July 5, 2019 – The morning started off completely socked in with fog. I was concerned about crossing down the point to the shore at Port McNeill not knowing what kind of traffic it has on a Friday afternoon. Mercifully it burned off by the time I got there. I still had to wait 15 minutes for about ten vessels of various shapes and speeds to go by before I could cross. It was quite the menagerie of wakes.
When I roughly measured the distance from the campground to Telegraph Cove on my chart, I got about 11 miles. I figured it would take me a little over two hours since I was paddling during the middle of the flood tide and would have the maximum help of the current. I did have a good amount of help – at one point paddling 7.5 mph – but I miscalculated the distance. Since I thought it would only be a couple hour paddle I decided to make it a workout and pushed myself. After the second hour I looked at the GPS and I had already paddled 11.5 miles. I could see Telegraph Cove in the distance. It looked at least another four miles out. So the third hour I took a little easier. It still turned out to be my fastest paddle yet: 16.6 miles in three hours and 12 minutes.
I felt pretty good afterward, but very hungry. Uncle Sidney took me out for a steak dinner. He had the grilled salmon. Telegraph Cove is a tastefully planned tourist destination. They have everthing, a marina if you are coming by motor/sail/fishing boat, hotel rooms, campground, RV spots, full restaurant, pub, general store, cafe, other small shops, and a kayaking tour/instruction company. Their prices are reasonable and they have done a lot to restore and provide interpretive signs all along the way.
Highlight of the day was coming across about 60 rhinocerous auklets. As usual, my photos don’t do them justice. I highly recommend you look them up to see their little horn. They are one cool looking bird, and it was breathtaking to be surrounded by so many.
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