Tuesday, July 31, 2012

True North Summary July 23 - July 31

Here's the latest news from True North, about to depart Port Hardy for Bull Harbor.  Anne has updated the Google Map of our route. You can see that at:


True North Summary July 23 - July 31

Monday, Tuesday, July 23-24: We took our time leaving Shawl Harbour, first checking out the boat interiors of a few neighbors' boats, saying our good-byes, and then heading out into Penphrase Passage to the SE, south through Raleigh Passage past the Burdwood Islands, and around to Fife Sound, directly into a 27-29 knot wind and opposing current, making it slow-going at 3.5 knots. Arriving in protected Cullen Harbour we made our way through the entrance as a fog was disappearing. Two boats were already tucked inside. There is an anchorage noted in the Dreamspeaker guide behind an island that blocks the opening south but which is in the path of the outflow from narrow Booker Passage leading into Booker Lagoon. It's a beautiful spot with low rocky islets, eagles, and many smaller, vocal birds. We anchored there but not for long! The currents from Booker Passage were swirling quite a ways into our anchorage. While we were below deck, a loud thunk brought us up to the cockpit quickly to find a huge 30' log leaving our anchor chain, narrowly missing the boat.

Arguing with large log

With that, we left for the other side of the island and a more peaceful anchorage, though it was mildly rolly through the night. Earlier in the evening we took the dinghy through Booker Passage for a look into the Booker Lagoon but it didn't strike us as being as pretty as Cullen Harbour. The hillsides are full of clearcuts and there are no small islets to explore. We spent a second day at this very serene anchorage before leaving on Wednesday. Taking the anchor up brought 3 large sun starfish clinging tightly to the chain and another 2 wrapped around the anchor. No wonder we caught no crabs, again!


The Inukshuk in Cullen Harbor marking Booker Lagoon entrance


Eagles in Cullen Harbor

Wednesday, July 25: Beautiful Blunden Harbour was our destination though we really wanted to see the Polkinghorne Islands, west of Broughton Island, on the way. We never dreamed the one anchorage well-protected from the northwesterlies would be available but it was, so we went in to explore – and stayed! Shortly before arriving and while out in Nowell Channel in Queen Charlotte Strait we saw a humpback whale blow and then dive away and disappear. This anchorage is one of the very remote, wild places. The tide was low on arrival so we took the dinghy to the outer rocky islands near the entrance to walk all along the shore among the massive logs and rounded granite rocks. Great place to stretch!

Lot's of stony shores in The Polkinghornes

Thursday, July 26: After a peaceful morning in the Polkinghornes, we left with the current for a helpful push north to Blunden Harbour. This would be our last night on the 'Inside!' There were 5 other sailboats and 5 power boats in the harbour for the night with plenty of room for others. We took the dinghy out to the white shell beach where two local boys played, then found a trail through the woods that led to a wide open canopied space where one could imagine a former community of people living. There were many places to explore by dinghy through small passages between islands. A couple of kayakers were also exploring the coves. The evening was calm and clear.

Blunden Harbor

Friday, July 27: We left Blunden Harbour at 1010, about an hour before slack and rode with the current most of the way to Port Hardy. There was absolutely no wind on this crossing. Another sailboat from Blunden motored a short distance behind us all the way across the strait. We scanned the water for wildlife and were rewarded with a humpy off the port bow, then abeam and then gone! Later, a group of porpoises dove first in front of our boat and then off the bow of Itaska, the sailboat behind us. Approaching Port Hardy, we called ahead for reservations and were lucky to get the last available space at Quarterdeck Marina. There are also three public docks nearby. All four docks are filled with fishing vessels. A walk around the docks revealed these fishermen were bringing in lots of fish. The docks reminded us of the fishermen's docks in Sitka with many rustic, well-used vessels and a few salty old guys finishing up with tasks from the day's catch. By the way, many of these old salts aren't any older than we are! We called around to make arrangements for diving the zincs and changing the oil (Monday). One other chore before rounding the cape is to get another tripline. The one we got before leaving Seattle was supposed to be 75' but wasn't. Having fouled our anchor temporarily once made us intent on getting this in order before leaving for the west side.

Glassy water in Queen Charlotte Straight

Saturday, Monday - July 28-31: Port Hardy – We're filled with anticipation as we talk to others and think about going around the west side of Vancouver Island. So many choices! Which way to go? across Nahwitti Bar, inside of the Tatnall Reef, or north around the islands altogether? We will leave Tuesday if the weather cooperates. We walked every dock, visiting with fishermen, a logger, other boaters including the skipper from Cat's Paw with whom we visited in Refuge Cove in early June. On Sunday, we walked through town and to the other public dock where we saw a huge blue whale just 20' from the dock where locals were fishing. Incredible hulk! It looked as if it might beach as it came so close to shore. Back at our boat, the fishing guides were returning with their clients' abundant catch for the day – a 110 lb halibut, “sister” of the 105 pounder they caught the day before, plus at least a dozen large salmon that were being distributed among the 3 clients' coolers. Port Hardy still has fish! We spent Monday doing chores: groceries, mail pick-up, zincs and oil and filters change, trip line. We're set to go! A footnote, here: looks like the weather is changing for the worse this week. Tuesday should be fine for getting to Bull Harbour but the rest of the week is a bit up in the air. To be continued...

"Busy" downtown Port Hardy
Lot's of fish in Port Hardy for the fishing clients

Monday, July 23, 2012

True North Summary July 16 - July 22



Here's the latest news from True North, about to depart Shawl Bay for Cullen Harbor.  Anne has updated the Google Map of our route. You can see that at:


True North Summary July 16 - July 22

Monday, July 16: Claydon Bay, on the B.C. mainland was recommended by a couple of boaters as a pretty and protected anchorage NW of Grappler Sound, framed by Mt. Emily and not far from Sullivan Bay. We made it there easily and anchored between a couple of yachts and near another that had been in Sullivan Bay. We put out the crab pot, to no avail, but were so busy we didn't try to find any reasonable shore access for a walk, much less a hike. So much for Claydon Bay.

Tuesday, July 17: Turnbull Cove, B.C. mainland, was the destination of this day, bringing us NE of Claydon Bay and towards Mackenzie Sound. There were 14 other boats in spacious Turnbull Cove, including the 4 boats with divers that were rafted together when we were in Joe Cove. We visited with them briefly before leaving to learn they had seen a mama bear and her cub. The cub was on the shore next to our boat around 2100 but we had gone inside for the evening and weren't aware of it. Darn! What a great way to view a bear, from the safety of the cockpit. The mama was at the trailhead. Earlier in the day we had taken the featured hike, a 10 minute trail to freshwater Lake Huaskin, meeting other boaters both ways. It certainly felt good to stretch our legs. Turnbull Cove has had two large landslides since 2005, one mentioned in Wagoner's by a couple of boaters awakened by the thundering noise of rockfall during the night. We've seen many landslides and will not be anchoring too closely to the steep slopes.

Hiking to Huaskin Lake with our bear spray

Wednesday, July 18: On the way out of Turnbull Cove, we detoured to take a look at Mackenzie Sound to the SE. Going through Kenneth Passage proved to be slow-going with the current against us and small whirlpools so that was enough. We bailed on that unplanned leg and continued on to Greenway Sound, tucked into the NW of Broughton Island. Along the way, I drifted with our sailboat outside of the marina at Sullivan Bay long enough for Gregg to take the dinghy in for a few more provisions before heading out for the coming week. Greenway Sound Marina is abandoned and for sale. It now consists of a few low float buildings and docks that are falling apart. Stunning views of snow-capped mountains in the distance made this setting! We had anticipated many boats taking advantage of the docks but only one other sailboat was there with a couple, former B.C. loggers, who've been living the good life on their beautiful sailboat the past five years. We took the dinghy over to a B.C. Forest Service trailhead that leads to Broughton Lake, 20 minutes on a trail and along a logging road. While it felt so good to get a chance to hike, thoughts of bears and cougars kept us alert. Several rounds of loud singing must have worked! A campsite at the trailhead, food properly hung high in a tree, indicated we weren't the only ones thinking of hungry animals.

Thursday-Friday, July 19-20: Belleisle Sound, Kingcome Inlet. What a day! At last we had a gentle wind of 3 to 8 knots astern in wide open Kingcome Inlet where we could unleash our spinnaker. It was beautiful, sailing so gently with the colorful, full sail over turquoise water from the glacial river inflows, full sun and mountain views! The spinnaker is huge and very lightweight which makes it ideal for light wind.

Flying the spinnaker in Kingcome Inlet


Pretty Belleisle Sound is very serene with dramatic, rounded hills – very Big Bay-like except there were no buildings or any other boaters.


Sunset, Bellisle Sound

The horse flies were aggressive on arrival but once the sun went down, they went away. We stayed two nights to enjoy another day in the remote beauty of one of the prettiest anchorages to date. The second day came with predicted scattered showers which brought beautiful mist, constantly moving about so that we were compelled to take even more photos than usual. We kept an eye to shore for bears but none appeared.

360 panorama in Bellisle Sound

Saturday-Sunday, July 21-22: Our departure from lovely Belleisle Sound was exciting! We found our anchor rode fouled and stuck solid at the 260' mark and in 80' of water. We tried to stay positive, hoping that moving the boat about would release the anchor but the inevitability of a worst-case scenario catching up with us sooner or later was also possible. At least it was completely calm, no wind or currents, so we were calm – sort of. After several moves we finally got the good result and saw the bow jerk upward as the anchor rode released, and were soon underway. We hadn't seen another boater since entering Kingcome Inlet! A few hours later with intermittent showers all the way, we were tucked into rustic little Shawl Bay Marina, shortly before potluck appies and happy hour. Of course there were boaters we had seen a week or so earlier, including old salt Bill Proctor from Echo Bay. We stayed over a second night to enjoy a few creature comforts like an Internet connection and turkey dinner on the dock, while taking refuge from the rain outside. The dinghy had 5” of water inside from the rainfall during the night, and our auto-inflator on the Lifesling had inflated! Over the two nights, we really got to know the other very friendly boaters - Pete and Dorene, George and Louise, Jerry and Gail, Ralph and Judy, our generous neighbors on R Time, and lots of others. Following dinner Sunday night an impromptu group of musicians brought out their instruments, at first reluctantly – Gregg with his guitar, Pete on his harmonica, Carol with her washboard, another Carol with a keyboard, and a motley group of singers, except for Louise who has a good singing voice. Unfortunately, the musicians had no tunes in common! It was a fun couple of hours anyway. Monday, we leave for Cullen Harbour, just SW of Broughton Island and with a view west to Queen Charlotte Strait. We'll spend the rest of the week in and around this area before heading to Port Hardy next weekend.

Friday, July 13, 2012

True North Summary July 2 - July 16

We've used the (relatively) excellent Internet connection at Shawl Bay to upload photos for this period.  Anne has updated the Google Map of our route. You can see that at:


True North Summary July 2 - July 16


Today is Friday, July 13th. We're in stunning Kwatsi Bay, nestled right next to Glory Be Basin, so aptly named with 3000' granite walls, several high waterfalls, and snow-capped Mt. Reed to the south. The remote setting with its low-key owners is a pleasant change from some of the other marinas. Boaters gathered on the dock last night for a pot luck dinner together, held every other night. Several boats hailed from Anacortes so we had some common ground. We plan to fill the water tanks this morning with this clear snowmelt and then head east, back towards Simoon Sound to reposition for the next week in the NW Broughtons.
We've been incommunicado since July 2nd for lack of internet access so last night after dinner, several of us gathered dockside for a makeshift Internet cafe. It was a strange site in this wilderness. We've spent the past 10 days exploring in the heart of the Broughtons with splendid landscapes of snowy peaks, rocky islets, pristine passages and with misty mornings changing to bright sun-filled, warm afternoons under bluebird skies. Get the picture? Our internet access here is limited so we'll just say “standing by” for now and fill in the facts and some photos from July 2 at the next stop.

Update as of 16 July -  Here's our full report for the period to date:

Monday, July 2: This was the day we were to leave Port McNeill, having finished many of the chores we came to do. However, we awoke to such a cold downpour, and with no urgency to get anywhere else, decided to stay and hang out. The cold rain continued all day. I had been curious to see Sointula, not one of our planned stops, and took the 30-minute ferry over for a look while Gregg worked on his photos. I had expected a First Nations village but found a town with Finnish roots instead. From the quaint ferry landing there isn't too much nearby to explore easily in a cold rain except the large, outdoor wall mural, a small museum with memorabilia from the early days, and the oldest coop in B.C., from 1905. A good trail across the island to a whale lookout point would have to wait for another visit.

Tuesday, July 3: Hope springs eternal with a dry day! Sunlight streaming in through the portholes and the feeling that life is great once again got us up and motivated to leave Port McNeill. We had noticed a Kenmore Turbine Otter landing and a short while later at the fuel dock, ran into friendly Tim Brooks, the pilot. How nice it was to see a familiar face and catch up on a few years in 5 minutes! In no time, we were sailing with the jib in 12 knots, wind astern, dodging large logs floating past every which way in the current. Later, while NW of Cormorant Island and with full sails Gregg heard the familiar sound of a porpoise blowing air but found instead a single humpback 20' off our port side. What a thrill! We arrived at Hanson Island at 1635, anchored and tucked behind Spout Islet. There were no other boats, only eagles. It was very calm through the rest of our stay. We took a dingy to shore in the morning to hike the short trail across the island, then left for Mamalilacula.

Fishboat in Blackfish Sound

Wednesday, July 4: From the distance we could see another boat anchored at Mamalilacula so detoured to Pearl Pass for an anchorage. It lies between Pearl and Maude Islands and is a beautiful, peaceful cove with a view of snow-capped mountains to the south across Village Channel. Pearl Pass is a significant place name for us, having met on another Pearl Pass in the Colorado Mountains! We took the dinghy over to the Mamalilacula anchorage to search for the native village and totems and found the white shell beach easily, and could see a couple of small old cabins but the impenetrable thicket of flowering bushes full of bees made access impossible. Further west along the beach we found a trail leading up to a clearing, and another trail just to the east of the cabins, which are clearly seen from the water, that leads to an abandoned wood house. We made our way out through a clearing and gave up on finding the totems in the overgrowth. On the way back to True North, we stopped to casually check the crab pot Gregg had set out before we left and were shocked to find four large male Dungeness crabs. Dinner, coming up! We quickly measured each to be sure they were at least 6-1/2 inches and found them to be 7 and 7-1/2”, huge. We put two back in the water and steamed two. They were the best! Served absolutely plain, they tasted as if they had been drenched in butter.

Dungeness dinner!

To top off the evening,  this serene little cove was the setting of a clear sky and beautiful full moon.

Pearl Pass anchorage

Thursday, July 5: As low low water drew near early in the day, we left Pearl Pass to seek the next anchorage, either popular, protected Waddington Bay on the NE side of Bonwich Island or the more isolated Dusky Cove on the SW side, both among the outer islands and islets of the Broughton Archipelago Marine Park. Clearly, the snug Dusky Cove with its picturesque rock islands would keep us entertained for a whole day and evening. It's still light until 2300 so there would be lots of time to do things. Eagles sat on the beach next to a few abandoned crab pots on arrival. The cove's appearance would change dramatically with the 16' tide. Hours later our cove expanded to fill in all the low water areas, making new passages in and between the rock islands to explore by dinghy. A light wind from the NW in Queen Charlotte Strait blew into the cove for some rockin' and rollin' but it was mild and our anchor secure.

Rocky Islets and Mountains from Dusky Cove

Friday, July 6: The morning was clear and sunny in the cove with fog visible in the distant Queen Charlotte Strait. As we talked over coffee, the fog rolled into the cove and completely enveloped us.

Fog clears off in Dusky Cove

We discussed navigating out safely through the fog with radar though were in no huge hurry to leave, while the fog moved about in the cove until gradually lifting enough so that we made our way out with good visibility. We travelled clockwise around Bonwick Island into Arrow Passage and to Retreat Passage to check out anchorages in Waddington Bay for future reference. It's a large, protected bay and, surprisingly, no other boats were there. We continued on to Echo Bay passing on the south side of Baker Island and looking for the small Blackfish Lodge, tucked into one of the coves along Baker Island. We found it about a mile west of Echo Bay, went into the cove for a quick look from the water, and then got to Echo Bay at 1530. A high bluff marks the entrance to this large marina with several attractive small buildings. Many boats were already in the marina when we arrived, including Dan and Steve from Seattle on Serenete, their 46' Beneteau, right next to our boat. We had planned to meet them for the weekend and Saturday night pig roast, one of the featured marina events in the area. They had arrived from Thompson Sound the night before with a harrowing story of being bashed into the nearby rock wall and nearly being dismasted! They were alone at the head of the calm Sound at 2300 when their boat, with a stern tie, was suddenly moving about in a swirling current and hit the rock wall. Fortunately, their dinghy was in between, fending off the stern. There were massive cedar branches grabbing at the mast and they quickly cut their stern line and moved their boat to safety. The swirl lasted only a couple of minutes but they spent an unrestful night on watch, at least under a beautiful full moon. The stern was mildly nicked, saved by the dinghy.

Saturday, July 7: One of the sights to see at Echo Bay is Billy Proctor's museum of old stuff, a short hike over the hill to Simoon Cove. Billy has lived in the Broughtons his whole life and has been a collector of old things for as long. The museum is full of interesting artifacts from the sea and the area. He is a local legend, a storyteller, and author of the book, “Full Moon Flood Tide” which is a guide book to the islets and islands between the B.C. mainland and northern Vancouver Island and his recollections of the odd characters who inhabit the land. There was an eye-catching older sailboat with a square rigged mast down in the cove with another old salt named Bill sitting on the dock working on the hull. This Bill wore a dark beret and a long gray beard that ended in a braid. He was happy to talk to us about his boat which he built, modeled exactly after Joshua Slocumb's Spray. There have only been three made, ever! It's 32' long with a full keel and 14' beam, a wood stove, and quite appealing with its old world charm. We hiked back to Echo Cove along the rocky shoreline at low tide, bypassing the trail through the woods. Meanwhile, aromas from the roasting pig filled the air so that by 1800 sharp, the banquet was ready, hearty side dishes provided by each boater for a most excellent pot luck.


Pierre introduces the pig at the Pig Roast

We met a couple at dinner who used to live just a few blocks from us in LFP. They would also be traveling around Vancouver Island so we exchanged contact info and perhaps our paths will cross again in a few weeks. In the evening, folks on our dock spent the evening outside visiting. Friendly, Salty Bill from the Spray rowed up to us and gave us a few tips on favorite anchorages, including Joe Cove where we would spend the following two nights.

Sunday, July 8: All but two of the many boats which had filled the marina for the weekend left on Sunday for new sights. We followed Dan and Steve out of the marina and sailed together for a couple of hours through Cramer Passage with about 12 to 20 knots on our nose. We must have tacked a dozen times. Our goal was Joe Cove on the south side of Eden Island. There were 8 boats already there, 4 rafted together and 3 tied to an old wooden raft. We carefully explored the other available spaces to find a nice nook behind a rock island where our two boats could anchor in 27' and raft together with stern ties to the rocks. Dan and I set out the crab pot, then took the dinghy around to visit with the other boaters. Gregg spotted a very strange sea creature swimming past our boat that looked like a 15” sea snake. We checked with the divers from the 4 boats rafted together and they pulled out a book to confirm that the creature we saw was a sea worm. A very large worm!

Monday, July 9: Checking on the crab pot brought disappointment as the bait was gone and we caught no crabs. Again, we set out the trap with new bait, a chicken leg. We formed a flotilla made up of our two dinghys plus a kayak for a morning exploration to a bright, white midden near the mouth of Joe Cove. Sue and Jeff from another boat had rowed over and were already out on the beach. We savored the moment together! How fortunate we all felt to be here now, doing this. The days are so present oriented, seemingly endless, filled with such detail, and the major chore planning how to get from point A to B safely.

Tuesday, July 10: Joe Cove was a fun anchorage with other friendly boaters nearby, making it hard to leave after two nights but with so much ahead to explore we left for Laura Cove on NW Broughton Island. A steady wind between 6 and 20 knots on Fife Sound kept us sailing for a couple of hours in bright sun, and wing on wing for a top speed of 7.8 knots. Dan and Steve sailed ahead in Serenete. We used the spinnaker pole to help keep the jib in place and a preventer to keep the main from jibing unintentionally. It worked perfectly until it was time to unrig the spinnaker pole. It's difficult to get the thick jib sheet through the small shackle on the spinnaker pole. An adjustment is needed! Laura Cove is small and surrounded by trees but not much to get to on land. We rafted our two boats together again for the evening and Gregg and Dan took a bold jump off the stern for a refreshing dip. It was as calm as a summer pond.
Dan illustrates Island Time in Laura Cove

Wednesday, July 11: The day began with a pancake breakfast, served up by Dan and Steve before they made their departure west for Port McNeill. We were going east with the first stop an exploration of the beautiful Burdwood Islands, a kayakers paradise for the smooth, lowland rocky islets and sandy beaches but with limited anchorage for other boats. Except for 8 kayaks on the beach, we were the only boat in sight. The cove is deep at 100-200 feet with a narrow rocky shoreline. Second time around we found our spot with the anchor in 110' and the boat settling in 75' at the north end off Twin Beach Island. We secured the stern tie and then settled in to take a closer look at the area. So splendid! Above the point on the nearby island, two eagles soared in the breezes. Squawking ravens kept dive-bombing the eagles as they perched nearby, guarding their nests. The eagles had carried something to their nests. Did they steal baby ravens or eggs? We first called this Eagle Point but later renamed it Angry Birds Cove! We visited with another sailboat that arrived later, originally from England, and with a family that had helped us dock our boat in Port McNeill. They were only in the cove a few hours before leaving. We may have had the only secure overnight moorage in the Burdwoods. It was one of the most beautiful anchorages to date, with snow capped peaks to the east, sandy beaches and low rocky islets, eagles and many other birds, plus sunshine – and a perfect place to celebrate our 20th anniversary. Twenty years!

Burdwood anchorage

Thursday, July 12: No hurry to leave this paradise. However, with stronger winds predicted and this being a good anchorage only in calm weather, reluctantly we left for for Kwatsi Bay and Glory Be Basin. One has to be curious to see locations with such place names! Along the way, we passed slowly by the majestic Lacy Falls, pictured in so many guide books.

Lacy Falls

Arriving in friendly Kwatsi Bay at 1615, Anka, one of the marina owners, assisted us with our lines. She gave us the orientation: very laid back pot luck at 6pm and don't download movies and photos from the internet.

True North at rustic Kwatsi Bay Marina

Note: Itinerary Change - We've found it necessary to change our itinerary from the original plan. We will forego the passage across Queen Charlotte Sound to Haida Gwai this summer, having determined that more time is needed to fully experience it than the two weeks we allowed. We'll use the extra time to explore more of the Broughtons, sail the sounds and inlets here, and then make our way over to Port Hardy and Cape Scott for the sail around the west side of Vancouver Island in August. Haida Gwai will wait for another summer.

Saturday-Sunday, July 14-15: We spent Friday afternoon and evening in Simoon Sound. The anchorage was calm and protected with only two other boats in the huge area. Bald Mountain was colorful in the sunset but the heavily logged hillsides made it unattractive and gloomy. It was dead calm throughout most of the day Saturday as we made our way from Simoon Sound across the glacial green waters near Greenway Sound and into Sullivan Bay. A few porpoises followed our wake. Sullivan Bay is much larger than either of us had expected. Besides the usual marina features, there is a community of 14 float houses with summer residents. Many of the original buildings of the marina are from the 1940s. They are colorful and well maintined and include a restaurant that serves 3 meals/day. The docks, named with street signs, cover 1.3 miles. That's called hiking in Sullivan Bay!

Sullivan Bay Marina

Monday, July 2, 2012

True North Summary, June 24 - July 1


Here's this week's posting from Port McNeill, well out towards the west end of Vancouver Island.  Anne has updated the Google Map of our route. You can see that at:


True North Summary, June 24 - July 1

Already a month has passed since we began sailing from Elliott Bay. This past week was very fun with Marie and David aboard. They joined us at Blind Channel, arriving by Coral Air Seaplanes from Campbell River, having first driven from Portland to Anacortes, ferried to Sidney, then driven to Port McNeill, caught a Greyhound bus to Campbell River to catch the flight to Blind Channel. Nice planning! Meanwhile back at the dock, with a current swirling in and around the marina from the channel, Gregg masterfully backed in our boat after a go-around. Pretty Blind Channel Resort is equipped with a laundry/shower, small store, restaurant and lodge. The owner explained that on such a calm day, most boats continue on their path north whereas in the summer or in a blow, many more boats will take refuge there. We wasted no time getting out on a first hike together to see the 800 year-old/16' diameter cedar among the maze of trails. Not until we returned did we see the sign to beware of bears, cougars and wolves!


Marie and David with their Coral Air pilot

It was a beautiful, clear morning when we left Blind Channel for Forward Harbour. We needed to make it through Greene Point and Whirlpool Rapids early. The scenery was enhanced by a couple of groups of Dall's porpoises and snow-capped mountain vistas. Rounding a beach on the tip of the B.C. mainland along Wellbore Passage, we spotted three black bears on the very same beach where we saw one years ago. We came in kind of close for a good look! Wow! 






Bear on the beach, Wellbore Passage


When we arrived in beautiful Forward Harbour, there were several boats already there. We anchored and immediately got to work setting out the crab pot. Once set, we took the dinghy to the beach to find the trail across the isthmus to a beach on the other side, this time with our bear spray in hand. When we got back to the boat we couldn't see our crab pot floats because the high tide had covered them! Gregg and David tried to find the crab pot when the tide was lower, around 2100 but couldn't find the floats in the dark water. Next plan: get up at 0100 at low tide. They brought the boat hook and a spotlight and returned promptly with the pot. They had found 5 large female crabs, all of which were returned to the water because only the males can be kept.



Forward Harbor


Another night's anchorage brought us to Maltipi, site of an Indian midden and village as indicated by the deep layers of clam shells on the beach. On to Lagoon Cove the following morning, leaving early to make it through Chatham Channel reasonably close to slack water. We detoured to a windless Knight Inlet for several miles and around Minstrel Island on the way in order to take a look at the new scenery, and to try out salmon fishing - “mooching”. Knight Inlet is about 70 miles long and 2 miles wide, the longest of the fjords on the B.C. coast with steep rising shores and 6000' mountains close to the inlet. The famous Mt Waddington, a 13,000'+ mountain is a few miles from the head of Knight Inlet, however too far for us to see (even if the clouds had cooperated). We drifted for awhile in Knight Inlet while mooching for salmon but to no avail. However, we did spot a number of porpoises fishing in the tidal upwellings.


Marie "mooches" for salmon in Knight Inlet

Getting to Lagoon Cove early gave us the whole day to explore their setup with all the amenities, meet friendly people, check out the exercise stations (a woodpile with an axe!) and hiking trails. Bill and Pat had met us on the dock, then gave a thorough orientation talk. Pat told us that the potluck happy hour on the dock was required attendance! They supply a bucket full of freshly caught prawns and boaters bring the rest, including their own drinks. We were completely out of drinks with nowhere to purchase any when Bill, the marina owner, suggested we try to barter for a bottle of wine with the owners of a 86' Westport yacht which he noted had offloaded many (empty) bottles from the night before. Don, the generous yacht owner, kindly gave us two bottles of wine and wouldn't let us barter or purchase them, commenting, “That's just how boaters are.” So true that boaters do watch out for one another. Dave retrieved the crab pot he and Gregg set earlier to find that a huge sun starfish inside the pot had eaten the bait and whatever crabs had been there – only pieces were left! There was plenty of food at the potluck happy hour. Bill ended the evening with a few humorous stories, for which he's famous for telling over and over again.

Workshed, Lagoon Cove Marina

Such a friendly place made it hard to leave but we did move on towards Farewell Harbour on Berry Island where there used to be a popular fishing resort. Along the way we checked out Mamalilaculla for a possible anchorage, the site of the last great Indian potlatch on the coast, but found another sailboat already anchored and not much room for another. We continued on, circumnavigating Ralph Island for fun. We found the peaceful Farewell Harbour Lodge well protected from the 25 kt southeasterly winds, with five fishing boats at the dock but it looked vacant as no one was in sight. A dinghy run to shore for a closer look confirmed it was closed. Near the lodge we found a hiking trail and took off to look for the Chief's Bathtub on the north side of Berry Island but the winding trail took us further into the woods. At some point we began to think of bears and cougars! We had no bear spray with us so we broke out in a round of loud singing while making our way back to the lodge and our boat. Once back it seemed like a good hike but at the time, with no one else on the island, wild images had taken over. Later, another boat came into the harbor for the night.


True North and former Farewell Harbor Lodge

It rained on and off as we made our way through Johnstone Strait, putting up the sails to catch the wind for a short while, towards Port McNeill, our next night's port 'o call, and via Alert Bay for an afternoon tour. Alert Bay is very quaint with colorful houses along the waterfront, totem poles, including the world's tallest at 173', a fine museum with carved ceremonial masks and lots of artifacts from the old potlach ceremonies, and carvers working on totems. Arriving at Port McNeill in the early evening, Marie and David picked up their car and we said our goodbyes after a very fun-filled week. Great sports, those two, rain or shine.

Alert Bay

A note about sailing these past couple of weeks: the good sailing takes place mostly in the larger straits and channels. There isn't much wind within the protected Desolation Sound and Broughton Islands, except at night at an anchorage when one is trying to sleep peacefully! I believe we went seven or eight days at one point without even seeing a single sail anywhere.