Great Scott!

By Nicole

As we rounded Cape Scott at Vancouver Island’s northwestern tip, blue sky began to peek out from the breaking clouds.  With the mainsail hoisted and the jib unfurled, we were sailing in a fresh breeze, riding up and down in the 6-foot seas watching whales surface nearby.  While it certainly wasn’t like rounding the Cape of Good Hope or Cape Horn, it was still an exhilarating moment for us.

We’d been eagerly planning for this leg of our journey, which would take us from the relative shelter of the Inside Passage, nestled between Vancouver Island and the mainland of B.C., to the wild and rugged Pacific Ocean.  At Cape Scott, strong winds meet forcefully (and often violently) with ocean swell and currents.  Rocks lurk well offshore, and if not timed and navigated prudently, the rounding can be dangerous.

To port, Cape Scott…

… and to starboard, Japan across the vast Pacific Ocean

Four other sailboats rounded the Cape with us, and three of them (great folks we met later in Quatsino Sound),  chose to stop at Sea Otter Cove.  But we were making good time, so we decided instead to keep going to Quatsino Sound, another ~5 hours south. 

On our way to Quatsino Sound on Vancouver Island’s stunning Pacific Coast

 
We made it around Cape Scott!  Yay!

It was a long, tiring 10-hour run from Bull Harbour to Quatsino Sound, but to finally be on the ocean made it so worth it.  From what we’ve seen so far, the coastline here is spectacular, and we can’t wait to spend the next 6 weeks enjoying it.