Getaways: SHH... Paddlers at Rest

October-November 2006

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
To download a pdf copy of the magazine click here: > DOWNLOAD

by Alan Wilson

We had been to Sooke Harbour House (SHH... how’s that for an acronym?) for our honeymoon and then again for a milestone birthday, but neither time with our kayaks. This time we intended to finally get on the water in one of the Pacific Northwest’s most tantalizing paddling destinations, while enjoying a couple of rare nights of luxury.

It was a special pleasure to drive into the SHH parking lot and feel the familiar welcome peace of the place draw us in. We were tired to our bones, needed some looking after, and knew we would find what we needed here. The establishment is consistently recognized as one of the world’s top country inns, with a world class dining room and award-winning wine cellar.

We were booked into the Phycologist’s Study, with a two-person Japanese soaker tub on the patio adjoining the herb garden, the ocean just a few steps beyond. Phycology is the branch of botany that deals with algae, thus ours was the ‘seaweed room’, a theme played out in the array of artforms throughout.

After settling in and enjoying a good soak in the tub, we dressed for dinner and made our way slowly through the halls toward the dining room, stopping to gaze admiringly at the remarkable art objects adorning the walls, some we remembered from past visits.

At the door of the dining room we were pleased to see copies of the latest issue of WaveLength for the guests, and we were welcomed like long lost friends by the sommelier who ushered us to our table.

Thus began an amazing evening with many leisurely courses, each a tiny work of art, some decorated with edible flowers from their certified organic gardens. At each course, the sommelier introduced us to a different sample wine from their vast cellars, which we sipped between smiles.

Here are just some of the dishes to give you a flavor of the experience:

Prophyra Seaweed and Green Cabbage Soup with hot-smoked sablefish, grand fir oil, and a transparent apple and poppy seed salad.

Octopus Salad accompanied by opal basil, scallion and miso custard, with nodding onion oil, opal basil vinegar reduction, and crispy bull kelp.

Grilled Lingcod with nodding onion oil and nasturtium flower sauce, wilted chard, broccoli, and a fingerling potato, rosemary, hazelnut, roasted garlic, goat cheese-stuffed crepe bundle. And so on...

When we had no room for more, we were pleased to have owner Sinclair Philip join us at our table. Sinclair is a figure in the Slow Food movement—an international group of leading hoteliers and chefs who promote organic, local, seasonal, sustainable food.

We talked about the Wild Salmon campaign which Sinclair supports as a long time member of the Georgia Strait Alliance, and we learned about the award-winning, state of the art water reclamation system he had installed since our last visit.

When we finally said goodnight to him near midnight and tottered off to our room arm in arm, I must say it felt like we were already afloat in our boats.

The next morning we woke later than intended and while enjoying the lovely breakfast tray delivered to our room, we noticed an offshore fogbank moving in, obscuring the headlands of East Sooke Park—our intended paddle route.

After breakfast we walked down to Whiffen Spit to assess the potential launch. At this tide height, it would have been an easy put-in, but the fog was blowing right onto the beach. There was no way we’d launch into such a thick soup.

Ironically, on both past stays here, in mid-November and late December, the weather had been mostly clear, calm and mild—just perfect for paddling. But not today.

I was standing there, shaking my head at our bad luck when I happened to notice an unmistakably bulky form on the rocks in front of Sooke Harbour House—a large black bear! I pointed it out to Laurie and we stood gaping at it until the bear noticed us and ambled off into the mists.

About then we decided there actually was plenty of adventure to be had around here, despite the fog.

That got us thinking of options. We decided that if the Strait-side of the spit was out, we’d just paddle inside Sooke Harbour—or even further inside, in Sooke Basin. On a past visit we’d eyed Roche Cove, a small cove within Sooke Basin and this was our chance to try it out. Enthused with this idea, we marched back to our room, got ourselves geared up, and off we went.

A few kilometers along Sooke Road, we reached our intended put-in at Coopers Cove where the kayak company Rush Adventures is located. Owner Scot Taylor came over to say hello, to warn of strong winds forecast for the day and to advise us that currents can develop in the entry to Roche Cove.

Putting in at the sandy public launch, we stroked away from shore, feeling gusts of wind and seeing whitecaps in the Basin beyond. Looking out towards the Strait, we noticed the wind had started to tear at the sea fog and enormous wisps were sailing off and starting to dissipate inshore. The fog would soon be gone, to be replaced by pretty rough water.

Even within the Basin we were taking a few breaking waves on the beam, but our tight sprayskirts kept us dry as we crossed toward the narrow gorge into Roche Cove. Slipping between the pilings of the trestle bridge which spanned the opening, we entered a quieter world where the cove’s encasing hills created an almost womblike atmosphere.

We paddled into the shallows at the head end of the cove and looked around. On our one hike in the Park years before, we had caught enticing glimpses of the cove through the trees from the trail above. Roche Cove Park contains some of the scenic 55 kilometer Galloping Goose Trail, enjoyed by walkers, joggers and cyclists.

But this was a day for paddling, and the cove was small, so we headed out under the bridge again and into the freshening wind and chop. The conditions weren’t ideal, but as long as we kept close to the steep shore, the breeze wasn’t too bad, although it meant more confused waves from the rebound off the cliffs.

Eventually we spotted a tiny pocket beach and paddled in for lunch. More food! SHH had provided us with a lunch in a backpack, as they do for guests who want to explore the area. It was a nice treat to sit on a log with the wind in our hair and savor something delicious from the SHH kitchen.

After lunch, we re-launched and slowly wound our way along the convoluted shoreline of the Basin back to our put-in, exploring all the little ins and outs, taking our time, seeing many tiny pocket beaches, shell middens and some interesting architecture in the cabins and homes nestled among the trees.

At dinner that evening we had another sumptuous meal in the dining room and chose a bottle of just one of the wines we’d sampled the night before, a luscious zinfandel.

Next morning we managed to oversleep again. After a late breakfast, Laurie went on a tour of the gardens with the head gardener, while I sat down with SHH’s public relations representative, Melinda Jolley, to learn more about the area. Melinda is a native of Sooke and also a paddler so she was able to describe Sooke’s various launches—Whiffen Spit right next door, Sooke River Flats near the mouth of the Sooke River (riverside campsite: www.sookecommunity.com), Coopers Cove where we’d launched the day before, the government wharf, Billings Spit and Anderson Cove.

She outlined further paddling options along the coast beyond Sooke on the way to Port Renfrew, including the board and boat surfing hotspot of Jordan River, and told me about the wilderness kayak camping she’s enjoyed along the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail.

Then, all too soon, it was check out time. It was hard to go, but we had duties at home. Next time we come to Sooke, we’ll hope for weather better suited to paddling the outer rocky headlands of East Sooke Park. But we’ll also welcome some serious downtime.

© Alan Wilson.

For more info see www.sookeharbourhouse.com or call 1-800-889-9688.