Nootka Sound

Day 18 | West Side of Vancouver Island Flotilla | Friendly Cove to Hot Springs Cove

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Overnight the wind dropped and the swell (Friendly Cove gets some swell) died off. The 4:40 a.m. light station reports sounded promising (single digit winds, one foot chop or rippled), so at about 7:00 a.m. we got underway for the four hour trip from Nootka Sound to Clayoquot Sound. The morning light was particularly pretty: Sea conditions were perfect: a gentle swell, no wind waves, little current. As we neared … Read more

Days 16-17 | West Side of Vancouver Island Flotilla | Bligh Island to Friendly Cove

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This morning before leaving Bligh Cove, we took a few aerial photos since the light was so pretty. After breakfast we cruised the 6-7nm over to Friendly Cove, some of us snaking our way through the smaller passages between islands to kill time and add scenery. We anchored in Friendly Cove, rejoining the two boats that skipped Bligh Island yesterday for more time at Friendly Cove. After hiking and lighthouse … Read more

Day 15 | West Side of Vancouver Island Flotilla | Hisnit Inlet to Bligh Island

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Environment Canada predicted southeast 15-25 knot winds today and Windy looked worse. Not our day to round Estevan Point. We decided to move about 15nm to Bligh Cove, in the middle of Bligh Island at the head of Ewin Inlet. Along the way, we stopped at Resolution Cove. Here, in 1778, Captain Cook became the first Briton to land in what is now British Columbia. Once anchored, the crew cut … Read more

Day 14 | West Side of Vancouver Island Flotilla | Tahsis to Hisnit Inlet

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Our pace over the next several days is dictated by weather at Estevan Point, one of the major headlands on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The only must-see Nootka Sound destination for our group is Friendly Cove, about 20nm from Tahsis. If the weather was perfect today, we could even leave Tahsis, stop for a few hours at Friendly Cove, and continue around Estevan Point in the afternoon. Alas, … Read more

Circumnavigating Vancouver Island Flotilla | Day 15 | Tahsis to Hisnit Inlet

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In the morning after a bit more of an internet fix and a few more fishing items purchased, the boats left the marina. The staff puts what’s left after fish-cleaning operations out on the breakwater for the birds, and these young eagles were having breakfast as we motored past. It was foggy in the early morning, but by the time we left the marina it had started to clear, and … Read more