NW Explorations’ annual cruise in company in the wild Pacific Northwest this year will undertake a 21-day adventure around British Columbia’s Vancouver Island. The so-called Mother Goose Flotilla will depart from Bellingham, Washington on July 17 and return on August 5.
This year the flotilla is limited to six boats and as of this week, according to the NW Explorations website, these is still one boat left for booking a slot in the fleet.
NW Explorations specializes in chartering trawler-style cruising boats and have been running their Mother Goose Flotillas for many years. About this year’s event, they spell out on their website what to expect:
We’ll begin in Bellingham and make our way into Canadian waters, pausing at Sidney for the world-famous Butchart Gardens before venturing north through idyllic harbors and the narrow passages of Squirrel Cove, Octopus Islands, and Teakerne Arm. Beyond Port McNeil, the route carries us into the solitude of the island’s north coast—Bull Harbor, Winter Harbor, and Walters Cove, where unspoiled wilderness and small coastal communities reveal a side of Vancouver Island few ever see.
Turning south along the Pacific, we’ll soak in the geothermal pools of Hot Springs Cove, explore the vibrant surf town of Tofino, and wander beaches at sunrise in Clayoquot Sound. The journey concludes with Turtle Bay, Port Renfrew, and a celebratory return through Roche Harbor before we tie up back in Bellingham.
Flotilla members can charter a bare boat that they captain themselves or hire a captain to take care of the navigation and boat handling.
For many cruisers this will be a bucket-list adventure and could be an excellent way to discover if trawler cruising and the live-aboard cruising life if them.
