S/V Summer Place: Bottleneck Bay (Coyote Coved), Clayoquot Sound

August 2, 2013
Erwin Inlet on Bligh Island turned out to be a great find. If we ever get back this way, we should stay here again. As we are pulling up the anchor at 08:10, there is a a large white seal fishing near by. It is putting on quite the show. We have about five miles to get out of Nootka Sound. The ocean is calm, almost glassy with gentle swells. It is overcast with fog in the distance. We are headed down the coast past Estevan Point to Clayoquot Sound. This is the furthest north we traveled in 2012. As we approach Estevan Point, the water is a bit more confused here and the boat is rocking. There are several whales between us and the shore. Around the point the fog increases enough to turn on the running lights and the radar. Getting ready to turn up Sydney Inlet, we can just make out the shore of Flores Island on our bow. The fog lightens and it is a straight course to our destination of Bottleneck Bay (Coyote Cove). The entrance is deep but narrow so I stand on the bow and look for obstructions while snapping pictures. What ever you call this place, it is one of our favorites. There are high rock walls that make it very quiet until you make a loud noise, then it echoes. Amazingly we are the only boat here. Once the anchor is set, we get out the dinghy for a trip around the shoreline. Brad spots a weasel and I watch for starfish. Back at the boat we prepare Mac N Cheese with hotdogs and settle in for a quiet evening. Today's stats: sea temp 59.9, ocean temp 53.6, air temp low 60's, watermaker 5 hours, engine hours 6.4, nautical miles 37.4, total trip miles 819.4, GPS coordinates 49.26.821N / 126.13.269W.

August 3, 2013
Quiet night with no visitors. The sky is overcast, but promising. We take the dinghy outside the cove and a mile away to Young Bay. This is an interesting place to explore. We see the remnants of either the copper mine or pilchard reduction plant that once operated here. When Brad turns off the motor, there is not a sound, not even the wind whispering on the water. We are back to the boat by noon and the sun is starting to break through the clouds. It is a gorgeous afternoon to be outside. There is hardly a sound. A seagull is taunting an eagle. Very weird. We haven't seen another boat since our arrival yesterday. There are no roads. The hills have old growth lumber, no sign of clear cutting. About the only evidence that anyone else exists is a rare plane high in the sky. Brad works on his trip slide show and changes the fuel filter. I crochet in the hammock and heat up dinner. We're conserving power really well today, but run the generator a little while to make hot water for showers tonight.