Contrary to forecasts... - 05AUG09

Contrary to forecasts (I wonder if I even need to continue saying that? Weather is hard to predict up here, the forecasts are frequently inaccurate) the winds were from the southeast and the skies were overcast as we left behind Barter Cove and headed for Esperanza Inlet. A few sea otters waved goodbye as we left and forlorn looking abandoned houses kept vigil over the empty bay.

The winds were light but we made them work, getting south to Esperanza by sticking close to shore but just outside the many rocks and reefs dotting this section of the coast. Mandy continued her streak of bad luck from yesterday by getting seasick about an hour out. Her hand was still swelling from the wasp sting from yesterday as well, but she managed to stand half a watch despite all the troubles.

We're in Queen Inlet now, which is not exactly an anchorage fit for a Queen... holding is okay, but it's windy and there are a lot of crab pots to dodge, no doubt placed by the inhabitants of the many houses/cabins along the shore here. Some of them are abandoned as well, including a neat old place that looks like it may once have been a church. There is also an apparently more recently wrecked (beached?) fishing boat in a cove off to one side. We're not sure what is up with all the empty places, though, this seems like prime vacation territory, and all the recreational fishing boats out and about would seem to indicate that others agree. They seems mostly to come out of large fish camps, though, rather than summer cabins and the like. Apparently this is also something of an accident of timing, since Jason and Christy of Hello World found a pretty hopping scene in the Cove when they passed through less than a month ago. It also inspired them to get out and explore and take some pictures, which they include in their post... worth a look for the other side of the story!

I did see a pretty cool outfall from a large tide pool just outside the cove entrance on my way out in the morning... Mandy was still in bed and I was too busy fiddling with the autopilot to take any pictures. For some reason the fluxgate compass doesn't appear to be tracking correctly; I swung it but need more sea room to do a complete recalibration, which can wait.

We're continually surprised at how populated the West Coast of the Island is; nothing we have read indicated anything of the sort, with words like “desolate,” “wilderness,” and “distant” featuring prominently in descriptions. Instead, it's thronged with people out fishing. We seem to have left most of the other cruising boats behind, or perhaps we are behind them, in a bubble of sorts. But there are no shortage of people or settlements around here.

Not that it gives us much sense of security; we heard a call on the VHF today coming into Esperanza from a small fishing runabout on the rocks to our south, about an hour from our position at our speeds. Despite the bay being carpeted with other small craft, none of them answered... apparently they don't use radios. The flip side to that, and it's a big plus for us, is that there isn't all the constant and tedious chatter on the distress and hailing frequency like there is on the Inside. But the Coast Guard had to come out and tow these folks back to their camp, despite there being probably twenty other boats that were closer and could have done so just as easily and much sooner.

Considering all the small craft and the notorious conditions out here, I am a little suprised that there isn't more Coast Guard presence. The call issued above was answered by the Tanu, which just happened to be off Barter Cove that morning (they're following us; we saw them near Winter Harbour as well). If they hadn't been present, as far as I can tell Tofino would have been the closest base from which assistance could be dispatched. I think Tofino and Bamfield are the only CG stations on the West Coast of the Island for that matter. There is excellent helicopter coverage from those and bases on the other side of the Island, of course, and that means lives are well-guarded (so long as flying conditions cooperate) but it is easy to lose a boat without another boat nearby sometimes.

But then, the Coast Guard is not immune from trouble here, either. Several days ago, we overheard a Mayday relay from the Otter Bay, which had struck a rock and was sinking, from the sounds of it somewhere along the Central Coast. It's rough country out here; it's a lot of fun, but it's worth keeping in mind how easily and dramatically people can get into trouble, and keep an ear out to lend a hand if need be.