[Close encounter]
For a minute, it looked like a head-on collision was inevitable, but luckily for us the whale gracefully sank below and swam under us.

Day 13

Got up at 7:20 am, and made our way out of Pachena Bay into the fog by 9:30. Tedious paddle, to say the least, as we had no waypoints to guide us through the thick fog. It was an 18-mile blind paddle down the coast to the Nitinat River, and it exhausted us as we were constantly on edge. We were forced to follow the shoreline, which made us susceptible to rouge waves and boomers that sprang up through the fog without warning.

[Another whale]

The highlight of the day came when we all of a sudden found ourselves surrounded by 4 huge Pacific gray whales. We sat in the fog, 1/4 mile off shore, as the whales swam closer and closer. Soon they were surfacing on either side of us, as our heads spun around, wondering where they would come up next! Wild experience as they would stick their barnacle covered heads straight up out of the water to take a good look at us, then disappear just as another would surface for a look from a different vantage.

We surf landed onto a pea gravel beach, near the Nitinat River, around 3 pm, and within the hour the sun came out and our nemesis fog disappeared. We climbed to the top of a cliff that evening and watched the sun set. If good weather continues we'll paddle back to the USA in three days; 280 miles so far!

The wreck of the Valencia near Pachena Point: On January 20, 1906, the vessel was transporting passengers from San Francisco to Victoria (and Vancouver) when a storm caused the Captain to miss the fog horns and beacons at Cape Flattery where the Valencia was to sail into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Missing this mark, the Valencia ran into trouble further north when the turbulent sea threw it against the rocks causing extensive damage. As the Valencia began to sink the master attempted to run the ship ashore. Sadly, the shore had no beach, only a grinding reef and a sheer rock wall that was 100 feet high. Unable to communicate distress without a wireless, flares were fired but there was no response. In the raging sea two lifeboats and another two with passengers in them were lost.

The next morning two lifeboats carrying 15 men escaped to get help. Six of the men managed to hike to Cape Beale where the light keeper was able to wire a distress call to Victoria. Three vessels came to the rescue, the Queen City, the Czar and the City of Topeka, but rescue boats were unable to get near the Valencia because of the rough sea. Two rafts eventually made their way past the breakers saving the lives of some of the men. A few of these men were saved when First Nations people found them and escorted them to Bamfield. Women and children stayed on board in hopes that the rescue vessels would come nearer. As the Valencia broke up and sank, the last remaining passengers went down hanging on to the foremast. In total, 37 men survived and 117 lives were lost (the Captain and all women and children were lost).

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[Beach near Renfrew]

It took us a long time to find a beach where we could surf in and land safely for our lunch break. The combination of fog and large swells - the eight foot swell forecasted by the weather service had arrived - made it difficult to navigate. We wanted to stay close enough to shore to see if there was a suitable place for landing, but at the same time avoid getting wiped out by a boomer over the reefs in the shallower water. Finally, we succeeded in getting out at the mouth of Camper Creek, shown on the left. This would have been a great place to camp, but it was still too early to call it a day.