Majestic Ocean Kayaking, Ucluelet, Vancouver Island.

Majestic Ocean Kayaking

Thanks go to Tracy and Ted, the proprietors of Majestic Ocean Kayaking, for their hospitality during our stay in Ukee, at their luxury Bed & Breakfast. The stay in the Emily Carr room is one we will always remember. We really enjoyed the breakfasts every morning, but rarely finished everything, there was just so much.

A big thank you as well on the kayaking side, as they provided first class equipment and an exceptional guide in Bill Rickson for our trip into the Sound. We're looking forward to our next trip with you.

Bed & Breakfast On Inlet At Ucluelet

Sincere thanks go to:

   The Team: Guide Bill, Gilly and Marty.

Guide Bill Rickson, of Majestic Ocean Kayaking, is a professional. He knows the waters of Clayoquot Sound well and took us to some incredible places, one's that we would never have found on our own. Our meals were of a gourmet standard and whilst they were prepared by the staff at MOK, Bill's presentation was first class.  Special mention has to go to his coffee which both Marty and I really appreciated. Our thanks go to Bill for his attention to detail and for guiding us safely, on a fun trip, one that we will remember for years to come.

Marty Thedroff from Saskatchewan, in central Canada, not a well know sea kayaking area.  For someone who only manages to paddle once a year, he is a very capable and reliable paddling companion.  Marty fitted into the team effortlessly, and it was like paddling with an old friend, rather than a new acquaintance. Thanks Marty, I hope we have the chance to paddle with you again, somewhere.

To Gilly for sharing the dream and being a major part of it.  Without whom the trip would not have been as memorable.  Thanks for being there.

Marooned On Salt Spring Island.........

I would like it known that alcohol was not involved .............

I managed to fall over on Salt Spring Island, ending up in the gravel with a few grazes and a very twisted ankle.

I'm marooned on the island. I can't carry any luggage and hopping (literally) on and off ferries, just isn't going to happen.

I was contemplating this dilemma, with leg up, iced and compressed , in the lovely garden of Beverly and Len Brown the owners of the Wisteria B&B, when Nurse Gilly arrives waving a piece of paper.

At first I had trouble working out what the receipt was for, but when I read the merchant name "Salt Spring Air", the Penny dropped.  We were booked on a float plane from the island to the float plane terminal, in Downtown Vancouver, right in the heart of the city.

So, instead of a full day's travel by taxi, bus, two ferries and yet another bus, and probably a final taxi to make the accommodation, we took a thirty minute ride in comfort.

No contest.

What a clever girl.

Ganges Harbour, Salt Spring Island.

Trying To Work Out How To Load The Hockey Bag.

  

Touch Down Vancouver.

Question: How To Travel With A Greenland Paddle ?

Answer:

Purchase a Northern Lights carbon Greenland paddle, which breaks down into three pieces, the maximum length being just over 92 cm.  

It is promoted in the literature as “fitting into your luggage”. That is if you have a "REALLY BIG CASE", it will fit, otherwise it sticks out.

So out of the frying pan and into the fire, so to speak.

The next problem was finding a case big enough.

A chance meeting in a Mountain Designs store, with a lady shopper and her daughter, put me on the right track. She suggested using a wheeled hockey bag – the perfect solution.

Cathy Pacific accepted the case without question, but did insist it was lodged at the "Over Sized" counter after checking in. The advantage of having the paddle contained in the bag is that you don't incur an additional surcharge if it is to travel seperately as sporting goods ie we did have to pay a surcharge with Air New Zealand to get our ski's to Queenstown.

Trip Log ( The boring technical stuff) and Chart of Clayoquot Sound.

For Your Information: MacKenzie Beach is in the bottom right hand corner; Cow Bay is in the top left hand corner.

Day 1: Saturday, 13th July 203.

Start Point: MacKenzie Bay, Tofino, Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Participants: Geoff Palmer, Gillian Palmer, Marty Thedroff.
Guide: Bill Rickson.

Weather: Light winds throughout day, overcast developing to sunshine. Sea calm to slight.

Route: MacKenzie Bay across Templar Channel to Wickininnish Island, across Father Charles Channel to Moser Pt., Vargas Island for lunch stop.

East to West through rock gardens of the La Croix Group to Ahous Beach.

Distance: 7.5 nm,  (13.9 kms)



Day 2: Sunday, 14th July 2013.

Route: Ahous Beach, Vargas Island, around bay to Blunden Island and return.

Weather: Light winds and calm sea to start, increasing to 18 to 20 knots and 2 metres swell off Northern point of Blunden Island, decreasing in Ahous Bay. Sunshine all day.

Distance: 6.6 nm, (12.2 kms)

Day 3: Monday, 15th July 2013.

Route: Ahous Beach to Hobbs Island and across Brabant Channel to Lawrence and Bartlett Islands for lunch.
Tibbs Island across Russell Channel to Garrard Group, Flores Island, west along coast line to Cow Bay.

Weather: Light wind and sea conditions, increased to 10 knots and 1 metre sea in Russell Channel. Sunshine at beginning and end of day, overcast early afternoon.

Distance: 8.6 nm, (15.9 kms)

Day 4: Tuesday, 16th July 2013.

Route: Around Cow Bay to Siwash Cove and return.

Weather: Light winds and slight sea. Sunshine all day.

Distance: 5.2 nm  ( 9.6 kms)

Day 5: Wednesday, 17th July 2013.

Route: Cow Bay east to Whitesand Cove for lunch.  North into Millar Channel to Yates Point, across channel to Vancouver Island, under Catface Range, then south to Monks Island and across Calmus Passage to Dick & Jane's Beach, Vargus Island.

Weather: Started with moderate headwind and sea on point at Cow Bay, decreasing to under 10 knots. Over cast all day.

Distance: 9.0 nm,  (16.6 kms).


Day 6: Thursday, 18th July 2013.

Route: Dick & Jane's along Calmus Passage east, north and then east coast of Vargus Island to Rassier Point. South across Father Charles Channel to Stubbs Island for lunch.
East to south of Tofino and MacKenzie Beach.

Weather: Over cast all day. WInds light sea calm to slight.

Distance: 8.8 nm, (16.3 kms)


Total Distance: 45.7 nm,  (84.5 kms)

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.

Day 5: Cow Bay To Dick & Jane's Beach (Heading Home).

Breakfast

Gilly Heading For Whitesand Cove

The homeward journey starts today, we have reached as far west as we are going, the weather must have realised, as it is overcast and there is a little more wind than we'd experienced this trip.

We know it is going to be a long day, from Cow Bay on Flores Island to Dick & Jane's Bay on Vargas Island.  It starts with a head wind and lumpy sea, as soon as we round the point and head east. "This is going to be fun" I thought, as we head into the conditions, the prospect of a 5 or 6 kms slog, is going to be hard work.  Fortunately, both the sea and wind ease after a while and the paddle to White Sands Beach is a very pleasant one.

Bill Preparing Lunch Whitesands Cove

After lunch I expected we would be heading out into the Russell Channel, retracing our steps of a few days ago, but our guide Bill chose a more circuitous route. We head north into the Millar Channel until we reach Yates Point, just before the First Nation's  Ahousat Settlement, which we can just see through the rainforest. The wind is a little stronger now and there is a slight, wind driven, sea running. At this point we head east across the channel to the Vancouver Island shore then south following the coast line and rock garden to Monks Rock.

      Marty Paddling North Towards Yates Point After Lunch

Regrouping we paddle across Calmus Passage, an open water stretch, in good conditions keeping an eye out for fishing boats and pleasure cruisers, to make Vargas Island in calm conditions at Dick & Jayne's Beach.

 
    Heading Towards Dick & Jane's Beach From Vancouver Island

A very famous sea kayaker lives at one end of the beach, John Dowd, he is the person who defined the  "Sea Kayaking" movement, back in the 70's and wrote the first book on the subject, the sport has come a long way since then.  We respect his privacy, camping at the other end of the beach in calm overcast conditions, and indulge in another feast for dinner.  I will post a separate item on the food we enjoyed during the trip, it has raised the bar so high I don't think we will ever be able to reach it.

Day 4: Day Paddle To Siwash Cove, Flores Island.

Heading Across Cow Bay

Approaching Siwash Cove, Flores Island.

Tuesday we decided to paddle up the coast, the weather was still amazing, so we made the most of it. Heading west around the bay, we reached Siwash Cove were a hermit  once lived in a shack set high on a headland.

We had another good surfing session on the way home as the wind had picked up, and I lead the group between two large rocks just off the point on Cow Bay.

A great morning paddle.

Cow Bay is named after the female whales that frequent the area, often with their young.  We saw them circling in the bay from dawn to dusk, in fact their show entertained us in the evenings.  First we saw the spout of water then the whale would appear on the surface, sometimes breaching but not often.

In the afternoon we all walked the Wild Pacific Trail east to Kutcous Point. This trail uses both the beaches and the rainforest and enabled ship wrecked sailors to reach settlements, now a recreational walk it is particularly spectacular.  We were able to view part of the paddle area we'd made the previous day, and it's amazing how different an area looks from the sea and then from the land.

In Search of Grey Whales, close to Siwash Cove. Gill, Marty & Bill.