Afternoon on Campania
The morning forecast is for good traveling weather but Campania is
special and worth spending a weather day on so you may choose to sleep late,
drink coffee, read, do laundry, filter water, take a cold swim, nap on the warm
granite slabs and catch fish for dinner.
You get an early start and travel up Estevan
Sound along Campania’s convoluted shoreline for about 4 hours before reaching
Otter Channel. Otter separates Campania from Pitt Island and feeds into
the waters stretching to the east and the Inside Passage. It is your last
chance to connect with Grenville Channel. Whether you go for Grenville or
Pitt you have to negotiate Otter Channel and it can be a crux move.
Ideally you are arriving at Otter at the turn to flood which will aid whichever
choice you make. A Spring ebb will thwart a direct line to Cherry Islets
if Grenville is your choice and will work against you if traveling up Principe
Channel.
If crossing to the south end of Pitt the current
doesn’t matter much as long as there is not wind opposing it. Your early
start favors your choices as, barring any significant weather systems, the
daily winds should still be light at 9:00 AM. You can always eddy up
against an ebb along the southern shore of Pitt if headed for Cherry Islets or
carry on up the western shore of Pitt towards Monkton Inlet.
Crossing Otter Channel
image Greg Polkinghorn
The cove just south of Monkton Inlet makes for a 20 NM day which
is easy if you are rested from a day off at Campania and currents are
favorable. Choosing Grenville you can set your sights on Cherry Islets
and end your day after ~6 hours of paddling.
If you are traveling alone or sharing a single tent there is a
wonderful campsite about ½ NM south of Monkton Inlet that I call Super
Slot. It is a tiny shell beach bordered by rock outcrops that narrows
down to about 6 feet as it climbs up to a thick mossy clearing that will
accommodate a single tent.
Super Slot Beach
A bit north of it is Superman Cove and it is marked by John
Kimantas in Wild Coast 2. It is another great campsite and more suitable
for multiple tents. On Neaps there is plenty of room on the shattered
granite beach but Springs will send you into the uplands and you will be
hauling your boats up a steep slope to tie them to trees. The uplands are
carpeted with moss and there is the foundation of a cabin that once
existed. This is a spot protected from all winds and forested to provide
some cover from rain.
No comments:
Post a Comment