Photo: Surf on Jenny Reef in Carolina Passage, an entrance to Barkley Sound
Our next passage, Clayoquot Sound to Barkley, is probably the most benign of the open ocean passages. The coast on this stretch is straight and without headlands for the full 20 mile passage and the wind rarely blows as strong there as off Estevan or Brooks. So when we heard there were more southeasterlies predicted for the next several days, we decided to get south to Barkley Sound before the worst of them hit. We left Quait Bay with the ebb, motoring out Clayoquot Sound to the ocean. There we motored in light southeasterlies, tried sailing, then gave up and motored the rest of the way. As off Brooks and Estevan, a strong northbound current set us back. Our decision to leave Clayoquot Sound turned out to be the right one as the southeasterlies were light and the seas less than 2 m.
As we entered Carolina Passage (the northern entrance to Barkley Sound), the seas that had seemed so benign in the ocean tumbled and roared around us. With Jenny Reef on the south, the rocks of Amphitrite on the north and sea foam in between, finding the safe passage can be tricky. But we've learned that the Canadians like to mark the safe passage rather than the dangers so we went close to the buoy off Amphitrite and did fine.
We tied up at the boat basin in view of the Canadian Princess hotel/restaurant/ship and surrounded by fishing boats.
We like Ucluelet more than Tofino, its twin to the north in Clayoquot Sound; it feels real. Tourism is there but it isn't the whole economy in Ucluelet as it is in Tofino. The dock bustles with commercial fishermen painting boats, repairing gear and gossiping about fish. Ashore there are coffee shops, restaurants, a grocery store, a bookstore and a marine supply store. What more do you need?
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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.
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Photo: Boardwalk in Bamfield.
From Robbers Passage, we motored through the fog to the town of Bamfield. There we strolled the boardwalk, hiked to Brady's Beach, visited our artist friend Brunnehilde who lives high on a hill overlooking the sound, and ate dinner at the Hawk's Nest Pub. It was the height of the sportsfishing season and small boats zipped around the harbor and fishermen cleaned salmon on the docks. Despite the activity Brunnehilde told us they'd had a slow season that year. The economy is taking its toll.
I always find a visit to Bamfield to be bittersweet -- sweet because it's such a picturesque town and sad because with the demise of commercial fishing the town is struggling to survive. They have only two months to make a living from tourism and their main customers, sports fishermen, are not big spenders. With the economy down, things have been especially slow this year. The Net Loft, a store that once sold art made by Bamfield residents has closed. Too many artists and too few buyers.
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