It's been a while since we've posted to our blog, since we've had very limited Internet access here on the west side of Vancouver Island. Anne has updated the Google Map of our route. You can see that at:
Tuesday, 8/7: We
caught up with our two sailor friends, Keegan and Carsten from
Themistocles first thing to find them analyzing their engine trouble:
probably a combination of a clogged raw water intake and fuel filter.
They are really young at 18 to be taking on the circumnavigation of
Vancouver Island in an older boat and which is only a month old to
them. They're sailing for a noble purpose, to raise money for
juvenile diabetes (keegantabaner.com). Really nice guys and a good
cause. Some of the locals jumped in to help them fix their engine by
providing spare parts. We did make it to Java the Hutt where our Lake
Forest Park neighbor served up apple and blueberry pie a la mode.
Just before leaving we stopped by the Java dock to top off our water
supply and found ourselves talking with a couple sorting a large
halibut and several salmon on their fishboat, almost neighbors as
well, from Kirkland, WA. They've been coming to Kyuquot for a dozen
years to fish. We're thinking we might like to try it, too – get
ourselves to Kyuquot for a week of fishing and stay at one of Eric's
guesthouses.
Halibut at Walters Cove
Finally, at 1400
we left. It was just a two hour hop SE to our next stop Dixie Cove on
the west side of Hohoae Island. Infrequently, I take the helm while
docking because I'm still nervous about how to read the wind,
currents, and other boats – and Gregg does it so well. I took the
helm for an uneventful exit from this dock to zig-zag back through
the entrance and into Nicolaye Channel. The dramatic landscape where
Crowther Channel, Kashutil Inlet and Markale Passage meet bear a
striking resemblance to Desolation Sound. By 1430 we had anchored on
the west side of Hohoae Island in Dixie Cove, well protected from all
sides.
Anne at the helm
Wednesday,
Thursday, 8/8-9: We pulled the anchor at 0620 in a mist to leave for
what we anticipated would be a great place to explore for a couple of
days, still in Esperanza Inlet at Nuchatlitz Marine Park, Nootka
Island. We headed S-SW from Hohoae Island through Pinnacle and
Kyuquot Channels. Just as we were passing Rugged Point, a sandy beach
with one sailboat anchored, we saw whales. Three of them dove and
spouted off our starboard side. We headed out towards the Pacific
once again, taking the inner route, Clear Passage, between a
shoreline mixed with rocks, logs and sandy beaches and the rocky
islets of the Barrier Islands, passing a distinctive pinnacle called
Grogan Rock. After several miles we left the protection of the
islands to face the open Pacific for the short passage past Tatchu
Point. With a SE wind directly over the bow, we motored, choosing the
wide Gillam Channel entrance to Esperanza Inlet instead of the
shorter, shallow Rolling Roadstead.
Motoring into light SE winds
Nuchatlitz Marine
Park is just inside the entrance and to the south. Even on a gray day
it looked promising for some activities off the boat. Nuchatlitz is
the site of a native village from the early 1900s which has since
been abandoned but the site with the midden is ancient. A couple from
one of the houses on shore rowed over to visit. They are from Tacoma.
They are here with their two teenage kids and told us that 12
families own the island. They pointed towards a trail through the
woods to another bay which we took later and which leads to Port
Langford. An isthmus connects two other islands but you can only walk
across at LW. We took the dinghy to the Kayaker's Island to
circumnavigate by foot along the beach and found a group of women
kayaker friends on the Pacific side and stopped to talk with them and
their guide for awhile. They were having a great time together with
their lone, male guide who they said was an excellent chef. We've
seen so many kayakers in the islands on the west side and would like
to return with our kayaks, too.
Circumavigating
kayakers island
This picturesque
anchorage, with the waves from the Pacific lapping at the rocky
islets just beyond our cove, was one of our favorites to date.
Beautiful sunset! In the morning, we waited for LW to walk the
isthmus with a picnic brunch on the Pacific, then dinghy to another
cove and hike to Port Langford. There's a large
shallow area good for rowing. Gregg was dealing with a starter
problem with the dinghy outboard when a spring flew into the water!
Now we can only start it with the emergency starter but at least we
have one. It's difficult to make headway rowing in the strong
afternoon winds and choppy water. Later: Tofino weather radio
broadcasting is back. NW 20-30 next 3 days; gale force tonight. We
have a beautiful clear sunset, followed by a starry sky, with wind
picking up from the east. We're protected in this cove but the wild
Pacific is just on the other side of those low rocky islands.
Friday, 8/10: At
0900 we left beautiful Nuchatlitz Marine Park though we would have
liked staying longer. We're aware of how much coastline there still
is left to go. Exiting Esperanza Inlet, we unfurled the jib, turned
off the engine and heard only the sound of a nearby whale that made a
big dive, showing its large fluke before disappearing underwater.
Good show! Catala Island Marine Park has a big sandy beach and spit
that we wanted to see so we detoured for an hour walk on the beach,
anchoring in Rolling Roadstead south of the spit.
Anne at The Spit, Catala Island
Next stop: Queen
Cove around the corner for the night. More whales at the entrance to
Eliza Inlet! One other sailboat was rafted to a motor yacht in this
peaceful cove with a couple of families aboard. The recreational
boating traffic is picking up - we weren't the only boat here. We
walked a logging road clogged with overgrowth, viewed the fishboat
wreck, then took the dinghy around the cove to look for the abandoned
church but it, too, was covered in heavy brush. The evening colors
highlighted the cove's beauty.
Boat wreck, Queen Cove
Saturday, 8/11: We
left early at 0615 for the long day between Esperanza Inlet and
Nootka Sound and hoped to catch the calmer NW prevailing winds,
predicted at 10-20, then picking up later to 25-30. As we're finding
out, it's difficult to keep the sails full with 3-4' swells and wind
as light as it was the first couple of hours at 8-10 knots and from
every direction. We rolled a couple of times to 30 degrees! We kept
trying to get it right and when the wind picked up to a steady 15+
about four miles offshore, we put up both sails for the rest of our
time out for a smooth sail. Another impressive whale show of one
nearby – we heard it first, then saw it make a big spy hop, dive
and swim away.
Sailing, fishing, whales...
Soon we reached
fishing grounds, for as many as 25 small fish boats could be seen in
all directions on the horizon outside of the Nootka Sound entrance
and a ways offshore. I joined in but didn't catch a thing.
Disappointment! After last week's catch I thought it would be easy
with the buzz bomb. Approaching the entrance of Nootka Sound with the
impressive Nootka lighthouse, we entered picturesque Friendly Cove at
1415, also the former site of the Mowachaht Band native village of
Yuquot. There would be a lot to see and do here! Surprisingly, there
were two other sailboats anchored in the cove. We hadn't seen any
sailboats for many days, possibly because another option is to take
the inside route through Thasis Inlet to get from Esperanza Inlet to
Nootka Sound. We were tempted by the description of steep sided hills
and mountains lining the inlet, which can also be sailed because of
good wind there, but the sun was shining and we heard the call of the
ocean. Besides, we needed to fine tune our sailing skills on rolling
seas. It went very well! Once ashore, we walked to the little store
behind the church-turned-into-a-museum to pay a shore access fee. The
people are very friendly! But, the name Friendly Cove comes from its
rich history. It's where Captains Vancouver and Quadra signed
agreements to avoid war between Spain and England over rights to the
northwest at what became the Nootka Convention of 1790. There are two
beautiful stained glass windows inside the church-museum with scenes
commemorating this. The museum includes four totems, photos from the
early 1900s, and native artifacts from the Nootka area. Outside, on
the far right of the cove next to the only occupied house, a very
impressive totem pole lies in the grass, carved in 1929 and standing
until 1983 when it blew over in a storm. It's the first authentic
totem we've seen on the coast.
Fallen totem, Friendly Cove
There is a grassy
meadow above the beach filled with dozens of tents for the two-week
annual Yuquot Campout for the Mowachaht Band of native families from
all over, joined with hikers bound for the Nootka Trail. Jewett Lake
is a short trail away with lots of kids swimming. Next, a walk across
the beach, across piles of driftwood and up the high steps to the
well-maintained lighthouse brought us to Joanne and Mark, friendly
lighthouse keepers who came outside to visit with us and enjoy the
sunshine.
Joanne and Mark, Nootka Light keepers
We could imagine
their winters! They've been the keepers here for the past eight
years, taking off for a month every winter for the warmer climes of
S. America. Last year marked the 100
th anniversary of this
lighthouse. Every former keeper of the Nootka lighthouse came for the
celebration, bringing an object with them for a time capsule, placed
in the lighthouse and to be opened in 50 years. It's a stunning
location. There are 27 manned lighthouses on the west coast of BC. We
asked about their duties as keepers. They report the weather every
three hours and receive rescue calls. A summer rescue team lives in
the house next door. Most of their calls come from fishboats that go
out rain or shine to get their clients a fish. We discussed the
shocking number of boaters that not only don't wear PFDs but don't
even have them aboard. Meanwhile, three more sailboats anchored in
the cove. On the way back to True North, we stopped to talk to two
sailboaters rafted together to find Gavia, the vessel that pitched
and rolled alongside us when rounding Cape Scott! Both vessels were
going to stay another night and we thought we might, also.
Sunday, 8/12: It
was a remarkable day in a couple of ways. We went ashore when we
heard native songs coming from the tented meadow beyond the cove. The
Mowachaht Band of campers was beginning a welcoming ceremony and the
raising of a newly carved cedar totem, the first here in 93 years,
and were just waiting for the ferry Uchuck III to arrive with
visitors and native dignitaries. It was a potlatch with a salmon
lunch served afterwards. All of the visitors were welcome to stay.
The totem raising involved a blessing first, then many of the strong
younger men gathered around while the totem was unveiled. They
struggled with its enormous weight and size to raise and anchor it.
All the while, a group circled around the totem in a rhythmic dance,
with several of the elders wearing the native black and red button
capes. Very informal on the one hand with local Mowachahts,
children, elders, dogs, hikers, and boaters and quite striking high
on the hill above the beach.
Totem pole raising, Friendly Cove
Another nice
surprise was visiting with familiar boaters from earlier in the
summer. Besides getting a chance to talk further with Gavia's owners,
Bruce and Lila, we met sailors Ken and Carol on Aquila from Port
Alberni, plus Electra sailor Graeme and his dog Diesel, with whom we
had visited over a month ago in Port McNeill. Graeme had wanted to
make the trip around Vancouver Island, too, but couldn't talk Wanda
into doing it so he's traveling with their dog. Bruce and Lila
recently moved from Seattle, putting their things in storage
(familiar!), retired, bought their sailboat and left in April for
Alaska. Nice to compare some notes. With all that experience, the day
they (and we) rounded Cape Scott was the roughest sea conditions they
had ever encountered.
Crews of Electra, Aquilo, Gavia, True North
Gregg and I
returned to the lighthouse late in the afternoon to connect with the
lighthouse wifi, at their invitation, and later met three current
coast guard residents who had just returned from a rescue mission in
Queens Cove – nothing too serious. Two of the guys are summer coast
guard interns and the third is their boss who extended a most
generous invitation to join them for a salmon and chocolate cake
dinner. What a place!
Monday, 8/13: Our
sailing buddies Gavia, Electra and Aquila left early for the outside
and Clayoquot Sound; we were staying another night in Esperanza
Inlet. We left at 0930, motored past a large Coast Guard vessel at
the entrance, and promptly found a whale spouting directly ahead of
us. We idled the engine to stay back but the whale came towards us,
circled boat entirely and dove too close to our stern for comfort; we
took off quickly.
Close whale!
Our first stop was
at Resolution Cove in Bligh Island Marine Park. We climbed a short
but steep rock cliff to get to plaques commemorating the place where
Captain Cook brought his ships, Resolution and Endeavour, to repair
damage caused by a harsh Pacific storm. Moving on through
Zuciarte and Hanna Channels and across Eliza Passage we arrived at
Critter Cove in Tlupana Inlet, a very well-maintained fishing camp.
Small cedar planked cabins lined neat docks against a rocky,
forrested backdrop with mountains beyond. We were undecided about
staying over night initially but after a walk around the docks on a
beautiful day, we added our names to the restaurant list for turkey
dinner and stayed – the only sailboater among a sea of small sport
fish boats.
Gregg with sportfisherman, Critter Cove
It turned out to
be fun, talking to the fishermen and hearing their fish stories and
tips. When we showed them our fishing pole (we
did catch a
salmon), they seemed quite amused by us, the fishing sailboaters.
With their encouragement and tips, we decided this would be a great
place to get an ocean trolling rod so we would be able to catch a few
dinners for the rest of our trip. One especially helpful guide
assisted Gregg with the whole set-up for trolling: a 30 lb line,
pole, Shimano single-action salmon reel, a couple of spoons and
weights. Later, a guy Mike was passing by – he asked what kind of
spoon we got and when we showed it to him, he said he designed that
one! When the fish boats took off for their evening fishing, we got
our boat ready for tomorrow's ocean passage south past Estevan Point
to Clayoquot Sound. Gregg rigged the preventer in a new way and we
strapped the dinghy down tightly on the bow. When our dock neighbors
returned from fishing, Kent from Campbell River and the boat Wee
Meagan in front of us, delivered a beautiful fresh king salmon to us.
Wow, fish for a couple of nights! Gregg immediately took it to the
fish cleaning area to fillet with guidance from a little girl who
told him how to do it exactly right!
Tuesday, 8/14:
Left Critter Cove at 0615, well after the fishermen took off at 0430.
We passed a dozen fishing boats along the far shoreline across
Tlupana Inlet and another group along the opposite shore farther out;
later in the day many of them would fish the open water in the
Pacific. Heading out around the north side of Bligh Island would
complete a circumnavigation of that island. Along the way we spotted
a large humpback whale in the distance and coming our way. It passed
close along our starboard side and dove, showing it's full tail.
Sounding whale
As
we got closer to the Nootka Lighthouse we could see another whale,
possibly the same one that circled our boat yesterday, and stayed
well away. Shortly after leaving the Nootka Lighthouse abeam at 0745,
we put up a reefed mainsail and full jib. The wind died for awhile,
then picked up to a steady NW 18-25 knots for a perfect sailing day,
despite a few hours with thick fog and quarter mile visibility – 5
½ hours under sail all the way to Clayoquot Sound.
Gregg messing around with sails
In the meantime,
we set up our Critter Cove ocean salmon gear in it's locking holder
to troll for salmon, the tip curved just right under the weight of
the line, and got back to the business of sail trim. After about an
hour, Gregg was shocked to see that our fishing pole was gone from
it's
locking holder. Well, I had placed the handle snugly
inside the holder lock but the reel was supposed to be inside the
lock, too. Must have been a big one tugging on our line! Discouraged
at losing our souvenir Critter Cove pole but not deterred entirely by
the setback, we committed to replacing it. Trolling for salmon while
sailing was just beginning to feel like a natural fit. The day
marched on and by 1355 we were anchored in Hot Springs Cove, a
Provincial Park famous enough to bring floatplanes and speed boats
from Tofino with visitors throughout the day. The whole feeling
of the west coast has changed since entering Clayoquot Sound with
activity and many small boaters. The cove is very picturesque but
busy. Several boats were already anchored and more arrived after us.
Hot Springs Cove
We waited until late afternoon when the last visitors of the day had
left before we took the 1.2 mile boardwalk through the woods to visit
the hot springs, walking on planks carved with the boat names of
visitors. The RVYC has a whole section, all professionally carved. The man we met in
Lagoon Cove who generously gave us a couple of bottles of wine in
June had suggested we get a 2x6 plank, carve and bring it with us –
so this is where it's supposed to go. The hot springs are quite hot
at 50 C degrees (122 F) at the waterfall near the top and cools in
successive pools as the water reaches the ocean flowing in and out. Grilled salmon
from the cockpit, compliments of Kent from Critter Cove, was the
chef's specialty this evening.
Wednesday, 8/15:
Nothing quite as nice as a leisurely, warm, summer morning. All but
one of the boats anchored in the harbour seemed to be staying another
night. We planned to leave late and got underway at 1400 for the 1 ½
hour ride across swells and Sydney Inlet to Hootla Kootla Bay with
space for just 2 boats. Hot day, 62 degrees water temp and a swim for
Gregg. I still can't bring myself to jump into cold water. Maybe
tomorrow. We took the dinghy around to look for submerged rocks. One
digital chart, Navionics, showed two rocks near the entrance as
islands; iNavX with Navionics charts, showed no rocks. The scary
thing here while underway is the very large brown kelp that looks
like submerged rocks. We didn't find any uncharted rocks in our
search. A lone loon drifted at the entrance.
Anne rowing in Hootla Kootla Bay
Thursday, 8/16: We
were underway towards Bacchante Bay at 1230, following another
leisurely morning. This is inland through Shelter Inlet and is
described as one of the most dramatic anchorages in Clayoquot Sound.
The backdrop is stunning with the steep, high rocky cliffs of the
Splendour mountains, and the sound of the water flowing from Watta
Creek to the north.
Bacchante Bay
Two seals and a
couple of eagles enhance the setting. It is unusually hot at 95
degrees. We both go for a refreshing swim; then Gregg takes the
dinghy out to search for fresh water for the portable shower. To get
here from Hootla Kootla Bay, we sailed for 1 ½ hours through the
inlet with a gentle 12-15 knot breeze with full sun and a clear sky,
and one of the few days so warm that we could sail in shorts,
t-shirts and sandals. We passed two sailboats on the way but are the
only boat here.
Sun, sailing, exercise
Friday, 8/17:
Today's destination: Ahousat in Matilda Inlet, a very protected
anchorage in Clayoquot Sound and near the Ahousat General Store, fuel
dock and water supply. We're getting low on fresh food but didn't
find it there. The supply boat was due later in the day. We anchored
in the inlet, just in front of a couple of islets with just two other
boats, soon followed by two more sailboats.
Ahousat anchorage
We took the dinghy
over to the nearby First Nations community of Marktosis to explore
and see the beach. There are old wrecked fishing boats all over
their outer harbour. After we got back to our boat, the sailor from
the ketch Fire Water out of Ketchikan stopped by to visit as Gregg
worked on the outboard motor. His wife is from the native community
here and they live on their boat, here in the summer and Mexico in
the winter. One year they left in October for their passage south and
were caught in an early winter storm with 70 knot winds. They simply
hove to until the storm passed, while a factory trawler radioed them
and said they were concerned about the ship breaking up! We visited
with him a few times while in the inlet. He told us about two hikes,
one to the White Sand Cove and another to the Ahousat Warm Springs,
both listed in the guide books.
Saturday, 8/18: In
the morning we took the 20 minute trail to the beach wearing rubber
boat boots which were ideal for the mud flats at the water's edge and
partly muddy trail.
White sand beach
We met Dan and
Katherine from the sailboat Premium Vintage from Victoria on the
beach hike. Their boat is pictured in the Dreamspeaker's guide at
Dixie Cove and they're mentioned as the couple the authors met who
kindly provided them with wine when their wine locker was dry. On the
way back to our boat we spotted an eagle flying with a stick, over to
its nest where another eagle nested – then just their two white
heads could be seen in the nest. We got back to our boat just as it
started to rain, the first serious rain since 8/1. We've had great
weather! We moved on to another cove we wanted to check out: West
White Pine Cove in Herbert Inlet. It was only an hour to the NE but
much more of a wilderness experience. Entry is through a narrow pass
with a shallow bar and at a higher tide only. The colors after the
evening rain were beautiful and were reflected in the mirror calm
water.
Sunday-Monday,
8/19-20: Space is tight at the Tofino Port Authority's 4
th
Street Dock but we did get a space assigned to us, rafted to a 39'
1930 ketch, Galatea, and its owner, a young guy Kevin and his buddy
Luca, a sweet black dog with a red kerchief.
True North rafted to Galatea
Nice guy and doing
all the bright work on his prized sailboat. Space is tight! The huge
outer harbour is extremely shallow and usually a 3 knot current flows
through the marina. We arrived in Tofino late in the afternoon, ready
for a break from the galley and some good people watching from the
deck of Shelter Restaraunt. Tofino is interesting with a large
working fishermen's population, topped with a layer of outdoor
adventure companies for tourists on every street featuring whale
watching, bear watching, guided fishing and surfing.
Tofino waterfront
On each of the two
afternoons we were there fishermen unloaded large catches of geoduck,
lingcod and salmon. On Monday, we soaked up the local busy-ness while
tending to laundry, groceries and exploring the few streets. It's a
fast track back to civilization after the past few months in remote
places. We made a stop at the fishing supply store and left with the
“Tofino” salmon fishing set-up to replace our lost Critter Cove
gear. Gregg patiently put together the new gear and placed it in the
holder as we anticipated the words of the fishing guide who told us
we would have no problem bringing in a salmon or two on our Pacific
stretch to Ucluelet the following day.
Tuesday, 8/21: The
day started on a sad note. As our neighbor Kevin on Galatea helped us
untie the lines from the dock and his boat he told us that his visit
to the vet yesterday with Luca had brought the bad news that Luca was
very very sick at 13 years old. He was completely choked up and how
badly we felt for him as we were rolling out of the slip. The image
of Kevin with Luca stayed with us for the morning. We put up both
sails and even with a 14 knot to sometimes 20 knot wind coming almost
off the bow, we sailed close hauled for a couple of hours before the
wind died.
Rocks and fog nearing Ucluelet
While sailing, we
happily fished with thoughts of the fantastic salmon dinner ahead.
Now this is the next sour note of the day: the fishing pole, reel
and
its locking holder were suddenly gone! The holder had broken off the
anchor to the rail, taking the entire Tofino set-up with it. We're
both stunned by this new setback. I pulled out Mike's fishing rod
with our buzz bomb attached and try again because the fishing is
supposed to be good on the bank here. Before long, I feel the tug of
a big fish and begin reeling it in when SNAP! The line breaks so we
now lose the buzz bomb, too. We put Mike's pole away for
safe-keeping. Later, entering the peaceful outer harbour of Ucluelet
is a treat which makes us forget about fishing. The water is calm,
the harbour quaint, and Steve, the harbourmaster greets us on the
dock to roll out the welcome mat. Nice place already. Another
sailboat from Everett, Anakena, and still one more, Nemesis from
Seattle, pull in across the dock and we visit awhile. Oasis is here,
too. We'll stay another night so we can hike a couple of Pacific
crest trails in this beautiful area. It's a laid back kind of place.
Wednesday, 8/22:
It was a perfectly good weather day at 68 degrees, sunny and with
cool ocean breezes when we started out for the Wild Pacific Trail,
which follows the coastline and edges into the woods here and there
for several miles. The trail is well-maintained with well-built
viewing platforms, benches, and many beach access side trails.
View from Wild Pacific Trail, Ucluelet
A second trail
brought us past the lighthouse on Amphitrite Point right at the edge
of town to give us a great view of the rock-strewn, potentially
treacherous entrance we had taken yesterday. I can't praise digital
maps enough! The ancient mariners had mastered navigation skills
which took much time, patience and diligence to get them safely
through these waters and even with these skills they sailed uncharted
waters, resulting in hundreds of shipwrecks along the rocky coast.
Less ancient mariners of 10 to 15 years ago also needed the skills to
be able to accurately locate their position on a chart in order to
safely navigate any route. Today, we study the chart before leaving,
chart our desired route, then count on the digital map but if that
fails, we're ready to find our position the old fashioned way...and
hope there's no fog! Late this afternoon we found the fishing gear
store and now have the “Ucluelet set-up” - different holder
altogether with stainless steel bolts from the hardware store to keep
it on the rail, same Shimano pole and Moocher Plus reel, a few more
weights, 30# line, buzz bomb and spoons, all on an end-of-season
sale. We talked with a recreational fisherman who also lost his gear
due to a holder failure so it's not just us! He thought our new plans
sounded good. On the way back to True North we spot Premium Vintage,
the sailboat from Matilda Inlet, and go by for a visit.
