Monday, July 25, 2016

Anchoring in Moulds Bay on Quadra Island

Heriot Bay Inn and Marina
We found a good weather window to take our boat out on the ocean, or the chuck as we call it now that we live in Powell River. 

We keep our boat set with essentials, so all we needed were personal items and ice chests with food, drinks and lots of ice.

We left on Saturday to time our arrival at the Heriot Bay Inn on Quadra Island for an early dinner on their outside deck. Then we went over to nearby Rebecca Spit Marina Park, but it was way too crowded.

Anchored in Moulds Bay.

Wayne remembered a private spot not far away on Quadra called Moulds Bay, so that's where we headed. As we rounded the point I half expected to see another boat already there, but we lucked out.

Moulds Bay is exposed to the south, but in settled weather it was calm.

We spent two nights and one mostly sun filled day floating on the hook. We saw an orca on the way in, and eagles, a heron, ducks and an otter at the anchorage. Only a few boats passed by and several kayakers paddled through. It's also listed as a scuba diving spot.

Moulds Bay can be found west of the Breton Islands on Quadra's east coast not far north ofRebecca Spit. It's just off a small passage leading to Hoskyn Channel between Quadra and Read Island.

Enjoying a good book at Moulds Bay anchorage.

The Dreamspeaker Guide by Anne and Laurence Yeadon-Jones lists Moulds Bay as a temporary anchorage that is sheltered from all directions except the south. We were looking at a weekend of settled weather so felt comfortable anchoring there for two nights.

Beautiful reflections on a calm afternoon.

It's a small anchorage with enough room for one boat to swing at anchor. There are two privately owned cabins on the shore, but while we were there, they were unoccupied. That was nice for us, and probably the owners as well.

One interesting thing I learned from the guide is that there are interesting rock formations on shore. There is one large dike (a vertical band within the granite cliff) and several smaller ones. I'm a bit of a rock hound, so this was fun to discover.

A large dike in the granite cliffs on shore.

At the end of the day, the breeze calmed and the ocean became glassy.

Sunset reflections in Moulds Bay.

The next day we relaxed and read and fixed simple meals on-board.

Leaving Moulds Bay looking back at the protective islets.

A northwest wind kicked up on Monday morning, so we left through the passage to Hoskyn Channel and headed south to go around the north side of Cortes Island looking for more protected waters.

Leaving Hoskyn Channel heading south towards Sutil Channel and Cortes Island.

A trip on the chuck wouldn't be complete without trying a little bit of fishing. Nothing was biting, but it was fun to troll and relax in the warm sunshine. -- Margy

18 comments:

  1. Peaceful and utterly gorgeous.

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  2. Great look around.

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  3. It looks like a perfect couple of days. You must have studied the weather charts very carefully and you must also know the weather patterns in your part of the country very well. Great photos - especially the beautiful reflections.

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    1. We listen to the weather service on the radio to keep up to date. I hate rough seas! - Margy

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  4. Wonderful trip and even more fabulous photos. It looks like the perfect place for relaxing and enjoying the bay. And now I must catch up on blog reading, as I'm so far behind after a week of vacation.

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    1. I've had a hard time this summer as well with all the time at the cabin and no Internet. - Margy

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  5. How beautiful! Looks like a great place to relax and to just be!

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  6. Lovely! Lucky you.

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    1. Lucky all of us with such good weather all of a sudden. - Margy

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  7. Beautiful photos, Margy, but the sunset reflection is gorgeous. What a lovely place to pause and ponder.
    Hugs from here,
    Kay
    An Unfittie's Guide

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    1. That's one thing we don't get at the cabin. West is behind the hills, and I'm too lazy to get up for summer sunrises. - Margy

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  8. What a beautiful and peaceful place. Nice photos

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  9. I just love Quadra, would love to go back this year but it likely isn't in the cards. Sounds like a fabulous way to spend some time, I so wish we had a boat. For now our wee kayaks will have to do.

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    1. Quadra is a good kayak place as well. There were lots paddling through our anchorage. - Margy

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  10. Beautiful scenery!

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  11. That looks so beautiful and peaceful xxx

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    1. It was compared to the other anchorage where everyone was crowded together. - Margy

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We welcome your comments and questions. - Wayne and Margy