Port Browning
I left the bustle of Bedwell Harbour with dingys, jet skis, float planes and a dozen boats queued up to check in to Canada and headed out for a hopeful afternoon sail before going to Port Browning. My Friend Marcus Reichert mentioned that he had a pleasant stay there and I decided to head there for...
Becher Bay to Bedwell Harbour
Up at 0700 and off anchor at 0800 I left Becher Bay. Unfortunately the fog filled in immediately so it was radar and dodging fishing boats at 2 to 3 kts hoping to not run into anything or anyone. There were a few occasions where the crazy fishing boats would pop out of the fog at over 20 kts within...
Barkley Sound to Becher Bay
Up at 0500 this morning, preparing for the 77 nm trip from Barkley Sound to either Sooke Harbour or Becher Bay. Last night was foggy so I was pleasantly surprised when the morning had fairly good visibility, probably about 2 miles. As I pulled out of Dodger Channel into Hammond Passage the day looke...
Dodger Channel
After a couple of relaxing days in Joe's Bay, it was time to look for a new anchorage. I'm now anchored near the north entrance to Dodger Channel between Diana Island and a series of islets and rocks, only 7nm from Joe's Bay. This will be an interesting place to spend the night. The islets and rocks...
Joe's Bay
I determined the best time to leave the anchorage in Useless Inlet would be early, before the wind picked up, as it seems to every afternoon, and on a flood tide to minimize the sea's confusion at and around the rocks at the entrance. My original plan was to find an anchorage in the Pinkerton Island...
Useless Inlet
I had a nice downwind sail for about 6 miles on my way to Useless Inlet in 13 to 15 kts wind. I had read the entrance to Useless can be treacherous. Don Douglas discusses his route in in some detail. The wind being 13 kts with 2+ foot waves coupled with the ocean swell fighting against an ebb curren...
Pipestem Inlet
Leaving Bazett Island I decided to go to the head of Pipestem Inlet, a 4 nm trip. Again I am in awe of the sheer rock faces that surround these inlets. The head of Pipestem is has a creek that feeds into it, but like most other heads of inlets you are in very deep water that shoals quite rapidly. Si...
Lucky Creek
I woke to low clouds and some fog that cleared early. Today's adventure is to take the dinghy across Pipestem Inlet and up Lucky Creek to the waterfall at the hear of the creek. It is recommended that you only go up the creek from about an hour before to an hour after high tide and it is advice well...
Bazett Island Anchorage
It was super foggy this morning where visibility was less than a hundred feet at times. although not a surprise it was the densest fog I have experienced since being in Prince Rupert in northern BC, where I was fogged in for three days in late July of 2018. As the morning progressed and folks began...
PSCC Flotilla
This morning arrived with the boat a little damp from the nights fog, which is typical for this time of year. In short order though the morning turned bright, clear, and beautiful. Whole sitting in the cockpit with my morning cup of coffee, as I am want to do, I spotted an odd dark shape on the shor...
Stopper Islands Anchorage
The day started out a bit foggy but cleared well before late morning. I made a trip to the Co-op grocery store and picked up a few more needs and wants. By early afternoon the wind was light and it was time to leave Ucluelet for a more secluded anchorage which I found in the Stopper Islands. about 1...
Ucluelet
WIndy Bay was true to its name. Where most anchorages I've spent time in, you coulld almost set your watch based on when the wind would pick up during the day and die in the evenings. Not so with Windy Bay. because of a gap or saddle between two mountains the wind funnels down creating a constant wi...
Windy Bay
With a plan to spend one more night in Clayoquot Sound before heading south to Ucluelet and Barkley Sound I once again I left Waterfall Beach Cove and headed slightly northwest towards the mouth of Tofino Inlet. It is going to be an expected 40 mile offshore day with southwest winds getting to Uclue...
Tofino Inlet
This is going to be a longer post, the reason for which will become clear. I'm a woodworker as well as a sailor and, in my opinion, one of the signs of a good wood craftsman isn't in never making mistakes; it is how well you can hide them whole still being true to your design intent and craftsmanshi...
Waterfall Beach Cove Day 2
Because it is so serene and peaceful I decided to spend a couple of days relaxing and exploring my new found Waterfall Beach Cove and the head of Tranquil Inlet. I dinghy'd ashore to find the waterfall that I could hear when I arrived, and I was not disappointed. It is a bit of a scramble over a lot...
Waterfall Beach/Mystery/Two Beach Cove
I left Quait Bay for the 21 NNM trek to Waterfall Beach Cove in Tranquil Inlet off Tofino Inlet. Don Douglass named this little cove Two Beaches Cove and Salish Sea Pilot named is Mystery Cove. Don's reasoning is that there two beaches that are accessible at low tide although only on is actually big...
Quait Bay
Left Tofino about 1130 and headed the approximate 13 1/2 NM to Quait Bay off Bedwell Sound with a brief stop at Method Marine to fill up my fuel tank. The folks at Method Marine were very friendly and helpful As I was at the "Gas" pump dock, instead of making me wait until a couple of tugs left they...
Tofino Day 2
July 6 2023 and it's day two in Tofino. It's a chilly morning with near total fog in the Harbour. I'm having a quiet morning sipping coffee and listening to the fishing and tour boats leaving and getting ready for their day. Later in the morning I walked up to the Coop grocery store to provision. th...
Tofino
After a short motor of 14NM from West Whitepine Cove I arrived in Tofino. After all the seclusion of the various anchorages it was a new experience to be in the middle of a busy Harbour like Tofino with fishing and tour boats going in all imaginable directions along with multiple float planes taking...
Ahousat and West Whitepine Cove
I reluctantly left Bacchante Bay to start making my way towards Tofino. First stop was the Ahousat General Store where I picked up a few provisions. next stop was West Whitepine Cove. This is a pleasant anchorage that I shared with one other sailboat. the Cove is actually un-named but referred to in...
Bacchante Bay
Leaving a lovely anchorage is often a bit melancholy, first your are leaving a serene place and heading into the unknown. As I've found there are many anchorages that sound great only to be less than Ideal due to the specific conditions on the particular day you are planning to stay. having said tha...
Bottleneck Cove Again
I had a plan to find another anchorage as good or better than Bottleneck Cove. Late morning WaterLou and I headed up Sidney Inlet with the hope of anchoring in Darr Cove behind Darr Island or up at the head of Sidney Inlet. WaterLou checked out Darr Cove while I made the 5 NM trek up to the head of...
Bottleneck Cove
I made the short hop from Hot Springs Cove to Bottleneck Cove. It started out broad reaching up Sidney Inlet in a nice 12 to 15 Kt breeze. I had both the jib and genoa unfurled doing a mellow 6.5 to 6.8 kts until a bit west of where Shelter Inlet and Sidney Inlet come together, the wind decided to c...
Trip Update
Hi All, It's been a while since my last post, there has been no WiFi, internet, or cell service since being able to get a signal in Zeballos by sitting outside a cell repeater tower. I'm going to go back in time and update my posts and photos so you can hear about some of the incredible places I've...
Hot Springs Cove
I'm currently anchored in Hot Springs Cove near the start of Clayoquot Sound. VIsited the hot springs yesterday evening. It is a 2 kilometer (1.2) mile walk along a wonderfully maintained boardwalk through an old growth cedar forest. the walk itself is woth the trip, but then you arrive at an amazin...
Rae Basin
Today was another day of fits and starts, (as my mother used to say). We had intended to go from Bligh (Maquinna) Cove to Friendly Cove, a short 5 NM jaunt across Nootka Sound. Friendly Cove was OK but not spectacular, next I pulled in to Santa Gertrudis cove but it was extremely shallow. Times like...
Bligh Bay
Today was an interesting and sometimes frustrating day. We had intended to go to Valdes Cove in Hisnet Inlet off Tlupana Inlet but when I arrived between the possible anchoring depths, lack of room to swing or stern tie and the strong winds I determined for today Valdes was not a viable anchorage, I...
Bodega Cove
Left Jellyfish Cove and motor sailed down Tahsis Inlet to Bodega Cove. Although this is an unnamed cove Don Douglas named it Bodega Cove I assume because it is on the north end of Bodega Island. It was a bit breezy when we arrived anchoring was straightforward and the bay had plenty of room to swing...
Jellyfish Cove
Woke up this morning in our small cove and found we were surrounded by thousands of jellyfish, so naturally I named our new found anchorage Jellyfish Cove. Later in the morning we went for a dinghy ride to explore and fish. Exploration was successful, fishing was not. On a small island in the middle...
Tahsis
Stopped in Tahsis at the Westview Marina. Primarily to pickup a dinghy repair kit that was shipped in from Campbell River and to do a bit of shopping at the grocery store. To be honest there's not much to draw a cruising boat here. The marina is way too expensive the Owner John, seems to know he can...
Zaballos
I had a glorious sail from Nuchalitz Provincial Park to Zeballos up Zaballos Inlet running wing-and-wing with main and genoa, finally gybing up the last bit of the Inlet with main and jib. Zaballos is an interesting town that claims to be the smallest Municipality in British Columbia. People here we...
Nuchalitz Provincial Park
There was a light wind at 5 to 10 kts so tacking out of Nuchalitz Inlet after leaving Inner Basin headed for Nuchalitz Provincial Park was tedious but it was sailing. Once finally getting past Fitz Island and a large rock about 3/4 nm to the west I was able to turn down wind and had a lovely sail wi...
Esperanza Inlet
Quick update. I'm I Esperanza Inlet last night in Mary Basin, tonight, anchored in Inner Basin. Found a zillion oysters in Petroglyph Cove so been in shellfish heaven.
Inner Basin
Inner Basin is an approximately 4 mile long tidal basin that is beautiful but has limited protected anchorages. I motored to the head of the bay but due to shoaling that went from less that 10 feet to almost 100 in what seemed to be about 2 boat lengths is was not a viable place to anchor. We found...
Mary Basin
It was a 13 NM jaunt from from Queen Cove to Mary Basin where we tucked in behind Lord and MT47 islands anchored in about 25 feet. We stayed in Mary Basin for the night and move the few 3 NM to Inner Basin the next day.
Queen COve
As with many places I've visited and anchored and places yet to be discovered, there was some reluctance to leave Walters Cove with its towering cedars and friendly people, but it was time to find another anchorage and new place to explore. We Left Walters cove and had a pleasant motor sail to Queen...
Walters COve
Walters Cove is a hidden gem. We arrived in a stiff breeze and rafted together at the municipal dock. At the head of the dock is a small store where we had a chance to visit with a couple of women from the Village, acquire some cash and buy an ice cream cone. There are no roads on this side of Walte...
Petroglyph Cove
Made the trip from Hankin Cove to Petroglyph Cove doing a down wind run towards Fair Harbour for an hour or so. Winds in the channels was quite strong from high teens to over 25 kts. We wanted to check out Fair Harbour, which was ordinary. There is a small harbor with a fuel dock and general store....
Kyuquot
Left the Bunsby Islands this morning with the plan to anchor at the end of Kashutl Inlet. I made the trek all the way with 10 to 20 kt wind on the nose the entire way. Unfortunately it wasn't a viable anchorage so plan B was to anchor in Hankin Cove. Coming back west/south the wind I fought was now...
Saturday in Battle Bay and the Bunsby Islands
We were still in Battle Bay today, Saturday. Took the dinghy over to the Bunsby Islands, an interesting and special place. We stopped at a beach at low tide and found 35 oysters some were huge, possibly the largest I've ever seen. Battle Bay isn't very protected, the wind picked up to high teens and...
Day 2 in Battle Bay
Hung out in Battle Bay for another day. True to the pure cruising philosophy, I did repairs and upgrades. The first of these exciting endeavours was to relocate my domestic water pump. I was having problems with air in the lines and was at a loss. Fortunately my friend Greg, In Anchorage, correctly...
Battle Bay
Made the 40 NM trip from Winter Harbor to Battle Bay, around the Brooks Peninsula today. I had hoped to explore more of Quatsino Sound but the weather report is for strong winds 20 to 30+ kts for the next week so an executive committee was formed and after much study and analysis it recommended gett...
Winter Harbor
Hung out in the Harbor today. It was nice to have a down day.
Bull Harbor to Winter Harbor
We left Bull Harbor about 0645 and skirted around Nahwitti Bar by going between Tatenall Reef and Vancouver Island. The water is really shallow so you have 6 watch your depth gauge carefully. It's also a rough ride as the ocean swells meet the outgoing current causing a very mixed up sea state. I pa...
Bull Harbor
A bit of a rolly night in Port Hardy at the government docks but things settled down for a few hours. It rained off and on yesterday but this morning I awoke to beautiful blue sky's and a few cumulus clouds. Pulled out of Port Hardy at about 0645 to catch the ebb tide and get some current push. Up h...
Port Hardy
Weighed anchor and left Double Bay about 0645. My chart routing had the track around the south side of a small island named Stubb Island. Where tide rips were shown on the chart. For anyone sailing in the San Juan's and Desolation Sound, encountering tide rips are a community occurrence where the cu...
Double Bay
We left Blankensop Bay at 0630 to take advantage of the current push north and made good time heading to Double Bay on Hanson Island. WaterLou arrived before me and anchored, but when I arrived we felt she was a bit too close to shore to be able to swing on her anchor safely so I anchored in another...
Blankensop Bay
I bid a sad farewell to the Octopus Islands. Because we had to time going through Upper and Lower rapids in Okisollo Channel and knowing that there would be adverse current in Johnstone Straight, I stopped for about 3 hours in Otter Cove near where Discovery Passage meets Johnstone Straight. The pla...
Octopus Islands
Made the short 17 NM trip from Gorge Harbor to the Octopus Islands, and was able to actually sail for about a half hour 😊. There were maybe 11 boats in all of Waiatt bay. There's an old shack on an island near the entrance to the bay that cruisers leave driftwood with their boat name and other memo...
Gorge Harbor
Arrived at Gorge Harbor on Cortez Island in Desolation Sound. You enter Gorge via a narrow cut that's, at best, about 175 ft. wide with an islet right in the middle as you reach the harbor. After successfully getting through the "gorge" the harbor opens up to a huge and beautiful anchorage with a la...
Hornby Island
Arrived at Hornby Island and am anchored as of 1800. Hornby is a beautiful quiet anchorage that my friends Chris and Esther turned me on to last year when they, on the SV Raven and I were up in Desolation Sound. It's early in the year so there were only four boats in this huge bay when I arrived and...
Nanaimo
Just passing Nanaimo with 2 to 3 foot chop and 14kts of wind on the nose 😡. Had a fun and fast ride through Dodd Narrows, hit 9.9kts Yeeha!
Clam Bay to Hornby Island
Left Clam Bay a bit later than anticipated. Currently about 3 1/2 miles from Dodd Narrows, where the expected current is 5.3 kts. It should be a fast and wild ride through the Narrows. Next stop is Hornby Island, a new discovery from last year's trip to Desolation Sound and a wonderful anchorage.
Clam Bay
I made the short 22 nm run from Bedwell Harbor on Pender island to Clam Bay. It was an easy day leaving about noon and arriving at Clam Bay about 1630. I anchored and waited for WaterLou to catch up. We rafted up and spent a quiet evening.
Bedwell Harbor
It was a long but interesting first day. I left Shilshole and was fortunate to have a light SSW wind about 7 to 10 Kts. I was able to motor sail with the big genoa to about Port Townsend when the wind died. I made a brief stop in Friday Harbor to check in with Canadian customs, I was pleasantly surp...
Leaving Shilshole
Left Shilshole Marina at 0630, under overcast skies and a light SSW wind. Planning to head to Bedwell Harbor on Pender Island BC today.