Skip to content

Coasters take up the challenge

Three canoes from the Sunshine Coast participated in the annual Pulling Toegther Canoe Journey from July 2 to 8 on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Three canoes from the Sunshine Coast participated in the annual Pulling Toegther Canoe Journey from July 2 to 8 on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Close to 40 Sunshine Coast people participated with more than 250 people from around the province and even from as far away as Alberta.

Our local participants included RCMP officers, members of the Sechelt Nation, a strong representation from School District No. 46 and civilians young and old.

Their travels took them from Tofino to Ahoushat, from Ucluelet to Toquaht and over to Bamfield.The journey concluded in Port Alberni on July 8.

It was the first time the canoes of a Pulling Together journey had experienced the open ocean waters of the west coast. Together the crews braved rains, winds and tides. They had to land their giant craft in the surf, cross open waters fraught with mighty tides and twice they found themselves stranded on islands, the winds and seas far too high for safety considerations to allow them to paddle further. In fact a few days of paddling were lost to unusually high winds. Supported by the Department of Fisheries, Coast Guard, the Navy and the RCMP, there was never any real danger. The entire journey was an outstanding success simply because all challenges were met and defeated simply by everyone involved Pulling Together.

To see and read more, check out our blog site at http://sunshinecoastpullingtogether.blogspot.com/.