Our last blog post had us arriving in Sointula in northern Vancouver Island.
We rode our bikes around in Sointula to visit two farmers markets. Here, our bikes are parked in front of Coho Joe’s, where we are enjoying lunch.
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Our final stop was in Port Hardy. Here, Jan is very focused on collecting enough fresh food to keep us going for the next several weeks.
Finally back on the water, we spot the Disney Wonder heading south from Alaska.
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The Scarlett Point lighthouse north of Port Hardy.
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A conference of eagles on a rocky islet.
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Paddling along the wild shores of Nigei Island, Jan poses in front of a ‘mushroom’ islet.
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Further north, we pass misty islands in the drizzle.
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Just then we spot a whale!
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Actually there are two of them, actively feeding in an area of tide mixing.
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We watch for a while. The food is so rich here that one of the whales simply opens it’s mouth at the surface, hangs there for a minute, and then gulps it all in.
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Gulp!
We watched this behaviour, which was new to us, being repeated over and over again.
The view from our anchorage in Bull Harbour on Hope Island. This is our last stop before heading around the north tip of Vancouver Island.
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The same view early the next morning. We are pleased to wake to a lovely calm day which means a smooth trip up around Cape Scott. Floating in the water in the foreground is a Sea Otter.
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Looking back toward Hope Island as we enjoy a smooth cruise to Cape Scott.
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Jan starts in on a knitting project. In the distance are the Scott Islands.
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Raven Song anchored in Guise Bay, just south of Cape Scott. We took the kayaks out for a short paddle and later went ashore to explore the grassy sand dunes in the background.
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Walking over the grassy dunes.
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Wildflowers abound among the grasses.
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Hardy plants grace the sand.
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Jan finds some ripe wild strawberries. They are tiny but are the tastiest strawberries ever!
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Our first anchorage on the west coast is Sea Otter Cove – very peaceful when we arrived.
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We went for a paddle and spotted this small black bear on the shore.
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A knarled tree skeleton stands sentinel.
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Yes, that’s me.
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The next day we were greeted with a storm. The wind blew 50kmh all day. Those orange things are mooring buoys, intended for these sorts of situations. But we find anchoring to be more comfortable.
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Jan takes advantage of our storm day to finish the re-upholstering of our cushions.
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On the move again after the storm passes, we pass the Quatsino lighthouse on our way in to Winter Harbour.
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Winter harbour is a ramshackle end-of-the-road kind of place. The main activity here, as in all the places on the outer coast, is sport fishing. There is a store, which has a lot of fishing tackle and baseball caps. I did buy a couple of frozen steaks.
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Leaving Winter Harbour, we anchor in a small cove and go for a paddle along the rugged shore.
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We are always amazed at the power of the water as the swells surge over the rocks.
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In the morning calm I stick my head out the window to listen for bird sounds.
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The next day we are on the move again. Strong northwest winds are forecast for the next several days and we are on our way to get around the Brooks Peninsula before then.
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It was a rough day for us. The wind had already started and we got tossed around in the swells and waves.
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Rounding the treeless and rugged Solander Island at the end of the Brooks Peninsula. This is often the windiest spot on the Vancouver Island coast, and today was no exception.
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The sun begins to break out as we leave Solander Island astern.
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Anchored now on the south side of the Brooks Peninsula, we can see the fog getting blown over the top of the mountains by the strengthening northwest winds.
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Windy days from the northwest mean sunshine. We take the kayaks to explore the Nasparti River.
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We had a quick dip. Very quick, as the water was fresh and cold!
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Paddling back to the boat I put the camera in the water to take photos of a large Lions Mane Jelly.
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Jan collects kelp for a kelp basket project.
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Hummingbirds found the boat attractive and frequently flew by. One of them even flew inside and had to be rescued.
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Anchored in a secret spot among a constellation of rocky islets near the Acous Peninsula.
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Paddling around the archipelago, I investigate this dramatic sea arch. It was very inviting but was actually too rough to go through.
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Solitude on one of the big beaches on the Brooks Peninsula.
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Paddling out to Green Head, in the Bunsby Islands.
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Exploring among the many islands in the Bunsby group. Here Jan is checking out tide pools.
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The tide pools are rich with fishes, crabs, seaweed and Sea Anenomes.
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A tree torn up by the roots and washed ashore.
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Rock totem. These are rare and found only in secluded coves on calm mornings.
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At the dock in Kyuquot.
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A floating homestead in Kyuquot.
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There is no cellphone service in Kyuquot, but there is a phone booth. Jan tried and tried, but did not succeed in calling her mom.
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The windy days are over. Now we have calm, foggy mornings.
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The spiky tops of dead trees pierce the fog.
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There hasn’t been a lot of fishing on this trip, but one day we caught a small halibut.
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The next day we had halibut tacos for lunch.
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A loaf of bread fresh out of the oven. It was baked in the cast iron pot.
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On the move again, we follow a sailboat out into the fog. We spent several hours that day enveloped in fog and relying on gps and radar to navigate.
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A short-lived thin patch in the fog reveals a fog-bow.
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View from our anchorage in Nuchatlitz.
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A group of Sea Otters hanging out among the kelp.
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Exploring a sea cave.
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Bear watching from the kayaks.
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Another foggy run, down the west side of Nootka Island. When we got close enough to the shore, we could actually see it. In the foreground are the Bajo Reefs.
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Out in the ocean swells, the coffee pot gets clamped down.
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Jan deals with the rocking and rolling by knitting another hat.
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We arrive at Hot Springs Cove for a dramatic change of scene. No longer are we all alone in the wilderness. Now we are surrounded by people, energetic activity, and jaded tour operators. And a phone signal. We will now have phone service most of the time for the rest of the trip.
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An impressive forest along the boardwalk to the hot springs.
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The reward – a hot soak in a natural pool.
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From Hot Springs Cove we will spend a few days in the Clayoquot Sound and Tofino area, then continue on to Ucluelet and Barkley Sound.