West Coast of Vancouver Island by trailer

[rshuman531]

Last month, Chris and I took Raven, our CD 25, to explore two inlets along the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia. We spent two nights each in Nootka Sound and Esperanza Inlet, anchoring in settings framed by steep mountain slopes and, in some spots, small islets with the distant sound of Pacific surf.

The inlets are connected by inside channels, allowing us to travel between them without venturing into the open ocean. We launched from Gold River using a ramp and parking area maintained by the local First Nation. The launch site has the benefit of paved road access to the populated east side of Vancouver Island—something not all inlets offer, as many are only accessible by gravel roads or not at all.

This remote northern coast has only a few small towns remaining from its past in logging and mining. These communities now rely mostly on sport fishing and tourism for their livelihood.

During the trip, I was reading about Captain Cook’s fisal voyage. He visited NootNootkand, named many geographic features, and brokered a treaty with the Spanish that granted British control of the coast. The arrival of European explorers—including the Russians—marked the beginning of a tragic upheaval for the vibrant Indigenous cultures that flourished here. While there is still a strong Indigenous presence, many historical village sites are now silent, slowly reclaimed by the rain forest-a sobering and poignant reminder of what once was.

A highlight of the trip was our stop at EsperanzEsperanza, which has dedicated nearly a century to serving the local Indigenous population. The setting was breathtaking—narrow, winding channels flanked by steep mountain walls. We also visited the Nootka LigNootkation, where we chatted with the lighthouse keeper who was familiar with our cabin on Balaklava Balaklavaearby, at Friendly Cove, we met an Indigenous carver working at the historic village site next to the lighthouse.

We saw some other Canadian CDorys in CDorysCove in Esperanza Esperanza

All told, it was a rich and rewarding exploration in a short time.

Photos in our Raven photo folder and sub folder West Coast Van Isle 2025

[SeaSpray]

Sounds like a great trip! I did not find your photo folder.
Steve

[rshuman531]

I’m slowly working on uploading photos, we’re in an area of low bandwidth. I’ll do a few at a time and get them all early next week when back in Seattle

[Schuster]

Looking in the Raven photo album I only noticed 3 pictures of the the 2025 trip. I was wondering how you transitioned from Nootka Sound to Esperanza Sound. I once stayed with a friend at his condo in Tahsis and we fished in and outside of Esperanza Sound. The trip from Tahsis to the mouth of Esperanza Sound was 17 miles around a narrow channel that navigated the eastern side of Nootka Island. Truly a beautiful area that is as wild a setting as you can imagine. There are some anchorages out near the Pacific Ocean that we ventured into but did not stay. They were quite protected from the elements but close enough to hear the ocean breaking into the shore line rocks. I've always waned to return to that location in my boat but have never put the trip together. If one does plan to drive all the way to Tahsis to launch be advised that the road from Gold River is one of the steepest dirt/gravel roads I've ever been on and can't even venture a guess as to the % of grade. Trailer brakes an absolute must. Oh by the way the fishing was really worth while for Salmon, both Coho and Kings as well as rock cod, ling cod, and halibut.

[thataway]

We agree that the outside of Vancouver Island is a great trip. We did it in our Cal 46 before heading South to Florida, after 4 years in the PNW. The C Dory is a better vessel for this trip.

A trip around Vancouver Island is a great adventure--lots of places to stop and explore, still off the beaten path.

Thanks for the reminder and information.