The Castaways

If there's one activity you have to try in coastal British Columbia, sea kayaking is it. Our friends invite us on a trip to Jedediah Island so off to the Kayak Centre on Granville Island we go and a short while later our new family member is a double kayak by Current Designs.

A heron rests in front of The Lighthouse Pub in Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast where we have dinner and spend the first night before setting off.

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip. That started from this chilly port, aboard this tiny ship. It's a one and a half hour boat ride from the Rockwater Resort in Halfmoon Bay to Home Bay on Jedediah Island. Katie waits to load her gear while we pose for a photo.

The mate was a mighty sailing man, the skipper brave and sure. Six passengers set sail that day for a three day tour.

The first mate and the skipper too, will do their very best. To make the others comfortable, in the west coast island nest. Tim quickly gets to work building our camp in Home Bay.

Home sweet home for the next two nights.

No phone, no lights, no motor cars, not a single luxury. Like Robinson Crusoe, as primitive as can be. At our idyllic location on deserted Jedediah Island, a marine (boat access only) provincial park with no running water, roads or amenities, tiny crabs scrabble in the shallows while dozens of live sand dollars waft in low waters. By the thousands, oysters and periwinkles cover the sea bed, surrounded by thick clusters of mussels and barnacles on nearby rocks. At low tide, three racoons hunt for food in the mud while red-beaked oystercatchers fly past, screeching like banshees. Ever-present seagulls drop shellfish onto the beach to break open their food. The abandoned wooden building across the bay in the above photo is the old homestead that once belonged to the Palmers.

Mary and Al Palmer bought the island as a summer holiday destination in 1949, then became full-time residents in 1972. They both farmed the land and cherished the island's 600 acres, which includes cedar, old-growth fir and arbutus trees, peaceful bays and stunning views. The Palmers worked hard to preserve the island, helped by a province-wide fundraising campaign started by the late Dan Culver whose estate donated $1.1 million. Many groups rallied to raise money to create a park, including countless individuals and organizations. The BC government donated millions more and the Palmers agreed to sell the island for $4.2 million, far less than its market value.

A flock of wild sheep still roams the island and several dozen mountain goats, said to be descendants of those left by Spanish explorers, peer down from rocky bluffs. The island has four registered archaeological sites, including a First Nations fishing weir.

So, this is the tale of the castaways, they're here for a good, good time. They'll have to make the best of things, it's an uphill climb. A bird's-eye view of our camp and Carla the Camping Goddess, who teaches us the right way to camp which includes bringing down slippers, a waterproof camera, frozen boxed wine (which keeps both the food and the wine cold), gourmet chocolate (Green & Blacks Organic Cherry is her favourite), a battery-operated mosquito repeller, and an umbrella which doubles as a sail when kayaking downwind. Thanks Carla!

Tim and Dave go about the day's business collecting wood for the campfire.

Time for lunch at a pretty beach we happen upon.

Bright purple starfish hang from rocks just above sea level waiting for the tide to rise.

Diane in fine form as we paddle around the entire island in a few hours.

After a good meal and a few bottles of wine we warm ourselves around the campfire and tell tall tales.

A curious goat with beautiful horns watches as we head off to bed.

Not Sandi's best hair day.

The weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed. If not for the courage of the fearless crew, the Sea Otter would be lost. As we wait for our fishing boat (the Sea Otter) to pick us up we try to suss out how we are going to get five kayaks and mounds of kit across slippery rocks and into it as the tide goes out and the wind howls. Being castaways is all about being resourceful, adaptable and having a long spa treatment booked when you get back to civilization.

So join us here next time dear friends, we hope you had a smile. From six stranded castaways, here on Jedediah Isle.