Kayak Bill Camps - Mustang Bay

Mustang Bay is on the southeast edge of Hunter Island just off Naulau Passage.  “Mustang Bay Camp” is ~26 NM from “Cape Calvert Camp” and ~32 NM from “Extended Point Camp”.  Close to that “25 miles between camps” mark that Bill preferred. 

From Mustang Bay to Swordfish Bay it is just over 12 NM that can be traversed with little exposure.  Naulau Passage is benign in almost all conditions and some southerly exposure would come crossing Kildidt Sound to the Serpent Group then running in the lee to the Kitty Hawk Group.  I suspect Bill stayed put when “conditions” were expected.

 

All that I know about Mustang Bay is this description:

“On tiny island in a group of 3 in mouth of Mustang Bay (Hunter Island).  Have to go for water via kayak.  “Two unintelligle words” of wood, good clamming, nice spot, hard landing @ LW”.

Two clusters of three islets fit the description.  A northern group with the largest island at ~700 meters in length and a more southerly group with the largest at ~170 meters.  They all look like hard landings could be expected under various tide levels and winds.  Good clamming?  Not sure where that would be unless it is on the largest of the 6 islets.

I’m not certain when this camp was in use.  During the last year of his life he didn’t travel to the southern camps and I suspect this camp was more than a bivi camp but probably not a whole lot more. Since choice driftwood for constructing a major camp would not have been plentiful I would be surprised if I learned that there was a full windscreen.  Also, the fact that the island had no water source would be very inconvenient. 

It’s on a part of the coast where my travels don’t take me and searching those islets could be very time consuming and unrewarding.  I doubt that I will ever go have a look but if you have information or are interested in having a look-see please let me know.

I would love to know more about this one as it is a mystery to me.  Have you been there?

Continued..........