Join Edible BC and Pacific Northwest Expeditions for a weekend gastronomic getaway paddling through the  stunning Gulf Islands.  Fine wines and gourmet food are featured, alongside river otters, bald eagles, and harbor seals.  After full days on the water, and full tummies, enjoy camping under the stars on a beautiful isolated beach.

Your chef and kayak guides will produce locally-sourced gourmet meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Previous menus have included specialties such as pasture raised Cowichan Bay duck breast and confit leg with fingerling potatoes, braised local greens and pinot noir reduction. All dinners are paired with local BC wines.

The weekend trip departs from Nanaimo, Vancouver Island on Friday morning at 8am and returns Sunday afternoon.

Sample Itinerary

Day One

We’ll meet in Nanaimo on Friday morning at the Departure Bay BC Ferry terminal before driving to the nearby launch site near Cedar. Our guides will help stow your personal gear and go over paddling fundamentals and safety orientation before launching. With their  professional instruction and advice, you’ll soon be paddling confidently enroute to Pirates Cove. These waters are home to river otters and harbour seals, and close encounters are common.

After landing on a beautiful  island beach, you’ll sit back and enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by our guides. Next we’ll establish our base camp where we’ll stay for the next two nights. After a tour of the area and choosing our tent sites, there will be free time to explore the many trails, go for a swim or simply relax and enjoy quality quiet time. Later uncork a bottle of BC wine and watch as your guide prepares a  lavish, flavourful dinner using locally sourced ingredients.

Day Two

After a delicious breakfast and locally roasted coffee, we’ll pack a lunch, gear and supplies for the day. We set out across Trincomali Channel for a morning of paddling along the shoreline of Valdez Island learning about the intertidal zone; a great time for photo opportunities of the dramatic sandstone cliffs. We enjoy lunch on the sunny white clam shell beach of Blackberry Point on Valdez Island. After lunch we can explore the island and the adventurous can hike to the highest point on Valdez, Mexicana Hill or alternatively, catch up on some napping. An inspiring view of the surrounding islands, channels and the Strait of Georgia is visible from here. We  return to our campsite later in the day with time to relax, swim, and sip a glass of wine  before dinner.

Day Three

Awake to the aromas of a hot breakfast being prepared  and  enjoy a coffee on the beach in the early morning sun. After breakfast, we repack the kayaks with our gear and bid adieu to our camp site. Along the route back, we may be fortunate enough to view more wildlife along the  sandstone cliffs. We’ll stop on one of the beaches along the way for a nutritious snack arriving back at our initial launch site at approximately 3 pm.

Watch the Videos

Sponsor

Edible BC’s is proud to have Gray Monk Estate Winery as our Gourmet Kayaking sponsor in 2009.

Read What the Media Has to Say

DETAILS

2010 DATES:

July 9 – 11
July 23 – 25
August 6 – 8
August 20 – 22
September 10 – 12

Price: $750 per person, plus GST

Duration : 3 days / 2 nights
Minimum/Maximum Group Size: 8 / 12

Meeting Spot: The Departure Bay BC Ferry Terminal, in Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island *Edible BC can help you with travel plans to and from Vancouver Island
Accommodation: Camping
Activity Level: Novice Leisure

Your Weekend Includes:
• Professional & experienced kayaking guides & instruction
• Single & double kayaks
• Tents, thermarest pads & pillows
• All safety equipment
• All food, wine & beverages

Testimonials

“The guides performed magic with the preparation and presentation of each meal.  If I were not there watching that they were actually preparing and cooking the food from scratch on the “coleman stove”, I would have thought that they had used packed prepared food.  The quality of the food and it marvellous taste had all of us longing for more… yummers.  Both guides were very approachable, friendly, knowledgeable and very professional – they made the trip very, very enjoyable… an awesome experience indeed.”
-Gourmet Kayaking client, July 2009

“this trip was awesome!!! the food was amazing, the kayaking was so fun, and the leaders were beyond what i had expected. They were always happy, always willing to accomodate, took us on tons of adventures, and cooked us the most amazing meals. Not only did I learn about kayaking, I learned about food, wines, (and their pairings), wildlife, the ocean, camping, etc etc etc. Would definetely do another trip with james and alex. thank you!”
-SW, Vancouver, BC

“When I think of my Gourmet Kayaking Weekend, ‘E’ words pop into my head. It was an excellent, exciting, entertaining, educational, and an extremely enjoyable experience! Oh, and exceptionally “Edible”!! You could call me a very satisfied client!”
B.E, Vancouver, BC