Circumnavigating Vancouver Island:

Sail Plan, July 31^st – September 5^th, 2010

Ok, here is the initial plan, if any folks we know want to join us for part of this journey. If you supply the booze, we’ll supply the cruise.

There can never be any solid plan when boating so this entire time line can pretty much be thrown out the window before we even start. But for those that have the crazy idea that boating will ever be on any kind of schedule, here goes. (These dates are give-or-take about a week. As you will see, the margin of error gets farther and farther apart. I.e. We may get back on August 16^th or September 5^th, who knows.)

Vancouver to Cortes Island July 31^st – August 4^th

- Departing from Ladner probably around Saturday July 31^st

- 2 to 4 nights up the Sunshine Coast stopping overnight at any of the following places: Alexandra Island, Secret Cove / Buccaneer Bay, Garden Bay, Lund, Cortes Bay.

Reaching Cortes between August 2^nd and 4^th.

Cortes Island to Cape Scott August 3^rd – 11^th (somewhere in this range of time)

- 3 to 6 nights from Cortes Island to Cape Scott (north tip of Vancouver Island) stopping overnight through the inside passage at just about anywhere, possibly the following places: Von Donop Inlet Cortes, Octopus Islands Quadra, Broughton Archipelago Marine Provincial Park, God’s Pocket, Bull Harbour

Reaching the north end of Vancouver Island somewhere between August 6^th and 11^th. map

Cape Scott to Cape Cook August 6^th – 15^th

- 1 to 4 nights from Cape Scott to Bunsby Islands (past Cape Cook) stopping overnight on the outside at any of the inlets, possibly the following places: Sea Otter Cove, Winter Harbour Quatsino Sound, Klaskish Inlet, Columbia Cove

Reaching one of the inlets past Cape Cook sometime between August 7^th and 15^th.

Cape Cook to Kyuquot August 7^th – 18^th

- 1 to 3 nights from Bunsby Islands in

to Kyuquot Sound stopping overnight in the sound at various places.

In Kyuquot Sound sometime between August 8^th and 18^th. map

Kyuquot Sound to Nootka Sound August 8^th – 22^nd

- 1 to 4 nights in Esperanza Inlet, through the inside of Nootka Island to Nootka Sound stopping overnight in the sound at various places probably stopping in at Zeballos in Kyuquot and Friendly Cove in Nootka.

Reaching Friendly Cove in Nootka Sound between August 9^th and 22^nd.

Nootka Sound to Tofino August 9^th – 27^th

- 2 to 5 nights in Clayoquot Sound to Tofino stopping overnight in various places probably Hot Springs Cove and through the back side of the various islands to Tough City.

Reaching Tofino between August 11^th and 27^th.

Tofino to Bamfield August 11^th – 31^st

- 2 to 4 nights in Barkley Sound stopping overnight in the sound at possibly: Ucluelet, Turtle Bay, Effingham Bay (with an ancient village) in the Broken Islands, and Bamfield

Reaching Bamfield between August 13^th and 31^st. map

Bamfield to Sooke August 13^th – September 2nd

- 1 to 2 nights to Sooke Inlet stopping overnight possibly at Port Renfrew

Reaching Sooke between August 14^th and September 2^nd.

Sooke to Victoria August 14^th– September 3rd

- 1 night to Victoria. Reaching Victoria between August 15^th and September 3^rd.

Victoria to Saltspring Island August 15^th – September 5th

- 1 to 3 nights to Scott Point Salt

spring stopping overnight in the gulf island somewhere.

Reaching Scott Point between August 16^th and September 5^nd.

Saltspring to Ruxton August 16^th -

-1 to 2 days to Ruxton Island

and stay as long as possible, or do whatever, or return to Ladner moorage if we’ve run out of time

Holly crap, that was epic just getting that all down.

Yah, so, the plan is pretty much get up past Cortes and slow down from there. The inside passage up past Cortes will largely be determined by when the tide is going the right way. There are some crazy currents up between the islands around that portion of the trip. The outside of Vancouver Island down the coast will be dependent on the weather conditions. August is usually not too bad though and the prevaili

ng wind and current should be down the coast.

If you’re thinking of meeting up with us after about the first week (or you're sick of us after the first week) of this trip then flying may be the way to go, flights from YVR to (one way on Pacific Coast):

Campbell River, AKA Scrambled Liver, are about $120 (tax in)

Port Hardy: $175

Things get pretty expensive flying if you want to hook up anywhere between Port Hardy and Tofino unless you’re doing a group rate through Tofino Air. It only makes sense if you can pack the plane. I think they take six passengers? They will drop you off anywhere as long as there is a dingy to row out to you which is not a problem. They won’t drop you on the rocks.

The proletariat chariot to Tofino is $66 from Vancouver, a pretty cheap way of getting there or back if you want to meet up with us in the middle of the trip.

Getting to or from Victoria is pretty obvious.

That’s about as much thought as I want to put into it at this stage. Just throwing that out there at this point, if you’re wondering what to do with yourself this August. Most people will never have the opportunity to see any of this part of the world and with the way things are going, it will never be the same.