NW Explorations

Some of the best cruising in the Pacific Northwest is the quiet kind. In from the water, a good anchorage to yourself, and a comfortable place to settle in for the evening. Starweather is built for exactly that, and she has open weeks for the rest of this season.

Step into her salon and she feels more like a home on the water than a boat: warm wood, easy seating, and windows that keep the view close. She's a Nordhavn 57 with three staterooms sleeping six, a full galley, washer and dryer, air conditioning, and Starlink aboard, so a week or more settles into an easy rhythm. And for a boat her size, she's approachable to run, with stabilizers and bow-and-stern thrusters doing much of the work.

Open weeks run from mid-August through late September, and again through October. If you've been thinking about a fall cruise, we’re here to help make it happen.

View more details about Starweather - 57’ Nordhavn: https://www.nwexplorations.com/charter-boats/57-nordhavn/

Call us at 1.800.826.1430
or email [email protected]

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 18: Sooke to Victoria

Our last full day in Canadian waters. Perfect calm leaving Sooke, flat conditions and blue skies all the way into Victoria by noon. Ross and Evelyn greeted us on the dock. That evening, all the geese and goslings met on Deception to celebrate—looking at photos, remarking on the journey. Over 700 nautical miles through difficult waters, we had built skills, relationships, and confidence. Tomorrow the flotilla returns to Bellingham. Olivia stays behind. Thanks for reading and following along.

https://www.nwexplorations.com/2026-vancouver-island-360-flotilla-day-18-sooke-to-victoria/

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 17: Deer Group Islands to Sooke

A 0530am start into sunrise for 72 nautical miles. Large swells gave way to open ocean. Breaching humpbacks, porpoises bow riding, flocks of sea birds. Eight hours of rotating driving, snacking, and napping underway. Entering Sooke Harbour was dynamic—wind and currents ripping, a challenging dock that all the skilled captains pulled off. Cocktail hour on Athena, sharing memories and snacks. Whistler left the flotilla on their early morning departure. Early nights tonight. Off to Victoria tomorrow.

https://www.nwexplorations.com/2026-vancouver-island-360-flotilla-day-17-deer-group-islands-to-sooke/

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 16: Cataract Cove to Deer Group Islands

Well-rested crews sipped coffee on the decks before pulling anchors for the Deer Group Islands in Huu-ay-aht First Nations Territory. Brief rain and swells gave way to calm as we tucked into the bay. Ashore, we found sea asparagus, ripe huckleberries, moon snail shells with their characteristic drilled holes—evidence of a snail's predatory bore through its prey's shell. We climbed rocks, played on a driftwood see-saw, soaked in a stellar sunset that turned the bay and boats orange. Early to bed: a long 72-nautical-mile day tomorrow.

https://www.nwexplorations.com/2026-vancouver-island-360-flotilla-day-16-cataract-cove-to-deer-group-islands/

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 15: Ucluelet to Cataract Cove

A slow 10:30am departure from Ucluelet into Barkley Sound. We rafted up at Cataract Cove and went up Lucky Creek by dinghy, finding a mist-framed waterfall where John and Quinn climbed while everyone cheered. The water was warm—69 degrees, warmest of the trip. Then a black bear meandered along the intertidal directly behind our raft, walked a log down to the water, pawed for mussel-covered branches, and plopped down to eat. Tied up together that evening, we passed around biscuits, drinks, and dinner, trading the kind of idle chit-chat that comes from being neighbors. Tomorrow: the Deer Group Islands.

https://www.nwexplorations.com/2026-vancouver-island-360-flotilla-day-15-ucluelet-to-cataract-cove/

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 14: Bacchante Bay to Ucluelet

Up at 6am, snaking through Clayoquot Sound's islands before crossing open ocean along Tofino. Sea otters, a humpback, kelp forests, long sandy beaches. The ride was smooth until we hit the harbor, where the swells picked up. Ucluelet offered time to scatter—pizza dinners, the aquarium, beach walks, tide pooling, topping up groceries. Everyone chose their own adventure. Tomorrow we sneak 15 nautical miles deeper into Barkley Sound for more remote exploration.

https://www.nwexplorations.com/2026-vancouver-island-360-flotilla-day-14-bacchante-bay-to-ucluelet/

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 13: Bacchante Bay

A spectacular sunrise lit the treetops and fog against tall cliff faces. The whole flotilla met early and explored together; a waterfall, mossy forest floor, sword ferns, and rivers rushing to sea. At high tide we kayaked up Watta Creek, paddling as far as the rapids would let us. Quinn got through. John and Olivia got sucked back downstream. Tony went for a dip and laughed about it. The sun kept shining through a beautiful sunset. Tomorrow: Ucluelet.

https://www.nwexplorations.com/2026-vancouver-island-360-flotilla-day-13-bacchante-bay/

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 12: Santa Gertrudis to Bacchante Bay

Is was an exposed ride around the Hesquiat Peninsula. Some in dynamic offshore swells, others in rougher, less predictable water before all made it safely into Hot Springs Cove through impressive large swells. The boardwalk through old growth forest was rich with massive red cedars and Sitka spruces, deer ferns, banana slugs. By evening, rafted in Bacchante Bay, we watched the sun set over an estuary thick with mossy, lichen-covered trees and a boatload of mosquitos. Tomorrow: low tide dinghy exploration and kayaking up Watta Creek.

https://www.nwexplorations.com/2026-vancouver-island-360-flotilla-day-12-santa-gertrudis-to-bacchante-bay/

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 11: Tahsis to Yuquot

Low tide in Tahsis Inlet brought eight beach bears foraging on the exposed shore; some flipping rocks, others gnawing mussels, mamas teaching their cubs to eat. After a 20-mile run to Yuquot (Friendly Cove), we explored the lighthouse and old church, picked blackberries, talked with locals. Winds picking up, so we slipped around the corner and rafted up together in Santa Gertrudis Cove for the night. The water was warm—62 degrees—and the rain came heavy. Tomorrow: Hot Springs Cove.

https://www.nwexplorations.com/2026-vancouver-island-360-flotilla-day-11-tahsis-to-yuquot/

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 10: Bunsby Islands to Tahsis

The light played on trees and rocky islands through mist and fog. Dynamic weather patches of blue mixed with heavy rains and greys. As we left the protected islands, the wind picked up and we had a blast navigating choppy conditions. In Tahsis Narrows, a family of orcas were socializing and playing: a young one breaching and splashing again and again, elders slapping their tails and swimming upside down. The flotilla was beaming and laughing along with them. That evening in Tahsis village, everyone gathered at Westview Marina for dinner, trading stories and observations over a full day.

https://www.nwexplorations.com/2026-vancouver-island-360-flotilla-day-10-bunsby-islands-to-tahsis/