Browning Passage

The forecast was for extreme heat throughout most of BC so it seemed like a good idea to head for Port Hardy. Cold pacific waters moderate temperatures in the area. The forecast was for fine weather but some wind to start with. We dawdled a bit in the morning and then left Courtenay at 10:00am, hoping that the wind might drop, otherwise, we'd stay in Hardy and start out early the next day.

We arrived at the Port Hardy waterfront just after 1:00pm to flat water in Hardy Bay. We decided to launch. A well meaning passer-by told us that parking was not safe in the area, so I drove by the nearby police station for guidance and possible parking. The staff informed me that property damage is rare in Hardy, so I parked the car near the government wharf and we set out.

We could feel the wind picking up and by the time that we reached the north-west part of the bay in less than an hour; it was obvious that it would be hard work to push further up Goletas Channel, so we stayed at NW Hardy Bay campsite, that I had found on the Marine Trails website. It turned out to be quite nice, with good views and 2 small streams. There isn't much room for tents on the stone beach, but we leveled out a spot and slept above a significant high tide without incident.

Calm conditions greeted us on our second day for our crossing of Goletas Channel. We passed between Hurst and Bell islands into a calm Queen Charlotte Strait. We were on an ebb current that made paddling easy as we cruised by kelp beds on the north side of Hurst Island.

We entered Christie Passage and set up camp around the corner from the lodge. The small bay had completely emptied out, so it was a little extra work to carry the gear and kayaks to the camp area.

We then scooted over to the Lodge and talked with the owner for permission to land and snorkel around the dock; he granted it without hesitation. I suited up and then jumped in, while Sheila had a dry look at the creatures living on the dock. Sheila was more successful with the camera than I was.

We then returned to our nearby campsite, "Christie Passage". From the camp, it was a short walk to a flowing creek. We collected water and allowed it to warm up in the sun for a bucket shower. It wasn't the best of campsites largely because it was recessed from the passage, but it was OK. We had a short paddle the following day in order to set ourselves up for the low tide, mid morning.

The tide was fairly high when we launched in the morning. And we made our way, sometimes in eddies and other times against the current until we go out into Goletas Channel to enjoy the ebb current.

We passed by Nolan Point campsite (we had camped there on our previous trip) and there was a group of 4 North-Vancouverites almost ready to launch and go onto VanSittart Island campsite. We had also been there on the first trip, so we stayed focused and continued onto the central Browning Passage campsite of "Balaklava Island Booms". The tides were significant (0-5.2m, that is 17 foot), which created stronger currents and most importantly, very low tides, ideal for snorkeling.

"Balaklava Island Booms" is a fine campsite with camping on the edge of the forest. The gravel beach is good for landing at all tides. There is even a small seasonal creek (it was a trickle when we were there) with pools (and frogs) for water rich in organic materials.

I jumped in, had a quick look at the kelp gardens in front of the stone beach, but I was lured by the fast moving water and went down the "gentle"rapids through the kelp. It was easy to move from the fast current into the eddy, that seemed to move fast in the opposite direction. There were moon jellies flying around in all directions in the current.

Finishing up in front of the campsite, we got into the kayaks and crossed the passage. I was still wearing the wet-suit but we were a little late for slack current. so we reconnoitered the main wall and found a pull-out for the following day.

The following morning, we had till 10:30 am for the low tide, so we went for a paddle into rather grand sounding Port Alexander. It is a long, sheltered bay/inlet on Nigei Island, on the west side of Browning Passage. We were quite impressed by the marine life along the eastern shore, that must get a fair current on the ebb. The gravel beach at the back of the bay is choked with logs and wood. While Sheila continued to check out the anemones, I jumped out, looking for a creek. Nothing flowed out to the beach, so I wandered along an obvious trail. A few minutes later, I came across a beautiful creek and I braved the mosquitoes and horseflies to fill up on water, that we could use later for a bucket bath.

We caught the ebb current back to the campsite and I suited up and took the plunge again.

The opening act was excellent, but we didn't want to miss the main event, the Browning Wall at slack current, low tide. We paddled across the passage and then I hauled my kayak up onto some rocks and hopped in the 11C water. Our timing was excellent as I didn't detect any current. There were sections of the wall that looked like it went a long way down . I didn't have a weight belt on, so I could only bob about on the surface.

After a couple of hours in the water that day, it started to feel colder than a Malaysian air-con bus (freezing). We returned to camp for soup and lunch. We relaxed for the rest of the day. It is surprising how much energy is used floating about in cold Pacific waters. Temperatures rose through the afternoon reaching about 29C. Further south on the island, temperatures were 37C and in the mid 40'sC in other places in BC.

The following morning, we changed camps. We caught the ebb current out of Browning Passage out to Queen Charlotte Strait and pushed up into the current towards Bell Island.

The original plan was either to find an interesting snorkel location or paddle the Gordon Islands. After setting up camp, it didn't look like there was much current flowing in the Bell Island area so the snorkeling didn't look especially appealing. We started to paddle east and passed Heard Island into the Gordon Islands. The wind started to fill in and we opted to slowly return to camp rather than fight a strong headwind later through the afternoon. We were back at the campsite by 1:00pm.

Bell Island was the first camp that we shared with other kayakers (two from North Vancouver). We were all planning to return to Port Hardy the following day. The earlier marine forecast was a typical NW 10-20 knots for the following day (normally light in the morning and picking up in the afternoon). But that changed on us and we realized a little too late that the next day was going to be different from the normal pattern with stronger winds through the night, only easing a little in the morning. We kicked ourselves a few times. We could have crossed over Goletas Channel late morning and stayed at one of the Vancouver Island campsites such as Songhees Creek. Bell Island campsite is not one the best in the area because it is affected by the sight and rumble of a large fish farm.

We all organized ourselves for an early start. The wind did kick up through the night and about 2:00 a.m. and we were treated to an hour long amazing but terrifying electrical show above our tent. A strong high pressure system was moving in on the "heat dome" and the friction kicked up thunderstorms. At one point, the lightening and thunder occurred simultaneously and lit everything up pretty good.

We were on the water at 6:08am. The wind had eased but we were left with choppy seas. We paddled over to Duncan Island that would provide some protection from wind and waves. It went well and we could see that Goletas Channel was passable, so we carried on, paying full attention to the waves. Once we had made the bulk of the crossing, we pointed our kayaks down-wind and then pulled into the protection of Duvall Island and on to protected Hardy Bay. It was cloudy as we pulled up to Port Hardy before 8:00am. Once we had loaded up the gear and kayaks, we stopped for a couple of egg muffins at A&W and picked up a few food items at Save On Foods. We drove south, arriving at home by early afternoon.

During our stay, we spotted humpback whales, porpoises, sea lions, seals, sea otters (even in Hardy Bay), eagles, and rhinoceros auklets. It was another great Vancouver Island kayak trip!