Kevin Morris 
We left North Harbour about 8:00 a.m. for the relatively short run to Klaskish Basin. A couple of black/white fog and tree photos on our way out of North Harbour: This route crosses the mouth of Quatsino Sound, and we’d hoped for calm morning conditions. Instead, we found 15-knot outflow winds meeting a low westerly swell. The seas didn’t look that bad, but they were confused and resulted in a … Read more
Bull Harbour to North Harbour (in Quatsino Sound) is one of the more challenging runs on a trip around Vancouver Island. Just outside of Bull Harbour is Nahwitti Bar, a shallow spot with swift moving current and ocean swells. At slack, it’s not a big deal, but with an ebb, it can be awful. The problem is it’s also good to be at Cape Scott at slack, and unless you … Read more
We’re off on our first Vancouver Island flotilla! We all met at North Island Marina in Port McNeill prior to departing for the west coast of Vancouver Island. This is an outstanding spot, with mechanics on call (who show up promptly), divers (they cleaned our hulls and running gear), fuel right at your slip, a good grocery store a short walk away, laundry, and a chandlery nearby. Best of all, … Read more
Guess what? We liked Skull Cove enough to stay a THIRD day! There is so much to explore around here, and with decent internet we are able to get a lot of work done. It’s also nice to have some down time before we start our next flotilla in three days! This morning we decided to visit Nakwakto Rapids near max ebb. Well, we decided to visit NEAR Nakwakto Rapids, … Read more
We liked Skull Cove so much that we decided to stay another day! This is a beautiful anchorage with endless nooks and crannies to explore, the weather is great, and we have internet so we’re also able to get a lot of work done. We took the dinghies out to Nakwakto Rapids (at slack) to take a look. We were a little bit early and the tide was still ebbing … Read more
We have had a last-minute cancellation for our flotilla around Vancouver Island which leaves from the San Juan Islands on August 19. If you’re interested in joining us, let us know right away! If you’re already cruising somewhere in the Gulf Islands, Desolation Sound, or the Broughtons, you don’t have to go back to the San Juan Islands — we’re happy to pick you up along the way! Trip leaders: … Read more
When choosing navigation routes and anchorages, particularly in remote areas, there are numerous sources of information available to cruisers. There are paper and electronic charts, chartplotters, apps (such as Coastal Explorer, Navionics, and iNavX) for computers, smart phones, and tablets, as well as physical reference books. In SE Alaska, the books we typically use are (1) the Douglass’ guide “Exploring Southeast Alaska” and (2) “Charlie’s Charts North to Alaska.” One … Read more
Yesterday morning we decided to check on a permit for Anan Wildlife Observatory since we’d be passing right by today. July 5 is the very first day of the high season and the first day each year that you need a permit to visit (read: there’s a good chance to see bears). Prior to July 5 and after August 25 you don’t need a permit. As I mentioned yesterday, we were … Read more