Wild Coast: Kayaking BC: Wild Coast book updates, Volume 1

Volume 2 Updates

Chapter 1, Cape Caution

Page 77, Cape Caution - This area oddly turned out to be one of the more contentious, with many comments essentially asking why I didn't include more campsite locations. As with the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail portion of the coast, I am always leery about recommending sites on exposed shores prone to surf. And this area is always seeing swell of some kind, as it is exposed coast. For instance, I got this email from Jody and Daniel, a couple I met in the Broughton Archipelago last year:

"We were just up around Port Hardy two weeks ago. We made it up to Burnett Beach. In your book you caution against landing there, but we actually tucked in at the south end where there was almost no surf, and had no trouble getting in or out. In spite of winds reaching 20 knots during the afternoon, there would have been no problem getting out on either of the three mornings we were there. (It was sooo beautiful by the estuary, that we stayed three luxurious nights!) We also met a kayaker on the same beach, and she tucked in on the North end (although I noticed this area was considerably more rock-strewn), and had no trouble. I don't know if you are aware that there is a lovely TINY cabin in the woods on the north end just opposite the small islets were the sand ends and it changes to rocky beaches. Apparently it's been there for 20+ years. There are still old log books kicking around. It would just sleep two people...with virtually no room to swing a cat. Quaint, quaint, quaint. Anyway...I just thought I'd share that, because it really is a gorgeous beach if the weather is even half decent and people aren't daunted by the surf in the middle."

Now I kayaked past this beach twice and on the second pass, the calmest by far, the surf was roaring down the beach like a freight train. It was quite intimidating, and there is no way I would have considered landing here. I suspect it may have been the direction in the wind; a difference of a few degrees can mean a considerable difference in the way wind hits a beach. But it may also have been that because of the conditions I didn't get close enough to see the good spots.

Also, this input from Glenn Lewis of Nanaimo Paddlers on a trip from Kitimat down the coast:

"We stayed at Indian Cove and I do not entirely agree with your assessment of this area as somewhere to be avoided. It seems to me that the worst of the unrest occurs on the ebbs and that things are more peaceful on the floods, particular during that time of the flood when the tidal forces are not confronting each other. There is a small islet at the entrance to Indian Cove. We entered on the north side of this islet during an ebb and even though the swell was only 2 -3 meters and the wind not a large issue, the turbulence of this route was quite pronounced. However a much more peaceful route around the south side of the islet became apparent after entry. Also at higher tides there are two 'backdoor' entries behind the small islets that form the south shore of the bay. There is a good trail through to the north east beach in Blunden Bay. Cape Caution, fairly early in the morning close to slack turned out to be a photo-op. I wanted to fish just to say I did it but my crew was looking for a rest and a day off at the beach near Wilkie Pt and they would have none of that. We found that the beach just North of Wilkie has considerably more surf at higher tides (we were near to Springs when there) than at lower tides. The problem seems to be a steepening of the beach near the top and the loss of protection from the outer reefs. It may be worth noting that this beach could be a challenge because of surf in rougher conditions at high tides. At lower tides the outer reef, the kelp and the flatter beach made landing easy. I thought Indian Cove was better protected. We finished up at the site on Bell Island that is depicted in the photo in your first book. What a place to finish. A couple of bottles of bubbly turned up to toast our success."

The best advice I can offer for this region is choose an area within your comfort level. The worst possible scenario is picking a spot for an easy landing and then finding yourself marooned by a change in conditions for the worse the next day. This actually happened to me at the wonderful little beach north of Buccleugh Point. I paddled in to a calm beach in the evening and found it being pounded by surf in the morning crashing on exposed rocks at the low tide. A very different experience! Naturally, this area is best paddled by experienced kayakers only comfortable with some form of surf. But in ideal conditions it can be a paradise.

Chapter 5, Fiordland

Page 195, Price Island - The outer coast of Price Island is a difficult and exposed stretch of water best left to veteran kayakers and only in favourable conditions. As such it is treated as an "at-your-own-risk" area of the coast to explore. The summer of 2006 a group from Nanaimo Paddlers traveled to the Laredo area with plans to explore this stretch of Price Island. It wasn't encouraging, with most areas found to be inaccessible.

"There is a cruising guide that says there is great beachcombing and exploring northwest of Day Point. I have the terrestrial maps for the area as the chart is next to useless. Price Island slopes from high ground on the east side to the low ground on the west. I think that's why there is so much shallow water on the southwest side. The folks at Klemtu Tourism told me there was a beach about 2/3 of the way down price and there are at least two small watersheds that drain into a protected area a couple of knots northwest of Day Point." - Glenn Lewis

Chapter 6, Laredo

Page 227, Otter Channel - I suggested a campsite on south Pitt Island facing Otter Channel. I have heard back that this beach has limited potential for site development with a rock beach and as a result I would suggest scrubbing it from the kayaking route list. Instead, the Cherry Islets site in nearby Squally Channel should be favoured, while those wishing to stay on the Outside Passage can go from Monckton Inlet to the beaches near Jewsbury Peninsula without the need of an additional stop.

GPS errata: In Volume 2 , I began presenting GPS waypoints of campsite locations. This confirmed my suitability for writing rather than mathematics - or anything that lets me near numbers. Three errors crept in.

On page 76, the campsite at Buccleugh Point inadvertently listed the waypoint for outer Fox Island. The waypoint should be N51°05.68' W127°39.93'.

On page 163, Eucott Bay should read N52°27.37' W127°18.73'. The '27' was reversed to a '72', which, of course, is impossible.

On page 278, the waypoint for the beach on northeast Banks Island should be N53°37.41' W130°26.01', not 'N50' as printed.



Updates by volume: Volume 1	Volume 2	Volume 3



Volume 2 Updates Chapter 1, Cape Caution Page 77, Cape Caution - This area oddly turned out to be one of the more contentious, with many comments essentially asking why I didn't include more campsite locations. As with the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail portion of the coast, I am always leery about recommending sites on exposed shores prone to surf. And this area is always seeing swell of some kind, as it is exposed coast. For instance, I got this email from Jody and Daniel, a couple I met in the Broughton Archipelago last year: "We were just up around Port Hardy two weeks ago. We made it up to Burnett Beach. In your book you caution against landing there, but we actually tucked in at the south end where there was almost no surf, and had no trouble getting in or out. In spite of winds reaching 20 knots during the afternoon, there would have been no problem getting out on either of the three mornings we were there. (It was sooo beautiful by the estuary, that we stayed three luxurious nights!) We also met a kayaker on the same beach, and she tucked in on the North end (although I noticed this area was considerably more rock-strewn), and had no trouble. I don't know if you are aware that there is a lovely TINY cabin in the woods on the north end just opposite the small islets were the sand ends and it changes to rocky beaches. Apparently it's been there for 20+ years. There are still old log books kicking around. It would just sleep two people...with virtually no room to swing a cat. Quaint, quaint, quaint. Anyway...I just thought I'd share that, because it really is a gorgeous beach if the weather is even half decent and people aren't daunted by the surf in the middle." Now I kayaked past this beach twice and on the second pass, the calmest by far, the surf was roaring down the beach like a freight train. It was quite intimidating, and there is no way I would have considered landing here. I suspect it may have been the direction in the wind; a difference of a few degrees can mean a considerable difference in the way wind hits a beach. But it may also have been that because of the conditions I didn't get close enough to see the good spots. Also, this input from Glenn Lewis of Nanaimo Paddlers on a trip from Kitimat down the coast: "We stayed at Indian Cove and I do not entirely agree with your assessment of this area as somewhere to be avoided. It seems to me that the worst of the unrest occurs on the ebbs and that things are more peaceful on the floods, particular during that time of the flood when the tidal forces are not confronting each other. There is a small islet at the entrance to Indian Cove. We entered on the north side of this islet during an ebb and even though the swell was only 2 -3 meters and the wind not a large issue, the turbulence of this route was quite pronounced. However a much more peaceful route around the south side of the islet became apparent after entry. Also at higher tides there are two 'backdoor' entries behind the small islets that form the south shore of the bay. There is a good trail through to the north east beach in Blunden Bay. Cape Caution, fairly early in the morning close to slack turned out to be a photo-op. I wanted to fish just to say I did it but my crew was looking for a rest and a day off at the beach near Wilkie Pt and they would have none of that. We found that the beach just North of Wilkie has considerably more surf at higher tides (we were near to Springs when there) than at lower tides. The problem seems to be a steepening of the beach near the top and the loss of protection from the outer reefs. It may be worth noting that this beach could be a challenge because of surf in rougher conditions at high tides. At lower tides the outer reef, the kelp and the flatter beach made landing easy. I thought Indian Cove was better protected. We finished up at the site on Bell Island that is depicted in the photo in your first book. What a place to finish. A couple of bottles of bubbly turned up to toast our success." The best advice I can offer for this region is choose an area within your comfort level. The worst possible scenario is picking a spot for an easy landing and then finding yourself marooned by a change in conditions for the worse the next day. This actually happened to me at the wonderful little beach north of Buccleugh Point. I paddled in to a calm beach in the evening and found it being pounded by surf in the morning crashing on exposed rocks at the low tide. A very different experience! Naturally, this area is best paddled by experienced kayakers only comfortable with some form of surf. But in ideal conditions it can be a paradise. Chapter 5, Fiordland Page 195, Price Island - The outer coast of Price Island is a difficult and exposed stretch of water best left to veteran kayakers and only in favourable conditions. As such it is treated as an "at-your-own-risk" area of the coast to explore. The summer of 2006 a group from Nanaimo Paddlers traveled to the Laredo area with plans to explore this stretch of Price Island. It wasn't encouraging, with most areas found to be inaccessible. "There is a cruising guide that says there is great beachcombing and exploring northwest of Day Point. I have the terrestrial maps for the area as the chart is next to useless. Price Island slopes from high ground on the east side to the low ground on the west. I think that's why there is so much shallow water on the southwest side. The folks at Klemtu Tourism told me there was a beach about 2/3 of the way down price and there are at least two small watersheds that drain into a protected area a couple of knots northwest of Day Point." - Glenn Lewis Chapter 6, Laredo Page 227, Otter Channel - I suggested a campsite on south Pitt Island facing Otter Channel. I have heard back that this beach has limited potential for site development with a rock beach and as a result I would suggest scrubbing it from the kayaking route list. Instead, the Cherry Islets site in nearby Squally Channel should be favoured, while those wishing to stay on the Outside Passage can go from Monckton Inlet to the beaches near Jewsbury Peninsula without the need of an additional stop. GPS errata: In Volume 2 , I began presenting GPS waypoints of campsite locations. This confirmed my suitability for writing rather than mathematics - or anything that lets me near numbers. Three errors crept in. On page 76, the campsite at Buccleugh Point inadvertently listed the waypoint for outer Fox Island. The waypoint should be N51°05.68' W127°39.93'. On page 163, Eucott Bay should read N52°27.37' W127°18.73'. The '27' was reversed to a '72', which, of course, is impossible. On page 278, the waypoint for the beach on northeast Banks Island should be N53°37.41' W130°26.01', not 'N50' as printed.