British Columbia
Nootka Sound
Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to Tahsis (And Work) We Go
Thursday, August 08, 2013TheCambrians
Approaching Tahsis
The days we spend in marinas during the summer are few and far between, which is exactly how we like it, but that also means they’re busy. With that in mind, we left McBride Bay Wednesday morning in order to arrive in Tahsis by noon – promptly at check-in. Cool Change, still following behind, arrived an hour or so later and tied up in front of us.
Tahsis, like so many other coastal communities throughout British Columbia, fell upon hard times and had to reinvent itself. Once a thriving town, the sawmill closed down in 2001 nearly destroying the economy. Now sportsfishing, outdoor recreation, and tourism are the mainstays and the people here work hard to attract your business AND to keep it.
Westview Marina
Westview Marina in Tahsis has a reputation for being friendly and helpful and they didn’t disappoint. From the moment we arrived until we left 24 hours later, they were nothing short of welcoming. The marina is well-maintained with a bit of “Margaritaville” theme thrown in to the mix, so it’s easy to find yourself sitting along the outside bar with a few drinks in hand while you watch the fisherman clean their prize catch. But we weren’t there to relax. We were there to work and that meant laundry, provisions and access to the internet (finally!) to research our options for replacing the house batteries.
Two out of three isn’t bad and we managed to wash all of the dirty clothes that have piled up since Ocean Falls and fill the frig with meat (and chocolate), but David struck out on the battery-front. We’d like to replace them with what we currently have (Sonnenschein Industrial batteries that lasted 15 years) but sourcing them in North America is going to be an issue, so we’ll try to make it through the season and start researching again once we tie up for the winter.
But it was time to move on, so we left Tahsis at noon and made our way down-inlet to our next destination, Bodega Cove, which sits at the head of Kendrick Inlet. The area has been heavily logged (there’s still a camp located on the western shore) but inside the anchorage, it’s healing nicely and is a well-protected and intimate spot. That’s not to say that it’s picturesque or even very interesting, but it’s a good place to stop for the night.
Because anchorages are in shorter supply on this side of Vancouver Island, it’s not uncommon to move from one to another with the same group of boats to the point that you begin to wonder who’s following whom. For us, Cool Change, who arrived in Bodega Cove a couple hours after us, is that boat. But unfortunately, this will be our last stop together. Bob promised his wife he’d be home by the 22nd of August, so he and Jim need to hurry the process and start putting more miles underneath their keel. And as much as we like to be on our own, we have to admit that we’re going to miss them.
Bodega Cove is located along Nootka Island and Tahsis Inlet
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