The Broughtons, Nakwakto Rapids, Seymour and Belize Inlets, Cape Caution

Location:  Prince Rupert, BC

Kayaking at the head of Allison Sound, Belize Inlet

Tuesday, July 3, Port McNeill to Bootleg Cove, Gilford Island (23 nm, 3.3 hours):  We filled our water tank, took up the garbage and recycling and had a last look through the shops in Port McNeill before leaving North Island Marina.  We left the dock at 10:00 and headed out through Cormorant Channel, just south of Malcolm Island.  We saw some humpback whales at a distance as we transited Blackfish Sound and up into Retreat Passage.  We dropped off the prawn trap then turned into Bootleg Cove, a small, one boat anchorage on the west side of Gilford Island.  We dropped off the crab trap and set our anchor in the middle of the cove.  After lunch, we launched the dinghy and tried our luck fishing in Retreat Passage but didn’t catch anything.  We took a dinghy tour of Waddington Bay then spent the rest of the afternoon unlaxing and reading.

Wreck on the shore of Bootleg Cove

Wednesday, July 4, Bootleg Cove to Pierre's Echo Bay (5 nm 1.1 hours):  Very short run today so we did a few chores before heaving anchor at 10:00.  No crabs but we got 25 nice prawns in the prawn trap.  We tied up at the docks at Pierre’s then had shrimp (prawn) burgers for lunch.  We hiked the trail around the head of the bay to Cliffside then back to Billy Proctor's Museum.  We bought some local books at Billy’s gift shop:  Fishing with John, Grizzlies and White Guys, and Bijaboji:  North to Alaska by Oar.  Back at the boat, we sat reading on the stern while we listened to a guy across the bay practicing US patriotic songs on his trumpet.  To celebrate the Fourth of July, Pierre’s had a prime rib barbecue with all the fixings.  The trumpeter kicked off the evening with “Oh Canada” followed by “The Star Spangled Banner” with the crowd singing along.  After supper, a local singer/guitar player entertained us.  The tables in Pierre’s dining hall are set up to seat 12 people and we enjoyed hearing about the adventures of the other folks at our table.  FYI, Pierre’s is for sale.  Anyone interested in buying/operating a charming marina in the Broughton’s should have a look. 

Sunset at Pierre's Echo Bay

Thursday, July 5, Pierre’s Echo Bay to Sullivan Bay (16 nm, 2.7 hours):  Another short run today.  Overnight, a sailboat at anchor had gotten his propeller tangled in a crab pot.  We watched him get towed into the Pierre’s, then we cast off our lines and headed to Sullivan Bay.  We tied up at the dock and settled in.  A rain squall moved through late in the afternoon.  At 17:00, we joined the other boaters for a potluck happy hour and listened to tales about their boating adventures.  Some of the folks who we met at Lagoon Cove were there with plans to head around Cape Caution the next morning.

Happy hour at Sullivan Bay

Friday, July 6, Sullivan Bay:  Boat chores and voyage planning today.  At 17:00 we walked up to the happy hour tent.  It was raining and only four other folks showed up which allowed us some time to get to know each other.  The restaurant at Sullivan Bay is open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays so we moved inside for supper – prime rib with all the trimmings.  We sat with a couple who owns one of the floating homes on the docks and also owns a share of the marina.  They have done a lot of traveling and had some interesting tales to tell.  After supper, the two guys from the sailboat Thin Ice stopped by for a visit.  Both are ski instructors in Utah during the winter and spend their summers sailing.

Saturday, July 7, Sullivan Bay to England Point Cove, Drury Inlet (18 nm, 2.8 hours):  In order to cross Stuart Narrows into Drury Inlet at slack water we left the dock at 8:00.  We entered with no issues and made our way west up the inlet to Actress Passage which is at the entrance to Actaeon Sound.  We turned north and went through Actress Passage close to slack water.  Tug boats that use the passage frequently have mounted small unofficial navigation aids to mark the rocks on each side of the east channel into the passage.  We wound our way up through Snake Narrows and dropped off the prawn trap just south of Creasy Bay where we planned to anchor.  The bay was full of log booms so we went further north and anchored in England Point Cove behind a small island, which was a much more intimate anchorage than Creasy Bay.  We launched the dinghy and took it up to the rapids at Tsibass Lagoon.  They were running pretty fast and we didn’t attempt to enter.  We cruised along the shoreline and watched a black bear walk along the rocks and then into the woods.

The rapids into Tsiblass Lagoon.  Dave is pointing at a seal,

Bear on the shore near the high tide line.  Old logging equipment near the waterline.

We tried some fishing in the channel near our prawn trap.  I caught a dogfish, which we released.  The wind started to pick up and the clouds were moving in so we headed back to the boat for happy hour and supper.

Sunday, July 8, England Point Cove to Jennis Bay (11 nm, 2.1 hours):  A nice calm morning so I paddled the SUP around our cove and the shallow cove next door to look at the abandoned barge there.  We heaved anchor at 10:30.  The crab trap was empty and the prawn trap was full of small crabs.

Crabs in the prawn trap

We did some drift fishing near a rock in the middle of Drury Inlet.  We caught two small rock fish which we released.  We entered Jennis Bay and docked at the marina.  We spent the afternoon hiking the logging trails and picking berries.

Seabiscuit at the dock, Jennis Bay Marina

Monday, July 9, Jennis Bay to Allison Harbour (40 nm, 5.5 hours):  We left the marina at 10:30 to give ourselves time to pick up the prawn trap (12 small prawns) and to make it to Stuart Narrows for slack water.  We saw some whales spouting as we transited Wells Passage into Queen Charlotte Strait.  We had flat calm seas with very little wind for most of the voyage.  We anchored in Allison Harbour for the night.

Flat, calm seas in Queen Charlotte Strait

Sunset in Allison Harbour

Tuesday, July 10, Allison Harbour to Alison Sound (38 nm, 5.9 hours):  Anchor up at 7:00 in order to transit Nakwakto Rapids at slack water at 8:55.  Nothing in either the crab or prawn traps.  We worked our way north up Schooner Channel towards the rapids and encountered less current than we expected so we were about 30 minutes early.  We idled around Cougar Inlet until 8:30 then headed towards the rapids.  Nakwakto Rapids is known as one of the fastest rapids in the west (some say the world).  With ebb currents up to 14.5+ knots and flood currents up to 11.5+ knots, only Sechelt Rapids, northeast of Pender Harbour, runs stronger.  Turret Rock, also known as Tremble Island because it shakes when the rapids are running at maximum current, lies right in the middle of the passage. This You Tube Video of Nakwakto Rapids gives you an idea of how swiftly the currents can run.  Today the maximum ebb was predicted to be 11.9 knots and the maximum flood 9.6 knots.  Our average boat speed is 7 knots.  We passed Turret Rock on the west side against a slight ebb current, about 10 minutes prior to slack water.

The west side of Turret Rock, aka Tremble Island, as we went by at low slack water.

We cruised northwest up Seymour Inlet, then turned east into Belize Inlet.  The inlet became narrower and the walls became steeper the further east we went.  Along the way, there are several waterfalls on the north side of the channel.  About two-thirds of the way up Belize Inlet, we turned north into Alison Sound and transited the short narrows just inside the entrance.  We anchored at the head of the sound in the northwest corner and settled in. 

The anchorage at the head of Alison Sound

Wednesday, July 11, Alison Sound to Strachan Bay (25 nm, 3.7 hours):  This morning we launched our kayaks and paddled around the head of Alison Sound and up the creeks that drain into it.  It was near low water so we didn’t get very far upstream before it became too shallow to venture further. 

Although out of focus, this photo shows the scale of the mountains surrounding the head of Allison Sound. 
Taken from my kayak, our crab pot buoy is in the foreground and
Seabiscuit is at the base of the mountains in the background.

Kayaking up river in Alison Sound

In the shadows of the trees at the mouth of a creek that drains into Alison Sound

We heaved anchor at 11:00 and headed west down Belize Inlet, north up Mereworth Sound and then west into Strachan Bay.  We anchored in the inner cove at the southwest corner of the bay and settled in for the night.

Thursday, July 12, Strachan Bay:  Happy 7^th birthday to our granddaughter Maggie.  We launched the dinghy and took it to the log dump at the northwest side of the bay.  We spent the morning hiking the logging roads up into the mountains surrounding the bay and the afternoon unlaxing on the boat.

Overlooking Mereworth Sound from a logging road near Strachan Bay.

Doe and fawn, Strachan Bay.

Friday, July 13, Strachan Bay to Frederick Sound (48 nm, 6.5 hours):  Although we weren’t transiting Nakwakto Rapids today, we had to pass within 0.3 nm of it to get from our anchorage in Strachan Bay to the main arm of Seymour Inlet.  We didn’t want to get pushed around by the strong currents so we timed our voyage accordingly.  Ebb slack at the rapids was at 11:27, so we heaved anchor at 9:00, passed by the rapids at 11:00 and headed east up Seymour Inlet. 

Seals sunning themselves on a rock near the intersection of Mereworth Sound and Belize Inlet.

The wind was blowing 20 – 30 knots from the northwest and we had a following sea with 1 – 2 foot chop for the 20+ nm run up the inlet before our turn south into Frederick Sound.  Eclipse Narrows, at the entrance to Frederick Sound, was flooding at 3.5 to 4.0 knots when we entered.  The flow was laminar with no whirlpools or eddies and we crossed with no issues.  Once inside the sound, the wind and waves disappeared. The walls of Frederick Sound are steep granite and we lost our GPS heading as we were rounding the U-bend near the head of the sound.  Although the guide books report a large logging camp barge located at the head of the sound, it is no longer there.  We anchored in the middle and spent the afternoon watching ospreys, king fishers and seals feed on the bait fish in the area. 

Seabiscuit at anchor at the head of Frederick Sound.

Saturday, July 14, Frederick Sound:  This morning we watched as a logging camp crew boat dropped two loggers off at the small dock in the southeast corner of the anchorage. 

The dock at the head of Frederick Sound that leads to the logging road.

After breakfast, we launched the dinghy, tied it to the dock and went for a hike along the logging roads.  The road had a very gentle grade and it was easy walking.  We picked berries along the way and saw lots of bear sign.  We took a break in the shade of an old clear cut and then headed back down the road.  As we neared the bottom, we heard something go crashing into the woods – most likely a bear.

View of snow in the mountains.

We didn't see any bears but we saw a lot of bear scat where the logging road was lined with salmon berry bushes.

Sunday, July 15, Frederick Sound to Wawatle Bay (31 nm, 4 hours);  Breakfast then anchor up at 7:45.  We transited Eclipse Narrows with +/- 3 knots of current pushing us back out into Seymour Inlet. 

"The Logging Gypsy", a logging camp on a barge just west of Eclipse Narraows.

A float plane flying by as we transited west in Seymour Inlet.

The waters were calm and the wind was very light so it was a pleasant ride heading west this morning.  We anchored in Wawatle Bay around lunchtime, settled in and read our books.  Our plan for the afternoon was to go exploring the lagoons south of the anchorage so we launched the dinghy and waited for the tide to rise before heading out.  Although the tide was about half-way to high tide at our anchorage and rising, it was still ebbing out of the lagoons.  We attempted to transit the rapids into Woods Lagoon but quickly found bottom, shut-off and lifted the dinghy motor and paddled and rode the current back out into the main channel.  The water in the lagoon was very clear and we could see numerous bright orange sea stars clinging to the rocks just below the surface.  We continued south towards the narrow entrance that leads to Bamford, McKinnon and Nenahlmai Lagoons.  We carefully worked our way through the rapids and the ebbing tide.  Below the surface of the water we could see hundreds of salmon swimming against the current into the lagoons.  We had a quick look around but didn’t want to get trapped inside the lagoons by low water in the narrows so we turned around and headed back to the boat.

Taking the dinghy through the narrow entrance that leads to the three lagoons south of Wawatle Bay.

Bald eagle, Wawatle Bay.

Monday, July 16, Wawatle Bay to Skull Cove (15 nm, 2.2 hours):  Today was our day to cross back through Nakwakto Rapids so that we could continue our journey north up the coast.  Low slack, when the current changes from ebb to flood, was estimated to occur at 13:33 so we had some time in the morning to do boat chores and voyage planning.  We had a light lunch and heaved anchor at 11:30.  With the ebb current giving us a push, our scheduled arrival at the rapids was 45 minutes earlier than slack water.  We did a circuit around Charlotte Bay, an anchoring location near the rapids, to waste some time.  We motored up to the rapids about 20 minutes prior to slack, checked the status of the current flow and the whirlpools, decided the passage was doable and transited with no issues on the east side of Turret Rock.  As we exited, we spotted a pleasure craft and an LST hovering outside waiting for slack water prior to entering.  We made our way south down Schooner Channel and turned into Skull Cove to anchor for the night.

The east side of Turret Rock as we exited Nakwakto Rapids.

B dressed up for anchoring at Skull Cove

Tuesday, July 17, Skull Cove to Dawson’s Landing (40 nm, 5.1 hours):  Anchor up at 5:45 this morning for our journey north around Cape Caution.  A light fog hovered above the surface of the water with very light winds and some residual swell.  We timed our voyage to go past Slingsby Channel and the Outer Narrows just prior to high slack (turn to ebb).  The currents in Outer Narrows can run up to 7 knots on the flood and up to 9 knots on the ebb, and when the ebb current opposes a westerly wind some nasty chop can develop.  We didn’t know this when we went north around Cape Caution last summer and were surprised by the chop we encountered.   The fog cleared by the time we reached the north side of the cape and we are able to see the fleet of trollers fishing south of Egg Island.  We crossed Rivers Inlet and watched the small fishing boats from the nearby lodges working the area for salmon.  We cruised through Klaquaek Channel and north up Darby Channel to Dawson’s Landing where we tied up at the dock.  They have a different system for mooring; instead of tying to a cleat or bull rail, you secure your lines to loops of rope set into the docks. We did laundry, dropped off garbage, bought some groceries and visited with the other boaters.

Float plane preparing for take-off, Dawson's Landing.

Rick from American Dream (the boat in the photo) lassoing a log that docked itself between our boats. 
He towed it out into the channel with his dinghy.  We passed it on our way south the next morning.
In the foreground, you can see one of the loops set in the dock that you tie up to when you dock.

Wednesday, July 18, Dawson’s Landing to Pruth Bay (26 nm, 3.5 hours):  This morning we filled our water tank, bought some cat food at the store and pulled away from the dock at 9:30.  It was a nice cruise down Darby Channel, into Finn Bay, across Fitz Hugh Sound and down Kwakshua Channel to Pruth Bay.  We saw a humpback whale feeding in Finn Bay, lots of small fishing vessels working the east shore of Calvert Island and several vessels moving both north and south in Fitz Hugh Sound.  We dropped anchor near the middle of Pruth Bay amongst the other boats.  At the head of the bay is the Hakai Institute, a facility used for research and as a conference center.  We took the dinghy in, tied up to the dock and followed the trail through the woods to West Beach.  West Beach was a pleasant surprise after the rocky shores found along most islands in this area.  It is wide and flat with fine white sand extending in both directions.  We walked to the north side of the beach and then took the trail through the woods to North Beach which faces Hakai Pass.

A map of the trails near Hakai Institute.  The white X shows our anchor location and the red lines
show the paths to West Beach, North Beach and the south beaches.

B walking on West Beach.

A pond along the path to North Beach

Drift wood on North Beach.

A raven near the sitting area at the top of the dock, Pruth Bay.  You can see its mate sitting on the box behind it. 
It was interesting to watch their antics, picking flowers from the flower pots and moving clam shells around.

When we got back to the Pruth Bay side of the trail, many of the boats that were anchored when we went ashore had left and several new ones had arrived.  For supper we had smoked salmon from Bella Coola Valley Seafoods that we had purchased at the Dawson’s Landing store.  

Thursday, July 19, Pruth Bay:  We are spent another day in Pruth Bay today.  It rained lightly in the morning, but cleared up enough for a beach walk in the afternoon.  More details in the next blog.

Note:  This blog was almost ready to post when we were in Pruth Bay but we ran out of internet data before getting all of the photos uploaded and we haven't had any internet since then.  We're in Prince Rupert now, with good internet, so will post this and then follow up with another blog about our travels between Pruth Bay and Prince Rupert.

Until next time...

Vancouver to Port McNeill via Desolation Sound

Location:  North Island Marina, Port McNeill, BC



At the end of the last blog, we were preparing to leave Vancouver.  We left on June 11th and have stopped at many nice marinas and anchorages, have seen some gorgeous sites and have eaten some delicious meals.  We are now in Port McNeill reprovisioning and doing chores such as laundry and filling water before heading into the Broughton Islands for more adventures.

Point Atkinson Lighthouse at the north entrance to Burrard Inlet, Vancouver

Monday, June 11, False Creek to Snug Cove, Bowen Island (11 nm, 2.4 hours):  We spent the morning doing a few chores then left the dock at 10:30.  We caught some of the ebb coming out of False Creek and Vancouver Harbour and got into some ebb chop in Burrard Inlet.  We followed the ferry into Snug Cove, Bowen Island and docked at the Union Steamship Marina Resort.  We settled in and went up to the pub for lunch.  The marina was in the process of launching a float house to use as staff housing so we watched them for a while then went for a hike up to Dorman Lookout.  Supper was at Barcelona's Tapas and Wine Bar which was very good.

Float house being launched at the Union Steamship Marina in Snug Cove.

The launch was successful and the float house is safely tied to the dock.

Tuesday, June 12, Snug Cove to Pender Harbour (41 nm, 5.5 hours):  Today started out as a sunny day but then the clouds moved in.  We were going to anchor in the Plumper Cover Marine Park on the west side of Keats Island but decided to continue on to Pender Harbour.  Our cruise was uneventful and we docked at John Henry's Marina in Hospital Bay.  It was Dave's night to cook.

Dave in the galley preparing supper - bacon-wrapped asparagus and steaks.

Wednesday, June 13, Pender Harbour:  It rained most of the day.  Dave did maintenance on the Gen/Get-Home (GGH) engine and I did some cleaing and got the crab and prawn traps ready to use.  It cleared up in the afternoon so we walked over to the Garden Bay Pub for supper.

Thursday, June 14, Pender Harbour:  It rained again this morning so more cleaning and maintenance projects and some voyage planning for Desolation Sound.  It quit raining early afternoon so I went for a walk along the shore of Garden Bay Lake.  We had supper at the marina cafe.

Friday, June 15, Pender Harbour to Lund (37 nm, 5.4 hours):  We had an uneventful cruise up the coast to Lund and docked at the Lund Small Craft Harbour.  It was a bright sunny day and I walked the Lund Loop and checked out the bakery, sweater shop, gift store and general store.  By the end of the afternoon, the wind was blowing 15-20 knots and we watched a few boats "bump" into the marina while those of us who were already tied up stood by with fenders ready.  For supper we went up to the hotel pub.

The Lund waterwheel and tourist information booth.

Saturday, June 16, Lund to Squirrel Cove, Cortes Island (11 nm, 1.9 hours):  This morning we walked up to Nancy's Bakery for breakfast - a pecan cinnamon roll and a mixed berry scone; we got a blackberry cinnamon roll, a scone and two ginger cookies to go.  A few boat chores then we left the dock, cruised up the coast to the east side of Cortes Island and anchored in Squirrel Cove.

Entering Squirrel Cove.

 

It was a nice, warm sunny day.  We spent the day outside watching other boats come and go.

Dave enjoying his ginger cookie on the stern.

A nap on the port deck to help with the digestion of the ginger cookie.

Sunday, June 17, Squirrel Cove:  This morning we had our blackberry cinnamon roll and scone for breakfast.  After that and after all the delicious meals we have been eating, I needed to work off some calories.  I aired up my new inflatable stand-up paddle board (SUP) and went for a paddle around the cove.  I wore my wet-suit so that I could practice falling off, getting back on and changing from standing to kneeling to sitting and back.  We spent the day outside enjoying the sun and the calm anchorage.

B paddle boarding.

Monday, June 18, Squirrel Cove to Okeover (13 nm, 2.1 hours):  As we prepared to leave the anchorage this morning, we rigged up the salt water hose to wash the mud off the chain and anchor and found out our bilge pump was locked up.  We rigged up the fresh water hose, heaved anchor and headed south down Malaspina Inlet to Okeover.  We tied up to the large outer breakwater dock and settled in.  Dave disassembled the bilge pump, changed the impeller, cleaned up the electrical connections and got it working again.  I went for a hike in the Okeover Arm Provincial Park and then for a paddle around the inlet.  For supper we went to the Laughing Oyster Restaurant, which was very good.

View from the patio of the Laughing Oyster Restaurant.

Sunset view from the Okeover dock.

Tuesday, June 19, Okeover to Refuge Cove (10 nm, 1.7 hours):  This morning our journey took us back up Malaspina Inlet to Refuge Cove on the southwest side of Redonda Island.  They have a small general store along with a coffee house/cafe.  We bought a few groceries, got a book about the area Destination Cortes Island and had lunch and, later, happy hour, at the cafe.

View from the pilot house - Refuge Cove.

Wednesday, June 20, Refuge Cove to Roscoe Bay (7 nm, 1.3 hours):  Our destination for the day was Roscoe Bay.  There is a section of the entrance into the bay that dries at low tide so we had to time our entrance accordingly.  When we crossed, we had at least 9 feet of water (3 feet below the keel) and anchored in the inner cove with no issues.

Our chart plotter as we entered Roscoe Bay.  The red arrow points to the area in the channel that dries at low tide.

The yellow line shows our track into the inner cove.  The red triangle is Seabiscuit's anchor position.

We launched our kayaks and paddled around the cove.  We beached at the head of the cove and took the trail to Black Lake.  The water there is warmish, so we went for a swim.  Further up the trail are some rocks that lead into the lake and offer a nice area to enjoy the warmth of the sun.  There were thousands of tadpoles on the rocks just below the surface of the water.

Dave swimming in Black Lake.

Dave napping on the rocks, Black Lake.

Thousands of polliwogs, Black Lake.

Thursday, June 21, Roscoe Bay to Toba Wilderness (12 nm, 2 hours):  We had to time our exit from Roscoe Bay this morning, so I started off the day with a paddle around the bay.

Sunrise Roscoe Bay.

B paddling near the waterfall, Roscoe Bay.

About 11:00, we watched a few boats enter the bay as we prepared to leave.  We exited with no issues and cruised north up Waddington Channel to Toba Wilderness Marina.  Some of the boaters we had met in Refuge Cove were there and we spent the afternoon chatting with them in the Welcome House.  Later that afternoon, we hiked up to the waterfall that provides the drinking water to the lodge and marina.

The waterfall above the Toba Wilderness Marina.

Dave climbing down the rocks with the help of a rope.

B climbing down the rocks.

Friday, June 22, Toba Wilderness to Gorge Harbour (23 nm, 3.4 hours):  We hiked up to the lookout this morning and collected salmon berries along the way.

View up Toba Inlet.

View of Double Island and the northwest coast of East Redonda Island from the lookout above Toba Wilderness Resort.

We cruised along the north side of West Redonda Island, down Deer Passage and Sutil Channel, through Uganda Passage and into Gorge Harbour.  Dave saw a whale spout and an orca in Sutil Channel.  We tied up at the docks at Gorge Harbour Resort.  They have a nice swimming pool and hot tub so we walked up the dock for a soak.  We had supper at the resort restaurant, then when back to the boat to watch the sunset.

Sunset at Gorge Harbour.

Saturday, June 23, Gorge Harbour to Heriot Bay/Rebecca Spit (9 nm, 1.6 hours):  Rebecca Spit is a marine provincial park on the east side of Quadra Island.  We anchored just south of the north end of Rebecca Spit.  We launched the dinghy and took it over to Heriot Bay to pick up a few groceries.  I paddled my SUP to the Rebecca Spit beach and went for a walk on the trails along the waterfront.

The beach on the east side of Rebecca Spit.  It was full of driftwood and round stones.

Sunset at Rebecca Spit.

Sunday, June 24, Rebecca Spit to Octopus Islands (14 nm, 2.1 hours):  For today's passage, we needed to arrive at Beazley Passage and Surge Narrows at slack water.  The flood sets eastward up to 12 knots and the ebb sets westward up to 10 knots.  According to our tides and currents information, low slack at Beazley would occur at 8:35 a.m.  We heaved anchor and got underway at 7:00 and made it through with no issues.  It was a short run and we were anchored up in the Octopus Islands at 9:15.  It rained most of the day so we did inside chores and maintenance.

Monday, June 25, Octopus Islands to Shoal Bay (22 nm, 3.2 hours):  Today was a nice sunny day.  In order to get from the Octopus Islands to Shoal Bay, we had to time our voyage to transit Upper and Lower Rapids at slack water which meant a departure time of 15:00.  Dave had studied the fisheries information for the Octopus Islands and found out that digging for clams and mussels was open.  We took the dinghy over to a mud beach at low tide and dug about a dozen little neck clams.  I took my SUP out for a paddle around the islands and we did a few chores.

Dave digging for clams.

We left the anchorage as scheduled and reached the Upper Rapids about 45 minutes before high slack.  We got swirled around some, but nothing serious.  Instead of transiting the Lower Rapids, we went around the north side of Okis Island through Barnes Bay, as recommended in our guide book.  We arrived in Shoal Bay about 18:00.  The dock was full so we anchored just off the north end.  We took the dinghy to the dock and went to the "pub" for a cold beer.  For supper, we steamed our clams and melted some butter to dip them in.  They were delicious.

Rainbow in Nodales Channel on the way to Shoal Bay.

View from the pub - Shoal Bay with the docks on the left and Phillips Arm in the distance.

Tuesday, June 26, Shoal Bay to Forward Harbour (19 nm, 2.9 hours):  Today was another day for timing our departure in order to catch slack water at the rapids.  We studied our tide and current books and calculated a departure time of 14:30.  We hung around the boat and did some inside and outside chores along with some voyage planning.  We left the bay as planned and got to Green Point Rapids just prior to high slack, when the current turns from flood to ebb.  Whirlpool Rapids was another 10 nm ahead; we arrived there about 45 minutes after slack water and transited with no issues.  We turned into Forward Harbour and anchored for the night in Douglas Bay.

Entering Forward Harbour.

Wednesday, June 27, Forward Harbour to Lagoon Cove (33 nm, 4.6 hours):  The trick today was to time the current and the wind in Johnstone Strait with slack water in Chatham Channel.  It was difficult to work out the correct timing for all three, so we opted for the best time for the wind and current in Johnstone Strait.  We heaved anchor at 8:30 and caught a ride on the last of the ebb tide down Sunderland Channel and into Johnstone Strait.  We rounded the corner in Havannah Channel before the wind picked up.  The current was about 2.5 knots against us in Chatham Channel but it is a laminar flow and we didn't have any issues other than a slow speed.  We came through the Blow Hole, named because of the strong westerly winds that sometimes blow through, and docked at Lagoon Cove Marina.  Lagoon Cove is a fun place and the people are very friendly.  They have exercise stations, a ping-pong table and corn-hole boards in the back yard.  There are a few hiking trails and they have happy hour with fresh prawns every night on the patio near the old workshop.

Looking over the Lagoon Cove docks from the Backyard.

Lagoon Cove Exercise Station #4, Wood Chopping.

Lagoon Cove Exercise Station #3, Lawn Mowing

Thursday, June 28, Lagoon Cove to Glendale Cove (25 nm, 3.9 hours):  We saw a few grizzly bear tour boats come into Lagoon Cove for fuel yesterday afternoon.  They take people up Knight Inlet to Glendale Cove to view the grizzlies that live there.  We didn't have a particular destination in mind today so we researched Glendale Cove and found out that we could anchor there.  Before we left, we went for a hike to the Blow Hole and on some of the loop trails through the woods near the marina.

B swinging on the trail to the Blow Hole.

Salmon berries we picked while we were on our hike.

We left the dock about 10:45 and as we were transiting the Blow Hole, we saw a grizzly feeding along the north shore.  On the way up Knight Inlet, we saw lots of birds and dolphins feeding.  Four of the dolphins rode along with us for a while.

Four pacific white sided dolphins traveling with us on our way up Knight Inlet.

We turned into Glendale Cove and set our prawn trap in ~280 feet of water and our crab trap in ~40 feet of water.  We anchored and settled in.  The Knight Guardians greeted us and gave us information and the rules for watching the bears.  At 16:00, we spotted our first two bears feeding on the sedge grass on the west shore of the cove.  As the afternoon went on, they were joined by 4 others and we saw another bear feeding on the opposite shore.  It was very entertaining to watch how the bears interacted with each other and by the end of the night, we had named a few.  Blotchy was the bully that chased the others into the woods; Goldie was a small bear (a yearling?) and Darkie was his mother.  We watched from the boat with our binoculars so we were too far away to take any pictures of the bears.  Knight Inlet Lodge Resort, located in Glendale Cove, specializes in grizzly bear tours.  Their website has good information about the bears and good pictures.

Friday, June 29, Glendale Cove to Beware Cove (36 nm, 4.9 hours):  Low tide was at 9:00 this morning so we launched our kayaks and paddled along the shoreline looking for the bears.  Of course, we didn't see any.  We saw a few bald eagles and had a nice paddle around the cove.

View of the head of Glendale Cove.  Dave is ahead of me paddling up the river.

Bald eagle sitting on the old dock pilings on the west side of Glendale Cove.

Float plan landing in the fog, bringing guests to/from the Knight Inlet Resort.

We heaved anchor at 10:45.  We had three crabs in the crab trap but all females so no keepers.  There were 14 nice size prawns in the prawn trap.  As we turned out of the cove into Knight Inlet, we saw two grizzly bears working their way along the shore line.  From Knight Inlet, we turned into Clio Channel and then into Beware Passage.  We dropped off our prawn and crab traps and anchored between Cook Island and Beware Cove.  We had fresh prawns for our happy hour appetizer.

Beware Cove

Saturday, June 30, Beware Cove to Alert Bay (16 nm, 2.7 hours):  Anchor up at 8:30 this morning.  We only had one small crab in the crab trap and we let it go.  There were 20 prawns in the prawn trap.  We crossed Blackfish Sound and saw a humpback whale breach and saw several others feeding.  We docked in the Alert Bay boat harbour and walked uptown to have lunch at Duchess Bannock and Desserts.  We had bannock with hot turkey, veggies and gravy and Duchess sat with us and told us about her travels and about some of the natural food we could find amongst the islands.  We spent the afternoon at the U'Mista Cultural Centre which tells the stories of the First Nations people who live in the islands and includes a display of the masks that were used in their potlatch ceremonies.

The Alert Bay welcome sign.

A totem pole in the Alert Bay cemetery / burial grounds. 

Two ravens on the Alert Bay shore.

Sunday, July 1, Alert Bay to Port McNeill (6 nm, 1.1 hours):  We did our first of the month chores this morning before leaving Alert Bay.  We left the dock at 10:30 and cruised to North Island Marina in Port McNeill.  We walked up to the pub for lunch.  It rained most of the afternoon so we hung around and did inside chores.

Dave peeling prawns for supper.

Monday, July 2, Port McNeill:  More chores around town today.  It didn't rain but the wind blew 20+ knots most of the day.  Our plan is to leave the marina tomorrow morning and to spend the next few weeks cruising the Broughton Islands.

An update on Bob's Voyage to Alaska: At the end of the last blog, Bob had finished the repairs on his boat and was waiting for his son, Bill, to join him for the 2nd leg of his voyage, from Prince Rupert to Juneau.  They crossed Dixon Entrance from Prince Rupert to Ketchikan on Sunday, June 10th.  They had good weather for the passage and Dixon Entrance was fairly flat with a 1 - 2 foot following sea.  They explored Ketchikan, transited the Wrangell Narrows, explored Petersburg and moored up in Juneau on Friday, June 15th.  The boat ran well.  They tried fishing and crabbing but didn't have any luck. 

Bob's son Bill caught his flight home and Bob's son Bryan joined him in Juneau for the 3rd (last) leg of the trip, from Juneau to Seward.  Their first stop was Elfin Cove where it was pouring rain when they arrived.  The next run was from Elfin Cove to Yakatat, 148 nm up the Gulf of Alaska Coast.  The ride was really rough with high wind and seas.  They hunkered down in Yakatat for 2 days waiting on high winds and seas in the Gulf of Alaska to pass.  While there, they went clamming and musseling at low tide and made a very nice Alfredo seafood fettuccine.


From Yakatat, they did a 24 hour passage of 225 nm to Cordova.  They had good weather and sea conditions but had some electrical problems along the way.  They got everything working again prior to the final segment of the trip, a 20 hour voyage from Cordova to Seward.  The weather cooperated and they were able to do some halibut fishing along the way.  They arrived safely in Seward at 03:30 on Saturday, June 23rd.  Bob and his wife Peggy will spend most of the summer up in Alaska fishing, boating and camping.

Bob and Bryan in Seward, AK.

The end of the adventure - Bob and the Annie M safely tied up in Seward, AK.  

Until next time...