Central Gulf Islands
(Saltspring, Wallace, and the Secretary Islands)

Evening at Chivers Point

Rating: SKIII

Distance:  40 NM.

Date:  Aug 25- Sept 1, 2001

Leader:   Pete Schwab                      Participants:  8

Launch:   Aug 26, 2001                       Return:  Aug 31, 2001

Weather:  We enjoyed end of the summer weather.  Some cloudy skies, some fair.  Temperatures were in the 60's and 70's.  Rained one night and a couple of tiny showers during the week.  On our circumnavigation of Wallace Island (in Trincomali Channel) wind brought the sea up to 2 - 2 1/2 feet at the south end of the island.  During our final night on Wallace Island winds were up all night.  Lots of noise in the trees but seas in Houstoun Passage didn't appear to exceed 1 1/2 - 2 feet.  The wind subsided for our final crossing to Southey Point and seas were less than 1 foot.  

Description:   There are dozens of trip plans you could make in the Central Gulf's.  Certainly they could be more ambitious than ours was, but they'd be unlikely to be as 'laid back' and purely relaxing.  We actually had a vacation! (I know, all 'real Americans' work their butts off on vacation).  Extreme luck allowed us to camp at Chivers Point on Wallace Island.  Not only was it only 1 NM from our launch on Saltspring, it's easily large enough to accommodate 8 kayakers.  We liked it so much we stayed there all week.  From there we took day trips planned at each evening's meal.

Saturday, August 25:  Rode the Tsawwassen to Saltspring ferry over to Long Harbour and drove into Ganges to check into our motel.  Spent the afternoon looking and shopping in Ganges.  Lot's of arts and craft, food, and leftover hippies.  Cool place!

Sunday, August 26: 1 NM. After having breakfast at the Tree House in Ganges we checked out of our motel and drove to the north end of Saltspring to find our launch site at Southey Point.  After loading the boats and parking the cars as far out of the street as possible, we headed across Houstoun Passage, past Jackscrew Island, reaching Chivers Point in less than half an hour.  There was only a single tent site occupied so we commandeered the sites we needed and set up camp.  Right off the bat it was discovered that a kit bag had been left in one of the cars!  No sweat.  Three of our group paddled the 1 NM back to the cars and retrieved it!  That kind of convenience you'll seldom find on one of these excursions.  Polished off the day by taking the hiking trail that leads down the center of Wallace Island to Conover Cove (~3 miles round trip).  There are no facilities at Conover, just a small moorage.  We also passed the water supply on the way.  It's a nice big pump but the water must be boiled for 5 minutes.  Merv and Terry cooked Thai for supper.  Fantastic!  A great start to a well fed trip!

Chuck at work on the evening meal

Monday, August 27:  9.5 NM.  In the a.m. we paddled along the north shores of South Secretary, North Secretary, and Mowgli Islands.  These 3 are all private so if you see info that shows camping...it's erroneous.  South and North Secretary's are only separated at high tide.  We returned to Chivers Point for lunch and then circumnavigated Wallace Island beginning on the Trincomali Channel side.  Afternoon winds were picking the seas up and by the time we reached the east end of the Island, at Panther Point, we rounded the Point in beam seas of 2 to 2 1/2 feet.  On the Houstoun Passage side winds were calmer and we rode gentle following seas to Conover Cove and on back to the Chivers Point camp.  Chuck and Kel prepared a magnificent feast of Seafood Chowder.  Evening revelries included howling at the moon!  

Tuesday, August 28:  11.5 NM.  A clear day with flat seas and ~75 F. We headed west again, this time along the south shores of the Secretaries, Mowgli, and Norway Islands.  At the west end of Norway we cut across to Clam Bay and paddled through the inlet between Kuper and Thetis Islands that leads to Telegraph Cove.  There are 2 marinas there.  Please read the details on them a few paragraphs down in this report.  After lunch we headed back east along Kuper, passing by Tent Island and, once again, Southey Point.  That's where we solved the water, trash, and booze problems.  A couple of folks watched the boats on the beach while a couple of others made a run down to Ganges in the car to take care of all the essentials!  The evening's cooks headed back to Wallace.  Pete and Rhonda cooked vast quantities of "Camp Kanawana" stew.  We must be fattening up by now!

Wednesday, August 29:  6.5 NM.  Another beautiful day of clear skies, flat seas, and ~75F.  We crossed Trincomali Channel to the shores of Galiano Island where, in addition to the usual seals and shore birds, we discovered the "Goats of Galiano"!  They are a couple of mountain goat "wanna bees" that at some time escaped their domestic plight and now do duty as island sightseeing "points of interest".  Lunch in the quiet of Retreat Cove, then crossed back to Wallace just in time to watch Turkey Buzzards feasting on the remains of a seal.  Yummmm.  Janiese and Diane cooked up a delicious meal of soup, pasta, and veggies.  Also had a bottle of brew billed as the drink of the "Frontiersmen"!  A delicious blend but I don't think I'll go into the details of it's after effects.

The somewhat famous "Goats of Galiano"

Thursday, August 30:  10.5 NM.  Another trip to the west headed along the Secretaries and then crossed over to Hall and Reid Islands.  Heading back, another trip to Telegraph Cove was in the offing.  This time the group stopped at the Telegraph Harbour Marina and had an enjoyable visit.  Returned to camp for "potluck" night.  Well, it didn't really take much luck.  There was plenty of food left over to stuff in the pot and it was delicious, as always!  We dubbed it "Squatting Dog Stew".  If that doesn't turn you off, then look below for the recipe.

Friday, August 31:  1 NM.  After a rather long night of wind blasting through the trees and the seas slapping at the shores of Wallace, we prepared our kayaks for the return to Saltspring.  The wind gods were with us.  The crossing back to Saltspring was done in very light winds which intensified later, after we'd returned to the cars.  Back to Ganges, check in at the motel, and then a few hours of sightseeing and eating in Ganges.

Saturday, September 1: Arose early to catch the 06:50 ferry back to Tsawwassen.  The early start paid off.  Customs only required about 20 minutes and the drive back to Seattle/Tacoma was pretty decent considering we were now into Labor Day weekend.

Lessons Learned: 

The rigs we used for carrying loaded boats worked great!  

The carry straps are made of 1-inch webbing (12 feet long).  The handles are 5-inch pieces
of PVC.  Straps are slung under the kayak near the bulkheads.

1.  Bring along a small alcohol hand wash for disinfecting.
2.  First aid kits in red (or other distinctive colors) dry bags make them easy to identify.
3.  Bring along a small container of straight bleach.  Use a squirt in the dish washing tub.
4.  One of the group brought along some frozen foods - but was sick of them after 2 days.
5.  There's never too much cord (or parachute chord) for rain tarps and etc.
6.  We had two very useful tubs for doing dishes.  REI "SINKS".  They collapse and were great to have along. 
7.  "Sea Savon" and "Aqua Fresh" appear to be the best rated salt water soaps for bodies and dishes etc.

Tides/Currents: 

    We used Stuart Channel for our tide reference.  Generally, there was a large tidal range each day, followed by a very small one.  The largest range we experienced was from 2.7 feet to 12.0 feet.  We had little problem paddling against either the ebb or flood on any of our day trips.  Nevertheless, the passages between islands can run quite fast...at maximum ebb there were small tide rips between Wallace and South Secretary.

    If you're going to visit Porlier Pass be sure to have current data with you.  Maximums through Porlier can hit 6 knots!

Charts:

CHS Chart # 3463, Strait of Georgia.

Coast Recreation Map - Gulf Islands. Produced and distributed by Costal Waters Recreation, Suite 547, 185-911 Yates St., Victoria BC V8V 4Y9 Canada. Picked one up at Pacific Water Sports. Shows location of camp areas etc., great overview map for planning. BUT WATCH OUT FOR ERRORS!  This map shows camping on South Secretary Island - which is actually private!

Camping on Wallace Island:  

    The camp area at Chivers Point is where we stayed all week.  It's a primo area if you can get it.  As you pull into the small sheltered bay you'll see the gravel beach landing area....careful, there's lots of rocks below.  We pulled our boats up high on the beach, or, up on the berm to avoid high tides.  From the beach up to your right is the picnic table area we used for our kitchen and social area.  Along the trail from the beach are located 7 tent sites.  Each site is gravel, easy to pitch your tent.  Most sites have a picnic table, or they share one with the next site.  The fee station (with envelopes for deposit) is located prominently along the trail.  The fee for camping is $5 per person/ per night.  Ranger Jane WILL come by and collect all the fees nightly.  You'll find her very nice to deal with.  If fact, we all thought she was one of the highlights of our trip.  There's also an outhouse way up the trail.  Ranger Jane keeps it clean (WITH THE HELP OF WE CAMPERS) and supplies it with toilet paper.

NOTE:  There are also two tent sites on Wallace at Cabin Bay just a short distance from Chivers Point over in the Trincomail Channel.  

Visit their web site at:  http://www.elp.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/wallace.htm.    

Cottages you can rent on Galiano if you choose to live like civilized folks:  

1.  In Retreat Cove:  Adelaar Ridge Oceanfront Cottage.  500 sq. ft. cedar cabin.  Special permission is granted to launch kayaks from a beach ~1 km south of the cabin.  http://www.cedarplace.com/adelaarridge and click on "cottage" for some nice photos and lots of info.
2.  Then there's Retreat Cove Guesthouse....a newly built, large, waterfront home about 2 minutes from a private kayak launch beach.  See it at:  http://www.cedarplace.com/adelaarridge/retreat.html.  The place is beautiful!
3.  Retreat Island.  Here's an exotic one!  Park at the end of Retreat Cove Road, walk out to the government dock, and paddle 200 meters to the private dock.  A tractor carries your luggage up the hill to the luxurious cabin.  Kayaks can stay on the dock (but watch out...when we went by there, six otters were occupying the dock!).  See it at: http://www.retreatisland.com.

Notes on Telegraph Harbour:  We made a couple of trips to Telegraph Harbour and visited both marinas.  Here's what we found.  We'd bee warned that the Thetis Island Marina DOES NOT LIKE KAYAKERS!  The appeal to this marina is the "Pub".  Yah the food was good, but then some kid comes out with a mop and tells us we'll have to clean the bathroom since there was mud all over the place (actually a very small quantity of foot print mud that we picked up on their property)!  WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU SPEND NO MORE THAN $0 AT THIS PLACE.

The alternative is the Telegraph Harbour Marina located just across the water at the back end of the bay.  The people there are friendly.  They have a nice store, Cappucinos, ice cream and etc.  Hot showers are available for $1.50.  You can get rid of your trash here!  They also have a nice grassy area with picnic tables.  Our recommendation - SPEND YOUR MONEY HERE!!   You can check them out at:  www.telegraphharbour.com.

Directions to Launch Site: 

To the Tsawwassen ferry:    From I-5 at Highway 16 it's about 149 miles to Blaine (Customs) and then another 27 miles to the ferry.  It takes about 3 hours, depending on how long you spend in Customs.  To get there just follow I-5 to the border, then follow Highway 99, in Canada, to Highway 17 and turn west to the ferry (follow the signs).

From Ganges to the Actual Launch Site:  Follow Lower Ganges Road from downtown Ganges, or, if you're just arriving on the Long Harbour ferry, turn right when you get to Lower Ganges Road (and avoid town).  Follow Lower Ganges to Vesuvius Bay Road and either follow Vesuvius to the left, or go straight on North End Road.  Follow either road to the north end of Salt Spring and turn onto Southey Point Road (watch for the signs).   Follow Southey Point to the extreme north end of the island and you'll find the launch area.

Ferry Information:  

    We used the Tsawwassen to Saltspring (Long Harbour) ferry and reserved our spots via the on-line reservation system at:  http://www.bcferries.com/.  Cost was $81.75 for 2 adults and under-height vehicle.  There is an additional charge of $38 for over 7' high or over 20' long (both fees are in Canadian dollars).

Accommodations in Ganges (Saltspring Island):

    On our arrival date and on the last day of the trip we stayed at the Seabreeze Inn in Ganges.  A room for the night for 2 people was $89 Canadian.  To contact these folks call: 250-537-4145.  You can also visit their website at:  http://www.seabreezeinns.com  The folks there were friendly and accommodating.  We recommend it highly.

Facilities:

1.  The launch site at Southey Point allows parking along the road, but stay away from the driveways.  We just pulled out cars as far off the road as possible.  Quite a few cars could be parked along the road depending on how far you're willing to walk.  We were only a few feet from the launch site.  

Sample Magazine Submittal:  Gulf Islands Extended Trip (SKIII). How about a full week of adventure and relaxation to polish off your summer? The trip will be limited to 8 participants. A lot of group planning will be involved, so sign up and get in your 2 cents worth!

References: 

Snowden, Mary Ann.  Island Paddling.  A Paddler's Guide to the Gulf Islands and Barkley Sound. Orca Book Publishers. Victoria BC. 1997. pp. 83-114.

Thornburn, Ellie, and Gray, Pearl.  Salt Spring Island:  A Place To Be.  Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd.  Surrey, BC.  1998.

The Gulf Islands Guide:  http://www.gulfislandsguide.com/

Gulf Islands Homepage.Com:  http://www.gulfislands.com/

Galiano Island Website:  http://www.galianoisland.com