Vancouver Island - North Coast

Beth enjoys the view down the coast from the Bunsby Islands.

Click below to see all our photos of the north coast. The file name of each photo describes what you are seeing. Use the "slide show" button located in the top right corner of the Flickr web page to easily view the photos in full screen size.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39357204@N04/sets/72157622089013716/


Haida Gwaii to Winter Harbour on Vancouver Island

Beth has already described our passage to Vancouver Island in her entertaining “Night Watch” story. There’s not much to add except we were surprised to have a big cruise ship come up right behind us when we were way offshore - about 40 miles from the nearest land. We hailed them on channel 16: “Cruse ship, cruise ship - we are the little sail boat directly in your path. Do you see us?” Fortunately the answer was “Yes” and they steered around us. We learned from this encounter that some cruise ships go to Alaska on the outside of Vancouver Island and the Charlottes - not very scenic but fast! As we approached Winter Harbour we had a bit of drama when the wind built to over 30 knots and we were a little over-canvassed. Oops - did not reef early enough - again! As we sailed into the lee of the lighthouse we came upon a fleet of sport fishing boats well out of the wind and happily trolling back and forth for the big ones. We too were happy to be out of the big wind!

Winter Harbour is a primarily a sports fishing destination accessible by dirt road from the other side of the island. There was only one other sailboat there. Shortly after arrival we had a heated altercation with an impaired fisherman because we were moored in “his spot”. Despite other spots being available he was pretty insistent on parking his boat where his fenders were tied - the local procedure for holding your spot. We had no other place to go and didn’t move but quickly did our laundry and shopping, saw the sights - including the famous boardwalk, fueled up and moved to a quiet anchorage nearby called Browning Inlet with another sail boat - True Blue. This is where we saw our first sea otter! We spent some time floating around in the dinghy trying to get some close up photos of the cautious critter - with limited success!

Brooks Peninsula

Based on a good weather forecast, the next day we decided to go around Brooks Peninsula with True Blue. It was very foggy and windy - reminiscent of Hecate Straight - but there was wind and it was blowing the right direction! Our biggest concern was being broadsided by a sport fishing boat. They are hard to see on the radar, drive fast and seem oblivious to the fog and limited visibility. Maybe it’s the beer? After we passed Solander Island at the end of Brooks, with the northwest wind now at 25-30 knots and huge swells of up to 3 meters, we decided to try broad reaching with our little orange storm jib as a test. It worked like a charm, settling the motion of the boat so much we enjoyed a relaxing lunch while Harold the Hydrovane did the driving. Once south of Brooks the fog cleared and we had a brisk downwind sail to our anchorage at Scow Bay in the Bunsby Islands.

The Bunsby Islands

The Bunsby Islands were one of the highlights of our west coast visit! Set right against the open ocean, this string of islands offered surf, spectacular vistas, crystal clear lagoons, sea stacks and mossy primordial passages. We spent a whole day there kayaking from island to island, getting tired as the day wore on but continuing onward, keen to explore the next bay or little passage. The big kelp beds were really interesting - we often spotted bright white or yellow spider crabs sunning themselves on the foliage. A very cool place indeed!

Visit to Kyuquot - aka Walter’s Cove

From the Bunsby’s we headed south a few miles to Kyuquot, also known as Walter’s Cove. We met up with our BCA friends, Glen and Heidi and their kids aboard Borboleta, their Beneteau First that was first owned by John Willson, a point of interest for those who may know John. Small world! We had a fun morning visit and later that evening enjoyed a spectacular sunset and camp fire on the beach at Barter Cove. Beth made hot chocolate for the whole gang. The village of Kyuquot is very picturesque - weathered homes, old boats and a myriad of docks and floating things filling the waterfront. We took our laptops ashore to check our email and pay a few bills, using the local wifi network - a challenging but necessary task. After the internet drama and shopping was done we toured the bay where we were entertained by a very tame sea otter that seemed to spend all his time on his back snacking on crabs and clams. Photos of this fellow were a little easier than our last sea otter encounter!

Rugged Point Marine Park

We continued a short way south again to Rugged Point Marine Park. Popular with kayakers, this amazing park has a beautiful protected anchorage with fine white sand beaches on the eastern side, and a series of stunning surf beaches on the western side. A short walk through the woods connects the two sides of the park. We spent a memorable day exploring the western beaches that are similar to Long Beach except without the people. We had the entire place to ourselves! Beth enjoyed a run on the hard sand at low tide while Norm explored the sand dunes and took lots of photos. As if this was not enough, there was a resident humpback whale in the bay that spent most of the afternoon feeding and surfacing just off the beach. The day was just about perfect except one of Beth’s flip flops floated away as the tide came up. It’s probably in Japan by now!

Esperanza Inlet - Queens Cove & Nuchatlitz Marine Park

Queen’s Cove is a quiet, protected anchorage at the western entrance to Esperanza Inlet. We had short stop there, exploring the cove by kayak. Sites of interest included a fishing boat wrecked on the beach and the empty native village of Queens Cove. This tiny village of about 6 fairly new homes was abandoned a few years ago. The homes are still intact and many contain furniture, books and even clothing in drawers and cupboards. We went into a few homes and then left, finding the place rather creepy and sad.

We motored across the inlet to Nuchatlitz Marine Park. This is another area of interesting coastal islands and the site of a former native summer fishing village. Beth read about it in the Elsie’s book, “Sailing to Windward”. In the midst of the park is a large, protected anchorage, accessible by a narrow channel that the Sailing Directions describe as “tortuous”. It was twisty but not too bad thanks to our chart plotter! The next day we spent exploring this kayakers’ haven, seeing many groups paddling here and there throughout the park. Later in the day, shortly after our return to Sarah Jean, we were surprised to hear voices just outside our boat. Monique and Rod, who have a summer home in the bay, had noticed our extended stay and had come out to welcome us as boaters who obviously enjoyed the area. We invited them aboard for a visit and glass of wine. They in turn reciprocated with an invitation ashore that evening, to join them for a small dinner party with their fishing guests. Monique is a gourmet chef by profession and Rod had just landed a rare white Chinook. It was a very special evening and the food was to die for! We have never been welcomed to an anchorage in such a warm and hospitable manner - something we won’t soon forget! Thank you Monique and Rod!

Nootka Sound and Friendly Cove

Nootka Sound is the historic location where Captain James Cook first landed on the northwest coast and began the fur trade with the natives in the village site at Friendly Cove. The Spanish had been there earlier but had not actually set foot ashore. Spain surrendered the area to the British in a historic settlement that is recorded in a stain glass window in the old church. There is only one resident native family there now - a master carver specializing in masks. There is also a manned lighthouse occupied by a husband and wife team. We were lucky enough to be there to see the arrival of the “Uchuck”, an old coastal freighter that brings supplies to the coastal villages and ferries kayakers out of the inlets to the coastal marine parks. The kayaks, with kayakers inside, are hoisted on and off the ship’s deck with a special sling. Very entertaining to watch! On stormy days this boat is also known as the “Upchuck”! We were also lucky enough to be there to see the passing of the village chief title from one generation to another. Many natives had come to the old village site for the ceremony. We watched as a full canoe paddled towards shore to the beat of drums and singing. It stopped just off the shore and waited while there was a ceremonial exchange with an elder clad in a woven hat and button blanket. When this exchange was complete the canoe was turned around and backed into the beach - the custom for a friendly canoe arrival. Only attacking war canoes hit the beach bow first! How lucky we were to witness this traditional greeting and exchange on the beach. We finished our day with a tour of the light station and chat with the resident light keepers who now have many duties including first being responders in the event of a marine emergency.

We then headed around Estevan Point to the southern section of Vancouver Island. This area will be covered in our next blog posting. Thanks for joining us.

Beth & Norm

s/v Sarah Jean II

Mayne Island, Gulf Islands

August 19, 2009