British Columbia

West Side of Vancouver Island Flotilla | Day 14-15 | Ucluelet to Joe’s Bay

by and

We left Ucluelet and cruised the short distance (11nm) over to Joe’s Bay, just north of Turtle Island in the Broken Group. Unfortunately, we had one boat fewer than normal. Throughout the trip, Mana Kai (a Kadey Krogen 44), has been experiencing intermittent engine problems related to the suction control valve on the common rail system. No amount of fiddling with filters or resetting computers has fixed the issue, and … Read more

West Side of Vancouver Island Flotilla | Day 12-13 | Tofino to Ucluelet

by and

We left Tofino in the morning and headed for Ucluelet. The sky was mostly gray but not foggy. Wind was light, with a low, lazy westerly swell and light chop on top, making for a very pleasant cruise. The biggest challenge was avoiding crab traps—hundreds of them, and several crab boats actively fishing! We arrived in Ucluelet by about 11:00 a.m. and got space in the Ucluelet Small Craft Harbour. … Read more

West Side of Vancouver Island Flotilla | Day 11 | Hot Springs Cove to Tofino

by

Our original plan for the next few days was to cruise to Quait Bay tonight (in Clayoquot Sound), then continue to Ucluelet (in Barkley Sound) tomorrow. We’d stay for two nights so people could take a day trip by bus to Tofino. Tofino is a hugely popular tourist destination, but it’s difficult to visit by boat. Last summer when we visited it was quite tricky due to the swift currents, … Read more

West Side of Vancouver Island Flotilla | Day 10 | Yuquot (Friendly Cove) to Hot Springs Cove

by and

We were pleasantly surprised when we awoke to…no fog!! We left Yuquot at 6:00 a.m. and headed for Estevan Point. Environment Canada predicted variable winds 5-15 knots. Windy showed southeast winds in the 10-15 knot range, a little worse but we didn’t think it would be too bad. Best of all, the weather reporting station at Estevan Point showed southeast winds of just six knots. Airship left a little earlier … Read more

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

by , and

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

by , and

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 7 | Walters Cove, Rugged Point, Nuchatlitz

by

We exited Walters Cove around 9:00 a.m. and headed through some fog toward Rugged Point.  Our plan was to temporarily anchor in the small bay at Rugged Point and dinghy to shore for a hike across to the beach on the other side. We had about 10 knots of wind in the bay and the fog looked like it was starting to burn off. Rugged Point is appropriately named. Gnarled … Read more

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

by , and

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