Vancouver Island Flotillas 2018

Circumnavigating Vancouver Island Flotilla | Day 18 | Hot Springs Cove to Ucluelet

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We’ve been spoiled by the weather this trip. Other than a few hours of beam seas around Cape Scott, and maybe 45 minutes of head seas north of Seymour Narrows, conditions have been pretty darn calm. What little wind we’ve had has been from behind us—northwesterlies are typical during summer—and we can’t imagine a smoother trip around Vancouver Island. Unfortunately, the summer weather pattern is beginning to fall apart. Today … Read more

Circumnavigating Vancouver Island Flotilla | Day 17 | Friendly Cove to Hot Springs Cove

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We left the anchorage at Friendly Cove around 7:00 a.m. The reported wind at Estevan Point was 5 knots at 6:00 a.m., and we felt very little swell as we got out of Nootka Sound and into the open Pacific. By the time we were abeam of Estevan Point, we showed 1 to 2 knots of wind and a very light chop with maybe a 1 foot swell. We could … Read more

Circumnavigating Vancouver Island | Flotilla Day 16 | Hisnit Inlet to Friendly Cove

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We left Hisnit Inlet on the early side this morning. The anchorage at Friendly Cove isn’t all that spacious, so we wanted to get in early enough to be sure there was room for everyone. Turns out we were the only boats there! When we visited last month, the light keeper told us they’d soon be doing construction to rebuild the  tramway, and when we arrived, we could see they … 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

Circumnavigating Vancouver Island Flotilla | Day 14 | Nuchatlitz to Tahsis

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We left Nuchatlitz first thing in the morning and headed up Esperanza Inlet toward Tahsis. On our way up Tahsis Inlet, we ran into a pod of orcas (perhaps even the ones we saw out near Nuchatlitz the other day!) We arrived  at the Westview Marina in Tahsis to find it much less busy than when we were here last month. Last month we were just in time for the … Read more

Circumnavigating Vancouver Island Flotilla | Day 13 | Nuchatlitz

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Today we stayed put at Nuchatlitz! This morning’s change in wind direction brought smoke from the nearby wildfires our way, and our anchorage smelled a bit like last night’s campfire. It did make for a few moody sunrise photos, however. Ralph and Jeanette, Vince, and Kevin and Laura took Airship out for a little salmon fishing, while others explored the anchorage and nearby islands by dinghy. A few too-small chinooks … Read more

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

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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

Circumnavigating Vancouver Island Flotilla | Day 10 | Sea Otter Cove to North Harbour

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Dawn brought more fog but light winds and a lazy swell. With the tide low, we snuck out of Sea Otter Cove with a few feet (or inches for Epoch, which draws six feet) under the keels. The trip down the coast to Quatsino Sound was easy and uneventful. In July and early August, we saw a lot more traffic out here—mostly small sport fishing boats. This trip, the radar … Read more