Roaming Retirees; kayaking_gulf

Scenery:
Picturesque sandy beaches, colourful rock formations, and numerous sea creatures.

As ocean waves lapped against the bow of our kayaks, several seals began barking and snorting from the rocky shoreline of Round Island. Another seal popped up just beside our kayaks, staring with large black eyes. Moments later, several cormorants flew low across the water. For sea life, scenery, and adventure, the Gulf Islands, just off Vancouver Island B.C. is a great place for sea kayaking.

We’d had previous kayaking experience on lakes and rivers, and were excited and a little apprehensive to be paddling on the ocean. Tides, currents, and winds would determine our paddling schedule for the next ten days, and we looked forward to learning these new skills for open-water kayaking. The sheltered waters of the Gulf Islands seemed a good place to get our feet wet … and hopefully not too much more.

We were only twenty-some kilometres south of the town of Nanaimo, yet felt we were in our own private paradise. As the sun warmed the sea, we paddled across the three and a half kilometres of open water, protected by a string of islands offshore. The lack of wind on the ocean added to the sense of quiet beauty as I took a deep breath of the fragrant salt air. August is usually the best month for warm, stable weather and we were pleased with our luck so far.

We paddled across to Link Island, getting our first taste of bigger waves from sailboats and larger craft. Our fifteen-foot Venture kayaks performed well, and we felt comfortable in the ocean swell. Once we reached Link Island, we discovered a narrow channel between Link and De Courcy Island, called “Hole in the Wall”. The tide was too low for paddling at this time of day, but the guidebook indicated this channel could be paddled at higher tides.

We stopped for lunch and walked along the rock shoreline, marvelling at the sea life in the tidal pools, from starfish of many colours, to anemones, crabs, jellyfish, and small fish. Clusters of barnacles opened to scoop microscopic nutrients from the sea as waves washed over them. As we walked along the sandy beach, hundreds of small crabs scurried out of our way and an obstacle course of water jets greeted us, squirted by clams just under the surface.

After lunch in a sandstone cavern, we went exploring along the wave-sculpted shoreline, absorbing the beauty of the multi-coloured cliffs. We continued our kayak journey, heading north up the island. We paddled close to shore, gliding past shellfish and starfish clinging to the vertical rock surface, anemones tendrils waving in the waves, and translucent jellyfish floating in the water. A sandy cove beckoned, and after a short stop we headed back to Cedar-by-the-sea with a great first day of paddling behind us.

On our second day, we paddled to the “Hole in the Wall” and were able to kayak through the passage with a higher tide. As we paddled through the narrow channel I looked down and watched green tendrils of seaweed waving in the current, and the undulating shadow of our kayaks on the rippled sand beneath us.

We continued up the east side of De Courcy Island, towards Pirate’s Cove at the south end. A large, wooden pirate’s chest beckoned from shore, so we stopped to see if there was any treasure. Sure enough, the chest was full of necklaces, bright swatches of cloth, beads, jewels, books, and other treasures for the young and young-at-heart. A note told us that this was a “give and take chest” where we were welcome to take a treasure and leave one in return.

We continued south to a sandy cove for lunch. This was a favourite place for kayakers and other boats, a small provincial park with trails, drinking water, picnic tables, and several rustic campsites. It would be a great place to come for an overnighter, to dream about boats and pirates, and relive pirate’s adventures. According to people we met, there are still masked pirates at the campground … of the four-legged racoon variety!

We were able to carry some luxuries in our Kayaks, so we pulled out a cold beer, an appetizer of cheese and crackers, with cold pizza for a main course. From our log perches on the clamshell beach, we enjoyed the Mediterranean view of green water, blue sky, and white sandy beaches.

After a long lunch, we paddled back down the west side of the island, in awe of the many caves and rock sculptures along the high cliffs. Curious seals popped up beside our kayaks to gaze at us, birds floated on the water, and the reflection of waves danced on the underside of water-sculpted caves and caverns. We felt a sense of Zen, as if we could have paddled to the end of the earth … providing the earth was as flat as the first explorers had thought! Again, we crossed the open water past Round Island back to Cedar-by-the-Sea.

Our third morning was another blue sky day, with a gentle, warm breeze across the water. We were feeling more confident, so decided to cross over to Valdes Island to check out the high cliffs. We paddled through the Hole in the Wall at high tide, south along De Courcy Island to Pirate’s Cove, then across a wider stretch of open water to Valdes.

The forty-minute crossing was easier than we had expected, with calm water and few other boats to look out for. We were feeling stronger, and enjoyed this new challenge. Once at Valdes Island, we searched for sandy beaches and coves that were best for landing, as barnacle-clad rocks are hard on kayaks and booties. “Tabarnacle!” became a much-used phrase each time we landed at a rough barnacle beach. We landed in a small bay for lunch and hiked up to a higher view of green ocean and blue sky, framed by arbutus trees with red, peeling bark and large green leaves.

We continued south along the high, bird-inhabited cliffs of Valdes, then crossed a larger stretch of open water to Ruxton Island. We were pleasantly surprised to paddle through Great Whale Passage, with plenty of sea life to view in the shallow water. Along the way, barking seals, playful sea otters, and various birds made our journey eventful. Then, repeating a daily ritual, we paddled to Round Island to check out the seals and other inhabitants before returning to Cedar.

Days glided by as we continued to explore the islands and coves of this area. Our confidence grew, and then waned a little as we tackled the tidal current through Dodds Narrows between Mudge Island and the mainland. Even thought the tidal differential was minimal this day, the currents were turbulent and challenging, with whirlpools, swirling eddies, and tidal currents that tossed our small boats as we paddled through the channel. This was not a place I would venture with stronger tides, and we had learned a memorable lesson as we learned more of the sea. Tides and currents were significant, even in these sheltered waters.

On our last day, the wind was brisk, and waves lapped at the bow of our kayaks. We donned full spray skirts for the open-water crossing to De Courcy Island, and worked hard paddling down the island, wind in our faces and waves washing over the bow of our boats. Rounding the south tip of the island was a challenge, with waves from the side, then behind us as we surfed down the length of the island.

We learned to feel the waves lift our boats, to work with them instead of fighting them. We stopped one last time at Round Island to discover that the seals were again resting on the rocks. We took their barking as a farewell, until we again visited these picturesque islands.

By the time we arrived back at our put-in point at Cedar, we felt we had lived quite an adventure for the past ten days… kayaking hidden waters and bays, and crossing open water with more than enough waves for excitement! We loaded the kayaks one last time, with memories of colourful sea life in shallow bays, barking seals, and vivid sandstone shores.

From Nanaimo, take Highway the Island Highway south to the Cedar turnoff. Then wind through farming country to Cedar-by-the-Sea or several other boat launches in the area. A good map or guidebook is essential to find your way to the boat launch.

Coastal maps are available at most bookstores and marinas in the area. Tide charts are also essential.

For more information about kayaking this area we recommend Easykayaker by Paul Grey and Gary Backlund.

Be aware that the wind can make open water crossing quite a challenge. It’s best to check the marine forecast for the area, and be aware of tides, and currents through channels.

A kayak longer than 13 feet, with spray skirt and rescue gear is essential for paddling ocean waters. For those who would like to camp, there are several campgrounds on the islands for multi-day trips.

Kayaking the Gulf Islands