I started the new year off with a trip up to Desolation Sound with two friends. The first thing to do was to load all the kayaks and gear into my little vehicle, which required a minor modification of the roof racks.
We left very early in the morning so we could catch the various ferries and end up launching from Lund in the early afternoon. The kayaks used for this trip were my Stellar 18 Expedition, my Necky Looksha IV - used by Maddy, and the Stellar 18 R from the shop borrowed by Rylan.
The weather forecast was a bit troubling, gale winds forecast to continue through our entire trip.
Given a relatively late start and the short days we headed up to the Copeland Islands for our first camp. We chose North Copeland as it just looked nice.
The winds picked up overnight and our departure from our first site was a little bumpy, but manageable. Maddy was our least experienced paddler and she handled herself very well in the small chop and low swell.
Our second day would entail an exploration of Okeover Inlet, as we made our way down to the Grace Harbour site. We stopped at Hare Point for lunch, but it didn't really appeal to us so we pushed on.
There are only 2 tent pads at Grace Harbour, but I was able to pitch my tent without too much issue on a mossy area. That evening we had the first of our shared dinners. Maddy had prepared a fabulous vegan stew which included morel mushrooms she had foraged. Delicious!
Our next day we had debated paddling up Lancelot Inlet and seeing if the landowner at Portage Cove would be tolerant of us crossing the narrow bit of land, but a discussion with the residents of Grace Harbour led up to believe that was likely a no-go. Various descriptive terms were used that convinced us that he would not be persuaded.
So we headed back out the way we came, and paddled down the coast toward our next campsite at Curme Islands.
This site was easily my favourite. A nice sheltered area between the islands was a playground for curious seals, always popping up to watch what we were doing. For dinner Rylan prepared a nice spicy soup with grilled cheese sandwiches on sourdough featuring slices of seared pears. No complaints!
On the following day we set out in a bit of wind and drizzling rain and paddled over towards Prideaux Haven. As we worked our way through the islands we were treated to a glimpse of sun and a gorgeous rainbow.
After a quick break for snacks we paddled our way out of the islands and crossed toward West Redona island and started working our way along the coast. We were either going to stay at Martin Islands or preferably Kinghorn. Maddy hadn't slept well and was feeling a bit bushed so we set up a two person tow. Rylan and I, in 18 foot fast kayaks put our heads down and embraced the challenge. We cruised along at a good clip, with Maddy helping as she could. We had a small pod of porpoises swim parallel to us for a few hundred meters. A few hours and 11km later we landed at the site on Kinghorn just before dark. The site was wet and dark, and I could tell morale was growing low.
A tarp was rapidly set-up, allowing a bit of salvation from the rain as we set up our tents. As the other two were in their tents I turned the tarped area into a flurry of cooking activity! Tofu was fried until crispy and browned, then freshly chopped onion, broccoli and pepper went into the pan, along with a few packets of soy sauce and sriracha from previous take out dinners. I pulled those from the pan and cooked up a few packets of Udon noodles with flakes of dehydrated kimchi. A true asian fusion dish was born. Gathered under the tarp, eating fresh vegetables and sitting around a tiny little fire in a can, morale was lifted anew.
After dinner snacks were brought out, crackers and cheeses, pita chips, chocolates. We retired to bed full and contented.
The next day we paddled from Kinghorn back to the Copelands, this time stopping at Middle Copeland. The wind and waves which had largely been absent for the last few days had materialized, and the crossing was made cautiously but without incident. Maddy has a good head for waves and handled the swell very well!
Our site was nice, and we gathered under the tarp for a late lunch/ early dinner.
We decided we would pack up early to try to shorten the amount of time we would spend waiting for ferries on the way back. The wind howled loudly all night and none of us slept very well. But caffeinated and eager we set off the next morning, punching through a solid headwind on our way back to Lund.
On the way back I spotted a small set of petroglyphs on the rocks. A face, a salmon, and a jellyfish, perhaps?
Then it was time to pack up the car for a long, stinky, car ride back home. A great way to start the year and I hope there are many more trips to follow!
We left very early in the morning so we could catch the various ferries and end up launching from Lund in the early afternoon. The kayaks used for this trip were my Stellar 18 Expedition, my Necky Looksha IV - used by Maddy, and the Stellar 18 R from the shop borrowed by Rylan.
The weather forecast was a bit troubling, gale winds forecast to continue through our entire trip.
Given a relatively late start and the short days we headed up to the Copeland Islands for our first camp. We chose North Copeland as it just looked nice.
The winds picked up overnight and our departure from our first site was a little bumpy, but manageable. Maddy was our least experienced paddler and she handled herself very well in the small chop and low swell.
Our second day would entail an exploration of Okeover Inlet, as we made our way down to the Grace Harbour site. We stopped at Hare Point for lunch, but it didn't really appeal to us so we pushed on.
There are only 2 tent pads at Grace Harbour, but I was able to pitch my tent without too much issue on a mossy area. That evening we had the first of our shared dinners. Maddy had prepared a fabulous vegan stew which included morel mushrooms she had foraged. Delicious!
Our next day we had debated paddling up Lancelot Inlet and seeing if the landowner at Portage Cove would be tolerant of us crossing the narrow bit of land, but a discussion with the residents of Grace Harbour led up to believe that was likely a no-go. Various descriptive terms were used that convinced us that he would not be persuaded.
So we headed back out the way we came, and paddled down the coast toward our next campsite at Curme Islands.
This site was easily my favourite. A nice sheltered area between the islands was a playground for curious seals, always popping up to watch what we were doing. For dinner Rylan prepared a nice spicy soup with grilled cheese sandwiches on sourdough featuring slices of seared pears. No complaints!
On the following day we set out in a bit of wind and drizzling rain and paddled over towards Prideaux Haven. As we worked our way through the islands we were treated to a glimpse of sun and a gorgeous rainbow.
After a quick break for snacks we paddled our way out of the islands and crossed toward West Redona island and started working our way along the coast. We were either going to stay at Martin Islands or preferably Kinghorn. Maddy hadn't slept well and was feeling a bit bushed so we set up a two person tow. Rylan and I, in 18 foot fast kayaks put our heads down and embraced the challenge. We cruised along at a good clip, with Maddy helping as she could. We had a small pod of porpoises swim parallel to us for a few hundred meters. A few hours and 11km later we landed at the site on Kinghorn just before dark. The site was wet and dark, and I could tell morale was growing low.
A tarp was rapidly set-up, allowing a bit of salvation from the rain as we set up our tents. As the other two were in their tents I turned the tarped area into a flurry of cooking activity! Tofu was fried until crispy and browned, then freshly chopped onion, broccoli and pepper went into the pan, along with a few packets of soy sauce and sriracha from previous take out dinners. I pulled those from the pan and cooked up a few packets of Udon noodles with flakes of dehydrated kimchi. A true asian fusion dish was born. Gathered under the tarp, eating fresh vegetables and sitting around a tiny little fire in a can, morale was lifted anew.
After dinner snacks were brought out, crackers and cheeses, pita chips, chocolates. We retired to bed full and contented.
The next day we paddled from Kinghorn back to the Copelands, this time stopping at Middle Copeland. The wind and waves which had largely been absent for the last few days had materialized, and the crossing was made cautiously but without incident. Maddy has a good head for waves and handled the swell very well!
Our site was nice, and we gathered under the tarp for a late lunch/ early dinner.
We decided we would pack up early to try to shorten the amount of time we would spend waiting for ferries on the way back. The wind howled loudly all night and none of us slept very well. But caffeinated and eager we set off the next morning, punching through a solid headwind on our way back to Lund.
On the way back I spotted a small set of petroglyphs on the rocks. A face, a salmon, and a jellyfish, perhaps?
Then it was time to pack up the car for a long, stinky, car ride back home. A great way to start the year and I hope there are many more trips to follow!