This is a pretty spectacular place to arrive. I was originally going to go into Kyuquot and tie up at the government dock if there was space, so that tomorrow I could go to the general store. But as I was coming in, I saw Barter Cove, which I had looked at on the chart and decided to pass by. Seeing it in person, though, I was struck by the beaches and what a beautiful spot it was, especially with the sun low in the sky. There wasn’t much wind up, so the swell was down too. Swell does come into the cove, so you only really want to be in here in settled conditions. It seemed like a good opportunity, so I decided to come in here instead. I’ll go to Kyuquot later, maybe tomorrow or Wednesday. The general store is only open two or three days a week. This is a spectacular Pacific spot, surrounded by reefs and islands, with long beaches on them. It also has a very tragic history. Aktis Island was the summer village and cultural heart of the Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’ / Che:k’tles7et’h’ First Nations. Their history describes Aktis as having three rows of buildings, including 27 big houses, used by family groups from the surrounding inlets. In 1929, the Canadian government 'forcibly demolished' the big houses and seized cultural possessions. From the anchorage I can see some buildings, or what look like buildings falling down. It’s hard to tell because the sun is behind Aktis Island at the moment, but it looks like there may still be some remains. What an incredible place to have a summer village, and how heartbreaking to know how it was destroyed.

Just about midnight, a small high-speed powerboat started cruising around the bay and circled me a few times. They had multiple searchlights out. They came very close to Jura and shone the lights on the boat, then seemed to be shining them on the beaches as well, driving back and forth around the bay as though they were looking for someone or something. Another small open skiff came by with a guy using a flashlight. He slowed down as he passed me and shone the flashlight on me too. I’m not really sure what’s going on. It’s a little bit spooky.