Bottleneck Cove to Bacchante Bay

Our quiet night turned into a beautiful morning with no wind and clear skies. We are in no hurry to get going today because our next destination, Bacchante Bay, is only 12 miles away. The sailboat that shared the cove with us left as I was making breakfast, leaving us alone to enjoy the morning.

Calm morning in Bottleneck Cove

While the winds were reported to be approaching 25 knots not far from us in the ocean, our passage along the inside was calm. There was not much to see along the way except for the beauty of this wonderful part of the country. We poked our nose into the small bay in front of the Megin River before continuing our journey.

Not the normal water color

As we approached Bacchante Bay, the water turned noticeably brown and then a very red-brown. There must be more than just tannin that comes from the river at the head of the bay. The soil must contain some iron ore to develop such a noticeable reddish tint. We also wondered if it could be a red algae bloom; the so called “Red Tide”. We anchored abeam a small rock at the head of the bay populated with seals. They were clinging to the last little bits of the rock as it was covered by the rising tide.

We waited until a little after half high tide and launch the dinghy in hopes of going up Watta Creek. It was hard to find a way into the creek and we explored a few different ways of getting over a shallow bar. But we did not make it more than three quarters of a mile up the river before being stopped by rocks. We probably could have made it in the kayaks and or by adjusting our time a little later in the high tide. Maybe next time!

Forward progress stopped by the rocky bar

We love to explore rivers, always something new around the corner

Back on the boat we took it easy and did some planning. After checking the weather, we decided to head for Ucluelet rather than spending the next day at West White Pine Cove. That leaves that destination for our next trip on the coast. We had a calm night and enjoyed yet another episode of LOST.