Paddling active pass
Posted on 17 June 2009 by J Lane
(Apologies in advance for the lack of pictures in this post. I was a bit nervous, and didn’t know what to expect from the paddle, so I left my camera at home. As mentioned in the “About” page, I am an employee of Mayne Island Kayaking, and this was an event sponsored by them.)
Last night I had the distinct pleasure of paddling from Village Bay, Mayne Island to Oyster Bay. This little adventure led our group of 15 through Active Pass and about as close as I’d ever like to get to a BC Ferry when not aboard one.
We started out just south of the ferry terminal in Village Bay. There is a boat launch with a rocky beach there that was big enough for our group. After getting everyone sorted out, we had a quick talk about what to expect, and what we should do WHEN the ferries went by (not if).
It takes a little under an hour to paddle from Helen Point on the south end up to Georgina Point on the north end. You really don’t want to get caught in Active Pass when one of the large Spirit-class vessels making the Swartz Bay-Tsawassen run goes by; the wake tends to make a pretty nice swell that can introduce you to the rocks in no time.
Traveling with three experienced guides from Mayne Island Kayaking we timed it perfectly so that we arrived at the tip of Helen Point just as the Coastal Celebration passed us by. At that point we rounded the corner and paddled toward Miner’s Bay along the coastline. Helen Point is beautiful to look at from the water — it’s a Native Reserve, and there are no structures on it, so it’s completely uninterrupted nature.
The second factor to take into account is that Active Pass is fairly narrow, and the currents can be quite challenging if you don’t have your timing right. Luckily (okay, so it wasn’t so much luck as traveling with excellent guides) we started our trip at slack current (little/no current) and ended with a slight flood current. Because of this, we really didn’t have to paddle at all between Laura Point and Georgina Point – the water pushed us along.
When we hit Georgina Point, we were graced with another pair of ferries (one going from the mainland to Vancouver Island, and the other going the other way). In the end, because of the timing, the swells from the ferry boats didn’t affect us too much. We were in fairly open water for both encounters.
We finished our paddle approximately two hours after setting out, and were greeted by a number of seals hanging out on the rocks at the entrance to Oyster Bay. It was the perfect end to another great outing.
