Beaumont Island Cove to Boukind Bay

The weather finally changed.

Since leaving Bellingham, we'd been enjoying an almost unbelievable stretch of sunshine. For several days my GPS weather model had been predicting that the pattern was about to break, and right on cue, a light rain began around 5:00 p.m. yesterday and continued through the night. It was the first meaningful rainfall of the cruise—a remarkable run of dry weather for the Pacific Northwest.

Morning brought another first.

Fog.

While there's no denying that fog lends a certain mystery to the coast, Roscoe Channel is a place best appreciated under blue skies, where every bend reveals another towering granite wall and another breathtaking vista. Rather than hurry through one of our favorite stretches of coastline, we decided to make only a short hop to Boukind Bay and wait for tomorrow's forecast of clear skies before continuing on.

Sometimes the best cruising decision is simply knowing when not to rush.

Traffic remained surprisingly light. Aside from a couple of small tour boats making their way through the channel, we once again had the coast largely to ourselves. It never ceases to amaze us how quickly the crowds disappear once you venture beyond the more popular cruising destinations.

Boukind Bay is one of those anchorages that quietly earns a place on your list of reliable overnight stops. It offers good protection from nearly every direction, although a strong northerly would certainly make its presence known.

boukind bay safe harbour

The real personality of the bay comes from the currents.

With several channels converging nearby, the current often has more influence than the wind. During our stay, OceanFlyer spent the entire night lying nearly ninety degrees to the anchor rode, held there by the flow of water rather than the breeze. Fortunately, the conditions remained calm, and the only reminder was the gentle slap of small wavelets against the hull.

Anchoring here is refreshingly uncomplicated. The bay gradually shoals toward its head, where a broad shelf of about twenty feet provides excellent holding and plenty of swinging room—a welcome change from the steep-sided anchorages that characterize so much of the British Columbia coast.

mist fills te air in boukind bay

 Tomorrow's low tide should expose long stretches of shoreline, and with them comes the possibility of wildlife. We'll be keeping a watchful eye for bears, although experience has taught us never to expect them.

oceanflyer on alert in hopes of spoting another bear

That's part of what keeps this coast so special.

Around the next bend—or perhaps around the next low tide—there's always the possibility that nature will decide to put on a show.