Kevin Morris 
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Today’s cruise was a short one — only 8nm or so from Columbia Cove to the Bunsby Islands. We anchored in the northernmost (slightly larger) anchorage, then took the drone up for some quick aerials before going exploring. By dinghy, we found a small island with a nice landing beach so we went ashore and found some great tide pools! We saw quite a few of these in the intertidal. … Read more