Our last blog post ended with us restocking in Port Hardy in late July. We had been out for a month, exploring the ‘inside’ waters up the east side of Vancouver Island. Now we planned to continue around the Island. The west coast of the Island meant cruising in ocean swells which even on a good day can be exhausting. However the remote outer coast beaches and the scenery make cruising the outer coast well worth the effort.
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First, below is a Google map of our route. If you click on the “view larger map” icon at the top right, the map will open in a new window and you can zoom in for more detail.
The red line is our route for the first part of the trip, described in the previous post. The blue line is the route for Part 2 of our trip. Orange lines here and there show some of our paddling excursions.
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We needed a lot of groceries for the next leg. We knew that we would not be able to buy groceries (or have cellphone reception, for that matter) between here and Tofino, which we expect to take us several weeks of exploring. So we spent a couple of days here stocking up.
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Our first anchorage out of Port Hardy was at Bell Island. We used the popular kayakers campsite beach to install a new depthsounder on the dinghy.
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Our next stop was on the east side of Nigei Island. Here, in a remote cove is a ramshackle floating community. We anchored around the corner and explored the shores by kayak.
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Tree skeletons litter the shore.
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This rocky shoreline has been very carefully arranged.
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Dalls Porpoises come by to play around the boat. Every time they come by we enjoy standing on the bow to watch them dash around under the boat, surfing the pressure wave under the bow.
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A bear roams the beach at Jepther Point along Goletas Channel.
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A Sea Otter greets us and welcomes us to the outer coast.
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We anchored at Cape Sutil, the northernmost point on Vancouver Island. Here we explored the outer coast shores by kayak looking for petroglyphs that were supposed to be nearby. In the end we found them very close to the anchorage – all we had to do was paddle to the beach and walk a short trail.
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Can you see the faces in the rock? When we found them the carvings were half under water.
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We went back after the tide had gone down to chalk the carvings. The petroglyph rock was unique and attracted our interest even before we spotted the carvings.
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Jan negotiates a crack in the rocks at Cape Sutil. This crack was so narrow we had to drop our paddles and push through by hand.
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We had unusually calm weather on our way to Cape Scott, accompanied by a lot of sky, birds, and the rare sight of a boat. Ocean swells made their appearance and started gently rocking us around.
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Approaching Cape Scott we began to see a lot of activity in the water. There were many of birds, and many whales. In this photo, these birds are actively feeding on a concentrated school of fish.
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Moments later the birds flee as a Humpback whale lunges through the school of fish.
We hung around and saw this happen repeatedly. We were surrounded by about 15 whales and sometimes didn’t know which way to look.
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This whale is lunging directly toward us, and showing its throat pleats which are unusual in their white striping.
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The same whale lunging at the surface and flipping its tail.
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Rounding Cape Scott.
There is a lighthouse at the Cape but it is at the top of a hill, some distance inland. We were behind schedule due to time spent watching the whales so we had a 3 knot current against us here (which is a lot for a boat that cruises at 6 knots!)
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A reward for rounding Cape Scott is afternoon sunshine and a stop at the soft sand beach at Guise Bay.
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We wandered the grassy dunes at Guise Bay. The posts in the grass are the remains of fences from Scandinavian homesteaders in the early 1900’s.
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A bear uses the Guise Bay beach as a highway.
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The next morning, at our anchorage in Sea Otter Cove, our neighbours in the sailboat are attempting to rescue this power cruiser which had come adrift. We helped too – it’s a long story….
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After the early morning boat rescue adventure we headed out, bound for the Scott Islands. The Scott Islands are out beyond Cape Scott – Cox Island, the closest, is six miles west of the Cape. The Scott Islands are rarely visited and we wanted to get a taste of a truly untouched part of the coast.
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Raven Song anchored among the rocks and kelp of the south shore of Cox island. Vancouver Island in the background.
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Going ashore to explore a truly wild beach. Beach-combing treasures – tiny floats and a shiny abalone shell.
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A sea stack punctuates another beach.
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Jan marvelling at how high the driftwood is piled in this cove.
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Revisiting a pocket beach that I had camped on almost twenty years ago.
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I just love paddling in the ocean swells and watching the waves crash onto the rocks.
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After our afternoon of exploring the shore, Raven Song comes back into view.
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Heading south from the Cape Scott area, we stopped in at the huge sand beach at Raft Cove. It looks deserted but there are several groups camped along the beach. We took the opportunity to do a bit of kayak surfing.
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We stopped by at the Quatsino lighthouse on our way in to Winter Harbour. Not because it’s scenic, but because we could make phone calls from out here (but not in the harbour).
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The ramshackle marina at Winter Harbour. We have learned from previous visits not to rely on the availability of anything, really.
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Laundry was an adventure, but it worked, if you had enough quarters.
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Winter Harbour waterfront scenes.
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Leaving Winter Harbour, we crossed Quatsino Sound and anchored at Restless Bight so that we could paddle to unique Lawn Point.
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It was a misty morning when we anchored off the beach at Restless Bight. As we started our paddle, we spotted a wolf trotting down the beach. (No wolf in this picture – I didn’t have my telephoto with me in the kayak!)
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Luxuriant seaweeds in the shallows among the rocks.
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Lawn point looks like a finely trimmed lawn from a distance, but actually the grasses and other vegetation are as tall as a person.
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On another in a series of those rare calm days we stopped to fish off the north side of the Brooks Peninsula. We were rewarded with a nice halibut.
Of course, catching the fish is just the first part. Now Jan has her hands full dealing with all that fish!
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We took advantage of the calm weather to anchor off the north shore of the Brooks Peninsula so that we could paddle out to Solander Island. Solander is off the end of the Brooks Peninsula, and is a notoriously windy spot.
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Above is a photo of Solander island from our trip in 2017. The chart below shows our paddling route.
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Paddling out to Solander island, Cape Cook in the background. Out of nowhere a fog bank descended on us.
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Solander is out there somewhere. We kept paddling…
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Finally, we arrived and paddled along the steep shores admiring the abundance of wildlife.
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I am trying, unsuccessfully, to take photos of the sea lions which were very curious and followed us around, craning their necks to check us out. The water on the west side of the island is rough with rebounding swells and we were constantly moving up and down and back and forth in the waves.
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On our way back, the fog lifts and we get our only glimpse of the whole of Solander island. By the time we went by on the boat a couple of hours later the fog had returned and we didn’t see the island at all.
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After rounding the Brooks Peninsula, we anchored in a tiny and very scenic spot among the Cuttle Islets.
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The sun is out now but the fog banks are still out there. The fog comes and goes all afternoon.
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It has now been over two weeks since we got our last groceries in Port Hardy, so Jan is starting on baking a loaf of bread.
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Scenes from the Bunsby islands: Jan exploring a sea cave. A bear and cub on the beach in our anchorage. A mass of kelp. Paddling through kelp by Green Head.
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Just north of Kyuquot there is an island with a hole right through it.
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On a drizzly day we pulled in to the village of Kyuquot.
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Raven Song at the Kyuquot dock, with the store in the background. Store hours are 1-5, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. We arrived on a Wednesday and were excited to go shopping, but the selection was limited as the owners were out fishing. We did score a dozen eggs and a couple of ice cream bars.
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When’s the last time you used a pay phone? Jan is on the phone arranging for her brother Bruce to come and visit us (and bring a load of groceries!).
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The Argo, gradually becoming an organic experience in Kyuquot harbour.
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We took a side trip up Kyuquot Inlet to Fair Harbour to pick up Bruce. Fair Harbour, like Kyuquot, doesn’t have cellphone service. But the store offers free wifi and there is always a crowd of characters sitting out front poking away at their phones.
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At Fair Harbour there is the old dock and the new dock. We tied up at the old dock. The new dock is geared toward sport fishing boats. There is a constant stream of sporty boats coming and going. Not only is this the end of the road, but it’s the only place around to buy gas (there’s none in Kyuquot).
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Bruce and Jan at the surprisingly popular Rugged Point park. We are about to hike out to a big surf beach on the ‘outside’.
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After a bit of hiking across small beaches and over rocky bluffs, we find ourselves all alone on this big beautiful outer beach. Bruce was very keen and braved the waves for some body surfing.
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Jan enjoying her new sun hat. Bruce enjoying a refreshing swim in a tide pool.
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Back in Kyuquot, Bruce and I have fun paddling under the dock. Later, we walk the trail to the restaurant for pie and ice cream and wifi.
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Bruce thoughtfully digesting his pie and ice cream on the outside deck, while Jan is inside settling the bill (cash only, please).
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The weekly arrival of the Uchuck brings lots of activity to the harbour. Here they are getting ready to unload cargo directly into the skiffs alongside.
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These skiffs are loaded down with stacks of styrofoam boxes destined for a fishing resort across the harbour. Visiting sportfishers need these boxes to get their fish back home with them.
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The next morning, the Uchuck backs away from the dock to start their return trip to Gold River.
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We follow the Uchuck out of the harbour, then we turn back up the inlet to drop Bruce off in Fair Harbour.
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Early morning scene in our anchorage in Kyuquot inlet – and the same scene an hour later.
A sunny morning turned into a foggy day.
We spent five hours cruising south to Nuchatlitz with this unchanging scene. We navigated by GPS and Radar, all the while keeping a watch out for floating debris.
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Out for a paddle in the Nuchatlitz area, we came across this beach composed of mussel shells.
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We respectfully admire a Native burial cave on an island in Nuchatlitz. In addition to a few bones, there are boards scattered about from the original burial boxes.
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Jan getting ready to launch from a steep beach on Catala island..
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Exploring sea stacks and caves along the Catala island shore.
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We headed inland again up Esperanza and Tahsis inlets with stops at Zeballos, Esperanza and Tahsis. Here is a view of the village of Tahsis, which is slowly being reborn as a sportfishing centre after the closure of the sawmills a few years ago. A new feature for us on this visit was the cellphone tower, which was a real treat.
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Unfortunately, the store in Tahsis had about the same level of stock as the last time we visited in 2017. We didn’t stick around.
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We almost ran into these two whales that were lounging around in the middle of Tahsis inlet. The mother looked like she was napping. The baby was more active, rolling around and rubbing up against mom.
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A little further along, these Sea Otters were curious and unafraid as we cruised past them in the middle of the inlet.
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There is logging all over on Vancouver Island. Here we pass a truck with a load of logs that is about to be dumped into the water.
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The Nootka Island lighthouse at Friendly Cove. While we were there the Uchuck came by on their weekly visit. On this stop their main cargo was hikers from the Nootka Coast trail.
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The welcome figure at the Native village of Yuquot, at Friendly Cove.
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We visit the church at Yuquot.
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The church has these two unique stained glass windows that were donated by the Government of Spain, showing moments in history as envisioned by the Spanish.
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Inside the church is also a unique but very different scene, as the local Native people depict their own culture and legends.
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In the forest nearby are old graves marked with imagery in stone, and some newer graves marked with imagery in wood.
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The steep pebble beach on the ‘outside’ at Friendly Cove / Yuquot. The sweeping waves, the colours in the water, and the sounds of the pebbles washing up and down the beach were mezmerising. In the background is the church, and the hills bear scars from the logging.
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After another foggy day of cruising down the coast in the ocean swells, we arrived at Tofino.
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We didn’t actually stay in Tofino. We anchored nearby in peaceful Lemmens inlet, Meares Island.
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Despite the opening up of most BC Parks and the province in general, areas with a large Native presence remain closed to outsiders. This meant that we could not go to Hot Springs Cove, which is normally one of the highlights of a trip around Vancouver Island. All other provincial parks in the Tofino area were also closed, which limited our explorations of this beautiful area.
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Not a wildlife sighting – a herd of cows explore the low tide beach in front of the Native village of Opitsat, across from Tofino.
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We leave Lemmens inlet on a calm morning on our way south, bound for Ucluelet.
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The squat lighthouse at Amphitrite Point, the entrance to Ucluelet harbour.
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Raven Song at the busy small boat basin in Ucluelet on a sunny Tuesday afternoon. Our timing was not good – many places were closed, either because it was Tuesday, or for other reasons such as a lack of staff. Any eating establishment that was actually open had lineups, as the town was thronged with hungry tourists (us included!).
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Back out in the wilderness, we admire the power of the winds in shaping the vegetation on this little island in the Broken Group in Barkley Sound.
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We spend an afternoon paddling around the outer islands. The ocean swells were big that day, resulting in dramatic waves crashing on the rocks, and stretches of foam. The foam is fun to paddle into, as it dampens the sound of the crashing waves.
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More scenes from the Broken Group.
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It is now late August, and we are experiencing sunsets. Earlier in the trip the days were so long we were in bed long before the sun went down. A line of sportfishing boats in a marina at Port Renfrew. Port Renfrew was a quick overnight stop on our way from Barkley Sound to Victoria.
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Passing Race Rocks, just west of Victoria, we start to encounter a lot of traffic. The Pilot boat shuttling to and from the freighters out in the Strait, and of course the numerous whale watching boats racing about to find the whale$$$.
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We docked right in front of the Empress in Victoria Harbour. We are no longer in the wilderness – this marked our re-entry to urbanized life. We looked forward to going out for a dinner with interesting food and wine. We spent a night in Victoria, then a couple of days in the Gulf Islands, arriving home on the Friday before the Labour Day weekend. We were looking forward to getting back home, but have really enjoyed our 2 1/2 months of exploring the coast in our little floating cabin.
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