We departed Port Hardy at 10:25am and cruised west toward the Pacific Ocean on Goletas Channel, arriving at Bull Harbour on Hope Island just inside the Nahwitti Bar. We anchored in the Harbour to position ourselves for the next leg of our journey and perhaps the most challenging to-date - down the west side of Vancouver Island, exposed to the Pacific Ocean. We arrived at Hope Bay in the afternoon with time to enjoy the beautiful sandy beach. We went ashore via dinghy and hiked a short trail out to the ocean. The vivid blue colors and the big rollers crashing on shore reminded us of Hawaii but with Evergreens instead of Palm trees; Java, of course, had a great time running on the beach and digging in the sand. Back at the boat, she had a soapy, warm bath on the swim step then curled up for a nap after dinner. Hope Island was once a Coast Guard Station, which was later closed and the property, including Bull Harbour, given to the Tlatalsikwala Native Band. There are only seven homes in Bull Harbour located along a sidewalk left from the old Coast Guard days; and surprisingly, the gravel road even has a few street lights. When we arrived, only one Native couple was “in town.” |
| Java Playing on the Beach |
 |
| Buildings left by the Coast Guard |
 |
| Bull Harbour on Hope Island |
No comments:
Post a Comment