The lighthouse was barely visible through the spray and fog as this huge boomer passed between Cape Beale and us.

Day 12

The seas were calm and visibility was good as we left Clarke at 8:30 am this morning. We headed southeast through Barkley Sound's Broken Group and the wind, swells and fog steadily increased as we crossed Imperial Eagle Channel from Howell Island towards King Edward Island.

From King Edward Island we paddled towards the Cape Beale headlands, as the seas became increasingly confused and unsteady. The headlands can be very hazardous as strong tidal currents from Barkley Sound create very large and steep waves to the point of breaking. Combined with rebounding waves from boomers, exposed rocks and a strong rip tide, these currents make this one of the most hazardous spots on the West Coast of Vancouver Island

In addition to rough seas, the fog thickened just as we began our negotiation of Cape Beal. Our adrenaline was pumping as we paddled out around the huge breaking surf ! The waves were thunderous, and as they broke created a hollowed out pipeline, big enough to drive a truck through. In the midst of the excitement I spotted a Gray whale, but our location was too precarious to stop and fumble with my camera; I did, however, manage to snap a couple surf shots when we reached calmer water.

Once around Cape Beale we caught our breath and we're snacking and hydrating as a Gray spouted and swam by in front of us. We continued on to Pachena Bay, spotting several more Pacific Grays along the way, and set up camp at Pachena's south end. Later that evening I hiked up the beach and met some local surfers from the nearby town of Bamfield. Lots of good spots to surf along Vancouver Island's west side, but this evenings 1 to 2 foot waves left them wanting; fun to watch them though!

It was an exciting 18.4-mile day of paddling, and nice to have Cape Beal behind us!

This is what Cape Beale looks like from the air on a sunny day. It is connected to the main island only by a narrow sand spit and it is usually possible to portage across it and, thereby, to avoid the difficult traverse in the very rough seas in front of the Cape. However, breaking seas blocked the entrance to the portage channel the day we were there, and there was no choice but to go around the Cape. On a previous visit, I was able to land on the sand spit and climb up to the lighthouse. The friendly lighthouse keeper gave me a tour of the facilities and talked about the history of the southwest Vancouver Island coast. That was when I first heard about the tragic story about the Valencia.