NEXT ADVENTURE
6 LEFT!
July 16 - August 6, 2027
Arrive & Preboard on Friday, July 16
Provision & Check-out on Saturday, July 17
Depart on Sunday, July 18
Disembark on Sunday, June 13
The Vancouver Island 360 begins in Bellingham on July 16, with two days on the dock for arrival, preboarding, provisioning, and check-out. The fleet departs July 18 and returns August 9: 25 days and ~755 nautical miles. The first week is familiar water, the Gulf Islands, Desolation Sound, the rapids, and Johnstone Strait to Port McNeill, before the fleet rounds Cape Scott and the trip changes character. The west coast brings Pacific swell, summer fog, and early starts that put you at anchor before the afternoon northwesterlies fill in. Stops include Winter Harbour, the Bunsby Islands, Tahsis, Yuquot in Nootka Sound, Hot Springs Cove, Clayoquot Sound, and Ucluelet, the last full provisioning stop before Barkley Sound. The fleet returns through the Strait of Juan de Fuca by way of Sooke and Victoria. You skipper your own boat, chartered from our fleet or your own vessel.*
*Note: This itinerary is tentative. The final route is set by weather, currents, group input, and the lead boat captain. Participants may cruise on their own or with the group during the day, but must rejoin the group at each day's destination.
Mother Goose2027 FLOTILLA
Vancouver Island 360 Flotilla: Around the Island, Bellingham and Back
This 25-day flotilla begins with two days at our Bellingham dock, then circles all of Vancouver Island. The east side is familiar protected water. The west side is different: open Pacific swell, deep sounds, remote inlets, and communities reached only by water or a long gravel road. July and August bring the most settled weather of the year on the outside, along with morning fog and afternoon northwesterlies that shape each day’s plan.
EXPERIENCE
THE WEST COAST OF VANCOUVER ISLAND
The route runs up the inside through Desolation Sound and the rapids to Port McNeill, then to Bull Harbour and around Cape Scott to Winter Harbour. After Cape Cook comes a layover day in the Bunsby Islands, followed by Tahsis, Yuquot in Nootka Sound, Hot Springs Cove, Clayoquot Sound, and Ucluelet. Barkley Sound brings the Broken Group and the Deer Group before Juan de Fuca, Sooke, Victoria, and the San Juan Islands lead home. Early starts are the norm on the outside, which leaves most afternoons free to explore.
CONNECT
WITH FELLOW BOATERS
Rounding Cape Scott is a milestone, and it means more when you share it. Evenings bring raft-ups, shared meals, and easy conversation about the day’s swell and what the fog decided to do. During the day you may cruise with the group or on your own, as long as you rejoin the fleet at each day’s destination. Some guests bring a partner or family aboard; others bring a friend who has always wanted to go around. Either way, you come home with a trip the whole fleet made together.
LEARN ABOUT THE
WEST COAST'S HISTORY
The west coast of Vancouver Island is Nuu-chah-nulth territory, home to many nations whose history here spans thousands of years. At Yuquot, also called Friendly Cove, the Mowachaht people met Captain James Cook in 1778, beginning decades of contact with European traders. Spain later built an outpost there, and in 1792 George Vancouver and Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra met at Nootka Sound to negotiate its future. Farther south, Clayoquot Sound is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. In the Bunsby Islands, watch for sea otters. They disappeared from this coast during the fur trade and were reintroduced from Alaska between 1969 and 1972, and today they are a common sight around Checleset Bay. At the north end of the island, the route also passes through the territories of Kwakwaka’wakw nations, whose communities still anchor the region.
SKIPPER
YOUR OWN BOAT
You skipper your own boat for the full circumnavigation. Charter from our fleet or, for the first time in decades, bring your own vessel. The two dock days in Bellingham give you time to settle aboard, provision for the outside legs, and complete a boat check-out with our team. Our charter team asks each captain for a cruising resume to confirm the experience the west coast asks for. Our training programs can strengthen navigation and weather skills first.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
AN EXPERIENCED LEAD CREW
Our Mother Goose lead crew runs the lead boat alongside the fleet all the way around. They plan early departures to stay ahead of the afternoon winds, choose the weather windows at Cape Scott and Cape Cook, and track fuel between Port McNeill, Tahsis, and Ucluelet. Each morning they brief the fleet on weather, swell, tides, and currents, and they handle marina reservations. Weather, currents, group input, and the lead boat captain set each day’s final route, so you can focus on running your boat well.
ADVENTURES
QUOTATIONS
Your efforts to keep the boats running smoothly, surprising us every day with a walk, and taking the time out to buy us a beer in the local pub, give us a car tour in the larger towns, and deliver us with bags to the airport made the adventure really enjoyable.
We have chartered with NWE nine times now and Change of Latitude is the best equipped boat we’ve used. Kirk was impressed by the spotless engine room and premium navigation equipment. I appreciated the quality cookware and little touches like hooks in all the right places.
I can say without exception we have never had an experience that came close to matching our adventure. You and your staff were accommodating and gracious at every step of our arrangements. The NW Explorations staff operates at a Ritz Carlton level of service.
MAGAZINE REVIEWS
The trip of a lifetime. That’s how everyone described my upcoming assignment to Alaska on a 10-day charter with NW Explorations. After returning I have to say, it was that and so much more… I can now say without a doubt that I wouldn’t have wanted to experience Alaska any other way. The flotilla allows clients to visit the immensely beautiful Alaskan coast independently on a chartered boat, while providing the comfort of guidance from a lead vessel (hence the name Mother Goose) and the camaraderie of fellow charterers doing the same thing.
By joining NW Explorations on one of the company’s guided flotillas, you will be embarking on an adventure with fellow cruisers–and have the comfort of knowing an experienced captain is aboard the lead vessel. Along the way, you’ll hear from the lead boat regarding native culture, local history, and wildlife. Once the flotilla arrives at an anchorage, you have the option of participating in guided on-shore and dinghy explorations, or relaxing in your chartered Grand Banks yacht. NW Explorations is a first-class operation, but you don’t have to take my word for it. Consider the fact that 70% of their charters are taken by repeat customers.
QUESTIONS
Guests often fly in and out to join our charter clients for portions of their trip. There are certainly locations along the way where scheduled flights facilitate this happening. In other cases, we must employ the assistance of chartered float planes. There is always a way to make “crew changes” happen along the way!
Each flotilla has a detailed itinerary which will specify areas that have cellular and/or Internet service to help our clients plan ahead if they will need to check in with family or business while away.
The flotilla price includes the rental of the vessel, insurance, moorage fees, and the support of the lead vessel. The lead vessel has a USCG licensed captain, a marine technician, and a naturalist. Our crew will be there to catch your lines, assist with any maneuvering needs, communicate over VHF on wildlife sightings/important sites, and even collect your garbage & recycling at the end of each day! Fuel and provisions are at the expense of the client as well as transportation costs getting to and from the specific port of call where your vessel is moored.
Each flotilla has a detailed itinerary that will specify locations where provisioning opportunities will be available. We do recommend for those charters that originate in Washington and cross into Canada shortly thereafter to wait and purchase their fruits and vegetables until they have crossed into Canada. Certain restrictions apply and can change regarding these items.
CANCELLATION FEES: (1) All cancellations must be received in writing. (2) Final payment is due 120 days prior to your departure date. If you must cancel your charter, the following terms shall apply:
- 120 or more days: Cancellation Fee of $500 per week, no proration
- 119 – 90 days: Entire reservation deposit
- 89 – 0 days: Entire charter fee
Each flotilla participant is asked to fill out a Medical & Emergency Form. The purpose of this form is to provide the crew on the lead boat with valuable information to use in the case of an emergency. To the extent that the crew is able to assist, they will make every effort to do so. For those situations that are outside our level of training, we have VHF radios and a satellite phone that allow us to be in constant communication with the US Coast Guard. Although it is not a situation that we anticipate or hope for our clients to have, we are prepared to make arrangements to have guests flown out to receive medical treatment if needed.
