Laidback cruising. August 28th and 29th
09 September 2009 | Robbers Passage, Barkley Sound: 48 54 N 125 08.3W
Photo: Port Alberni Yacht Club Outstation, Robbers Passage.
Barkley Sound is a place for relaxing: hundreds of islands, many anchorages to choose from and short distances to sail. You can sail for an hour and somehow feel you've made a great journey.
We had an easy sail from Ucluelet to Nettle Island in light southeasterlies under cloudy skies. The next morning we had an even easier sail five miles across Imperial Eagle Channel in light westerlies and under blue skies. We sailed into Marble Cove but found it full of float homes and oyster rafts so we sailed onto Robbers Passage where we anchored off the Port Alberni Yacht Club outstation.
The name Robbers Passage probably comes from the story of an American ship that accidentally went aground near there and was set upon by the natives. Since the ship they attacked was American and of doubtful worth and the natives were just "trying to help" defend the territory of their new king, King George of England, the Victoria court let them off. Read my book, Voyages to Windward for the whole story.
The next morning we went ashore to hike the trails maintained by the Yacht Club. We walked among huckleberries and cedar trees on springy trails of soft evergreen needles and enjoyed views of foggy Trevor Channel. We stopped on our way back at the yacht club building to talk to a woman working there.
"We're a volunteer organization," she told us. "At the long weekend in May, we had 40 people here working on the trail and the building. But we're all getting old. We need more young members." The cry of all organizations these days.