Uclulet to Effingham Bay to Joe's Bay June 30

Since we are at the dock and town is just four blocks away, we walk back into town for coffee (and internet) this morning.  We find Zoe’s Café and Bakery and order lattes and an “egg bake” to share.  Yesterday this place was teaming with people and this morning it appears that the town is slow to wake up.  We are here with just 3 or 4 other hearty folks.  I work on the blog but there is no internet here.  She suggests a café up the hill.

We finish our coffee and decide to go on the walk to the lighthouse (the very walk we missed doing yesterday).    It is about 1 km from the café to the start of the trail and another 2.2 km of trail.  The walk is stunning.  A mix of feeling like you might be in Monterey (wind swept trees), the Oregon Coast (big rocks and sweeping waves) and somewhere altogether different.  The trail is extremely well kept and we meet many travelers along the way.

We walk back into town to find the Blue Café where we will have our second breakfast (blueberry pancakes to share) and use the internet.  

From Uclulet we are headed to Effingham Bay in the Outer Broken Islands.  The forecast for the Strait of Juan de Fuca has winds approaching 40 knots until Monday.  Our plan is to explore Nootka Sound.  Uclulet is a place I would enjoy returning.

The Broken Islands are a rock strewn archipeligo with dozens of small anchorages although a great many of them appear to be good for temporary stays where there is someone on watch.  We wind our way into Effingham Bay avoiding many rocks along the way and set the anchor.  The wind is from the west and this bay is perhaps least protected from the west.  We watch a smaller boat pull up there anchor and move out of the bay to a tiny inlet on the opposite shore.  They put down their anchor close to shore and take a stern line to shore.  We consider our options, including staying where we are.  We have a good anchor and 300 feet of chain that have never yet let us down.  Still, neither of us wants to spend the night worrying.  We opt to move five miles to Joe’s Bay.  This is an almost completely sheltered lagoon with several very narrow entrances.  We enter at low tide (just less that 4 feet tonight) and carefully skirt rocks and reefs.  As we enter the bay, we see that we are not alone.  There are six sailboats already at anchor.  We quickly join the sailboats at rest in the bay. 

This area is part of the Pacific Rim National Park and we sit on the aft deck and watch the kayakers bringing their boats to shore.  There must be a campground just out of sight.  We are snug and comfortable on the boat.  Perhaps my days of sleeping on rocky beaches in the rain are behind me.

Since we learned that the word Chug is a derogatory reference to First Nation’s People, from time to time my mind wanders on what to do (if anything) about the name of our boat – “Chug.”  So far, only a small handful of ideas but nothing is jumping out.  There is an Alaska Mountain Range named Chugach (Choo-ach) – that could preserve a bit of “Chug”.  Another option could be Hamlet.  Barrie always says operating a boat is a lot like owning your own small city – on the boat you have the water department, the sewage department, the electric works, etc.  This morning I was thinking about our friends Retired Adm. Scott & Mindy Van Buskirk and that led to thinking about Adm. Scott Swift who followed our friend Scott into the position of Adm. Strike Group 9 and 7^th Fleet.  Scott Swift’s call sign was Not-so (as in Not-so Swift).  All of which caused me to think about “Knot-so Swift” as yet another possible name.  When you have a boat with a single diesel engine and a full-displacement hull you move efficiently but slowly.  Our max speed is just about 7 knots (or just over 8 mph) and that makes our boat Knot-so Swift.  I suppose we will continue to let the ideas percolate.

God’s Pocket to Uclulet June 29

The cat wakes us early most mornings but this morning he let me sleep until almost 6!  With a cup of coffee in hand we listen to the Environment Canada weather forecast that is updated four times a day.  The last update was at 4 am.  Listening to the weather forecast on VHF radio requires patience and experience.  The forecast covers a very large geography and you have to know which area to listen for and which buoys and lighthouse reports relate to the area you will be traveling in.  

 

There has been a change in the forecast from last night.  The winds shifted overnight and are coming from the southeast at 5 to 15 knots.  Later today they are forecast to shift again to the NW and grow to 25 knots.  We look at the route from Clayoquot Sound to Barkley Sound and agree that SE winds could be okay.  For over half the trip, the winds would be on our bow with a following sea.  This combination can cause the seas to “pile up” and create big choppy seas.  But this wind shift is new and won’t last long.  We need about 4 hours to make the 30 mile crossing and decide that we will poke our nose out into the open ocean and see how it looks.  Then we can decide to continue south of decide to remain in Clayoquot Sound longer.

The sea swell is perhaps 2 meters but it is nicely spaced and there is not a white cap in sight.   Still for the first 5 miles, we have the sea on our beam and the boat rolls back and forth.  The cat heads below decks and under the covers for the remainder of the trip – “fraidy cat.”  An hour into the trip we change our course and that wonderful thing called a following sea is with us again.  The rolling abates and we relax a bit.  We were quite surprised to find crab pots so far from shore but they are everywhere.  We play dodge ball with crab pots for most of the trip.  

Before long, the Uclulet lighthouse is in sight and we round the bend into Uclulet Inlet and find ourselves in a channel with lots of fish boats and plenty of red and green buoys.  Just before we reach town, the first public dock comes into sight and there is a space between two fish boats.  We use a starboard tie and snug up the spring line since the wind is starting to howl down the inlet.  We close up the boat, tell the cat to hid his head under the covers (since the wind is creating quite a rukus) and walk four blocks into town.

Today is Barrie’s birthday and we are heading to town to celebrate.  Uclulet is a very pretty small town with several wharfs and lots of coffee shops.  We walk to the end of the pier and see the Frances Barkley unloading both passengers and freight.  This ship looks a lot like the one our neighbors Mark & Paula took a few years back.  Maybe it is the same one?  We stop at the Municipal Building to ask directions and are rewarded with a map and Uclulet pins for our hats.  We head next to the Visitor’s Centre (we are in Canada – you know) and get a recommendation for lunch.  She suggests several restaurants and then the gourmet fish food truck – Raven Lady.  We have gourmet tacos for lunch in the park.  Great suggestion.

Our next plan is a walk on the Wild Pacific Trail that will take us out to the lighthouse we passed on our way in this morning.  Except we go the wrong way on Peninsula Avenue and find ourselves at a bakery instead.  After a soft chewy ginger cookie we head back to the boat.  We generally prefer to anchor out (quieter and no dock fees) but the wind is still howling down the inlet and staying tied securely to the dock is looking good to both of us.  We each grab a beer (a rare occasion for me since I have been pretty good about avoiding alcohol while I have been on antibiotics for the past two months – just four more to go) and sit on the aft deck watching the fish boats come and go.  By 8 pm, all the fish boats are gone from the dock and we wonder why they are all fishing at night.  They must know something we don’t but we are happy to at the dock tonight.

Tofino - June 28

We are watching the weather closely since there seem to be gale force winds just outside Clayoquot Sound.  According to Environment Canada there should be a break in the weather Friday and Saturday.  Likely we will make our move to south Barkley Sound over the weekend.   Meanwhile, we continue to explore Clayoquot Sound with its many nooks and crannies. 

I am lobbying for a trip into Tofino today for a change of pace and to get access to internet so I can update our blog.  Barrie thinks there are lots of things he would rather do than thread our way 5 nm through fish farms, crab pots, rocks and shallows.  Looking at this area on a chart should give even experienced mariners cause for concern.   Staying out of the shallows and off the rocks requires lots of attention to ATONS (aids to navigation) that are everywhere.  The route we will take into Tofino is well marked with red and green channels markers but the name “Deadman’s Passage” is a bit ominous.  In addition, as we work our way toward Tofino, we see at least a half dozen wrecked boats on the shores of the islands we are passing.  Since there is a significant amount of current that flows through this area, we time our passage to arrive at high water slack and find a spot on the inside of 1^st Street dock.  Phew, it is not yet 8 am and we have arrived.  

We grab our computers and walk into town, looking for a place for coffee, breakfast and wifi.  We ask at the harbor and get a recommendation that ends up being closed.  We turn around and head back to the Rhino Coffee Shop and find everything we need.  I spend the next couple of hours catching-up the blog and relaxing on land.  

All this while, the tide is going out and we either need to leave soon, while there is sufficient water to get away from the dock or wait several hours for the tide to begin to rise again.  We also know that the winds are supposed to pick up again this afternoon and it would be good to be firmly anchored before that happens.  So, we head back to the boat and are soon away from the dock.  We had considered heading up into Tofino Inlet to explore a different cove but the current is quite strong and we decide we would rather return to Lemmens Inlet than fight the current.  We set a course to Adventure Cove very near last night’s anchorage in God’s Pocket.  The books all say it is a beautiful protected anchorage behind a small island.  As we round the corner, we know immediately that this will not be our home tonight.  There are several float houses that have made anchoring all but impossible.  We opt to return to God’s Pocket and quickly set the anchor in the oozy mud and settle in with our books. 

We will listen to the weather in the morning and determine where we head next.  This has been an amazing trip.  The weather has been favorable so much of the time that we are far ahead of our plan and have plenty of time and certainly more than enough provisions to wait out this storm.

Tofino June 28

We are in Tofino at the Rhino coffee shop and I am rushing to update the blog.  This has been an amazing trip and if we can do it - so can you!  We are watching the weather closely since there seem to be gale force winds just outside Clayoquot Sound.  According to environment Canada there will be a break in the weather Friday and Saturday.  Likely we will move to Barkley Sound over the weekend.  We are headed south, closer to home. 
Future posts will depend on internet access but I will keep trying.  Send me a note if you can.

West White Pine to God’s Pocket, June 27

Morning in West White Pine

Awake just after four and rather than go back to sleep, I spend the next hour watching the most magnificent sunrise.  The water is completely still and the color of the sky is mesmerizing.  We have a cup of coffee and pull-up the anchor.  Slowly we glide out of the almost land-locked cove.  We are the only boat on the water this morning and it is very peaceful.
 

This slow cruising and poking our bow (nose) into secret coves is not something we have done often.  This is our third summer of “Chug” and the first two were spent making the passage to Alaska and back.  The Alaska passage feels more remote and wild.  The travel distance between anchorages is much longer and the wildlife is more abundant.  The west coast of Vancouver Island is beautiful and often we have an anchorage to ourselves but there are more signs of activity – fish farms, logging, float homes and small fish boats abound.

Our first stop this morning is Matilda Inlet.  This is the home of the small settlement of Ahouset.  On the east side of the inlet, there is a store, restaurant, motel and marina.  The marina is really just a long piece of float dock with old tires along the edge.  There is an old fish boat tied up at the end.  Just beyond the fish boat is a piece of old dock tied to shore with four old boats tied to it.  Each boat is obviously listing to port and we wonder why.  

On the opposite side of the inlet, is the First Nations village that seems to be thriving.  We are listening to Channel 69 on the VHF radio and it appears to be the main telephone line for the village.  We hear someone remind the schoolkids that this is the last day to pick up things from the Lost & Found before it is given away.  The same person comments aloud that one of the jackets looks like “Tommy’s” winter coat.  There is also chatter about the 9 o’clock boat to Tofino and there are still seats available.  Someone gives a shout asking is someone else is up yet and so it goes.  Life lived-out on the VHF radio.

On the way to God's Pockett

We continue down the inlet to the Provincial Park where there are trails to a warm spring and across the inlet to a beach.  Although this is considered a secure anchorage, the forecast of gale strength winds from the NW have us looking around and wondering how well we would fare in 35 knots of wind.  So, after a short successful anchoring exercise, we pull the anchor and move on.  We are headed to God’s Pocket which appears to have greater protection from northwest winds.

The path to God's Pocket is littered with crab traps and fish farming things - not too mention lots of very shallow water.  Once again we are glad to have GPS.  It takes the full attention of the captain to keep us in the channels and away from the dangers.  In God's Pocket we find good anchorage and three float homes.  One appears to be permanent with a very large floating greenhouse.  The owner watches us carefully as we anchor nearby.  The other two appear to be not in use at this time.  Once anchored, we drop the dinghy and go exploring.  Tomorrow we may go into Tofino and try to post all these late blog entries.

Bacchante Bay to West White Pine, June 26

Fog lifting in Baccante Bay

The weather forecast for Vancouver Island South continues to include Gale Force winds and we make plans to explore Clayoquot Inlet while the storm passes.  The good news is that there seem to be endless interesting nooks and crannies worth exploring.  
 

We awake to fog so thick we can't see the bow.  We think that if the fog remains this thick for too long we will miss our chance to exit the cove at high tide.  By the time we have a cup of coffee the fog is lifting and becoming patching.  We are able to pull the anchor this morning at high tide and retrace our path out the narrow and shallow opening of Baccante Bay.  After our experience in Hot Springs Cove, we are still trying to avoid the weekend crowds so we look for an out-of-the way spot with sheltered anchorage from northwest winds and decide on West White Pine.  This is an easy short cruise and our anchor is down before breakfast!  

We settle-in to small chores, books and I put my kayak in the water.  I have a lovely paddle around the small lagoon and think that I will do it again in the morning!  We are sharing our cove with crab pots and one other boat that is anchored just outside the narrow neck.  After dinner we decide that we will continue our exploration of Clayoquot Sound and decide to move to Matilda Inlet and the community of Ahousat.  

Fish farming at the entrance to White Pine

This sounds like a good plan, but in order to get out of this beautiful anchorage, we need high tide.  A quick check of the tide tables tells us that high tide is just before 6 am.  With this information, I decide to take my second kayak paddle this evening and stow that kayak on the top deck before we retire for the evening. 

Santa Gertrudis to Bacchante Bay, June 25

We are up at 4:30 this morning to take advantage of the calm seas for our trip from Nootka Sound to Clayoquot Sound.  At first light, we pull-up the anchor and very carefully work our way out of Santa Gertruis Cove trying to avoid the unmarked rocks.  On our trips to Alaska, we often started our voyage at dawn to cover the long distances required.  This trip our destinations are much closer together and arising in the dark has not been part of the experience.  Now I recall how much I love the still and quiet of the early morning.
 

Our route today takes us around the Hesquiat Peninsula and past the Estevan Point lighthouse.  We have almost 30 miles to cover before we are reach the entrance to Hot Springs Cove where we can duck out of the ocean and into Sydney Inlet.  The first half of this trip takes us on a southerly course with westerly ocean swells of 1-2 meters on our beam.  Chug has a full-displacement hull (and no stabilizers) so the swell rocks the boat but we are thankful that there is no chop.  In less that an hour, the Estevan Point Light is in sight and by 9 am we have our anchor down in Hot Springs Cove.  

We relax on the boat for an hour before deploying the dinghy for our trip to shore.  As we are doing this, the cove seems to suddenly get very busy.  Small yellow tourist boats are arriving from Tofino and float planes follow suit.  There are literally dozens of folks headed to the hot springs.  We go ashore and join them for the walk down the well-kept boardwalk that includes several hundred steps both up and down. The walk is beautiful and we have fun reading all the carvings in the boardwalk under-foot.  When we arrive at the springs, it is a madhouse.  Many of the planks of the board walk have been replaced by boaters with planks inscribed with their boat names – we do not have such a thing with us.  We do note one plank says Ursa Major and we wonder if our friends Josh and Emily have been here before us.  Many planks also have individual names and messages.  We find one with a heart that says B & K – we will claim this as our own for now.  We also find M & M and think that perhaps Mike and Mary might have been here????  Another says Bye Susan when what we would rather do is say hello Susan.  And finally, the most prominent board says Zeus and reminds us of our good friends at home and the waffles that are long gone.  

We have lunch aboard the boat and agree that we need to move to a quieter cove.  We select a couple of coves that we think might be interesting but the current in Hayden Passage could be quite strong right now and we don’t want to wait.  We pull out the charts and select Baccante Bay at the top of Shelter Inlet.  

Baccante Bay - Paradise

We slip through the narrow entrance to the bay and work our way back to the end of the inlet.  All around us are steep mountains and a river coming into the end of the inlet floods this area with fresh water.  I take my kayak up the river a half mile or so until I can go no further and then ride the current back into the inlet.  A good dinner and good books fill the remainder of the evening.

Zebellos to Santa Gertrudis, June 24

Last night the Harbor Master walked the docks collecting payment and he told Barrie that the name of our boat “Chug” was a derogatory term for First Nations people.  This came as shock and Barrie explained that we had no idea and certainly did not mean harm.  Our boat was christened “Chug” by its first owner in 1987 and when we bought the boat, we thought the name fit.  We chug-along at 6 or 7 knots and enjoy moving slowly through the water.  We pay heed to tides and winds and plan our trip to use these resources to our advantage.  The Urban Dictionary says the word Chug refers to a drunken First Nations person.  This new knowledge doesn’t sit well with either of us and we wonder if after 30 years, we need to change the boat’s name.
 

The rain has lessened but it is still falling when we awaken.  We are on moored on the shallow side of the dock finger closest to shore.  When we arrived last night the tide seven-feet and rising.  This morning the tide is just over two feet and still falling.  I take advantage of being at the dock and take a final walk on shore before we depart.  We have a bite to eat and I untie the lines so we can continue on our journey.  As the boat slides slowly out of the harbor the depth gauge reads just over six feet but since our draft is less than 5, the boat passes safely through the shallow water as we hold our breath.  

In Zeballos you still need these!

We work our way south down Zeballos Channel with both wind and tide against us.  Still we are making almost seven knots.  We turn into Esperanza Channel and soon pass a bucolic setting with several houses, a mission and a dock and a fuel dock.  A few hundred meters later (we are in Canada), we pass the “village” of Ceepeecee.  There is not much left here but the name – which has an interesting history.  The Canadian Pacific Cannery was the driving force behind the development of this area and when it came time to establish a Post Office, the town needed a name.  A townsperson said it was CPC and the rest, as they say, is history.  This channel connects Zeballos (named after the explorer Ceballos) with Tahsis.  The guidebooks seem to indicate that Tahsis is a larger town.  We tie-up at the small government dock on the outskirts of town.  It is still low tide and only one side of the dock is usable.  There is a small boat already at the dock and just enough room for us to squeeze in on the end.  We walk the mile or so to the “city” center and stop at both the grocery store and the hardware store.  We purchase two small items at the grocery store and part with $12 Canadian.  Ouch!  We also buy two small items at the hardware store and get change from $4.  Better!  We contemplate have lunch of the economy but really the only restaurant seems to be void of people and is not attractive.  We decide to walk back to the boat and have lunch aboard.

Geting our exercise in Tahsis

On our walk back, we stop at the Marina.  The Marina is clearly open and seems to be set up to be party-central but there are no boats here.  It is now the 23 of June and maybe the summer season hasn’t started yet.  I do find a coffee shop and treat myself to a latte.  The walk from the marina to the government dock takes us past acres of fenced-off old blacktop pavement with trees and weeds.  We learn that this area was a huge lumber mill that processed hemlock.  It has long been out of business.

The weather forecast for this area is not good for next week.  Winds are expected rise to 25-35 knots by Tuesday and stay that way for a few days.  But there is still a window of good weather that is expected to last through Sunday morning.  We decide that we need to use this weather window to get around Estevan Point.  This is the piece of land that separates Nootka Sound from Clayoquot Sound and the winds often howl here.  

We have passed the halfway point on our journey down the west coast of Vancouver Island.  We are now nearer to Port Townsend than we are to Cape Scott and we are now listening to the Environment Canada weather report for “West Coast Vancouver Island South”.   While there is still plenty of nature to enjoy, we expect to see more boats and more people as we head south.  We also expect that we will be able to pick up internet service more easily and perhaps my blog updates will be more timely.  I am reluctant to leave this wilderness behind.

The Light at Friendly Cove

Queen Cove to Zebellos, June 23

The Dock at Zebellos

Rain, rain, rain.  We awake this morning to yet more rain.  We start the day with a “Larry Breakfast” made famous on our trip to Alaska with Larry Determan when Larry was the “Breakfast Boy” and would make a lumberjack breakfast of eggs, sausage and hash browns.  With breakfast over and the dishes put away, we turned our attention to a number of small chores before we pull the anchor and head to Nuchatlitz Inlet.  

We cross Esperanza Inlet and work our way through several very small passages at low tide (1.8 feet).  At one point we are in such a narrow channel and the tide is so low that the red buoy is just a few feet off shore!  We see lots of sea otters, eagles, and a seal.  Farther along we see 3 canoes working their way through the same channel.  We have been running the generator so we can make water and do laundry this morning and just as we enter the inner basin of Nuchatlitz, a fuse blows on the generator.  This is such a beautiful place that we decide to drop the anchor and address the problem (and have a bite of lunch). 

Barrie pulls out a screwdriver to open the fuse panel and soon finds the problem fuse (we only wish we knew where the load came from that popped it – did the freezer cycle at just the wrong moment?).  The good news is that he has a spare and we are soon back in business.  Barrie also determines that the radiator cap on the generator is not making a complete seal, which is causing it to leak.  It is not critical but should be replaced.  I take advantage of the break in the weather (it isn’t raining) to install Barrie’s new anchor bridle.  It looks a good sight better than the one with rusted thimbles and shackles.  

We pull the lunch hook and retrace our steps to Esperanza Inlet where we see three humpback whales!  We continue past old First Nations sites into Zeballos Inlet and finally reach the town of Zeballos. Once again, Caper is here when we arrive.  We mill about the docks trying to determine if there is room for us to moor.  We are told that there is sufficient draft on the inside dock for us and Barrie does an admirable job of backing into the only remaining spot.  We tie up the boat and head down the dock where we find Laperouse already tied-up.  We greet our now “old friends” who tell us to check-in at the Community Center where we can get maps and information.  

On our way to the Nature Trail in Zeballos

Keen Rusty Junk

So, we follow their advice and get local advice.  Barrie asks if there is a place in town where he could buy a radiator cap.  The woman at the counter tells us “that is not how we do things here” – since there are no stores, they suggest asking Tommy if he has something from his collection of old cars.  She offers to call Tommy for us and arranges for him to drop by the boat later this evening.  We also ask about the museum and are told it is not yet open for the season, BUT if we would like to see it, they can arrange a private viewing.  Finally we learn of the town’s nature trails and are told that the bears are not aggressive.  So, why not, we take the nature trail and Barrie loves all the keen rusty cars and trucks we see enroute.  Everyone in town is friendly and helpful.

Back at the boat, the weather continues to deteriorate and the mountains in the background have disappeared.  We have dinner and I work on updating the blog.  We have not yet seen Tommy and it may be that the weather has affected his plans.  Barrie says if a slightly leaky radiator cap is his biggest worry that things are looking pretty good.

Walter’s Cove to Queen Cove, June 22

Last night we dined at the small restaurant at Walter’s Cove.  Definitely a local establishment with locals having a bite and using the internet.  We shed our rain gear, pull out our computers and settle-in.  The menu fits easily on a small blackboard and seems to be mostly hamburgers (they are out of chicken patties) and French fries but there is homemade soup (tonight split pea and ham), which I order and Barrie orders Fish and Chips.  The soup is good but my-oh-my the Fish and Chips are out of this world.  Three pieces of fresh caught Halibut the size of a handball, perfectly breaded and lightly fried.  We would order this again!

We head back to the boat when there is a lull in the storm and are comfortably on board when the deluge begins again.  I sleep in the pilothouse and listen to the pounding rain all night.  Our plan is to listen to the weather in the morning and assuming nothing changes drastically, we will leave Kyuquot Inlet and move south to Esperanza Inlet and Nootka Sound.  

Morning arrives and I put on water to boil for coffee while we listen to the weather on VHS Channel 1.  Environment Canada says winds for Vancouver Island North are from the South at 10-15 knots and will be dropping this afternoon.  The speed of the wind is not really a problem but the direction will fight with the swell and things could be a bit lumpy.  By staying inside as much as possible, we will only be exposed for an hour at most, so we decide to make the leap.

We head out Kyuquot Channel and work our way into Clear Channel.  We are protected a bit by small islands and large rocks but it is still fairly lumpy.  Before long, the cat is once again below decks and under the covers – how do you spell Fraidy Cat?  We run out of places to hide and are back in the ocean to round Tatcu Point and Yellow Bluff.  Now we are riding a rocking horse but thankfully with the high bow of the Kadey Krogen, there is no water on the decks.  In less the 5 nm we are able to turn into Rolling Roadstead passage.  Modern navigation certainly makes these narrow passages much easier to transit.  We try to imagine working our way between all these rocks without the aid of GPS and are in awe of the explorers who were here in the 1700 and 1800s.

Rolling Roadstead takes us to Esperanza Inlet and we take a left turn into Birthday Channel and then follow the narrow entrance into Queen Cove.  Caper, a 78 foot Ocean Alexander, is already at anchor.  We find a spot and easily set the anchor but find that the chain is rubbing on a rock.  We try resetting the anchor twice and ultimately decide that we would rather put up with a bit of noise than keep resetting the anchor.  The rain continues to fall and we each find a good book and a cozy spot to sit.  Shortly, Laperouse arrives and anchors in the middle of the cove.  We are invited to once again to have cocktails aboard.  We thoroughly enjoyed spending time on board with owner Mark and his guests Carolyn & John and KC and Randy.  We learn that Randy is the force behind the Ultra anchor and got a very interesting lesson about how anchors work in general and why the Ultra anchor is truly the Ultimate.  Such fine hosts they are that they picked us up at our boat in their tender and returned us to boat in same! 

Dixie Cove to Walter’s Cove, June 21

This cove is so snug that it is hard to tell if the storm that has been forecast has arrived but overcast skies are the harbinger that the weatherman was right.  The air is still and the water is flat.  Once again, I choose to give in to temptation and deploy my kayak and go for a paddle around the cove.  In a few short moments, I am at the shore’s edge and looking through crystal clear water.  Below I see dozens of starfish, crabs, sea anemones, small fish and more.  I continue my paddle along the shoreline and am surprised by the steepness as the mountains descend into the sea.  
 
I slowly work my way back into the larger cove and across the top of Copp Island as the tide reaches it lowest point today (1.5 ft).  I paddle unto I run into land.  With just another foot of tide, I would be able to slip through this narrow passage but instead I stop and watch the clams put on a show.  Everywhere I look water is spurting up out of the sand.  If only I had a fishing license and a shovel.  Finally, I turn the kayak around and paddle back to the boat.  Barrie has been working while I have been recreating.  He spent the morning cleaning the teak on the aft decks.  I stow my kayak on the upper deck and make a second cup of coffee.  

Just after 10 we start the engine and make a short sight-seeing loop looking for bears on Vancouver Island.  We find otters and seals but not bears.  Our plan is to retrace our steps and return to Walter’s Cove.  I have the helm and Barrie is taking a short nap when the rain begins to fall in earnest and visibility starts to close down.  We have been through these narrow passages before and the trip is almost uneventful.  When I head out on deck to deploy fenders and dock lines, Barrie makes a turn into a cove that is not on our path.  We are fortunate that it is high tide and there is plenty of water to turn around are get back on course.  We dock in the rain and listen to the weather report.

In June, the winds in this area are predominately from the northwest.  The front moving through has caused the winds to shift to the south and the rain will be here for a day or two.  At home, I seldom pay much attention to the winds (unless they are really howling down the Strait of Juan de Fuca and pummeling our front window.  On the boat, our safety depends on paying attention and waiting for the right conditions.  I spend a pleasant afternoon in the pilot house finishing my book and lounging with the cat.

Tonight we are going to don our rain suits and walk to the local restaurant for dinner and hopefully to upload recent blog entries.  On the west coast of Vancouver Island, phone service is scarce and wifi is even scarcer. 

Walter’s Cove to Dixie Cove, June 20

Awoke this morning to blue skies and sunshine.  Asked a local resident who was on the dock what he thought of the weather.  He told me that it doesn’t get any better than this.  Really, how could a day be better than perfect. 

We started the morning lazily at 7 am with coffee and the last of the homemade waffles that our good friends Zanna and Zeus sent with us.  After breakfast, both Barrie and I found projects to keep us busy.  I washed the salt water from our trip across the Nahwitti Bar off the windows and cleaned the isinglass curtains inside and out.  All the better to see the perfect day.  Barrie worked on his splicing merit badge and made a new bridle for the anchor using stainless steel thimbles and shackles (I used Roy Dunbar’s book of 2001 Shipbuilding Terms to make sure we got the terminology correct!).  This one will be pretty to look at and won’t rust.  


We learned that a supply boat comes on Mondays at noon and generally docks where we are moored.  We agree to move the boat before the supply boat arrives and set our departure for 11:30.  There is a fish boat and dinghy in front of us on the dock and dock pilings directly behind us.  We consider our options for getting away from the dock and settle on untying the boat and letting the light breeze push us off the dock.  Maneuvering a single screw boat while accounting for tides and winds can get complicated but, simple as that, we are on our way to Dixie Cove. 

The ten-mile trip to Dixie requires us to thread our way back out of Walter’s Cove and takes us through Nicolaye Channel and then through the very narrow Crowther Channel.  As we round the south end of Hohoae Island, we follow Pinnace Channel to the entrance to Dixie Cove.  We cut through an opening that is less than 100 feet wide between Hohoae and Copp Islands and work our way back into the inlet finally slipping through the 75’ wide opening to the back bay.  The canyon walls are steep and the water beneath our keep is more than sufficient but we keep a close eye on our progress.  We drop our anchor in 27’ of water and are alone in this incredibly beautiful remote spot.  Around us are old growth forests and above us the eagles soar.  


I find that I am unable to resist the idea of swimming in this protected lagoon.  I read that it is warm enough to swim and a toe in the water tells me that the guide books and not far from wrong but that the authors might be hardier than me.  I have been on an extensive regime of antibiotics for a lung infection; I am extremely sensitive to the sun.  I don a farmer john wetsuit, a long sleeve sun shirt and Barrie’s floppy hat.  I then deploy the new swim ladder and work my way into the water for a very relaxing swim.  I find the entire afternoon to be delightful.  There is plenty of hot water for a shower since we ran the engine this morning and I indulge in a shower that just slightly longer than the average boat shower.  After a shower, I start the generator to dry my hair and continue running it for a couple of hours to charge the boat’s batteries.  At 4:15 we shut off the generator and find ourselves again able to enjoy the solitude of this spectacular place.

North Cove to Walter’s Cove, June 19 (Father’s Day)

North Cove was calm last evening and is calm this morning.  Our routine of waking at 5:30, fixing coffee and pulling the anchor before 6 seems to be working.  The skies are partly cloudy and the weather forecast says that the winds won’t pick up until this afternoon.  We retrace our path to the ocean and find a perfect following sea.  As the morning progresses the clouds seem to thicken on the western horizon but our direction of travel is toward blue skies and sunshine.  Our path around the Brooks Peninsula is just over 40 miles and for the entire distance the seas are rippled but we do not experience any of the uncomfortable rolling from the day before.  

The forecast says a big blow is coming in and winds will be 25 knots or more for the next two days, so we are looking for a place to settle-in until the weather clears.  Our destination is Walter’s Cove, yet another fishing village with a boardwalk.  All of the guidebooks (and I have at least 4 on this area) describe the entrance to Walter’s Cove as difficult but well-marked.  Indeed, the entrance includes two S-turns through a very narrow body of water.  We pass by a dock that has a Red Cross symbol painted on it and read that this is the health clinic for the Walter’s Cove/Kyuquot area and is accessible only by boat!  We arrive at the dock to find a beautiful 65’ Marlow Explorer, sporting a Seattle Yacht Club burgee, tied on the windward side.  Laparouse is a beautiful boat that has some of the design characteristics of the venerable Flemming Yacht.  We opt to dock on the leeward side and are assisted by the owner Mark and two of his “crew” Randy and Casey.  Barrie and Mark start talking and soon Mark is helping us sort out why our AIS is not transmitting.  In less than an hour – SUCCESS!  Later, we are invited to Laparouse for drinks.  

While the Laparouse crew goes off exploring Spring Island in their dinghy, Barrie and I head to shore to walk the town boardwalk.  All along the boardwalk there are interesting fishing lodges and at one end of town we find a hotel and restaurant.   We meet Eric who is working on dismantling a dock in front of the restaurant and he tells us that the restaurant is closed on Sunday and Monday.   He also offers us the use of his internet connection and provides the secret password.  This sounds like an opportunity to get caught up on the blog and we head back to the boat to pick up computers.  Quickly, I updated our progress but just didn’t have time to write the details – that came later.

About 5:30 we were granted permission to board Laparouse.  We had a short tour of a beautiful yacht.  The layout is lovely with an up-galley and an extensive aft saloon.  Mark had a magic margarita machine and will a glass in hand, we went topsides to enjoy the evening.  We decide that, weather permitting, we will head to Dixie Cove tomorrow and come back to Walter’s Cove on Tuesday for dinner at the restaurant.  Dixie Cove is one of the places we read about in Dryke and Holly’s blog from their “Mother Goose” trip a couple of years ago.

Today is Father’s Day and I can’t help but reflect on role my dad played in bringing me to this place.  In 1954 my dad was serving in the Army and stationed in Yokohama, Japan.  One of the first people he met there was Larry Fisher who was also from the Seattle area.  From that chance meeting came an amazing friendship that has lasted more than 60 years.  The Fisher family owned the boat(s) but most summers my family joined them for a trip to the San Juans or beyond.  I have so many wonderful memories of those times with Larry and Annette and their daughters Jackie and Sandy, and my dad (Ray) and mom (Carolyn), and my siblings Cindy and Eric.  Memories of being set free to explore and being at one with the sea.  So, thanks Dad for being the catalyst that brought Barrie and me to exploring the west coast of Vancouver Island.  I would love to have the opportunity to share this experience with you and perhaps rekindle those memories we share.