A male sea lion kept a close eye on us as we approached Carmanah point

Day 14

Ok visibility this morning, launched at 8:30 am, and headed towards Port Renfrew.

More than 50 ships have met their doom along the stretch of perilous coast between Pachena Bay and Port Renfrew, known as the "Graveyard of the Pacific." After 1890, when a telegraph line between Victoria and Cape Beale was strung from tree to tree, shipwrecked sailors could find shelter in linemen's cabins, spaced along a primitive path used to maintain the telegraph line. This primitive path, now called the West Coast Trail, is 72 kilometers long and winds its way just above the shoreline between Port Renfrew and Pachena Bay.

We encountered Grays right off the bat, and also passed several groupings of tents, belonging to West Coast trail hikers. Around noon, 16 miles later, we paddled into a beautiful sheltered sandy river inlet. I cooked up some coos-coos and tuna for lunch, then we headed up stream to filter 16 liters of water. The fog had rolled in during our two-hour break, and we paddled off at 2:45 pm into almost zero visibility. Soon the fog began to lift, and as the sun came out we were approached by a beautiful search and rescue officer who inquired about our trip, and informed us of the hiker that was being air lifted off the West Coast Trail, due to a possible broken ankle.

We crossed Port Renfrew, 20 miles into the day, 300 miles into our journey, then continued another 9 miles to Sombrio Beach where we set up camp after a rocky surf landing. What a beautiful trip, and yet another gorgeous evening!

Shipwrecks: This treacherous, fog-prone coastline has a remarkable history of shipwrecks dating back to the earliest European records of the 1786 wreck of two British expedition vessels, and the loss of over 100 men. Winter storms continued to claim vessels throughout the nineteenth century, with many survivors perishing from starvation and exposure on the rugged coast of the island. After much deliberation and delay, a lighthouse was finally built at Carmanah Point in 1891.