Folding Kayaks Forum

Expanding on Greg's report:

Beaumont is one of the marine parks which Parks Canada has ducted into their relatively new National Park encompassing bits of several Gulf Islands. Bruce Turner and I took the long drive up Hood Canal and the pair of ferry transits needed to access this site, the locus for a spring gathering of sea kayakers who frequent West Coast Paddler, a web site and bulletin board sponsored by half a dozen generous and kind Victoria/Vancouver-located paddlers. WCP: http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/index.htm

These folks have done a tasty job of laying out some of the more attractive paddling spots in their part of North America, and manage a forum for exchange of information and opinion on paddling topics. It is a very good group, one I enjoy visiting, so it was natural to join them in their spring camp-out on one of the Gulf Islands. They do this in the off-season to avoid the hordes descending on the Gulf Islands in summer. Most of them preceded us, and a few stayed more days. We spent just two nights there.

However, we were a bit too successful in dodging summer ... temps dropped into the low 30's F, and slush/wet snow was the dominant precipitation. With some wind chill, it made for challenging paddling conditions. I was really glad I took my dry suit! In camp, the Gulf Islands year-round no-campfire restriction made for similarly chilly conversation. However, the stops were out for a Saturday night pot luck, made luscious with Bruce's feta and vegetable soup and my hot and spicy prawns. Others came through with pineapple upside down cake, strudel, salads of several stripes, spanakopita, and other treats I could not identify.

We joined long-time Victoria paddler Doug Lloyd on the ferry to Pender and avoided the big water, electing a very protected approach from N. Pender through the small waterway separating it from S. Pender. The middle day we managed a circumnavigation of S Pender, which edges into Haro Strait enough that there are overfalls off its outside tip on big tidal exchanges. We passed that point at slack. Off the point, the San Juans stood out proud in the clear air. Mt. Baker was in hiding, however.

The photos are very sparse, owing to the conditions. Definitely a place to visit in more benign circumstances. My photos here: http://www.pbase.com/bartenderdave/wcpspring2008 Others will appear on the WCP site, as time passes.

Be sure to check out the impresive pile of gear Greg can stuff into his K-1: http://www.pbase.com/bartenderdave/image/96017399 (and following photo).

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Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
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Folbot Kodiak, Cooper, and Edisto; three hardshells; Mothership: Surf Scoter the Bartender; dinghy Little Blue Duck.

Here is an update for the upcomming Saltspring Island trip May 20 (Tuesday) to May 26 (Monday)

To make hooking up with fellow paddlers easier, we changed the plan:


Tuesday Sidney (Amhurst Avenue) to Portland Island (Arbutus Point). Leave at 11:00. 13 km.

Wednesday Portland Island to Prevost Island (James Bay). Leave at 12:00. 15 km.

Thursday Prevost Island to Wallace Island (Chivers Point) via Montague Harbour and Ballingall Islets. Leave at 12:00. 22 km.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday Side trips to Telegraph Harbour, Tent Island, and other locations.

Monday Prevost Island to Saltspring Island (Vesuvius Village). Leave at 12:00. 9 km.

Notes:

a/ We can start from Swartz Bay Govmt dock and shorten the Tuesday leg to 10 km, but we’ll miss some of the most beautiful shorelines in the area. Also launching in the Swartz Bay at low tide is not the most pleasant experience – rocks covered with sea weeds.

b/ Instead of camping on Prevost Island, we can paddle to Montague Harbour and camp there at the Marine Park. Wednesday leg will be lengthened to 21 km, but Thursday leg will be shortened to 16 km, giving us more time for bird and cliff watching along the west shores of Galiano Island.

c/ Monday leg will vary for different paddlers. Pick up for some will have to be arranged and other paddlers can paddle back to Amhurst Ave. via Sansum Narrows with an overnight camp in Musgrave Landing area.

we will stay for the weekend on Wallace, we hope it will be more convinient for Andreas to meet us out there and not have to bother with moving the car.

what do you guys think?

servus



Willi

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1960 Klepper T9 (turned into a bookshelf)
1987 Pouch RZ85
1998 Prijon Seayak
2002 Seaward Gemini Tandem
2005 Feathercraft Big Kahuna
2006 Feathercraft K1
2010 Feathercraft Wisper XP