WOW, late summer winds got us out of Nanaimo Harbor with a blast. SE winds 20-25 knots across the Strait, straight into Buccaneer Bay on one tack. SWEET!! OMOO hit over 10 knots at one point.
What a spectacular place. We failed our first 3 attempts at anchoring west of Surrey Islands so the skipper had his eyes pealed for something else. The beaches of North and South Thormanby shallow out a long way and with a SE blowin’ provided little protection. However, tucking in behind the covered reef east of Surrey Islands was not only protected, but nobody else was there. Well, that is until Randy on Tamara, a friend of a friend from Vancouver found us the next day. Was a fun visit with many “old pilot stories.”
Sideways had to explore the beaches, and at low tide that turned into a bit of a work out. Getting the dingy off the beach while the wind kept blowing her back, hmmm. So, dragging the dingy out waist deep and tying on to a moored skiff was one idea, until starting the motor and getting blown onto another sand bar got the prop stuck…
Paddling furiously to 2 foot depth finally worked out and away she went. Totally worth the trip. These beaches are amazing and it’s hard to believe we’re in the Pacific Northwest and not on some tropical South Pacific Island.
