Desolation Sound, June 13 - 19, 2009 (Part 1)

Desolation Sound. West Redonda Island. I’m not sure how this trip came to mind but I think we were talking about checking out Prideaux Haven and it just evolved from that. Started looking at the charts and doing some reading and thought that while we’re in the neighbourhood we may as well see some of Toba Inlet’s waterfalls. Then we read Cassel Falls, up Teakerne Arm was supposed to be nice and tried to find a way to incorporate that into the trip. It looked like everything we wanted to see surrounded West Redonda Island, so we just decided we may as well make our way around it.

We go into these trips now knowing there are certain things we would like to see or experience. In this case the highlights were to be Prideaux Haven and a couple of waterfalls along the route. Sometimes our plans work out, sometimes we don’t see everything we were hoping to, and sometimes we see more than we could ever have expected. There are always surprises on any trip that end up falling into a category we could call hidden gems. On this trip I was also doing a little research for the BC Marine Trail Network. It is a foundation that is trying to get campsites documented and saved along the entire BC coast so that paddlers will always know of a place they can reach within a certain distance along the entire coastline. At this point they are looking for, most importantly, pictures of designated camping areas and the access to these sites at different tide levels. I had contacted a director of this group before the trip and he sent me a list of the sites they were specifically interested in and a list of the information that they would like to have on each site.

So, the trip begins. The first big stage of any trip is just getting to the launch site. This launch was to be from Lund, the northernmost town on the Malaspina Peninsula. Never having been to Lund before I wasn’t sure how long it would take to get there, but there were two ferries we had to take so we knew the Friday we left would just be a travel day. On the road shortly after seven am, Horseshoe Bay, Langdale, Earl’s Cove, Saltery Bay and finally Lund at about 2:30 in the afternoon. It was a nice drive and it is always nice travelling on the ferries. One interesting stop to make along the way is between the new and old towns of Powell River. There is a look-out just before the paper mill where you can see ‘The Hulks’. These are old concrete ships built during the world wars that they have stripped and anchored offshore to use as a breakwater.

We spent Friday night at the Sunlund Campground. We splurged and spent $35 on what they called their Camper’s Cabin. A seven foot by seven foot cabin with a set of bunk style beds, a small shelf, and a little porch out front. It was perfect for our needs, it kept us from having to unload the truck so we could sleep in the back. One sight well worth seeing while in Lund is the boardwalk on the south side of the bay. It stretches for quite a distance out to a restaurant and every board that you walk on has been carved with a name or group from the Sunshine Coast area. We ate supper at the Lund Hotel, checked out their gift/art gallery, wandered through the general store and then got to bed early as we knew the next day was going to be a long one.

Saturday morning arrived bright and early. We unloaded the boats at the boat launch and filled them with our gear and food. We must be getting better at this as we had planned to be out for seven nights and once we had the boats loaded, there was still room left over. I remember when we would go out for a long weekend and just about be tying stuff to the top of the boats as we had run out of room. It wasn’t wholly unexpected because we’ve both got bigger boats than we once had, some upgraded gear we had usually means it is more compact, and our menus are getting more basic, thus food also takes up less room.

We set out on the water right at 8 am. We headed northwest to follow the Malaspina Peninsula coastline up to Sarah Point. The day was cloudless and the water calm and we made good time this morning. The Copeland Islands to the west looked like they would be a nice place to spend a weekend. Lots of small islands and islets to explore. On the mainland side we were looking for an Indian pictograph that was supposed to be about halfway up Thulin passage, but we weren’t able to spot it.

We rounded Sarah Point and made our way east to the first campsite I was to check out for the BCMTN, at Feather Cove. As we came around the point we also got our first look at the snow capped mountains in the distance. After taking some pictures of the Feather Cove site we paddled across the entrance to the Malaspina Inlet. Near the middle of the channel there was some exposed rock with at least a half dozen seals basking in the sun. We try to give the seals a wide berth when they’re drying themselves on the rocks so as not to scare them back into the drink but we found out that Desolation seals are a nervous bunch and will disappear back into the ocean with even the slightest provocation. We passed by Zephine Head, the first of many towering bluffs we would come across this trip, cut across Galley Bay and stopped for our lunch break in a small cove just a little further east. If you like oysters this is definitely a trip to take as the beaches in some areas are just covered in oyster shells.

After lunch we crossed over to Mink Island and passed between the clusters of the north and south Curmes Islands. According to most guide books these are very popular islands to camp at and can get very busy during the summer months. They did look very inviting and I would probably camp here on a return trip if it was the off season. At this time there was only one camp set up on each of the islands. We were to find out later while talking to a parks warden that no one had been seen at the camp on the South Curmes for several days. The camp was full of gear, cooking equipment, items drying on lines, electronics and battery packs laying around, yet no people. We never did find out what had happened.

We could see our destination of Melville Island now to the northeast. Sometimes it is difficult to paddle towards a place you can see in the distance. It seems like you paddle for hours and it doesn’t look like you have made any progress at all. Your mind may tune out after a while, from the repetitive motion of the paddle and watching the scenery go by, and all of a sudden you will nearly bump into the beach you were headed for. The landing at Melville was awkward as it is a steep, rocky beach with a narrow kayak skid built along the east side. We hadn’t come across a kayak skid before.

It’s a narrow path up a landing site, cleared of the large rocks that may make landing difficult in rougher water conditions. There was room enough in the small clump of trees at this site for one tent. More tents could be set up on the high ground outside the trees if necessary, as long as the tides were to remain lower than about fourteen feet. It was nice to have finally reached Melville as we had been on the water for about six and a half hours, covering a little better than twenty six kilometres. We found the only downside to this site was the constant wind that flows past it. I think it was due in large part to a huge bluff that extends to the south from the site. Any westerly winds would hit the bluff and get pushed north, right across the headland where the camp was. Other than that it is a beautiful site with views up and down Homfray Channel and north to Waddington Channel. It’s always surprising how much the tide can affect your campsite. You try to anticipate what difference ten or eleven feet of water height will make but I always find it difficult to judge. We were both surprised to see how high the water level came up overnight at this site.

Today, Sunday, was our daytrip through Prideaux Haven. It was a beautiful morning with blue skies and flat water as we headed southwest to Otter Island. There is a narrow channel between the mainland and Otter Island, and there is a campsite I wanted to document for the BCMTN on the mainland side. It turned out to be a nice little campsite with enough room for a small group. It may have the same problem as at Melville though, it looks to be exposed to any southerly or westerly winds. Otter Island itself has a huge rock bluff on its south eastern face rising straight out of the water. There seems to be two different feelings when passing by bluffs like this. From a distance they are very impressive and when another boater passes by and puts it in perspective you think ‘wow, that’s a high bluff’. When you are up close and paddling along the base of the bluff you think ‘WOW, that is a high and intimidating bluff’. You really start to feel tiny and insignificant, the same feeling you can get while looking at the stars on a clear night.

We continued to follow the mainland shoreline eastward towards what I considered Prideaux Haven proper. The wind was picking up a bit and it felt like you were surfing along on some of the waves it generated. We passed through the narrow channel formed by Eveleigh Island and into the calm waters of the Haven. You can understand right away why the power boaters flock here in the summer as the area is completely protected from the wind and waves. There were fewer than ten boats in the Haven as we continued along the coast and into Melanie Cove. Usually when we paddle we are constantly reminded of how cold the ocean is every time your hand dips into the water, but paddling in the Haven you tend to forget because when your hand goes into the water the temperature difference is hardly noticeable. There are areas here where the ocean water temperature actually feels like lukewarm bath water. We paddled along the shore of Melanie Cove, around the point, and into Laura Cove. This, to me, was the nicest spot in the Haven. Lots of small islets to paddle around and shallow bays with crystal clear water. You can completely lose track of time as you explore every nook and cranny of this cove.

We exited the Haven by Copplestone Point and found the wind had picked up quite a bit, coming from the southwest. Nothing dangerous but enough to turn the relaxing paddle we had been having into work. We made our way to the eastern end of Melville Island and decided to travel along its northern shore as it was more protected from the wind. That got us out of the worst of the whitecaps but we were still paddling up a steep grade by the feel of it. As we got to the western end of Melville we saw that we were going to have to come around the headland broadside to small breaking waves. Again, it was nothing too serious but at the end of the day any small obstacle appears worse than if met early on. Some waves were breaking over the boats but we had no trouble as we came around and headed back into our bay. A nice perk of sunny days while kayaking is that you can always dry your gear after a day on the water. There is nothing worse than putting on cold, clammy clothes first thing in the morning. We relaxed in the sun for the afternoon, watching a group of seals dry themselves on a rock near our camp. They kept a close eye on us as well, any time we got up and moved around their heads would come up and watch, ready to slide themselves back into the water at the first sign of trouble.

The first day here we had set up a tarp and built the kitchen area on the south side of our camp, unfortunately the wind that continually blew through camp made using that spot too difficult. So while we had a nice covered kitchen we would end up taking a stove and the food to the other side of the trees in order to cook and eat, I wasn’t about to spend the time to relocate the tarp. Another nice supper and we were off to bed early as tomorrow was a travel day up Waddington Channel. It’s a little sad when you have to wake up to view the sunset.

Listening to the VHF weather reports we were getting a little concerned about the winds for the next day. It seemed there was always a pretty good breeze blowing around this area and we wanted to cross Homfray Channel first thing in the morning. We ended up coming up with alternate plans for the trip if it got too windy to cross over. The problem was we hadn’t left a lot of spare time to make our way around West Redonda and if the wind kept us landlocked for a day on Melville our schedule would not allow for another trouble day later on in the trip. We decided if stuck on Melville for another day we would later cross over to the Martin Islands for a couple nights and then to Kinghorn, and then home.

Woke up at 6 Monday morning and checked out the crossing. Weather reports sounded good and the water looked reasonable so we packed up camp, had breakfast, loaded the boats and started across Homfray Channel at 8 am. The crossing was uneventful, which was good. The weather was overcast so the tops of the mountains up Homfray weren’t visible. We paddled up Waddington Channel which, except for a couple of features, was not a really exciting or breathtaking journey. There are a couple of aquaculture farms on the west side of the channel, one of them taking up acres of water space. They are not the most pleasant things to come across out there, in terms of sightseeing and experiencing the remote wilderness, but it is a business and a lot of industries on land are not a pretty sight either.

The water in certain areas of this channel was really warm again. Pendrell Sound, which veers northeast into East Redonda Island, is supposed to have the warmest waters of the entire coastline. This is due to the fact that this area is where the tides from the north and south ends of Vancouver Island meet, thus not a lot of water is exchanged during the floods and ebbs. The most beautiful spot in this channel was at Walsh Cove Marine Park. It is located about two and a half kilometres south of the top of the channel, on the West Redonda side. It is a protected little cove with a couple of small islands at its entrance. There are a couple of narrow passageways to make your way through and rock formations, above and below the waterline, that were stunning. There was one small rock island that you could get out on that seemed to be built like a series of round steps. The top step was a round, flat rock about thirty feet in diameter, and each step down, about eighteen inches, was another round ledge about four feet wider. This pattern went on for at least five steps, at which point the water was too dark to see any further.

After leaving Walsh Cove we paddled north, towards our intended campsite on the north shore of East Redonda Island. Just as we neared the narrows, formed by the two Redonda Islands, we heard a jet plane that sounded pretty low. Seconds later, a CF-18 roared past, not a thousand feet overhead. A moment later another one did the same thing. Pretty impressive display. We had heard earlier on the VHF that there were military exercises taking place at the Winchelseas, so I assume they had something to do with that. We came out of the narrows and headed east. We found the beach and landed, nothing like at Melville, small stone, gradually sloping beach. One of the things we didn’t like was the cleared tent site here was back up in the trees somewhat with no view out to the water or beach area. I wasn’t sure if the tide would come right to the top of the beach so camping on the beach was out of the question. The other negative point to this site was that it was located right beside an active log dump. We didn’t unload anything yet, instead we had a snack break and got out our charts to consider our options. On my nautical charts and GPS I had entered the information from John Kimantas’ books as to campsite locations. Lila had the Kimantas atlas for this region and it showed a different campsite due north of the eastern point of Channel Island. We decided we didn’t want to stay on East Redonda so we headed out again towards the site from the atlas. It was a fair ways across, about six km., but Pryce Channel was like glass and we didn’t foresee any problems, except we were both getting a little tired.

We made it to the site but found the information was wrong, either the site had changed considerably or there was an error in marking its location. It would have been difficult just to get out of the boats here, never mind setting up a camp. We followed the shore of Toba Inlet northeast towards where I had sites listed, with our fingers crossed now as it was getting later and we were running out of options. So after another two and a half kilometres we found a really nice spot to camp. Easy beach to land on and a couple of cleared tent sites just inside the trees. I ended up cutting down a lot of brush that had grown up in front of the tent area in order to have a view across Toba Inlet.

Our new home for the next two nights, unfortunately we found out it was also home to about a million mosquitoes and flying gnat-like insects. The bug spray we brought worked well with the skeeters but the gnats left us pockmarked for close to two weeks. We had paddled just about thirty-two kilometres today and were pretty much beat, so again it was a quick supper and an early bedtime.