As much as we were enjoying Dusky Cove, nestled in British Columbia’s Broughton Archipelago near the wildlife-rich waters of Blackfish Sound, a storm was on the horizon and we needed a safer anchorage. Fortunately, we had scouted out just the place earlier in the trip: the almost-too-perfectly-named Lady Boot Cove.
August 17, 2024
I wish I had a lovely little GPS breadcrumb trail for you like in my other posts, but I accidentally left my Navionics chart app running for over a day (classic move). The track became so dense with data points it was too big to import into my special google map for the trip. Bummer.
Instead, here’s a map showing where Lady Boot Cove and Eden Pool sit on Eden Island – two favourite anchorages next door to each other.
The Ride In: A Wildlife Parade
Even with the storm brewing, the Broughtons were in full performance mode on the way in. Gulls, surf scoters, and other seabirds swirled around schools of tiny fish. It was an airborne feeding frenzy.
Up in the trees, bald eagles watched the show with a casual detachment that only comes from being full to the beak.
I imagined them sighing: “I couldn’t eat another fish”
We passed Health Lagoon, a place where a thriving Indigenous village once stood. Now, only fragments remain: weathered pilings, a sunken boat, the echo of a shoreline that once bustled with life.
Eden Pool: A Favourite Anchorage
Earlier in the trip, we had anchored in Eden Pool, and it immediately became a favourite. The water was mirror-still and the view, layered islets veiled in fog, was pure dreamscape. It’s the kind of place that lingers in your mind long after you’ve left.
The Calm Before
On our second visit, we chose the “bomb-proof” anchorage just around the bend in Lady Boot Cove and settled back into that same stillness, this time on the edge of a coming storm.
It was eerily calm, the kind of hush that makes you question your weather app. I took the opportunity to send the drone up and was rewarded with some breathtaking aerial shots. I so wish I could have flown it high enough to capture the actual boot shape of the cove, but that would mean a bigger drone, a proper licence, and a whole lot more paperwork. Maybe one day.
The morning light, the silence, and the glassy water, made it all feel suspended in time. Then, right on schedule, the wind picked up, the rain arrived, and we battened down, grateful for the protection the cove offered.
After the Storm
Once the squall moved on, it left behind the thing I love most about this part of the coast: mist. Everything softened again as fog clung to the treetops and drifted low over the water.
Enjoy my drone video from Lady Boot Cove. I think it captures the magic of the stillness before and after the storm.
And for some behind-the-scenes and Ray’s always-fun take on things, check out his video below:
This post marks the tail end of our journey through the Broughton Archipelago in 2024. Next up, I’ll be sharing a compilation of drone footage from all the anchorages we visited. A little visual love letter to this incredible stretch of the British Columbia coast.
From here, we begin heading south, retracing our steps and revisiting a few familiar places I’ve written about before.
But the adventure’s not over. It’s never over.
In the underwater stillness of Blind Channel, I spotted a creature I didn’t recognize. One new to me, and maybe to you too.
It reminded me how much there still is to discover, even in places we think we know.
We’ve already begun the 2025 boating season, and there are plenty of this year’s stories still to come – not to mention everything that happened over the winter!
As always, your Photographs are Fantastic!!!, the videos are Incredible, Thank you for sharing and keep having Fun!!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them Jon! We are underway on this year’s boat trip now. The weather hasn’t been very good, but I’m hoping the storms have passed now and the real summer is about to begin. Thanks for your comments! They are always appreciated.
Anne, your photos are gorgeous and a real inspiration to a wannabe photographer. The Pacific Northwest is a region I’ve not done much traveling through, but would certainly like to, someday.
I’m also curious to know who the music is by and called, that you attached to the video. Sounds like it incorporates a hammered dulcimer – very entrancing sound.
Evan, your kind comments are much appreciated! The music in the drone video is called “Lights of Destination” by Helmut Schenker. I get my music from Epidemic Sound. I’m glad you enjoyed it, I spend a ridiculous amount of time finding just the right music for the drone videos. Sometimes I wish I could just pick a song and move on, but on the other hand, finding music that matches the feeling is all part of the art. Thanks for your comments!
Anne,
The beauty of the land and the talen to capture that beauty leaves me in awe. Thank you for sharing.
What a wonderful comment, I really appreciate your kind words Janet, thank you!
Beautiful as always Anne, stay safe.
Thank you so much John, I’m glad you are enjoying the posts!
I am, like many others I’m sure, enjoying touring the waters and islands on the BC coast vicariously through your posts. Thank you so much.
I’ve never explored the coast at all. On my many trips to BC (from the Atlantic coast) to visit my son and his family, I’ve explored the interior but never the coast.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Ceci, Next time you’ll have to come to the coast! There is so much to see – the wilderness is incredible here. I have actually spent very little time in the interior of BC. I’d like to see it, but every summer I don’t want to give up my boating time Thanks for your wonderful feedback on my posts, I appreciate it.
Words can’t describe your photos, the drone footage, and how you (and Ray) wrote about the anchorage in the storm. Thank you for sharing your adventures!
Hi Hety, I certainly find the words more difficult! I’ve been trying to get better at my descriptive writing. It would be so much easier to just post the photos, but the stories are a big part of the adventure, so I am very glad to hear that you are enjoying both. Thanks for your kind comments!
Absolutely loved the video. Having lived 12 years on a sailboat on the east coast, it brought back so many memories of beautiful anchorages and hideouts from adverse weather. Keep the pictures and videos coming. Thank you so much.
Hi Floyd, I’m so glad my post brought back such special memories for you! I’ve never been boating on the east coast, aside from the ferry to Newfoundland and a whale watching trip in the St. Lawrence. I wonder how different it would be. Thank you very much for your visit and comments!