‘MIDDLE OF NOWHERE’ WORTH THE JOURNEY
Discovering hidden gems of Kyuquot on Vancouver Island’s west coast
I first heard of Kyuquot, on Vancouver Island’s west coast, from my father, who travelled to the village from Alberta for a fishing trip several years ago. My father’s eyes lit up whenever he talked about “the village in the middle of nowhere.”
Now here I was on a wooden ship, just two hours from Kyuquot. It was a moment I’d anxiously been waiting for.
The captain of the MV Uchuck III — a 136-foot (41.5-metre) wooden hull vessel built in 1942 as an American Minesweeper — urges the two dozen passengers on board to remain seated since the open ocean can be unpredictable. It’s the final stretch of the 10-hour journey from Gold River to Kyuquot, which has a population of 350 people. The only way to reach it is by float plane or boat.
Bracing myself on the observation platform near the centre of the Uchuck III, I tightly grip the railing as the ship begins to sway back and forth on the ocean swells. The cold wind pierces through my four layers of clothes as I look into the horizon and see nothing but ocean meeting the sky. At first it’s fun. Then the waves of nausea hit me. “I love this!” says a passenger as he stands on the observation platform, his body swaying back and forth with the ship. “You just have to move with it.”
I take the man’s advice and try to relax, pushing down the sprinkles of fear starting to brew inside me. I remind myself that Capt. Spencer Larsen and mate Adrian Last have seen swells in the area reach as high as 7.5 feet (2.3 metres) in the winter. On this day in late September they consider the water calm.
Having worked for Get West Adventure Cruises for the past 10 years, Larsen and Last have made the lengthy journey to Kyuquot more than 500 times, dropping off kayakers to explore isolated islands, and various supplies to fish farms, fishing lodges, logging camps and other remote communities along the way.
Once a week, the Uchuck III (which has been reconditioned with a wood-finished lounge, coffee shop and seating on the openair upper deck to accommodate 100 passengers) leaves port with up to 70 tons of cargo, such as groceries, propane, lube oils, wire, fish feed and building materials, making eight to 12 stops before reaching Kyuquot.
Passengers are invited to join the five-person crew on the two-day marine cruise from March to October. The daily routine involves eating delicious homemade soups, sandwiches or chili for lunch, and soaking in every moment of the stunning landscape consisting of rugged mountains, narrow fiords and tiny islands coated with velvety trees.
“We’re pretty spoiled. People come here with their jaws dropping over how gorgeous it is, but it’s just another day in the office for us,” said Larsen, 29. “We always enjoy a nice day like this.”
Two hours into the trip, we spot a group of six humpback whales breaching the surface, followed by a raft of sea otters casually floating on their backs. Then a black bear strolls onto shore, sending a wave of excitement among those on board. Elk are also seen in the area during the fall.
But it’s not just a cruise through a never-ending display of gorgeous, untouched wilderness. It also provides a rare glimpse into some of the province’s major industries hidden from the public eye, such as fish farming and heli-logging.
According to Larsen, the Muchalat Inlet is home to a handful of fish farms that harvest between 500,000 to 600,000 salmon every 12 to 14 months. The reason the fish farms are here is due to the deep waters in the Muchalat Inlet (located 12 km south of Gold River), which plunge 1,200 feet (366 metres) in some places.
The inlet is where our journey began before joining Nootka Sound — home to Nootka Island and the historic Yuquot (Friendly Cove) where Capt. James Cook of the Royal Navy became the first European to set foot on B.C. soil in March 1778.
Our voyage continued into the narrow Tahsis Inlet towards the village of Tahsis, then crossed into the Esperanza Inlet through a narrow channel before entering the open ocean for two hours during the final push to Kyuquot, where we’ll spend the night at a spacious chalet-style bed and breakfast.
An archipelago of nine islands and the mainland make up the area known as Kyuquot, which consists of a Red Cross outpost, a school, post office, a handful of fishing lodges and small stores located around various coves.
The community of Houpsitas, the original site of the First Nations people, is located on the mainland while Walter’s Island, a short boat ride away, is the central business district with two dozen buildings connected by a boardwalk.
Commercial fishing and the forest industry are the village’s major employers. After experiencing the open ocean, I’m relieved to arrive in the calm, sheltered waters of the village’s main dock, where we quickly walk to our nearby accommodation on Walter’s Island.
The only sound is the call of birds in the distance and the ocean gently lapping the shore.
Nicalena Chidley has lived in the peaceful village for 28 years and grew up at Friendly Cove, where her parents were keepers of the lighthouse. It’s hard to imagine living in such an isolated place with no roads or cars, but Chidley can’t imagine living anywhere else.
“I’ve always lived in isolation, I’ve always lived on the coast. The idea of moving to a town is what scares me,” said Chidley, who was helping a friend manage the bed and breakfast.
“The first person you meet in isolation is yourself. You have to be a jack-of-all-trades in our community.”
The next morning, I awake to light rain and cloudy skies, but it doesn’t put a damper on our spirits as we board the Uchuck III for the lengthy journey back to Gold River.