West Battle Bay Anchorage

The weather is forecasted to calm down today but pick back up again tomorrow with SE winds instead of our preferred NW winds given our direction of travel. So, it is time to leave Klaskino and head to West Battle Bay Anchorage, one of our favorite stops after rounding the Brooks Peninsula. We've anchored in both West Battle Bay and the Bunsby Islands, and we prefer Battle Bay because it doesn't feel as enclosed and is very close to a wonderful sandy beach. However, it is exposed to the southeast.

We had a good rounding of Brooks Peninsula, starting with winds less than 5 knots from Klaskino nearly all the way to the end of the Penninsula. On this leg, we were hailed by the Cascadia, a 125’ passenger charter catamaran that is part of the Maple Leaf Group. We had seen her several times on our AIS in Quatsino Sound. She had just rounded Brooks from the other direction. The captain contacted us on the VHF for the sole purpose of chatting. We traded stories about our vessels, and he gave us a forecast for Solander Island that turned out to be accurate - it included both humpback whales and puffins.

As we moved to the second leg of the three sides of the Peninsula, the wind and waves started to build. By the time we made the third and final turn the winds reached 20 knots but the seas were on our stern, providing a nice enough ride in the following seas.

There was also some fog, but it was variable, ranging from ¼ mile to 1 ½ miles, and lasted only an hour. However, it totally obscured Solander Island as we came abeam it.

West Battle Bay looks cozy on the charts, but after you set anchor and look back out to the East that feeling goes away. It does mean that you’re open to the effects of easterly winds and fetch, so the anchorage is not ideal in all conditions. If wind is predicted from an easterly quadrant, then it’s a short trip to reposition to the Bunsby Islands where you can find protection in all weather conditions.

West Battle Bay NOT FOR NAVIGATION

West battle Bay Anchorage

When we last visited here in 2012, I made nachos for dinner. Somehow I got everything right because we raved about them so much we christened them “Battle Bay Nachos.” I put a recipe in my files but somehow they are never as good as we remember. Nevertheless, our location called for another attempt. Well, I can only conclude that this anchorage is the key, becasue they lived up to our memories.

Battle Bay Nachos, best enjoyed in Battle Bay

The next day, we visited what we call Kayak Beach — located in Battle Bay— because there is always an encampment of kayakers tucked in the north corner. There is a long sand and pebble beach that is fun to walk and inspect the occasional interesting rock or shell. Even though there is a kayaker camp, no one was there today and we were all alone on the beach.

We also made a slight sojourn over to the river that flows into the bay. We always discuss giving the river a try in the dinghy at high tide, but it never looks inviting. I did take the drone up the river to get a better look, but I’m still not convinced it is something I want to try. I know other cruisers have done it, but I need to have a better feeling than the one I get when I look at that river. Maybe some footage from the drone will help convince me.

West BaTTLE bay Kayak camp

beautiful beach in battle bay

With the forecast predicting SE winds building, we made our way to Scow Bay in the Bunsby Islands. It’s a fine anchorage and the most protected in the area. All the boats that we previously spotted on AIS were gone, so we had our choice of spots to drop the hook. As we did in 2012, we tried tucking back in the SE corner, but ultimately went back to where we finally anchored in 2012, closer to the middle in 50 feet. We should have referred to our 2012 blog entry first to save some time.

As the evening approached, we spotted M/V Marlinda, a 130-foot Delta, on AIS. Her destination was listed as the Bunsby Islands. She stayed just ahead of the fog and found her spot in South Bunsby Cove. Just before she entered Gay Passage, her tender, Little Marlinda, decoupled and took the lead. Little Marlinda scouted the route ensuring no surprises for big Marlinda. We often do that with our dinghy in tricky entrances, but she’s not 33 feet in length.