A Good Business Plan



Approaching Tahsis



Westview Marina at Tahsis







  


Westview Marina Cafe

  We left Zeballos in the afternoon, cruising into Hecate Channel passing the Esperanza Mission camp that dates back to 1937.  We continued through the Tahsis Narrows and arrived at the community of Tahsis, located at the northern end of Tahsis Inlet and found moorage space at the very popular Westview Marina.  Like Zeballos, Tahsis is backed by steep mountains rising up from the sea.  The marina is a fisherman’s paradise complete with a row of cleaning stations for washing, gutting, and packaging their prize catch of salmon and halibut.  A café/pub is on the premises with seating on a large deck in full view of all the activity.  We ordered food from the café and sat on the sun deck observing the technique of cutting fish into fillets and steaks; it turned into a real spectator sport and a fun social event.  What a smart business plan, an idea that no doubt has proven to be very successful.


Fishermen Cleaning Their Catch - Others Look On



Westview Marina - a Popular Fishing Destination



Convenient Cleaning Stations



A Nice Catch for the Freezer



Historic Zeballos



Docks at Zeballos



Mountains Surrounding Zeballos



We left Queen Cove around 14:00 and continued up Esperanza Inlet into the Zeballos arm.  We arrived at the community of Zeballos around 16:00 greeted by tall mountains rising straight out of the sea.  Zeballos was once a busy gold mining town during the 1930’s and 40’s.  We toured the local museum, which houses an excellent display of old photographs and artifacts highlighting Zeballos’ gold mining era.  Over 30 claims were staked in the area and by 1940 Zeballos had many hotels, restaurants, stores, a bank, school, hospital, library, and a newspaper (the Zeballos Miner).  World War II caused a shortage of both supplies and miners, which finally stopped production in 1943.  The town went from 1300 residents down to only 35!  We took a self-guided walking tour and read the informative plaques located in front of several historic buildings.  As an interesting side note, the present Community Hall built in 1941 floated off its foundation in a tidal wave that hit Zeballos during the 1964 Alaska earthquake.  Throughout the 1960’s, the town’s support came from the Zeballos Iron Mine; iron was separated from its tailings and loaded on ships bound for Japan.  Today, Zeballos' main employer is the logging operation of Western Forest Products (WFP).  Zeballos also has a fish hatchery and continues to be a popular summer sport fishing destination.  In fact, we were lucky to find a moorage spot at the small marina among all the fishing boats.  Things seem to be looking up for Zeballos once again; we noticed a beautiful new building that houses a nice café with space for additional shops – a positive sign for future tourism.  We also learned that a new school is being built and that the Natives from the abandoned village in Queens Cove (which we had visited earlier) moved to Zeballos in new Government houses.



Zeballos



Historic Zeballos Hotel



Historic Toggery and Pharmacy



Historic Toggery (clothes) and Other Business



Photo of Zeballos Gold Mine



Departing Zeballos



A Happy or Sad Affair?



 



Cannery Ruins







Abandoned Village - Queens Cove

 Before leaving Walters Cove, our sailboat friends and their two little girls came into port and tied-up behind us.  It was a special treat to see them again; I played with the girls while their parents shopped at the grocery store – no doubt I was working out grandma withdrawals.  We said goodbye and left Kyuquot Sound/Inlet, once again cruising along the coast among rocky islets, reaching the next Inlet of Esperanza.  We anchored in Queen Cove, where a wrecked fish-boat and concrete ruins of an old cannery lie near the shore.  A cove just around the corner called Queens Cove is the site of an abandoned Native community.  As we approached the village by dinghy, we could see a church steeple through the trees and six houses along the shore.  We hiked to the old mission church and discovered it to be mostly in ruins, only the steeple stood tall atop the rubble.  The houses held personal items that were left behind, including kitchen wares, children’s toys, and even some family photographs still hung on the walls.  The beach seemed to speak to us as well revealing activities of the past:  an old dugout canoe lay next to an aluminum skiff, the carving of a canoe paddle left unfinished, and fishing nets yet to be completed.  The village was formerly occupied by members of the Ehattesaht Band; it was recorded in 1979 that Chief David John’s grandfather, Chief Clakhoi, lived to be 115 years old in Queens Cove.  The abandoned homes appeared to be from the 1960’s and 70’s and the two large generators we found stood silent.  We also saw evidence of a water system (a capped well) provided by the Provincial Government.  We surmise that the Natives left because there was no longer an economic reason for them to stay.  But why did they leave so many things behind?  Perhaps there wasn’t space to take everything with them, or perhaps they wanted to leave a remembrance behind.  Natives seem to have a long history of being mobile which continues even to this day.



The Church Steeple



Unfinished Canoe Paddle



Dugout Canoe and Skiff



Fishing Net to be Completed



Final Farewell

Inviting Walters Cove



Beautiful West Coast Vancouver Island



Java Enjoying Her Ride



After our kayaking adventure on Big Bunsby Island, we left the next day, cruising down the coast through islets and shallows with calm seas.  Java soaked up the sun and enjoyed her window-side seat atop the helm station.  Being south of Brooks Peninsula meant finding civilization once again starting with the community of Walters Cove in Kyuquot Sound/Inlet.  We arrived at Walters Cove on Walters Island around 13:00 and moored at the Public Wharf - another successful docking by Lorena.  In addition to several adorable and well-kept B&B’s, four fishing lodges add to the local economy.  The Houpsitas Native village occupies the south and north shores of Walters Cove.  The local grocery store at the head of the Wharf receives stock for the store via the “Uchuck III,” originally built in 1942 as a Mine Sweeper.  The “Uchuck III” delivers fuel, hardware, tourists, and locals as well as groceries to the Public Wharf on Thursdays.  Tourists pay a handsome price to ride the “Uchuck III” (nicknamed the “Upchuck” during bad weather); dinner is included at the Walters Cove Inn plus overnight accommodations in the community.  The Restaurant and Coffee Shop at Walters Cove Inn are housed in the old school house built in 1917 for the white community.  The school was not integrated until the 1950’s.  Today’s school, located on the Native Reserve, is fully integrated and both white and Native children play with each other between the two neighborhoods.  Walters Cove Inn also serves as a local’s gathering place; we enjoyed some delicious strawberry-rhubarb pie and a latte while using their free WiFi Internet connection.  We felt like one of the locals participating in the conversation, enjoying our pie, and working on the Internet along with about a half dozen other folks.  We discovered the Coffee Shop/Inn by walking a dirt trail through the woods, passing several private homes and a fishing resort.  Boardwalks and gravel pathways also serve as sidewalks for the community, including the grocery store and B&B's - all with beach-front access of course.  Walters Cove is definitely an inviting place with lots of character; we were tempted to stay and build a cabin or lodge of our own.



The Old School House with Tour Boat Dinners



Coffee Shop at the Old School House



"Uchuck" and "Got d' Fever"



The "Uchuck III"



An Adorable B&B - Walters Cove



A Fishing Lodge - Walters Cove



Brooks Peninsula to Bunsby Islands



Bunsby Islands - Brooks Peninsula in Background

 


 


Solander Is./Rock - Brooks in Background

 



Scow Bay - Big Bunsby Island



Scow Bay at Sunset



We left Klaskino Anchorage just before 7am to round Brooks Peninsula, a mountainous section of land extending 6 miles out to sea.  Just north of the Peninsula is a spectacular rock formation called Solander Island, which loomed over us as we passed by.  When we approached Brooks Peninsula, the seas were surprisingly calm which made for a relaxing cruise - a welcome change from the last two days.  We headed for the Bunsby Islands and entered Scow Bay on Big Bunsby Island where we anchored for a couple of days.  The area is very scenic and a great spot for kayaking.  As we kayaked among the rocky islets and small coves, a Sea Otter played alongside, showing off his maneuvers - rolling and twisting, “can you do that?” he seemed to say.  We continued towards the open ocean and noticed kelp underneath us, reaching up like large trees to the water’s surface.  These plants are huge and also very strong, no wonder they can get caught around a boat prop.  We took the kayaks ashore at one of the rocky beaches and found some interesting flotsam, including Japanese floats from fishing nets, some large pieces of rubber, and an old tire.  We kayaked back to our boat and made cookies since we were expecting guests later that afternoon.  A sailboat named “Wondertime” had come into the bay the night before; it turned out to be one of the sailboats that had endured the rough seas with us around Cape Scott.  We very much enjoyed our visit with Michael and Sara along with their two little girls.  The girls had a great time playing with toys from our boat's toy chest and appreciated the milk and cookies; of course I had fun playing grandma.  Michael and Sara shared stories about their sailing trips to Mexico and had plans to go again this year.  Intrigued with the idea of going to Mexico ourselves, we had lots of questions for them and they provided us with reassuring answers and helpful information.



Sea Otter Playing Peek-a-Boo



Sea Otter Antics



Beautiful Coves for Kayaking



Kayaking Adventure



A Kelp Tree !



Abundant Kelp



Winter Harbour



Winter Harbour



Winter Harbour



After our antics in the engine room, we took the dingy ashore to explore the summer fishing resort of Winter Harbour.  The cabins along the shore are connected by a narrow boardwalk and appeared to be used on a seasonal basis.  We walked the boardwalk through the trees and along the shore discovering some quaint old cabins as well as newer summer retreats.  The two fishing “resorts” (basic buildings and an RV park) were busy with small sport fishing boats coming and going, and the marina store was quite well stocked for such a remote area.  There’s even a little post office and library.  Winter Harbour was once a commercial fishing outpost owned by B.C. Packers and a few old buildings still remain.  Earlier in 1891, Lee Leeson had built a crab and clam cannery as well as a trading post that became popular with whaling ships and local First Nations.



Old Cannery Building



Community Boardwalk



A Cute Cottage



Old Storage Shed



Small Fingers to the Rescue



Lorena's Delicate Operation



Engine Zinc



Departed Sea Otter cove in the afternoon and encountered 4-5 foot ocean swells; we noticed an abundant amount of logging activity from years past as we cruised along the coast.  We entered the protected waters of Quatsino Sound and motored up the inlet to the small sport fishing community of Winter Harbour.  Before going ashore the next day, Leonard decided to change the zincs in the engines.  In addition to zincs on the outside of the boat which protect the vessel from electrolysis, small zincs are also installed in the engines.  When Leonard went to change out the zinc on the port engine, he discovered that the used zinc had come unscrewed and had fallen inside the heat-exchanger manifold.  Lorena saved the day by reaching in with her little fingers, pushing the zinc from the manifold through the cooling water intake pipe, which we had disconnected.  When Leonard checked the starboard engine zinc, we found the same scenario; and once again, Lorena performed her delicate operation – lifting the zinc and making a 90 degree turn to pull it through the pipe.  By the time we had finished our maintenance routine, it was noon and we were ready for lunch.



Zinc Screwed On and Coolant Pipe Reconnected