Rear View Mirror

Anvil Island

I left Porteau Cove this morning to paddle around Anvil Island at around 730 after my morning java at Brackendale Bean Around the World. I had flat calm conditions again which is pretty predictable with the nice weather we have been having. The backside of Anvil Island was stunning with dramatic rock walls with a feeling of remoteness considering there were thousands of cars heading up the sea to sky hiway from where i had left. It seems to be a seal nursery back there as well. I must have paddled with 100 Harbour seals, most were mom’s with their pups. Lots of seagulls diving too so i am sure there was a lot of bait in the water which means there was probably a lot of salmon as well. Looked to be a great place to throw the lines down. I also found a nesting area for Cormorants. They had their nests right on the steep rock walls and many of the nests had young birds getting ready to fly. Anvil Island has not changed much in the last thousand years and i really felt a sense of wild and remoteness in the midst of a busy sound. I worked my way south along the backside with great views of the remote Tantalus Range with it’s soaring peaks and hanging valleys. By the time i got to the south tip the wind had already started to inflow which sped up my paddle back to Porteau and to the busyness of the provincial park. The air was warm and it felt really good to be just in board shorts as I surfed the small windchop with MT. Garibaldi and Black Tusk on the northern horizon. The paddle took me three hours and it was a little over 20kms. Paddled my Surftech Joe Bark for this one which makes me smile everytime I paddle it, fast and efficient,……the ultimate coastal cruiser.