After our visit to Tofino we spent one last night at our Ucluelet B & B—a fantastic place called A Snug Harbor Inn located on a bluff overlooking a picturesque cove; pricey but highly recommended. The next day it was off to stage three of the honeymoon, a guided four-day trip in Johnstone Strait. We went with an outfit called Spirit of the West Adventures headquartered on Quadra Island (about midway up the east coast of Vancouver Island). The trip began with a water taxi through Seymour Narrows and the lower part of Johnstone Strait. While not up to its full frothing self, the Narrows still put up an impressive display of whirlpools, tide rips and standing waves. As we turned into Johnstone Strait the 10 knot ebb slammed against a 15 knot wind producing 6-8 foot swell, much of it breaking. The “High Flyer” is a catamaran hull design aluminum boat, so the current does not affect it as much as displacement hulls. The swell on the other hand absolutely pounded us. Chreyl and I brought our boats and they were tied to the roof as the boat jerked through oncoming swell. “C’mon System Three!” I thought as I nervously glanced at “Santa’s Little Helper,” the Pygmy boat I built for Cheryl for Christmas. Dave, High Flyer’s skipper, later told me that they routinely get 15 foot standing waves in the narrows when the current is “really running”—16 knots or so.
After about a three hour ride we arrived at “Savage Point” where Spirit of the West maintains their campsite. The setting was perfect. A beautiful cove ending in a high bluff directly across from the Robson Bight Marine Reserve. The reserve is home to a number of resident and transient pods of Orca Whales who return each summer to eat, socialize and rub themselves on the small stone beaches of Johnstone Strait. The Orcas are the main attraction to the strait. Indeed, the paddling in the strait itself is not that great—few islands and a great deal of boat traffic. Those looking for great paddling duck out of the strait into Blackfish Sound and the Broughton Archipelago. We were looking for Orcas and we had four days to find them.
The camp at Savage Point was nothing short of astonishing. A plastic pipe had been run from a nearby stream creating tap water which was used around the kitchen, the propane heated shower! and for cleanup around the propane composting toilet. Cooking was done on a number of stoves, including a large propane BBQ. If BASK were to have a clubhouse, this is what it would look like. Spirit had also set up an impressive system of large metal lockers to keep bears and critters away from camp food and supplies. They also had a hydrophone running from the kitchen area down into the water off the point—very impressive. While the ethics of such a site could be debated, there was no controversy in our minds as we polished off the barbecued wild salmon marinated in soy sauce and maple syrup (Yum!). Ah yes, the rough outdoors.
The glorious weather followed us and we woke the next morning to sunshine and soon to be downright hot weather. We were on the water by nine looking for Orcas. The forecasted 25 knot morning winds did not materialize so we made the two mile crossing of the strait and settled in on a beach just at the edge of Robson Bight. While paddling there we had some of our first Orca sighting, though all from a distance.
The next morning whale talk was abuzz. Some of our fellow paddlers had been woken in the night by the breathing of Orcas as they passed close to camp. Local researches were chatting on the VHF about increased activity in the strait. Apparently, the last few weeks had seen an interesting pattern by which the resident Orcas would stay in Johnstone Strait for a few days, then swim through Blackfish Sound to the Queen Charlotte Sound, meet up with newly arriving pods and shepherd them back to Johnstone. It struck everyone as a kind of welcoming party.
We hurried down to the boats and were on the water heading to the Sophia Islands a few miles down the Strait. After lunch we were supposed to hike up to one of the Orca Research observation areas, but the group mutinied and wanted to do more paddling instead. We pushed further north up to Blackney Pass. There we chatted to a researcher camped on the point—“something’s coming” he said. We rafted up and “hid” in some bull kelp hoping for something.
We heard it before we saw it—a series of blows from just around the point. And then what we all had been waiting for, those big dorsal fins rising out of the water no more than a hundred feet from us. As the orcas slowly came out of Blackney and turned toward Robson Bight we could make out the large male dorsal fins and the smaller female, about a dozen Orcas in all. It was over in about three minutes, but what moments. While we did not have one of those dreamy encounters in which Orcas pass directly beneath the boat, the experience was still amazing. What impressed me most was not the actual sighting—I’ve seen Orcas breaching and playing from 50 feet on a whale watching trip in Alaska—it was the sound. In a whale watching boat, up off the water, with conversation and cameras clicking, I never heard the Orcas as on this day. Sound carries across the water, especially for those at the water’s level. This intimacy, the sights, the sound, the overall sense of sharing the water with these beautiful animals is the unique kernel of watching whales from kayak.
On the way back to camp Cheryl’s shoulder gave up the will to paddle and I towed her for awhile. One of the guides came over and took over towing duties. After a few miles he took a break to talk to some of the Orca researchers on a nearby beach, however, his towline had gotten caught in his rudder. I quickly paddled over to untangle the line. As I closed in I used a sculling draw that I have been working on. To really move the boat the paddle has to be kept at a pretty steep angle and you must remember that while you are using a sculling motion, you do not have the normal support you would get from a sculling brace—Kerplunk!! Three days with 10 paddlers, most of whom had never kayaked before and I was the only capsize on the trip. Even before I finished my roll I thought of Hutchinson’s comment “A roll is a sign of failure, not success.” Back on top people were having a great time. The newbies were excited to see an Eskimo roll (for most it was the first one they had ever seen), Cheryl was laughing (now any story of her being towed would have to include my capsize) and the guides were not sure if I had done the whole thing to show off. The lead guide cleared that up by noting “I figured you had really gone over by the way you said “Oh crap” just as you hit the water.” While embarrassed, I was at least pleased that once I went over I reflexively rolled back up. Thus entertained by the whales and myself, the group headed back to camp for dinner. After dinner I got to relive my boyscout days and build a rather large “one match” fire.
One last morning before the High Flyer came to pick us up. We went on a short paddle, found a beautiful sea urchin and spotted a Minke Whale about 50 feet away. Minke Whales are interesting in that their dorsal fin is located further back than most whales. The result is that the whale looks huge when you first see it. You see a lot of whale before the dorsal fin comes up.
The High Flyer picked us up in the early afternoon. Fortunately we were in for one last whale encounter. A number of Orcas had been sighted along the path back to Quadra. Dave found a perfect spot in their path, killed the engines and dropped the hydrophone over the side. Several whales came directly towards the boat and passed just a few feet beneath us. The sound of the whales communicating and clicking to aid their navigation was breathtaking. After about 45 minutes of bonus whale watching, we turned back towards Seymour Narrows and Quadra Island.
We got back to Quadra, packed up the car and headed to Parksville for a couple days of rest and relaxation on the beautiful beaches. Once again good weather followed us. I went on one short day paddle along the coast and was impressed with the clarity of the water—I don’t think I have seen water any clearer. It is not by accident that this part of Vancouver Island is a prime diving location.
After a couple days of beaches and massages in Parksville, it was time to head home. The honeymoon was over. We sat on the ferry as it cruised back to Vancouver and looked back towards the Island and already began consolidating memories that will last a lifetime. It was hard to leave, but we will certainly return.
(Special thanks to BASK members who provided helpful information via buzz several months ago while we were preparing for the trip. CCK also hosted a very informative slide show on Vancouver Island.)
Sources of Information
Kayak Routes of the Pacific Northwest Edited by Peter McGee
Frommer’s Portable Vancouver Island, The Gulf Islands and the San Juan Islands
Kayaking Vancouver Islands, Gary Backlund and Paul Grey
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/ (Washington Ferry)
http://www.bcferries.bc.ca (BC Ferry)
http://www.asnugharbourinn.com/600/index.asp (A Snug Harbor Inn, Ucluelet)
www.ucluelet.net/index.htm?ecotour_kayaking.htm~body (General Information on Ucluelet area, Pacific Rim National Park, the Broken Islands and Transport Services to the Islands)
http://www.sea-kayaking.com/ (Spirit of the West Adventures)
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