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Every boater has their own reason
why they think an anchorage is perfect.
For some it is about the scenery. Others
may consider the activities. For me, it’s
about the welcome.
It was early July when Tim and I
found ourselves in Quatsino Sound
on the northwestern tip of Vancouver
Island. We thought we would spend a
week exploring the nooks and crannies
north of Brooks Peninsula (also referred
to as Cape Cook). However, after four
nights of running our furnace, wearing
our touques and huddling in our down
jackets, we decided it was time to
head south. We had heard from other
mariners, that warmer weather greets
you once you round Brooks and sail
down toward the more populated
Kyuquot and Nootka Sounds. And that
was exactly what we craved.
As it had been blowing South-East
all night, we expected lumpy seas and
Above:
thought it would be best if we waited a
Approaching Solander
day to round. We decided Brooks Bay,
Island in calm seas.
a small anchorage just inside Brooks
Peninsula, was a good place to hole up
Map courtesy
for the night. We also thought it would
B.C. Parks.
be a good jumping off point for our
rounding of the 124,000 acre wilderness
Below:
park, Brooks Peninsula. However, after
Wandering amongst
listening to the weather update on the
the beach debris at
VHF and hearing that Solander Island
Columbia Cove.
(at the tip of Brooks Peninsula) was
reporting 6 knot winds, we decided to
Photos by
take the opportunity to round while
Katrina Archer
we could.
For those unfamiliar with Brooks
Peninsula, it is a brick-shaped piece of
land that is six miles in length located
on the north-west coast of Vancouver
Island. On an otherwise, somewhat
linear coastline, Brooks Peninsula juts
out into the Pacific Ocean like a thorn
in the mariner’s side. The prevailing
northwesterlies and southeasterlies
combined with the ocean’s current,
stack up creating a tumultuous barrier.
Boaters should be prepared to wait for
weather windows or be prepared to
turn back if unfavourable conditions
arise. While it is a beautiful area, it is
also one that should be respected. For
me, it was a physical piece of angst.
The trip to Solander was fine - I
would even venture to call it easy. Why,
I wondered had I been so nervous
about this piece of land? However,
once we reached it, things turned less
fine. The wind remained non-existent,
48° No r t h , Se p t e m b e r 2009 pa g e 67
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