A Maiden's Voyage: Around Vancouver Island in 67 Days

October-November 1999

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

67 days, 240 hours of paddling, 640 nautical miles, over 820,000 paddle strokes.

by Hayley Shephard

Hayley muscles her way through a garden of bull kelp during her circumnavigation of Vancouver Island.

I had paddled many of the classic BC kayaking destinations over the years the Broken Group Islands, Kyuquot and Clayoquot Sound, Johnstone Strait and Nootka Sound both privately and as a commercial guide, but my curiosity remained about the land and ocean that connects these popular places. And so, this past summer, I decided to kayak around Vancouver Island and explore the beaches, inlets and capes that few have paddled.

As I sit at my computer now, looking at the map of 300-mile long Vancouver Island, my eyes scan up the Inside Passage, around Cape Scott, and down the West Coast, tracing my route. With goosebumps and a giant smile, the memories of my journey swim in my head.

From my journal: 3.20 pm, 16th July, Below Cape Scott Lighthouse.

'The Ocean, she rarely sleeps, always a murmur, a hum or roar. She changes her moods frequently, she breathes continuously and often shows no mercy.

'Yesterday, as I pulled out of the sheltered and secure arms of the Inside Passage, I felt my first swell surge and suddenly I was overwhelmed with the wonderful feeling of relief that I was doing this trip. I had departed at 7:15am from Shushartie Bay, 15 miles North of Port Hardy. It was a clear, crisp morning, perfect for the day that I had ahead of me. My sleep had been rather interrupted with creaks and groans from the old logging dock which was my platform for my night's rest. A welcome interruption however, filled the night as five Orcas glided through the silent narrow channel. Their synchronized blows pierced the cool, midnight air. Now Cape Sutil, the northernmost Point on Vancouver Island, beckoned me. I was in my kayak, rounding the Cape, alone but for a few boats dotting the horizon, and it felt absolutely wonderful.

'I had been paddling for over 6 hours and decided to take a break in a perfectly sheltered, surf-free Bay. Only a few meters away from shore, my rudder already up for landing, three feeding Gray whales surfaced, blocking my entry to the beach. My heart instantly responded with heavy, rapid pulses and I gasped. I had seen Gray whales a number of times but never by kayak. My 19-foot boat suddenly seemed tiny and insignificant compared to these 45-foot gentle giants. I was observing them in their most natural state of feeding and playing. One waved his birth marked flukes as he plunged for a slightly deeper dive. Another, after I tapped gently on my hull, surfaced with eyes right on me, hovering on the water for a longer look. After a rest, I departed in a state of awe. Cape Scott stood only two hours away.'

I spent most of this summer outside and on my own, every day travelling on the ocean and every night camped on a beach beside the ocean. I cooked beside logs and drank from streams. I filled my belly with huckleberries and bathed in natural springs. The weather was my lifeline, and I learned to read it and make judgements for my safety. I watched the changing scenery as the Island shifted from rugged rocks and sandy shores to the richness of the rainforests and the scarred mountains where man has left his destruction. I met many friendly faces, people fulfilling their own creative dreams. Nature was my only distraction, from pebbled rush to porpoise. I journeyed alone around this Island where the elements of ocean and weather were my friends but also teased and challenged me.

The ocean means more to me than I could ever explain, it has sung me to sleep and taken me to many incredible places on its salted skin. It has brought me the company of many wondrous creatures and given me more of an understanding of how creatures can live without destroying their homes. I look forward to sharing some of these experiences with you.

Hayley can be reached at oceanmaid1@yahoo.com