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.