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We left Effingham Bay and made our way to Robbers Cove where we stayed one night. From there we went to a small town of 300 people called Bamfield. In Bamfield we restocked our fruits and vegetables and topped off our water and fuel tanks. Joe, the manager of King Fisher Marine was kind enough to allow us to top off our water tanks and stay at their docks for a few hours while we went ashore and explored the town. The town is split down the middle with East Bamfield on one side of the bay and West Bamfield on the other. There are no roads to West Bamfield so all travel between the two sides is via boat. It makes for a fun ambiance with shuttle boats and taxis running back and forth throughout the day. West Bamfield has a boardwalk running the length of the town passing right next to the many eclectic homes on the shore. One day we made our way along the boardwalk to a truly magnificent little art gallery called Brady’s Gallery. It was a tiny little art gallery in the backyard of someone’s home. They used a little backyard shack as a display of their many creative pieces of artwork. On display were many painting on canvas, driftwood and on seashells. There were many colorful hand-sewn jellyfish made of felt. Breathtaking photos of the surrounding area lined one side of the tiny room. Clay pottery filled with saplings gave the room an earthy aroma. The yard leading to the gallery had so many creative uses for beach driftwood and collected shells. There was also a chicken coop filled with chickens, many of the breed we had at our own little homestead. Tending to the chickens was one of Victoria’s favorite parts about our old home. Seeing the antics and waddle of the chickens brought a smile to her face. It was truly a wonderful little gallery and we highly recommend visiting should anyone be in the Bamfield area. The next day we hiked across the peninsula to a sandy beach (Brady’s Beach) that is open to the Pacific surf. Victoria, Alexander and Ranger played in the surf and ran along the expansive beach. We climbed over barnacle encrusted rocks to a few sea caves that were both eerie and exhilarating at the same time. We could not stay at the caves too long for the tide was quickly rising threatening to shut off our escape off the rocks and back to the beach. The next day we did our laundry on shore and then spent our afternoon at the community center and library. We talked with Martin the Director of Community Development who gave us loads of information about life in these remote villages of British Columbia. He also sat down and played Alexander a game of chess. He said it had been a long time since he had been given such a run for his money.
Sailing Samadhi 