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4-5 day kayak trip on the west coast suggestions

Rtw73

Paddler
Joined
Mar 1, 2014
Messages
13
Hi new to this site, I was born and raised in bc but now reside on the east coast where I took up kayaking 12 ish years ago and have been hooked ever since .
I now find my self working in alberta and have a 8 days off beginning march 12 and of course I didn't leave home without kayaks and all needed gear for expeditions!
Sooo I'm looking to do 4-5 day trip on my days off, and so far I am thinking the broken group or heading off out of tofino and possibly making my way up to the hot springs if that is a reasonable paddle. Any info on these routes or any other routes or general help would be greatly appreciated. I will be traveling in an hv cetus and I am quite comfortable in rough seas I paddle the open Atlantic quite often. And paddled the bay of funny for years. Thanks and happy paddling
Rob
 
Rob,
I assume you are doing this solo? As I did not hear a "we". Well Broken Group would be an option, but I think weather may be a factor on the "wet" coast, so that would go for Tofino area also..A more comfy trip may be a circle route through the Gulf Islands, it won't be busy in March, and you could make an added stop at a place like Poets Cove, on Pender Island, if you need a bit more of a comfy nite. There are a few more "haul outs" with creature comforts in that neck of the world, should weather be too much to bear, it is after all suppsed to be a vaca, right? :) Also, you have a better chance of not getting "weather bound" should it hit the fan...good paddling skills or not. It would also cut down on land travel time, as you could launch just off the ferry at Swartz Bay ferry terminal. Hey, if you are adventurous, and want to go for the gusto, any of the places you mentioned would be not too out there, I am just thinking of camping logistics, IMHO.
All that being said, not knowing how you would fare in an Atlantic gale, puts me at a disadvantage...
Whatever you do have fun, and be safe!
Cheers,
'nak
 
I'll definitely be watching the weather before I set out but I'm not easily put off haha .as for solo or not that's a 50/50 right now . But have done many solo trips and always enjoy nature and the peace and quiet you only get out of a solo trip. I'm good in an Atlantic gale I have a quite number of times went kayaking In 80 to 120 km winds because our job site would shut down due to the crane not being able to run. Pretty messed up paddling but I forced myself to do it a bunch just to get the experience . It's a riot coming down wind. I paddle all year out east too up to about -15 Celsius I'm paddling junkie I'll go out in anything. However comfort is really nice and I will look into your suggestion from Schwartz bay. Thank you very much for responding I appreciate the input :)
Rob.
 
Camping is great, see the link here, http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/bc/gulf/c ... p-nfl.aspx
You can go from Swartz bay to Portland Island, then to Prevost Island, then over to Pender Island, then Saturna and Cabbage,on the outer part of Saturna then back thru to Darcy or Rum and back to Swartz bay...have a look, as I said, lots of free camping this time of year, easy "out" if weather turn crappy, and Poets Cove Resort on Pender (Beaumont campsite) are a five minute paddle apart, if you want to enjoy a great meal and a hot tub, or even an overnite stay, just google Poets Cove and have a peek. No lack of being able to put in a few miles if you want...
My faves are Portland, and Prevost, Darcy is an old Leper colony, from years past, google that too for some great history, a bit spooky, lots of history, again without having to go too far off the beaten path, and you may see some of the resident orcas, or a roving bunch of the transients that have been cruising the area for seal meat!
By morning, maybe a few others can pipe in as to their thoughts, but this will get you something to chew on for starts..
 
Rtw73,

If you can handle rain and wind and are equipped for snug camping, west coast of VI would be my suggestion. Prettier, nobody will be there, access pretty good. Just get the chart detailing all the campsites in the Broken Group. It is more protected than routes in Clayoquot Sound. In March, all the islands should be wet, with surface creeks running. Clarke, Hand, Dodd, Willis, Turret, Gibraltor should have good water.

I don't think fees start until May, so it would be a cheap visit.

Shoot first for Willis if you can, good water, nice site on a point with plenty of trees for rigging your tarp. Plenty of exploring can be done from there. Clarke is a favorite of many, with water a bit of a walk, but you are right on the edge there. Good grassy area for tenting, with trees over shoreline kitchen areas.

I really like Gibraltor for access to the outer islands, but water will be a scratch around process unless you can carry a couple MSR bladders. If it blows hard, you can get stuck on Gilbert.
 
Here's a link to a bunch of destination reports for several of the Gulf Islands and a few Vancouver Island locations.

http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/gallery/index.php?cat=5


The Brokens are a terrific place to play around for a few days -- I often refer to them as a kayaker's theme park.

My daughter and I did a nine day trip to the Broken Group that I wrote a fairly long trip report about here:

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=2207

Another Broken Group trip report I did with a couple of others in the month of May -- we pretty much had the entire park to ourselves for most of the eight day trip. Even in May conditions can be challenging -- we ended up with a couple of fabulous sunny days but mostly we had rain and lots of wind -- we were camp-bound for a couple of days due to the weather:

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=2994


The Gulf Islands are a good choice as well -- lots of really good camping spots and this time of year you're most likely to have entire islands to yourself. Although a lot more sheltered than the west coast of the Island, the Gulf Islands can also be challenging if the weather is not cooperating. Not even close to being as remote as the West Coast but still quite a lovely place to paddle.

Personally, my choice would be the West Coast of Vancouver Island -- it's such an awesome place.

Wherever you decide to go, expect that there's plenty of potential to have a good amount of rain. Good rain gear is a must.

Have to agree with Rod about weather conditions this time of year -- it can be unpredictable -- not a good place if your skills aren't up there (sounds like they are though). But on the flip side, you could luck out and have a whole trip of sunshine and calm conditions -- it certainly happens this time of year too.
 
I like the spirit of thinking about going to Hotsprings cove but i think it's not too practical. I wouldn't even mention it except you say you're comfortable in all conditions in extreme cold. 4-5 days isn't really enough time unless you water taxi (do they run whale watching trips in the winter?) one or both ways to the hotsprings, but boy that would be awesome on a cold and rainy day! I've always thought It'd be great to avoid the summer crowds by going offseason. You could paddle one way in two days via the inside if you're not fighting the weather but it would be tough going. Outside would be crazy I think. Whitesand beach or the pocket beaches below catface would be logical stops on the way.

Make sure to take an axe to break down cedar chunks, there's usually semi dry portions inside blocks that will help you get warming fires going. also keep an eye out for pitchwood for firestarting.

enjoy! you'll have the place to yourself where ever you go!
 
If you do go to hotsprings cove, you can catch a water taxi on the way back (if they're running that time of year). They go out in the morning to drop day trippers off, then go back empty, so they only charge $80 (I believe) for taking you back to Tofino on their morning run.
 
I will have 6 days 5 nights , yes on a cold rainy day hot springs would be soo nice and the water taxi would definitely give more time for exploring. I will look into this . It's hard to make a descision being so far from the location right now...I'd love to hear from someone that has paddled from tofino up via the inside or outside.
Well another 10 days still till I start driving I'll keep digging and planning !
Thanks for the input guys and please keep it coming!
Happy paddling
Rob.
 
Here's wind & wave data from the Lennard Island lighthouse for March 2013 at 1345 hours
 

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Mar_20_2013_14:10 LENNARD_IS W 60 G72 11FT_RUF MOD_SW 13:45 L OVC
wind 60 knots from the west
wind gusts to 72 knots
wind waves 11 feet rough
moderate swell from the sw
overcast

X=fog PC=partly cloudy
 
Can anybody tell me where I can get detailed maps with campsites for clayoquot and or broken group.
Thanks
<====>
Rob
 
Rob,

There is a large scale chart detailing campsites covering the entire Broken Group. One stop shopping. Snowden also details campsites there. Snowdens guide is a bit out of date. Chart is number 3670: http://www.charts.gc.ca/charts-cartes/p ... um=3670#h2 Check for chandleries which supply charts and you should be able to pick this up en route. Confirm availability ahead of time.

John Kimantas guide does a good job of identifying campsites in Clayoquot, as does Mary Ann Snowden's guide. Doubt all campsites are in either, but enough to get you going. I believe the original edition of the Kimantas volume you need is OOP. Second link below is for a reissue, planned for May, 2014. Kimantas hangs out here, as "jk" so you might get a better estimate of availability by sending him a PM.

http://www.amazon.com/Sea-Kayak-Barkley ... 1894765540 Snowden

http://www.amazon.com/The-Wild-Coast-Vo ... b_title_bk Kimantas
 
I would of course suggest purchasing the nautical chart before heading out. You can order them online, or stop into Tofino Sea Kayaking and buy it there.
 
Still weighing the options between broken group and a trip up clayoquot sound o hot springs cove, so two days reasonable from tofino via the inside passage?
Cheers
Rob
 
Good stuff I'd like to get my hands on sea kayak Barkley looks to be the perfect book for the occasion.
:)
 
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