The Soquel shipwreck, which lies just past Seabird Rocks, was a much larger ship than the Alaskan at 698 tons. She was a four masted schooner built in San Francisco, California in 1902. The Soquel was sailing with ballast from Callao, Peru, heading for Port Townsend (near Seattle), when bad weather and high seas carried her far off course.
Alaskan Shipwreck at 4kSoquel Shipwreck at 5kSarah Shipwreck at 7kBecherdass-Ambiadass Shipwreck at 8kMichigan Shipwreck at 12kUzbekistan Shipwreck at 13.8kVarsity Shipwreck at 17.6kValencia Shipwreck at 18.3kJanet Cowan Shipwreck at 19kRobert Lewers Shipwreck at 20kWoodside Shipwreck at 20.2kUncle John Shipwreck at 26.2kVesta Shipwreck at 29k Raita Shipwreck at 33k Skagit Shipwreck at 34.2kSanta Rita Shipwreck at 37kDare Shipwreck at 39kLizzie Marshall Shipwreck at 47kPuritan Shipwreck at 48.5kWempe Brothers Shipwreck at 49.4kDuchess of Argyle Shipwreck at 58kJohn Marshall Shipwreck at 62.3kWilliam Tell Shipwreck at 64.2Revere Shipwreck at 69kCyrus Shipwreck at 75kThe crew of 12 battled the storm as it continued to worsen, toppling two of the ship's four masts. The captains wife and daughter were killed by falling spars when the masts came crashing down on them. Throughout the night they struggled to reach a safe place to escape the storm. At some point during the the night she ran aground. The next morning, on January 22nd, 1909, the Soquel was spotted, aground on Seabird Rocks. The recently organized Bamfield lifesaving crew began a rescue operation. They battled the huge waves with their steamer, however unable to get close enough to perform a rescue. A few hours later, a second steamer arrived on the scene and together they managed to save five of the crew. Darkness prevented further rescue and the seven remaining crew had to wait out the night on the wrecked ship. The next morning calmer seas enable the rescue the remaining survivors as well as the bodies of the captain's wife and child. You will pass the presumed location of the Soquel shipwreck at about the 5k mark on the West Coast Trail, however there is no visible indication of the wreck for hikers to see. See the West Coast Trail map below which is a small glimpse at the Graveyard of the Pacific.
There are three more shipwrecks relatively near the Soquel shipwreck on the West Coast Trail. These are the Alaskan, one kilometre before the Soquel, and the Sarah two kilometres past the Soquel at 7k. The Becherdass-Ambiadass shipwreck is just three kilometres past the Soquel at around the 8 kilometre mark on the West Coast Trail. The Alaskan was a small, wooden hulled steamship of 150 tons built in Oregon in 1886. She was owned by a Vancouver freight company and was on route to Kildonan in Barkley Sound when she became another victim of the Graveyard of the Pacific. The Alaskan was last seen from Pachena Point apparently unable to round Cape Beale due to high winds she evidently had turned back. Distress flares were reportedly spotted in the evening from witnesses. No one witnessed its destruction and the Alaskan and it is believed to have foundered just after 7pm on January 2nd, 1923, killing the entire crew of 11. Three bodies washed ashore with considerable debris on the beaches west of Pachena Point. You will pass the presumed location of the Alaskan shipwreck at about the 4k mark on the West Coast Trail, however there is no visible indication of the wreck for hikers to see.
The Sarah was a three masted barque of 1206 tons, built in Nova Scotia in 1874. A British ship, she was sailing from the Philippines in ballast(no cargo), heading for Puget Sound. The crew consisted of 18 men as well as the captain's wife and baby. The captain sighted the recently built Carmanah Point Lighthouse and mistook it for the Tatoosh Island Lighthouse. The Sarah struggled against the south-east wind and the ship was pushed westward. Later the crew was able to regain their eastward coarse, toward what they though was the Juan de Fuca Strait. The ocean current had moved the ship considerably far north and on the evening of the 8th November, 1891, the crew was surprised to suddenly hear distant breakers. They immediately dropped anchor, then shortly after another one. But it was too late, the Sarah ran aground on the shore of what is now kilometre 7 of the West Coast Trail. One lifeboat was freed with some of the crew, however the captain, the rest of his crew and his wife and baby remained because the second lifeboat could not be freed. Throughout the following day and night they struggled to free the boat to make their escape to safety. Two of the crew drowned in attempting to reach the shore in a makeshift raft. Finally they managed to free another lifeboat and the survivors managed to get ashore. They were rescued by one of the many indigenous tribes residing on Vancouver Island. It seems safe to assume that it was the Huu-ay-aht First Nations which resided there, as they do now, at Pachena Bay. The Huu-ay-aht brought the shipwreck survivors to a trader's post where they found passage to Victoria on a local schooner. 16 of the crew of 18 and the captain's wife and baby survived the Sarah shipwreck.
Built in 1864 the 1376 ton, 3 masted ship, Becherdass-Ambiadass was wrecked on the rocky shore only a half mile from Pachena Point. This British ship was returning from Shanghai to Moodyville (now North Vancouver) when Cape Beale was sighted. As she neared Vancouver Island early morning fog blinded her and under full sail collided with the abruptly rocky shore near the 8k mark of the West Coast Trail. Amazingly no one was seriously hurt, but the ship was wrecked. The crew used the lifeboats to save themselves. The next day a local boat carried both the crew and their belongings to Victoria. In the following weeks the ship disintegrated on the rocks. There are no remnants of wreckage from the Becherdass-Ambiadass shipwreck to see. The wreck sits under the waves not far from where the Black River meets the ocean at the 8 kilometre mark of the West Coast Trail.
Alaskan at 4k Soquel at 5k Sarah at 7k Becherdass-Ambiadass at 8k
The closest campsite on the West Coast Trail to the Soquel shipwreck is the Michigan Creek campsite at 12k. The campsite at Michigan Creek is the first or last campsite you will encounter on the West Coast Trail. First if you begin your hike at the Pachena trailhead(hiking south) and last if you begin in Port Renfrew(hiking north). The 12.1 kilometres(7.5 miles) between the Pachena trailhead and Michigan Creek is fairly easy and flat. Compared to the rest of the West Coast Trail, this section is wonderfully relaxing. At a brisk pace, you should be able to hike this section in a little over 3 hours. At a more relaxed pace, and stopping at the Pachena Lighthouse, you will take 4 or 5 hours from the trailhead.
The next campsite along the beach, just past Michigan Creek is the Darling River campsite at 14k. Darling River is generally quieter than Michigan Creek, and the beautiful Darling Falls are a memorable highlight of the West Coast Trail. Swimming at Darling Falls is always chilly, but the serenity of this little hideaway makes you forget the water temperature and drink in the emerald green water and rainforest surrounding you. The Michigan's boiler is a visible remnant of that shipwreck near Michigan Creek. Darling River has a shipwreck of its own, laying at the bottom of the ocean where Darling River flows out. The Uzbekistan was a steel steamship of 2569 tons. Built in 1937 in France and became a shipwreck on April 1st, 1943. A Russian ship, the Uzbekistan was part of the lend-lease program during World War II, where the US shipped war materials to Russia. She left Portland for Seattle to pick up a load of war materials destined for Vladivostok. On April 1st 1943 the Uzbekistan encountered stormy weather and bad visibility, mistaking the light at Swiftsure Bank for that of Umatilla Reef. She steered toward what was thought to be the Juan de Fuca Strait. Because of the strong northerly current, she was far north of her supposed location.
Just a kilometre past the Darling River campsite you will come to another beach campsite at Orange Juice Creek. Orange Juice Creek is not terribly pretty and gets its name from the intensely, orange juice coloured water that crashes through a tangled morass of driftwood logs. If you aren't keen on swimming and/or washing at Darling Falls, Orange Juice Creek is a good alternative. Much quieter than Michigan Creek and a bit quieter than Darling River, you will find a more relaxed surrounding at the campsite at Orange Juice Creek. Another less obvious aspect of Orange Juice Creek that makes it worth camping at is the small, but very livable sea cave. Some find it charming, others find it spooky. At the very least it is worth a look. A small fire in the middle, surrounded by driftwood logs for seats, in horribly, wet weather, this cave is paradise!
Alaskan at 4k Soquel at 5k Sarah at 7k Becherdass-Ambiadass at 8k Michigan at 12k Uzbekistan at 13.8k Varsity at 17.6k Valencia at 18.3k Janet Cowan at 19k Robert Lewers at 20k Woodside at 20.2k Uncle John at 26.2k Vesta at 29k Raita at 33k Skagit at 34.2k Santa Rita at 37k Dare at 39k Lizzie Marshall at 47k Puritan at 48.5k Wempe Brothers at 49.4k Duchess of Argyle at 58k John Marshall at 62.3k William Tell at 64.2 Revere at 69k Cyrus at 75k
