We took down our tents and ate breakfast on the little rock shelf, away from the mosquitos. We had planned going through Dodd/FalseNarrows somewhere near slack, but we got there at full ebb. It turns out that we can work our way up the shore of False Narrows even against the current, and we eventually pop out in a bay south of Nanaimo. Dodging a tug pulling logs and another pulling barges, we sprint past Duke Bay as a ferry arrives, and fighting headwinds and 2 1/2 foot seas, we make our way across the entrance of Nanaimo Bay to Protection Island, and by early afternoon we scoot into Newcastle Park. The channel between Protection Island and Newcastle Island is so shallow, we have to walk/drag our kayaks up the channel to the park. We watch nine Japanese girls try to carry a loaded kayak up the beach. They are all grunting and groaning. Why they don't empty the boat first I don't understand.
Newcastle is a beautiful park, with showers (yay!), totem poles, and a beautiful view of Nanaimo across the bay. We each take a shower, shave and wolf down a sandwich and fries at the concessionaire. This whole east side trip won't be so bad after all. I wasn't expecting such an amenity filled trip. I've eaten out for lunch twice now. No wonder I'm having a hard time finishing dinner.
After a couple hours of relaxation, we headed on into rising winds and we aim for Maude Island, the first of an island chain near the Ballenas Islands. I never even heard of these islands before this trip. Maude Island turns out to be a rock, but we find a spot where we could get our boats in (over rocks) and clear away rocks for a tent spot. The sunset and view of the other islands is beautiful though, and we might be one of only a small handful of people that camp here.