day 26 – Nettle Island to Bamfield (Lo48°49.5N’L125°08.4’W)

We had the bay to ourselves and the abandoned Parks Warden office this morning. We spent some time lounging around, and Cap’n Adam worked on the motors and such for a while. Our main mission before we set sail for Bamfield was to circumnavigate Erin Island, one of the Broken Group, near Nettle Island. After we found Erin Island on the GPS, then found it in real life in front of us, we circumnavigated around it in about 5 minutes (it is not a very big island), then stopped to go ashore, so that we could both say that we got off on Erin Island (hee-hee!). Then back to the big boat, pulled up anchor, and headed for Bamfield.
After about 2 hours on some swelly seas, we passed though Imperial Eagle Channel, then through the Deer Group of Islands and across Trevor Channel. And then we arrived at the port of Bamfield. Bamfield is perhaps best known for its Marine Biology educational facilities and National Parks Board office. But it is also a bustling cottage and fishing community, dusted with colourful cabins, a charming General Store, a community-long boardwalk, and a gallery. There are lots of other boats anchored in the bay, it seems to be a popular stop on the BC the boating scene. However, deep in the inlet where the best anchorages are is not in range of internet or cell phone, so we found ourselves back out in the dinghy with our laptops again, checking the marine forecast and posting blogs. Tonight we will sleep well in preparation for our journey to Port Renfrew tomorrow. We’ll see some of you then and there!

day 25 – Effingham Bay to Nettle Island (Lo48°55.7N’L125°15.0’W)

We set out first thing, with only cereal in our bellies and our coffee in to-go cups. And a picnic lunch all packed up. We wanted to explore by dinghy as much as we could, and since the pattern we’ve clearly seen this trip seems to be wind (and, therefore, waves) increasing in the afternoon, our best chance of dinghy-ing on the Pacific side of an outside Broken Island was in the early morning. Plus, the tide was low, which would help us view the sea arches and sea caves. We were blessed with the calmest of oceans – our 3 hour dinghy exploration was on glassy waters, minimizing the splash factor and maximizing the comfort levels. And with waters that calm, we could get nice and close to some potentially gnarly coastline. As the sea pounds into the land, sometimes it creates holes in the rock, which become archways until they eventually erode into chasms, then into separate islands altogether. The steep rock face that stares back unrelentingly into the oncoming Pacific fury is majestic and noble, topped with equally strong trees pruned only by the winds. This is the kind of place that seems a perfect backdrop for the regal Bald Eagle, who pop into view just enough times to remind you that they are there too, watching.

A chiseled and raw coastline transitions into smoother rocks between the larger chunks of land, and sea lions a’ plenty have made at least 2 of these sea polished islets their rookeries. “Bark, bark, bark, bark, bark! Back off, this is my space! Bark, bark, bark, bark! Hey, I said Back off! Bark,bark!!”. All day long, a perpetual game of King of the Castle, who can stay on top of the rock, in the sun, the longest.

After puttering around a little while longer we headed back to the boat, until Erin got distracted by something on land and learned the reality of the Broken Group – there are lots of rocks to watch for, and if you hit one with your propeller the sheer pin will break so that the propeller itself does not break. When that happens, you have to row back to the boat, to get your supplies. Good thing we weren’t far from the boat, but too bad we didn’t have a spare sheer pin with us.
After a snack at the boat we headed off to explore Effingham Island on foot. A primitive path, marked only by strategically placed pieces of flotsam and jetsam collected from the beach, lead us to some clearings in the woods. The remnants of an ancient village. They appear suddenly as fields of ferns, former clearings where longhouses once stood. There were also middens – mounds composed mainly of shells, which were used as sites for domestic waste. An interesting spot, which was unfortunately also inhabited by stinging nettles, and our sandled feet were encouraging us to explore elsewhere. Back through the unpretentious path to the boat.

We decided to pull up the anchor and sleep in a different spot for the night – with only 2 days in the Broken Group, we wanted to see a little more. We had a nice, jib-only sail across Coaster Channel and Thiepval Channel and through a rocky pass to Peacock Channel, then motored to our anchorage near Nettle Island. We were alone in our bay, however there was an empty-but-still-used National Parks Board floating office nearby. A peaceful bay to spend the night in.

day 24 – Tofino to Effingham Bay (Lo48°52.7N’L125°18.4’W)

A beautifully sunny it was, waking up at the Tofino government dock. Fishing boats, both commercial and tourist, began their daily quests shortly after dawn. A shirtless, tanned, sinewy, salty old dog in a small wooden boat with peeling paint cruised quietly by. The chocolate lab wharf dog and his stocky human pal who lives in the tiny house boat with the pirate flag stood at the end of their dock, contemplating the calm morning waters. Feeling like we were back in the big city, we headed out for breakfast and provisions. We stocked up on candied salmon jerky, found our token souvenir shot glass, hit the bakery and got more beer, then untied at noon, heading for Barkley Sound. After leaving Duffin Passage and entering Templar Channel, we rounded Cox Point then were back into the Pacific Ocean. The seas were calm, blue and inviting, with a small steady swell but very little chop. We passed Chesterman Beach, then met a pod of Orcas before we reached Long Beach, which together with the West Coast Trail and the Broken Group form Pacific Rim National Park. Man, Long Beach is a really long beach. South from there we passed Ucluelet and into Barkley Sound. If you look at a map, this section of water looks quite large, and it is. However, sprinkled throughout this stretch are many small islands, some only large enough to support a few trees, some are just big rocks supporting barking sea lions. They are beautiful and fascinating to sail or motor through. We headed for Effingham Island, the largest of the Broken Islands and on the Pacific side, which means it has been particularly molded and shaped by the crashing waves of the sea against it. And it has a trail to the remains of an ancient village. Sharing the big bay with about 4 other boats, we dropped our anchor at 18:00, then had dinner on the bow while we watched the sun go down over Coaster Channel and the small rocks and islands around us. Tomorrow we will explore on foot, and by dinghy.