Mountain & Sea Guides

The Broughton Archipelago by Sea Kayak

10th to 16th September 2007
by Will Brown

‘Telegraph Cove’ was the put-in point. A small settlement on the North Eastern shores of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Canada’s a big place. From the UK you can reach the east coast in about 6 or 7 hours, but it takes another 4 to reach the west coast! The reward is there in spades though … for Vancouver City, its surroundings and its neighbouring island by the same name, are sights to behold.

Under the direction of our guide, wee Mike (explanation later) from Mountain and Sea Guides, Applecross, Scotland, we 5 intrepid adventurers converged on Vancouver city at various times in a 24 hour period. We did the usual bonding thing over a few beers on Saturday eve, paid various visits to the Mountain Equipment Co-op for last-minute gear, and took internal flights / buses to Port Hardy on Sunday and Monday for a re-union at Telegraph Cove and a departure on our 7 day expedition on Monday afternoon. (Mike and the group had shopped for provisions in Port McNeil that morning, all very convenient for me arriving on a fog-delayed internal flight around 3pm!).

Expedition day One: Under blue skies and a scorching evening sun, we set off, heading south along the island’s east coastline, towards Kaikash Creek beach, and its relatively well equipped camp site (i.e. composting toilet with roof, and designated camp fire site). We heard humpback whales as we sat around the campfire that night – expertly identified by Kate, a local kayak guide leading another group.

Expedition day Two: Mike had courageously set a fairly ambitious route for the week. It would take us around much of the Broughton Archipelago, completing a substantial circuit and risking getting ‘cut off’ from the main island had weather conditions conspired against us. We crossed Johnstone Strait on our first full day, where we encountered strong tides (though with Mike’s guidance avoided the 14 knot peak!) and cruise ships.

We camped on Mound Island that night, and met up with 4 other paddlers – all guys in their late 50’s + (one was 72, the one who had recently cycled the full length of Africa!) just taking time out (in one case about 10 days out) to paddle these delightful waters.

After paddling, faffing was another key activity of the trip. But it has to be acknowledged that faffing time reduced significantly as we became re-acquainted with camp craft skills which were in some cases (mine included) somewhat rusty!! One thing that led to delays occasionally – and this was in the mornings – was that you couldn’t take off and pack your nice warm, dry, overnight gear, until you were ready to put on your damp paddling gear, and you couldn’t put on your damp paddling gear until you had, shall we say, attended to the natural things your body tends to do in the mornings … and when your body clock is suddenly thrown 8 hours out of kilter this can be a problem!

Expedition day Three: We took a slight detour first thing next morning to view a Petroglyph on the Northern side of Berry island. The faded image of 2 stern looking eyes painted on a rock face suggested to us that this was a place we shouldn’t land, and sure enough, just a few hundred meters along, was a sign stating in black and white that this was a First Nations burial ground and that landing was prohibited.

Echo Bay was our destination that day. Spurred on by promises of a whiskey re-fuelling depot (we’d been generous towards other paddlers on the first 2 nights … and OK, had a few wee drams ourselves too …) we covered around 26 kms that day, under blistering sun-shine. It was a pure delight - flat calm conditions as we paddled ‘topless’ across Knight inlet, through Retreat Passage (stopping at Health Bay for a brief lunch on the beach and a chat with the natives on their quad bikes). Alas, on arrival at Echo Bay, the store could only provide us with 0.5% low alcohol beer and a few bars of chocolate … but needless to say, we made the most of these and the late afternoon sun to air some gear and chill out!

The 5 ‘punters’ in the group were Mark from Bedford, Ian from Wicklow then Bangor, Clive from Essex then Australia then Essex again, Big Mike from Bristol and me, Will, from N Ireland. Wee Mike was weeer than Big Mike – and that’s as far as the explanation goes!

Expedition day Four: Our fourth day on the water brought the reward of our first Orca sighting as we headed west along Fife Sound! We saw some wild splashing in the distance and the sight of 4 or 5 big dorsal fins, viewed through my monocular was quite daunting. The group split as they passed us – the big bull headed down the north side of the Sound while the mother, calf and others passed close by. A real treat – Mike even commented on how the pressure was off now! We paddled on … and on … that day. Our first potential campsite in Dusky Cove on Bonwick Island was dismissed upon the discovery of a huge, fresh bear sh** beside the only tent pitch so we paddled on … clocking up 34 kms before landing on Owl Island just before dark! That was a cracker wee spot with a nice viewing point where we could watch whale activity into the late evening.

Expedition day Five: On the morning of our fifth day on the water, we set off in fairly foggy conditions and soon heard the voluminous blows of hump back whales. As the fog lifted, we were treated to the sight of these huge animals surfacing and occasionally beating their tails on the water. A few times, we’d witnessed seagulls in frenzy over a bait ball – an ever-revolving ball of small fish, each attempting to evade capture by individually trying to remain in the centre of the ball. If the seagulls’ excitement doesn’t abate, it’s usually a sign of mammal activity below the surface, keeping the fish within reach. Today, sure enough, a huge humpback’s head soon broke the surface, mouth open following a successful scoop! We were entertained by this for over half an hour, but eventually tore ourselves away to seek out a suitable camp, which we eventually found at the end of Double Bay on Hanson Island.

Expedition day Six: We were well within reach of Telegraph Cove by this stage and were able to explore the Plumper Islands before making a leisurely crossing of Johnstone Strait to spend our last night where we spent our first, at Kaikash Creek. And do you know what, it rained! And this was a good thing, for it reminded us how lucky we had been all week! My bivvy bag proved to be less than water tight, but things improved when I braved the elements at 3 a.m. and tied my ground sheet between trees as a shelter.

Expedition Day Seven: It just made the comforts of Telegraph Cove all the more appealing. And the wind got up too, so we had a nice 11 km push into a headwind on our last day, getting into Telegraph Cove around lunchtime.

So what a fantastic week on the water, in the wilds of British Columbia. Good weather, good company, amazing scenery. I did think a few times (about 7) that more breakfast would be good, but then again, this tended to bring out the hunter-gatherer instinct a bit more – no doubt all part of Mike’s efforts to ensure we got the most out of the trip! And we didn’t get eaten by killer whales or bears (some of the group heard bears turning boulders on the beach in the early mornings looking for crabs), and amazingly not even nibbled by midges or mosquitoes. Any of these things (some more than others) could so easily have dented our enjoyment of the trip. But no, all perfect. Full marks. Highly recommended!

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