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| Foggy Bay |
June 30 AU 0430. Bound for Prince Rupert. Winds are predicted for later in the day so we decided on an early start. By 0700 we were in 5-6 foot seas with NO wind. Go figure. Gary called Canadian Customs....since we really weren't going to clear until Rupert....to tell them that we were not going to be able to make Rupert and were going into Wales Harbor. They said...."do what you need to do and call us when you make Rupert". So we slid into Wales at 0830 and called it a day. We should have given it a try later as there were no winds that developed but oh, well! We had a good dinghy ride.
July 1 0400 AU A weather window exists so off we go. Winds are NW at 5-15 with 3 foot seas predicted. At 0600 the water was flat and no wind developed! Flat water and blue skies all the way to Rupert where we cleared customs at 0900 and headed down the big ditch....Grenville Channel...the Inside Passage. We slid into Kelp Bay at 1300 but found no protection from a north wind which was predicted so we headed south to Kumealon Island Cove which is a very nice anchorage. We got a very slight wake from 1 BC ferry but not bad. The winds died and we were greeted by 3 kayakers from the middle of nowhere. They had put in at Bella Bella and were heading to Rupert. One was from Lopez Island, one from Maine and one from DC. They had met at Colorado College. None had ever done any kayaking before fut they were learning.
July 2 Slept in until 0730. AU at 1230 to catch the tide/currents in Grenville. Channel. A couple of weeks ago Gary decided to try to give Diesel a haircut and he still looks quite pitiful.
We made Evening Point (where the current changes in the channel...at that point it splits and ebbs north , floods south and ebbs south and floods north....something to be aware of.....North of Evening Point it was blowing 15-20 kts in the Ditch w/ 4-5 seas but they were following so we had a nice QUICK ride. At Evening Point it laid down to a 1-2 ft chop and we were making 9 kts. lickety split. We hit Lowe Inlet at 1600. We had a fair amount of wind inside but we held just fine in 80' of water.
July 3, Friday AU 0730 Grenville is flat. Gales are predicted over the entire coast from Sun through Tues from So Hecate Strait to Pine Island. We are inland to protected water! We made Kiskosh Inlet at 1240 which is one of our favorite places. With the warm weather this year, the usually snow capped peaks were bare but still beautiful and the crab were again plentiful.
July 4 0830 AU BIG crab in our pots!!!
July5 0700 OD The water was bumpy until we hit McKay Reach and then smoothed out. Thank goodness we didn't opt for Butedale as it appears to be in shambles, more so than usual!. I read that someone now bought it last year with high hopes but so far nothing. No one was there and if the dock was usable you could have fooled me. But 1400 we are pretty far south and the air smells smokey and looks foggy. We were going to go up Kynoch but the Coast Guard reports a fire up Roscoe Inlet so we opted for Bottleneck Cove. HOT with no breeze. 83 inside the boat! 73 inside by 10pm. Not a good night for a sound sleep.
July 6 AU 0640 Heading for the ocean and some breeze and away from smoke. Note to self: never spray OFF on nail polish!! My freshly done toes turned gummy! Yuck. We made Oliver Cove on Reid Passage at 1130 and called it quits. There was a nice breeze and it was cool. We had a lazy, easy day.
July 7 0900 AU Just a short little day to Mouat Bay which is nothing more than a pretty rock pile. Protected water, off Seaforth Channel so it had a nice little breeze and cool temps.
July8 0845 Dense FOG as we are trying to pick our way out through the rocks. But Gary did it. The fog lifted at we headed up Spiller Channel. We hit Neekas Cove at 12 noon where it was once again beastly hot. We should have stayed nearer the channel.
July9 0920 AU Looking for a cool place to go! We made Wigam Cove at 1000. A nice breeze coming in off Seaforth Channel. Whew. Very nice. A Pacific Trawler from Anacortes pulled in behind us. They launched their dinghy and went exploring. Pretty soon we heard a radio call to us from their dinghy. They had lost their motor in the channel and were drifting toward rocks and wondered if Gary could use our dinghy to come out and give them a tow. Nice people! who rewarded Magic' Towing Service with a nice Happy Hour!
July 10 AU 0745. We hit the grocery in Bella Bella at 0915. They have improved that store immensely! The produce was lovely. But no water on the dock due to drought! Left Bella Bella for Shearwater at 1030. Got the laundry done and spent a rocky night due to the water taxis screaming into the dock until 0100!! The Pacific Trawler folks and their other boating friends were there also.
July 11 0830 Left the dock via water taxi to go to Bella Bella to meet our friend Susan who will be joining us for a week. The water taxi driver tried to call me a cab. Cab driver still asleep! But he suggested the grocery store might call me a cab and they open at 9. Cab driver, Darren, still asleep! I told them I had no allegiance to Darren; was there another person to call? They called Jerry who came and drove me out to the airport which was culture shock in itself. The airport looked like a house trailer, no security and the terminal has a cat that wanders around and slinks up against your legs while you await your arriving guest. Then Susan was in for culture shock when she arrived. First the terminal, then a taxi ride through the Indian village, then a water taxi then finally our boat!
1100 OF and bound for Ocean Falls. Got there about 1600 and there was no room on the dock! So we proceeded south to Codville Lagoon. We had dinner underway and arrived at 1930. Long, disappointing first day but we are flexible.
July12 Happy 35th Anniversary to us!
AU at 0700. Pulled a nice load of prawns and moved on south on a flat Fisher Channel to Hakai Pass where we went to the beach and spent the night in Pruth Bay.
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| Hakai Beach One of the few on this part of the coast with white sand. |
July 13. On to Fly Basin in Smith Sound for a bit of crabbing and a dinghy ride.
July 14 0500 AU West Sea Otter has 4kts. We're outta here and rounded Cape Caution. at 0730. Flat water with a low swell made for a wonderful day. Gary caught a nice coho for dinner. At 1100 the fog rolled in and we made for Blunden Harbor for the night where we ran into a couple from Shelter Bay aboard Island Spriit. They came over for Happy Hour and we had a most enjoyable visit.
July 14 0900 AU Crab omelets for breakfast. Were heading for Jennis Bay but got word they were not open. Then decided to go to Sullivan Bay but then we heard a winds forecast. We HAD to be in Port McNeil on Saturday to get Susan on her plane so we opted for Alert Bay for two days and then on to Port McNeil to drop Susan at a much more modern looking airport. I think she had a nice time....we enjoyed having her and she seemed in awe of the scenery. She caught a salmon off Lizard Point on Malcolm but the photo is on her camera!
July 19 OD at 0520. Winds predicted but they sound better heading south. By 1130 the seas were about 5 ft in Johnstone Strait at Kelsey Bay and they seemed quite confused. We headed into Helmken Island for the night where we ran into another boat from Shelter Bay!
July 20 AU 0530 Calm predicted. 20 kts at Blind Channel...some calm! but it got better at Chatham Point so we pulled into Cameleon Bay at 0915 and had a day of rest!
July 21 AU 0530 It was a gusty night but 0500 winds at Chatham Point at 12. By 1230 we had crossed the north end of the Strait of Georgia and were tucked into the Copeland Islands. We spent a night with 8 other boats...5 of which were stern tied. It was a constant parade of boats up Malaspina Strait....just outside our anchorage....toward Desolation Sound.
July 22 Au 0630 Heading for Buccaneer Bay. Malaspina was rough 4+ ft which was not predicted. The winds died off but afternoon and we had calm water by 2000.
July 23 Au 0520. The strait was flat and clear.
1100 anchor down in False Creek, Vancouver Took the dinghy to the public market for some flowers and olives and Saint Agur cheese, baguettes, tomatoes and cherries. Had dinner with friends on Grenville Island and dinghied back to the boat for the night. It was quite gusty the next morning and there are no hiding places for about 40 miles so we just spent a lazy day in the harbor enjoying the market purchases.
July 25 AU 0520 Winds 9kts at Sand Head. Homeward Bound! From 0600- 0800 we had a most unpleasant 3' beam sea but then it flattened out just past Sand Head and it was smooth cruising. We decided to head to the San Juans for one last prawning adventure. At 1300 we dropped our prawn pots near Jones Island and went over to McConnell Island to drop the hook for a couple of hours to let the pots soak. At 1630 we were rewarded with a nice pull!! By 1730 we had the hook down in Swift Bay for our last night out.
July 26 AU 0720 Last leg. Good water. Light wind. Under the Rainbow Bridge at 1100!
Magic out.
What an amazing journey! Your photos are priceless; you really have the gift of seeing beauty in everything. Thank you for being an inspiration to all of us "middle age" retirees. Carpe diem!
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