Day 6: Rolling Home, Slowly.......

Around The Camp Fire At Dick & Jane's
Guide Bill, Marty and Gilly

Camping On The Beach Among The Tree Trunks

It's still. The cloud is low on the mountains. The water is oily, flat and motionless. Even the wind refuses to blow. The only movement, two eagles soaring high over the Sound. Everything is grey, including our spirits.

Today is our last day, the last day of a wonderful adventure, with great people and fantastic scenery.

As we paddle east down Calmus Passage, our paddle strokes are heavy and slow, we savour the moment, and take in the scene before us.

This part of the Sound is different, it's calmer, there are the mountains and the rainforest, but they appear to be very close.  Unlike the sea areas we have been paddling, this is more like a lake scene.  The land is so close, you feel as if you can reach out and touch it.

The tide is with us, speeding our progress towards the final beach.  Marty is possessed, his  technique has been improving all week and today he's "Rocket Man", no one can catch him, what ever he had the breakfast, I need some ........

At Elbow Bank we enter the Maurus Channel, the tide is well and truly under us now, but we keep close to Vargas Island. The on coming boat traffic is also on this side of the channel, keeping well away from the mid channel bank, as we approach Rassier Point several high speed whale watching vessels are on us, so Bill's caution was well founded.

Down towards Stubbs Island, we cross Father Charles Channel for the final time.  The tide is ebbing quickly but the cross wind is pushing us east.  We all keep up into the wind and reach the point without problems.

Our last lunch is on the South side of the island and we can feel the end approaching. As we are packing up lunch,  Bill compliments us on our strength, we have paddled each day of the trip, he indicates other groups have needed a "beach day" to recover. I'm not sure if he thought three old timers wouldn't be up to it, but it appears we can hold our heads high.

We dawdled towards MacKenzie Beach arriving at the appointed hour, to be greeted by Tracy and Ted, the owners of Majestic Ocean Kayaking.

                     The Team: Marty, Gilly, Geoff and Guide Bill.,,,,

It is over, six fantastic days, but years of memories.