Editor's blog RSS



Where in the world is Volume 3?

We are asked this question a lot at Wild Coast Publishing, and the question can be directed two different ways: where is volume 3 of The Wild Coast series of guidebooks, and where is volume 3 of the BC Coast Explorer series. In the way of background, The Wild Coast series was the original guidebook series for exploring the British Columbia coast. The first volume was originally printed in 2003, with volume 3 following in 2008. The series was published by Whitecap Books and written by me (John Kimantas).   Several reprintings of the volumes followed. Unfortunately, Whitecap Books went bankrupt about the time volume 1 was to be updated and reprinted. The titles were picked up by Fitzhenry and Whiteside of Toronto, but...

Continue reading



Ending the Nootka name origin myth once and for all

One of the most-told stories relating to Nootka Sound is the story of the origin of the name Nootka Sound. It goes like this: Captain James Cook, upon first arriving in March 1788, was greeted by the Mowachaht, who yelled "go around," using the Nuu-cha-nulth word "nootka-a", an instruction for the safe place to go as the ships the Discovery and the Resolution approached Yuquot on south Nootka Island. Cook misinterpreted that, or so the story goes, to mean the Mowachaht were in fact introducing themselves as the people the Nootka, and so he chose that name for the people of the sound he was entering. It is a good story, to be sure, but the basis in fact was purely speculation. It was...

Continue reading



Understanding and making use of UTM grid lines

If you're a hiker, you are probably familiar with UTM grid lines on your hiking maps. If you are a paddler or mariner, you may not have seen them at all. Even if are a hiker and used to seeing them, you may not have known what they are, and just overlooked them as more clutter on a map. Overlook them no longer! Wild Coast Publishing has added UTM grid lines to all 200-series marine mapsheets, ensuring the entire new lineup of Wild Coast maps -- both marine and trail -- includes UTM grids. This isn't because you are likely to convert from longitude-latitude to UTM coordinates when tracking your routes. If using a GPS, it doesn't really matter too much, just...

Continue reading