See page 551 of Exploring
the North Coast of British Columbia, 2nd Edition for general
location.
Anchoring small boats possible at 52°29.85' N, 131°43.21
W inside the first lagoon.
Puffin Cove is one of the
most unique destinations I have been to in all my explorations
along the Washington, British Columbia, including outside
Vancouver Island, and SE Alaska coasts. While Don and
Réanne Douglas are the premier explorers of these
coasts in our day, they have not been everywhere. One
day Don remarked to me that I was indeed an explorer in
my 21-ft Bayliner Trophy, Day by Day. It is with a certain
amount of glee that I boast of going into some places
that the Douglass’ do not go. Going inside Puffin
Cove is one of those. I am an adventurer after all!
Having
said the above, make no mistake that going to Puffin Cove
could prove to be extremely dangerous. Getting there is
no small task. First you must cross Hecate Strait, 4th
roughest body of water in the world, or go in the open
ocean from Vancouver Island to the outside of Moresby
Island. Before you go, you need a reservation and an orientation
to get into Gwaii Haanas National Park and Reserve. These
are no small tasks when estimating well in advance what
the weather window will be like when you are scheduled
to go. If you have a large vessel your only option is
to anchor outside as indicated in Exploring the North
Coast of British Columbia, 2nd Edition. Here you will
be subject to unprotected southerly winds. Once anchored
you can take dinghies inside. Kayaks have made it to Puffin
Cove, but there are few places to go ashore getting there,
with rocky walls along the coast. If you go in a kayak,
at the orientation you are warned that you had better
have your will made out before you go! The advantage of
going in a fast, small boat (under 30-ft) is that you
can travel quickly in a good weather window and you can
anchor well-protected inside Puffin Cove. Neil Carey,
author of Puffin Cove and the one who named it, said at
least one sailboat went inside and anchored.
Now that I have your attention,
what is the attraction of Puffin Cove? Imagine a perfect
sandy beach inside a rock-protected opening to the sea.
Then there is a cabin built by the Carey’s for you
to visualize what it was like for them to build it and
live here. They found this unusual place after checking
out all the coves in the Charlottes, also known as Haida
Gwaii. You can hike to beachcomb at several beaches and
take home all the trinkets your boat can hold! Most unusual
is where you anchor inside in the first lagoon where at
low tide I found 11 feet of water under my boat when the
entrance is impassable with even a dinghy. You must tie
to shore on both sides as there is no swing room. Carey
told me that even in the roughest storm there was no surge
here to bother his 30-ft lifeboat tied at this same spot.
There is larger lagoon to explore by dinghy only at high
tide as rocks block the entrance. You can watch the puffins
outside and maybe catch your dinner. Inside, I was fascinated
by a seal swimming underwater in the shallows over a sandy
bottom. Need I tempt you more? Before coming, a must read
is Puffin Cove so you will have the full feel and meaning
of this very special place.
The
day I arrived in Day by Day from the north the sea was
calm and the sun was shining. I was hyped as to what was
it really like inside Puffin Cove. We anchored outside
so I could see into the entrance. There was not enough
water for us to go inside, so I took my dinghy in, making
sure I did not capsize on the periodic small breaking
waves. The only guides for going inside were the ariel
photo in Carey’s book and his advice during our
short visit in Sand Spit. If I understood correctly, Carey
said it was okay to enter the narrow opening in 20-25
knot winds at 5.5 to 6.0 tides per Tofino tables. He advised
staying close to the rocks on your port hand going in
as he never hit them. Going in and out I followed as closely
as possible the ariel photo portion that shows water at
low tide. Skipper’s take full responsibility for
their decisions and actions if they choose to enter inside
Puffin Cove. Once inside I landed on the sand and entered
the cabin. I tried to sign the log as the Park wants you
to do, but all ball-point pens were rusted solid! Bring
your own pen. I was gripped with emotion as to what it
must have been like for the Carey’s to arrive here
each time and then reluctantly leave, especially for the
last time. Many belongings are still in place as though
there had been a death in the family. Please leave all
of them here. This was June 2. I was amazed that the last
visitor to log in was the previous August! Also a shock
was that only about a dozen appeared to have visited in
the previous four years. If you make it here and return
home safely, you know you will be among the elite explorers
north of Seattle.
Editor's Note: John Petersen
is the author of Day by Day to Alaska; Queen Charlotte
Islands and Around Vancouver Island.
Having
said the above, make no mistake that going to Puffin Cove
could prove to be extremely dangerous. Getting there is
no small task. First you must cross Hecate Strait, 4th
roughest body of water in the world, or go in the open
ocean from Vancouver Island to the outside of Moresby
Island. Before you go, you need a reservation and an orientation
to get into Gwaii Haanas National Park and Reserve. These
are no small tasks when estimating well in advance what
the weather window will be like when you are scheduled
to go. If you have a large vessel your only option is
to anchor outside as indicated in Exploring the North
Coast of British Columbia, 2nd Edition. Here you will
be subject to unprotected southerly winds. Once anchored
you can take dinghies inside. Kayaks have made it to Puffin
Cove, but there are few places to go ashore getting there,
with rocky walls along the coast. If you go in a kayak,
at the orientation you are warned that you had better
have your will made out before you go! The advantage of
going in a fast, small boat (under 30-ft) is that you
can travel quickly in a good weather window and you can
anchor well-protected inside Puffin Cove. Neil Carey,
author of Puffin Cove and the one who named it, said at
least one sailboat went inside and anchored.
The
day I arrived in Day by Day from the north the sea was
calm and the sun was shining. I was hyped as to what was
it really like inside Puffin Cove. We anchored outside
so I could see into the entrance. There was not enough
water for us to go inside, so I took my dinghy in, making
sure I did not capsize on the periodic small breaking
waves. The only guides for going inside were the ariel
photo in Carey’s book and his advice during our
short visit in Sand Spit. If I understood correctly, Carey
said it was okay to enter the narrow opening in 20-25
knot winds at 5.5 to 6.0 tides per Tofino tables. He advised
staying close to the rocks on your port hand going in
as he never hit them. Going in and out I followed as closely
as possible the ariel photo portion that shows water at
low tide. Skipper’s take full responsibility for
their decisions and actions if they choose to enter inside
Puffin Cove. Once inside I landed on the sand and entered
the cabin. I tried to sign the log as the Park wants you
to do, but all ball-point pens were rusted solid! Bring
your own pen. I was gripped with emotion as to what it
must have been like for the Carey’s to arrive here
each time and then reluctantly leave, especially for the
last time. Many belongings are still in place as though
there had been a death in the family. Please leave all
of them here. This was June 2. I was amazed that the last
visitor to log in was the previous August! Also a shock
was that only about a dozen appeared to have visited in
the previous four years. If you make it here and return
home safely, you know you will be among the elite explorers
north of Seattle.