Know Your Neighbours:
Paddling to Shipwrecks
February-March 2005
This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
To download a pdf copy of the magazine click here: > DOWNLOAD
by Bryan Nichols
There is something deeply disturbing about shipwrecks. No matter what size your boat is, a one way trip to Davy Jones’s Locker can still lurk in your mind every time the wind whips up. Once below the waves, ships become wrecks—rusting skeletons of their once beautiful selves, and watery cemeteries for any unfortunate souls who went down with them. Shipwrecks prickle our fascination with the mystery and power of the ocean. Many have remarkable histories, and all are a window into the past—the lifestyles of their passengers and crew frozen in time and then gradually lost to rust and encrusting marine life.
Divers are drawn to the shallower wrecks, able to explore what most people can only imagine. Wreck diving is so popular that old ships are now scuttled specifically for divers (“artificial reefs”). But what about kayakers? Can you experience a real shipwreck with paddle in hand? Strangely enough, many shipwreck sites are quite safe from a kayak—rocks and reefs that might hunger for your yacht are a playground for kayaks if the weather is calm.
WHAT THE TIDES REVEAL
In more protected areas, falling tides may uncover ships that ran aground, drifted in or were towed to shallow water. On exposed coasts, such shallow wrecks are soon battered to bits, but in calm areas you’ll be able to paddle right up to the remains of ships that met an inglorious or unlucky end. Some of the best examples are the breakwaters at Royston (see below and book review), Kelsey Bay and Powell River—some truly interesting ships were towed to these spots as hulks to protect log booming areas. However, there are beached wrecks scattered all along the coast, so you never know what you’ll come across. Though easiest to see, intertidal wrecks often met anticlimactic ends.
WHAT LIES BENEATH
Below the waves it’s different. Heroism. Tragedy. Cruel fate or miraculous survival. Even if you can’t actually see the rusting remains from a kayak, paddling to a spot where you know a ship met a dramatic end is an experience that can provoke a host of emotions, or at least satisfy an acute interest in history. With some research or a knowledgeable companion, visiting a shipwreck site can be a unique paddling experience.
Before visiting any wreck site, it’s worth knowing why a boat far bigger than yours went down there. Was it because of a fire on board? Fine, few of us kayakers worry about losing our craft to fire on the water. But perhaps it was because the weather in that area can turn nasty with lightning speed, or maybe the wind against current creates a sea unruly enough to founder a freighter. If so, you’d best be very aware of waves, winds and currents before you attempt a visit
.The West Coast Trail is a good example—it was built to speed aid to shipwreck victims, and there are plenty of wrecks just offshore in shallow water. But that stretch of coastline is exposed to the full fury of the Pacific, and hidey holes are few and far between if things get windy. Shallow wrecks have been smashed to smithereens by storms, and kayakers are not advised to go looking for them.
WHY SO MANY WRECKS?
A quick glance at a shipwreck chart (see Wreck References) makes you wonder— why are there so many? It’s a reminder that the ocean, even in protected areas like the Strait of Georgia, can be unforgiving at times—and those times are usually storms. It’s also a reminder that the lifejackets, fire drills and rescue procedures we often ignore or take for granted when we’re passengers, are there for a reason.
Things were different just a hundred years ago. It’s difficult for modern travelers to comprehend the steamship era— along a coast without highways, airports or a government ferry service, private companies and their steamships were vital links. Unfortunately, thanks to an inspection system that was inadequate and arguably even corrupt, travel by ship was more dangerous than it needed to be. The most horrifying tales of shipwrecks come from this era, tragedies like the Princess Sophia or Valencia. Read some of the books or websites in the reference list for stories that will provoke tears, fears and inspiration. Then head out for a visit with your hands on the paddle, one eye on the weather and your thoughts below the waves.
© Marine scientist Bryan Nichols encourages all boaters to learn about, and from, the Northwest’s wrecks.
Review: The Ghost Ships of RoystonRick James Underwater Archaeological Society of BC, 2004 $13 Cdn, 60 pp, b/w photographs A fascinating book for boaters, travelers and especially kayakers, as old ships from all over the world ended up in shallow water on the east side of Vancouver Island. They were towed into place as a breakwater just south of Courtenay, and kayaks are a great way to check them out. Driving past on the highway you’d never know what lies there—a stop at the nearby park might reveal some rusting old hulls along a breakwater. But with a kayak, this book and a calm day, you can soak up some serious coastal history, bittersweet as it might seem. Several of the hulks you’ll see have such interesting pasts it seems like they should be in museums rather than being beaten into the mud by each winter storm. The report is well referenced and provides enough information and old pictures of the ships to pique interest. From huge, three masted sailing ships to World War II frigates, this is an eclectic graveyard. There is a helpful archaeological survey map from 2003 showing what lies where, and some instructions on visiting the site. Order a copy from the UASBC website before an up island visit—it’s a very worthwhile stop. WRECK REFERENCES Underwater Archaeological Society of BC Graveyard of the Pacific Virtual Museum Shipwrecks of British Columbia Fred Rogers (1973), Douglas & McIntyre ISBN 0-88894-434-9 Melodramatic but interesting; good chart; best reference for finding wrecks. See also Fred Roger’s More Shipwrecks of BC ISBN 1-55054-020-3, 1992, $14.95 Cdn Two recent books which could be better structured, but which have great tales: Great Shipwrecks of the Pacific Coast Robert C. Belyk, Wiley, 2001 ISBN 0-471-38420-8, $38.95 Cdn The Unforgiving Coast David H. Grover, Oregon State University Press, 2002. ISBN 0-87071-541-0 $19.95 US. |
British Columbia Shipwrecks
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© 2005. Text and photos by Bryan Nichols. No reproduction without permission.
