New Airship | Before and After

You may recall back in November we bought a beautiful and very clean 2006 Nordic Tug 42, and we sold our 2013 Nordic Tug 34′ “Airship”. We’d had our Nordic Tug 34 for four years, and in those four years we spent over 900 nights aboard and 2,700 hours underway, went to Alaska and back four times, around Vancouver Island three times, and spent countless days exploring Puget Sound, the … Read more

Circumnavigating Vancouver Island Flotilla | Day 23| Nettle Island to Robbers Passage

September 11 – Barkley Sound is nearly deserted this time of year. We’ve only seen a couple other cruising boats, so we figured we’d likely be able to get at least a few spots at the dock at the Port Alberni Yacht Club outstation in Robbers Passage. This is a wonderful stop, with short trails to walk around on ashore and an amazing coastline nearby to explore by dinghy. The docks … Read more

Circumnavigating Vancouver Island Flotilla | Days 20 and 21| Ucluelet to Joe’s Bay

September 8 – The weather in Ucluelet was breezy and foggy, with pouring rain this morning. The forecast called for worsening conditions through tomorrow, when winds were predicted to climb to 30-40 knots with heavy rain. Might  this be the first taste of fall? With a lousy forecast, we headed for Joe’s Bay. This is a huge anchorage, with moderate depths, excellent protection, and good holding. We’d stay for a few … Read more

Circumnavigating Vancouver Island Flotilla | Day 19 | Ucluelet

Sometimes, when on a flotilla, it’s fun to take a commercial fishing charter from a port where fishing is good and expert guides are available. You get to see what gear an expert professional fisher-person uses, what techniques they apply to maximize the catch for their clients, and some of the current local hotspots for bagging fish. Occasionally, everyone has a bad experience with a business. Usually, we all just … Read more

Circumnavigating Vancouver Island Flotilla | Day 12 | Columbia Cove to Rugged Point to Nuchatlitz

Today looked like the last day of calm. We’ve quickly grown spoiled by the windless days in the ocean and we decided to use this last day of calm to jump down the coast to Esperanza Inlet and Nootka Sound. This meant skipping the Bunsby Islands and Walters Cove. We didn’t wantto skip them, but several factors weighed on our minds. We’re running a bit behind schedule after the weather … Read more

West Side of Vancouver Island Flotilla | Day 9 | Tahsis to Yuquot (Friendly Cove)

Some of our group went into town for a tour of the salmon hatchery. There were no fish there at this time, but the community is quite proud of their volunteer-run hatchery and it really showed. After the hatchery tour, we got on our way and headed for Yuquot/Friendly Cove. As we got further out of the inlet, the fog cleared and we even got some bright sun for a … Read more

West Side of Vancouver Island Flotilla | Day 8 | Nuchatlitz to Tahsis

Nuchatlitz was super foggy this morning as the group made their way through the narrow, winding exit. Eventually (once we were pretty far up Tahsis Inlet) the fog cleared! The entrance to the Westview Marina & Lodge is a little tricky if you don’t know what you’re looking for. You make a 180 degree turn around this first log breakwater, then another 180 degree turn around that second one to get … Read more

West Side of Vancouver Island Flotilla | Day 6 | Bunsby Islands to Walters Cove/Kyuquot

The narrow entrance to Walters Cove is a fun navigational challenge. The channel is well-charted and well-marked, but it’s narrow and winding. Looking in from the outside, the buoys look more like a random sprinkling of green and red than a defined channel. The chart clarifies the path, but it can still be intimidating. Inside Walters Cove, we found the public dock almost empty, with ample room for the whole … Read more