Unplugged: Kayaking Bowen Island in a Double

It's Thursday, August 4th and the weather couldn't possibly be any better for being out on the water. A beautiful 24 degrees and clear blue skies, we haven't had much of it this year so indulging in the good weather is mandatory. And based on the amount of traffic I saw out on the road, the whole city was thinking the same thing. Of course this journey began as smoothly as all my journeys do (it's important here to read the sarcasm). I love activities and hate planning ahead, it's all about embracing a true west coast lifestyle, or at least that's what I try to tell myself. Luckily our backyard is a gigantic outdoor playground with access to every outdoor activity you could imagine right at our fingertips. Aahh…I love this city!

I met up with Paul who joined me on the kayak adventure at Bowen Island, ahead of schedule I thought, we grabbed some last minute snacks and were on our way. Of course it wasn't until we got onto the highway that I noticed I was out of fuel...

Travel Tip: make sure you have enough fuel in your vehicle to get to your destination and read the exit signs properly when you do stop to fuel instead of turning the wrong way, missing your ferry and trying to kill an hour with warm sushi that you're going to regret later.

The ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay to Snug Cove at Bowen Island is barely 20 minutes. In the distance you see this rocky island between West Vancouver and Bowen Island. It's referred to as Passage Island, a privately owned island by a group of individuals and the only way to get there is by private boat. Definitely a landmark we're looking to reach on our next outing. Since it's privately owned, the residents do not welcome visitors. However, a little birdie at Bowen Island advised us that only the landmarks beyond high tide are private, low tide is still public property

We rented a double kayak from Bowen Island Sea Kayaking, it came with foot pedals for steering definitely a step up from the basic single kayaks I've used in the past. If you're looking to head out to Bowen Island for some kayaking before the end of the summer, Tuesdays are two for one day.

This is what a photograph looks like when you multitask, kayaking and taking a picture at the same time.

Within just a few minutes of being out on the water we saw an eagle and a group of seals and I quickly learned how tricky it is to get your camera out and ready while you're kayaking. We did attempt kayaking closer to the seals, but they shied away. Our rental was for three hours, but it went by far too quickly. We started at Snug Cove and kayaked along the North East coast of the Island past Miller's Landing and up towards Hood Point. It takes about an hour to kayak up and about an hour and a half to kayak back to Snug Cove.

We only got off onto land at one point and walked on the rocks while watching the sail boats and tubers enjoy the waters. The most challenging part of kayaking is getting in and out of the kayak and some of us think we're a lot more clever in our technique. I happened to get my left foot wet while getting back in, no bid deal, but Paul was quite entertained and didn't hold back his laughter. He was much more strategic with his approach. We had parked our kayak under a log that reached out over the water amidst the rocks. Paul smoothly slid into his seat from atop the log and even I was impressed. Then came the moment when we tried to back out into the water and Paul got smacked in the back with a giant log. Yes, it was my turn to laugh, we managed to get stuck on the rocks with a log in between us not allowing us to move forward or backward. The moment was priceless and the highlight of my day. We felt like dumb and dumber in a double kayak!

This is Paul backing into the log...i'm still laughing about it!

I highly recommend kayaking around Bowen Island. If you don't do it often your arms might be a little sore the next day, but it's completely worth it. Not much beats being out on the pristine water with the a stunning view of the mountains and islands around you. Enjoy!