Whaler Island

Ellen

We started off in the rain, which we really didn't mind much because we're dressed in clothes designed to keep us dry, or at least warm, in wet conditions. We paddled along the west side of Vargas until we reached Dick and Jane Beach (we think so anyway--no GPS waypoints) and took out in some small surf. I used a back paddle to keep us straight when the waves lifted us and the rudder became useless. Having no experience kayaking in surf, I was pleased we didn't get dumped.

Since it was still raining, John pulled out the small tarp and draped it over some driftwood so he could study the map on his iPad. We bought a chart for Vargas Island but unfortunately, it was sized for boats, not kayaks. It was about half the size of our kitchen table! Instead of bringing it along, we took a photo on the iPad of the area we would be going. We really hoped to make our next camp at Whaler Island, but without GPS waypoints, it was hard to tell which island it was. There were three nearer islands, and we guessed it might be the one in the distance beyond them. We decided to go for it.

We had a fairly easy crossing of a few miles and when we arrived at Whaler, the rain finally stopped. We concluded that we had indeed found the right island and made camp.

John takes a walk at high tide. A pair of eagles made their nest in the trees to the right and we enjoyed watching and listening to them. 

We spent the day reading, napping, and just plain relaxing. I took a short walk up the grassy bank (ouch! sharp grass) to see what was up there. I was surprised to see that the the bank was simply a small ridge and then dropped right down to the beach on the other side. 

A view of Whaler Island from above shows just how small it is. The red dot marks the location of our campsite.

The wind picked up and dried out our tent in no time. Being on such a tiny island, we didn't have to worry about bears or wolves, so we could make dinner right outside our tent. We had chicken and pinto bean quesadillas with avocado and salsa. They were messy but delicious. It rained again during the night. Ellen

John

We woke to rain. Oh, well. Nine doubles and two singles paddled by our campsite and few "heys" were exchanged. They were headed east. Good. We started paddling west about mid tide. The ebb was happening. It rained all the way to Dick and Jane Beach where we took out. I wrapped the tarp over a log and sat under it looking at the map on the iPad and viewing the Garmin. Ellen stayed with the kayak. I came to the conclusion that this may not be Dick and Jane Beach and I thought I knew which island in the distance was Whaler Island which was Plan B. I returned to Ellen and we discussed our options as the rain turned to drizzle. It wasn't cold or unpleasant, just wet. 

We decided to paddle to Whaler Island instead of making our way to one more beach west of our location. My paddle cadence was fast because I didn't want to get caught in the open if the wind came up. We encountered a few small-sized swells. The surface was choppy. The rain stopped sometime before we approached Whaler Island. I was sure it was Whaler Island. Ellen had doubts so we circled the island trying to "see" it as we saw it from the photos online. The center ridge that ran the short length of the island made it look different from the photos. Having no waypoints on the Garmin, Ellen still doubted we had the correct island. We took out on the far west end of the south beach with little surf and slight wind from the south. Ellen found a nice flat area for the tent and we began unloading the kayak and setting up camp. Before we had the tent up, the sun came out and warmed our bodies as well as our minds. It was a great beach and a very good campsite. We both felt good about our decision to camp on Whaler Island instead of Dick and Jane Beach on Vargas. We spent the day in the sun by exploring the small area and reading. Yesterday's events were far from my thoughts. It was a beautiful beach campsite. 

      A beautiful campsite on isolated Whaler Island.