Re: [Paddlewise] Paddle Route

At 03:36 PM 1/21/99 -0800, you wrote:
>I'm looking for a paddle route from Seattle to Port Hardy, BC (North
>Vancouver Island).
>
>Especially interested on opinions about whether to paddle through the San
>Jauns to Victoria, Vancouver Island, or to paddle straight north along the
>coast to Vancouver, BC.
>Would be appreciative of any information on campsites, routes to avoid,
>resupply options, and any Canadian permit requirements or other things that
>I need to be aware of.  And are there certain routes that I can take, but
>only during certain tide conditions?
>
>Any help or contact information on this would be great.
>Thanks,
>Shoni Blue


Hi Shoni,

Some years back I paddled from Port Hardy to Vancouver, BC. I followed the
BC mainland from Cortes Island on down. Although from about Powell River
south, the land is definitely "cottage country" rather than total
wilderness, it is less built up and offers more camping opportunities than
Vancouver Island does from the north end of the Gulf Islands until Campbell
River. (If you're "credit card touring" you can find some lovely shorefront
B&Bs and resorts to stay at, as well as some waterfront commercial
campgrounds on the Vancouver Island side.)
I've only paddled on the Canadian side of Boundary Passage and around the
aptly named Boiling Reef, but I understand the crossing from the San Juans
to the Gulf Islands can be very hairy in the wrong tide and weather
conditions - see Sea Kayaker's "Deep Trouble" book for a description of a
fatal accident in this area. You should be fine as long as you're patient
enough to wait for the right tide and weather. 
There's a Canada Customs check-in at the yacht club/resort near Beaumont
Marine Park on South Pender Island. I understand all boaters arriving from
"overseas" are required to check-in as soon as they land on Canadian soil.
There's a sign posted at the Canada Customs Office with instructions on
where to phone after hours when the office is closed. 
If you do take the Vancouver Island side from the San Juans up, you will
have to pass through Seymour Narrows just north of Campbell River. This is,
as the name suggests, very narrow, and the situation is complicated by the
fact that this is the point where the tides flooding around Vancouver
Island meet as they "wrap around" from the north and the south. So there is
no full "slack tide" - it's always either flooding or ebbing, and often an
exciting mixture of both. It is passable (I've done it), but there are
other, more mellow options nearer the mainland. The BC Marine Trail
Association recently published a guidebook which covers the Discovery
Islands area (among others). These are the islands roughly north east of
Campbell River, and they offer some very exciting tidal whitewater passages
and/or some more laid-back routes northward. I'll email you the book title
tomorrow as it's at home.
You might also look for the BC Marine Trail Associations home page, and
email them for other suggestions. 
One route option, if you don't mind zigzagging, would be to paddle through
the San Juans and Gulf Islands, then either take the ferry or paddle across
The Strait of Georgia to the mainland north of Vancouver. I have paddled
across the Strait at various points over the years. Of course, you must be
up for 5 to 8 hours or more in the boat, you must be dressed and equipped
for the conditions, and you must ensure that you have a very long "window"
of ideal weather, so you'd have to be prepared to wait in the Gulfs until
conditions were perfect. 

Good luck on your adventure, and email me if I can be of help with any
specifics.

  

Philip T.
N49°16' W123°08' 
"The opinions expressed in this posting are not necessarily those of my
employer, or indeed, of any sentient being."
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