Cape Flattery
Loading ...I recently had the opportunity to complete a classic line; rounding Cape Flattery – the most NW point in the continental United States. To the west of the Cape is the great Pacific to the north the Straight of Juan de Fuca. While the Pacific requires no introduction for the unfamiliar it should be pointed out that the Straight of Juan de Fuca (or the Straights) is the entrance and exit for a volume of water that is 30 times that of the Amazon. Four times each day, the Straights empty and fill a basin known as the Salish Sea, whose constrictions turn these millions of gallons of water into a frothy, chaotic turbulence and whirlpools that pull old growth timbers beyond the waters surface. But ours was not a trip into the Salish Sea, but rather around the Cape.
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laAsk any mariner what obstacles represent the greatest danger on the open seas and they will inevitably say the rounding of capes. To confirm this all you have to do is look at the destruction that has met many a sailor at the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn; the destruction of ships is unparalleled. While Cape Flattery doesn’t represent quite the same challenge, dangers are nonetheless present – the confluence of two different flows of water often mean a sea of confused waves and waves the resemble witches hats that can tower over the paddle. In addition there are the shallow reefs that cause the rolling waves to jack up and crash down in a boom of white water exploding 25 feet in the air, tidal forces that draws your progress to a crawl and the wind that can whip the seas surface into a froth; this is not a journey to be undertaken in adverse conditions with the inexperienced. The shore holds no safety as the cliffs meet the sea with a rocky barricade; sea stacks 5 stories tall, hidden reefs and sheer cliffs. Once the rounding has begun there is no escape on shore and the paddler is committed for the next 6 miles of uncertainty.
In the fall of 2009 a group of paddlers set out for an easy paddle to the Cape, not around it. This collection of images is a result of this out-and-back that turned into a one-way around the Cape.
The group consisted of some of North America’s most experience paddlers; Shawn Franklin, Leon Somme, Matt Nelson and Djuna Mascall of Body Boat Blade, and accomplished film maker Bryan Smith.
Enjoy the show!
