Circumnavigating Vancouver Island

Mike_J · Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2013 10:12 am Post subject:

Another question for you... where is "bear Cove", the "unnamed bay" near Windy Bay?

starcrafttom · Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2013 4:58 pm Post subject:

We saw whales there in 08 while fishing. looked out the window and All I could see was a giant tell blocking out the sky. We had downriggers down and had to quickly get them up and out. Never saw the whale again. Just that quick look and it was gone.

20dauntless · Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2013 8:38 pm Post subject:

In Bamfield, just updated the blog. Weather permitting I'll head into Port Renfrew tomorrow, then Sooke the next day. Barkley Sound has been wonderful.

Mike, "Bear Cove" is opposite Fortune Channel from Heelboom Bay. We saw bears there twice at low tide. I told someone else about the spot, though, and they got skunked. Have an awesome time in Clayoquot Sound!

Unfortunately I think SPOT clears out all the old tracks quickly and I don't know of any way to save them.

If I come through Victoria it will probably be this Friday, though I'm not sure if I'll stop in or if I'll go directly from Sooke over to the San Juans. It'll be a game time decision. I'm hoping to make it back up that way for the Sidney gathering, but it follows right on the heels of a trip to Europe and a bunch of friends being in Seattle, so I'll have to see if I can get away...

20dauntless · Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2013 4:25 pm Post subject:

I ended up stopping briefly in Port Renfrew yesterday before continuing to Sooke. The weather was perfect; no wind, calm seas ("rippled" as described by the light keepers), and decent visibility. The clouds hung low but visibility never got less than about a mile.

This morning I headed from Sooke to Friday Harbor. It had been windy much of the night, but conditions weren't too bad on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Most seas 1-3 feet, a few larger, but all from behind. No fog, which made crossing the traffic lanes much easier!

The troublesome autopilot has resumed normal function.

I'll be bouncing around the San Juans through the weekend, then back to Anacortes on Monday probably.

This has been a great trip and it has gone incredibly smoothly. The west coast of Vancouver Island certainly has a reputation for fierce weather, but it doesn't need to be feared. Respected, certainly, but with a flexible schedule and a good weather eye, the risks are pretty easily managed.

bridma · Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2013 5:29 pm Post subject: Circumnavigating Vancouver Island

Congrats on your circumnavigation Sam. Thank you for sharing your adventure with us. Hope you do make the Sidney gathering.

Martin.

ShellBack · Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2013 8:56 pm Post subject:

Hey You. Was watching you on spot this morning and thought I would greet you at the dock in Victoria with a coffee in hand but you zipped past and no such luck. A great trip for you and back in home territory. Next time around. Cheers to you Sam Beer

T

JamesTXSD · Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2013 11:54 pm Post subject:

Sam stopped by Wild Blue this evening...

http://captnjim.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-nice-treat.html

A nice visit, and great to catch up on each others' summer.

That's Sam on the left, and a sailing friend, Chris, on the right.

Congrats on your trip, Sam!! Thumbs Up

Best wishes,
Jim & Joan

lloyds · Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2013 11:54 am Post subject:

Sam: Curious what you found in port renfrew?

Mike_J · Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 1:34 am Post subject:

We had a great trip to Clayoquot Sound. Will try to post details on my blog soon. I went to Ahousat on your recommendation , and it was pretty neat! Had great Halibut burgers at the little restaurant (we were the only ones there), and the gas was cheaper than Tofino. The Ahousat/Marktosis community/inlet is a neat little spot. Off to Kyuquot Sound next week and then to the Broughtons the week after! I will be reviewing yo0ur blog posts for both those areas!
OK, the bay across from Heelboom makes sense now that I look at the chart. Looks like there is a fish farm in there too. I have not been back into Fortune Channel for many years.

Mike_J · Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 10:08 am Post subject:

Sam, I just saw on the main SPOT device management page that one can view the last 30 days of tracking and other messages. It also looks like you can download them as a GPX or KML file. If you want, I would be happy to convert your last 30 days into a GPSVisualizer map like the ones I use on my blog...

20dauntless · Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 2:54 pm Post subject:

Port Renfrew has a public dock and small private marina. I think there is another marina up the river, accessible by small boats at high(er) tides. The docks are all geared towards small fishing boats (C-Dory sized) and it seems most people don't stay onboard. Gas (not diesel) is available.

Mike, glad you enjoyed Clayquot Sound. The fish farm on the chart no longer exists at the anchorage in Fortune Channel. Have a great time in both Kyuquot and the Broughtons. The Kyuquot Inn is funky and friendly; they may have a restaurant and coffee bar open. The store in Walters Cove is pretty well stocked, too, and the dock was free when I visited.

How do I access 30 days of tracking? I couldn't figure it out.

I'll get the last leg of the trip put on the blog soon...

Mike_J · Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 12:50 pm Post subject:

I just got this message back from SPOT:

(It looks like you can only get the last 30 days of Data...)

Dear Michael,

Thank you for contacting SPOT, the world's first GPS satellite messenger.

The MY GPS LOCATIONS tab of your online SPOT account will maintain data for up to 30 days, to view addditional data click the orange SET FILTER button and select the option to filter for 30 days.

We also provide through the DOWNLOAD AS button on the MY GPS LOCATIONS tab the ability to select GPX and download your data to a GPS device, or select CSV and download to and Excel Spreadsheet or KML to download to Google Earth.

The final option is to create a SPOT Adventures page by clicking the icon in the lower right corner of the page and the data will be saved as long as your account is active.

Please let us know if we can further assist you.

Thank you for choosing SPOT.

Pat Anderson · Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 3:56 pm Post subject:

Sam, we are all really looking forward to your talk and slideshow about the Great Circumnavigation at the brewery! This year there WILL be some kind of amplified sound so we can all hear everything!

20dauntless · Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 6:24 pm Post subject:

Mike, I just downloaded the data and pulled it up in Google Earth. I wish I'd known about this for the whole trip! Thanks for the tip.

I just put the last blog entries online. Compared to Alaska my average speed was a bit faster and my fuel economy was higher. The boat must have been lighter.

This was a GREAT trip and could be completed pretty quickly (~three weeks) in a C-Dory. Highly recommended. I'll try and write another blog entry comparing this trip to Alaska. The short version is they are both great, but Alaska wins for wildlife and scenery. WCVI wins for weather and beaches. Can't go wrong either way!

Mike_J · Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 2:30 am Post subject:

I'd love to see the plot of your last 30 days. I have asked them if there is a way to get data more than 30 days old. (I am sure they have it!)...

PS, you are getting much better mileage than I have been getting. I seem to have been averaging about 75% of yours with my twin 50s...

Sorry to hear Sooke was not up to snuff. I am guessing it is pretty busy with salmon fishers right now...