Broughtons

Big dave · Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2007 11:47 pm Post subject: Broughtons

Greetings one & all from Jennis Bay BC, The crabbing & prawing is wonderful the weather has been more nice then bad. Last night was in Sullivan Bay, then Windsong, and then Shawl life is sweet !
Hope this goes out the internet has been up & down.
Later.
Big Dave.
Raven Dancer.

Bess-C · Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 1:18 am Post subject:

Hi Big Dave,

Our most memorable night last year in the Broughtons was at Jennis Bay. We've been wondering if the young family was still making a go of it with their little operation in Jennis Bay. We'd like to hear a report on them.
Lyle

Big dave · Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2007 12:16 am Post subject: Broughtons

Yes ! Jennis is doing quite well and Tom & Allyson say hello to all the brats who have visited, they remember the birthday bash for one of the brats but I don't remember who they said it was, I think it was Patti ??? Allyson wants a C-Dory now. Tom would like to know if any more brats are coming up this year.
Tonight we are tied up at Kawsti Bay, and ran into some old friends who we used to fish with back in the 90's at Double Bay. It is such a small world !
Anyway we have a little rain and overcast but the water is like a mirror ! I will take the rain over the wind any day.
We are still waiting for a good weather cast before going up around Cape Caution, anyway we are very happy and having a ball in the Broughtons.
We are amazed that after ten years of crusing up here each year there is something new and different, just like in life if we all look hard enough.
The boat is running great , Wally has given up his bad habit of smoking.
The only sad thing to report on is Nancy @ Echo Bay is not doing well at all, the store is all but empty, Bob is doing his best but he is not doing that great health wise either. Wish them the best !
The fishing is S L O W but that's OK too.
More later.
Dave.
Raven Dancer.

CAVU · Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2007 8:17 am Post subject:

Dave,
Thanks for that report. I was also on that cruise last year and I am glad to hear that Tom and Allyson are still hanging in there. I don't remember who's birthday it was either.

Lyle,
Are you guys going back to the Broughtons this fall? We are still RVing around the country and don't expect to be back home until the last week of Oct. We get sporadic Wi-Fi at campgrounds so I have been able to sorta keep up with the C-Brats.

Big dave · Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2007 7:59 pm Post subject: Broughtons

Update..... Last night we were in Lagoon Cove, it has never been our favorite but it is still very nice and very friendly, just a little to big crowed for us.
Today we saw two black bears, saw many Orca whales in Blackfish sound, some came right next to the boat ! what a thrill !!! and a Minke Whale at the end of Sawson island.
Caught three nice pink salmon all were released, we still have to many crab and prawns to eat.
We hit a nice log coming down Fife Sound but no damge was done. I hate the ones that hide just under the surface of the water.
Tonight we are visiting old friends in Windsong and tomorrow we are going over to visit Nancy at Echo Bay, she is out of the hospital and just arrived in Echo Bay today.
We are not sure what boating adventures are going to happen this fall, but we would be open to another trip up if possible, if not this fall next summer for sure. We would love to do this with a bunch of C-Brats.
Big Dave.
Raven Dancer.

Wandering Sagebrush

Wow, It sounds like the Broughtons are just as wonderful as ever. Wish i could cut away this year and get up to visit again. Their is a slight chance that I may be able to make a solo trip in September, but I am not holding my breath.

Lyle, I think it was Pam's (True Story) birthday along with the youngster at Jennis Bay.

Kind Regards

Steve

Bess-C · Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 1:32 am Post subject:

Ken & Steve,
It's good to hear from you guys. It was a great trip last year and we have good memories of the night at Jennis Bay. Ken, we have been planning on spending the first two weeks of September in the Broughtons, but we've also been missing the west side of Vancouver Island.

We just made the decision today to go west this time. Our plan is to head to Clayquot Sound on 8/31 and spend two weeks on the west coast. We will explore from Hesquiat Harbour in the north to Bamfield in Barkley Sound in the south. We went to the Tofino area every summer when our daughter was growing up and she was going to Tofino for vacation and will be able to cruise with us for a few days. I hope you're having a good time in the RV mode.
Lyle

Doryman · Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:30 am Post subject:

I've been warned that the west side of Vancouver Island is no place for a small boat, unless you trailer up to a bay and launch there. What is the consensus on this? Is it as bad as they say or???

Warren

lloyds · Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:44 am Post subject:

Warren: I have spent way more time on the west side of the island than on the east side. But I do know that the south half on the west side is great boating. It has some open water passages but with timing it isn't a problem. I even boated it one year in a 13' boston whaler. Went from Bamfield up to hotsprings cove. Did most of it in, inside the islands. I think the most risky area is up around cape scott at the north tip. Last time up we ferried across and launched at Port Alberni. I think next time I will just make the run from Neah Bay up to Bamfield. Although it is quite often really rolly and foggy out there it only takes a couple hours and you are there. That's a couple hours in our 16, in a larger C-Dory a little less. But to ferry across and drive to Port Alberni or Uclulet usually means an overnight trip, plus a lot of expense.

Bess-C · Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 5:36 pm Post subject:

Hi Warren,
I probably wasn't too clear about what we're doing. There are five major sounds on the west coast of Vancouver Island. From south to north you come to Barkley Sound, Clayoquot Sound, Nootka Sound, Kyoquot Sound and Quatsino Sound.

We will be trailering to Clayoquot Sound and putting in at Tofino. You can stay in protected waters until you get to Hot Springs at the north of Clayoquot Sound. The furthest that we will go north will be Hesquiat Harbour. That requires just a few miles out into the unprotected open water. From Tofino it is about 20 miles of open water to get to Barkley Sound. If the weather is good we will run that distance, if the weather isn't good when we want to go we'll put the boat on the trailer and drive to Ucluelet and put the boat into Barkley Sound there.

I can't comment on others level of risk and comfort assessment, but I probably wouldn't run around the south end of Vancouver Island to get to Barkley Sound. The west end of the Strait can have small craft warnings for days on end even in the summer. We have to meet a schedule, and the west side of Vancouver Island is no place to be on the outside in a small boat if the weather changes. There is a 70 mile open ocean run with only one marginal place to get off from Sooke to Bamfield.

The last time we were in Bamfield in September, we woke up to a weather report of "hurricane force winds on the west side of Vancouver Island" on our last day out. That was in the second week of September. Our vehicle and trailer were 20 miles away in Ucluelet at the north of Barkley Sound. That was the fastest that we've every gotten ready and off the dock. From waking up and turning on the radio to pulling away was 5 minutes. The weather window gave us a couple of hours and we were tied up at Ucluelet (which has a very good, very protected marina) within an hour. No boats were able to go back out for a couple of days after that blow. The next morning we got up, put the boat on the trailer and headed home, on schedule.

So, we'll be in unprotected water for no longer than 20 miles or a couple of hours at a stretch. All of our other cruising will be in Sounds with protected water, islands and coves and towns with services. As an added bonus you can dock at Tofino and be a couple of blocks from world class restaurants or a 15 minute drive from the beautiful beaches of Long Beach National Park.

The trip around the outside would be pretty easy in your boat in good weather, but it could take days to wait out the weather coming or going. The road from Port Alberni to Tofino is steep, windy and narrow in places, but it is doable with a 25' boat. Either route leads to one of the most beautiful cruising areas in the Northwest.
Lyle

Big dave · Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 10:04 pm Post subject: Broughtons

We are starting day three in a place we just love, "Echo Bay" on the Windsong Sea Village side of the bay. We can go where ever we please during the day and visit with friends in the evening. The prawing in the Birdwoods has been so very good, crabing in Viner Sound is also very good, We went fishing in the Queen Charollets yesterday and caught three nice salmon, tried Halibut fishing with a pink salmon head with no luck I was surprised because this method has worked very well in the past. If anyone has a good method I'm willing to give it a go ! We did see two Humpback Whales come all the way out of the water, also had a Minke Whale adopt Raven Dancer, it just kept circling the boat so very close I was worried it might hit the downrigger wire ! What a great treat to see these great creatures in such a beautiful place !
The weather has turned a corner and it has just been perfect out with a slight wind picking up in the late afternoon but it is gone by 7 PM.
More later.
Big Dave.
Raven Dancer.