Slow Dancing Our Way Through the Broughton Islands – Turnbull Cove, B.C.

Exploring Picturesque Waterways On Our Way to Turnbull Cove –

After enjoying only a one-night stay at Laura Cove, we decided to move on. Having limited time to explore the Broughtons, we need to stay on task. Our day’s charted course consisted of a cruise through Sutlej Channel past Sullivan Bay Marina. Then we cruised up picturesque Dunsany Passage and Grappler Sound into the pristine and remote Kenneth Passage.

We were rewarded with a two-bear sighting this morning in Mackenzie Sound

We passed by Turnbull Cove, our day’s final destination, for a sightseeing cruise and black bear hunt in Mackenzie Sound followed by a cruise to Little Nimmo Bay. During our chart review with Anca, at Kwatsi Bay Marina several nights before, she had told us there are often black bears at the end of Mackenzie Sound. This is where the mountain river dumps into the sound providing a good feeding ground for bears. Anca also mentioned the mountain views were spectacular.

When we arrived at the end of the sound we were not disappointed. Lisa quickly spotted a black bear under a thick overhang of evergreen boughs near the rocky shoreline. We rounded the point where we saw the first bear, in hopes it had moved to the other side. We didn’t see that bear again, but as we idled back and forth while looking further up to the head of the sound, a larger black bear was sunning itself on the banks of a grassy beach next to the mountain river spilling into the sound. We watched as the bear foraged at low tide for his mid-afternoon meal. From the safety of Kismet, we watched that bear for about 20 minutes until it decided it had enough fun entertaining us. Finally, it wandered back into the woods.

Nimmo Bay sits in stark contrast to the other marinas we would
visit around the Broughton Islands.

Retracing our route, with a short side trip in and out of Nimmo Bay, we found a fairly new upscale marina and resort. Nimmo Bay sits in stark contrast to the other marinas we would visit in the Broughton Islands. The others are very rustic and well-worn with unique personalities to fit their remote locations. We first saw Nimmo Bay on TV, a location set for a Boston Legal episode with James Spader and William Shatner.

Finally, at Turnbull Cove, we found a nice spot in the anchorage and spent two nights on the hook.

The detour we took for our cruise to Turnbull Cove was a 14-mile round trip side excursion well worth the views and bear sightings. Total cruising miles today were 29. We spent two great days on the hook anchored at the northernmost point that we’ve ever boated to date – 50’57.556N 126*50.469W