Saturday, September 30, 2017

Kayak Bill Camps - Aristazabal


Bill had pushed his camps north beyond Seaforth Channel as far as Wallace Bight but I don’t think that he fancied the reaches and may have found them claustrophobic and leading to nowhere that he wanted to be.  There is the issue of bears, too, which the majority of his camps avoided by location.    In general, his camps seemed strategically located to avoid population and provide stepping stones to increasingly remote locales. 

Aristazabal Island forms the western edge of the Outside Passage at Swindel and Price Islands.  The southern tip of the island is separated from Price by 7.1 NM of Laredo Sound which tapers down to Laredo Channel and just 2 NM south of Shotbolt Point.  It can blow up fast and strong anywhere along the length of the island so most crossings occur in this area with few choosing the longer exposure in Laredo Sound.  In that context it makes sense that Bill would choose the longer crossing supported by camps established on both sides.


Thursday, September 28, 2017

Kayak Bill Camps - Cockle Bay


Bill had been out for nearly four months and was taking his time getting back to Shearwater to resupply.  On October 2, 2003 he experienced a “Perfect traveling day along Swindle Island shore” while paddling from Higgins Pass Camp to Dallas Island nudged on by a light westerly breeze.

Eastbound on Higgins Passage

After two nights on Dallas he did a surprising thing.  A man who considered 25 NM an average day traveled just under 4.5 NM through Moss Passage to the Heiltsuk Cabin located on the eastern shore of Lady Douglas Island in Cockle Bay.