Discovering Skookumchuck Rapids
Last April I had the opportunity to take a class through Active Sea Kayaking taught by Nick Castro and Rowan Gloag of The Hurricane Riders. This was an introductory class to the infamous Skookumchuck Rapids. As soon as I heard about the class I quickly persuaded 4 other friends into joining me in the class.
Not really knowing what we were getting ourselves into I watched, watched again and then watched some more, YouTube videos,
of others at Skooks. Some looked absolutely beauteous as skilled paddlers surfed their crafts back and forth across the waves and then there were a few that had me thinking twice about whether this was a good idea.
Nick and Rowan set us up for success and alleviated much of our fears before we even met, they sent us literature and gave us drills to read and practice on our own.
We had planned on arriving for class a day early so that we could do a short day paddle some where along our driving route to do an equipment shake down. We settled on a paddle out of Half Moon Bay. It was a great opportunity to paddle in a beautiful area, further relaxing our nerves.
After our short paddle we continued on to the Back Eddy Resort & Marina. We arrived and got checked into our cabin. 5 adults crammed into 1 tiny cabin made for a very cozy atmosphere. What the cabins lacked in space they more than made up for in views, as the cabins had an unobstructed view to the entrance of Sechelt Inlet and the Sutton Islets with snow capped mountains as a backdrop.
The boys from Active Sea Kayaking showed up and we had a quick meeting that covered the mornings plans. We met our all important safety boater, Tavor Thorne. We all pledged beers to him if he had to rescue us.
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Trust me, strong currents can be found in the channel between the launch and Meares Island. You have to base the currents: slack, ebb and flood off of the tides as there are no current predictions for the area. Consult with the fine folks at Tofino Sea Kayaking for local area knowledge.
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Distance: - 12 NM
Charts: Launch: Radio Channels: - VHF 16 U.S.
Weather: Tidal Stations: - Tofino British Columbia (Tides)
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Day 1 of Learning Skookumchuck Rapids
Not getting much sleep the first night, we were all up bright and early and eager or anxious to get on the water. We first had an hour or so of on land instruction. Rowan blew our minds with a drill for a different way of performing a stern rudder, one that he thinks works better in rapidly moving water. We would soon find out for ourselves.
We packed our boats for a day trip and launched right from the marina. We paddled for about 20 minutes against the tail end of the Ebb arriving at the Rapids just before slack. Along the way was more instruction giving us pointers, pointing out landmarks to use while on the wave, where not to go, etc.
We unpacked our boats and set up a camp of sorts on shore and waited for the tide to change. It was amazing to see how fast the flow switches and soon there was an eddy line forming.
We double-checked each other; zippers closed, hatches secured, helmets on. Back in our boats, we started working the eddy line as it began to build just like we have done hundreds of times before at Deception Pass, but now we were at Skooks and we were all smiles. Day one was very gentle. We used it to hone our new ruddering technique and to learn our landmarks while on the wave. This day was all about finesse and light touches. Anything more and you were pushed right off the wave. It was a perfect day to have our Skookumchuck Cherries popped!
Later that night after dinner, we reviewed video footage from the boats and from a shore side camera. Having the video feedback was awesome and really added to the learning process. Nick & Rowan were spot on with there assessments and gave concise feedback.
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This route has an exposed 5NM open water crossing subject to high winds, strong currents and commercial shipping traffic. Timed correctly you should be going through Cattle Pass at or near Max Flood. There is a Tidal Race that forms at the entrance to Cattle Pass off of Davis PT and if there is an opposing West to Southwest wind you can expect large standing waves greeting you.
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Distance: - 90 NM
Charts: Launch: Radio Channels: - VHF 16
Weather: Tides: Launch: - Neah Bay (Tides)
- Makah Bay (Tides)
- James Island (Tides)
- Destruction Island (Tides)
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Day 2 of Learning Skookumchuck Rapids
I woke early and was enjoying a cup of finely crafted coffee on the front porch watching the water flow by the marina as a pod of 20 or so Dalls Porpoise’s swam by frolicking just as the sun was breaching the mountains and flooding the inlet with the first rays of the morning sun, truly awesome.
The Day was kicked off with another morning of on land instruction reinforcing what we had learned the day before and talking about the days plan and what to expect. Today was supposed to be bigger, the flow stronger, the eddy line more powerful and the wave bigger but easier to see and catch.
With the boats loaded we set off again for our 20 minute paddle to the rapids. The sun was out, we had clear blue skies, king fishers lined the shores, Bald Eagles soared over head and just as we reached Skooks we found the pod of Dalls Porpoises fishing the eddies on the tail end of the ebb. We sat and watched them mesmerized as we waited for the tide to switch.
The switch came faster this day and the eddy line formed really fast. With every warm up circuit, crossing the eddy line, you could feel the power of the rapids building. It wasn’t long before the wave started forming and the real fun began to build. The first time I crossed the eddy line and was able to catch the wave and carve back in forth, it felt like the world around me had faded and it was just my boat myself and the wave.
The wave today was green and glassy, the sun was shining, and it was a perfect day. When you are on the wave and relax enough to take in your surroundings you are struck by the beauty of it all and are able to reflect on the power of the water underneath you.
Right at max flow I talked Rowan, Nick and Tavor into taking us on a “Tour” so we all lined up and one by one paddled out across the eddy line, not to catch the wave but to ride down the gullet of the rapids. We first encountered massive white water churned waves, then 20’ boils that rose up from the surface 1-2’, next came the whirlpools large enough to suck in your bow or stern and bring the water to your chest. Once you made it past the whirlpools you could finally breath and easily cut into shore and ride the back eddy all the way back to the rapids about 1km away. The whole ride was fast and it was amazing how far you went in such a short amount of time.
Taking the tour was fun but admittedly it was at my discretion and not the waves. A couple of people took the tour at the urging of the wave, you just had to be patient waiting for the right moment to effect a rescue and then being fast at doing the rescue so you could get over to shore before getting pushed around the bend.
We all surfed the wave that day until our arms were ready to fall off. Leslie was the last to come off and I remember Rowan breathing a sigh of relief and saying, “Finally I am exhausted!”
Dinner that night was well received and the video review was amazing, yet another opportunity to highlight some great technique and point out how to gain improvement. It was early to bed tonight as we were all exhausted and we still had one day to go.
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Paddling around Mercer Island is a great way to spend a couple of hours on the weekend. You get to pass by multi million dollar homes, and world class motor yachts its like watching MTV's Cribs from your Kayak in full HD.
There are numerous launch points around Mercer Island. I have highlighted a few that you can drive up to and have a short carry to the water. Whether you choose to go clockwise or counter clockwise is your choice but I would recommend trying to finish the day with a tail wind if at all possible.
Much of Mercer islands shoreline s private land and residents do not take lightly to you landing. 2 good rest spots are at Seward Park on the north end of the peninsula and at Clarke Beach Park on the SE side of Mercer Island. There are a couple of other smaller parks on Mercer Island if you can find them.
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Be mindful of the weather there have been many mishaps on this lake because people didn't pay attention to changing conditions.
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Distance: - 12 NM
Charts: Launch: Radio Channels: - VHF 16
Weather: -
Day 3 of Learning Skookumchuck Rapids
We got to sleep in, if only by an hour, getting up early this morning was not in the cards. I was still able to get in my cup of finely crafted coffee and watch the water flow by as the morning rays bathed the resort. No porpoises this morning instead a large mostly submerged tree marked by an orange flag was spotted floating with the tide past the marina.
This morning we had another session of on land reflection and drills. The flow today was higher yet. Risk today would be higher and we were prepped on what to expect. We were told that wave would probably foam out near max ebb (10.8kts) and that the wave would build very fast and the eddy line would turn into an eddy wall. Well this had us a little on edge, we were all tired and sore from the previous day.
Again the sun was out the wind was calm and the air was crisp. We arrived just before slack as we had the two previous days and set up a make shift camp. We got a quick snack in before the switch came and that was a good thing because they were right, the switch happened fast and the eddy line and waved formed within 15 minutes of the switch. Nerves melted away with the first ride of the day. We had 2 days to get the rotation together and operated like a finely tuned machine as one dropped off the wave the next person was already powering up to catch it.
At some point the eddy wall showed up. Instead of being a flat eddy line, the eddy line grew into a 1-2’ wall of water and on the back side of it was a 1-2’ drop into the wave trough. Nerves formed once again. It was definitely harder to punch through the wall and catch the wave. It took a few attempts but I finally found the sweet spot and angle and it was a thrilling ride up and over the eddy wall, dropping into the wave trough and carving my spot onto the wave!
We did this until the wave started foaming out and we (the students) got off the water for lunch and watched the instructors master the wave. After about an hour the flow slowed enough and the depth increased enough that the wave stopped foaming out and we played on it until we just were so tired we could not do it anymore.
We took some time to eat and rest before heading back to the resort. I reflected on the last three days and what I had accomplished and what we had accomplished together. We were exhausted, sore and grateful, grateful for the amazing venue, the truly inspiring instructors and the bonds of friendship that grew during this epic challenge. This will be a trip that I will remember for the rest of my life.
If you ever have the chance to take a class like this, prepare, challenge yourself and do it!
Prepare by getting in shape, this course is an ass kicker. Get out and surf as much as you can in your long boat, you do not need big waves, 2-3’ is sufficient to further your skills. Get to a tidal race and become comfortable handling your boat in moving water and doing rescues in it. Try getting a group of 3-5 friends and make it a goal to take this class and train together for it. Seek professional help, no not a psychiatrist, but a professional paddling instructor that can give you personalized training specific to your needs.
