McMicking Inlet to Betteridge Inlet

Today's destination is only a mile away—as the crow flies. By boat, however, it's a nine-mile journey that takes the better part of an hour.

Betteridge Inlet isn't a place you simply point the bow toward. Reaching it requires weaving through a maze of rocks, islets, and narrow passages that wind their way inland. The route looks intimidating on the chart, but in practice it's surprisingly straightforward. The hazards are well charted, and the abundant kelp does a nice job of highlighting the safe water through the tighter sections.

The narrowest passage is bordered by rocks that never dry, but despite the charted obstructions we still saw a comfortable 37 feet beneath the keel on an 8.8-foot tide referenced to the Gillen Harbour station.

The reward for careful navigation is one of those anchorages that reminds us why we cruise these waters. Tucked into the southeast corner, the cove feels much larger than the chart suggests. We found excellent holding in 25 to 30 feet and complete protection from the outside world. Although Nepean Sound lies only a mile away, you'd never know it. The silence is remarkable.

Betteridge is made for exploration, so after lunch we launched the dinghy and spent a couple of hours poking into the many little coves and along the rugged shoreline. Our favorite discovery was a small cove on the west side of the entrance, protected by a drying bar and offering a beautiful view back out toward Nepean Sound. It's the kind of place you could easily spend an afternoon simply watching the tides and wildlife.

looking back out to Nepean Sound

how nice is this?

Hidden anchorages like Betteridge are always some of our favorite destinations. They're not places you stumble upon by accident, and perhaps that's why they're so seldom visited. For those willing to navigate the winding approach, the reward is solitude, exceptional scenery, and another reminder of just how much wilderness still exists along the coast of British Columbia.