Barkley Sound by Sail and Oar

For those of you who who are interested in gunkholing (and who isn't?), I'd like to call your attention to a recent trip made by some purists at the sport.

Barkley Sound is on the southwest side of Vancouver Island, BC, Canada and a more wild and beautiful place would be hard to find.

The Sound falls within the traditional territory of the Nuu-chah-nulth people who have occupied most of the west coast of Vancouver Island for four thousand years, living a semi-nomadic existence. They spent part of the year in the protected islands and bays of the Sound, and the remainder of the year on the outer islands and shores exposed to the Pacific Ocean. Indigenous sites attest to their lifestyle before the arrival of Europeans, with stonewall fish traps, shell middens and terraced village sites remaining today.


Inside Barkley Sound is an archipelago called the Broken Island Group, which is where we find our intrepid sailors. The story of this trip unfolds in a series of postings on the Woodenboat Forum. You don't have to be a member of the forum to read and enjoy this tale.

The Cast:
Who are these happy sailors? Left to right:
Eric Hvalsoe (Bandwagon), Alex Zimmerman (Hornpipe), Tim Yeadon (Big Food) and James McMullen (Rowan).

The Scene.

What's not to like about this?

...or this?

James filleting some fresh caught Ling Cod.

I hope these guys will let me tag along next year!






Thanks to James McMullen for the heads-up on this one, a truly exceptional trip!