Mikhail Belikov Photography (nature, adventures, travel)

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Kayaking Queen Charlotte Strait Solo



PREPARATIONS

Previous year, I completed a three-week solo kayaking trip in the partially protected waters off North Vancouver Island. My goal at the time was, before undertaking something longer and more demanding, to test the concept of kayaking in an inflatable kayak solo, with no dependency on the outside supplies. I also tested equipment that I would likely take with me on an extended expedition, and checked if I could pull this out alone logistically, physically and mentally. Finally, I wanted to gain experience in sea kayaking, including handling rough situations. Overall, the trip was a success. You can read the story here. I had learned what the kayak was capable of and and where the dangers and difficulties lay.

My plan for the new trip was a month-long independent solo expedition, primarily in rougher areas off British Columbia coast.  Besides photographing the nature and the trip, my main goal was to emulate expeditions that I might undertake in future, in very remote areas, where I would be on my own with no chance for an outside help.

After studying various options, I had settled on Queen Charlotte Strait - an approximately 20 kilometer wide and 100 kilometer long area between North Vancouver Island and the mainland, open on the north-west side to North Pacific Ocean. The north-west has also happened to be the dominant wind direction in summer. As a result, strong north-west winds and waves are quite common. On the south-east side, the strait borders Broughtton Archipelago -- the area that I had partially explored during my previous year trip. I therefore had some idea of what to expect in the area, weather and nature-wise.

My initial plan was to circumnavigate Queen Charlotte Strait, starting in Port Hardy and then crossing the strait to the mainland through several chains of islands (God's Pocket, Deserters-Walker Group and Millar Group). This would cut a 20 kilometer-long open crossing into several smaller and manageable segments.  Then I would paddle south-east along the mainland until reaching Broughton Islands and then continue south through Broughton Archipelago back to Vancouver Island. After spending several days photographing the orcas in Johnstone Strait (these marine mammals are very common there in the second half of summer), I would paddle along the coast to Port Hardy, closing the loop.

However, I had a chance to talk before my trip to John Kimantas, an author of the Wild Coast guidebooks and atlases, who had personally paddled in this area. He suggested to get farer north from Port Hardy, to Cape Sutil, almost on the north tip of Vancouver Island, and explore the area full of marine wildlife.

At the end, I had adjusted my plans to include Cape Sutil, an about 40 kilometer-long extension of the trip, each way. After Cape Suitil, depending of the weather, I would either cross the strait right there, paddling from an island to an island, or come back and cross in Port Hardy area, where the strait was more narrow and offering more islands to rest or hide from the weather during the crossing. In addition, instead of a complete circumnavigation of the strait, I had settled on finishing in Port McNeil, around 30 kilometers south of Port Hardy, as the area between Port McNeil and Port Hardy did not look particularly interesting from a photography point of view.

The preparation routine was by now familiar. I had to buy the missing charts and research the area in details.  The trip was going to be a month-long and therefore too unpredictable for planning it day by day. Instead, I had read the guidebooks and studied the charts to understand what to expect on my journey. I then selected potential campsites for the first several days. I had also made sure that I had with me all the materials I needed to plan on.the go. A month before the departure date I had booked the bus, a place at Port Hardy C&N hostel for the night of my arrival, and gradually started buying the food and the odds. Last week before my departure was busy with packing and last-minute chores.








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