When you’re cruising the west coast of Vancouver Island, little can compare with the variety, beauty, ruggedness, remoteness, and sheer satisfaction of this voyage. For many boaters, starting in the north at Port Hardy, the path down the west coast to the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca is the ultimate challenge. While weather may be a concern, the five major sounds along the west coast of Vancouver Island are separated by short distances with minimal travel time exposed to the Pacific Ocean. Each of the Sounds and inlets along this coast offer protected cruising areas with many anchoring options. Boaters will find charming villages like Bamfield and Ucluelet in Barkley Sound, and the popular surf city of Tofino in Clayoquot Sound. Historic Friendly Cove in Nootka Sound received Tall Ships during the early exploration period on the West Coast and continues to draw the curious and adventuresome. The west side of Vancouver Island is truly one of the finest cruising grounds in the Northwest.
Top Destinations
Hardy Bay to Quatsino Sound
God’s Pocket • Goletas Channel • Nahwitti Bar • Cape Scott • Sea Otter Cove
Quatsino Sound to Kyoquot
Winter Harbour • Quatsino Narrows • Coal Harbour • Brooks Peninsula • Bunsby Islands
Kyuquot Sound to Esperanza Inlet
Clear Passage • Zeballos • Esperanza • Tahsis Narrows
Nootka Sound to Hot Springs Cove
Tahsis • Critter Cove • Friendly Cove • Estevan Point
Clayoquot Sound
Bacchante Bay • Ahousat • Lemmens Inlet • Tofino
Barkley Sound
Ucluelet • Broken Group • Port Alberni • Bamfield
Plan Out Your Trip
The west coast of Vancouver Island is fully covered in the latest Waggoner Cruising Guide. It provides all you need about marinas, anchorages, passages, and attractions. Plan your day’s route with the guide’s detailed planning maps. Get your copy of the Waggoner Cruising Guide book!
Plus, there’s more to help you plan a great cruise along Vancouver Island’s western coastline. Read on…
Cruising West Coast Vancouver Island
Little can compare to the variety, beauty, remoteness, and ruggedness of West Coast Vancouver Island. Sailboats and power vessels alike circumnavigate Vancouver Island for bragging rights; but if you have time constraints, you can cruise what we call the best part of...
Turquoise Waters on West Vancouver Island!?
What’s with the tropical-looking waters in Barkley Sound? While cruising the West Coast of Vancouver Island gathering updates for the Waggoner Guide, we noticed the extraordinary tropical-looking blue water in Ucluelet Inlet and around the Broken Group islands. The...
Cape Scott – Early Danish Settlement
Intrepid boaters who have circumnavigated Vancouver Island have a healthy respect for Cape Scott, a rugged coastal wilderness on the northwestern tip of Vancouver Island, open to northwesterly winds. Hidden behind the headlands of this rugged coast are the remnants of...
Nitinat Narrows, a Mariner’s Challenge on West Coast Vancouver Island
Nitinat Narrows, located on the West Coast of Vancouver Island between Port San Juan and Barkley Sound, connects Nitinat Lake with the Pacific Ocean. Entrance to the narrows is obstructed by rocks and a shallow bar; only a few boats each year attempt to make it...
106 Containers Lost Overboard Near the Entrance to Strait of Juan de Fuca
Waggoner received a report from the United States Coast Guard that 40 shipping containers were lost overboard, which was later revised to 106 containers lost, at approximately 48.28.18 North and 125.39.25 West. This position is about 25 miles off the entrance buoy to...
Cougar Annie’s Garden in Hesquiat Harbour – A Special Place on West Coast Vancouver Island
A Special Place on West Coast Vancouver IslandIn 1915, the wily pioneer Cougar Annie set foot on the beach at Boat Basin in Hesquiat Harbour with her husband and three children. For seventy years, while bearing 8 more children and outliving three more...
Carved Boardwalk Planks at Hot Springs Cove BC
In the fall of 2018, BC Provincial Parks will begin a project to replace and widen the failing boardwalk at Hot Springs Cove. Located on the West side of Vancouver Island, this remote park site was originally accessible only by boat. Today, a number of...