Ucluelet

West White Pine Nook

We set out from Holmes Inlet Nook with a plan to hit Friendly Dolphin Cove (at the South end of  Sulphur Passage) near high tide. This was to be a lunch stop, with a dinghy ride to Shark Creek in Millar Channel to see the waterfall at high tide.

Friendly Dolphin Cove was quite pretty, but the anchorage was deep except very close to the shore and it was hard to find a spot that didn’t need a stern tie. The wind kept swinging us too close to shore for comfort and we couldn’t shorten up our rode due to the depth. So we decided that the better part of valor was to continue on to our final destination of West Whitepine Cove.

This Cove is another recommendation from our friends on M/V Navigator, and like Holmes Inlet nook, it’s much more interesting in person than it is on the chart. As we approached, we saw a 40’ power boat anchored outside of the cove in good conditions and with pretty views. We decided that might mean it was crowded inside the Cove, but we continued on as planned.

The entry to this cove is surrounded by rocks and shoals, so attention must be paid. Once inside, it opens up to a lovely basin with views in all directions. And best of all – we were the only boat inside! This remained true for the two days we were here.

West White Pine Nook At HIGH TIDE

THE ENTRANCE At West White Pine Nook DEMANDs good planing, careful seamanship and a good tide

We had an amazing sunset on the first night. It literally was gorgeous in all quadrants, not just in the west. We saw pinkish skies and alpenglow on mountains. Lovely.

LOnG LASTING SUNSET

THE FLAMEing clouds SEEM TO GO ON FOR AN HOUR

We heard that there was good prawning outside the Cove in Herbert Inlet. A fish farm is nearby and there appeared to be quasi-permanent prawn traps deployed. We tried our best but didn’t catch more than a handful. Those prawns were nicely sized, however, and did not go to waste.

BEAUTIFUL RIDE IN THE DINGHY IN SEARCH OF PRAWNS

NOT MANY BUT NICE SIZE

YUMMY

West White Pine Nook At LOW TIDE

there’s calm and then there is mirror calm

foggy sunrise

We also explored in the dinghy, looking at the far more open and less interesting “Whitepine Cove” and some logging activity in the area. Haircuts were also on the agenda for the day.

MORNING MAGIC

We decided to spend our 3rd night outside of the Cove, as tides were favorable for the narrow exit in the late afternoon. We anchored close to where we saw the power boat on our approach to West Whitepine. It was a lovely spot as well, and quite scenic.

Overall, another winning recommendation from the M/V Navigator crew!

AMAZING SKIES SEEM TO BE THE NORM AT West White Pine Nook

THE MAGNIFICATE SKIES OF West White Pine Nook

Port Renfrew

Port Renfrew is a 5-hour ride from Dodger Channel. It is a stop of convenience. We like breaking the leg from the Bamfield area to Victoria into two days. It’s a lot less tiring overall than making it in one 11-hour day. We’ve done that and much prefer taking the stopover.

Pacific Gateway Marina is part of the Oak Bay Group (like Mill Bay, Sidney and Port Browning) and was built to service the local fleet of sport fishing boats. They have a large number of small slips for them but also offer one long guest dock for transient moorage. There is no power or water, but the fact that you’re behind a nice rock breakwater makes up for that. I think we saw at least half of the fleet fishing near the mouth of Port Renfrew as we made our approach.

pACIFIC gATEWAY maRINA CATERS TO THE SPORT FISHER

We made reservations in the Spring, so we are assured of a spot. There is not a ton of room, so you really take your chances if you just show up on a whim. While anchoring out in the bay is possible, it is subject to the fetch of the ocean.

On this trip, we made the 30-minute walk to the Renfrew Pub. There is a Bridgerman’s Bistro at the marina, but it was closed due to a death in the tight knit community. There is some elevation to manage, but you’re walking on a paved road without a lot of traffic. That’s good because there is no real shoulder to walk on. Most cars were very polite and gave us a wide berth as they passed.

It’s a very busy local eatery. We arrived at 6pm on a Friday and were told it would be a 40-minute wait. We were seated in 20 minutes, so that was nice. The food is good pub food. It’s loud, but the service was pleasant, and the food came out very quickly.

Interestingly, we passed a food truck about 300 yards before we got to the Pub. Renny’s Hwy 10 Ol’ School Grub, though their t-shirts just say Renny’s.  It was very busy with locals coming and taking food home or sitting at the picnic tables provided. As we were standing in line at the Pub, a person from Renny’s food truck strolled up and announced to all waiting that you don’t need to stand in line for hours because the food truck is just a short walk away. She also mentioned that Renny’s prices were about half. They had one table of 6 walk back with her to the food truck. Entrepreneurship in action. We’ll give Renny’s a try next time we are in Port Renfrew.

SMOKE FILLED SKIES SUNSET AT PORT RENFREW

Dodger Channel

We could have just stayed in Bamfield and departed from our anchorage in Inner Bamfield Inlet to go to our next destination, Port Renfrew. But Dodger Channel in the Deer Group puts us 45 minutes closer, avoids the long slow no-wake trip out of Bamfield Inlet, and keeps us away from all the small sport fishing boats, especially important in case of reduced visibility.

Dodger Channel is an interesting anchorage. Anchor at the SE end behind Haines Island and you are well protected from the ocean swell. The 20-foot water is well charted and there is very good holding.  There is a very nice view of Haines Island, some islets, and the ocean beyond.  You can also anchor in the NW part of the channel closer to the deep-water entrance, but it is subject to swell at higher tides as the small shoals and islets cover.

Dodger Channel looking toward Southeast

Dodger Channel looking Northwest

 In the past we have anchored here and explored the nearby islets and beaches, but today is just a drop and go. We had no company except for a couple who were camping on the beach of Haines Island. It was a very peaceful night.

Bamfield

Bamfield is an interesting settlement. Spanning two sides of Bamfield Inlet, the “action” is on the West Side but road access and more services are on the East side. We like to spend our time on the West side.

We always enjoy walking on the boardwalk from the public dock to the Bamfield Mercantile grocery store. Along the way, you pass tidy homes - many with private boat docks - the magical fairy kingdom and even the no longer active feral cat community homestead. Bamfield has character.

The biggest downside with Bamfield is there is almost no available transient moorage for a boat our size in season. It’s all about fishing, and the fishermen consume the available moorage. We even wrote to the harbour mistress four weeks before our visit and she said she was booked until September 5th.  So unlike our previous 2 visits, we had to anchor.

Though many anchor in the Inlet off McKay Lodge, it was crowded and really a bit manic with all the fuel dock traffic and sport fishing boats. So, we chose to anchor in Inner Bamfield Inlet behind Rance Island. It is very peaceful, with the occasional passing sportfishing boat. The Inlet is lined with impressive docks and homes, though none of the homes are intrusive on the anchorage.  There is money coming into Bamfield judging by the homes up in the hills under construction!

The entrance is narrow, but well charted, and the Inner Inlet has good holding in 25 feet. The other consideration when entering this inlet is the overhead power lines at the entrance. The published clearance is 56 feet (Karen swears it is less based on her observation of OceanFlyer going under the wires), so this is not an option for some sailboats. It is a mile dinghy ride back to the Bamfield Mercantile store, but we found the peace and quiet well worth it. Not to mention the 3 bears we saw at low tide, including a Mom and Cub.

oceanflyer anchored in Inner Bamfield Inlet looking back toward bamfield

The only issue with anchoring is finding a place to tie up your dinghy when you want to explore West Bamfield. There is no dedicated dinghy dock. The general store allows you to tie up for 20 minutes to go shopping, but they don’t want you to tie up long enough to explore Bamfield. If you can find an unused, unreserved space on the public dock, you can tie up there, but our first day we could not find any place open. A nice small fishing boat that was leaving for two hours, saw our plight, and offered us their spot while they were away. Amazing!

As for dining in Bamfield…we visited the Pacific Gateway Lodge for lunch. Located at the entrance to Bamfield Inlet on the West side, they have their own dock and encourage visitors to tie up for lunch. You can walk up a steep hill or get a ride in one of their golf carts up to the lodge that overlooks Trevor Channel. The view is stunning. The food is just OK.

the dock at Pacific Gateway Lodge

the M/V lady rose heads out of bamfield as viewed from Pacific Gateway Lodge

the Bamfield Wreckage is good eats in Bamfield

However, there is a new game in town, the Bamfield Wreckage. It’s where the old Boardwalk Bistro used to be, right at the Bamfield lodge. We had lunch there on day 2 and it was amazing! A real win for Bamfield, we hope it continues to flourish.

One of our favorite things to do in Bamfield is to walk to Brady’s Beach on the ocean side of Mills Peninsula. We prefer to start the Walk at the Coast Guard Station. It is a bit longer walk, but the grade is less steep. The beach is awesome – lots of sand, driftwood and sea stacks to explore.

brady beach is long with sweeping vistas

the brady loo is the mostimpressive on the west coast

Another outing we always make when we are in Bamfield is to take the dinghy over to Grappler Inlet and Port Desire. Here you’ll find more homes and lodges, and at high water you can continue to explore to the end of Grappler Inlet. Along the way you’ll be surprised at how many docks and homes are tucked here and there.