Barkley Sound Kayak Trip 2023

Neither of us had paddled at all in 2023, so we went for a easy, "shake-down" kayak trip from Quadra. We drove from home in the afternoon and took one of the new ferries over to Quadra and continued to the Hoskyn Channel ramp (NE Quadra). It was a mid-tide, so launching was no problem. High tide at the ramp can be a little challenging. We didn't really have a game plan, but we started across Hoskyn Channel towards the pleasant Freedom Point campsite, but we could see three kayakers over in that direction and figured they might be camping there, so we changed tack and paddled over to east Surge Narrows to an informal campsite just inside one of the Surge Narrows rapids and camped there (Goepel Island). 

On the second day, we launched with some care (Goepel Island does not have the greatest of landings) and cruised out of Surge Narrows. The current was changing over to a flood (against us)  so we kept a steady pace up the Okosillo Channel and landed on Fransisco Island to set up camp there before the currents kicked up.  We wandered around the island a bit, but it was a relaxing afternoon, to say the least.  There is now a guestbook at the campsite, and someone recently had made an attempt to add campsites (in deep salal bush, away from the main camp). According to the guestbook, someone had stayed there a week earlier.

We would have stayed a second night at Fransisco Island and used it as a base, but when the flood current kicks up, it can be problematic to return to camp from Waiatt Bay. We headed over to the bay, set up camp on "Waiatt Bay islet" (we hadn't stayed there before)  before paddling over to the Waiatt Bay footpath for a stroll over to Small Inlet.  We talked to some yachties from Washington State while we were on land, and then we paddled back to our camp, which was somewhat secluded and away from the anchorages (we counted ten cruisers in the bay).

We didn't have to hurry in the morning, because we had to time our paddle with the turn at Surge Narrows, but we got on the water a little after 8:00am and paddled through a benign Surge Narrows at the turn, loaded the boats on the car at a low tide and caught a noon ferry back to Vancouver Island. 

It had been a relaxing trip but it awakened our paddling muscles. Although we had seen a few kayaks south of Surge Narrows on the first afternoon, we didn't see any after that. The rapids at Surge Narrows seem to keep the kayak traffic down.

The forecast was for wind mostly everywhere around Vancouver Island, but Barkley Sound looked promising, so we packed up and drove to Bamfield. We stopped at the Thai Smile restaurant on the outskirts of Coombs for lunch along Hwy 4, then drove past the Cameron Bluffs fire. We passed through Port Alberni and drove the 8okm of gravel road to Bamfield. We took a look at the municipal camping area and Port Desire (ramp for the next day's launch) and opted to camp at Pachena Bay. We learned that the Highway 4 had closed indefinitely . The campground was not busy and it the sites are nicely spread out.  I realized that I had forgotten to bring a rain coat to the west coast, but it mattered little.

 We had been through Bamfield a few times for the West Coast Trail. Although we had been to the Broken Group on three previous occasions (always from Ucluelet), we had not been to the Deer Group, nor launched from Bamfield.

Day 1 Bamfield - Gilbert Island, 17km. 

It took us a while to get organized but we launched from Port Desire at 9:30am and paddled across Trevor Channel to the Deer Group. Conditions were calm, swells were slight so after a brief stop at Diana East Beach, we carried on across Imperial Eagle Channel. It took about an hour and half into a slight wind and small swells to reach Effingham Island. We stretched our legs at a beach before continuing onto the  Gilbert Island campsite, arriving around 1:00 pm. 

There were three tents set up in the forest at the western end of the beach but the sites at the other end of the beach were all ours, so we set up there. We talked with the group of four (from lower Mainland & Sunshine Coast) when they returned to camp. The beach is not particularly wide, but it is divided by rocks so it mostly felt like we had the place to ourselves. We had a Thai coconut soup with potatoes and veggies for dinner and had our only campfire of the trip. Fog rolled in later that evening.

Day 2 Gilbert Island - Clarke Island, 18km

It didn't fog out in the morning, we had just west coast cloud to start the day. We got off to a somewhat relaxed start, on the water at 8:30 am. The foursome at the other end of the beach launched a little after us, but they were heading in the direction of Toquart Bay (Secret Beach). We had paddled on the outside of Effingham Island before, and this time we kept on the west side and headed out to Cree Island on the edge of the Pacific rollers. We took a look at the battered south east corner of Cree and then we carried on along the outside (west) of Howell Island. We paddled the north shore of Woover and stopped at what was once a campsite before carrying on to Benson Island.  We pulled up on the east beach of Benson and I walked a little ways up the small creek and collected some fresh water.  We reached the Clarke Island camp/beach at 11:30 and lifted our gear and kayaks a ways up at low tide.

We knew that the Clarke campsite might be busy, but it is such a beautiful place. In the past, we have paddled directly to Clarke from Ucluelet, but in shoulder seasons. We arrived to one tent and a couple from Denman Island. They advised us that a guided group of 8 was was on the way, and they did indeed arrive in the afternoon. As the tide came up in the mid-afternoon, we went for a leisurely paddle around Clarke. We had enough fresh water from Benson island, so we took bush showers. Everything was settled, the guided group hung out at the far east of the beach and then a small flotilla of double kayaks arrived early evening.  It was a rambunctious multi-family group from Kelowna with a story of their long drive on wrong logging roads because of the Highway 4 closure. 

Day 3 Clarke Island to Gibraltar Island, 20km

We were on the water by 8:00am, under cloudy skies that would develop into light drizzle by afternoon. We kept along the west side of Turret Island and landed on one of the Faber islets  for a hygiene break. We kept a good distance from the Faber Islet seal haul-out, but when one goes, they mostly all go. Before we  knew it, most of the seals were in the water. We passed Wiebe, Dempster and Gibraltar islands on the east, open side and admired some of the sea caves. We reached the Gibraltar camp at 10:30am to meet a large school group who were getting set to leave.. We weren't sure how busy the campsite might get, so we pitched our tent at a mostly secluded spot at the west end of the beach. As it turned out, just one other paddler stayed at the camp that night. 

After lunch, we set out on a tour around Nettle Island. It rained a bit late afternoon, but we stayed dry under the large cedar trees.

Day 4  Gibraltar Island (Broken Group) to Stud Islet (Deer Group), 19km

I had been keeping an eye on the marine/wind forecasts, on my phone. There is a cell tower on Mt Ozzard and cell reception is available in much of Barkley Sound. The forecast was for light morning winds and we left Gibraltar camp before 8:00am and  paddled across Imperial Eagle Channel in an hour with a slight tail wind and swells to the rugged outside of Swiss Boy Island. After passing through the Meade islets, we pulled up at Stud Islet, part of the Deer Group. There was a tarp up and we could see three kayaks pulled up on the beach. It turns out, the other kayakers were all leaving. It is a lovely spot, and I can appreciate why they lingered till noon, even if the winds did pick up in the afternoon. Later on, we paddled into Holford Bay for water collection for bush showers.. The clouds cleared late in the day. Stud islet is a beautiful campsite, however it did catch the afternoon wind that made it feel cool.

Day 5 Stud Islet to Diana Island, 20km

Clear skies greeted us and we pushed off around 8:00am, back through the Meade islets and on the rugged inside, eastern shore of Swiss Boy Island, before heading to the Tzartus Island shoreline, scouting for fresh water. We weren't successful (non-critical, we had sufficient drinking/cooking water). We passed by the arch at the SW corner of Tzartus  and we kept on the west side of Fleming. With larger swells and a light wind creeping in, we shifted to the protected, eastern side of Sandford Island before crossing over bumpy Satellite Passage. We went behind Helby and then over to Diana and pitched up on the northeast campsite. The tide was low, so it was longer carry. Sheila was hit hard by sea sickness and took it easy, and I wandered the extensive shoreline at various tide levels. It is a nice campsite, largely protected from wind, and it offered more great views.

Day 6 Diana Island, Edward King Island  to Port Desire, 20km

 We left the tent up and started paddling at 7:30 a.m. on the west side of Diana, then past Dodger Channel to the northwest corner of Edward King Island. The conditions became more challenging with every paddle stroke, so we elected to paddle the protected eastern side of Edward King. It is an impressive, rugged shoreline with a number of caves and an arch. We paddled along until we were exposed to the Pacific. Sheila was feeling the effects of the outside swells and we kept to the inside of the Edward King and Diana on the return, and we got back to camp a little after 10:30am. 

With a forecast of big winds the following day, we opted to break camp and head back to Bamfield. The wind picked up on Trevor Channel when we crossed over to Vancouver Island after lunch.  When we landed at Port Desire, we put our boats on the car and packed the gear up. Rather than a late afternoon drive home, we opted to return to Pachena Bay for the evening. It was quieter than a week earlier.  

Return Home

Most conversations with other people that week touched on the Highway #4 closure( wildfire and the falling debris). It was still closed, so we drove an additional 20km of gravel roads (100km of logging roads in total) to reach Youbou on Lake Cowichan. We passed by almost indifferent elk on the outskirts of Youbou. We stopped in Coombs at "Goats on the Roof" to pick-up a few food items and we had lunch at the "Thai Smile" restaurant before heading home. The trip worked out well, aside from some sea sickness.