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Up the West Coast of Vancouver Island:
Matilda Inlet to Young Bay, Sydney Inlet, Clayoquot Sound
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Day 8:
Young Bay,
Sydney Inlet, Clayoquot Sound |
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It was foggy again the next morning, but not too bad. Our next
destination was famous Hot Springs Cove, which is opposite the western shore
of Flores Island on the map above (just off the left side of the map).
We wanted to visit the hot springs before all the boats full of tourist did,
so we left right away. |
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There were two possible routes. The inside, sheltered route is along
the east, north, and west shores of Flores Island. The exposed, but
more direct route is along the south and west shores. We chose the
outside route for speed. The fog really thickened here though,
visibility was
1/4-1/2 mile, so we had to run quite slowly.
The swells were big
too - maybe
3-6 feet. Outside Richard Channel the waves were 6-8 feet, breaking and steep. This
was likely caused by an ebb current in the shallows. All in all, not a
boring run. |
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We could not see either side of the entrance to
the cove, but the fog was a lighter inside. The
Pacific Grace
was tied off to the dock, looking perfectly suited to the place and time.
Vessels such as this once dominated these shores. |
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We were planning to anchor, but one of the buoys
was free, so we took it instead. This was our first experience with
the west coast buoys, which are designed to hold several fishing vessels
safely through the huge west coast storms. These things are
monsters, quite different from the small,
recreational buoys in the marine parks. |
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Once we'd settled in, I overheard someone say
"Morning James," and James respond with "Morning Bob." It was Bob and
Jean Miller on Loon Song, one of the few cruising powerboats that
we've seen. They are friends from the
Bellevue Sail and Power Squadron,
who were traveling in the opposite direction. I found the greetings
quite amusing--although we hadn't seen each other for weeks, the two men
sounded as if they'd parted company the night before. We went over for
coffee on Loon Song before they set off for the day. |
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On to the Hot Springs. They are considered
a highlight of any West Coast cruise. The walk in is impressive--a
boardwalk leads 2-miles south from the park to the hot springs at the
peninsula tip. It is a lovely walk, through healthy rainforest with
views out to the ocean. The walk alone would have been worth it, even
without the springs at the end. For decades, it was a tradition to replace
the boards with one carved with the boat's name and date of visit, along
with other personal information. People worked over the winter and
brought a board with them to replace an existing uncarved one. The
original boardwalk was replaced, but the tradition continues. There
are hundreds of them, some very creative.
The most impressive was that of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club's
Millennium Cruise 2000. |
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The springs flow at 122F over small cliff,
creating a hot-water waterfall, and into
several large pools before hitting the ocean. We had a wonderful long
soak -- highly relaxing. (And no, we don't get a lot of sun.) We
got there about 10am. A few people were there already, more
arrived while we soaked, and we passed many coming in on our way back
out. It is a busy place. High-speed eco-tourism boats bring
people in by the dozen. |
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We left Hot Springs Cove in search of a quite
anchorage for the night. This is the view heading north in Sydney
Inlet, which runs along the west shore of Flores Island and farther north.
The fog had completely lifted and it had turned into another stunning, sunny
day. |
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We found a secluded and empty anchorage in the inner basin of Young Bay,
about halfway up the inlet. A sailboat later joined us, but there was
lots of room for both boats. This is the view looking west across the
anchorage . |
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A pilchard reduction plant once operated here, and the ruins are still
obvious. |
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