July 20 - 23rd Quitsino to the Bunsby Islands Rounding Brooks Peninsula

July 20 Julian Cove  Refreshed from a good night’s sleep we have a lazy 4 hour day up Quatsino Sound towards our evening anchorage in Julian Cove.  We fish (of course) along the way and enjoy the numerous small groups of sea otters, known to be abundant in this area.  We pass the 180 foot Coast Guard vessel “Tanu,” anchored and standing by. 

As rugged and remote as this area may seem it has been the scene of heavy industry for decades.  Numerous large timber harvest units dot the mountainsides, with ongoing logging.  The area has been mined although the copper mine is now closed.  Commercial fishing, once a mainstay, is all but non-existent.  Fish farms, kayaks and sport fishing are filling some of the void and this is a spectacularly scenic area for recreational boats of any kind.

July 21-23 Winter Harbour, 5 nautical miles up from the entrance of Quatsino Sound, is a tiny and truly remote village, accessible only by pit run gravel logging road or boat.  We top off the diesel tank and tie up at the “Outpost” dock, the only sailboat here in and amongst a bunch of recreational fishing boats.  It is a welcome break for us to take showers, wash clothes and enjoy someone else’s cooking.  The small cook shack has a wonderful view of the busy small harbour and delicious fish and chips, burgers and fish tacos.  

Over dinner we visit with Jane and Roger, and their medium sized labradoodle, Kiska.  They are the only other sailboat in the area and they have tied up at the government dock, on the other side of the small village.  We came up the inlet behind them and they came to introduce themselves.  

While Carl and I consider ourselves cruisers, they are voyagers.  They have been voyaging on “Wings and Strings,” their 42’ Tayana for 15 years having left Florida, ventured through the Panama Canal, off to New Zealand and coming to this area by way of Japan and the Aleutian Islands.  They pick our brains about the waters between here and Portland as they plan to end up there and settle.  Over a cup of coffee in the cockpit the next morning I look up and say “incoming.”  A helicopter is headed straight for us and turns slightly so that he can land on the low tide shore between us and the boardwalk.

We all agree that the weather indicates another night in Winter Harbour is prudent.  Then the four of us take off together at 0700 to round Brooks Peninsula.  All the books say, if you get a chance to scoot around Brooks….take it!  So we do.  While Cape Scott is the northernmost point of Vancouver Island, Brooks Peninsula is the westernmost point, and another daunting stretch of water in front of us.  We have one day of favorable wind bracketed by days with gale warnings in effect.  Wings and Strings gains slowly on us as they have just a slightly longer water line.  We chat via VHF occasionally. 

With careful planning we all make it around the peninsula with light winds and rippled seas.  However the next twenty or so miles has the wind and the seas gaining in strength and height.  ExTerra does well on one tack yet not so well on the other tack so we sail for a while, taking the sails down once the wind and seas are too uncomfortable.  Pam admits she got spooked!

The further south we go Wings and Strings moves out more in front of us.  We sign off on the radio and separate, they to Walters Corners and Carl and I to the Bunsby Islands.  Perhaps we will meet again over the next month.

Sails down we motor through Gay Passage.  With two other sailboats in Scow Bay we decide to go a bit further.  We settle into the “West Nook” anchorage in the Bunsby Islands, one day ahead of schedule.  We have been in touch with our good friends Walt and Odile, approaching the area from the south.  They are near.  We will rendezvous tomorrow, as scheduled.  We each have a Garmin InReach Explorer, a satellite gizmo that allows us to text even though neither of us have had cell coverage for a few days.  We sleep well knowing that we now have the most challenging waters behind us.  Two major milestones under our belts brings a good sense of accomplishment.