Saycuritey Cove to Farrant Island Cove

2026.7.14 – Saycuritey Cove to Farrant Island Cove chat gpt

One of the pleasures of returning to familiar waters is that every visit feels a little different. The destination may be the same, but experience changes the way you see it.

Reluctantly, we bid farewell to Saycuritey Cove, one of the nicest discoveries of this year's cruise, and pointed OceanFlyer toward Farrant Island Cove, a favorite little anchorage tucked just off Peters Narrows.

Peters Narrows isn't particularly intimidating. It is wide, well charted, and carries plenty of water. The only real consideration is the current, which can run briskly during spring tides. Rather than waiting for absolute slack, we often time our passage when the current is around two knots. For us, that strikes a comfortable balance between efficiency and easy boat handling.

The only place that deserves a little extra attention comes at the entrance to the anchorage. If you're approaching with the current on your stern, the ninety-degree turn into the cove arrives more quickly than you might expect. The current has a habit of setting the boat toward the northwest shoreline, so reducing speed early and beginning the turn sooner than instinct suggests makes for a much more graceful arrival.

That is a lesson learned from experience.

On our first visit, I waited just a little too long. The current carried us past the entrance, forcing me to continue upstream, turn the boat around, and make a second approach against the current. It wasn't dramatic—just a reminder that these waters always deserve your attention. This time, armed with that bit of local knowledge, the turn felt almost effortless.

Our previous visit, in June of 2024, rewarded us with a black bear feeding along the shoreline. Returning a month later in the season, the beaches were quiet. The bears had evidently moved elsewhere in search of better dining opportunities.

the view from farrant island cove looking north dowqn union passage

With the anchor securely set, we launched the dinghy to revisit one of our favorite nearby explorations. Just beyond the cove lies a lagoon that is really a lagoon in name only, as the entrance never dries. Inside is a surprisingly expansive basin—large enough that dozens of boats could comfortably anchor if they could make the entrance. On today's 16.6-foot tide at Hartley Bay, we measured 27 feet of water in the entrance, leaving about five feet beneath OceanFlyer's keel. Perfectly navigable with sufficient tide, but for our tastes, the little cove outside remains the more inviting choice. It is smaller, quieter, and somehow feels like it belongs to us alone.

the lagoon northeast of farrant island cove is massive

The second exploration took us up the river directly across from our anchorage. High tide allowed us to make surprisingly good progress in the dinghy beneath a canopy of trees that gradually closed in around us. Eventually, large boulders began narrowing the channel until a natural barricade of drift logs brought our journey to an end. A kayak might slip beyond, but our dinghy could go no farther.

anchored in the dinghy looking back to farrant island cove

the rocks starting to narrow the path up the river

about a far as the dinghy can go

always peacefull to anchor in the river and take in the sights

We turned around without disappointment.

Not every exploration needs to end with reaching the end of the map. Sometimes it's enough simply to satisfy your curiosity, discover another beautiful corner of the coast, and come away already looking forward to the next visit.