Sointula, Malcolm Island

Sointula 8/9/2019

Sointula has an interesting history with a very strong Finnish connection.  Sointula is an isolated village on Malcolm Island in British Columbia, Canada. Lying between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland, northeast of Port McNeill and not far from Alert Bay, the island is part of the historic and present territory of the ‘Namgis First Nation".

Sointula has an interesting history with a very strong Finnish connection. Sointula means "Place of Harmony" in the Finnish language. A group of Finnish settlers founded the village in 1901 after rowing north from Nanaimo. They were looking for an escape from the grueling mines and planned to set up a utopian socialist society.  The early settlers faced a physically hard life and suffered from a devastating fire and financial hardships.

The town remained and eventually prospered well into the 1970s as an unusually vibrant resource-based settlement. 

Fishing and logging activities have been the mainstay for the community. The early cooperative ventures led to other businesses that are still operating.  

The harbor is comprised primarily of larger commercial fishing vessels, with space made available for visiting pleasure boats. The walk to the small-town center is about 1.3 miles from the marina.

The community is charming, with pride of ownership evident in the colorful homes and the abundance of flowers in the yards.

The Co-Op grocery store is oldest co-op shop in the province, still handles dry goods, groceries and fuel for the islanders. 

There is one café, Coho Joe’s, which serves sandwiches and salads and one bakery in town.

In my opinion, Sointula has not been nearly as successful or committed as Alert Bay to enticing and promoting their town and culture to visitors.

This sign, displayed on the restroom doors in the public bathrooms intrigued me.

Alert Bay, Cormorant Island

Alert Bay 8/8/2019


Alert Bay is located on Cormorant Island, located just off the north east coast of Vancouver Island, a short distance from Port McNeill.  This small island is just 4.9 kilometers long and 0.8 kilometers wide at its narrowest point. The village has a population of about 500 inhabitants, with the largest population being Namgis First Nation peoples who number about 450.

Alert Bay is known as “Home of the Killer Whale’’ although we were not fortunate enough to spot any on our travels.

Formerly a thriving fishing village, Alert Bay is now a vibrant blending of First Nation and pioneer culture, proud and protective of their history and heritage.

Our visit here far exceeded my expectations. The people are most welcoming and absolutely everyone spoke to us, welcomed us and wished us an enjoyable visit as we walked from the marina and through the quaint village. These First Nations people recognize the importance of tourism to their economy and have gone above and beyond to proudly introduce their culture and heritage to the outside world.

As we headed into town from the marina, we met one of the locals. He explained that he was picking up aluminum cans and plastic drink bottles to keep the community tidy and to contribute the recycling income back into the community coffers. We did not get his name but he is easily recognized by his native -woven straw or cedar hat. He provides walking tours through the village and is a great local ambassador.

The waterfront boardwalks, ferry dock and marinas bustle with life, but most vivid today is the living culture of the ‘Namgis First Nation of the Kwakwaka’wakw.

The informative Visitor Center is located in the center of the village and offers a wealth of information on the sights of the island as well as brochures for a self-guided walking tour, focusing on the historic landmarks throughout the village. Heritage buildings and old village houses on the waterfront still speak of the early pioneer days, where an 1870’s fish saltery was in operation.


Of interest to me was the sacred burial grounds, where totem poles are erected as memorials to deceased family members. 

These burial grounds are sacred and one can only view from the road.

Each pole tells a story and bears the family crest. Once erected, the poles are not maintained or repaired. 

They remain in their original state until they fall and are left to decompose and eventually return to the land. Similar to “ashes to ashes and dust to dust”. Note the old fallen pole in the background.

We treated ourselves to la delicious lunch at the Pass-n-Time Café, overlooking the waterfront. Next chore was some needed provisions from the local grocery store, then back to the boat.

A delightful visit, and we will certainly visit again next year on our way north. This time we will allow ample time to visit the village’s elegant and acclaimed U’mista Cultural Centre and see the local dance troupe perform.

Simoom Sound #2

Simoom Sound 2 8/6/2019


A quiet and relaxing visit here, anchored in O’Brien Bay at the head of Simoom Sound. Once again, we had a glorious, warm and sunny afternoon and enjoyed our dinghy exploration with Alan’s sister.

This is the last full day of her visit. Sadly, no bear sightings on this visit.

It has been a relaxing and enjoyable visit. Tomorrow, we drop Gil off in Echo Bay to catch the float plane back to Campbell River.

Nimmo Bay #2

Nimmo Bay 8/4/2019


Nimmo has been one of our favorite places in the Broughtons and we chose to share the experience with Alan’s sister, Gil. She was quite excited at the strong possibility of bear sightings.

After a lovely, warm, sunny afternoon dinghy ride, we were returning to Kaos when we spied a bear swimming across the narrow channel at low tide.

We approached cautiously but he/she seemed concerned with our approach and swam quickly toward the shore, disappearing into the woods. It did reappear on the beach once we were back at the boat.

The next morning, as the fog was lifting, we spied a bear walking along the beach at low tide. 

He was busy over-turning rocks, searching for food. We jumped in the dinghy and slowly approached the beach. Once again, he threw us the occasional glance but stayed on task.

 With the motor turned off, we drifted slowly towards him, getting close enough to hear him crunching whatever morsels he uncovered beneath the rocks.

This was as likely as we are to get to a bear in its natural habitat and certainly as close as I am comfortable with. Another memorable experience!

Echo Bay (Pierre's)

Echo Bay (Pierre’s) 8/2/2019


Echo Bay is truly a gem in the Broughtons. The scenery is stunning and the resort is a delightful, well cared for floating community.

It was a glorious afternoon when Alan’s sister, Gil arrived by float plane. She will spend the next 5 days with us.

After dinner, Alan set up his gas firepit on the dock, where we met and were joined by many like-minded, social boaters.

A late morning hike on the rugged trail to Billy Proctor’s museum was the order of the morning. The trail was muddy in places and the tree roots were slippery.

 Like every other of his many visitors, we rose to the challenge.

The legendary Billy Proctor has logged, trapped and fished on this coast his whole life. Over his lifetime he has collected a treasure of worldly artifacts including Chinese opium bottles, Japanese beer bottles, arrowheads, old tools, engine parts, blacksmith tools, a crank telephone, a 1910 mimeograph machine from a local island along with thousands of local artifacts from this coast.

Recently he single-handed built a 1900’s replica of a logging cabin from a floating cedar log that he found. He cut, milled and constructed the building from that single log.

No small feat for a man of his years. Over the years, he has written several books including “Full Moon, High Tides”, a story about the local area.

He told us that he has been visited by visitors from almost every country. Pit Cairn was one place that he named as not yet having any visitors.

When I asked if I could take his picture for my blog, he was less than enthusiastic, telling us that his picture is all over the internet, but he did co-operate. An interesting "old timer" indeed.


Saturday evening at Echo Bay is famous for Pierre’s pig roast. Each boat brings a substantial side dish to accompany the pig.

It is BYOB and a great experience with an excess of 100 guests in attendance. The pig was delicious, and everyone left with a full belly.

Next morning, once the fog burned off, we departed Echo Bay, bound for Nimmo Bay.  The weather was perfect, sunny and warm for our scenic cruise.

Laura Cove

Laura Cove 7/23/2019


Another glorious, sunny morning! We arrived in Laura Cove shortly after noon and edged our way into the rocky cove, hoping to find a spot to anchor in this small, popular anchorage. To our surprise, the anchorage was empty.

We spied an easily accessible chain anchored into the rock and chose to stern-tie to it, leaving ample room for other boats.

Surprise, surprise, we were the only boat in the anchorage.

We saw several bald eagles on our dinghy exploration.

There was a commercial fishing boat that roared in, throwing a healthy wake. He dropped two traps and then left.

Other than the odd clunk from the anchor chain as the tides changed, it was a very tranquil evening and night.

Sullivan Bay

Sullivan Bay 


Rocks & trees, rocks & trees. You may be wondering how many pictures one needs. Stay tuned to the end of this blog and you will see.

Seriously, the pictures may be all rocks & trees, but like sunrises and sunsets, no two are ever the same.

We had a spectacular morning for the two-hour cruise to Sullivan Bay.

Sullivan Bay is a delightful floating community.

 Every structure is built on floats which are anchored or tied to shore. There appears to be a one-up-man-ship for who has the most and colorful flowerpots and baskets, and who has the biggest flag.

 Besides the floating cottages, and I use that term loosely, Sullivan Bay has a well-stocked store, restaurant, laundry, fuel dock, airport and one-hole golf course.

The staff are very helpful and clearly enjoy what they do up here.

Fishing and prawning appear to be productive for those so inclined.

Heavy rain day. Rain subsided as we departed Sullivan Bay

A brief whale sighting as we departed Sullivan on our way to Turnbull Cove.