Our Kayak Trip Around Vargas Island – Day 1 Rassier Point

After storing all of our gear in the 4 kayaks, Bob, Claire, Martin and I maneuvered around a section of wooden wharf and then set out across Duffin’s Passage, Van Nevel Channel and Father Charles Channel, aiming for a nearby white-sand beach on Rassier Point on the east side of Vargas Island.

By late afternoon, we were within sight of the desired beach only to find that someone else had claimed the prime location where the sun’s rays remain until later in the evening.  We wasted no time pitching our tents a little further away.

A spot was chosen near a monstrous Douglas Fir log, and that served perfectly as our kitchen.

Our destination on Vargas Island that first day was a fairly short distance from Tofino since it was rather late in the day when we launched our crafts.  The crossing was just far enough to allow Bob and me an opportunity to hone our kayaking skills and build our confidence before striking out into the open ocean the next day.  We managed the endless waves from the kayaks quite adequately as Martin gave valuable advice on our paddling technique.  I concentrated hard trying to master the method of utilizing my shoulder muscles rather than those of my arms.  By the time we landed on the beach, I was encouraged and felt less trepidation about the rest of our trip.

The cozy corner of the beach where we made camp was very inviting with our kayaks standing guard all in a row, hatches gaping from whence our tents, sleeping gear and meal supplies were recently removed.

Claire had prepared a wonderful meal – sourdough bread, arugula and spinach dip, hummus, nutty wheat berry salad with dried fruit, grapefruit and iceberg lettuce, plus whole-wheat rotini with tomato sauce.

We had to hand it to Claire for being so well organized.  She had thought of everything!

Bob busied himself gathering driftwood for the fire.

I had the luxury of relaxing and updating my diary.

We were famished from our endeavours and relished our dinner, then huddled around the campfire to snack on blueberries and cherries.

Pesky mosquitoes were a bit problematic and that was due in part to the fact that there was little to no wind, something quite out of the ordinary for the area.

The smudge from our small bonfire helped to fend off the “mozzies”.

It was so peaceful watching the sun set and listening to the waves gently lapping the shore on Vargas Island.  As we turned in for the night, the glowing embers of our bonfire were slowly dying, and heavy dew had settled over all exposed surfaces.  The rhythmic sound of waves lulled us to sleep shortly after 9 p.m.

Our first night in the little 2-man tent passed pretty well.  Slipping beneath the flap of the tent once during the night for a pit stop revealed a clear, moonlit sky and millions of stars overhead.  The glowing lights of Tofino on the far shore, Grice Point on the Esowista Peninsula, were playfully reflected in the inky waters, and somewhere in the otherwise pitch dark, the purr of an outboard motor had been detected in the distance.

Frame To Frame – Bob and Jean