Solo Discovery

Was this a calling or just something that had to be done? I really don't know what the reason was but I continued to diligently prepare for my first solo paddle during the week by double checking my current calculations and paying close attention to the marine forecasts. Even on Friday night I wasn't 100% sure that the conditions would be right for the paddle to happen at all but the revised forecast on Saturday morning opened a window of opportunity.

Ready to launch 08:45 on a solo overnight to Discovery Island

I as paddled out of Cadboro Bay to 10 Mile Point I expected to feel something more than the loneliness that had come over me. There was no magical peaceful euphoria or a sense of being at ease that I had heard about from other paddlers experiences. For me it was quite the opposite and something was missing. My paddling buddy Robyn wasn't there with me and as I paddled alone for the first time I felt lost.

Entering Baynes Channel for the crossing to the islands I knew my paddling skills were more than a match for the conditions but being alone in the channel as the current was just starting to flood brought a feeling of unease to me. I knew that I had to press on to accomplish my solo goal this weekend but still the familiar paddling area seemed so alien to me. It wasn't until the sea became choppy half way across did I manage to come out of my funk and get down to the business at hand. 

Paddling between the Chatham's with a view of the Olympic Mountains in the distance across Juan de Fuca Straight 

Paddling through the Chatham Islands toward Discovery I was hoping that I just might have the camping area to myself to absorb the isolation that I might find there. That thought was soon erased from my mind when I passed a kayak and SUP who were on their way to the lighthouse at Sea Bird Point. Arriving at Sea Bird Point the westerly winds had increased a fair bit making the last part of my paddle into Rudlin Bay a bit of a slog with a fully loaded kayak. 

Discovery Island Marine Park ... a popular kayak camping destination

Arriving at the marine park I was surprised to see a  family of three and another paddler already camping at the park. With the mixed weather the past several days I expected to have the whole campground to myself and talking with them they mentioned that they heard the wolf night before towards the lighthouse. Seeing or even hearing the wolf would be a highlight of this paddle and I was really looking forward to some indication of its presence on the islands.

My room with a view for the night. Pretty nice for the paltry sum of $5.00

Go figure... I usually set up a tarp just in case it rains but today I decided not to since it was sunny when I arrived at camp. Just after I set up and had lunch the rain showers started so I climbed into the tent to ride them out while reading a bit on my iPad. Even being so close to Victoria (3 nm) the internet coverage is really spotty at the park and when connected it is on AT&T in the US which means roaming charges. I did manage to sneak out a few messages just to let everyone know that I had arrived safely.

By mid afternoon the sun finally pushed away the rain clouds and I spent the rest of the afternoon hiking along the shoreline looking for signs of the wolf. I did manage to find some wolf scat not far from camp but the wolf was nowhere in sight.

The view of the park from the shoreline near the lighthouse

The trail starts through that there .... could the wolf be there to??

The trails leading into the forest interior were a little spooky and I kept my eyes keenly open for the wolf. Although it would have been cool to come across it I don't know what I would have done if we came eye to eye.

Interior trail .. Ware (get it?) are you Mr. Wolf?? :-)

A family of river otters didn't seem to mind that I was nearby.

I spent the rest of the afternoon reading on my rocky knoll next to camp and was entertained by a family of river otters who were busily feeding themselves around the rocky islets. A couple more paddlers arrived later in the day including Paulo Ouellet a local Greenland Paddle Instructor with Go Kayak. As the sun started to set the cool westerly winds meant that it was time to head into the tent and do a little more reading. I think the last time I noticed it was 9:00pm and that was the last thing I remembered until 5:15am this morning. As for hearing the wolf ..... ear plugs! LOL

5:30am ..... The Olympic Mountains

Sunrise in camp

One of the things I was looking forward to was my Sunday morning breakfast of bacon and eggs and boy did they smell and taste amazing at 6:00am this morning. No better way to start the day!

Close your eyes and imagine the aroma of coffee, bacon and eggs with just a hint of sea air.

The 4:00am Environment Canada report on the VHF radio was right on the money for the paddle home. Calm seas and beautiful sunshine.

Clear paddling home

As for the peaceful euphoria or a sense of being at ease ..... yeah I got that feeling heading home but I still missed Robyn paddling by my side.

2014 Paddle #13  Discovery Island Solo
Distance: 8.11 nm (15.01 km)
YTD: 70.43 nm (131.36 km)

Training Around Bentinck Island

Our plan was simple enough and the currents at Race Passage were perfect. The question when we woke up on Friday at the Pedder Bay RV Resort was would the marine forecast cooperate? An overnight front arrived from the southwest with strong winds and the gusts continued to roar in the morning through the bay out towards open water. The only good thing about waking up to a blustery morning was that the skies were clear and the sun was trying to warm the chill from the air.

Checking the 10:30 revised marine forecast there was hope for diminishing winds around lunchtime which fit perfectly with our need to take advantage of the slack at Race Passage. We wanted to accomplish a couple things on this paddle as we start thinking about preparing ourselves for a Paddle Canada Level 2 course in the fall. The past few paddles have been more relaxed using our Delta kayaks but now the time has come to take the P&H Delphin’s out and play in some tougher conditions.

Launching from the marina we explored the low tide conditions in the bay as we headed to our training area around Bentinck Island. Along the way we spotted a swimming bald eagle struggling to make it to shore. At first I thought that it was tangled up in something only to realize that it was dragging a halibut head in one talon as it hopped up onto the beach. Drifting past it was obvious that it wasn't about to leave the catch of the day no matter how close we approached.

The swimming bald eagle with its halibut head lunch

The resident Mute Swans were also exploring the shoreline along our route and they seemed to not care one bit as we paddled by. As usual a few seals followed us announcing their presence with a snort or big splash behind our kayaks. So far this year we have noticed that there seems to be more river otters present than in the past. Today was no exception as we spotted them everywhere foraging in the shallows of the low tide while keeping their distance from us. They really are nervous characters.

A river otter enjoying a Dungeness Crab

Rounding Edye Point the westerly winds were blowing pretty good through Eemdyck Passage as the turn from slack to flood was just starting with the bull kelp indicating the direction of the current. There would still be plenty of time to head on the outside of Bentinck Island to the other end of Eemdyck Passage to ride the flood current through some of the islets.

Heading around Bentinck Island towards Eemdyck Passage

Earlier in the week a large pod of transient orca were seen not far from our location in Beecher Bay and today there were orca sightseeing whaleboats nearby. Could this be our lucky day? Paddling through the choppy conditions with rollers we entered the western end of Eemdyck Passage and plotted a route through the exposed islets. However, we weren't alone in the passage as well over 50 seals spotted us and curiously came closer to see what we were up to. Seals in the water could only mean one thing … there wasn't any orca nearby and this was confirmed when the whale boats left the area.

Joanne, Robyn and Reale just at the entrance to Eemdyck Passage

Leaving Eemdyck Passage we spotted a couple of familiar faces heading our direction through the rock gardens. Reale and Joanne were out on a paddle from Weir’s Beach so we stopped to chat while our little group rode the gentle flood current. Wishing each other well we headed back into Pedder Bay hugging the rugged shoreline while squeezing through some (and not) small gaps between the islets noting “rock” when we found one. Just before reaching the DND dock we spotted a couple more whale boats heading into the east side of the bay looking for something so we decided to cross over to see what they were searching for. We figured that since they couldn't find orca they must have been showing their customers the William Head prison or looking for seals that frequent the rocks nearby.

Having some fun in the rock gardens

With the tide gently rising, otters were still busy making their rounds in search of tasty crustaceans and we witnessed one in particular around a crab trap float. For those of you who know about our amazing luck of crabbing we now have developed this theory. After placing our crab trap in what we think is a great area, along comes a river otter who has been keenly watching us from its shoreline den. It continues to monitor our trap for several hours and when it’s full of crab the otter finds a starfish, removes our crab from the trap and puts in the starfish. We come along and haul up our trap only to find a starfish inside. It all makes sense to us now … it’s not our fault!! :-)

Heading back to the marina we both had a really good sense of accomplishment of completing the goals for the paddle. It’s time to ramp up the training a bit more so tomorrow if the weather cooperates we might just do a little rescue training.

2014 Paddle #8  Bentinck Island
Distance: 7.03 nm (13.02 km)
YTD: 46.99 nm (88.00 km)