: 8.80 nm (16.30  km)
YTD: 69.57 nm (128.53 km)

2016 Paddle #10 - Portland Island to Van Isle Marina
Distance: 5.08 nm (9.40  km)
YTD: 74.65 nm (137.93 km)