June 25, 2015

We launched into our 2015 sailing adventure leaving the home slip Wednesday with Carl's brother Jim onboard. We motored to the delightful little Longview Yacht Club and tied up for the evening. We have done this for two years now. It is a wonderful quiet moorage across from an island full of eagles and herons. It gives us a chance to take a breather after the normally hectic weeks leading up to this kind of adventure. Thursday we arrived at Astoria and tied up there as well. We rode the trolley to dinner and walked the river walk back. There is a lot to do in Astoria and perhaps on the way home we will stay a couple days and take in the sights. A check of the weather tonight confirms that we will not cross the Columbia River bar tomorrow. Instead we will head to Ilwaco WA. One of our goals this year is to see the harbors along the Washington coast so this detour helps meet that goal.

 

August 31, 2014

August 20th – 22nd:  Once the pull of home is upon me I get focused in on that.  I am just now finishing up our photos and ‘blog’ even though we have been home for almost a week!

We enjoyed poking around in Bamfield for a few days.  Bamfield’s Main Street is the waterway between East and West Bamfield.  East Bamfield is at the end of a 54 mile gravel road and West Bamfield is across “Main Street” and only accessible by boat.  It is quite a unique spot to visit.  West Bamfield maintains a mile plus long boardwalk along the waterway and walking gets you everywhere.  The Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, shared by many of the British Columbia Universities, is housed in the historic Cable Station for the trans-pacific telegraph cable.   Brady’s Beach is a wonderful beach just a short hike away, and the Canada Coast Guard maintains a large complex including their Rigid Inflatable Training Center.

 

 

 

 

 

August 22rd – 24th:  We depart 0800 from Bamfield which will put us in the right area during a ‘safe’ time to cross the Columbia River Bar.  As we head out into the ocean we are in fog but figure that it will be gone soon as has been the case most days.  As we approach the Straits of Juan de Fuca, the major waterway that pours water out into the ocean from the Seattle WA and Vancouver BC area we are still in pea soup fog.  We can hear a fog horn in the distance from a large ship and see him on radar but he is not where he is supposed to be (“they” have travel lanes coming out the Straits to reduce collisions).  By the time we figure out his path we decide we need to quickly turn to get out of his way, and Just in time as we see a tall black wall emerge from the fog just to end of our boat, a true near miss and a memory that is implanted on my brain!

While we are in fog for the next 28 hours the remainder of our overnight trip is a safe transit down the coast.  We turn to head over the bar and as soon as we are entering the Columbia River the fog lifts to glorious sunshine!  This is good because we then have to meander through the hundreds of small salmon fishing boats.

As we tie up to the Astoria dock it is once again nice to be safely across the bar and headed to the local pub for some red meat and a brew.

 

 

 

 

August 25th:  As often happens when you return home you move right into all of the things you need to take care of.   Because of this I have not ‘closed out our float plan’ from this year’s adventures.  SO here is the last Ship’s Log entry:  Last evening we stayed at one of our new favorite spots, the quaint Longview Yacht Club.  We were the only boat there and had a quiet evening dockside watching some beautiful wooden boats taking a sunset cruise.  Our last leg home found us near one of the largest dry docks in the world on its route from China to Portland.  We pulled over and let her go by.  By the end of the day we were tied up to our house, content with ourselves for meeting all the challenges, thankful for the safe and interesting adventures and new friends and glad to be home.

 

 

 

 

August 21, 2014

August 8th – 9th:  We anchored again behind Bazett Island at the head of Barklay Sound.  Our wildlife sightings included a gray haired sea otter.  He eyed us lazily as we circled round and round getting quite close to him.  He seemed to be saying “Tourists!  More Tourists.  I have earned every one of my gray hairs and I am not about to get too excited and swim away from yet another boat load of tourists…”  We anchored and took the dinghy out to Craig’s fishing point to gather oysters.  The next morning we saw a nice large black bear on that same point.  Guess Carl had been correct weeks ago to tell Craig to yell if he saw a bear when he was fishing.  We fished, set the shrimp pot out and dinghyed back to ExTerra under a nearly full moon.  The next day we visited with a couple from Anacortes who had anchored nearby then set off for the Pinkerton Islands, collecting our shrimp pot and our first shrimp along the way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 10th – 13th:  The Pinkerton Islands are a small archipelago with numerous small islands between Vancouver Island and the Broken Group Islands.  We anchored between the many islands and settled in.  We took the dinghy to the Sechart Lodge, a well known departure point for many kayakers.  Guests arrive via the motor vessel Lady Rose.  We were (reluctantly but graciously) given a short tour of the facilities and were told that the facility is truly only for paying guests of the lodge even though the guide books mention otherwise.  The lodge is on the site of an old whaling station.  Earlier the area was a native Tseshaht people’s winter village and remnant oyster and clam beds made out of rock still exist….and still have clams!  We ventured out in our dinghy to say hello to another American boat.  It turns out that the couple keeps their boat in our club just a few slips down from our house.  Small world!  We visited for hours in their cozy Nordic Tug 32’ powerboat.  Another dinghy ventured by the next day.  We welcomed them aboard as he had been admiring our boat and was interested in perhaps purchasing one like it.  We visited with them for quite some time as well and enjoyed listening to them talk about their boat adventure as they have circumnavigated Vancouver Island.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 13th – 15th:  A very lazy couple of days.  We are anchored in the Broken Group Islands near Turtle Island in “Salal Joe’s” Bay.  Joe was a pioneer who lived on Dodd Island in the 60’s and 70’s.  We are surrounded by kayakers and say hello many times as they kayak past our boat happily chatting and obviously enjoying themselves.  We read and read, not even taking the dinghy off the boat.  Later we see Colin and Carla waving to us from Wassail as they set up anchor near us.  We had a nice visit with them when they came aboard ExTerra in the Pinkertons as Colin had considered buying a boat like ours and they wanted to learn more about it.  As we are both pulling anchors they hail us on the radio and we learn that they too are headed for Effingham Island.  

 

August 15th – 17th:  We continue our small taste of the Broken Group Pacific Rim National Park.  Next year we will spend more time here but we definitely wanted to stop at Effingham having heard from our friends Walt and Odile about their horrific hike to try to find the lake.  We opt to NOT do that but instead take the trek across the island to Mears Bluff on the open ocean side.  This is the site of a native midden and old long house although we do not see remnants of that on our hike.  We do see a trail camera.  Colin and Carla who meet the Ranger on their hike tell us that the camera is for wolf studies as most of the islands have wolves.  We enjoy the hike and even take a few driftwood boards back with us to add to those in the boggy areas.  Wassail invites us over for “happy hour” which gives us a chance to tour their 34’ Pacific Seacraft boat.  This turns into “happy four hours” as we chat and enjoy Carla’s fresh crab cakes and Colin’s stash of beverages that he purchases when he heads to Baja in the winter.  An interesting couple, she will head to her family apartment in Switzerland for part of the winter, he will head to his ‘cabin’ in Baja as crew on someone else’s boat for the Baja HaHa, the annual southern migration of hundreds of boats. 

 

 

 

August 17th – 19th:  Today we are headed for a small bit of civilization in the Deer Islands Group, the Port Alberni Yacht Club outstation.  This delightful little marina has one visitor’s dock and a couple of member’s docks, a club house, wonderful $2.00 shower and nice hiking trails.  The trails are the best we have found so far.  We hike to the outside of Fleming Island.  With steep rocky cliffs and tiny islets along the Trevor channel it is quite scenic.

In chatting with Tony who has been at the outstation since July, we find out that the small club of 34 members or so do all the maintenance and improvements which are financed by visitor’s who pay to stay at the dock.  We trade many of our books for ‘new’ ones and enjoy nice long hot showers.  Carl catches a few smaller red rock crab to add to the larder.

Wassail has also tied up at the dock so we invite them for dinner of fresh rockfish and rissoto.  They had anchored out in Marble Cove the night before.  We have found over the short years of our sailing that meeting others along the way is a nice part of sailing.  Sometimes it works out that you hopscotch back and forth and continue to run into each other along your way.  They depart for Bamfield and we depart for our anchorage in quiet Tzartus Cove on Tzartus Island.  We catch numerous rockfish, Pam way out-fishing Carl for a change, and we are able to put a few in the freezer to take home.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 19th – We have decided that Bamfield will be our departure point to head south.  As we pull anchor in Tzartus Cove we are hailed by Wassail.  They are in Bamfield as well waiting for better weather before the brave the Straits of Juan de Fuca for their trek home to Anacortes.  We troll for salmon all the way to Bamfield with only a few nibbles and no fish.  We once again visit with Carla and Colin and bid them fairwell as they have decided that they will depart at ‘o dark thirty’ tomorrow morning.

Carl and I will be listening to the weather and exploring Bamfield for a day or so.  We will hike, perhaps go to the Bamfield Marine Sciences Center and probably have a burger onshore instead of more fish on the boat.  This will be our time to top of the tank with diesel, clean and stow the dinghy, put out our (safety) jacklines and position our life raft.  We will finalize our travel plans so that we arrive at the Columbia River Bar at a safe passage time…..and we will read  .  Next time you hear from us will be when we are safely tied up in Astoria getting ready for the last 100 miles up the Columbia River.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 7, 2014

 

July 28th:  We await the passing of high tide so we can venture through Hayden passage in slack water.  Currents run through the passage and slack water is easier to transit.   We make it through easily and turn north to our anchorage in Friendly Dolphin Cove.  Carl caught and released numerous small rockfish.  We pulled anchor around 2:00 the next day and made way to Matilda Inlet and the tiny towns of Ahouset and Marktosis.

 

 

July 29th – August 1st:  We are the only boat anchored in Matilda Inlet. The locals tell us there were six to ten boats up until yesterday. Ahouset General store, restaurant, hotel, fuel dock, showers, laundry and boat works is owned by Hugh Clarke.  Hugh grew up in Hot Springs cove and his dad Ivan generously donated the property that allowed Canada to establish the Maquinna Provincial Park and preserve the hot springs and rock pools in their natural state.

While anchored we dinghy ashore for numerous meals at the restaurant, a hot shower and clean laundry.  Tami from Novia Scotia found her way to Ahouset and stayed.  She now runs the restaurant and is chief cook, dishwasher and baker.  She does quite a nice job.  She introduced us to Mark, University of Victoria researcher who told us how to find the local hiking trails.   Taking our trusty ET dinghy we find the warm springs ‘pool’ and venture onto the trail Mark sent us to.  Wearing the boots he recommended is good as the trail takes us up and over a lowland old growth tree studded muddy bog to a beautiful deserted beach known as Third Beach.  As we tie up ET we notice fresh wolf tracks just under the incoming tide water.  Mark had advised us about wolf, bear and cougar so we each take an oar with us to fend off any that we come upon.  Thankfully it is only cougar and wolf tracks that we see.  The hike is well worth it, the sandy beach is beautifully situated against the old growth trees and the only person we see is a lone kayaker at the far end of the sweeping beach.

Our next dinghy adventure is just across the way to the native Ahousat tribal town of Marktosis.  We hike the town and most noticeably there is a total lack of any kind of community store or enterprise.  We had talked with one of the locals over breakfast and he said people sometimes gather and have community meals each sharing their fish catch, their fresh baked goods or fresh produce which makes us think there is no need really for a store.  Our walk about takes us past the school which has some wonderful native paintings on part of the building.  We know that there is a Wild Side Heritage Trail which is a joint venture between the tribal community and other government groups but with a $25 fee we decided not to take the trail.  We did stop at the boat shed to see if any canoes were still being carved but a local man told us that the carver had passed on last year and no one is carving anymore.  We talked a while longer.  He says they are laying new cable across the sound so they will have better communications.  We return to ET passing dozens of Ahouset tribal people of all ages enjoying the water and lounging on the docks.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 1st – 4th:  Anchors up and underway to Quaite Bay.  This peaceful bay seems a good time to just relax and read more books.  We don’t swim as there seem to be numerous jelly fish about.  We do take ET to the dock of an obviously closed floating hotel.  We had read that you can get permission from the caretaker to hike the trail to the lake and waterfall.  We hike all around the lavish grounds in search of the caretaker but never find him.  We have read that the now closed resort at one time had dinners costing $100 and people flew in from all over to come.  Perhaps the cost of dinner just go too high (?).  Out of curiosity I will look up Pinkerton or Clayoquot Wilderness lodge sometime and see what happened to the lodge.  It is a beautiful floating structure with ‘state of the art self contained sewer and hydro powerplant’, full spa, restaurant and long house, now vacant!

 

 

 

 

August 4th-5th:  We have some wind in the right direction for a change so we sail most of the way up Bedwell Inlet.  There are a number of fish culture growing pens along the way as well as a very large sea lion.  We notice numerous small boats heading up the inlet and are surprised to find what appears to be a bustling small community at the head of the inlet.  We see a horse drawn wagon that comes to the dock to pick up visitors and many kayaks, white canvas tents and A frames.  The wind is gusting to 20 knots so we did not tie up and explore this trip but I will research the settlement of Oinimitis and Quortsowe (one inlet over) to see if we can venture in next season.  Perhaps another hiking opportunity!  Bedwell Inlet is fiord like with steep sides, dramatic mountains as a backdrop and solid granite walls in places.  We also see many gravel and grass patches and watching these pays off as we finally see another couple of bears at water’s edge.

We anchor two nights in Ritchie Bay.  Still too many jelly fish to swim but crabbing is quite good.  Carl drops Pam on shore and she reads while Carl takes the dinghy out and ‘fishes’ for crabs using a very small folding crab trap on the end of his fishing pole.  We have so many crab that we sort them all out in the cockpit and send the smaller ones back to the sea.  This evening we dine on fresh crab and wash it all down with the last of Craig’s home brew beers.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 5th- 8th:  We have made it back to the land of cell phones and internet.  We motored into the wind for three hours off the coast from Clayoquot Sound back to Ucluelet.  Here we will anchor out, catch up with family and friends via internet, and change the transmission fluid.  Today we hiked to town, had showers, did laundry and picked wonderful raspberries and fresh tomatoes at Cam and Laura’s backyard garden.  Tomorrow we are off to Barklay Sound for ten plus days before we top off our tanks and head home.   Will get back in touch when we come in for fuel.