A Dinghy Tour Becomes A Heartstopper

By Ernie Godshalk, Boston Station and Douglas Adkins, Pacific Northwest Station

The Cruising Club of America

March, 2022

Barkley Sound is the southernmost of a series of major inlets which dot the west coast of Vancouver Island.  The entire forbidding coast is buffeted by strong westerlies sweeping in from the Gulf of Alaska and the north Pacific.  Aboard Doug’s Concordia yawl, Coriolis, with Doug’s daughter Blakeley, we sought refuge in a small anchorage within the Broken Group, a Canadian Marine National Park.  The swell and waves outside of a pocket of small islands were vigorous but, once we entered the offshore archipelago, conditions calmed down, although it was still cold, blowing and daylight was waning. We had little company - one other boat at a distance - otherwise, we were alone, miles off the Vancouver Island coast. A beautiful, protected anchorage.

But the bottom was rocky and we were concerned about getting a good set in the windy conditions. Once we were safely settled on the anchor in fairly deep water, Blakeley,  an accomplished sailor and wildlife biologist, excused herself and stepped down into the inflatable to go exploring. We immediately retired to the cabin to get out of the chill wind

Half an hour later, we each started glancing out the ports hoping to see Doug’s daughter returning.  As the sun descended towards the mountains on the distant mainland, we discussed our concern.  While we were hesitant to retrieve and reset the anchor, we agreed that we could wait no longer for her to return without commencing a search; she did not have a radio or phone, a flashlight or her warmest clothing; we did not know if she was wearing a PFD or using the “dead man” switch on the outboard which had been operating erratically; we did not know in which direction she had departed or her plans.  We were at a loss in deciding which direction to start our search. It occurred to each of us that she could be drifting towards the darkening mainland with a dead engine or she might be ashore on an islet with the dinghy drifting on its own.  She could even be in the frigid and potentially lethal water.