Name: NW Explorations
Address: 2623 S. Harbor Loop Dr, Bellingham, WA, 98225, United States
Telephone: +1-800-826-1430

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2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 8: Bull Harbour to Bunsby Islands
Day 8: 92 nautical miles of open ocean in a weather window. We crossed the Nahwiti Bar, Cape Scott, and the Brooks Peninsula—three major crossings that had Quinn and Olivia holding down breakfast while the experienced sailors shared chipper voices over the radio. Sooty shearwaters, albatross, tufted puffins appeared. Salmon sharks swam calmly past our bows. The Brooks Peninsula loomed and impressed. By nightfall, tucked behind Brooks in the Bunsby Islands, everyone was ready for rest.

Olivia Cornies
Jul 24, 2026
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2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 7: Port Alexander to Bull Harbour
A quick 15-mile run to Bull Harbour to gear up for tomorrow’s ocean passage. A transient orca bull swam past as they left. That evening, fishing for halibut came up empty-handed, but trolling rewarded us with pink and chum salmon so full of Dungeness crab larvae the bay’s whole food chain was visible in one stomach. Bull Harbour is shallow and positioned perfectly for tomorrow’s crossing—72 nautical miles to Klaskino Anchorage at slack tide. The ocean passage begins tomorrow.

Olivia Cornies
Jul 23, 2026
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2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 6: Port McNeill to Port Alexander
We waited for a weather window in fog, tried and failed to anchor, and ended up raft-tied in Port Alexander instead, where a mama sea otter floated her fluffy pup on her chest in the kelp, and coho salmon hunted young herring everywhere. Quinn and Dougray caught their first salmon on the first bite. That night, they feasted together on Athena. On shore, the intertidal was alive—sea stars, anemones, hermit crabs—and deeper in the forest, a trail opened up through wetland and peat moss. Scat with small bones and hair, perhaps from a coastal wolf. In God’s Pocket, a truly beautiful place for us to spend some time in.

Olivia Cornies
Jul 22, 2026
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2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 5: Forward Harbour to Port McNeill
Johnstone Strait was glassy; so unusually smooth that even John and Olivia had never seen it that way. Pink salmon were jumping like mad in the current. Then Strait Watch radioed: Northern Residents moving through. The flotilla slowed, changed course, and 14 to 16 whales came directly toward them—a healthy family unit of young ones, large bulls, and females. What a thrill. Tomorrow we’re heading to God’s Pocket, where the water gets wilder and the nooks get more remote.

Olivia Cornies
Jul 21, 2026
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2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 4: Prideaux Haven to Forward Harbour
Day four demanded precision. Five rapids timed to the currents, a 5am departure, coffee pots brewing in the pre-dawn dark. The flotilla’s well-oiled machine delivered: John timed them perfectly, and they entered a gauntlet where humpbacks hunted alongside them, sea lions played in their wakes, and Dahl’s porpoises launched themselves through the water like they owned it. By Forward Harbour, the goslings were confident enough to scatter; exploring beaches, searching for crabs (and getting skunked), and finding hidden trails through the forest. Quinn and Olivia kept their daily swim pact alive, though the water was already teaching them that Desolation Sound’s welcome was fading north.

Olivia Cornies
Jul 20, 2026
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2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 3: Pender Harbour to Prideaux Haven
Desolation Sound took everyone’s collective breath away. After three days of passage and challenge, the flotilla rafted-up in Prideaux Haven where guests jumped into water so clear and calm it felt surreal. The first potluck came together that evening; famous beans, homemade lasagna, and cheesy pizza. While some retired early, others chased sunset cruises and late evening hikes.

Olivia Cornies
Jul 19, 2026
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2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 2: Ganges to Pender Harbour
Day two brought bluebird skies across the Strait of Georgia, two humpback whales, a pod of harbour porpoises, and a quiet lesson in what it means when an ocean that “doesn’t look like much” is actually teeming with life. The goslings navigated Active Pass in a row, slowed their engines to watch nursing mothers migrate north to feed, and anchored in Garden Bay knowing the rebound of these species is no accident.

Olivia Cornies
Jul 18, 2026
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2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 1: Bellingham to Ganges
Mother Goose and her Goslings set out from Bellingham into Canadian waters, where difficult docking maneuvers tested everyone’s skills, orcas cruised past Pender Island, and the whole fleet discovered that marinas are where the ocean’s tiniest residents come to hunt. Read on for what we spotted, and why paying attention to the water around you always pays back.

Olivia Cornies
Jul 17, 2026
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Six Brokerage Listings Worth a Closer Look
Looking at yacht ownership in the Pacific Northwest? These six brokerage listings from NW Explorations highlight boats with strong charter ownership potential, ideal for buyers seeking a vessel for personal cruising, charter fleet participation, and long-term ownership value.

NW Explorations
Mar 19, 2026
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2025 Inside Passage Flotilla South – Day 18 Sidney to Friday Harbor
We successfully made it across the border and capped off the day in Friday Harbor with a delicious dinner and dessert made by Jon.

NW Explorations
Sep 04, 2025
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- BLOG -

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 8: Bull Harbour to Bunsby Islands

Olivia Cornies

- BLOG -

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 7: Port Alexander to Bull Harbour

Olivia Cornies

- BLOG -

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 6: Port McNeill to Port Alexander

Olivia Cornies

- BLOG -

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 5: Forward Harbour to Port McNeill

Olivia Cornies

- BLOG -

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 4: Prideaux Haven to Forward Harbour

Olivia Cornies

- BLOG -

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 3: Pender Harbour to Prideaux Haven

Olivia Cornies

- BLOG -

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 2: Ganges to Pender Harbour

Olivia Cornies

- BLOG -

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 1: Bellingham to Ganges

Olivia Cornies

- BLOG -

Six Brokerage Listings Worth a Closer Look

NW Explorations

- BLOG -

2025 Inside Passage Flotilla South – Day 18 Sidney to Friday Harbor

NW Explorations

ADVENTURES

FILTER RESULTS

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR

LEARN ABOUT OUR

PROGRAM!

BOOK YOUR NEXT

NOW!

- BLOG -

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 8: Bull Harbour to Bunsby Islands

Olivia Cornies

- BLOG -

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 7: Port Alexander to Bull Harbour

Olivia Cornies

- BLOG -

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 6: Port McNeill to Port Alexander

Olivia Cornies

- BLOG -

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 5: Forward Harbour to Port McNeill

Olivia Cornies

- BLOG -

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 4: Prideaux Haven to Forward Harbour

Olivia Cornies

- BLOG -

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 3: Pender Harbour to Prideaux Haven

Olivia Cornies

- BLOG -

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 2: Ganges to Pender Harbour

Olivia Cornies

- BLOG -

2026 Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla – Day 1: Bellingham to Ganges

Olivia Cornies

- BLOG -

Six Brokerage Listings Worth a Closer Look

NW Explorations

- BLOG -

2025 Inside Passage Flotilla South – Day 18 Sidney to Friday Harbor

NW Explorations

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