Circumnavigation of Vancouver Island ….. check

The wind had settled by morning, but was still blowing 15 knots from the west. We decided to hoist the main sail and put a reef in while still at anchor. As the anchor came up off the bottom, we were sailing. When we cleared the shoreline that had been giving us some protection we unfurled the jib and we were off toward Race Passage and Victoria at about 6 knots.

Race Passage is another area where the current can run at up to 5 knots or more, so we had timed our passage to be close to the slack. Even so, as we approached, the ebb current was about 1.5 knots on the bow. Even though we were under sail, we started the motor and powered forward to ensure we had plenty of forward momentum to get us through. About the time we made it to the other side of the passage, the current flipped and started flooding back into the strait carrying us all the way to Victoria. The wind had picked up to about 20 knots and it was a wonderful, fast downwind sail into the harbor.

When we arrived at the harbor the BC Dragon Boat races were being held and races were under way as we came into the inner harbor. The Harbor Patrol came out to meet us and explained a modified approach that needed to be carefully followed. Once through that mess, we entered the marina and secured the boat to the docks. To our surprise, our friends from s/v Ka'sala, Doug and Lyneita, were tied up to the docks just across from us. We made plans to rendezvous later in the afternoon for cocktails. To our surprise they produced a bottle of Champagne to help us celebrate our anniversary. After that, we headed out to the Superior Restaurant for dinner. Thanks to mom and dad for the gift of cash to help us cover the cost. It was an incredible dinner with entertainment to boot.

We have now completed the rounding of Vancouver Island. Looking back at the experience, it was quite a challenge. First was Cape Scott, followed by Brooks Peninsula, then Estevan Point and finally, the run back up the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Each had its unique challenges of wind, current, fog and sea swell and required considerable planning and evaluation of weather and sea conditions. We made a few minor mistakes or shall we say errors in judgment, but overall mostly made all of the right decisions that enabled us to safely complete the circumnavigation.

Tomorrow morning we leave Victoria and head across the strait to Port Angeles, Washington. We will clear customs, ready Talos IV for the next passage and await friend and crew member JP for the trip south to San Francisco. The expected date of departure will be on or around the 27-28th Aug, weather permitting.

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Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Final Leg

We were up early to catch the 4 AM weather update and with a favorable report, we pulled anchor at Dodger Channel at 4:30 AM. It was a dark and moonless night and the light of dawn was still a good hour and a half away. Our first challenge was negotiating the narrow and shallow exit to our anchorage. We motored as slow as Talos IV would go and made it through the pass with no issues. The shallowest point we passed on the way out was 2 feet below the keel, shallower than we would prefer, but deep enough to sneak out. Had we left any later, we may not have made it out as the tide was dropping to its low in about two hours.

Once out into Trevor Channel, we motored out and around Cape Beal and headed southeast. Winds were up at about 15 knots from the SE (our direction of travel) and seas were very confused with a 2 meter swell. It was cold, wet and sloppy as we motored on into the dark. Conditions were quite uncomfortable, but we knew based on the forecast, that as we entered the west entrance to Juan de Fuca Strait winds would first become light and then shift from the west.

The folks at the Canadian Meteorological Service nailed the forecast and as we entered the strait conditions moderated significantly and we had a 15 knot wind on our stern with a following swell. And then, giving us an added boost, the flood current started to kick in at about 11 AM and continued to build throughout the afternoon. At it's peak we had current at about 2.5 knots carrying us into the strait. Our speed of ground (SOG) was about 8 - 8.2 knots. Further adding to the experience was busting out of the fog in the late afternoon and enjoying the view of the Vancouver Island coastline as we approached our anchorage in Becher Bay, about a dozen miles west of Victoria.

After the 13 hour passage and the early wake up call, we were exhausted. We had difficulty setting the anchor, but with our third attempt, were finally able to get it set. We ate dinner and went to bed early only to be awakened at about 1:30 AM by high winds blowing through the anchorage and the boat bouncing and swinging from side to side. It was a steady 20 knot wind with gusts of near 30. Given the difficulty in getting the anchor set, the strong wind and the rough sea conditions, we decided it would be prudent to do an anchor watch. Paul took the first watch and then we alternated throughout the night every two hours until about 9 AM when things finally settled. As in the past, we had everything ready to go including the motor switch and all the instruments turned on. In the end the anchor held and we survived the night with no issues. What a way to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

Today, we'll make our way through Race Passage and into Victoria Harbor completing our circumnavigation of Vancouver Island.

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Bamfield Inlet

We've just returned from Brady Beach, a 30 min walk across the peninsula from West Bamfield.  It is very picturesque with some of the softest sand I've ever seen.  It was a perfect day, no wind and temps forecast to be in the low 80's.  We hung out for awhile, ate lunch and just took in all the beauty.

On our way over from Effingham Bay yesterday, conditions were again too light to sail, so we motored the hour and half run passing through stretches of fairly dense fog.  Once we arrived, it was again a deep anchorage at about 50 feet and right in the middle of the channel.  It felt as if we were parked in the middle of the highway with sport fishing boats racing in and out all day long.  It was actually quite entertaining, although at times a bit annoying.  This is a very busy place with what appears to be a popular jumping off point for the sport fishermen.  Not much here, but a few marinas, a small store and the Coast Guard Station. There is definitely a feeling that we are back into civilization and approaching the more populated areas of the island.

Tonight will be our second night here.  We plan to depart mid morning tomorrow after making a quick stop at the fuel dock to top of the diesel tanks and most importantly refill our water tanks.   We will head across Trevor Channel to a small anchorage nestled between a couple of islands called Dodger Channel.  At that point, we'll wait out our opportunity to make the run into the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  The ideal situation would be for westerlies, but the forecast is calling for easterlies for the next day or two, so not to sure of when we can get out.

The fog was beginning to set in as we crossed Trevor Channel
on our way into Bamfield Inlet.  Note the sea stacks
along the shore line.

The Bamfield Coast Guard Station at the entrance
to the inlet.

Artsy feel along the boardwalk in West
Bamfield.

Paul strolling along the West Bamfield boardwalk.

This is the cat haven.  The locals provide food and
shelter for the feral cats in the area.  There was
only one hanging out when we walked by.

Brady Beach.

Brady Beach with sea stacks in the back ground.

Paul enjoying a stroll on the beach.

Janet and one of the larger sea stacks.

Effingham Bay, Effingham Island

This is the largest island within the Broken Group. We had a very short motor to this new anchorage, but it took a lot of planning to avoid rocks and other navigational hazards. The bay had come highly recommended by s/v "North Star". We had a Humpback whale surface just inside the bay entrance while we were anchoring. After settling in we took the kayaks and went to shore for a hike to Meares Bluff on the eastern shoreline. Paul discovered a sea cave as he explored further around the point. The pictures from this adventure will be posted when we get wifi.

Entrance to the sea cave on the south side of Effingham Island.

The ferns were prolific along the roof of the opening to the cave.

Paul worked his way back into the cave.  Very scary!

We thought the play on light made this photo look really cool.

There was a high road and a low road.  We took the high
road to avoid the mud on the low road.  It was much
faster to travel this way.

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Joes Bay Anchorage / Broken Group

After a great stay in Ukee we headed out mid morning to the Broken Group, Pacific Rim National Park. This park has many low lying islands and islets that are perfect for exploring by kayak and dinghy. I read somewhere that there are more than 100 of these islets. It is necessary to slow way down and be extra careful with the navigation, especially since the fog tends to move into the area rapidly! Our first stop within the park was Joe's Bay. It was actually a group of three islands which formed a nice little bay for anchorage. We were able to have a kayak adventure exploring around the islands and stopping for lunch at a beach not too far off. Dodd Island (our lunch stop) was full of old growth trees and had small garden area which is the only reminder of a fellow by the name of "Joe" who lived here in the 1960s. The island was also the site of first nation potlatches and other ceremonies. We liked this anchorage enough to spend two nights here.

We kayaked over to the midden beach for a little
walk about.  Talos IV is in the background.

Paul just hangin out at the beach.  It was a beautiful day.

Janet just picked some sea asparagus to mix in with our salad.
It turned out to be way to salty for our palette.

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Tofino and Ucluelet

We are in Tofino, or at least we were when I started writing this blog entry, the first major town since leaving Port Hardy on the East side of Vancouver Island about a month ago.  Tofino has it all, or at least it seems that way after being out and about in the wilds on the west coast of the island.  We of course have satisfied our espresso fix.  In fact, we've tried each of the three coffee shops here in town just for good measure.  We had wifi on the docks as well, a first on the trip.

Our route from Bacchante Bay was about 24 miles and wound through and around all the various islands that pock mark Clayoquat Sound.  We were surprised at how shallow the depths were, about 15 feet in much of the sound.  In fact, for the first time, there were navigation buoys marking many of the channels.  We did our best to follow the path and managed to stay out of trouble.  When we arrived, the wharfinger had us raft up to a large fishing vessel while he found us a spot.  Paul did an excellent job of getting Talos IV up next to the other boat.  And then when a spot had been located, we discovered that it would require backing down a narrow fairway which shallowed on one side to less than 3 feet.  Once again, Paul pulled it off with no issues.  Even the wharfinger commented that that was a fine job of parking the boat.

Other than re-provisioning, the highlight of our two night stop was the run over to Meares Island in the dinghy to walk the Big Tree Trail.  The area was set to be logged back in the eighties, but protesters who actually chained themselves to the giant old growth trees prevailed and today it is open for all to enjoy.  The boardwalk is a bit rickety, but somehow it seems to fit the situation.

Janet, with our lunch in hand, along the boardwalk.

Paul was amazed at the size of the tree.

As much as she tried, she just couldn't get her arms
around the tree.

Papa bear, Mama bear, Baby bear.  Somebody was
having some fun with the wood that was used to
make the boardwalk.

This was the Grand Daddy of them all.  It is the
4th largest western red cedar in BC.  Note the
hanging gardens of ferns about 2/3 up.

The boardwalk wasn't exactly like Disneyland.

This converted wooden boat is someones home.  It sits
across the channel from the Government Docks
where we were moored.

We left Tofino at 6 AM this morning.  The weather forecast was for gale force winds kicking up to about 35 knots by early afternoon.  We estimated that it was about a 27 mile run and by leaving early, would be safely at dock by the time things got ugly.  As it turned out, conditions were even too light to sail until just before we made the turn into Carolina Passage, the entryway to Barkley Sound and Ucluelet Inlet.  The wind clocked from the south at about 2 knots to north at about 13 knots virtually instantaneously.  The fog settled in at about the same time and we had to negotiate the narrow passage with what seemed like hundreds of small fishing boats working the area for salmon and halibut.  The radar looked like it was swarming with activity.  Since we were so close to shore and the breaking waves, we had to visually identify each navigation buoy before making our turn to the next one.  We didn't want to assume that we had reached a buoy and make our turn too early only to find out that what we thought was the buoy was one of the many fishing boats.  All worked out well and when we entered Ucluelet Inlet the sun broke out and we motored on to the Ucluelet Boat Haven for the night.  Wifi on the docks again, they are going to spoil me.

Tomorrow we will venture out into Barkley Sound and the Broken Group, also known as the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, to see what adventures await us.

The west coast of Vancouver Island about mid-way
between Tofino and Ucluelet.  It was about 8 AM.

Janet, the navigator, taking a break.

The entire trip the furry crew has been fighting for
rights to lay on the red blanket.  Today they decided
to share.

Bacchante Bay

The Hot Springs Cove was really great but a little too busy. The crew from s/v Ka'sala made funny by saying it was like anchoring next to the Vancouver BC International Airport. We pulled anchor by 8AM and headed for West Clayoquot Sound. The allure of Bacchante Bay was the potential isolation and exploration of Watta Creek by kayak. The anchorage is very dramatic with steep walls of granite and trees surrounding 3 sides of a small cove. The head of the cove is a wetland. Watta Creek flows thru the wetlands into the cove. When we explored by kayak this afternoon we found the mouth of the creek and were able to make it all the way up stream to the "rapids". It was beautiful. The water was so clear you could almost believe there was no water at all. The paddle back to the cove was just before high tide. This extra level of water allowed us to re-enter the cove thru the wetland marsh. It was a great experience and the peace and quiet very much appreciated.

Tomorrow we are off to Tofino.

Paul enjoying a kayak paddle up Watta Creek at the
head of Bacchante Bay.

Janet takes a break along our Watta Creek paddle.

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Estevan Point and Hot Springs Cove

We departed Friendly Cove and immediately raised the main in preparation for a 10-15 kt blow. The winds never did generate but the swell was 2 meters and seas became more confused as we approached Estevan Point. It was a long 3 hours to round the point and get some protection. We made Hot Springs Cove by noon and were more than ready to drop the main and set anchor. Hot Springs Cove is popular because of the natural hot springs located within a provincial park. The springs are reached by walking a boardwalk of 2.5km one way. The springs shoot hot water out of the rock into the ocean. The rocks along the coastline form areas of hot pools that allow the visitor to sit and relax. It is really beautiful and a major stopping point for boats cruising south around the island. It is also very popular now with tour groups that bring people in by float plan and water taxi from Tofino. Needless to say this was not an isolated wilderness experience. Floatplanes were landing every 30-40 minutes, jet boats were coming and going. Tourists looked like ants trekking to the picnic basket on their way down the dock. We decided to visit the hot springs in the evening after the last boat of tourist left around 7PM. Only then did we make our way to the boardwalk with towel in hand. The crew from s/v Ka'sala joined us for the evening swim. It was wonderful! And we had the whole place to ourselves.

Estevan Point Light House.  We were a good 2+ miles off,
with 2 meter swell and wind largely on our bow at
5 - 9 knots.

Janet at the Hot Springs Cove park entrance.

Old growth cedar just off the trail
to the hot springs.

Paul enjoys a  nearly too hot shower in the water that
pours over the rock ledge above.

Janet negotiates her way down from
the hottest pool to the cooler pools down below.

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Friendly Cove, Nootka Sound

It is nearly 7:30 PM and we are now anchored in Friendly Cove at the entrance to Nootka Sound. We spent the last two nights at the West View Marina at the head of Tahsis Inlet. We were ready for some shore leave, the weather was unbelievably good with bright sunny skies and warm, almost hot weather. The marina had a wide open outdoor area in front of their restaurant with chairs, tables and umbrellas as well as an excellent wifi set up. They also had entertainment arranged for Friday night and we had plenty of beer on board. What more could you ask for? It was a great stay, but we've found that being moored at a marina takes its toll and we were ready to seek out an anchorage, so off we went this morning.

Friendly Cove is rich in history. It was originally explored by Captain Cook and the site trading with the local natives first began on the west coast. It is also the site of the signing of the Nootka Convention between the British and the Spaniards (a policy of free merchant ship trade between non-warring nations). I'm sure that if you are Canadian, it is part of the standard history regimen in the schools and you are much more versed on the topic than my quick summary (I hope I got it right, more or less). Today, the Nootka Light House sits high on the entrance island providing weather and navigation services for mariners.

When we arrived, we hiked up to the light house and chatted with the Canadian Coast Guard caretakers. They were able to give us a wealth of information about the area and their services to mariners. We also visited the First Nations settlement and met the world renowned carver, Sandford Williams, on the beach. He was in the process of carving a totem pole for a celebration that is to take place among his people later this month. We bought some freshly smoked salmon from him that had been smoking on the fire. We had that for dinner a bit ago and it was wonderful.

Tomorrow morning we head out and around Estevan Point, yet another turbulent rounding according to the books. Weather is forecasted to be light and if it is anything like today, it will be a smooth sail around. Our destination is Hot Springs Cove.

Nootka Lighthouse from the deck of Talos IV.

We took the hike up to the lighthouse for
a closer look.

Janet on the way up to Nootka Lighthouse with
 Friendly Cove in the background.  Note
Talos IV at anchor just over her right shoulder and
m/v Uchuck (sometimes called the Upchuckin rough
conditions) is at the dock.

Ancient totem, long since toppled over and
rotting on the ground.  Oh yea, there's
Janet holding our fresh smoked salmon
that we purchased on the beach
nearby.

s/v Ka'sala at anchor in Friendly Cove.  We shared beers
with her crew, Lyneita and Doug.

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Smooth Sailing to Esperanza Inlet

We took a kayak tour of Dixie Cove this morning and became aware we were being watched by a group of sea otters. They are very curious and very hairy! We made the decision to leave the Kyuquot Inlet and head to Esperanza Inlet after returning to the boat. The route took us around Ragged Point and thru Clear Passage before reaching open waters. Once outside the reefs we sailed downwind with 10 - 17 kts of wind and 1 meter swell. The humpbacks continue to breach off the boat, sometimes coming very close. Other times they simply surface, breathe and glide along for a while until they dive, showing us their tail flukes. The good sailing conditions held until we were well inside Esperanza Inlet, approximately 5 hours. Tonight we are on the hook at Queen Cove. The sun is out allowing us to finally see and appreciate the topography of the coastline.

We kayaked up the river until it got too shallow to go
any further.   Paul led the way.

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