Shoreside Norpac Fun for the Whole Family:

In past Norpacs, participants primarily used Ucluelet as a place to celebrate the cruise, and to re-stock for the trip back to Seattle. New SYC members Barbara and Harry Lee (half-year residents of Ucluelet) suggest that

Ucluelet also is a great destination for family vacations, one which offers great opportunities for hiking, kayaking, wildlife-watching, outstanding salt-water fishing, and float plane adventures.
Norpac participants may wish to consider extending their stay in Ucluelet to enjoy some of the shore-side opportunities with their families.

See web sites for detail:

http://www.awesomeview.com/ucluelet-activities.html

http://www.britishcolumbia.com/regions/towns/byTowns.asp?city=29

http://www.vancouverislandaccommodations.com/ucluelet/top10.htm

http://www.wildpacifictrail.com

http://www.vancouverislandaccommodations.com/ucluelet/parks/wild_pacific/index.htm

http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/pacificrim/natcul/natcul2_E.asp

Following are some additional suggestions:

Local Travel Opportunities

Nature Opportunities

Restaurants, Boat Chandlery & Repair

Tofino Opportunities

Conventional Transportation To/from Seattle

6. Medical/Emergency

1. Local Travel Opportunities

Basic Local Travel:

It is not necessary for Norpacers to be “boat bound” in the Ucluelet Boat Basin. There are two excellent options for local travel:

Taxi: 250-726-4415. Ellen is the driver; normally will provide drop off and pick up service to points of interest in the local area (e.g. afternoon at Florencia Beach; Wild Pacific Trail; etc); also, she will give tours,

Bicycles:

Bikes: “Ukee Bikes” is a great bike shop, which rents bikes; also sells great kites. Located in the center of town, fifteen minute walk from the boat basin

1559 Imperial Lane Saturday 10-6 Sunday 11- 5

Tel 1-250-726-2453

www.ukeebikes.com

More Exotic Local Travel:

Sea Plane Tours: An excellent way to see the beautiful surroundings on a larger scale is by seaplane. Ucluelet is fortunate to have a highly skilled, long time wilderness pilot (Louie Rouleau), who also is an outstanding guide. On a reservation basis, Louie can provide tours including close up view of the wonderful coastline, wildlife viewing, trips to Nootka Sound, Strathcoma Park, Della Falls, glaciers, and more. Best whale watching – Louie works part-time with the Fisheries to help them survey and count sea life; he knows where all the action is. Louie’s plane carries three passengers.

Louie also can fly crew into the anchorages, pick up crew. Emergency medical flights.

http://www.wcwild.com/

Tel 1-250- (726) –8668

2. Nature Opportunities:

Kayaking: Majestic Ocean Adventures. Basic instruction, harbor tours, and guided tours of Broken Group (includes kayak transport to/from)

www.oceankayaking.com

800-889-7644

Surfing Lessons & Rental: Inner Rythm Surf Shop

1685 Peninsula Rd
1-250-726-3456
www.innerrhythm.net

Hiking:

The Wild Pacific Trail is an easy, very rewarding hike that everyone can take. The trail is easily accessible from the lighthouse, and also near the boat basin (ask for details).

Florencia Beach is a long, beautiful secluded beach within fifteen-minute ride from the boat basin. Suggest taxi for drop-off and pickup.

Wickaninnish Beach is a long, beautiful beach adjacent to the Pacific Rim National Park visitors center (called the Interpretive Centre), and the Wickaninnish restaurant. This beach has incredible conglomerations of driftwood that summer visitors use to erect all manner of structures (forts, tepees, etc), each trying to outdo the others. Suggest taxi for drop-off and pickup.

Pacific Rim National Park:

Fantastic Oceanside national park. The park visitors center (called the Interpretive Centre) is located at Wickaninnish, and has a variety of exhibits depicting the natural history of the area; also films and ranger talks in summer. The Interpretive Centre also houses the Wickaninnish restaurant, which offers a stunning ocean view, and a varied menu of quality food (not excessively priced), and also claims to offer shuttle service to Ucluelet; reservations reccomended for dinner. Suggest taxi for drop-off and pickup for visit to the the Interpretive Centre.

http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/pacificrim/index_e.asp

http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/pacificrim/natcul/natcul2_E.asp

www.longbeachmaps.com

Ucluelet Mini Aquarium

Re-built this year, the Ucluelet Mini Aquarium is one of the coolest places to visit. It is a collection of sea life that is captured by the aquarium's divers, placed into viewing tanks, then released back into the ocean. Many folk think its much better than a city aquarium. You get to view sea life that you'd only see if you were divers, and it's a beautiful sight. The aquarium is also very much a hands-on kind of place. Where the tanks are open you are allowed to gently touch the sea creatures. Located near the town dock in the center of town (near Ukee Bikes and Ukee Dogs)

http://www.gotofino.com/uclueletminiaquarium.html

Tofino Botanical Garden: Twelve acres of gardens, forest, and shoreline that explore the relationship between culture and nature. A network of paths and boardwalks will take you from the Visitor Centre past kitchen gardens, the Frog Pond, and Children's Garden into the forest, where clearings have been transformed into a series of pocket gardens. Some of these gardens display plants that once thrived in other coastal temperate rainforests around the world. Others celebrate the various cultural groups that have made Clayoquot Sound their home now and in the past, particularly the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations, early pioneer homesteaders, Japanese fishing families, and, of course, Hippies. Approximately 20 miles from Ucluelet; need car or taxi transport

http://www.tbgf.org/gardens/index.php

http://www.tofinobotanicalgardens.com
1084 Pacific Rim Hwy, Tofino, BC V0R 2Z0, Canada
(250) 725-1220

Fishing: There is excellent salmon and halibut fishing off Ucluelet. Options include:

1) Canadian Princess Resort (in boat basin) runs boats of fishermen out to the fishing grounds at approximately $150 per person

http://www.canadianprincess.com/fishing/

(250) 726-7771

2) The following fishing guides are recommended by the Lees; they take smaller private parties fishing, and generally produce better results:

· Kenner Reite (250) 720-6155

· Graham (250) 731-5736

· Glen Kaczmara (250) 726-5032 glennkaczmara@yahoo.com

3. Restaurants, Boat Chandlery & Repair

Restaurants: See

http://www.awesomeview.com/ucluelet-activities.html

Also convenient: Gray Whale: Ice Cream Cones/ Deli Sandwiches/High Speed Internet Access/ Lattes/Cappucino. Take out/eat in. Across the road from the Princess Ship 1950 Peninsula Rd 250-726-2113

Boat Chandlery:

Pioneer Boat Works (downtown Ucluelet)

166 Fraser Lane
Ucluelet, BC V0R, Canada
(250) 726-4382

(Caters primarily to commercial fishing and sport fishing boats)

Boat Repair:

Rod's Power and Marine

Tofino, BC
Phone: (250) 725-3735

(Best service for most small boat problems; will make service calls to Ucluelet)

Larsen Diesel

1351 Eber
Ucluelet, BC V0R 3A0, Canada
(250) 726-7011

(Primarily caters to fishing fleet)

4. Tofino Opportunities:

Tofino is a well-known BC tourist destination, 25 miles north of Ucluelet that has its own set of attractions. For more information see web-sites:

http://www.tofinobcbritishcolumbia.com/

http://www.tofino-bc.com/

The Roy Vickers Gallery is especially recommended. Roy is a well-known First Nations artist; his artwork is attractive, and reasonably priced.

http://www.royhenryvickers.com/

http://www.gotofino.com/artphotostofinobc.html

Ahousat Hot Springs is touted by local purveyors of boat rides, etc, but is not recommended in mid-summer (very crowded)

5. Conventional Transportation To/from Seattle:

Following are options for SYC family, or crew, who may wish to travel to/from Ucluelet by conventional means (vs. boat) for business, or an extended visit.

Car: The trip Seattle to Ucluelet (and vice versa) takes a full day. The fastest way to get from Seattle to Ucluelet is:

Drive from Seattle to BC Ferry at Tswassam (3-4 hours)
Take ferry from Tswassam to Nanaimo Duke Point (2.5 hours)
Drive from Nanaimo to Ucluelet (3hours)

Strongly recommend making reservations on BC Ferries for summer travel. (http://www.bcferries.com/ ). One benefit to driving is that one can make a “Costco Stop” in Nanaimo (take Aulds Road exit).

Clipper & Bus: In past years, one-day travel between Seattle to Ucluelet has been possible as follows:

Victoria Clipper Seattle to/from Victoria
Tofino Bus from/to Ucluelet Victoria.

The bus station in Victoria is approximately four blocks from the Clipper terminal (Victoria Bus Depot 700 Douglas St). No baggage weight limitation. Recommend reservations, and web-site check to confirm connection in Victoria.

http://www.clippervacations.com/ferry/ferryschedule 800-888-2535

http://www.tofinobusreservations.com/booking/select.asp 866-986-3466

Air:

Kenmore Air Express will fly direct to/from Tofino/Ucluelet, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island from downtown Seattle's Boeing Field. Service begins May 15; daily service effective Jun 27-Sep 14. Fares presently quoted (April 1) are $249 / $498 for One Way / Round-Trip. Kenmore states that “Compared to the roughly eight-hour ferry-and-drive time from Seattle to Tofino or Ucluelet, flying Kenmore Air Express gets you there in an easy hour-and-forty-five minutes. (The return is even quicker, since there's no need to stop for customs.) On your flight, you'll marvel at the beauty of the San Juan and Canadian Gulf islands and the forests and mountains of central Vancouver island before swooping down over the unspoiled beaches and craggy coves of Pacific Rim National Park and the fabled Long Beach Peninsula”. Possible baggage weight limitation; check with Kenmore.

Schedules & Fares 1-425-486-1257

http://www.kenmoreair.com/sub_content.php?content_id=442

www.kenmoreair.com

Sound Flight offers service to/from Tofino/Ucluelet, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island from downtown Seattle's Boeing Field. Possible baggage weight limitation; check with Soundflight. Suggest review safety record for 2007.

www.soundflight.net

http://www.soundflight.net/regular_service/2007/03/barkley.php

1-866-921-3474

6. Medical/Emergency

Cell phone service:

Available throughout most of Barkley Sound (requires cooperating US phone plan; e.g. Verizon has one)

Daytime; minor problems (Downtown Ucluelet):

Ucluelet Medical Clinic; Mon-Fri, 10-4ish, by appt, but will try to accommodate

(outpatient basis):

1566 Peninsula Road (beside COOP)

1-250-726-4443

1. Local Travel Opportunities

Ucluelet Mini Aquarium

Fishing: There is excellent salmon and halibut fishing off Ucluelet. Options include:

Larsen Diesel

6. Medical/Emergency

More Serious problems, or night time (40 minutes from Ucluelet by car):

National Park Warden, "Broken Group Islands warden"

Ucluelet Drugstores