It's Been a While .... So Double Discovery Day!!

When did I last post???? Some time in the summer of 2016?? Ya ... lots of things have transpired since then. My ticker decided that it didn't want to stay in rhythm so I had that fixed in late November and passed my 6 month anniversary of sorts without any recurrences of A-Fib. So it looks like the surgery corrected the problem (Yea!!) and while I was recuperating I also found another new passion in photography. Specifically I love to shoot (take pictures :-) our avian friends and started a Facebook page of my work which you can see here Mark Byrne Photography  

We did get back onto the water in early April and since then Robyn and I have taken a trip to Surge Narrows on the Easter long weekend with a bunch of friends and Robyn bought me a P&H Aries 155 while I was test riding it! We then teamed up with our tripping friends Lynn, Morley and Gary for a Gulf Islands National Park Reserve trip May 12-21. It's been great to get back onto the water and this past weekend we even figured out how to fish for crab after 4 years of frustration. You know what they say .... "Go big or go home" and so we bought a bigger crab trap!!

July 2, 2017

This past Sunday morning we launched out of Cadboro Bay and dropped our new crab trap in a secret location (hahahaha) and then made our way across Baynes Channel to the Chatham / Discovery Islands. Arriving at a place known to us as the slot, I said "Hey, a dog" but I knew I was looking at the Coastal Wolf that has made its home on the islands since 2012. So cool!

It was great to finally see "Staqeva" watching us paddle by.

To the Songhees First Nations who govern the islands it is known as “Staqeya” (Wolf) and Robyn and I felt blessed to be greeted by him this morning. As we made our way along the shoreline he followed us and then began to howl as if he wanted us to stay.

 

The wolf lay down on a bluff and watched us as we continued on our way and although we felt that it must be lonely all by itself, one thing for sure was that it looked very healthy.

Our goal for the day was to paddle to the Discovery Island Marine Provincial Park located at Rudlin Bay and hope to see the wolf there but we also noticed that the westerly winds were picking up more than predicted with white caps visible beyond Discovery Island. Since the wolf had already seen us (LOL) we decided to head back to Cadboro Bay via the slot and see how our crab trap was doing. 

Robyn enjoying the calm conditions inside the islands

We heard the wolf howling at us as we approached the slot and then we spotted a bald eagle on a nearby beach looking at something. As I drifted closer I spotted a dead lingcod in the shallow water nearby and figured that the eagle must have been trying to figure out how to get the fish out of the water. I managed to scoop the lingcod up with my paddle but the eagle left just before I could retrieve it. 

What is the Bald Eagle looking at?

Eagle dinner!

Everyone knows that eagles have "eagle eyes" (LOL) and sure enough as soon as I threw it on top of a rocky islet it was heading my way. A couple of passes close by and the eagle came in and took my offering towards the tree tops on Greater Chatham Island. Another blessed moment interacting with nature.

Patiently waiting for the lingcod that I managed to scoop up 

We crossed back over Baynes Channel and found our crab trap float and as soon as I started hauling it up I had a feeling something might be inside because it was sure heavy. I think I might have even heard Robyn say "Octopus" in jest! LOL  To our surprise, after 4 years of no luck while kayak crabbing there were an assortment of dungeness and red rock crabs adding up to 11! We sorted through the legal size ones and released 6 including a single female leaving us with 5 nice size crabs to take home for dinner! Since there was still bait in the trap we decided to set it again and would come back the next day to see what an overnight soak would produce.

Oh yea, we got crab legs!!

Not a bad way to spend 4 hours of paddling by seeing a wolf, feeding an eagle and catching crab!

Distance: 7.62 nm (14.11 km)


July 3, 2017

The following morning we were joined by Gary Jacek in his recently purchased Delta 17 and headed out towards the crab trap. The sea conditions were much better than the day before so we decided to paddle to the Discovery Island Marine Provincial Park located at Rudlin Bay and pick up the trap on the way back.

Gary's first sea trial of his new Delta 17

New wolf signs at the park

Although we searched, we didn't spot or hear the wolf on this paddle but enjoyed a relaxing lunch at the park in the amazing warm sunshine. It was only recent that the park was reopened for day use due to family last year who arrived by a powerboat with a dog off leash (prohibited), and venturing out of bounds (prohibited) only to be greeted by the same wolf that we saw the day before. Fearing for their safety they called the Canadian Coast Guard and instead of holding the family accountable for their park violations the BC Government closed the park to all visitors while they could "study" the wolf's activities for the past year. Still ... we are eagerly waiting for the park to be reopened to overnight camping as it is one of the best places to kayak camp so close to home.

Discovery Island Marine Provincial Park ... such a spectacular view

We were assisted by the 3.05 kt flood along Discovery Island and past Chatham Island on our way across Baynes Channel to where our crab trap was. I was thinking of those full crab pots you see on Deadliest Catch that are left to soak for more than 24 hours as I started to haul up ours. It felt heavy but once it came into view the extra weight was nothing but a big piece of bull kelp wrapped around the line and only two small crabs in the pot. The strange thing was that the 3 chicken legs that were in the bait bags were gone except for two small bones. Did the bait get eaten by smaller crabs who escaped the pot or was the trap possibly poached? Either way we know the crab trap works and we look forward to more crab feasts!

So our Monday paddle may not have been as exciting from a wildlife perspective as the day before but it still was a great paddle to one of our favorites places.

Distance: 8.18 nm (15.15 km)

Discovery Geocaching

What did we do on Valentine's Day? We went Geocaching by kayak over to Discovery Island to look for a new cache and to place our (RVTraveller's) latest cache. It was also a good opportunity to do some cache maintenance as well while we were there.

Robyn paddling through the passage between the Chatham's and Discovery Island.

It was an awesome day to head across Baynes Channel and paddle through the Chatham Islands on our way to the BC Parks Marine Provincial Park at Rudlin Bay on Discovery Island. Slightly overcast skies with no wind and a slack tide on the way over made it a nice lazy paddle as we kept our eyes open for the lone wolf that has taken up residence on Discovery. Ready with my GoPro Hero 2, I started to video as we passed the lighthouse in hopes that we would catch a glimpse of her.

The lighthouse on Pandora Hill at Discovery Island.  In 1996 the
lighthouse was automated after having been manned for 110 years

We made a quick stop before reaching Rudlin Bay to locate a geocache that was placed only a few weeks ago. Lots of places where the cache could be hidden but with the GPS we found it fairly easily.

Robyn has the Geocache coordinates for GC5KXCA Paradise View on her Garmin Oregon 550.

A selfie of us taking our selfie because ......

Yes we found Paradise View cache!

We forgot to bring a pen or pencil with us to log the cache and the cache container didn't have one in it so we decided to simply take our selfie and use the picture as evidence that we found the cache.

And then it was time to get down to business to find a location to hide our geocache called Plaque Discovery (GC5MTAA). Although not really difficult, the cache takes you to a couple of plaques dedicated in memory of Captain E.G. Beaumont who donated this beautiful property to the Province of BC.

Now where shall we place Plaques Discovery? Will you find it one day?? 

After finding a nice hidey hole for Plaques Discovery we headed off to find a cache that Robyn adopted a few months back and do a little cache maintenance. I still had my GoPro running in case we came across the wolf but today we didn't get to see her. We did however find lots of evidence of her on the trail out to Commodore Point in the form of scat and where she recently clawed away the moss on the trail.

No camping here, no fires here, no wolf here too! Maybe on our next visit.

Someone is watching us.

Can you see it? We came across this Bushnell HD Trail Cam that has obviously been set up to capture images of the wolf when she passes by it. We got a little closer in hopes that our selfie would be seen by whoever owns the camera. :-)

 We located GCW31H Discover Discovery Island just where we thought it was and it was in great shape. Nice and dry too!

Originally placed in 2006 by another Geocacher, Robyn adopted the cache when the owner was no longer able to take care of it. We are so glad that we could help keep this cache active after 9 years since it was hidden on the island.

So close to home and yet when you come here it seems so far away.

The wolf was here. Fresh paw scrapes showing the claw marks in the moss on the trail

After a quick bite to eat we started to head back towards Cadboro Bay but we came across something on the beach staring at us. Was it the wolf? No it was a totem pole!

Hello?

I wonder what the totem is depicting? 

I'm not sure if this is a First Nations carving but it might be since it is on the north side of Discovery Island which is part of Discovery Island Indian Reserve 3, under the control of the Songhees First Nation. In any case we respected First Nation's law that prohibits landing on the beach. From our vantage point in our kayaks we were able to get close enough to get a good view of the totem.

Robyn practicing in the current in an area which we have nicknamed "Yves' Slough"

We headed back through the "slough" where the ebb current was flowing. It was a chance for Robyn to work on her ferrying skills. This is the place that Robyn and I first took a currents course with Yves of Go Kayak 3 years ago and we now call it Yves' Slough whenever we come through here.

The paddle back across Baynes Channel was just a little bit of a workout in the ebb to finish off another wonderful visit to Discovery Island.

2015 Paddle # 7 - Discovery Island

Distance: 9.50 nm ( 17.59 km)

YTD: 50.37 nm (‪84.01 km)

Baynes Channel, Discovery Island and Birthday Girl

Every once in awhile life just gets in the way of blogging and the past couple of weeks has been a flurry of activity for Robyn and I. Between our activities with the BC Marine Trails Network Association and our other volunteer commitments, this post just sat in the draft box while I found time finish it. So here we go ......

It was supposed to be a stormy day on the west coast with 25-30 knot winds from the SE by noon. But where did it go? Hardly a breath of wind anywhere to be seen. It really didn't matter as this paddle was all about being with a bunch of friends celebrating Reale's birthday and she wanted to go paddling.

Reale can really navigate her kayak both from inside and outside the cockpit. :-)

After a ceremonial dump of the birthday girl in the water by yours truly :-) we assembled on the water off the Gyro Park beach in Cadboro Bay. While waiting for everyone Reale demonstrated her dexterity skills by playing on the top deck of her kayak. She really loves her kayak!

Our group of 12 left Cadboro Bay and headed towards Discovery Island for lunch but first we decided to play in the flood tide race at Baynes Channel that was just off the marker at Cadboro Point. In all the times we have been going over to Discovery Island I have never seen a flood tide race before when the current was only running at around 3 knots. But then again, Baynes Channel always shows a different face every time we cross her no matter what the conditions are. 

Making our way across to the Chatham Islands we gathered in the slough that is a popular current training location. Robyn and I did our first currents course here with Yves of Go Kayak who was also on this paddle with us. Today however there wasn't much water movement but it gave us a chance to relax a bit while we waited for Michel to catch up with the rest of us. It also allowed myself to get out of my kayak and stretch a bit as my hips were giving me grief. That has never happened before but I think I know why.

The "slough" catch area was pretty still today. Still, a beautiful day for a paddle!

Our next stop would be the Discovery Island Marine Park campground for lunch so we headed through the middle of the islands and then along the eastern shoreline of Discovery to the park. There was just a little bit of a swell coming in that allowed some of the group to play a bit in the surge waves near the lighthouse.

Discovery Island in the distance. Not a storm cloud in sight

Arriving at our lunch stop we basked in the early fall sunshine. The weather patterns over the past couple of weeks have started to turn towards the normal wet season after an unbelievable dry summer. There won't be many more days like today as we head towards winter so we better enjoy it.

L to R: Robyn, Jo, Susie, Beverely, Michael, Walter, Michel, Patti

The paddle back to Gyro Park was pretty uneventful in terms of the sea state and weather. Nothing but glorious sunshine and hardly any current activity in Baynes Channel. For me however it was a different story. Just entering the channel I found that I was experiencing excruciating pain in my hips and simply found it difficult sit upright and paddle. I never thought I would have to ask for assistance while paddling but today I gladly accepted the fact that I needed a little tow help. Robyn and Susie were paddling close by so they teamed up to in-line tow me back across the channel to Flower Island. It was just like on our PC3 course but this time it was "No Duff". Thanks girls!

The source of my hip pain? I decided to start my running routine the day before and even though it was only a short 20 minute session I felt soreness when I woke up. Thinking a good paddle would limber me up I was mistaken as my hips muscles became increasingly sore throughout the day. Looking back at it now it might have been a good day to stand down but at the time of launching I felt pretty good. One thing for sure it's time to get back to my daily yoga Yin practice which I need to do anyway to improve my core rotation in the kayak.

Coming up next: Rock Gardening with Rowan and Costain (SKILS)

2014 Paddle # 52 - Baynes Channel / Discovery Island

Distance: 9.60 nm (17.77 km)

YTD: 276.65 nm (512.34 km)

A Tale Out Of Two Bays

Saturday August 30th - Genoa Bay

After mentioning to Gary Jacek that I got my new Lendal Rebel paddle from Cowichan Bay Kayaks, he wanted to head up there on Saturday to check them out for himself. We were in for going there too as it would give us a chance to work on some skills while I christened the Rebel on a paddle to Genoa Bay for lunch.  

Gary & Robyn suiting up on the Cowichan Bay Kayak's dock.

My "Buzz Lightyear" pose. I always wanted to be a superhero!

I have found that when working on skills getting wet before hand somehow takes away the psychological block of wanting to stay dry once I'm in my kayak. Solution? Wade into the water to burp my dry suit or in this case just jump off the dock and then deflate the suit.

We headed out across the bay and spotted the osprey's and seals that are popular on the CBK Wildlife Tours and then made our way to the Genoa Bay Cafe for lunch.

Just as we were sitting down to eat the rain started and we were the only customers who stayed outside under the partial protection of the patio umbrella. The waitresses must have thought we were nuts until they heard that we kayaked in so for us, water ..... what water? LOL





After lunch we paddled around inside the bay exploring the shoreline and some of the interesting inhabitants. One might think that these dwellings were nothing more than derelicts but on closer inspection they showed some signs of life.

Gary with a demo Lendal and myself working my paddle past the residents? of the bay.

Caught on the web cam at Cowichan Bay

We headed back across Cowichan Bay to allow Robyn to work on some rolls just outside the Oceanfront Suites where we were caught on their webcam.

Actually I knew where the camera was so we sort of planned to photo bomb ourselves into the picture. By the looks of things there was a wedding that was going to take place outside as well but the weather had different ideas. Checking the webcam later it was moved indoors. :-)

Robyn almost has it but ....... Head!

Not long after Robyn started working on her rolls a torrential downpour came into the bay so we started to head to the CBK dock where of course the sun came out. It figures :-) Dave Nichols met us on the dock and he managed to get me to try a P&H Aries on loan from Mark Hunt at MEC in Vancouver. The Aries is the composite version of the P&H Delphin that both Robyn and I have and I found it to be as responsive but a little quicker than the Delphin. One thing for sure .... it sure is a "blingy" kayak!

Feels like a P&H Delphin, looks like a P&H Aries :-)

The only thing that I didn't like about the kayak was the positioning of the fixed thigh braces on the cockpit combing. I found them to be too far back towards my hips and as a result they hurt my thighs when I edged the kayak. As a note, Robyn and I went to MEC Victoria on Monday and saw a new P&H Aries and it had the same adjustable thigh braces that our Delphins have.

Tomorrow would be another day on the water with Gary but his wife Jane would be joining us on a paddle from another bay closer to home.

2014 Paddle # 37 Genoa Bay

Distance: 5.56 nm (10.29 km)

YTD: 225.90 nm (418.36 km)

Sunday August 31st - Cadboro Bay

Peek-a-boo!

They don't exist in these waters anymore .....yeah right! It seems that a friendly sea otter has migrated to the south coast and has been hanging around Cadboro Bay for the past couple of weeks.

We had the pleasure of it coming to check us out at Cadboro Point while on a paddle with Gary and Jane Jacek to Discovery Island. The unfortunate thing about this sea otter is that it is way too friendly and was trying to climb onto our kayaks.

Ok ... what have you got on your PFD that I can take?

From our encounters with sea otters on our recent west coast trip we found them to be curious but they sure didn't want climb onto our kayaks. We figured that this little fella must be rehabilitated as he showed no signs of fearing contact with humans.

Continuing on our paddle we crossed Baynes Channel and made our way into the Chatham Islands to explore a little bit. This was Jane's first trip over to these amazing islands and so far she was getting her money's worth on this wildlife tour. We met Mike Jackson, George and Dan who were out on a paddle and I told them about the sea otter encounter. On the way back to Cadboro Bay the sea otter found them and it climbed onto Mike's kayak. You can check out his encounter here.

Myself and Jane paddling through the islets that make up the Chatham Islands

We headed to the Discovery Island Marine Park which would be our lunch stop on the trip. Being a long weekend we fully expected to see the place packed with tents and power boats but to our surprise there wasn't anyone there.......

Robyn and Jane all alone at the campsite. Where are all the long weekend campers???

Except for a very large family of Asian campers that had just arrived by powerboat. By the looks of all the gear they were bringing ashore it looked like they were planning on staying a while.

The only kayaks at the campground

The Ocean River Discover Tour was also at the park and we watched them head off on their paddle while we finished our lunch. It was one of those times (again) where it would have been nice just to set up camp and stay the night but who would have thought that the place would be deserted?

Yup folks that there is wild swimming deer!

It was time to head back to Cadboro Bay and our crossing of Baynes Channel had a little excitement for Jane to experience in the form of a few tide rips that were generated from the wind against current that was happening.  Making our way back through the little channel at Flower Island we saw a deer swimming across to the point. Another planned part of our wildlife tour for Jane to experience. Tip Please! LOL

2014 Paddle # 38 Discovery Island

Distance: 9.12 nm (16.89 km)

YTD: 235.02 nm (435.25 km)

Discovery Island Just A Different Way

It just wasn't supposed to be a typical kayak camping trip. Different kayaks, a different route and certainly different paddling conditions to assess our decision making and paddling skills to date. Our destination was the Discovery Island Marine Park was familiar but for this trip we decided to use our P&H Delphins and launch from the Oak Bay Marina. Our reasoning was simple. After using our Delta 15.5 Expeditions as our tripping kayaks for the past couple of years, we needed to test our Delphins as tripping kayaks in preparation for our upcoming Paddle Canada Level 2 & 3 certifications.  

After completing a pre-pack of the Delphins earlier in the week we confirmed that our camping kit and supplies would all fit in the kayaks. One thing for sure is that a Delphin is more like a VW Beetle compared to what we call the Delta's .... our mini vans because they haul so much gear. Every nook and cranny in the Delphins were used and other than our Watershed Ocoee bags which were attached to the decks everything else made its way into the hatches.

Final suit up begins as the fully loaded P&H Delphins are ready for the trip.

For quite some time I had been curious how a fully loaded Delphin might perform and on this trip the conditions that they would be tested in were perfect for assessing that. The marine forecast was for clear skies with winds SW 15-20 late in the day and monitoring the conditions throughout the day there was a window of opportunity for us to at least launch and test the Delphin's stability. Making it to Discovery Island would only happen if the conditions were right.

As in all of our planning, I build a series of  'Go, No Go' decision points as the paddle progresses and today this would be put to the greatest test to date. Leaving the sheltered marina we headed out towards the Chain Islands which were the mid point to Discovery Island. Passing Mary Todd Island we entered Mayor Channel into a SW 3 foot chop with cresting tops coming from our starboard side. This combined with an increasing flood from the same direction got my attention really fast as we made our way to Great Chain Island. For the first time in our paddling adventures I was about to call a 'No Go' and return to the launch point.

But .... assessing the conditions ahead of us in Plumper Passage there was no evidence of whitecaps so WE made the decision to press on to the last of the Chain Islets. Other than a really good wind assisted flood which was coming directly from behind us we literally surfed our way across the passage to Discovery Island doing just over 5 knots! Our original plan when reaching Discovery was to turn right and paddle around Commodore Point into the BC Marine Park Campground in Rudlin Bay but the point was awash with breaking whitecaps. Another 'No Go' decision as we opted to surf our way into the shallows between the Chatham and Discovery Islands.

Making our way around the east side of  Discovery Island the winds were calm and the water was absolutely flat but as we approached the lighthouse at Sea Bird Point I knew that would all change really fast. And it did! Making the turn directly into the 20 kt SW winds with flood the last 10 minutes of paddling would be our greatest physical test to date. The fact that we had to paddle through a kelp bed didn't help but we pressed on and entered the confined shelter bay of the marine park and we were a bit surprised to find the campground completely empty. I really wished that I had the GoPro on for this crossing as it would have made for some great pictures and video.

The sea state off Commodore Point just after our landing. The picture doesn't do justice of how windy it was when we arrived.

After setting up camp it was getting close to 8:00 pm as we prepared a dinner of fish tacos and the wind didn't let up. In fact it howled all night and I for one was thankful that I brought my earplugs as I didn't hear a peep until 7:00 am the next morning.

Robyn ... One happy camper that we made it safely to the campsite. Time for dinner!

The next day we woke to brilliant sunshine and with just a slight breeze and we were expecting that we would have guests arriving throughout the day. The Ocean River Discovery Shuttle  and the South Island Sea Kayaking Association (SISKA) were sure to be coming to the island today so just after breakfast we headed out for a walk to the lighthouse with a slight detour to find a nearby Geocache.

Robyn retrieves our supplies from the food cache for breakfast. No wind in the mornings.

The Discovery Island Lighthouse is now deserted having been fully automated in 1996

Established in 1886 the Discovery Island lighthouse was manned for 110 years before being automated in 1996. The buildings have been left to deteriorate and there is evidence of vandalism in most of the buildings. This lighthouse facility would make a fabulous museum instead of letting it disappear from BC's maritime history.

A view from the lighthouse of the kelp bed that we paddled through the night before in heavy seas.

Just after we arrived back at camp the Ocean River Discovery Shuttle came into the bay with a full load of customers. To our surprise the tour actually paddled around the island and not just in bay. What a great day to paddle around the island for these lucky tourists!

The Ocean River Discovery Shuttle with a full load of kayaks and passengers

Not long after the SISKA paddlers also arrived and we spent some time talking with our fellow club members. Suddenly our quiet little campsite became very busy for a few hours.

The SISKA paddlers land on the beach for their lunch break.

A popular place to visit today

And then it was quiet again.

After everyone left we went for a walk to Commodore Point via the inner island trail which we have never done before. Such a beautiful trail and we kept a close eye out for the wolf which we never did see.

Arriving at the point we noticed a lot of activity heading our way from the Chain Islands. To our surprise the Island Iron 18 km outrigger race was taking place today and we had front row seats as they passed by us.

The Ocean River Paddling Club chases down the competition from False Creek

The outriggers pass our camp and round Sea Bird Point with a freighter nearby.

On the way back to camp we noticed a plaque on a rock face obscured by blackberry vines. It was erected in 1972 by the Boy Scouts of Canada in memory of Captain E.G. Beaumont who lived on the island from 1918 to 1967. After he died he passed on his share of the island to the Province of BC who in turn made it a park in 1972.

A nice honor from the Boy Scouts of Canada

Lots of eagles rode the wind currents around the camp

Saturday afternoon the winds returned and we took shelter in the tent not long after the sun set around 9:00 pm. The forecast for Sunday was much the same as Saturday with light winds in the morning. Waking up at around 5:30 am we had breakfast and decided to take advantage of the slack tide so we were on the water by 8:30 am heading back to Oak Bay.

While loading up the kayaks we finally heard the Discovery Island wolf howling just beyond the campsite. This was the first time that we had ever heard a wolf and it was amazing as well as very eerie. You just had a sense that it was being made by a very large animal.

The paddle back to the Oak Bay Marina was as expected with very little current running through the Chain Islands. We actually decided that we prefer our usual route from 10 Mile Point to Discovery Island for a number of reasons. Still it was a great weekend of further exploring our paddling and decision making abilities.

Almost back at the marina, Robyn pauses with the Olympic mountains and Victoria Golf Club in the background.

2014 Paddle #15 &16  Discovery Island
Distance: 7.39 nm(13.68 km)
YTD: 77.82 nm (145.04 km)