Vancouver_Magazine_May_2017

VANMAG.COM MAY 2017 91

KAYAK COASTER CHANNEL: BOOMER JERRITT/TOURISM VANCOUVER ISLAND; SEA LIONS: TOM HARTLEY; STARFISH: R. BERGSMA

My stomach churns at the thought of

battling swells. I’m prone to seasickness

and the whitecapped waves lapping in the

distance do not look inviting. We decide

to stick to the shoreline, but we still have

to cross the Coaster Channel to reach the

protected inner islands.

The first part is the worst. Straining

with each stroke, I shoulder-check for

the shore and we are barely moving.

I’m not the only one struggling. I catch

sight of my friend Chloe, the lea st

experienced paddler in the group, and

see my own silent terror reflected in her

colourless face. At one stage, the lurching

swell picks up her kayak and she nearly

disappears from sight.

We somehow make the crossing

unscathed, friendships and marriages

intact. It’s easy to laugh about your

fears from the safet y of the shallows,

but battling the wind makes me

uncomfortably aware of nature’s

hazardous power. This is truly the

wilderness—there isn’t a soul in sight.

We agree to avoid open water and

instead spend the afternoon exploring

beaches and sea caves on Dicebox and

Effingham. Reaching the Gilbert Island

campsite, we see it’s completely deserted

except for one surprised deer. Sunlight

breaks through the island’s thick forest

canopy in soft streams, g iv ing the area a

sparkling, almost fairy-like feel.

And then we hear it: that eerie, high-

pitched buzzing just on the edge of our

ears’ capabilities. At just 10 minutes

in, jumping around wildly, we christen

the campsite “Mosquito Island.” The

bloodsuckers are undeterred by our bug

spray, so we quickly build a smoky fire

to ward them off. Still, armed w ith the

day’s stories and a bag of cheap red wine,

there’s nowhere I’d rather be.

Calm seas and sunshine greet us on

day three, so our party of seven shoves off

early for Gibraltar Island. We encounter a

river otter fighting a spunky crab on land

and a sea otter casually lolling on its back

in the ocean as we slowly navigate to our

final campsite.

By the time we reach Gibra ltar, we feel

like old hands—salty sea dogs who can

navigate a web of islands, start campfires,

spin stories, paddle through wind and

waves, and, most importantly, stay alive.

The local Tseshaht First Nation beach-

keepers drop by to check our permits and

share the story of how the first Tseshaht

man and woman brought life to the area:

a cut from the man’s side created the “life

pulse” and the population of children

created the scattered islands.

We celebrate our last night with

a smorgasbord of food (smokies,

cheese, packet curry and at least four

types of candy), card games, and an

evening paddle on still waters. My

paddle dips into the black, and much

to my amazement, the ocean below

instantly explodes with blue fireworks

of bioluminescence. Each stroke sprays

illuminated droplets that cascade off the

kayak and streak back into the water.

Our short moonlit journey to a

protected cove highlights the magic

of Broken Group: it’s at once silent

and teeming with life, big and empty,

beautiful and terrifying. This is the

perfect ending to a truly West Coast

adventure—all on our own steam.

FIELD

NOTES

Getting There

FROM VANCOUVER

Catch a BC Ferries

sailing from Horseshoe

Bay or Tsawwassen to

Nanaimo, or fly direct

to Nanaimo or Tofino.

FROM VANCOUVER ISLAND

Taking a boat from

Vancouver Island to the

Broken Group Islands is

recommended for beginners,

to avoid the open water

crossing. Lady Rose Marine

Services (ladyrosemarine

.com) runs trips from Port

Alberni and Ucluelet to

Coaster Channel

Sechart Lodge, north of

the national park, and

offers kayak rentals.

GUIDED TOUR

Providers: Majestic Ocean

Kayaking (oceankayaking

.com), Wildheart Adventures

(kayakbc.com), DSK Guiding

(dskguiding.com) and Batstar

Adventures (batstar.com).

PRO TIP

Peak season is mid-July

through August. To avoid

crowds visit May to April, or

September to early October.

Be Prepared

Pack a compass, nautical

charts #3670 and #3671,

and tide and current tables

(refer to Tofino tables). A cell-

phone, GPS and marine VHF

radio are recommended. See

the Parks Canada Broken

Group Islands 2016 Paddler’s

Preparation Guide (pc

.gc.ca) for more info.

Fresh water is not

guaranteed; plan for four

litres per person, per day.

All group members should

have basic paddling

skills and be able to read

weather conditions, maps

and tide charts. MEC North

Vancouver (events.mec.ca)

runs free introductory marine

navigation courses.

Camping fees apply

May 1 to September 30

(but all national parks are

free for Canada’s 150th

birthday in 2017).