Broken Group - Day 4

It's hard to complain with a 4th day with the same weather! It's been sunny every day, the complete opposite of our last trip 3 years ago. We did wake to thick fog that made visibility an issue, but by noon it had burned off.
We moved camp to Gibralter Island and secured the so called honeymoon spot, the one site isolated from the others. After setting up camp, we paddled out to Reek Island which was punctuated by jagged rocks and narrow surge channels.
Another great day! Thanks again to everyone who made this trip possible, you know who you are!
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Broken Group - Day 3

After an evening of socializing with the neighbors, enjoying their hospitality and wine, we awoke to news of a whale in coaster channel. We skipped breakfast and headed out for an early morning paddle. We were rewarded with a school of fish, herded towards us like cattle, while they fipped at the surface of the water. As I watched the whale surface and dive, I was startled when is spy hopped behind me and about 30ft from Willy. Man that boy was as excited as a school girl who just saw justin beiber!
We came back for breakfast and headed back out for the afternoon. We headed for the outermost islands, the ones exposed to the swells from the pacific. It was a bit rough and we listened to our inner voices, or our wives and avoided the worst crossings.
Heading back, the sea fog rolled in, a relief for my arms that at this point looked like neopolitan ice-cream. It was a great day out and I'm lucky to have friends that drag my butt out to do this stuff.
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Broken Group

With the sun peeking through the tall cedars that surrounded the tent we were excited for another day of fine weather. The new growth on the tips of the trees offered a warm glow to the morning. I was also excited for breakfast, SPAM and eggs! The meal also included some Cowboy coffee, with all the fixin's.
After breakfast, Willy was slowed by a stomach bug and sat the day out at camp. Merc and I decided to tour Effingham and Austin, two of the outer islands that are exposed to the Pacific, with the nearest land to the west being Japan. The paddle was highlighted with jagged cliffs, dark narrow sea caves and an arch that we passed under. We then beached on a sandy shore where we ate lunch and laid in the sun like flotsam. Speaking of flotsam, you should see what I came across while hiking the shoreline!
With another day coming to the end, I remain thankful of the opportunity to come out here. Thanks Dora! I'll be home soon to help pack!
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Broken Group

Well, day one and I have to say the weather and company has been awesome! We left from Port Alberni after a night at the Batstar B&B. Fresh fruit muffins, an egg dish (need to try it when I get home!) and fruit was a great start to the day.
We jumped on board the Lady Rose ferry and were off to Seachart, the launch point into the Broken Group. We packed up with room to spare and were off.
Weather was good, blue sky, with a few clouds. We felt awesome, but noticed some whitecaps right away. We were pleasantly surprized to find them enjoyable and relatively easy. The wind slowed progress and we were definitely tired by the end of the day, but it was worth the push. We ended up on Gilbert, one of the outer group islands. I think tomorrow we'll explore the islands out here and return to the same site. Fingers crossed for more of the same,
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