September 21, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Port McNeill, Boating & Sailing
I had looked at the Nimpkish River for a couple of years trying to determine if it is passable in a power boat. I checked it out as best as possible on Goggle Earth as there are no people I know of which have actually challenged the river with a jet boat. After the rains over the past few weeks the river had signifigantly come up, so I decided to try it with my white water race boat. It was very challenging, but I made it almost all the way to Woss. This river is quite different from the rivers that I have previously run it. Specifically, the water is very clear, it is very fast in some section, and obstacles are quite numerous. It is not what I would consider recommending to someone to attempt who has little experience. Never the less, I was able to navigate it without incident, and managed an average speed of 40 mph. This is not bad considering that this river is narrow and winding and I had never been on it before. Unfortunately, I did not take a camera on this trip, but neither myself or my navigator would have had opportunity to use it. I am planning to mount a video camera in the near future to the top of my roll bar, this is the only way to record this kind of adventure. I am going to do it again when I have the time, and the water levels are appropriate. Let me say, this was a very good exiting trip, however if anyone contemplates doing something like this keep in mind that proper safety gear is absolutely mandatory as this river would be unforgiving in the event of a mishap, and it is totallly out in the wilderness