BEAUTIFUL BARKLEY SOUND

The West Coast of Vancouver Island is turning out to be one of the best parts of the trip down from Alaska.  After leaving Ucluelet this morning I headed over to the Broken Group of Islands in Barkley Sound.  Many of these islands form part of a Marine Park and are much used in the summer months by Kayakers and Campers.  The islands have sheltered coves, bays, sandy beaches and protected waters for kayaking, a beautiful area.

I anchored at Clarke Island for lunch, just off a sandy beach in glorious weather.  The Canadian summer has been turning on the charm in the last week.

In the afternoon I picked up the anchor and headed over to Barkley, a small town clustered around an inlet.  As you enter the inlet one of the first things you see is the store / Post Office with its own float out front.  So convenient to tie up the boat and get stores, no long distance bag carrying.  I took advantage of the opportunity and bought a few treats, fresh fruit, tomatoes and blue cheese.  So good to see home grown fruit and veg in store and not the long life, everlasting, tasteless variety that persists up north.

I also made a contribution to Stanley Park in Vancouver, one of the best city parks in the world.  I bought some Stanley Park ‘Windstorm’ pale ale.  Part of the proceeds from each sale goes to support the park for future generations.  The beer tastes good as well, so it’s a win win situation.  Total voyage distance 1,001.2 miles.