Sail Chandelle

August 2 – 8, 2023

We had been looking forward to Hot Springs Cove for many reasons, not the least of which was the promise of cell service. This narrow inlet is a protected Marine Provencial Park formed by a spit of land called Openit Peninsula which houses the hot springs. On the opposite shore is an Ahousat first nation village with a cell tower. We relished our time disconnected and fully immersing ourselves in the nature and remoteness on the outside of Vancouver Island for the previous month, and we were excited to try to get in touch with some other friends who had traveled farther north and would hopefully be catching up to us. As fate would have it, shortly after we dropped the hook we heard from our very good friends from Seattle, on racing sailboat Artemis, they were on their way to Hot Springs Cove that same day!!

Despite its reputation as an overly touristy spot – we were fortunate in our timing, and had the following morning at the springs completely to ourselves for a couple hours. The hot springs lie at the end of the small peninsula, where a 1.2 mile long boardwalk has been built leading from the dock, and through the rain forest to the springs. We hiked with our friends Tom and Carol, marveling at the beauty of the surrounding forest and catching up on each other’s adventures of the last few months – they had sailed up the BC coast to Haida Gwaii. Arriving at the springs we met another young sailing couple from New York City as they were leaving.

Stepping off the boardwalk, the rest of the area is completely natural – no man made modifications have been made to the springs. As you climb down the rocks, careful not to slip on the mossy surfaces, you first come to a series of small waterfalls, just tall enough to stand under like a gloriously hot shower. The first fall was actually almost too hot to bear, but the farthest one, just a few feet down, felt just right. Continuing around a large boulder, several natural pools are formed by the rocks, and there is even seaweed growing in the hot water. We each found a small nook or rock ledge to perch on and soak in the steamy water, enjoying the quiet morning and taking in the peaceful solace and tranquility of this natural wonderland. Over the next two days we spent a couple meals enjoying the company of Carol and Tom, soaking up as much time as we could, and returning for a sunset soak at the springs. Such a magical place to share with sweet friends.

Our next stop took us back into the remoteness of the island as we traveled up to the end of Shelter Inlet where a narrow almost blind entrance opens up into Bacchante Bay. Here we found ourselves all alone, and encircled by rocky cliffs and tree covered hills – another opportunity to soak up the seclusion and quiet beauty of this wild island. Exploring our new surroundings, we paddled the perimeter, and then beached our boards on the small area of sand flats at the head of the bay where a river empties into it. Meandering around the driftwood, seaweed beds, rocks, and trees we admired clam beds and shells, and foraged some little sea succulents from the rocks.

Hoping for more hiking we made our next stop in Ahousat, anchoring in Matilda Inlet on Flores Island where we’d read there was a trail out to the beaches. Here a small native village caters to fishermen, and houses a general store where we found an onion and a cucumber – such a treat after weeks without salad! We chatted up the owners of the store while petting their three beautiful dogs, two German shepherds and a corgi. They informed us that just the day before a couple of cougars had come into the town near the beach, and the locals were able to shoot one of them. With the other cougar still roaming about, they warned us we should not do any hiking for the time being as another encounter would be very risky. We felt it prudent to adhere to their advice though we were disappointed in losing the opportunity to stretch our legs. Instead we stuck to our paddle boards around the cove, and getting some work done on the boat.

Leaving Clayoquot for Barkley – the last sound on the outside of Vancouver Island, we had our first taste of the large and confused swell that would dominate our coastal travels for much of the fall. The day started with the winds we’d expected, 15-20 knots on a beam reach, to get off shore, and also a steep swell we were pounding into. We hoped the sea state was due to the shallow water surrounding the off lying islands but it never improved, and Alex started to get a bit sea sick. Unfortunately, as we turned downwind to head south, the large swell rolled us from side to side, and with our whisker pole still broken we had no way to keep the head sail steady. The winds started dropping off to 10 knots and then even less, so we couldn’t even keep the main sail from flogging in the rolling sea, and our speed slowed to a crawl. It was frustrating and uncomfortable and eventually we tired of inching along, and turned on the motor for the last couple hours.

Arriving in the well protected harbor of Ucluelet that evening was a relief, and after more than three months of moving every couple days I was so ready to spend our next 10 days in this quaint fishing hub and surf town.