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.