Hisnit Inlet, Nootka Sound

Pushed off the dock at 10:10. High fog and minimal breeze as we head down Tahsis Inlet. Recreational fishing boats are along the shore and zipping by. We see several rafts of sea otters. As we turn into Tlupana Inlet, we slow to idle forward and Brad puts out the fishing pole. Idle forward is too fast to troll, so we let out minimal sails and stop the engine. This seems to be working well. Each time Brad catches a fish, we have to turn into the wind to dump the sails. We continue to sail fish for two hours. I am fishing with a deep diver and have no idea how deep the lure is, plus the fact we are trolling at 3 knots, it is a wonder that I caught any fish at all. There must be lots of fish out here. All the other boats are trolling next to shore, but we stay out of their way, more towards the middle of the channel. There are lots of small boats out fishing, but the area is large and there is room for everyone. The first fish breaks the line at the boat. The second fish, Brad lets go. The third fish gets a club over the head and stays on board. This is a Chinook, about 30 inches.  We turn up Hisnit Inlet where we anchor at the head at 15:00. A marble quarry once operated on the east shore. There are a few campers on the shore, but no other cruising boats. The fish gets cleaned, bagged up and in the freezer, and 2 steaks are cooked and consumed in less than three hours from harvesting. Today's stats: sea temp 59, air temp 66, engine hours 3.3, nautical miles 21.8, total trip miles 766.1, GPS coordinates 49.45.054N / 126.30.876N.

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Westview Marina, Tahsis, Nootka Sound

July 29th, Anchored in Queen Cove, Esperanza Inlet.  The fog is quite heavy this morning.  As it starts to dissipate,  we take the dinghy to explore the outer bay while the wind is still light before putting it away.  We leave our anchorage at 11:50 heading up Esperanza Inlet.  The wind is 10-14 knots behind us.  Our planned destination is Zeballos.  We have read Zeballos has a marina and fuel dock.  The mountains are getting steeper and have patches of snow.  At the head of Zeballos Inlet there is a marina, but no room at the dock and no sign of diesel.  It is still early, so we decide to turn around and head for an alternate location.  Passing Esperanza Inlet, we are in Hecate Channel.  The 20 knot wind on our nose has disappeared.  We pass Esperanza, the site of a mission, now summer camp.  They have a clearly marked and easily accessable fuel dock, but Brad has already called the marina in Tahsis to inquire about availability and we want to keep going.  We pass through Tahsis Narrows which doesn't have any tidal or current concerns.  Once through we have about four miles up Tahsis Inlet to get to the head where the marina is located.    We take 207.5 liters of diesel (54.8 gals), at $5.49 per gallon.  The  cost of moorage is $1.30 per foot.  The entire facility is floating, restaurant, gift shop, hotel included.  After dinner at the restaurant we settle in for a night on the dock.  Today's stats: travel time 5 hours, sea temp 57.7, engine hours 5, nautical miles 30, total trip miles 744.3, GPS coordinates 49.54.982N / 126.39.793.

We are staying two nights here.  It give us time to do the wash, and relax a little and use the internet.  The marina has a loaner vehicle, so we borrowed it to drive into downtown Tahsis.  We almost missed it as we drove by.   We stopped in at the information center/museum.  The town of Tahsis was once a bustling logging town.  Since the decline of the industry, almost all the population is gone and it is now a fishing destination.   No stats today.  There was fog in the morning which burned off by mid morning.  The wind picked up and is now calm.  The sky is blue with a few clouds.  Quiet.

Queen Cove, Esperanza Inlet

06:20 It's a quiet lovely morning in Petroglyph Cove as we bring up the anchor caked with mud. There is a lone eagle watching us depart. We're heading back out into the Pacific Ocean today, leaving behind Kyuquot Sound and venturing down to Esperanza Inlet. We motor with the sails out to help stabilize the boat. We have 4-6 foot swells with occasional 8 foot steep. The wind is coming from behind off the starboard side and then later the port at a max of 16 knots. We have one whale sighting from a distance and see one eagle catching fish in the ocean. We follow Gillam Channel into Esperanza Inlet, turn to port toward Port Eliza and cruise into Queen Cove at 10:40. There are two Ketches here already. We see one on the AIS and have heard them both on the radio. I make a late breakfast before we take the dinghy out to explore. It is too breezy to go outside the cove. We stick to the shore line and follow Park River up a ways until it becomes too shallow. By late afternoon both ketches pull up anchor and we have this whole Cove to ourselves. I bake cookies then heat up the Tex Mex Casserole for dinner. The wind has died down to nothing. If you stick your head out of the companion way, you can hear the moan of the entrance buoy from the ocean. Today's stats: sea temp 60.8, air temp 61, engine hours 4.6, total trip miles 713.8, nautical miles 26.9, ocean temp 45, watermaker 3 hours, GPS coordinates 49.52.824N / 126.58.963W.

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Petroglyph Cove (aka Blue Lips Cove), Kyuquot Sound

After talking to Mom and Dad on the Sat phone, we pulled up the anchor and eased out of Dixie Cove at 09:45. The water is so clear I can see the mud cloud created by the anchor as it raises to the surface. The sky is blue. We have just enough wind to let out the sails. Coming out Pinnace Channel we make 7.0 knots under sail. We jibe at Whitely Island and slow down. I steer into the wind as Brad puts the main sail away. We have already furled the genoa. Under engine power I stand lookout on the bow as Brad steers through the narrow passage into Petroglyph Cove at 12:00. We set anchor in the middle of this lovely deserted cove. After Lunch we get the dinghy ready for a ride and try to find the Petrograph for which this cove is named. This place doesn't have an official name on the charts. The locals call it Blue Lips Cove because it was so cold here, their lips turned blue. Brad drops me off at the boat and he takes the dinghy out fishing. The wind has gusted up to 18 knots and the anchor is holding well. We take a break from the menu schedule and have BBQ hotdogs for dinner. Today's stats: sea temp 58.3, air temp 71, engine hours 1.1, sailed 1.24, nautical miles 6.8, total trip miles 685.5, GPS coordinates 50.01.413N / 127.10.740W.

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Dixie Cove, Hohoae Island, Kyuquot Sound

07:00 Anchor up and leaving Bunsby Islands. It is sunny with no fog and a good breeze averaging 12-14 knots with an occasional gust of 18. We're heading off coast a bit to avoid the reefs and islets. The ocean is 150-200 feet deep which is interesting considering the inlets have depths of 500-700 feet. There are 3-4 ft swells and a bit of chop with the wind. We put the sails out and turn off the engine from 08:45 to 10:45. Brad puts the fishing pole in the water using the divers he purchased in Port McNeill. The watermaker runs for a total six hours and fills the tank, making about 18 gallons per hour. Approaching Kyuquot Sound, we take Kyuquot Channel between Union Island and Whitely Island, into Pinnace Channel. At Hohoae Island we turn to port into Dixie Cove. The water here is clear. We pass the first anchorage area and proceed to the inner lagoon where we put down the hook in 30 ft at 12:30. We are the only boat here for the first hour, then a ketch comes in to share the space. Brad cleans water filters and changes the engine oil. Then it's time for a nap before heating up the cantonese pork with egg noodles for dinner. We have about a week to go before we are in familiar territory. Today's stats: sea temp 58.5, air temp 68, engine hours 3.9, nautical miles 27.1, total trip 677.3, GPS coordinates 50.03.201N / 127.12.126W.

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Bunsby Islands, Checleset Bay

06:00 yesterday leaving North Harbour in Quatsino Sound. This has been the best anchorage so far on the west coast. Not because of the scenery, but because the anchor came up without all the grass and gunk of the last two anchorages. The goal yesterday was to round Cape Cook and Brooks Peninsula. This is one of those places that is notorious for rough seas. We both applied scopolamine patches the evening before to ward off any sea sickness. It's a long day so we take turns in the cockpit. The sky has some high fog, but plenty of visibility. There are some small recreational fishing boats heading out, but little other traffic. As we round the peninsula I interrupt Brad's break with a whale sighting off the starboard side. We think there may have been three. The main sail and genoa are out to help stabilize the side to side motion of the boat. Once in Checleset Bay, the wind calms a bit and we head for the Bunsby Islands group. We enter Gay Passage on the heels of another sailboat that is coming from Columbia Cove. They take the first bay on the port side where there are already three other sail boats. We continue just a little further and take the cove on the starboard side which is empty. The anchor sets well at 12:30. The wind changes direction not long after we arrive and has kept up in the same spot with the bow pointed toward shore. We deploy the dinghy and take a ride in and around the group of islands. Last nights dinner is Chicken ala Orange with rice. Yesterday's stats: Sea temp 55.7, engine hours 6.6, nautical miles 42.9, total trip miles 646.1, watermaker 5 hours, GPS coordinates 50.05.924N / 127.31.561W.

We have decide to stay put for another day. The sky is blue with a few clouds. Brad takes the dinghy out to fish. He catches a sea bass and a respectable ling cod which he lets go. While Brad is fishing, I make brownies and then start on a crocheting project that I have taken on every vacation for the last two years. Brad cleaned the watermaker filters today and gave me instructions on how to change the fuel filter on the engine. There is a lot more wind today. The most we witnessed on the gauge was 18 knots. It is after sunset and we are still getting gusts of 10 knots. Just before sunset the wind was calm enough to take the dinghy out past the reefs before we put it away in anticipation of moving down the coast in the morning. Brad cooked hamburgers on the grill and I made a Tuscan pasta salad for dinner. This is day 24 and we have taken over 700 pictures.

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North Harbour, Quatsino Sound

It feels cold and dreary today as the sky is overcast and isn't showing any signs of clearing. We are planning a dinghy excursion this morning, so we won't leave until mid afternoon to catch a favorable current going through Quatsino Narrows. Late morning we head out in the dinghy, but the tide is too low to get to the creek we were planning to explore. We opt for a ride out in the open waters between Holberg and Rupert Inlets. After our experience yesterday with the anchor, we try to remove as much gunk as possible before bringing it up. In the process we find that the sea water wash down is clogged again. At 14:50 we bring the anchor and hope for the best. Surprisingly it is mostly clean. I wash the hook just below the surface as Brad heads out. We are early, but it was getting a little crowded with a small power boat anchored close by and a couple fishing boats trolling outside the Harbour. We drift in the open while Brad fixes the latch on the forward locker. We watch an eagle perched on a log in the water until it flies away. Ready or not we head for the narrows. The usual turbulence has calmed on our side. Proceeding through we have a knot against us. The sun has decided to shine after all. The tide is beginning to Ebb and the wind is on the nose, 18 knots at the most. We cruise into East Cove in Kaprino harbour. It is a bit windy and looks like it harbors lots of weeds. We decide to continue on to North Harbour and hope for a weed free morning. Brad changes the paper watermaker filters while we are moving. We plan to make some water tomorrow while out in the ocean. It is 19:10 when we set anchor. Brad works on setting up the preventers for tomorrow's journey while I put the finishing touches on dinner. Preventers are lines that run from the boom to the bow and back to the stern which keeps us from accidental jibs when running downwind. Accidental jibs occur when the wind direction changes from one side of the boat to the other and the boom slams over in an unplanned fashion. After dinner we clean the sea strainer for the sea water washdown. It is working well now. The wind is between 0-4 knots as we take showers and settle in for the night. Today's stats: sea temp 55.8, engine hours 4.4, nautical miles 25.8, total trip miles 603.2, GPS coordinates 50.28.979N / 128.03.158W.

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