Circumnavigating Vancouver Island is no small feat. While the distance of roughly 750 nautical
miles (without side trips) isn’t terribly impressive, the weather challenges
are considerable.
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The first 315 nautical miles will be familiar and mostly
protected, but not necessarily easy. The
Strait of Georgia, tidal rapids north of Desolation Sound, Johnstone Strait,
and Queen Charlotte Strait are not places to be when wind is blowing or current
is running. I plan to head north from Anacortes, stopping first in Howe Sound
for several days. Then I’ll continue up
the Sunshine Coast, towards Desolation Sound. After a some time in Desolation
Sound, I’ll continue north to the Broughtons, and eventually to Port McNeill or
Port Hardy. I expect to spend about three weeks getting to the north end of
Vancouver Island. The goal along the way is to visit marinas and boat-related
businesses to learn what’s new or different in order to update the Waggoner
Cruising Guide.
The trip gets more challenging once I head to the west side
(outside) of Vancouver Island. The west
side of Vancouver Island is fully exposed to the wrath of the Pacific Ocean and
storms create famously dangerous conditions.
The Canadian Coast Guard runs their surf-training program in Barkley
Sound, since it apparently has some of the most consistently rough water in
Canada. While the waters on the west side of Vancouver Island can be hazardous,
they also settle down, particularly in the summer.
The geography of the west coast of Vancouver Island makes it
an ideal cruising area. Yes, the ocean can be impassable at times, but most of
the actual cruising is done in relatively well-protected sounds along the way.
Exposure to the full brunt of the Pacific Ocean is thus limited to manageable
20- to 60-nautical mile chunks. With a relatively speedy boat like the C-Dory,
I should be able to take advantage of favorable weather windows and make quick,
comfortable passages between sounds.
Quatsino Sound is the northernmost sound on the west coast
of Vancouver Island. The distance from Port Hardy to Quatsino Sound is about 70
nautical miles, across Nawhitti Bar and around Cape Scott. I’ll explore Quatsino Sound for four or five
days. Then, when the weather is right, I will head towards the infamous Brooks
Peninsula and Cape Cook. Depending on the conditions, Klaskino Inlet and
Klaskish Inlet offer good protection and interesting exploring.
After getting around Brooks Peninsula, I’ll work my way down
to the Bunsby Islands, which I’m told are exceptional. The protection of
Kyuquot Sound is just a few miles from the Bunsby’s, and I’ll spend several
days in Kyuquot Sound. When the weather
is right, I’ll dash down to Esperanza Inlet, which conveniently connects to
Nootka Sound via Tahsis Narrows. I’ll
spend another week or 10 days in this area.
Another 25 nautical miles of Pacific Ocean gets me to
Clayoquot Sound. After about 10 days in Clayoquot Sound, I’ll head south once
more, bound for Barkley Sound, roughly 20 nautical miles away. Barkley Sound is home to the Broken Group, a
spectacular area for gunkholing. After
another ~10 day stay, I’ll make the long trip from Bamfield into the Strait of
Juan de Fuca and back towards the San Juan Islands.
I expect the total trip will take about two and a half
months and cover more than 1000 nautical miles. Circumnavigating Vancouver
Island is, in my mind, one of the three great boating trips in the Pacific
Northwest (the others are SE Alaska and Haida Gwaii).
I’ll probably depart Anacortes at the end of May. In the meantime, I’ve got more planning to
do, some boat projects to tackle, and a desert road trip to Death Valley, Grand
Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion. Lots to look forward to!
