For a couple years, I have dreamed of doing a trip around Vancouver Island, a rite of passage for many serious kayakers in our area.  While taking BCU 4* training sessions with Body Boat Blade, I met fellow paddlers Roy Massena and Andrew Feucht who were also interested in such an expedition.   Last year, the three of us finished a 12 day exploratory trip from Port Hardy to Zeballos, and after spending a couple more weekends at Hobuck Beach practicing rough-water rescues and surf landings, we felt that we had built up our experience and skills enough to take on the 42nd largest island in the world.  Due to work pressures, however, Andrew could only participate in the last two weeks of the trip.  Another experienced kayaker, Scott Hagerty, also decided to join us in Port Hardy to kayak Vancouver Island’s west coast.  

We planned to spend five weeks on our trip, starting and ending at Washington Park in Anacortes.   Our trip would take us through 700 nautical miles of coastline, ranging from urban to pristine. After months of preparation, we are finally ready.

Day 1 - Washington Park to Patos Island

June 25th - my birthday. Two pieces of birthday cake and party hats make a perfect sendoff for our voyage as Roy and I push off from Washington Park out into Rosario Strait. It's amazing how quickly conditions can change as the huge tidal current in the Strait travels across the various underwater features and reefs. Tide rips jump as we pass the Peapod Rocks and head up the east coast of Orcas Island. The water calms down again, and we aim our boats at the island chain north of Orcas: Clarke, Matia, Sucia and finally little Patos Island, where we settle in for the night. I wear neoprene shorts and a lightweight paddling top with vented neck to keep me cool on this hot, cloudless day, leaving my drysuit packed away for darker days. To our pleasant surprise, we will not see a single cloud for the next week.

Day 2