A Challenging Crossing

Ellen

We rose early to break camp and take advantage of the calmer morning hours. Sadly, there was already wind and we launched in choppy water. We had a two and a quarter-mile crossing to make back to Vargas, destination Ahous Bay. It was the one waypoint that showed up on our GPS.

The crossing would be our most exposed yet, as there was nothing between us and Japan. The farther out we got, the more the wind picked up. We had one to two-foot chop and then four-foot swells coming in from the ocean. The swells were OK but when we had to pass an atol (rocks), the waves and rollers were ricocheting off them, creating a washing machine. It was frightening, and there were two times when I used a back paddle to stabilize us. Had we capsized it would have been difficult to get back in the boat with so much movement. John estimated we had about 50 yards to go before we were out of the rough water so we paddled hard. I had to talk to myself to stay calm.

As Ahous Beach came into view, I relaxed a bit but I was wary of the rocks off the shore at the north end of the bay. We had bigger surf to take out in at Ahous. It was hard to know when the waves would stop pushing us forward and transition to picking us up and turning the kayak sideways instead, which could then capsize us. I had had a little practice yesterday, so I had a pretty good sense of when that shift was going to happen and used a back paddle to keep us perpendicular to the waves. We had a successful take out in the surf!

We both got out and John sent me to explore the beach for a campsite. There was a nice location for our kitchen with several logs to sit on, and then another nice spot at least 100 yards away for our tent. Ahous Beach in particular is wolf-prone. In fact, there are signs on the beach that warn you of "wolf in area" and to take precautions with food. 

John waits, getting chilled, as I choose our campsite. I can't believe we took out in that surf!

         We noticed wolf tracks on the beach.

John

We had an early start from Whaler Island. I didn't want to leave. I had no choice because Vargas Island and Ahous Beach were our destinations for years. There was a wind and some chop as we paddled away from Whaler Island. Once we paddled beyond the protection of Barlette Island, we encountered more wind, waves that broke across the bow, and swells. The sun was peeking through the fog that hung over Leake Island to our east. The rays of light broke through the fog and the trees providing a silhouette of small Leake Island. It was a beautiful picturesque scene that was going to miss my pixels. I was concentrating on our situation.

As we continued, I told Ellen that to our right and a few miles away was Japan. We were in the open water now. The wind, waves, and rollers seemed to increase as we progressed toward Vargas. The double handled everything well. I was wearing my normal paddle gear and no neoprene. The water temperature was probably 52 degrees. If we tipped we had mere minutes to get back in the boat before our muscles gave up. We knew we had to maintain our focus and rely on our paddle skills and strength. In the book I read on the Missouri River, Boys in the Boat, the crew called it "Mind in the Boat" or "MIB."

The swells became larger. We were running parallel with them. At one time we were in a trough and I looked forward and could see the length of the trough. It was both amazing and scary. Glancing to my right I estimated the peak of the swell was above our heads. We don't mind the swells because they are predictable. Once they start breaking or waves are mixed in, well, you have serious problems. Things change really fast on the open water. The swells were hitting the rocks on Vargas and rebounding back out into the incoming swells where we were. I couldn't wait to get into the lee of Blunden Island. We had about fifty yards to cover before we got into slightly calmer water. We peaked on top of a huge swell and the mix of waves quickly and effortlessly spun the boat sideways about 20 degrees as if the double was on a pivot point. My paddle ends were out of the water and catching air. My vocal reaction was "Whoa!" as Ellen silently corrected the boat. My legs had been braced under the deck and they went limp. She said later that she braced and used the paddle to steer the double back on course. Whew. That was a close one. Her quick reactions saved us from tipping. She experienced "MIB."

From that point on we rode the swells toward Ahous Beach with waves lifting our stern and lurching us forward. Ellen kept the boat's bow going straight forward, a technique she had learned on the Missouri River. Once we rounded the point the swells slowed and we set up a normal paddle cadence. It was only then that I was able to relax. I felt my legs again. 

Our next foe was a surf landing. We studied the wave rhythm as we approached the beach hoping to time it perfectly for a safe landing. Once I glanced over my left shoulder and noticed a large wave approaching the stern. It broke over the stern and rose under us and we chased it to shore. Ellen steered the boat to shore using her paddle. The kayak struck sand and we both exited the boat before the next wave hit us. We made it. That was our first surf landing. That was a scary crossing and a fun landing. As I stood on the beach tending to the kayak while Ellen searched for a campsite, I wondered if I was cold due to the water drenching or sweat-soaked clothing.

We set up camp on the north end of the beach out of the wind. There was one small tent in the middle of the length of Ahous and still others on the far south end about a mile and a half away. We had our beach to ourselves. 

The white line indicates our route from Whaler Island to Ahous Beach on Vargas Island.