COASTAL BRITISH COLUMBIA
(Page 2 of 5)
Bella Coola contrasts with the rough and rustic interior
settlements, seeming (if one ignores the spectacular snow
capped peaks around it) more like a country town of the
U.S. south than the trading center for thousands of square
miles. The few businesses are scattered over a several
block area. Judging from the types of enterprises, tourism
is not an important industry.
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Prices are surprisingly low, considering Bella Coola's
isolation and the small size of the market. A lunch consist
ing of ham sandwich, pie and milk cost $0.70, locally baked
bread sold for $0.26 a loaf and three pounds of powered
milk cost $1.40. (Prices are in Canadian dollars which
– at that time-exchanged for about 93¢ U.S.)
Gasoline cost $0.48 per Imperial gallon, equivalent to
about $0.37 U.S. per U.S. gallon.
My kayak was a 17-foot folding model which weighed 125
pounds complete with optional sloop sailing rig. I
transported it to Bella Coola disassembled (parts less than
five feet long), put it together on the banks of the river
above town and paddled down stream to the channel.
The trip from Bella Coola to Nascall Bay took five days.
Four days were consumed struggling the 18 miles down North
Bentinck Arm and Burke Channel against strong head winds
and often white-capped waves. I traveled these waters only
during the early morning when wind and waves were minimum.
Even then, hard paddling netted only one knot headway. An
attempt at upwind sailing in Burke Channel proved
unproductive; the Folbot will go into the wind reasonably
well in calm water but not when fighting three-foot waves.
Once beyond Bella Coola, the only signs of man were fishing
boats (about a dozen a day), a couple of logging operations
and the remains of piers, log booms and cabins in some of
the bays.
The shores are mostly low cliffs with some pebbly-to-rocky
beaches in the bays. On overnight stops I either dragged
the Folbot up a beach above the tidal zone (up to 15 feet)
or tied up offshore. One of the most attractive camping
places was a little cove (not shown on the land-status map)
just northeast of Lalakata Point. It was a near-ideal
combination of sandy beach, trickling creek and hillsides
covered with black raspberries and red bilberries.
On the fifth day I passed Mesachie Nose, turned into
Labouchere Channel and – for a change – had
calm water and a light tailwind. With mainsail alone I
ghosted downwind to Dean Channel and across on an easy
broad reach to Nascall Bay. Dean Channel was calmer than
Burke had been although a rain squall caused some rough
moments.
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