Outside Run West Coast Advice

[AmatuerHour]

Looking for resources or advice on a run we are hoping to make this late July on the outside of the island. We are planning to leave from Victoria and then look for a good weather window to head north for a week of fishing out of Nootka.

Having never made the run along the outside we are looking for any advice on itinerary or how to break it up, best places to stop for marinas / anchorages etc.

Initial thoughts are making it up to Ucluelet or Tofino as a resting point for overnight, all dependent on weather and sea conditions. We would be running in a 34’ powerboat with a 30mph cruise capability but naturally unpredictable sea conditions would impact range and viability.

Any threads or resources or advice on how you’d break up the trip around this south coast would be appreciated. Found a few YouTube videos but nothing too in depth as how attainable this concept is.

 

[onefish]

Westerlies tend to pick up during the day so leave at daybreak. If the weather turns lousy you can always duck into bamfield or go through the sound to Ukee. If the weather holds go to Tofino. You can then go up the inside from Tofino and stay protected until you go around Estevan pt. If it is really nice you can go on the outside from Tofino and up to Nootka. Vic to Nootka is a nice run. Enjoy your trip and use your common sense.

 

[AmatuerHour]

Westerlies tend to pick up during the day so leave at daybreak. If the weather turns lousy you can always duck into bamfield or go through the sound to Ukee. If the weather holds go to Tofino. You can then go up the inside from Tofino and stay protected until you go around Estevan pt. If it is really nice you can go on the outside from Tofino and up to Nootka. Vic to Nootka is a nice run. Enjoy your trip and use your common sense.

Much appreciated

 

[CBsqrd]

We did Tofino to Vancouver and the end of September last year. Pretty easy run. Left early, stopped for lunch in Victoria and at Crescent Beach by 2:30 pm. Only spot of rough water was near Sooke / Race Rocks, but YMMV.

@onefish summed it up well, leave early with Bamfield, Ucluelet and Tofino being your main stops if you want to break up the trip tied to a dock. Port Renfrew also if really in a pinch. Lots of anchorages in Barkley Sound if you are comfortable staying on the hook. If you can catch an ebb tide on the run up then you can save some fuel, but avoid an ebb tide against a NW wind at all costs.

One suggestion, assuming there are others on the crew who are capable, is to switch out captains / drivers every half hour. Keeps the operator fresh and alert and makes the trip go by fast. Three of us rotated through on the run last year and it was much easier than when I've done similar runs (Bamfield to North Van) operating myself.

 

[casper5280]

Your looking at about 300kms @30mph so about 6.5 hrs travel time. You have fuel in Sooke, Port Renfrew, Bamfield and Tofino. Your longest run is Sooke to Bamfield as far as weather and sea conditions to worry about. Other then that it's a great trip enjoy

 

[onefish]

One suggestion, assuming there are others on the crew who are capable, is to switch out captains / drivers every half hour. Keeps the operator fresh and alert and makes the trip go by fast. Three of us rotated through on the run last year and it was much easier than when I've done similar runs (Bamfield to North Van) operating myself.

Good advice to switch out wheel watch on a regular basis.

 

[AmatuerHour]

We did Tofino to Vancouver and the end of September last year. Pretty easy run. Left early, stopped for lunch in Victoria and at Crescent Beach by 2:30 pm. Only spot of rough water was near Sooke / Race Rocks, but YMMV.

@onefish summed it up well, leave early with Bamfield, Ucluelet and Tofino being your main stops if you want to break up the trip tied to a dock. Port Renfrew also if really in a pinch. Lots of anchorages in Barkley Sound if you are comfortable staying on the hook. If you can catch an ebb tide on the run up then you can save some fuel, but avoid an ebb tide against a NW wind at all costs.

One suggestion, assuming there are others on the crew who are capable, is to switch out captains / drivers every half hour. Keeps the operator fresh and alert and makes the trip go by fast. Three of us rotated through on the run last year and it was much easier than when I've done similar runs (Bamfield to North Van) operating myself.

Great point on the crew shifts. We always see a fair amount of lumber floating around outside Victoria and was thinking a daybreak run before wind and waves pick up is the best window. Appreciate all the responses

 

[Sir Reel]

I've done Vancouver to Bamfield 4 times. Each time was quite different. You can hit many different seas conditions along the way.
Rough, calm, foggy, rollers. It can be glass calm but big rollers so you can't do your cruise speed.
I would count on more of a 20 to 25mph average cruise speed.
Like CBsqrd said you can get driver fatigue especially if rough or foggy. I have autopilot which allows me to concentrate on the water ahead and reduces fatigue.
Need to pick your day and weather both ways. You may have to leave a day early or late. Heading from Victoria to Nootka you are running mostly against the weather. Coming back mostly with the weather.

There are speed restricted zones around Carmanah Point which will add time to my your trip.

Map of management measures in Swiftsure Bank to support Southern Resident killer whale recovery | Pacific Region | Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Map of management measures in Swiftsure Bank to support Southern Resident killer whale recovery

www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

I rely on the hourly wind reports and trends off Big Wave Dave.
You can also get wave heights for LaPerouse and Neah Bay.

Island Map2

Marine weather for Victoria, Vancouver Island BC Canada with live webcams and forecasts for wind and waves. Windsurfing, kiteboarding, wing foiling, surfing, sup, kayaking, boating, sailing, fishing, windsports.

bigwavedave.ca

Latest Reports

Marine weather for Victoria, Vancouver Island BC Canada with live webcams and forecasts for wind and waves. Windsurfing, kiteboarding, wing foiling, surfing, sup, kayaking, boating, sailing, fishing, windsports.

bigwavedave.ca

Having fished both Bamfield and Nootka not sure why you would go past Bamfield and up to Nootka? Nootka is beautiful but think Bamfield has more to offer and a lot less travel and fuel.

Another option is to have your boat trailered over to Nootka. Run up to French Creek or Campbell River and have the boat transported and launched in Gold River.
I believe this is the guy most people use.

DON'S Boat Transport | Jenkins Marine

Professional boat transportation services for vessels up to 50 feet.

www.jenkinsmarine.com

Fuel up in Victoria and then depending on your range Columbia Fuels in Ucluelet would be your next best bet.

Hope that helps!

 

[AmatuerHour]

I've done Vancouver to Bamfield 4 times. Each time was quite different. You can hit many different seas conditions along the way.
Rough, calm, foggy, rollers. It can be glass calm but big rollers so you can't do your cruise speed.
I would count on more of a 20 to 25mph average cruise speed.
Like CBsqrd said you can get driver fatigue especially if rough or foggy. I have autopilot which allows me to concentrate on the water ahead and reduces fatigue.
Need to pick your day and weather both ways. You may have to leave a day early or late. Heading from Victoria to Nootka you are running mostly against the weather. Coming back mostly with the weather.

There are speed restricted zones around Carmanah Point which will add time to my your trip.

Map of management measures in Swiftsure Bank to support Southern Resident killer whale recovery | Pacific Region | Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Map of management measures in Swiftsure Bank to support Southern Resident killer whale recovery

www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

I rely on the hourly wind reports and trends off Big Wave Dave.
You can also get wave heights for LaPerouse and Neah Bay.

Island Map2

Marine weather for Victoria, Vancouver Island BC Canada with live webcams and forecasts for wind and waves. Windsurfing, kiteboarding, wing foiling, surfing, sup, kayaking, boating, sailing, fishing, windsports.

bigwavedave.ca

Latest Reports

Marine weather for Victoria, Vancouver Island BC Canada with live webcams and forecasts for wind and waves. Windsurfing, kiteboarding, wing foiling, surfing, sup, kayaking, boating, sailing, fishing, windsports.

bigwavedave.ca

Having fished both Bamfield and Nootka not sure why you would go past Bamfield and up to Nootka? Nootka is beautiful but think Bamfield has more to offer and a lot less travel and fuel.

Another option is to have your boat trailered over to Nootka. Run up to French Creek or Campbell River and have the boat transported and launched in Gold River.
I believe this is the guy most people use.

DON'S Boat Transport | Jenkins Marine

Professional boat transportation services for vessels up to 50 feet.

www.jenkinsmarine.com

Fuel up in Victoria and then depending on your range Columbia Fuels in Ucluelet would be your next best bet.

Hope that helps!

This is fantastic- thank you for taking the time to share it. We were introduced to Nootka by friends who had been going every year for over 20 years and it has become a beloved family holiday for us as well for the past 10 years. While it’s only a brief time in country it many ways has served as a timepiece of watching my boys grow and (and myself grow older) So it is familiar ground to us and one of those bucket list aspirational conversations towing in and out over the years of “maybe someday we will run the outside”. Bucket list item for sure now for my adult sons and me.

We’ve never fished Bamfield and had planned to try some new ground on the exploration up and back. So we are appreciative of the note to not race past Bamfield and I’ll study up on reports and tactics.

Really appreciate the reference on a credible hauler out of CR because this was the Plan B option in our minds as well.

Good stuff and thank you

 

[Sir Reel]

What boat do you have?

 

[AmatuerHour]

What boat do you have?

Boston Whaler 345. It will be a new boat to us (but not a new boat)

 

[Sir Reel]

Great boat to do that run.
Might take a wee bit of fuel though

 

[AmatuerHour]

Great boat do that run.
Might take a wee bit of fuel though

Very true. Although the ferry ticket with the trailer and team is always $1k so I’ll lie to myself and say I’m saving money

 

[Srthomas75]

Any idea on the cost to get trailered to gold river and back?? ( from the west coast of van isle)
Just curious mainly.

 

[kaelc]

I agree that 20kn is a good travelling speed, after spending 3 hours travelling north of Tofino the last two days, some days you get flat calm or perfect rollers but it’s rare. And doing the trip from Victoria to Banfield in a BW 285, and in a troller a few decades ago it was often a mixed bag.

If you are interested in Anchorages I believe in Tofino you can get a permit to visit hot spring cove. An evening visit well after dinner is worth it, less crowds.

If you don’t have autopilot and I’d try to get some experience travelling by compass in the fog or simulating it.

 

[Sir Reel]

I think our second trip we had fog from Race Rocks to Cape Beale. About 5 hours.
It’s extremely tiring and you start seeing all sorts of shapes in the fog, islands, big ships, kraken….
You need to trust your radar and instruments. Very hard to judge the waves or rollers in the flat light too.

 

[N2013]

@wolf