Mothership Meanderings:Paddling to Dinner

June-July 2006

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

My favorite paddling partner is my wife Laurie, and our kayaks of choice are usually our twin Necky Gannets—hers blue, mine yellow. These 11’-6” kayaks were acquired especially for our mothership, the 1927 fishboat I featured in my Mothership Meanderings column until we sold her last year after eight seasons.

We were able to enjoy great paddling up and down the coast from our boat, using her as a mobile launching platform, seeking out isolated spots to anchor away from the madding crowd.

We still have the Gannets but I think they miss their mother. They missing us too, these days, as we’re finding so little time to get on the water.

In the years we were taking month-long cruising holidays, we would almost always spend our first and last night in Nanaimo harbor.

Terry Patterson photos.

Nanaimo is a sprawling city of about 75,000 lying on the east coast of Vancouver Island, some 25 kilometers across Georgia Strait from the metropolis of Greater Vancouver on the continental mainland.

It’s an old coal mining town (older than Vancouver) that grew up into a very livable little city with a fantastic waterfront and an incredible view across the Strait to the snowcapped mountains of the mainland. It’s from Nanaimo that we catch the ferry for the 20 minute ride to our home island, Gabriola, and Nanaimo is where many Gabriolans work or study or shop.

From the slopes of Mt. Benson, you can look down from Malaspina University- College to the harbor created by Newcastle and Protection Islands, a shallow basin studded with boats of all descriptions anchored between them. Here yachters wait for rough conditions on Georgia Strait to subside before heading across to the mainland and points north.

Either that or they’re waiting for the tidal turn at nearby Dodd Narrows so they can pass into the inner waterway created by the chain of Gulf Islands. Starting with Gabriola, the chain of elongated islands stretches south to the US border and Washington’s San Juan Islands. This is part of the protected pathway most US boaters employ to head north to Desolation Sound, Johnstone Strait and, for some, all the way to Alaska!

Newcastle Island is one of BC’s renowned Marine Parks—750 acres of forest, trails and beaches, boasting a good dock, foot ferry access, and of course, prime anchorage for a lot of boats. The Park is run by Sney-ney-mukw First Nation, whose ancestors lived in the vicinity for thousands of years. It’s a great place for a picnic or hike, and there are campsites available with an easy landing for paddlers.

The protected harbor created by the two islands helps to make Nanaimo a major stop for boaters, with supplies and repairs available from waterfront shops and marine yards. Recreational marinas line Newcastle Channel, full of power and sailing yachts. Just beyond is Departure Bay and the ferry terminal for mainland traffic. Nanaimo has a lovely waterfront promenade which runs several kilometers along the harbor—perfect for stretching out those ‘boating legs’.

For boaters returning from a long holiday up the coast, the city is also one of the first chances to choose from an array of good restaurants, many no more than a few blocks from the waterfront, including some floating ones and Canada’s only floating pub, the Dinghy Dock Pub anchored at Protection Island.

On the last night of one of our trips, anchored just off Newcastle, we sat bathed in evening sun on the back deck of our boat, reviewing the choices for dinner out—perhaps our perennial favorite, sushi at the Sake House, or maybe world cuisine at the Glow, or Mexican at Gina’s, Greek at Katerina’s, Italian at New York Style Pizza & Pasta, Thai at Amazing Thai...

Undecided, we geared up and launched ourselves into the bustling waters of the harbor. For the past month we’d been keeping an eye out for whales, bears, dolphins, eagles... but here we dodged little ferries running passengers back and forth, local runabouts, seaplanes and expensive yachts. One seaplane wooshed in low overhead and landed just beyond us, giving us quite a thrill.

We made our way towards Maffeo-Sutton Park and then began to paddle parallel to the promenade, enjoying this sudden proximity to people and all the activity. Having been all by ourselves for the past month, it was kind of fun to watch and be watched. (“Hey mom, look at the kayaks!”)

We paddled along, chatting through the dinner options again, assessing our preferences as we slipped inside of the seaplane base at the Lighthouse Bistro, under the ramp and the overhanging shops beyond.

It’s one of the joys of kayaking to be able to float right into the heart of a place, into shallows and narrows that even dinghies can’t navigate. And I admit, it’s also a bit of fun to give someone on the docks a start as you glide silently past.

Reaching the floats of Nanaimo’s Boat Basin, we found a spot no other boat could inhabit, hoisted ourselves out of our kayaks and tied them up securely.

We stripped off our paddling gear and patted down our ‘town’ clothes which had been sitting in our clothes locker for a month. Then we joined hands and strolled off along the dock, feeling like tourists in our own town. This was our last night before we would plug back into the ‘real’ world for another year of electronically mediated intensity. But for the moment, what we had in mind was a plate of great food and a glass of good wine to celebrate a successful voyage.

FOR MORE INFOMATION:

www.kayak.tourismnanaimo.com

www.nanaimodowntown.com

© Alan Wilson and Laurie MacBride are currently mothership-less but expect that to change in the next few years.