Thursday, July 25, 2013

Day 50: Pinkerton Islands to Nettle Island


I woke up to heavy fog. Time to go back to sleep. An hour later the fog had lifted somewhat. I waited a bit more, then headed out for a day of work. I planned to visit three marinas today: Eagle Nook, Poett Nook, and the Port Alberni Yacht Club.

Eagle Nook was my first stop. It’s a beautiful fishing lodge that also accommodates cruisers. A group of 19 people, primarily Seattle area folks, own the place. Several of their personal fishing boats are kept at the marina, and it’s obviously a moneyed crowd: Coastal Craft and big Pursuit’s exclusively. Apparently quite a few of them also own DeHavilland Beavers for quickly getting from Seattle to Barkley Sound.

Glenn, the manager, showed me around the property. It’s top notch, perfectly landscaped, and comfortably finished. Luxurious but not ostentatious.

Then I headed for Poett Nook, a decidedly different kind of place. Poett Nook is primarily a fishing spot as well, but also has a huge campground with wall-to-wall RVs. The marina can only accommodate relatively small boats, up to about 30 feet, and cater to trailer-boat fishermen. Most of the guests overnight in their RVs, and fish in their boats during the day.

Soon after leaving Poett’s Nook I spotted another C-Dory, then heard Checkpoint II calling me on the radio. They’re fishing out of Bamfield for a week. We chatted for a while on the radio as I continued towards the Port Alberni Yacht Club in Robbers Pass.
 
Checkpoint II
The Port Alberni Yacht Club is open to the public and is a nice spot. It’s not fancy, but the members (all 32 of them!) are friendly and helpful. They’ve built trails around the island, have a shower available, and welcome visitors.

Nearby Marble Cove intrigued me, so I headed there next. The sea stacks and caves are really spectacular in this area. Several caves have become tunnels. Unfortunately, the anchorage wasn’t appealing: a couple of float homes on one side, and a big fish farm on the other. In between is deep water, not suitable for anchoring.
 
Tunnel near Marble Cove
Sea stack near Marble Cove
Somewhat regretfully I decided to head across Imperial Eagle Channel to the Broken Group. The afternoon westerly wind had picked up a bit, but the crossing wasn’t bad. I tucked into a one-boat-nook on Nettle Island, ready to relax after a long day.
 
Last light from Nettle Island
27.8 nm total
1003.9 nm total

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