a kayak - Wavelength Paddling Magazine

The BC Marine Trail
by John Kimantas
It was a day of perfect paddling conditions
when passing through the Bunsby Islands
on a trip following the new West Coast
Vancouver Island North Marine Trail.
Official status to the route along the wildest coast
of Vancouver Island will ensure passage through
some of the world’s most spectacular scenery and
the best kayaking imaginable. It is a route truly
On my first run down the outside of Vancouver Island by
kayak, Cape Scott served up a thrashing. The cape is the
northwestern-most point of land on Vancouver Island, and it
was deceivingly calm as I passed the cape’s resident sea lion
rookery at dawn. Rubbery whiskered noses snorted at me as
they surfaced beside the kayak. I lingered absently, unaware
of how my leisurely approach was working against me. No
sooner was I past the lighthouse than the wind picked up
from the south. In moments I was fighting vicious wind
waves of several feet, coupled with an adverse and growing
current. My progress slowed to a crawl, and to make matters
worse, the current kept trying to push me towards the
cape’s sharp reefs. My GPS kept dropping to a reading of
0.0 kmh – too slow to be measured. By doubling my effort
the end of the peninsula slowly crept into view. There the
current seemed to release me, and I managed to drop into
the relative safety of Lowrie Bay. I did have ample time to
recover, though – the next two days were spent waiting out
a storm.
My second crossing was more peaceful but eery. The
wind behaved, leaving just a gentle swell. The reefs loomed
in and out of view, causing us to constantly second-guess
where they were hidden, while a heavy mist made the
background surreal.
Both instances left indelible memories, as did most of the
rest of the outer coast of Vancouver Island. The run from
Port Hardy to Tofino, a distance of about 800 kilometres by
kayak, covers the best of the coast of British Columbia in a
run remarkable in so many ways. The rugged nature, the
isolation, the diversity of scenery and the varied and rich
ecology is remarkable. In addition, each region has its own
particular attractions and charm. Given that it is so wild and
uninhabited the need to formalize a route like this might
seem unnecessary – after all, most is Crown land (that is,
public) or already protected as parkland. But consider that it
might not always be this way.
A wakeup call for the kayaking community in British
Columbia was the advent of the Maa-Nulth Treaty in 2006.
More than a century overdue, the treaty served to right
wrongs left over from British colonization that eroded
12 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SPRING 2011