Nootka Sound BC Trip

B

Brewkid

New member
I just dropped a video from my 2019 trip to Nootka Sound BC, where we stayed at a floating cabin in the middle of Bligh Island for a week. I figured a few of you may have it on your 2021 tentative trip plans.

https://youtu.be/vuNx-3bXG1w

I wish I would have had my v-berth cut out then, we were overloaded to say the least and that weight forward would have helped me not pucker so bad on the run in...If there's any question if I like my boat or not this should answer it!

Happy new year everyone.

R/
John
Scallywag
 
Great video John, looks like a really good time. Nootka sound has been on my list since I learned about it a few years ago.
That cabin looks like a sweet basecamp.
How long does it take to get up there and where did you ferry from?
 
The cabin was awesome. It has 4 bedroom, nice bath, ice makers, generators, the whole shebang. Another guy (who actually takes time to make good videos and has a drone) caught some awesome footage of the cabin. https://youtu.be/6vGMqe3fIlI

We took the ferry out of Anacortes to Sidney BC which is almost 3 hours. From there it was about a 4.5 to 5 hour (minus food and beer store) drive to Gold River where we launched. From the launch it's about an hour run @ 20 kts. Plan on a day's worth of travel each direction.

R/
John
Scallywag
 
Thanks for the video. I was looking at charts for this area yesterday. Not for the C-Dory, but for the sea kayaks. If the world turns the right direction this year, I am planning to take Mistaya further up the coast to Kitimat and Prince Rupert instead of Vancouver Island. But I hope to go to Vancouver Island to visit Judy's family and paddle a bit later in the summer. Looks like you ate well, I might have to get some fishing tips.
 
Peter,

That sounds like an amazing trip! Where are you planning to jump off from? Are you taking the kayaks on the boat like you did in your Atlin Lake trip? Awesome photos in your album buy the way!

P.S.
We always eat good and I'm always willing to share the fishing spots!

Safe travels!

R/
John
Scallywag
 
Mark,

It's always amazing how far off the beaten path you and Limpet have traveled! I'm flipping back though your photos of mods and was curious how well your insulation coating actually helped. Would you do it again?

R/
John
Scallywag
 
John and Mark,

Your trip reports are wonderful.

And seeing a 16-footer in all of these places gives me more confidence in where I could take my 19.

Lots of good places to dream about for the hopefully near future.
 
John,

I would do it again but (there's always a but) the process was fairly simple in the CD16. First, I already had the materials on hand in that I concocted the insulating brew myself. All I needed was an "undercoating" spray gun for my compressor. Not too much area to mask, spray in the coating, wait an hour for a second coat, wait a couple of days and paint over with several cans of Krylon C-Dory colored paint (the most creepy toxic aspect of the entire project).

I don't get over-night condensation on the hull sides or under deck anymore, but the CD16 has an open V berth compared to other CDs. It naturally has more air circulation, in fact, it is almost impossible to not have air circulation. There is some noise abatement from the coating, which I like, but I was used to wood boats and the fiberglass slapping was a little disconcerting at first. I'm probably more used to that now. Still nice to quiet things down a little.

I haven't seen any of the stick-on carpet type products that thrill me, so if I was looking to do this on a larger CD, I'd probably use the same system. If I was just concerned about condensation, I'd first come up with some kind of rain-proofing for the forward hatch, maybe a rear window, and "sleep cold." That's what we do on our trawler. Turn off the heat, open the windows, put on your jammies, and crawl under a down comforter. No condensation in the morning. Yes, it's more like backpacking than yachting. I'm okay with that. Even better, so is my wife.

Mark
 
Mark,

Wife and I are backpackers, often in a single wall tipi playing the ventilation game, so we're onboard with the later sleeping arrangement as well! The appeal of a little sound deadening and some insulation are appealing though...Thanks for all the input to consider!

Chromer,

Thanks! Hope you're enjoying that new ride! Alure looks to have a little more elbow room, but the real question is, how's she fish?!!

R/
John
Scallywag
 
Gorgeous. PNW is on my bucket list. Would love to charter a Trawler up there. Really wish the weather was sunnier and drier because it would be heaven for us...perfect combination of mountains and water.
 
That sounds like an amazing trip! Where are you planning to jump off from? Are you taking the kayaks on the boat like you did in your Atlin Lake trip? Awesome photos in your album buy the way!
Click to expand...

Our kayaks are almost always on the top of the C-Dory. We kind of use the C-dory as our mother ship and finding a place to paddle or hike is central to our adventures. My hyperactive crew would mutiny if we did not get her off the boat on a regular basis.

In 2021 we are hoping to get out on a series of voyages on the northern BC coast. We are looking to head up the Kitimat and Prince Rupert areas. The three trips that I am planning are to start in Kitimat and explore the fjords and inlets from there. The next trip would go down the inside passage from Prince Rupert. The third cruise would be to north from Prince Rupert towards the Portland Inlet and the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary. I have some of the charts and guide books and more on order, so the planning has begun and timing and distance will have a lot to do with how much fuel I can carry.

Later in the Summer we hope to take our long sea kayaks 17 footers, our C-Dory kayaks are 13 footers, to the west coast of Vancouver Island. I have just ordered the charts, so under consideration is Nootka Sound, near Blight Island, Nuchatlitz Islands further North. Also under consideration is Esperanza Inlet or Kyuquot Sound. We would access the islands on a coastal freighter the MV Uchuck lll, which travels from Gold River to Kyuquot via Thasis. They offload kayaks via their crane directly into the ocean. It is possible to kayak directly down the inlet from Gold River, but it is a long journey and I think it is sometimes better to go by mother ship or water taxi to some of the most enjoyable paddling. I really like to paddle amongst groups of island where there is lots to see, like in the Broken Group in Barkley Sound.

This is why I enjoy having a trailerable boat, I can drive anywhere with a boat launch quicker than if I always had to sail out of the same port. The the past three years have allowed us to cruise from the Yukon to Lake Powell to Vancouver Island. Hopefully the future will allow us to cruise from Alaska down to Baja with many of the miles on a trailer.
 
We looked at booking this cabin for 2020 but we know how that went. Would love to get up there some time with a few friends. glad you had a good trip.
 
Nootka was one of my destinations for Vancouver Island West side cruising LAST year:? But, to quote Tom, "You know how that went." So, it was moved to the 2021 schedule but pretty sure that will not happen this year either.

So, enjoy your uncrowded, quite and peaceful beautiful cruising grounds up (North of the 48), there, and hope to get to come back and get reacquainted come 2022.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

7_SleepyC_at_Port_Harvey_001.thumb.jpg
 
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