Heading to Nanoose for a few days on our sailboat didn't seem like an amazing idea to me. We had spent quite a bit of time there via land and although the snorkelling we had done here had been amazing, considering the time of year and temperature I wasn't optimistic about getting in the water during our visit. I also wasn't excited about being in the middle of a bunch of expensive houses on our liveaboard boat after having some less than welcoming experiences other places and I couldn't think of any other reasons we would want to hang out here. But staying in Northwest Bay was a surprisingly lovely experience. Every morning and every evening, we were greeted by glass calm waters, even if it rained and blew during the day. We also saw quite a bit of wildlife that we hadn't seen other places. There was a small colony of sea lions on the log booms, orcas outside the bay, jellyfish, river otters, seals, crabs and more sea lions in the water around the boat, and vultures, ravens and eagles in the sky. Also, in a southeast wind the anchorage was surprisingly comfortable, although I doubt it would be the same in a northwest blow. We weren't pestered for being anchored, for using the beach, or for having family members pick us up from the beach, despite being in a residential neighbourhood. It was a lovely and peaceful place to spend a few days, and the wildlife we saw was icing on the cake.
During our few day stay here, we saw:
orcas
jellyfish
sea lions
river otters
deer
crabs
eagles
vultures
ravens
seals
If you're passing through the area on your way north our south, I highly recommend stopping for a day or two to enjoy this lovely bay!
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