Hello A friend and I are thinking of a trip to Quatsino Marine Park on northern Vancouver Island, starting and finishing at Coal Harbour. Has anyone paddled those waters? How is the camping? Any nasty bits to watch for? Cheers Dan *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> A friend and I are thinking of a trip to Quatsino Marine Park on northern Vancouver Island, starting and finishing at Coal Harbour. > > Has anyone paddled those waters? How is the camping? Any nasty bits to watch for? > Coal Harbor is located right in downtown, I don't even know where you will launch the boat. Paddling under the Lions Gate bridge (separating the harbor from the ocean) is allowed with engine only - there is a shipping lane there, so I really don't recommend Coal Harbor launch. I would better start from Jerricho Sailing Center in English Bay. It's farther to the south, but closer to the open ocean, so distance to the Island is the same. From there you'll have to cross the staright (about 50 km) between Vancouver mainland and Vancouver Island; it's boring and not many opportunities to stop. I don't remember, on which side of the island this park is. If it's on the north-west side, then you'll have to clear the northern tip of the island, which is comparable to clearing Cape Horn, considering that you're in a kayak and this is open ocean. If it's on the north-east side, you may consider launching your kayak from nearest ferry terminal either on the same (east) side of the island, that is Nanaimo, Comox or any beach between these towns, or from the SunshineCoast - Powell River, Langsdale, Texada Island, Bowen Island. Check map and schedule of BC Ferries, you'll get better idea what I'm talking about. Normally, those who want to paddle around some definite seaction of Vancouver Island, take ferry, and then bus or car straight to this section. Yeah, there is a bus on the island - along the east coast and across the island from Nanaimo to Tofino (once or twice a day). Alex. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
There is actually another Coal Harbor in Quatsino Sound itself so if you launch there you do not have quite as long a paddle. :) *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Alex wrote: <SNIP>>>>>>>Coal Harbor is located right in downtown, I don't even know where you will launch the boat. Paddling under the Lions Gate bridge.<<<<<<SNIP> I didn't know about this Coal Harbor (apparently in Vancouver, BC with the Lions Gate Bridge). I thought Dan meant paddling from the Coal Harbor that's near Quatsino Sound (south of Port Hardy) on Vancouver Island. The subject does say Vancouver Harbor, doesn't it. The only time I paddled in Quatsino Sound was just a little bit coming into Winter Harbor from the outer coast. We were "smelling the barn" (or our shuttle vehicle and the "goodies" store in Winter Harbor) after two weeks camping on the outside coast so I wasn't paying much attention to the camping possibilities in those few hours. Just looking at the map I imagine there gets to be some very strong currents (if not tidal rapids) in Quatsino Narrows. Matt Broze http://www.marinerkayaks.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
alex stated in reply to: >>A friend and I are thinking of a trip to Quatsino Marine Park on northern Vancouver Island, starting and finishing at Coal Harbour. Has anyone paddled those waters? How is the camping? Any nasty bits to watch for?<< >Coal Harbor is located right in downtown, I don't even know where you will launch the boat. Paddling under the Lions Gate bridge< I think Dan meant commencing his trip from Coal Harbour at the end of Quatsino Sound, Vancouver Island, which is a popular launching spot near the intersection of Quatsino Sound, Holberg Inlet, and Rupert Inlet. I've not personally been down that far, as the Mahatta River campsite many miles west is the farthest inland I have ventured (no open sea, then - I can't get noooohh, sat - is - faction...). If one looks at a map of Vancouver Island. Quatsino Sound almost bisects the top portion of Vancouver Island. As with all long inlets and destinations thereof, afternoon funnel winds and tidal currents are some of the safety concerns - next to wildlife. Quatsino Sound terminates in a two mile long, 500 foot wide, steep cliffed section called Quatsino Narrows. Tidal streams can run up to 6 to 8 knots, so plan ahead if you want to head west out of Holberg Inlet, down Quatsino Sound. You can use local water taxi services in Coal Harbour to get you further afield faster, or arrange for a pickup back to town. Also, give Pat Kirvin a call in Port Hardy. He runs kayakers out to Coal Harbour (for a fee of course). He may also want to give you some free advise if you tell him Doug "sent you." He has an unsurpassed knowledge of the North Island and those "secret spots." http://www.island.net/~odyssey/ Our own Kirby Stevens also has a recreational map you can purchase of the Quatsino Sound area, which indicates the most likely usable camping areas, and other points of interest. http://www.coastalwatersrec.com/ I'd also recommend getting a local map of logging roads of the area: MacMillan Bloedel Ltd, 925 West Georgia St, Vancouver, BC, V6C 3L2, 604 661-8671 Another good map/visitor guide is the Western Forest Products Ltd brochure. Info maybe at: http://www.westernforest.com Have fun and hope for sun. Doug Lloyd Victoria BC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ "Whatever can be said at all can be said clearly and whatever cannot be said clearly should not be said at all." Ludwig Wittgenstein ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Did I say MacMillan Bloedel in my last post? Perhaps Weyerhaeuser would be the correct company to contact for maps, as some of the other companies are no longer in BC. Have you hugged a logger today? Doug Lloyd *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Quatsino: The book Kayak Routes of the Pacific Northwest covers the Quatsino area pretty well. I'm only familiar with the outer coast of that area but there are great opportunities for camping on the beaches there if you're comfortable on the open coast - Grant Bay at the northern mouth of the sound is gorgeous and has fresh water and I believe there is also a trail to access it from a sheltered inlet further inland, although it is well protected from any northerly or westerly swell. The logging road map suggestion is also a good one. It is possible to access the outer coast by logging roads into the inlet just to the south of the mail part of Quatsino - I can't remember the name of it. Klaskino? Tim Shuff *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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