Sailing the Outside of Vancouver Island Port Hardy to Victoria By Scott Morris The plan was to circumnavigate Vancouver Island, I would play a small, but significant part. Dave (the Capt’n) was from Colorado, I had sailed with him for a week in 2011 on Chesapeake Bay onboard a 63’ ‘Pinky’ schooner. It was an enjoyable experience during which both of us became acquainted with ‘Pope’ who served as the mate. Although we were all strangers to one another, by the end of the week, when we arrived in Annapolis, we had bonded which is a common occurrence at sea on a small vessel. After living together in close quarters for a period, one often parts with his shipmates as bosom buddies or mortal enemies. Luckily, the former situation prevailed and we all kept in touch following our departure. In 2012, Dave, a novice to offshore sailing, enlisted Pope and me in his adventure; circumnavigating Vancouver Island. Although new to long distance sailing Dave’s expertise in logistics awakened a humbling realization of the challenge he had chosen to assume. To mitigate the potential pitfalls and ensure success, Dave made two crucial decisions. The first was to enlist the help of sailing veterans who had offshore experience. This is where Pope and I came in. The second was to choose a charter company with the requisite support and technical capabilities to ensure the success of the mission. To this end, Dave rightfully chose Ian and Nanaimo Yacht Charters. Pope has had a great deal of offshore sailing experience and I have sailed extensively in New England and offshore. As crew for the offshore leg, Pope and I would assist in transiting the dreaded Nahwitti Bar and Cape Scott (no relation). I signed on and agreed to meet the boat in Port Hardy on or about September 6th of 2013. Pope and his girlfriend together with Dave and his wife Joann left from Nanaimo on August 16th. After they left, we shared emails in which I was assured of our meeting in Port Hardy. I enjoyed a fine flight to Port Hardy, but when I arrived at the highly commercialized waterfront, there was no sailboat that matched the description of a 43’ Bavaria sloop named Archer. I tried to contact my companions on my cell phone and on my handheld VHF, to no avail. It seemed that I might be stranded, so I lugged my gear to a local watering hole near the harbor and ordered ‘strong drink’, which evoked a smirk from some local fishermen. No sooner had my Dewars arrived than I noticed a tall mast entering the harbor. I scanned the locale with my binoculars and sure enough it was them! I belted back my scotch and, thus fortified, sauntered down to the boat. We all had a laugh about my concerns and the next day headed out for our “rendezvous with destiny”. No sooner had we cleared the harbor entrance than a thick white sheet of fog dropped like a curtain backdrop on a cheap vaudeville stage. Man was it foggy! I later learned that locals refer to August as Fogust and we were on the tail end of it. Half way down the Goletas Channel the sun came out and the wind rose from the nor’wes so we enjoyed an hour or so of invigorating beam reaching under the genny. We reached Bull Harbor, by late afternoon; last stop before the Nahwitti Bar. Bull harbor is a gem, tucked away from the rigors of the North Pacific, the dockage is first rate and the two caretakers, ‘First Nation’ folks, were very hospitable. About an hour before sunset, Pope and his girlfriend Amber took a 20 minute walk with their laptops to the Native settlement to utilize the Internet connection. As dusk set in, they had finished their work and were about to return to the boat when the older brother of the caretaker duo, insisted that he drive them back to the dock. Pope didn’t want to further impose, until the older brother said, “If you walk to the boat, you won’t make it. My brother and I have been on the wolves menu for a week.” Pope and Amber quickly scrambled into the pickup and arrived back as the dock lights ignited. The pack kept Pope awake all night with their howling, having missed an opportunity to have a tourist for dinner. We headed out the next morning at 05:00 for the Pacific. Nahwitti sort of lived up to its reputation as our 15 ton vessel was slapped around a bit by breaking waves. Dave was impressed until I mentioned that I’d experienced far worse in Woods Hole. Undaunted, we steamed onward and passed a sea otter lounging on a kelp bed. Cape Scott became an afterthought as we set watches for the overnight voyage to Tofino. I took the ‘dog watch’ (12-04:00) and as the evening developed, so did the wind. By 11:30 we were pitching and rolling with just a jib as I came up for my watch. The wind was blowing at 20+ knots, the seas were around 12 feet and the visibility was ZERO. It was wet and very cold. I sent my watch mate Joann below and attended to things until Pope came up at 03:30. I stayed on deck until 06:00 when fatigued and cold forced me below. The fog lifted late and we arrived to sunshine at Tofino midafternoon. Tofino was beautiful and serene. The fog evaporated the next day and it became warm and comfortable. Most of the crew spent the day sightseeing, I found the local BC liquor store and bought 2 fifteen packs (why 15?) of local brew and relaxed on the boat in the sun. Together with our new crewman, Mark, we set out for Bamfield the next afternoon motorsailing down the coast. For me, Bamfield was the highlight of the trip. It’s a beautiful little, remote village tucked away in a fjord off Barkley Sound. There’s a wooden walkway that runs the length of the harbor intertwining the houses with the docks forming a maritime community fabric. The walkway is festooned with gorgeous flower pots along its length. The people are beyond friendly and for local color one can always repair to the Treehouse. It’s a public outhouse perched on the hill above the harbor with a window which offers a delightful view as a diversion from other, pressing business. I jumped ship in Victoria, satiated and intoxicated with beautiful British Columbia. This article was originally published in 48 North, Feb 2014.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 22:05:38 +0000
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