Getting packed up on the dock in Hartley Bay.
Sleeping on my new friend’s yacht last night was wonderful. After an unbroken rest, I woke up at 5am and started getting my gear organized. My friends wanted to get off to an early start and by 6am they were launching and headed north on their way to Sitka, Alaska. By 6:50am, my kayak was loaded and I was heading out of Hartley Bay.
My new friends head out of Hartley Bay on their yacht.
The day could not have been more beautiful with clear blue skies and light winds in the morning. I made my way south through Stewart Narrows and into Coghlan Anchorage, the channel west of Promise Island. By 9am, I had reached Saintly Point and the southern entrance to Grenville Channel.
Looking out across Douglas Channel from the entrance to Hartley Bay.
According to the tide tables and current patterns in Grenville Channel, I should have been paddling against the current at this point. The high tide for this area was at 8am and was falling to a low tide at 2:15pm. According to current tables, a falling tide in southern Grenville Channel should produce an outward flowing and southerly current. As I paddled along the east shoreline, I kept my eyes on the kelp and the current was definitely flowing with me. I was not disappointed that I had a favorable current, because that always makes paddling easier, but I was concerned that I could not accurately predict when the currents would be favorable. Throughout the trip, it seemed that predicting which way a current would be flowing was only accurate about half the time, which was about as precise as a coin toss.
My first good look at Grenville Channel from around Sainty Point.
Usually when currents were going my way, I would stay away from shore and allow the current to help me. When paddling against a current I would stay close to shore and try to get into eddies that even if they did not help me along, at least would not hinder my forward progress.
Approaching the beach at Mosley Point.
I planned on paddling today until around 3pm and trying to reach Lowe Inlet. By noon, the wind had really picked up out of the south, and was making paddling unpleasant. In addition, because I had stayed up last night until 10:30pm I was very sleepy and could feel myself nodding off as I was paddling. I hadn’t thought it was possible to fall asleep while paddling but it was like the feeling you get when you have been driving for too long and know it’s time to stop. It was now time to stop.
Drying my gear in the sun on the beach at Mosley Point.
From far off in the distance, I could see a beach at Mosley Point that looked promising. When I reached it at 12:40pm after paddling 18 miles, I decided to make it my camp for the night. This was definitely a five star campsite with a beautiful view of Grenville Channel, easy launching and landing at any tide level on nice rounded pebbles, and level spots for a tent that would withstand even the highest tides and ship wakes. The one thing this beach did not have was protection from strong southerly winds which continued to build throughout the afternoon, but since it wasn’t raining it was just a minor inconvenience. There is no water source right at this campsite, but just a short distance away is Belowe Creek, where plenty of fresh water is available.The BC Ferry creates a huge wake as it cruises up Grenville Channel.
