Eucott Bay Ocean Falls

Catching Up With Cambria

Thursday, July 10, 2014TheCambrians

Beautiful Eucott Bay.

I was talking to somebody the other day and started off with, “when we first got to Ocean Falls two weeks ago” . . . .  Two weeks?  I couldn’t believe it.  I honestly have no idea where the time went, but I do know where we went – not very far.  But that’s about to change.

We left Ocean Falls last Monday on a rising tide and made our way up Dean Channel to Eucott Bay.  The difference in how the engine performed after having the fuel filter changed was noticeable and we easily made our average speed without feeling like the boat was slogging along.  Both David and I were relieved, but it’s something we’re going to have to keep an eye on.  It’s possible that we picked up some bad fuel along the way and that’s what clogged the filter in the first place.

But I digress.

Eucott Hot Spring.

Scenery aside, the big attraction in Eucott Bay is the hot spring and we spent six really good days anchored there waiting for the weather to clear out and enjoying long, hot soaks in the pool located at the head of the bay.  Every time we got ready to up anchor and move on, something seemed to draw us in – first it was strong winds, then black bears roaming the shore, and then the rain – but we finally ran out of excuses and left Sunday morning.

Watching a black bear forage along the rocky shore.

Our plan was to continue up Dean Channel to Nascall Bay where there’s a resort with more hot springs.  We’d heard that you could pay the caretaker CA$10 to tie up to the dock and use the tubs but, when we arrived, we found the biggest “No Trespassing” sign we’d ever seen posted at the mouth of the bay.  So, we left. 

Dean Channel goes on for another 30 nautical miles, but doesn’t hold much interest for us so we went back to Ocean Falls for the night with the intention of staying one day to do laundry.  But, when we got to the dock, our friends aboard SV Salubrious where there – a real sight for sore eyes.  The truth is David and I are struggling.  Without Sally, we feel completely lost and were well on our way to spending the season aimlessly wandering around.  That’s not to say we’re sitting around every day in a state of depression.  We’re not.  We just didn’t make any real plans for this year and are finding it difficult to motivate ourselves.  It’s hard to explain, but I don’t think either one of us appreciated how much pleasure we took in taking her to new places.  And now that’s gone.  The point is, having friends around, especially ones with dogs, helps . . . a lot. 

Neither David nor I are big on “buddy-boating”.  We like our privacy and floating through life at our own pace.  But with Bill and Sylvia it’s different.  We’re able to move from anchorage to anchorage for weeks at a time together without feeling the pressure of socializing every night . . . or day.  So, we were really excited when they agreed to come with us up to Bishop Bay Hot Springs (do you sense a pattern here?). 


The four of us left Ocean Falls yesterday and went down to Shearwater, a full-service fishing resort on Denny Island, to buy a few provisions.  This morning, we’re off to Klemtu and up Finlayson Channel where we’ll continue north along the Inside Passage to Bishop Bay – the most beautiful and dramatic section along the Central Coast.  Not only do we have the motivation to start moving north again, we’re in the company of friends.  And that’s exactly what we really need right now.  

Walking around Ocean Falls with friends, Bill and Sylvia.

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