On day 14 of our 2023 trip from Klemtu to Port Hardy Dave Resler
and I ended up at a place called Safety Cove on east side of Calvert
Island. That came at the end of a 22-mile
day grinding against rain driven by 15 kt headwinds and a moderate sea
state. Hard work in snotty
conditions. We figured that with a name
like Safety Cove we would find a decent place to camp. We had earned it but no such luck. What we found was a sliver of high slope shell
“beach” that would barely survive the 12.4’ high tide while providing no room for
tents. The backing forest was impenetrable. There were two big logs that we could sit
between in an upright fetal position, so I strung my tarp over them. It was tight but would have to do.
This was to be a wet, windy drysuit bivi in our PFD’s, hooded
Storm Cags, wool hats, and spray skirts around our necks for added
insulation. I pulled the foam seat from
the Grand Illusion to insulate my butt and put on my last dry Glacier Gloves. We piled all our drybags on top of our legs
and spread Dave’s ultralight tarp over us for a blanket. It felt OK for about 30 minutes.
The cold wind and rain continued through the night and,
having firsthand experience with hypothermia, I monitored my temperature
closely. Shortly before sunrise the wind
dropped, the rain stopped, and I actually fell asleep for 30 minutes or so.
Not the worst night I have spent on the BC coast but still
earns a rating of Type III fun.
