vendredi 13 septembre 2019
1908 CLAYOQUOT SOUND: "Tourists n wild Bear"
Unfortunatly, Helena had to leave ALCYONE to fly back to Hong Kong as her mother health was quickly deteriorating,
I continue alone north with intention to sail around the island: No many cruising boat visit this wild side at the beginning of the season n I hope it ll be the same for the inland passage after the summer: Alcyone is a bit large for local cruising standard n need more space to anchor , avoiding the local sternline ...CLAYOQUOT is the next sound: A big contrast there between the touristic one side zone around TOFINO (1 million tourists/year with a big part for the superb west surfbeaches) and isolated first nation spots like AHOUSAT, and very wild areas; I saw the only wild bear of my cruise n my life here !
A peacefull space to anchor, even in busy TOFINO, thanks to our fast dinghy

The place offer a lot to refill ALCYONE...
... a lot also to holiday's users... n makers...
It's so convenient and afordable to reachTOFINO with a seaplane...

...but on the beach, as COX BEACH above nobody has to fight for his vitalspace as in Europe
This boardwalk is for yourself if you wait end of the day
suberb TOFINO closed suburb...

...with, few miles away a very nice floating house ...
...but a really nasty plastic garden: so many fish farms now around the island !
But you can still find very nice spots in CLOYOQUOT SOUND , closed to the Ocean like BLUNDEL island...

With uninvited guest on board; the last passenger you expect in CANADA !
Not so far, AHOUSAT looks like another world...
...with this very isolated store n owner...from 1958...

...and the other side, the first nation (Martosis) community...
...proud about the natives traditions
...and the village totem

No fences between houses, but walking around give a very strange feeling.
Next day wind allow ALCYONE to sail further inside
to the unic anchorage of BACCHANTE, so closest to the mountain...so nice to be here alone !

Immediatly, the dinghy is in the water to follow the creek upstream...
...1mn after this photo, as I was working with the rows ; a big black bear went slowly out of the water to the right !
.

..but all my further attempts in the nearby creeks were not successfull...
...Time to come back to civilisation and better wheather
The RAMSAY hot springs are as much as popular as TOFINO's beach...

Game here is different; avoiding the crowd coming from TOFINO...
The steps access boardwalk were built by former cruisers
but now, all is maintained by the local communauty

The site is really for you before the rush of the TOFINO's speed boats...
and until 8h00 in summer you can enjoy a real hot tub
There are already 2 ALCYONES carved here...



















