May 21 - Sproat Lake Trip Report

 

Sproat Lake – Stirling Arm – Trip Report – May 21

 

Linda Watson and Jim Swanson joined Ron Stephenson for the Stirling Arm paddle. Meeting at the Port Alberni Walmart parking lot, Ron led the drive from there to the launch site on Stirling Arm. We headed west on Highway 4 to the McCoy Lake turnoff then drove for about 20 minutes on a mix of paved and rough pot-holed logging roads which tested the shocks on our cars.

We parked on the side of Stirling Main logging road on the west side of Stirling Arm. The 100-metre-long access trail to the launch site was very rough and our kayak wheels were put to a good test. 

 

We launched from a small beach area at 10:30 under cloudy skies and headed east across Stirling Arm.

 

 It was quite interesting to see the contrast between the totally-wooded wilderness on west side of the Arm and the large homes and cottages on the east side. Many of the homes are quite large with a wide variety of watercraft tied up to large docks. 

 

May 20 - 2025 - Westwood Lake Trip Report

 

Despite nice weather in the days leading up to our opening paddle for the 2025 season, a stiff NW wind arrived by early Tuesday and skuttled our plan. The idea was to tour around Newcastle Island or try the inner harbour near Protection Island if conditions were unfavourable. The group assembled at the Brechin Boat ramp near Departure Bay and after talking this through and glancing at the windsock, we opted to try nearby Westwood Lake instead.

 

 

Westwood Lake

We had 14 people in 13 kayaks out for the Westwood Lake paddle.  The lake is the most visited park in Nanaimo, and it offers a nice trail system around the lake, a beach and, of course, water sports.

Towering above Westwood Lake at 1,025 metres is Mount Benson, Nanaimo’s highest and distinct peak. It was named for a British physician that worked with one of the coal companies in the early settlement times around Nanaimo. Besides offering great hiking and mountain biking, Mount Benson also has prominent telecommunication towers. The photo of the kayak group on the water features the southern flank of Mount Benson.

Sept 3 - Bamfield Trip Report

 15 members of the PGOSA Paddlers met up in Port Alberni at 8:30 a.m. September 3rd, 2024, and proceeded as a convoy out to Bamfield.  Enroute, we stopped at Sarita Lake. 

 

By 10:30 a.m. the group was on the water at Grappler Inlet 

 

Mermaid in Grappler Inlet

and headed over to the Coast Guard Station on Bamfield Inlet.  Wind and wave conditions were good. 

Aug 27 - Goose Spit Park to Comox Harbour and the Puntledge River

Ten of our members met at Goose Spit Park to explore the Comox Harbour and Puntledge River. At the pre-trip meeting we learned about some of the places of interest that we were going to see during the paddle. These included HMCS Quadra - the Sea Cadet training base, Filberg Lodge and Park and the Comox First Nations fishing sticks and traps on the Puntledge River.

Jellyfish at Goose Spit

The trip started off at 10:00 am under sunny and calm conditions. Within a few minutes we paddled past some live aboard boats which were definitely in need of repair. Near the entrance to the Comox Marina, we maneuvered around a number of anchored boats 

 

and laser sailboats from the Comox Bay Sailing Club. 

 

After taking a brief rest, we started to paddle up the Puntledge River. 

Comox Glacier in the distance

 A rising tide made for a smooth paddle 

 

as we passed many Comox First Nations’ fishing stakes placed on the banks of the river. This practice dates back more than 1300 years. We then paddled under the noisy bridge deck on the 17th Street Bridge. 

 

 

Aug 13 - Nuttal Bay to Mistaken Island Trip Report

 

Nuttal Bay to Mistaken Island Trip Report – Aug 13, 2024

A fine time was had as the paddling group explored the Beachcomber/Nuttal Bay area on this week’s paddle.  Staying local and viewing some of the Oceanside area from the water gives one a whole different perspective of the beauty and development of what once was a beach vacation area with small summer cottages and lots of empty forested spaces.  Now beautiful houses populate the completer shoreline and one can see the luxuriousness of our waterfront area!

 

North of Beachcomber is Mistaken Island and it remains private, unpopulated, with the only residents being the Walker family who have lived on it since the late nineties. 

August 6 - Comox Lake Paddle

 

Comox Lake Paddle Report August 6, 2024

 

15 PGOSA paddlers in 13 boats met at the Comox Lake Boat Launch near Cumberland.

 

After the pre-trip meeting and warm up stretches we paddled in a counter clockwise direction and saw some cottages and homes along the shoreline. Just past the cottages we stopped at Perseverance Creek and a few paddlers went up the creek a short way to have a look.

 

Continuing on, we navigated around the first of several deadhead logs found around the lake.

 

July 30 - Cedar to DeCourcy Island

 

Cedar to DeCourcy Island Trip Report – July 30, 2024

 

Seven PGOSA Paddlers met at the Cedar Boat Launch to head to DeCourcy Island. At the pre-trip meeting Jim went over a brief history of DeCourcy Island and the cult led by Brother XII who populated the island in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Pirates Cove Marine Park on the Island was established in 1966 at the south end of the Island. This is a popular destination for sailors and kayakers.

Under cloudy conditions with a slight chop and light winds from the east we headed past Round Island towards the Tumbolo (a neck of land) between Mudge and Link Islands. After the 3 km crossing, we stopped for a short break just offshore of the beach.

 

We then headed in a southeasterly direction on the west side of Link Island.