Today’s paddle reinforced the notion that it is not about the distance but the journey and what you experience. In just an 8km paddle, in and around the islands off the shore of Gabriola, we saw and appreciated so much.

We headed out from the harbour towards Breakwater Island. Along the shore of Gabriola we could clearly see the tide line where the dry rock meets the kelp. The different colors and zones were so striking.

At the southern end of Breakwater we got up close to the rounded sandstone with what looked like spray painted bright green seaweed. The contrasts were stunning and we just floated along to appreciate the various shapes and colors.

We rounded the island and saw a family of playful river otters in the distance. They did not let us get to close before the scampered off into the trees. But we did get a few glimpses of them playing and sliding into the water. It was fun to watch.

We headed to Saturnini island where Mary knew of a fine beach for lunch. This is the advantage of paddling with locals who have done a lot of paddling here. They know all the highlights. And mighty fine it was. There was amazing sandstone carvings and caves, lots of shoreline to explore. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch and exploration time and just soaked in the beauty. It is a landscape that is like no other we have seen. The soft carving shapes reminded us a bit of Utah but different color of course. But the honeycomb and sharp edges are something new for us. It was a great place to appreciate.

Sadly we said good bye to Saturnini and made our way to Carlos Island. Again Mary’s knowledge was key because she knew where to land, that it can only be done at high tide, and that it was worth it to land. The rocks on the other side were like being on the moon. So many different erosion patterns created potholes, ‘dragon’s teeth’ and other weird and wonderful shapes.

Our landing spot had some colors that reminded us of Belize. We just took some tome to enjoy the uniqueness of this little island.

So all in all a pretty spectacular day. Not a lot of distance but lots to see and appreciate made it a very satisfying day.