At Sea Level: July 21-22, 2013 Beautiful Barkley Sound and Bamfield with Bri

July 21/22, 2013 – In BEAUTIFUL Barkley Sound with Brian

Well we haven’t caught ANY crab, but we DID see some bears on the beach on our way into Barkley Sound … a mom and her two cubs !! Good eyes Captain Cam !!

Our first night stay in Barkley was in a beautiful little anchorage at Bazett Island near Lucky Creek. The kayaking around Bazett was beautiful, with clear blue-green (and warm!) water full of starfish and tons of oyster shells.

Bri and I took the dinghy out to check the crab trap (skunked again) and ran up to the end of Pipestem Inlet … stunning and very serene …. Not a soul around except for a man who had set up camp in a very secluded bay just off Pipestem. We went in to "his" little unnamed bay and it was hauntingly quiet and beautiful ….

We got in to Lucky Creek for a picnic lunch at midday high tide on the 21^st … 2 other tenders were there both with people we had met previously at anchorages (Solar Flare and Catherine M). We had a great time chatting and climbing around the rocky pools. We're going to keep in touch with these people ... they are loads of fun !!!

Barkley has quite a different feeling to it than the deeply carved sounds and inlets we’ve been in so far. Barkley is made up of a million rocky outcroppings covered in “Christmas trees” and it feels much more open than the tall tree-covered “walls” that surrounded us in previous sounds. Its GORGEOUS but for our time here, a bit overcast. (I haven’t warmed up in two days !!) None the less, the overcast skies have their own charm and add a beautiful softness to the scenery ….

We anchored our second night in Effingham Bay – it’s a gorgeous anchorage with an interesting hike up the mouth of a river, through a THICK forest to the east side of the island ….

Luckily, we were able to follow the “markers” (which were basically anything someone found to tie to a tree … floats, red yarn, blue painters tape) until we came through to the beach ….. PHEW !!!

Bri “capturing the moment” on the beach ….

Cam “capturing our location on GPS” ……

Hayden and Bentley would LOVE these tidal pools …. FULL of starfish and anemone

Dusk at Effingham Island ….

The day we were leaving Barkley, we went EXPLORING. We ran the tender in and around all the islands, finding a GREAT beach for a picnic…

Bri even spotted a deer on the beach where we were picnicking …..

And JUST as we pull anchor, the sun comes out !!! Finally, warmth …. AND we can see the mountainous backdrop... they really ARE there .... and they are SPECTACULAR !!!

Off we head to Bamfield, where we will stay Monday nite and get ready for our run south past Sooke to Becher Bay tomorrow. It will be a longish day (8-9 hours) through the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Tomorrow looks like a good day to make the run as the weather is looking like it will cooperate!!!

None the less … SCOPALAMINE ….

BAMFIELD

We pulled into the inlet at Bamfield and the houses are CHARMING. The only connection between the west side of the inlet and the east side of the inlet, is by boat !! The MacKay Lodge and Docks on the east side, is where we stayed and IF you are coming to Bamfield, make sure to call ahead for a reservation for dinner here …. It is apparently DELICIOUS. (We will have to take everyone’s word for it as we didn’t have a reservation and they were full SO ... Colibri and Malahide - if this is on your adgenda, call and "do dinner" at the lodge. I'm anxious to hear how it is !! )

It was highly recommended that we do the boardwalk along the water’s edge AND make the trek out to Brady’s Beach …. So after hitting the pub on the west side, for a beer and burger, we headed off for a lovely evening’s walk. Both the beach and the boardwalk were fabulous (I'm sorry if you're getting tired of me describing everything as fabulous, but ... everything IS fabulous ... I have never seen such amazing scenery as I have this trip.)

Brady’s Beach ….. absolutely beautiful ….

The boardwalk a most eclectic and interesting walk ….. flower boxes hang off the railings and neighboring houses and gardens are VERY funky. The boardwalk reminded me of the one in Winter Harbor ....