From the east side of Mayne Island, there is a lot of good paddling along the shoreline, around bays, through channels, and around islands.   We paddled from the Horton Bay area around Curlew Island and out toward Georgia Strait to a chain of rocky islets called the Belle Isles.   They act like a breakwater to the incoming winds and waves so we paddled out on a calm and sunny day to the first islets.

We heard there was a colony of sea lions on one of the outer isles, so we paddled along the sheltered side of the chain, parallel to Samuel Island.   Winds were light right across Georgia Strait.   We looked for Mt. Baker, 100 km east, but it was wreathed in clouds.   We had great views a few days later from the ferry.

On one of the islets sea birds were perched, mostly cormorants and seagulls.

We spotted many seals in the channels, and sunning on the rocks.

The cormorants were alert to the approach of the kayaks so we kept a distance, using a longer lens to photograph them standing on the seaweed at low tide.

We got close enough to hear the sea lions, but the winds picked up so we did not get closer.   We were told there are up to 300 of them on one rocky isle right out where the waves run onto the rocks.

We paddled back on a circuit between islands, about 9 km on the waves.   A Google Earth fly-over is provided here as a tour of the Bell Isles: