Pierless Blog - 2026-06-09 - Bag Harbour to Hutton Bay

 June 9th - Tuesday -  Departed Bag Harbour at 6:30  -  34 Nm Traveled  

With weather improving, we prepared to leave Bag Harbour and head to Hotspring Island, then to our anchorage in Hutton Bay.  The forecast predicted lighter winds and mostly sunny weather.  Engine on at 6 a.m. and anchor up shortly after - we were on our way.  After three nights at Bag, we were ready for a move!



Leaving Bag Harbour at sunrise

We motored, sailed and motor-sailed on the way to Hotspring Island.  We passed a large group of sea lions hauled out on a rocky island.  After passing north of Burnaby Island, we decided to head for the east side of Ramsay Island in stead of the west side in order to take advantage of the NW winds for more of the trip.  It was a fairly relaxing trip and the sailing allowed us to save fuel.

Bag Bay to Hutton Bay

We arrived at Hotspring Island at 1:30 and anchored in the cove between Hotspring and House islands.  There was a small tour boat getting ready to leave when we arrived, so we took our time approaching the cove.  It was a small anchorage, but the holding was good, so we launched the dinghy and headed to shore.

Launching the dinghy from the deck


Pierless at Hotspring Anchorage

After reaching shore, we walked along the edge of the forest until we found the trail leading across the island to the hot springs.  The trail wound through a beautiful forest and was lined with shells and rocks.


Dave on the trail to the hot springs

The hot springs themselves were fantastic.  There were at least 5 pools of varying temperatures, all with wonderful views of the area.  The Watchmen were helpful, explaining basic protocols and where the pools were located, then leaving us to explore, relax and enjoy.







After a good soaking, we headed back to the cove to continue on to Hutton Bay.  The wind continued in our favor, so we were able to sail most of the way to Hutton.  The bay was deep and the wind picked up as we entered it, so we had to motor in, hugging the shore to get some relief from the wind.


Hutton Bay was scenic and had shorelines which looked promising for wildlife viewing.  Unfortunately, we saw none.  Our fuel was down to 1/4 of a tank - about 7 gallons.  We still had our two jerry cans of fuel and planned to put that into the tank before heading back across Hecate.  There is a water dock on our route tomorrow, so we will fill up our water tank and transfer fuel then.  

The current forecast looks promising for crossing tomorrow or the next day.   We will see what the day brings!














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