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Up the West Coast of Vancouver Island:
Bodega Cove to Hecate, McBride Bay, Nootka Sound
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Day 10:
Hecate, Nootka Sound |
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The next morning we returned south towards Friendly Cove. We wanted to
investigate the entrance to Boca del Infierno Bay, which looks very narrow
on the charts. It looked impossibly narrow in person. It was low
tide, but it didn't appear that there could ever be enough water for us to
safely get through, so we headed back north into Tahsis Inlet. |
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En route, we passed a small black bear, turning over rocks on shore and
having some breakfast. |
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The once-thriving sawmill town of Tahsis sits at
the head of Tahsis Inlet. The mill, pictured, close recently. As
a result, the town is in decline. |
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Tahsis is home to the well-run and popular
Westview Marina. They were completely full when we arrived, due to a
fishing derby weekend, but were able to give us a temporary spot so we could
land for a few hours. |
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It was about a 15-minute walk into town.
Tahsis is the terminus of the "Great Walk"
from Gold River, an annual single-day 40-mile
trek. The town's mascot appears to be a work boot. We saw
them everywhere. |
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Our mission in heading to town was partially to
find the pub, which we did. They had a wonderful deck out back, with
sweeping views of the mountains all around. In keeping with the town
theme, the deck was decorated with work boot
planters. |
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With a
pint of
Piper's Ale in hand, we had a lively conversation with local Wayne Nicholson
(sp), pictured. He started working at the mill in the late 1960s,
after a stint at Ocean Falls as tail-ender, which he did here too. He
worked at the mill in Tahsis for 30-something years and can tell all kinds
of great stories. We had a wonderful time. |
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Leaving Tahsis, we traveled west through Tahsis
Narrows and anchored for the night in McBride Bay, near the old settlement
of Hecate. It was one of five pilchard reduction plants that once
operated in the vicinity. There are ruins visible throughout the area.
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