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The Broken Group Islands or Hot Springs Cove -Sept 7-9

P

Pelle Hedblom

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Joined
Jul 20, 2017
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3
Location
Sweden
Pelle:
Welcome to WCP forum!
Pelle Hedblom said:
Ps. Broken Island or Hot Spring Cove which would you recommend to a first time visitor?
Click to expand...
How are you getting to Hot Spring Cove? Paddling from Tofino, or water taxi, or...?
I'm assuming you mean the Broken Group in Barkley Sound- that's an interesting area with a lot of destinations separated by short distances, and by September the crowds of commercial kayaking groups may be fewer. There's a nice variety from very sheltered places to 'more wild' west coast feel outside of Effingham.

Pelle Hedblom said:
FB post:
https://www.facebook.com/search/str/vancouver+island+paddling/keywords_posts?esd=eyJlc2lkIjoiUzpfSTUzNjU1NDQ2NjpWSzoxNDMzNzY5OTA2NjYxMzg5IiwicHNpZCI6eyI1MzY1NTQ0NjY6MTQzMzc2OTkwNjY2MTM4OSI6IlV6cGZTVFV6TmpVMU5EUTJOanBXU3pveE5ETXpOelk1T1RBMk5qWXhNemc1IiwiMTAwMDA2NTgwMzgxMzc1OjE0NTQxOTI2NjQ2MTkxMTMiOiJVenBmU1RFd01EQXdOalU0TURNNE1UTTNOVHBXU3pveE5EVTBNVGt5TmpZME5qRTVNVEV6IiwiNzE1ODU2MTg2OjE0MzI1NjkzNTM0NDgxMTEiOiJVenBmU1RjeE5UZzFOakU0TmpwV1N6b3hORE15TlRZNU16VXpORFE0TVRFeCJ9LCJjcmN0IjoiY29tbWVudHNfbGluayIsImNzaWQiOiJkNzVlZjRkMWJjMzRiNjgxMTYyY2IxOWM3MTMyMmE0MSJ9
Click to expand...

That FB link didn't work for me, perhaps because I haven't joined 'the great collective' ???
 
Hi John,

Thanks for your reply!

I don´t know how to get to the areas of Hot Spring Cove or Broken Group. Which one do you think is most accessible and what is the most efficient way to reach the area if we have limited amount of time?

Ps. do you think this is the right forum to find a paddling partner to join me and Sue?

/Pelle
 
Pelle Hedblom said:
Hi John,

Thanks for your reply!

I don´t know how to get to the areas of Hot Spring Cove or Broken Group. Which one do you think is most accessible and what is the most efficient way to reach the area if we have limited amount of time?

Ps. do you think this is the right forum to find a paddling partner to join me and Sue?

/Pelle
Click to expand...
Pelle-
I haven't paddled to Hot Spring Cove, but I was there a number of times when I had a sailboat. It wouldn't be at the top of my list for paddling destinations, but it is interesting, if a bit crowded (by B.C. standards) - but mostly with day-trippers who fly in or visit by water taxi (when I was last there some years ago).

Broken Group access is off the PortAlberni-Ucluelet highway, or paddle in from Ucluelet, or via small 'ship' from Port Alberni.

Will you have a car? Kayaks and gear? How much time do you have?

Sometimes using a kayak guide/outfitter can save a lot of problems if you are far from home.

My recommendation would be to contact Liam at http://tofinoseakayaking.com/

He will have ideas about the best places to go in a limited time, can supply boats and gear, etc etc. . He often posts here with information, also.

For the Broken Group, try contacting J.F. Marleau who is an excellent guide based in Ucluelet:
http://www.coastalbc.com/paddle/guides.htm

http://www.skils.ca/
Box 727, Ucluelet, BC, V0R 3A0
info@skils.ca JF Marleau - 250-726-5119

For general research, the John Kimantis books and mapbooks are your best printed resource. The BC Marine Trails website also has lots of nformation.
 
Pelle Hedblom said:
Hi John,

Ps. do you think this is the right forum to find a paddling partner to join me and Sue?

/Pelle
Click to expand...

I don't know. Right now the forum here is going through a software upgrade, so perhaps it's not quite as active as usual.
Also, in the summer a lot of people are out on paddling trips, not at their computers, so that might be a factor.
Adding more details about how you will be travelling, what gear you will have, your experience, etc.. might help.
There are a lot of good places to go here, so possibly thinking of more destination choices would be useful.

Three days isn't much time - what happens if you get stormbound in camp? Will you miss your plane?
 
Thanks again for an informative and friendly reply, it´s very appreciated.


We are doing this paddling as the last part of a multi-activity adventure journey starting in Calgary August 24th ending in Vancouver September 12.


We are both experienced outdoor people in good physical condition and even if we are not seasoned kayakers we are passed newbies and use to paddle a few times per year.

We will drive to Vancouver Island and have our own car but need to lend/rent kayaks and kayaking gears (other camping equipment we have). We will drive in from Squamish on sept 6th , have three days of paddling and drive to Vancouver on september 10th


JohnAbercrombie said:
Pelle-
I haven't paddled to Hot Spring Cove, but I was there a number of times when I had a sailboat. It wouldn't be at the top of my list for paddling destinations, but it is interesting, if a bit crowded (by B.C. standards) - but mostly with day-trippers who fly in or visit by water taxi (when I was last there some years ago).

Broken Group access is off the PortAlberni-Ucluelet highway, or paddle in from Ucluelet, or via small 'ship' from Port Alberni.

Will you have a car? Kayaks and gear? How much time do you have?

Sometimes using a kayak guide/outfitter can save a lot of problems if you are far from home.

My recommendation would be to contact Liam at http://tofinoseakayaking.com/

He will have ideas about the best places to go in a limited time, can supply boats and gear, etc etc. . He often posts here with information, also.

For the Broken Group, try contacting J.F. Marleau who is an excellent guide based in Ucluelet:
http://www.coastalbc.com/paddle/guides.htm

http://www.skils.ca/
Box 727, Ucluelet, BC, V0R 3A0
info@skils.ca JF Marleau - 250-726-5119

For general research, the John Kimantis books and mapbooks are your best printed resource. The BC Marine Trails website also has lots of nformation.
Click to expand...
 
I understand you don't have much time for plan changes, but I think you are being too ambitious for a 3 day trip. I'm guessing you don't want to spend most the time driving in the car. I don't think you will be able to paddle to Hot Springs Cove in a day. And I've read it has been disappointing for some paddlers because of all the commercial transportation - float planes and water taxies that arrive their daily. Kayakers did say it was more pleasant if they could stay in the area after the "day" people left.

The Broken Group also takes some transportation time getting to launch points. Because of reports around the usual starting point - and the daily parking fees - an alternative is to water taxi over from Bamfield. You may have daily parking fees at Bamfield too, but the area isn't as busy.

Both of those destinations are on the west coast and you'd probably give yourself another day on the water if you focused on the east side if the island - like around the Gulf Islands. You can arrive, be on the water, and reach a destination on day one, have a full day on the water the second day, and casually get back to the mainland on the third day.

I have to drive some distance to get to the ocean so I like to plan my trips so I spend more time in the boat (on the water) than time in the car it takes to get there.
 
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