Gulf Islands Solo Trip: Part 3: "Downwind"

Doubled my distance for the day, saw orcas, downwind all the way and the sun came out to make this arguably the best day of my trip.

I paddled with a smile on my face, woohooing to nobody as I surfed the bumps all the way down the east side of Galiano Island. The wind continued to build and made for some small but perfect size waves for the board I was on.  The Starboard K15 is great for paddling with gear but it does ride a little bit low and if the waves got any bigger I found that it would swamp and slow me down.

Heaviest Barrel on the West Coast

I finished my downwind run with about an hour of daylight left and pulled into Porlier Pass which separates Galiano Island and Valdes Island. A little bit of current running through here but nothing too challenging.  The sandstone cliffs and rock formations are pretty neat at this end of the island.  Overhanging sections of rock carved out by years of water, waves and current.









I camped for the night in Dionisio Point Provincial Park which is a water access only marine park and campground.  Great spot to spend the night sheltered from the southeast winds. Up until this point I didn't have any worries about camping on my own but this night was the first time I got a little bit nervous.  I began to hear noises in the woods behind me and didn't really like it.  I would shine my headlamp into the dark forest and all I could see was multiple sets of bright red eyes staring at me from the woods....Just raccoons looking for a meal but it was enough to get my imagination running.




I managed to get a decent nights sleep and was able to sleep in the next morning because I had to wait for the currents in Porlier Pass to switch directions before I could paddle out. My smile came back shortly after I started paddling again as the winds from the day before had continued and gotten stronger. I am sad to say I didn't get to experience too much of the sights on Valdes Island because I was drawn into the middle of the channel to surf the bigger waves. As the wind dropped I headed closer to shore and paddled along some of the huge sandstone cliffs at the North end of Valdes.  Definitely another beautiful spot worth checking out if you are every paddling in the Gulf Islands.


I came around to the north end of Valdes, paddled through Gabriola Passage and into Silva Bay on Gabriola Island.   Last night of the trip so I figured I would stay in the marina campground and walk over to the pub.  Spent a couple of hours at the Silva Bay Pub eating some great food and sharing a little bit of my story.

Got an early start the next morning and paddled with a beautiful sunrise and some light winds.   I had about 23km to the Departure Bay ferry terminal. About half-way to Departure Bay I noticed a big yellow plane flying low over the water towards me.  I figured it was on its way into Nanaimo Airport but then it did a tight turn over my head and flew away.  I didn't think much of it until it flew over my head a second time.  I didn't see any other boats on the water that morning and wondered if they were looking for me?  Shortly thereafter the Coast Guard boat came across from Nanaimo lights flashing and pulled along side me.  A concerned citizen on Gabriola Island called into the coast guard and reported somebody standing on top of a capsized boat trying to paddle to shore.  Now I would like to think that I paddle a little bit more efficiently than someone on a capsized boat but I guess from a distance I probably didn't look like I was moving too quickly.

The Coast Guard folks on the boat were in the middle of a training exercises in Nanaimo and so there were a few people on the boat who came out to answer the call.  They had a few questions for me and were mainly just curious to hear what I was up to.  They also told me that they called off the hovercraft which was on it's way over from Vancouver.  I was impressed with the response speed. Based on where I was paddling from and where they found me it couldn't have been more than 40 minutes before the boat got to me.  Not bad for tracking down a small moving target.


The boat left me for my last paddle back into Nanaimo but I was asked to then check-in with Victoria Coast  Guard Radio every 30 minutes until I landed safely.  Thankfully, I only had about 1 hour of paddling left and so I checked in with my VHF radio when I arrived at Departure Bay.  It was a good experience for me to be able to test my VHF radio and make actual calls to the Coast Guard.  Nice to know that someone would actually hear me if I needed help.

I landed in Departure Bay and it felt pretty good to be done.  It was a really great feeling to have planned and executed a trip on my own. I covered over 120km(75 miles) in 4 days. My average pace for the trip was about 7km/h with max speeds of around 20km/h while paddling downwind.  I covered most of the major islands missing only Saturna and Thetis.

While I did the trip solo I certainly had plenty of support.  Thanks to Deep Cove Outdoors, Starboard, Kokatat, Werner Paddles and Q Energy Drink for giving me the time and gear needed to make this trip happen.  Thanks to those of you who took the time to read my blog and I hope to do many more trips in the future.  I would like to share this experience with anyone who is interested so if you would like to take part in a trip like this in the spring please let me know.  Thanks again and paddle on!

Gulf Islands Solo Trip: Part 2: "Paddling"

I woke up to a sea lion patrolling my beach.  Sea Lions are nice enough from shore but when you see one close up from the water they can be pretty intimidating.  No bother, I packed up, checked the ferry schedules and got onto the water for my first crossing from Saltspring to Pender. This was the last day of Northerly winds so it was perfect for my crossing and my paddle south towards the gap in between North and South Pender. I got a good little push down the coast along North Pender and then I started to feel some current.  It was nice to have my gps on my wrist to be able to check my speed.  Light currents can play tricks on you and make you think your paddling faster than you are.  I was able to check my speed and decide if I should be closer to shore trying to find eddies or out in the main channel getting a push.

I paddled close to shore and saw lots of wildlife on this stretch. Throughout the whole trip anyone I came across  including animals, were very surprised to see me. Seals would pop up casually right in front of me and then freak out and dive back under as soon as they saw me.  I guess they don't see paddlers in November very often.

I came around the corner and into the channel between North and South Pender.  This is a really neat spot with some sheltered bays, nice beaches and The Poet's Cove Resort and Spa which I only paddled past this time.  I stopped in for a hot lunch at the Port Browning Marina which was very nice.  "Good pub, nice facilities, quirky waitress" to quote my notebook entry that day.

I paddled further on that afternoon and had planned on camping at the first good looking beach I came across   I had done this in the summer time and there are plenty of nice beaches good enough to spend one night. The issue I ran into is that during the whole week of my trip we had some of the highest high tides of the year which really limited my options. I paddled on and finally found a nice beach that I figured would keep me above the high tide line....Just to be safe I woke up at 4am, about an hour before the high tide and checked the water.. .I was high enough and stayed dry.

I had a very early breakfast and got onto the water at first light. I started my paddle casually out of the bay and was greeted by a small pod of Orcas about 500 metres off shore.  I couldn't stop smiling as I just stood there and watched them cruise by. I could see one big dorsal fin and at least 2 smaller fins.  Sorry but no orca photos, it was still quite dark and my camera just couldn't capture them. This was my first orca experience on the water and it was neat to be on my own.  I normally like to share things with others but it was very early in the morning, end of November and there was a good chance I saw these whales all by myself.

 I crossed over to Mayne Island and pulled into Dinner Bay to check out the Japanese Garden I was told about before the trip.  It's a very well kept garden and I hope to go back and check it out in the spring time. There is a fair bit of Japanese history in the Gulf Islands going back over 100 years.  Most of the Japanese families came over from the Steveston\Richmond area to fish and some families stayed on the islands all year-round.  My Japanese Grandmother was born on Galiano and lived in the Gulf Islands until the Second World War when she and all other Japanese Canadians were put into internment camps. The park in Dinner Bay on Mayne Island has a few tributes to the Japanese families that were forced out during the war and just a few weeks ago my Grandma was given an honorary high school diploma because she was unable to finish high school due to the war.  Not a paddling story but it's a good story that is close to me and the Gulf Islands , Click here to see some more about this story.

The wind picked up while I was checking out the garden and when I got back onto the water, the trees were swaying and whitecaps were forming.  The forecast South East winds had arrived in full force.  They gave me a good push out of the bay and a bit of a side push on my way towards Active Pass.  I crossed Active Pass towards the end of the ebbing current which made the crossing quite calm.  There was still some good moving water but few waves and boils.  The ebbing tide also gave me a good push as I started my paddle along the West coast of Galiano.

 The winds were at my back, I had no more big crossings so it was time to put in some mileage.  I made it to Montague Harbour (my camp destination that day) before 11am.  Instead of setting up camp I figured I would ride the favorable winds and keep paddling.  I made a quick stop for lunch, checked in on Facebook and got back on the water. 16 km down and plenty more downwind daylight left!

Gulf Islands Solo Trip: Part 1 "Logistics"

What a trip! From the weather to the wildlife, everything went as planned and made for an unreal experience in the Gulf Islands.

This trip was a culmination of a few different goals that I had. I've never done a multi-day solo trip and I wanted to experience that to see if I could do it.   I wanted to experience the Gulf Islands without the summer crowds and I wanted to see if unsupported trips on a Stand Up Paddleboard were realistic and possible.  My goals were realized and I certainly gained a lot of insight into SUP tripping.

The Gulf Islands are not the most exposed and hardcore of paddling destinations but for my first solo trip I thought it would be a good choice.  That being said the Gulf Islands sure felt exposed when you are by yourself at the end of November.  The only boats I saw were ferries and the only sign of human life was the smoke coming from the chimneys of the warm dry year-round island residents.  I was not short on company though.  Regular visits from seals, sea lions, otters, deer, eagles, racoons and one pod of orcas kept me pretty entertained.  With no one to talk to for 5 days I did find myself saying hello to all of the animals I came across....pretty one-sided conversations most of the time.

I knew in the winter time the prevailing wind on our coast comes from the South East.  This made my decision to go from South to North quite easy. Unfortunately, the South East winds are also usually associated with a lot of wet weather.  I packed my good rain gear, two tarps and my drysuit.  I wouldn't do this trip without a drysuit.  It kept me dry during the rainy days and gave me a lot more confidence when conditions got a little bit more rough.  There's also no way I would have woke up at 6am in the dark and the rain and put on a wetsuit.  They are a bit pricy but if you are thinking of doing any kind of winter, multi-day trips you need a drysuit...and Kokatat makes the best ones (shameless plug).

 I got dropped off at the Tsawassen Ferry Terminal and walked onto the ferry with my board on wheels and gear on the deck.  I could do a whole post just on the specific gear but for this trip I really appreciated having wheels, a camp chair and the K15.  Kayak wheels were the only way I was going to get my board and gear on and off the ferry by myself and the camp chair doubled as a board stand while I was waiting.  The Starboard K15 is the only board I considered using for this trip because of it's length, but most of all the dugout deck that allowed me to stow my gear securely on board.  During the trip I had a lot of waves wash over the deck and I was glad to have my gear secured on the board.

After making a mad run off the ferry in Victoria ahead of the off-loading cars, the ferry workers guided me to the exit gate that gave me access to a nice put in beach that I have used before to get onto the water.  I packed my gear onto the board, strapped it down, put on my drysuit and took a moment before getting on the water.  I wasn't prepared for this moment of nervousness that I experienced.  I had a few thoughts of 'why am I doing this' as I looked out onto the water and ahead at how far I was planning on going.  I thought some more about the awesome adventure I was about to go on, I started paddling and immediately felt better about the whole trip.

One of the few things that made me nervous during the trip was ferry and shipping traffic.  99% of the time I was near shore and well out of ferry and shipping lanes but occasionally I needed to make some crossings or leave ports.  A little preparation goes a long way and knowing the ferry schedule was very helpful throughout the trip.  It also gave me a little bit of extra entertainment trying to guess when the 9 o'clock ferry would make the turn out of Active Pass.  During crossings and entering ports I also monitored the shipping traffic channels on my VHF radio.  Big ships need to call into Victoria traffic at certain points so it was nice to hear where ships were throughout the trip.  Getting more advanced, I also dabbled with an App called shipfinder which gives you a real time display of ships on the water.  I wasn't able to use it while paddling but it's a neat app if you want to take a look at what ships or ferries might be heading your way.

My first paddle was about 11km into a light headwind towards Saltspring Island.  The board felt heavy with all my gear and a headwind didn't help.  My cruising speed was quite slow which made me really think about running into adverse conditions.  SUP's are hard enough to paddle in any wind that isn't at your back, but when you add the extra gear weight it made getting out of tough conditions more challenging.  This is really where I felt vulnerable compared to my previous trips in a kayak.

I had a calm and clear first night with a beautiful full moon.  I had a quiet night and enjoyed what I knew would be the only dry night of my trip.  The next day I had planned for about 25km of paddling through the Pender Islands.

Check back in for Part 2 of my trip coming soon!