A Winter's Paddle

April-May 2000

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

by Alan Wilson

The Oak Bay Beach Hotel, Victoria BC, photo courtesy of Diane Tames

This winter I received an invitation to visit the Oak Bay Beach Hotel to sample their latest offering for guests. When I asked Laurie if she'd like to go paddling at Oak Bay in early January, she looked at me like I was crazy. Having grown up in Oak Bay, she knows it as a place of winter winds, waves and raging currents.

The Hotel was launching a new 'mothership kayaking' operation to the off-lying islands of Chatham and Discovery-named after Captain Vancouver's ships which arrived on the coast in 1792-and was offering journalists a chance to experience the area.

As we drove to Victoria we found ourselves in the middle of a snow flurry. The wind was whipping trees, and the sky to the southwest was darkening ominously.

Around noon we reached the Hotel, an imposing, Tudor-style building, a long-time landmark in Victoria. Our magnificent suite overlooked Willows Beach, Cattle Point, Haro Strait, and our destination islands.

From the window we watched an enormous black cloud threatened to sweep all away in its icy blast, sending white water churning over the shallows between us and islands. An occasional gust of snow even whirled around our balcony as we changed into our long-johns. But the sun still shone in part of the sky and the snow stopped, so I had my hopes.

Our host for the day, and captain of the whale watching vessel Pride of Victoria, was Joel Bridle, who was accompanied by his two guides, Peter Harris and Neil Fleischman of the Victoria Canoe and Kayak Centre.

We carpooled to nearby Oak Bay Marina where we and the other journalists boarded the 45 foot vessel. I noted with some relief that it was a catamaran and would make for a stable platform in the rough tidal race between the marina and the islands.

We were barely seated when we were presented with a beautiful boxed appetizer plate of mussels and prawns.

We soon left behind the stately homes of Oak Bay, entered the bucking tidal race, then rounded the marker to the lee side of Chatham Island. As we slipped into calm waters, we marveled at the lack of development so close to Victoria. Joel steered us through shallows between shores covered with weathered evergreens and sandy beaches, surprisingly reminiscent of the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Because this is First Nations reserve land, we couldn't go ashore. But we could paddle around and get some photographs, which was really the point of the exercise. In good weather and when the currents aren't running strongly, you can paddle from the Hotel to the Islands in less than half an hour. But in the off-season, or poorer conditions, a mothership makes for a safer and much more comfortable experience.

The crew anchored the boat and started dropping kayaks off the stern (see cover photo). We found ourselves paddling in lagoon-like conditions, spying ducks, otters, eagles and herons. I wished we had time to circumnavigate the islands and go ashore on Discovery to explore the Marine Park there, but the winter day was short and the water was rough on the windward side of the islands.

As it turned out, the cloud did hold back and the sun continued to beam down on us. It was a classic west coast winter day-brisk but refreshing. After paddling we came back aboard the Pride of Victoria to warm up and were treated to a sumptuous lunch as we motored back to the Marina.

That evening, after a drink in the Olde English style pub, "The Snug", Joel hosted us in Bentley's, the hotel's first class restaurant. Later we toured the building, learning about the history of the grand old building, especially the time years before when the Hotel's salt water pool was used to nurse the killer whale Miracle back to health. Ask them to tell you the story!

The rooms in the grand old Hotel have been refurbished in recent years and now offer comfortable and elegant modern services, such as tubs overlooking the ocean.

Tour Offerings The Oak Bay Beach Hotel and Pride of Victoria Cruises and Tours offers a variety of packages. All prices in Canadian dollars. For reservations call 1-800-668-7758. Crescent Moon Kayaking includes a 2 hour afternoon kayaking orientation and trip seminar, followed by a gourmet meal in the Oak Bay Beach Hotel's dining room. Then a two hour night paddle with certified guides and an astronomer to point out galaxies, planets and constellations. Land on a sandy beach to look through a high powered telescope and enjoy fresh Dungeness crab roasted over an open fire, then paddle back to the hotel for a nightcap in The Snug, the hotel's English-style pub. Two nights, meals, kayaking and added amenities: $299, double occupancy. Kayaking the Emerald Islands (Chatham and Discovery) tours departs @ 9 am & 1 pm daily and costs $69 for adults and $49 for children. Two night packages cost $179 pp (double occupancy). Discover Discovery Island, a kayak and hiking trip, (full or half day) (or for landlubbers, a boat trip) on this Galapagos-like Island. These are daily departures from May 1 to Oct. 31 (and Saturdays and Sundays in the off season). Eagle Extravaganza, a three-hour guided naturalist tour running in December and January. $29.95 per person. Overnight packages cost $149.99 pp (double occupancy). Sealion Safari & Marine Wildlife Cruise, takes you along the scenic Victoria waterfront to the Race Rock Ecological Reserve, seasonal home to over fifteen hundred California Sea Lions and Stellar Sea Lions between the months of September and May. Seven days a week. Costs $79.95 per person. Two night packages cost $189.00 pp (double occupancy).