Sea-kayaking in Vancouver's wild islands

by John Owrid, Sunday Telegraph
April, 2011

The VHF radio crackled noisily as our water taxi pulled away from the jetty. The look on the driver's face completed the words eaten by the static interference. "There's a fishing boat missing," he eventually remarked, "a small boat, probably turned by a freak wave."
These are probably the last words you want to hear at the start of a family sea-kayaking adventure on the edge of the world's largest ocean. Yet perversely they added an appropriate touch of gravitas to our undertaking.

Our four-day trip was the highlight of a fortnight on Vancouver Island, which we'd largely spent on the sheltered coast that faces mainland Canada. The other coast, lining the island's western perimeter is its mirror opposite. Overlooking the Pacific Ocean it is exposed to every meteorological element in the book, from raking wind and surf to dense banks of fog.

Our destination was Spring Island, perched on the mouth of Kyuquot Sound, high on the north-west coast. Uninhabited during the winter, the island becomes a temporary encampment during the summer and a base for exploring enchanted temperate rainforests and glassy waters teaming with sea otters.

From the prow of our water taxi our destination initially appeared devoid of any sign of civilisation. Yet as the engines calmed to a mechanical purr we entered a small bay whose shoreline was sparsely punctuated by the familiar triangular shapes of tented roofs that would be our shelter for the next few days.

Once our party had clumsily unloaded onto the pebbled beach, all preconceptions about camping on an island were dismantled peg by peg. The settlement we'd reached wasn't just a camp but an architectural triumph, largely sculpted from materials brought in on the tide.
Washed-up timber posts supported a clear tarpaulin-clad kayaking equipment store, kitchen and dining area. Bleached seashells lined pathways and strategically placed solar panels, soaking up the rays of the surprisingly warm British Columbian sun, provided enough energy to make the appeal of the outdoor shower irresistible.

It would be an insult to the inventiveness of the place to call this temporary accommodation, yet everything we could see would be gone by the end of summer's lease. It was as if our host's goal was to leave not the faintest trace of occupancy.

Our own goal was to spend time on the water, yet we'd also heard that the island's interior repaid serious investigation and so it proved. Following a trail that was imperceptible to all but the highly trained eye, our guides led us into a densely green arboreal wonderland covered with ferns, moss and lichen. The cedar trees that formed the spine of this forest are estimated to be at least 1,000 years old and judging by their ample girth (sometimes some 70ft in circumference) were still in rude health.

The beauty of this everglade was obvious enough to the naked eye, though its more magical properties are only revealed by years of study. Luckily our guides weren't just able route masters, but masters in the botanical secrets of the forest. Plucking a stringy piece of lichen from one of the cedar trees they explained how this particular species (known as old man's beard) provided antiseptic healing properties when wrapped tightly around a flesh wound.
The morning of our first kayaking excursion arrived with a signature coastal mist, which was good news for the less confident members of our party as the lack of wind meant calmer waters. The restricted vision was also a boon to the art of propelling a double kayak, as it meant less visual distractions from the challenge of keeping rhythm with the person in front. As the colours of sky and sea melded into a gunmetal-grey our small armada of vessels snaked around the rocky outline of our island in search of sea otters.

On previous trips to Canada the sight of a sea otter was always a noteworthy event. Hunted to the precipice of extinction, these super-furry mammals have been making a slow journey back to critical mass.

Fortunately for us the waters of Kyuquot Sound have become the launch pads for this survival mission. As our flotilla edged out into more open water, what initially seemed yet another stretch of kelp undulating with the swell quickly became an entire raft of otters. As many as 100 bobbing heads formed a line broken by occasional splashes whenever one lost, and attempted to regain, its place. Our raft of kayaks lined up to watch this spectacle, imitating the otters' attempts to keep formation.

If there'd been any reservation that kayaking might just prove a rather laborious and inefficient form of water transport, the next few days capsized the notion completely. As the weather cleared to a series of golden days, our party took to the water each morning with an expectation of seeing the familiar from an entirely new perspective.

The seamless forested coast that we'd observed from our water taxi became a new world of breathtaking inlets and gullies, of overhanging trees and fresh water streams that we could navigate to implausibly shallow depths. While our limbs felt thoroughly exercised at the end of each day, the abiding memory wasn't the effort of getting about, but the shapes, sounds and colours of the world seen from our flotation tanks.

By the time our water taxi returned to collect us at the end of our four-day visit, we'd acquired the confidence of people who have tamed an unfamiliar world. Though in truth this was something of a conceit, as we learnt on discovering from our taxi driver that the fishing boat that went missing at the start of our trip had now been found, without any survivors.

ESSENTIALS

GETTING THERE
British Airways (0844 493 0787; www.britishairways.com) has daily return flights from Heathrow to Vancouver. Return flights start from £690 (based on a June departure).

There are several ways to reach Vancouver Island from the mainland. Pacific Coastal Airways (001 604 273 8666; www.pacificcoastal.com) flies to most of the significant towns on Vancouver Island from about £74 return per person. Harbour Air (274 1277; www.harbour-air.com) has a float-plane fleet that flies from downtown Vancouver to Victoria, as well as Nanaimo, a handy midpoint on the island’s east coast, from about £110 return.

As the best parts of Vancouver Island are mostly inaccessible by public transport it is also worth hiring a car and taking the ferry. BC Ferries (www.bcferries.com) runs services from Horseshoe Bay and Tsawwassen, a few miles north and south of downtown Vancouver respectively, to Victoria and Nanaimo. The 90-minute trip for a car and four passengers is approximately £50 one-way. It is essential to book well ahead for summer crossings.

West Coast Expeditions (250 338 2511; www.westcoastexpeditions.com) runs trips for paddlers (and non-paddlers) of all abilities from a fully catered base camp on Spring Island. Rates start at C$1,339/ £826 for four-day base camp trips.

PACKAGES
Audley Travel (01993 838000; www.audleytravel.com) in the UK has a selection of self-drive itineraries for Canada. The itinerary with the best coverage of Vancouver Island is the Western Wilderness and Wildlife trip that costs £2,650 per person, based on a midseason departure (June), two adults sharing and including a mid-grade hire car, scheduled international flights, airport taxes and mid-range hotel and b&b accommodation.

GETTING AROUND
The journey to the remote northwest corner of Vancouver Island is an adventure in its own right. If you are driving, the route to Fair Harbour involves an often spectacular trip along Highway 19 that cuts through the island’s coastal mountain range. The last leg of the journey is a slightly more taxing two-hour drive down a gravel-top logging road, where speeds rarely touch more than 30mph. At the end of this track is Fair Harbour – an impressive name for two wooden jetties and a “rough and tumble” (free) car park. At Fair Harbour you can get a water taxi (250 332 5301; www.voyagerwatertaxi.com) that will pick you up and take you directly to Spring Island.

THE INSIDE TRACK
Combine a trip to Spring Island with other first-class wildlife-viewing opportunities on Vancouver Island:
• Search for black bears along the shoreline at Tofino (summer round).
• View grizzly bears at Knight Inlet Lodge
(250 337 1953; www.grizzlytours.com), a remote lodge accessed by float plane from Campbell River (prime viewing time is in September, max 40 guests); or at Great Bear Lodge (250 949 9496; www.greatbeartours.com), a remote and intimate lodge accessed by float plane from Port Hardy (prime viewing in September, max 10 guests).
• See orca whales from Victoria’s Inner Harbour (June to September are the best months). Numerous operators offer three-hour trips by Zodiac or hard-hulled boat (250 953 2033; www.tourismvictoria.com).
• View tens of thousands of humpback whales as they migrate north from Mexico, along the Pacific coast of Vancouver Island (March).

WHEN TO GO
The best time to visit Vancouver Island is between the end of May and the middle of September. This is when the weather is the most benign and wildlife viewing is at its best. South West Expeditions runs a series of four-, five-, and seven-day trips to Spring Island, starting in mid-June and ending mid-eptember.

THE BEST HOTELS
Inn at Laurel Point, Victoria ££
On the Inner Harbour, this is the best base before or after a trip up the island. Most rooms have water views but the Erikson Wing rooms are recommended, with large marble bathrooms and spacious patios overlooking the harbour (250 386 8721; www.laurelpoint.com; doubles from C$149/£94 per night).

Wickaninnish Inn, Tofino £££
A member of the Relais&Chateaux group and offering a magnificent beachfront location on the west coast, comfortable and spacious accommodation, superb food and exemplary service. The spa is also first class (250 725 3100; www.wickinn.com; doubles from C$300/£190 per night).

Abigail’s Hotel, Victoria £££
Boutique property with 23 charming rooms, a few minutes’ walk from Victoria’s inner harbour. Summer season rates include complimentary wine and canapés served in the library each evening (250 388 5363; www.abigailshotel.com; C$323/£206 per night).

THE BEST RESTAURANTS
Sobo, Torfino ££ Started in a purple trailer selling sophisticated bohemian food (hence Sobo) to surfers. It built up such a cult following that it has now moved into much bigger premises in the centre of town. Seafood, pizzas and pasta from around C$14/£9 (311 Neill Street; 250 725 2341; www.sobo.ca).

Shelter Restaurant, Torfino ££
Despite the somewhat uninspiring name, the food served here includes some of the freshest seafood on the Pacific Coast. You can watch the float planes landing in the harbour while getting acquainted with some sockeye salmon. Around C$30/£20 (601 Campbell Street; 250 725 3353; www.shelterrestaurant.com).

Camille’s Restaurant, Victoria ££
Fine dining in romantic setting in the heart of downtown Victoria and a stone’s throw from the harbour. The restaurant is famous for using local produce and for some of its more exotic seafood dishes, such as wolf eel. Around CAN$50/£30 per head (45 Bastion Square; 250 381 3433; www.camillesrestaurant.com).

WHAT TO AVOID
• Travelling out of season. Many restaurants on Vancouver Island close and most day trips and wildlife trips do not operate.
• Large mass market wildlife trips – the best ones are small groups led by expert guides.
• Trying to see too much. Allow time to explore the beauty of Vancouver Island without having to pack up and move on every other day.