Campania Island

Campania Island, originally uploaded by macatay.

We are anchored in Anderson Passage, a protected nook of Campania Island, not far from the Hecate Strait. Although we have fine, sunny weather, there are gale force winds in the open waters of the eighty mile wide Hecate Strait, which we must cross to reach the Queen Charlotte Islands. So we are waiting for better conditions, glad we were able to find our way in here. As you can see from the chart detail above, there is a maze of channels and islets, which we have been exploring all day by kayak.

We are lucky that a detailed and accurate chart exists, since most of the outer coastal areas are not well mapped. This old chart is a beauty, and tells its own story. The title block announces that the survey was done by W.K. Willis, R.B. Young, and assistants in 1943. We imagine men who were not unhappy to be handed the job of cartography on the wild west coast of Canada, when going off to war was the other option. Our kayak expedition felt like a tribute to their accomplishment.