Desolation Sound 1, British Columbia Canada 2010

[lofty]

Hi All !

Here are some pictures of the beautiful ocean kayaking that can be had up here in British Columbia, Canada. Desolation Sound is perfect for beginners who had appropriate lessons ...warm, relatively sheltered waters, some cell phone reception and plenty of boats should help be needed. My friend Greg loved it....it was his first kayak trip, having had only a lesson before. We rented the kayaks in oakover inlet from an outfitter. To get there it took the better part of one day from Vancouver... 2 ferries plus driving.


Because the waters are warm....Pendrell Sound boasts the warmest waters north of the sea of cortez..... oysters grow in abundance and with it come oyster farms outside the Marine Park Boundary. Neither of us liked oysters, but on an earlier trip in the area my buddies feasted on oysters... despite warnings of red tide and lived :)

It took about 5 hrs to get to the Curmes Island where we would spend two nights. Unfortunately the tide turned against us as we were paddling through Malaspina Strait, and upon entering Desolation sound we had some rough water for a little while. The coastline is pretty steep in most spots so having a map and locating landing sites is important. After lunch the wind died down a bit and we could cross over to the Curmes Islands with ease. The Curmes area bunch of small Islets set aside for kayak campers.. there not being good moorage for sailboats. We found a prime spot on the islet with the outhouse....nice ! It is encouraged to use the outhouse as the Islets are rocky, small and without deep soil... so leaving ones mess around just isn`t nice


Day 2 saw us Paddle up into Prideaux Haven.... a popular yacht/sailboat moorage where we had lunch. Afterward we paddled back and over to Tenedos bay ( another Yacht/sailboat moorage) and hiked up to Unwin Lake for a cleansing swim in nice warm water. Arrived back at the Curmes at dinner time and enjoyed the sunset.

Even though the area is popular with Sailors and Yachters we didn't see too many out on the water. It was in the designated anchorages that we saw them.. hidden in various coves. We found paddling at low tide was the best for seeing the wildlife.... beautiful starfish of variuos types, yellyfish, birds, seals.



google map link:http://maps.google.com/maps?t=k&hl=e...,0.338173&z=12

The full set with labelled pictures are here : http://www.flickr.com/photos/anja1/s...7626152051465/

[Alex]

That looks awesome, thanks for the TR!

[Shan]

This is awesome! I love this: mountains, greenery and water!

Did it rain at all? What did you do for drinking water?

[Sombeech]

awesome report

[lofty]

shan....no rain.....we carried all our water from the start. the water sources are pretty unreliable on many of the islands....many have none. Unwin Lake is freshwater, has a campsite but it's not as nice there as on the Curmes Island.

When kayaking I tend to bring food that is fresh, canned, rather than dehydrated foods. Potatoes cook quite nicely in saltwater