Crossing Hakai

Quitting Triquet / Calvert Island 8.5 NM Distant

I was traveling southeast from Triquet to Calvert Island.  Conditions were NW @ 10-15 knots with swells at 2 meter topped with windwaves.  The route I chose to the Choked Passage complex was 8.5 NM of open water across Kildidt Sound and my crossing of Hakai Passage ended up being further west than intended.  That wasn’t a big deal as conditions were mostly at my back and I was having a really good time.  The wind was increasing and stacking wind waves on the swell but I expected things to lay down a bit in Hakai with the wind, current and swell all trending in the same general direction. 

About midway across Hakai I could see the sun reflecting differently off of the surface of the water and then encountered large westward flowing rips.  It was nearing high slack and I was expecting to find conditions optimal for the time of day so this surprised me.  The chop associated with the rip was above my head.  Paddling was "active" and enjoyable but it went on for too long.  I was feeling exposed and at least 2 miles from anything and was ready to do something else before it was ready to be done with me.  Once past the first rip things laid down but then picked up again as I crossed two more rips with peaky waves over my head. 

I was pleasantly surprised to find a  significant current flowing out of Choked Passage directly into the wind and swell that formed up into very nice, steeply-faced waves that spilled but didn't break.  I rode them directly into the bay in front of North Beach and got my bearings. 

No Name Beach

North Beach is enormous and I was in the mood for something more intimate so I paddled east into “No Name Beach” and ate lunch.  At about 200 meters in length No-Name is small by Calvert Island standards and has a very right-sized feel but the foreshore is shallow and rocky making comings and goings at low tides complicated at best.  I would be leaving in the morning near low slack and that made camping at No-Name a non-starter.  After lunch I paddled around the headland that separates No-Name from Wolf Beach and camped at the west end.

Wolf Beach Camp

I’ve crossed Hakai Passage on five occasions and it always has my respect and gains my full attention.  On the best of times it isn’t scary but simply bigger than anything else nearby.  The conditions this day were near perfect yet those rips were totally unexpected and reminiscent of paddling in a washing machine. 

Sunset on Choked Passage