Oceana Voyage

Oceana in Desolation Sound

Explore the Inside Passage and the West Coast of Vancouver Island with us

We believe in living fully at every age and as we grow older that it’s important to challenge ourselves. Circumnavigating Vancouver Island can be a challenge for sailors of any age. Let’s see how we do!

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About Oceana

ur proposed voyage map circumnavigating Vancouver Island.

Map

Gulls fight over fish guts at the dock in Tofino.

Tofino, Barkley Sound, and the Long Haul to Magnificent Victoria—We Have Circumnavigated Vancouver Island!!

Restaurants, galleries, gift shops, tourist boats buzzing everywhere, traffic … TOFINO! After weeks of moving from remote anchorage to remote anchorage with a few rugged sports fishing marinas in between, we finally tie up at Tofino Resort Marina. Tofino is west coast Vancouver Island’s most popular tourist destination. The rain barely dampens visitor enthusiasm or ours. We are happy to be…

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North Coast carved welcome arch at Alert Bay.

Totems and the Sorrows of Colonization on the North Pacific Coast

After spending several glorious days in heat and sunshine in one of the most beautiful anchorages this trip, Bacchante Bay, it’s been raining hard for two days. We are anchored in a pretty little cove in Clayoquot Sound waiting it out. The big news is we finally saw a bear! I’m posting some pictures of our stay in Bacchante Bay, Tranquilito…

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Sunrise in Friendly Cove

Exploring the Hidden Gems of Vancouver Island’s West Coast

It’s Wednesday, August 6 and we are at Westview Marina in Tahsis, BC. When I say we are at a marina, it’s not the kind you may first think of—tidy, well-kept, an aroma of money—these west coast marinas are small and roughhewn with an aroma more like dead fish. The docks list one way then the other. Tripping hazards are many.…

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The Bunsby Islands where we were anchored during the Tsunami threat.

Tsunami Scare, The Brooks Peninsula, Sea Wolves, and Sunshine

Note: I’d almost completed the post below and had intended to post it last night when we received a text from fellow cruisers: “Have you seen the Tsunami alert?” We hadn’t.  Our radio was off and we were busy looking over maps and charts planning our next day. An 8.8 earthquake had hit in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of…

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Crossing Nahwitti Bar

Rounding Cape Scott, We Begin Our Journey Down the West Coast of Vancouver Island

It all comes down to weather. The wind and currents dictate when or if we go. A gale blew for days on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island necessitating waiting for a weather window to arrive to allow safe and comfortable passage across Nahwitti Bar, and then around Cape Scott at the northern tip of Vancouver Island. We left Port Hardy…

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