Bull Harbor

We arrived in Bull Harbor late this morning after a great run up Goletas Channel from Port Hardy. We left early to take advantage of the ebb current running northwest at about 1.5 knots, enabling us to get about 7.3 knots over ground all the way up. Winds were mostly on our beam and while there were times when it pipe up to about 15 knots, it was all over the place, so we decided to not sail. Bull Harbor is our northern most point before heading south and east along the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Along the way, we spotted two bears along the shoreline. It was low tide, so they were working their way along the waterline feeding on whatever bears feed on. These were our first bear sightings this year. By this time last year, we had already seen a half dozen bear or more, so a way different experience this year.

As we approached Bull Harbor we began to feel the first real ocean swell of the journey so far. We could see Cape Sutil and Nahwitti Bar just beyond the entrance to the harbor. Nawhitti marks the point where the Pacific Ocean meets the waters of the inside passage. The ocean swells from the northwest pile up behind the bar and can form some nasty, steep waves when the current is ebbing and especially when there is wind opposing the current. The Canadian Sailing Directions recommends that you cross the bar at slack only when the waters are generally fairly calm.

Our plan, weather permitting, is to leave our anchorage here in Bull Harbor an hour or two after the high water slack tomorrow morning, which occurs at about 3:15 AM. Rather than going straight across the bar, we will take an alternate route that follows closely along the Vancouver Island shoreline. The route is protected by the Tatnall Reefs and allows you to sneak around the bar, avoiding any nastiness, we hope. Once past that, we will run almost due west along the northern coastline to Cape Scott and then around and then southeast to Quatsino Sound. Once past the cape, we should have the ocean swell and the northwest wind on our rear quarter making for a smooth run to our anchorage. In total, it is about a 50 mile run. Right now, the weather looks good. There is no fog in the forecast and winds are predicted to be light overnight, increasing to northwest 10 - 15 knots in the morning and then northwest 15 - 25 in the afternoon. We also expect the sea conditions (combined swell and wind wave) to be about 1 meter (roughly 3 feet). A sea state of 2 meters or so would be a no go, as it could create some rather rough conditions rounding the cape. We will continue to monitor the weather and sea state for any changes.

We'll hang out on the boat here in Bull Harbor today. We are boat bound as we've already deflated and rolled up the dinghy and kayaks in anticipation of tomorrows run around the north end of the island. Most of the day will be consumed with pouring over the charts and guide books and making sure that we've covered all our bases for our venture out into the Pacific Ocean. This is a first for us, so there is much anxiety mixed with excitement.

Sun rise looking back toward Port Hardy as
we ran up Goletas Channel.

Janet caught in the act of preparing our mid-morning
cinnamon rolls.

Sea stacks marking the entrance to Bull Harbor.

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