Fair Harbour and Onto Bligh Cove

September 1-2, 2022

On September 1st cleaning and boat projects took up our morning.  It was a drizzly, damp morning and perfect for inside work.  There were lots of little tasks on the list of things to be done before we headed out to sea to head for Mexico, so it worked out well to have some drizzly mornings to work on them. 

In the afternoon we headed over to Fair Harbour in Kiki.  We got rid of our garbage and recycle, did a load of laundry, got some fuel and groceries, and had showers.  Although we also shower on board, it is a treat to have a full-pressure flow of hot water.  Our system on board works quite well; when we are motoring we can run a coolant circulation pump that runs a separate closed loop of coolant through a heat exchanger, which our engine coolant also goes through.  We therefore take the heat that our engine is creating, and run it through our hot water tank, as well as through bus heaters, which we can turn on to blow warm air into the boat.  Our hot water tank heats up quite well, and so does the back area of the boat where our shower is.  When we get to anchor, or while still underway, we can then have hot showers.  However, since we make all of our own fresh water with our desalination system, we are always conscious of our water usage when on board. 

On the morning of September 2nd we were underway once again.

We motored out of Kyuquot Channel and took the scenic route through Clear Passage past the beautiful, sandy beaches of Rugged Point Park. 

It was cool to get to see the beaches from sea, and to also get a closer look at the many interesting rock formations and islands that make up the reefs out from the beaches. 

Unfortunately no wind materialized for our trip, and we were left motoring over inky smooth, rolling swells.  The fog that had cleared for us leaving Kyuquot Channel and coming out Clear Passage rolled back in, moving around almost continuously all day.  Sometimes we were in full sunshine with good visibility, and moments later we had almost zero visibility. 

Apart from the lack of wind, the other constant of the day was the cold.  Even when the sun was beating down in full strength the air felt cold and we kept our layers on even during the sunniest times.  Motoring trips feel long, as the constant sound of the engine is not nearly as relaxing, or exciting as being under sail, and time often passes by very slowly, even when we are making good time.  

We finally came into Nootka Sound, past the Nootka Island lighthouse, past Friendly Cove, and up Ewin Inlet on Bligh Island.  We anchored in Bligh Cove.