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Up the West Coast of Vancouver Island:
Klaskish Basin, Brooks Bay
to Varney Bay,
Quatsino Sound
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Day 16:
Varney Bay, Quatsino Sound |
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It rained very heavily the night before. The next morning, huge tufts
of fog were caught in the trees. This is looking north to the head of
the basin. |
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We set off into the swells
to reach Quatsino Inlet. There were some big ones around 10-feet as
we approached the entrance. We saw a schooner heading south - probably on
straight run from rounding Cape Scott to pass Brooks Peninsula. It was
really bucking in the swells, which you can see in this
video clip (it also gives a good feel for
our boat motion too).
It finally
started to settle down as we got farther inside. Pictured is the
lonely-looking Kains Island lighthouse at the entrance to Quatsino Sound. |
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In behind Mabbott Island in Koskimo Bay was a
large fish farm, with several circular net-covered enclosures. The fish
were really jumping inside. The operator came out in a small boat to
talk with is for a bit. He was very friendly and informative. |
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We then crossed to the north side of Quatsino
Sound to drop the hook for breakfast in East Cove in Koprino Harbour.
It was a lovely spot, reminiscent of Prideaux Haven in Desolation Sound.
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Continuing west, we transited Quatsino Narrows
and anchored just around the corner in Varney Bay. It was another
great anchorage, with not another boat in sight. |
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We hurried to get down the Marble River to see
the canyons before the tide fell. They were really amazing. The
river starts out rather wide, with tidal flats on either side, then it
constricts tightly to vertical, high walls.
With
vegetation high up spilling down the sides, it felt like a jungle river. A
hawk swooped through, barely clearing the trees on either side. |
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There were
huge caverns and caves well above the water level, presumably cut by the
winter torrent. Winter is probably not a good time to be here.
The dinghy wake slapping against the shore generated bizarre echoes. The
place was really wild. |
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