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.

day 23 – Meares Island to Tofino (Lo49°09.2N’L125°53.9’W)

The sun rose in a blue and fluffy-clouded sky over Clayoquot sound. The mud flats around us were covered in mist as the dew evaporated. We took our time over coffee, knowing that the day’s trip was a short one – Tofino was just around the corner. We planned on rolling into town about noon, going for brunch / lunch, and making sure that our departing crew mate got to his homeward bound flight on time. JP has been with us since we untied in Ladner on day 1. 23 days at sea he be. But he misses his wifey, and it’s time for him to go home. His enthusiasm, consistent assistance, culinary skills, and laughter will be missed! (“Rations!”)

It’s been a few years since any of us have been to Tofino. A lot of new stuff is going on around here – coffee shops, eateries, stores, property development. But coming into Tofino by boat gave it another whole new flavour. When I think of Tofino, I usually think of surfing, storms, and hippies. But there is also an extensive fishing and boating culture here that we have now been introduced to. The Co-op grocery store even delivers to the 4th Street docks for $1.00, which will sure make it a lot easier for us to get provisions. We got all of the garbage & recycling off the boat, had warm showers, did laundry, filled up the water tanks, did the dishes, updated the blog & website, and then the remaining crew – Cap’n Adam and his First Mate Erin, went to a pub for dinner.

While at dinner, we had a call from some friends OJ & Cristal from Vancouver, who were camping in Tofino. About an hour later, they stopped by the boat for a visit. That was a nice surprise. From our spot at the end of E dock, we have a ringside view of Duffin Passage and the lifeline of the Tofino marine culture. But I’m sure we will still sleep well here tonight.

day 22 – Baccante Bay to Meares Island (Lo49°09.6N’L125°52.7’W)

Today was my first day of skippering! Which meant that officially, I was in charge of the boat for the day. Which includes when we pull up anchor, and where we go, and who drives. And, ultimately, that everyone is being safe and responsible, too. We had all decided that we wanted to spend one more night in Clayoquot Sound before we stop in Tofino for a night to restock and such, and from where our 3rd crew member begins his own homeward journey. For the first time I drove the boat out of her anchoring spot, then used the GPS to navigate us back down Shelter Inlet. I even steered us through the narrow, windey and rocky Sulphur Inlet – which wasn’t actually so bad because I kept remembering that in a big boat travelling a mere 5 knots Everything. Happens. In. Slow. Motion. Any adjustments you make to your heading take a few moments to take effect – overcompensating or using too rapid of movements on the giant steering wheel is not the way to go.

After a few hours and the transformation of mist into light rain, we pulled into the port of Ahousaht in Matilda Inlet on Flores Island, recommended in our guide as a good place to stop and get supplies. Plus, the book mentioned a Café and a restaurant which we were most interested in for lunch. As skipper, I asked Adam to please resume boat-docking duties, as I am not quite ready to attempt to get the boat onto a dock, especially if a whole bunch of people might be watching. Sadly, the Café / Restaurant only seemed to be open if you rented the entire hotel above it. So, we picked up a few supplies for lunch and decided to continue onward. We could see from that dock that there is a thriving First Nations community living there. If we had more time and a sunny day, we would have explored that area a little more in the dinghy, including the man-made “warm water pool” fed by a local sulphuric spring. From a distance I could see a totem in the inlet with arms palm up, the same as the statues from the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. It looked inviting. But, that visit will have to be another time.

We untied, I resumed my position at the helm and got us off of the dock, then motored us back up Matilda Inlet and headed west. Once we were into Millar Channel, we found ourselves back in range of the World Wide Web, and as skipper I asked Adam to please return to navigation while I resumed my ongoing External Communication task. While I furiously posted blogs we motored through Calmus Passage north of Vargas Island, then into Maurus Channel and Heynen Channel just north of Tofino. We anchored at a spot at the mouth of Lemmens Inlet, near Meares Island.

We can’t come this far and not touch on the politics and the recent history in this part of British Columbia. Clayoquot Sound is familiar to most people because of the 1993 environmental protests and blockades against the BC government’s Clayoquot Land Use Decision, which permitted the logging of 2/3 of the forest in Clayoquot Sound. That includes some precious Old Growth forest. More than 12,000 protesters were involved, including major players such as Greenpeace and Sierra Club. And Australian activist band Midnight Oil (how can we sleep while our beds are burning?). More than 850 people were arrested. Although the area was not logged, the Land Use Decision still stands, and in 2006 new Watershed Plans were approved, putting even more land at risk. But as of 2007, logging in Clayoquot Sound is controlled by First Nations logging companies. Back in 1984, it was the Nuu-chah-nulth (the Hesquiaht, Ahousaht, and Tla-o-qui-aht bands) First Nation who applied for, and had approved, a legal injunction on the logging of Meares Island. Now Meares Island is a Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Park, and all Nuu-chah-nulth have pledged to preserve the island and its water supply, while granting recreational access to all visitors.

Meares Island is, quite simply, stunning. Impossible to put into words. I was tranported to another time and place, wandering through an ancient land, and all of the life that it contains. Wondrous, magical, transcendent, sacred. Beautiful, abundant, joyful, peaceful. And on, and on, and on, and on.