Shearwater to Beaumont Island Cove

With Karen safely back aboard OceanFlyer after her week in Bellingham for dental treatment, it finally felt as though our cruise had resumed.

While the unexpected interruption had worked out better than we could have hoped, there is something about slipping the lines together that simply feels right. OceanFlyer was once again heading north with her full crew aboard.

Our destination was Beaumont Island Cove, a small indentation in the shoreline where Johnson Channel, Return Channel, and Roscoe Inlet come together. It's not a place that attracts much attention in the cruising guides, but that's part of its appeal.

Nestled between Cunningham Island and Beaumont Island, the cove provides excellent protection from all but northerly winds. More importantly, it offers a front-row seat to the spectacular mountain scenery that defines this stretch of British Columbia's central coast. Wherever you look, granite peaks rise from the sea, their snow-covered summits disappearing into the clouds—or, on a day like today, into an endless blue sky.

Getting there is half the fun.

Our route carried us through Troup Passage and Troup Narrows, one of the most scenic passages along this part of the coast. Despite its name, Troup Narrows presents little challenge. Maximum currents are only about two knots, and with excellent charting throughout, it can be transited comfortably at virtually any stage of the tide. We happened to arrive near low water, which made it easy to identify the various rocks and reefs that define the channel while appreciating just how forgiving the route really is.

As we rounded the final bend toward Beaumont Island Cove, nature reminded us once again why schedules are merely suggestions along the Inside Passage.

A single blow caught my eye.

Moments later, three whales surfaced together.

One was clearly a calf, staying close to its mother as the adults demonstrated bubble-net feeding along the shoreline. It's a behavior we're always thrilled to witness and one that seems especially common in these quiet, protected coves, where calmer water provides an ideal classroom for the next generation.

It was a fitting way to end the day.

After a week apart, OceanFlyer was whole again, our journey had resumed, and we had been welcomed back by one of the coast's most remarkable reminders that these waters are, above all else, a place where life continues exactly as it has for generations.

its easy to see why you can get lost in this landscape, beaumont island cove looking south into johnson channel.