Sunday, July 18, 2010

Linda Cole was able to get on the Forest Service’s web site this morning and get us reservations for Anan Bay Bear Observatory for Monday.

 

We departed Wrangell at 0914 and cruised around the east side of Wrangell Island in Eastern Passage, through the Narrows, then down Blake Channel to Berg Bay.  We arrived in Berg Bay at 1131 and dropped the anchor in 50 feet of water just off the Forest Service float with 180 feet of chain.  MouseTrap rafted and we launched the shore boats to crab and fish the bay and Blake Channel.

 

The sun is out today and the winds are very light.  The seas were flat so everyone enjoyed the ride to Berg Bay.  Berg Bay is a very quiet anchorage with snow covered mountains in the distance, a lone forest service cabin that people rent and a steep shore line.  Late in the afternoon, two fathers and their sons arrived by boat and set up camp in the cabin.

 

Our crab pots did not yield any keepers and the fishing was unsuccessful.  Fred and Linda did encounter a young moose on the shore line.  The moose just stood there and looked at them while they came closer and took photos.

 

Today’s Distance:  21 nm                              Distance to date:  1,556 nm

 

 

Monday, July 19, 2010

After a leisurely morning, we departed Berg Bay at 0949 and cruised down Blake Channel, towing the dinghy, to Anan Bay.  The sun is out, the wind is light from the south, and seas are calm with a slight ripple.  We arrived at Anan Bay at 1115, found a spot to anchor, and proceeded to go by dinghy to the ranger station to check in, pay our $10 per person fee, and take the tour of the Bear Observatory.

 

Anchoring outside Anan Bay is a little tricky, as the shore line is on about a 45 degree angle, with a sharp drop off to very deep water.  We were lucky that the wind was blowing from the west, so it was like having a stern line to shore.  Even though I dropped the anchor in 45 feet of water with 90 feet of chain, we were in 13 feet of water when the chain was stretched.

 

I took Shirley and Linda Cole in to shore while Fred tended to the boats.  As we were arriving ashore, our friends, the Soffels from Windy-I and QCYC arrived by guide boat from Wrangell.  Since the other couple had a medical emergency and had to cancel their guide boat, they offered to have us accompany them up to the observatory.  That way we had an armed guide and the knowledge of the guide to share information with us.  Brenda, the guide, grew up in the area and is very knowledgeable, as well as being a guide and noted artist in Wrangell.  She watercolors on marine charts in the winter when there is no guide business.

 

The mile walk up to the observatory is mostly a 2-foot wide wooden path with wire or roofing material to keep it from being slippery.  As we walked as round the lagoon where Anan Creek empties into the sound, we could see plenty of signs of bear, lots of eagles, ducks, and heron, as well as the remnants of the former Indian fishing grounds.

 

As we got to about 50 yards from the observatory platform, we had to stop and wait for the ranger in the observatory to scout the area and give us the go ahead signal before proceeding.  We were crossing the bear’s highway to the stream.  All was clear, so we proceeded.

 

Once we were in the observatory platform, it was obvious why this is a MUST stop for anyone in this area.  The black bears were everywhere, fishing for salmon, climbing trees with their catch, sitting on rocks eating their catch, or protecting their territory from other bears.  We watched one mother bear with her cub trying to find a place to fish, but after some teeth clattering with a bigger bear, she and the cub retreated.  The cub finally got so scared, that it went up the hillside and we didn’t see it again.  One small bear sat in a tree eating his salmon, then cleaned his paws and did a lot of scratching on the tree trunk.  All the time, an eagle was sitting about 10 feet from him on the same branch looking for any leftovers.

 

We signed up for the lower platform photo area, which is right next to the falls where the bear fish.  As we walked down the camouflaged steps, there was a bear sitting next to the steps, about 18 inches from us eating his salmon.  Once down to the photo area, which is basically a duck blind with small opening that you can photo from, were were able to see and photo the bears up close.

 

Just as were were getting ready to leave, a brown (grizzly) showed up to fish.  When the brown bears show up, the black bears get out of the way.  This brown was about 400 pounds and 3 years old.  What a difference between how the browns and the blacks fish.  Where the black bears seem to be careful to not get any wetter than necessary and want to cling to the rocks, the brown bear just gets into the water and catches his fish.  I think the brown caught 4 fish in the same time that it takes the blacks to catch one.

 

We walked back to the shore boat and proceeded to get ready to continue on to our anchorage for the night.  We weighed anchor at 1419 and cruised on a slow bell down Bradfield Canal and Seward Passage to Santa Anna Inlet to anchor for the night.  The wind has picked up to 10-15 this afternoon, so towing the dinghy was a little rough.  We arrived at Santa Anna Inlet at 1630 and rafted to MouseTrap.

 

Santa Anna Inlet is a very protected anchorage with a lake at the head, which is a very short walk from the creek outlet.  We tried crabbing and some light fishing, but no luck.  There were three other boats that used this anchorage for the night.

 

Today’s Distance:  25 nm                                              Distance to date:  1,581 nm

 

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

We departed the anchored raft in Santa Anna Inlet at 0846 and motored out to Ernest Sound to cruise southwest to Clarence Strait and into Myers Chuck, arriving at 1125.  The seas were rippled and we had a light southwesterly wind of 5-10 knots.  The skies were clear and the sun was shining bright.

 

On arrival to Myers Chuck, we found space on the state dock and moored for the day and night.  We were greeted by one of the locals who was working on his fishing vessel.  There is no power on the state dock, but everything is very clean and tidy. 

 

After we were moored, 4 small boats from Florida came in to tie up for lunch.  They had trucked their boats 4,000 miles to Prince Rupert and were doing Alaska, some for the 8^th time, others for the 1^st time.  Following a quick lunch break, they departed and a 48’ DeFever Tricabin, Sun Chaser V, came in and tied to the dock.  We met Tom and Jan White from Salt Lake City and went for a walk with them to explore Myers Chuck.

 

There is a trail marked by sawdust that leads to a great vista of Clarence Strait all the way to Dixon Entrance.  On the trail, we met Sean, a local who is building a house on the outer island.  He invited us to inspect his work and the view he has from his pride and joy.  The house sits on top of an island just outside Myers Chuck and has fantastic views of Clarence Strait.  Sean said that the wind sometimes blows up to 100 mph in the winter, so he has to put Lexan covers on his windows to keep the flotsam in the water from flying up and breaking his windows.  He only has battery power, but likes it that way.  His permanent home is in Ketchikan, but he likes to spend time out here in Myers Chuck where the population is 6-8 in the winter and 28 in the summer.

 

It’s interesting that the post office is only open on Wednesday for 1-hour, just after the float plane delivers the mail pouch to the city dock.  Kathy, the postmaster is retiring this year and they can’t find anyone to take her place, so everyone may just have to go to the dock and check for their mail after the float plane leaves its pouch of mail.

 

On our walk back from Sean’s house, we were greeted by one of the residents who offered to open the gallery.  We took her up on her offer and our group bought a few local artist creations.

 

It was a beautiful day, so we had our cocktail hour on the dock with the Coles and White’s, then barbequed hamburgers for a light dinner.  Late in the evening, a westerly wind developed and the forecast for the next few days is not good.  Hopefully, we will be able to start at 0430 in the morning and make the trip to Ketchikan before the wind and seas build up too much.

 

Today’s Distance:  23 nm                                              Distance to date:  1,504 nm

 

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Last night’s wind calmed down during the night and it is quite calm this morning as we depart Myers Chuck at 0439 for our cruise down Clarence Strait and across Behm Channel to Tongass Narrows and Ketchikan.

 

We cruised at our fast speed of 10 knots in a following sea of 1-2 foot swells from the winds of last night.  With the combination of following seas and an ebb tide, we made good 11 knots on our way to Ketchikan.  Enroute, we encountered two Alaska State Ferries and a cruise ship in Clarence Strait.

 

We arrived in Ketchikan at 0807 and called the harbormaster for a berthing assignment.  They put us in Bar Harbor on the north end of town this time, Dock 10, slip 21.  I like this harbor better than the Thomas Basin downtown.  We don’t have to deal with the cruise ship customers, busy shops full of tourists, and we have Safeway and Alaskan and Proud grocery stores nearby.

 

We walked to the Safeway and mall, inspected the Laundromat, and returned to the boat.  Then it was time for doing laundry.  After laundry, we walked north to the Alaska & Proud grocery to pick up supplies.  For dinner, we walked to the Best Western Motel, about 6 blocks north and ate at Jerimiah’s Pub in the motel complex.  Good food, friendly service, and good prices.

 

Today’s Distance:  34 nm                                              Distance to date:  1,538 nm

 

Thursday, July 22, 2010

We motored over to the fuel dock, just north of Bar Harbor, and took on 370 gallons of diesel and filled the empty outboard reserve tank.  Upon returning to our slip on Dock 10, we filled the water tanks and changed fuel filters.  We are now ready to head south, check in to Canadian Customs, and spend some time in British Columbia.

 

In the afternoon, we took the bus downtown to shop for Alaska gifts to take home.  Following the shopping, we stopped at the Pirates Cove pub for fish and chips.  Don and Carolee Larson, Carolee’s sister Karma and her husband Dan, and Fred and Linda Cole joined us for dinner.  After dinner, we took a cab back to Bar Harbor.

 

The weather report for the next few days does not sound good, so we may be in Ketchikan for a while.  The latest report for Dixon Entrance is for 10-12 seas and 35 knot southeast wind, so we won’t want to have any part of that.  Hopefully, we will be able to stay here in Bar Harbor.

 

Friday, July 23, 2010

The forecasted storm came in last night with heavy rain, lots of southeast wind with gust to 25 knots here in the slip.  The entire fishing fleet is returning this morning looking for moorage and the harbormaster is doing a yeoman’s job of finding a spot for everyone.  It’s amazing how accommodating the harbormaster’s office is to make sure everyone gets a place to tie up during a storm.  Looking out into Tongass Narrows from our slip, I can see 2 foot breakers hitting the breakwater to Bar Harbor.

 

I called the first thing this morning and asked to stay here until the storm passes and was given permission.  I think we will just have a lazy day here on the boat reading.

 

From the weather reports, it appears that we may not be able to head south until Sunday at the earliest.

 

Saturday, July 24, 2010

The weather reports for Dixon Entrance looks good enough that we will try for at least Foggy Bay.  The sky is cloudy with a few sun breaks and the winds are 5-10 from the SE and the seas are rippled.  A high pressure is expected to begin moving in and the wind is supposed to turn to a northwesterly.

 

We paid our moorage when the harbormaster’s office opened at 0800 and departed Bar Harbor at 0811.  We cruised down Tongass Narrows at a slow speed until past the Coast Guard Station, then increased to 10 knots for the duration of our trip.

 

As we cruised down Revillagigedo Channel, the seas began to pick up to 1-2 foot swells and the wind picked up to 10-15 knots from the southeast.  Very comfortable ride, so we decided to continue on to Dixon Entrance and Foggy Bay.  As we approached Foggy Bay, the seas seemed the same, so we decided to push on to Prince Rupert.

 

As we rounded Tree Point the seas picked up to 3-4 foot swells from the starboard beam with occasional 5 footers.  Our choice was to turn in to Nakat Bay or continue on.  We figured that it was about the same distance to Nakat Bay as to the protection of Dundas Island, so we continued on.  Once behind Dundas Island, the seas became much more manageable.  As we cuised down the east side of Dundas past Green Island Lighthouse and into Chatham Sound, the seas calmed down and the wind was down to 3-4 knots from the southeast.

 

We transited Metlakatla and Venn Passage on our way to Prince Rupert, arriving at 1819.  We lost an hour as we entered Canada and went back to Pacific Daylight Time.  All of the marinas in Prince Rupert were full, but I was able to find a space at the yacht club to tie up and call Customs.  We received our clearance number (20102050821) and departed for the other side of the harbor to anchor for the night.  We found a nice spot just northwest of Venn Passage and dropped the hook in 30 feet of water with 90 feet of chain.  There is only one other boat here, a sailboat from Port Angeles.

 

Today’s Distance:  85 nm                                              Distance to date: 1,623 nm

 

Sunday, July 25, 2010

During the morning engine room check, I discovered that we had broken loose a lot of sludge from the fuel tanks.  I drained the main filters until clear and prepared to depart Prince.

 

We weighed anchor at 0947 and headed for Lowe Inlet on Grenville Channel.  Cruising at 1100 rpm through Prince Rupert Harbor until past the Coast Guard station, then we increased speed to to 1500 rpm and 8.5 knots.

 

As we cleared the harbor and entered Chatham Sound the west winds of 10 knots were creating 1-2 foot swells off the starboard beam, making passage uncomfortable.  We increased speed to 10 knots to get through Chatham and shorten the time required to get into more favorable conditions.

 

After passing the Lawyer Islands, the seas became more on our starboard quarter and much more comfortable.  As we entered Grenville Channel, the seas switched to behind us with 1-2 foot swells and winds that reached 25 knots at time.  With this tailwind and an ebbing current, we were making 11 knots good as we went down Grenville.  Near Baker Inlet, we encountered a north bound Holland America cruise ship at 18 knots and had to deal with its wake in the narrow channel.

 

We entered Lowe Inlet at 1530 and cruised up to Nettle Basin to anchor for the night.  We wanted to anchor in front of the waterfalls, but another boat had that spot, so we moved a little to the west and anchored in 31 feet of water with 90 feet of chain.  The wind is quite strong, so MouseTrap set their own anchor for the night.  Winds reached 28 knots while at anchor, but the anchor seems to be holding.

 

As we were scoping out where to drop the anchor, we noticed that there were a couple of black bears trying to catch the fish as they jumped to make it up the falls.  Each of the black bears seemed to be young and were not having much luck, but they did provide us with some entertainment.  The fish are plentiful in the bay, with salmon jumping all around the boat.  Of course this area is off limits for salmon fishing, as it is right in front of their spawning grounds.

 

Today’s Distance:  57 nm                                              Distance to date:  1,680 nm

 

Monday, July 26, 2010

After a night of wind at anchor and today’s weather forecast for 20-30 knot northwest winds on the coast for the next 4-5 days, we decided to make an early departure for Khutze Inlet.  We weighed anchor at 0500 in the dark and cruised down Grenville Channel, across Wright Sound, up McKay Reach and down Princess Royal Channel to Khutze Inlet.  The days must be getting shorter, as previous starts at 0430 were at sunbreak.

 

We had a brisk 20 knot wind behind us as we came down Grenville with about 2 knots of current to help us also.  Once we began crossing Wright Sound, the wind shifted to 10 knots from the east which caused us to have 1-2 foot beam seas during the crossing.  Once across Wright Sound, the wind subsided and we had pleasant cruising water the rest of the way.  Despite the current arrows on the charts, the current was just the opposite and we enjoyed favorable currents until just before the entrance to Khutze Inlet.

 

We stopped at 0932 to inspect Butedale and see if they have made any efforts to improve the facilities.  The welcome sign is still on the pier, but there is also a “private property” sign near the gangway.  It doesn’t look like anything is happening at Butedale, as the dilapidated and crumpling buildings are still as they have been for years.  There were a few derelict boats at the dock, but we saw no signs of life.  Even the waterfalls, which is usually so magnificent seems to have less water flowing.  We took a few photos and left.

 

We arrived in Khutze and rafted to MouseTrap for the night.  We were immediately met by thousands of big black flies that clung to anything that moved.  At one time I think I had over a hundred flies attached to my jeans.  We broke out the screens and went inside as soon as possible.  It is a beautiful day here in Khutze, as the sun is out and there is virtually no wind.  The calming sound of the waterfall behind us makes this a peaceful anchorage.

 

We finally got up enough courage to fend off the flies, launch the dinghy and set our crab and prawn pots.  Then, we took the dinghy up the Khutze River until we got to the sandbar that made navigating the river difficult and turned around.  We saw no bears fishing the river, but there were lots of seals having a meal on the fish returning to the lake above.  Our crab pots yielded our limit of huge Dungeness crab.  We re-set the crab pots to leave out over night.

 

Today’s Distance:  54 nm                                              Distance to date:  1,734 nm

 

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

It is another nice day here in Khutze Inlet.  There are broken clouds, but plenty of sunshine.  The first thing I discovered this morning was that someone stole one of my crab pots.  The other pot did not have any crab and I suspect that someone emptied the pot but didn’t have room to steal both pots.  There were a couple of boats anchored near my crab pots that left early this morning.  I saw them tending to their crab pots, but did not keep a close eye on them.

 

My prawn pot did not have any prawn, but Fred had 9 prawns in his pot, which was set a little closer to shore than mine.  I re-set my pot closer to shore in about 250 feet of water.  I then cleaned the crab from yesterday so Shirley could cook them.  We will pick the crab tonight after the sun starts to go down and the flies depart for their home.

 

After the crab was picked, the crab pot and prawn pot were picked up, we loaded the dinghy for tomorrow’s cruise to Rescue Bay.

 

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

We departed Khutze Inlet at 0700 to move to Rescue Bay.  The skies are overcast and there is a light south wind of 5-10 knots.  We will pick up the ebb current to help us as we transit Graham Reach and Tolmie Channels.

 

We arrived at Klemtu at 1113 and slowed to 800 rpms to minimize wake and to give us time to check emails and call home, as the cell service at Klemtu is excellent Wedge Rock at the north end to the south end of Cone Island.  At the south end of Cone Island we increased to 8.5 knot speed and proceeded across Finlayson Channel to Jackson Pass.  We arrived at Rescue Bay at 1259 and anchored in 41 feet of water with 90 feet of chain.  MouseTrap rafted for the night.

 

There are 4 other boats at anchor in Rescue Bay for the night, plus one young lady who is camping on the shore.  She is from Vancouver and is rowing from Prince Rupert to Vancouver or for three week, whichever is shorter.  She said she was having problems with her boat, so had to have a tow from a passing tug boat yesterday, but may have the problem fixed.  Her next stop is Shearwater where they can make permanent repairs.  One of the other boats in the harbor is a beautiful sailboat “Princess” from San Francisco.  The owner said he had the boat shipped to Anacortes in April so they could sail BC and Alaska.  They are on their way south.  He is a past commodore from St. Francis Yacht Club.  I reminded him that PCYA has the Horder award painting hanging in their entry.

 

I did a small fiberglas repair on the dinghy, then launched the kayak to take a couple trips around the harbor. 

 

Today’s Distance:  48 nm                                              Distance to date:  1,782 nm

 

Thursday, July 29, 2010

MouseTrap departed our raft at 0600 to head for Bella Bella and fuel.  We weighed anchor at 0707 and headed down Mathieson Channel in a light fog with little wind.  As we passed Jermine Point on Dowager Island, we spotted the young lady in her row boat, just inside the small island on the point.  She seemed to be making pretty good progress.

 

At 0844, we crossed Milbanke Sound and received moderate ocean swells, then entered Reid Passage and proceeded to Ivory Island before heading east in Seaforth Channel.  Seaforth Channel was pretty calm with just moderate ocean swells for the first couple of miles, then a rippled sea.  Just after passing Harmston Island, we decided to alter our route and take Gunboat Passage over to Fisher Channel.  We entered the west narrow section of Gunboat at 1128 and slowed to a no wake speed, then proceeded to the east narrows where we again reduced speed, clearing Gunboat Passage at 1154.  We then proceeded up Fisher Channel and Cousins Inlet to Ocean Falls, arriving at 1349.

 

We moored at the community dock with a little help from some of the other boats that were already moored.  The wind was blowing about 15 knots away from the dock and getting the boat to the dock was quite a chore.  After mooring, we helped Mike and Betty from the Paramour of Seattle.  We also met Jim and Joy from the Kimjie, a Royal Vancouver YC boat.  They live on Saltpring Island and have been longtime members.  They have many memories of our old pal Tommy Trap from Vancouver.  They said Tommy was quite a colorful character around the yacht club for many years before his death.

 

Later in the afternoon, MouseTrap arrived and moored at the community dock.  We all took a walk to the top of the dam and took photos of the spillwater.  Ocean Falls is a ghost town that has been trying to make a comeback.  After the pulp mill closed in 1980, most of the old homes have been torn down and removed.  The dam still continues to provide power to Ocean Falls, Bella Bella and Shearwater.  The only other industry in town is a smolt operation on the south side of the bay where they raise smolt for the fish farms.  The 40 full time residents at Ocean Falls continue to paint the remaining buildings, keep the place tidy, operate the dock and generally try to make the town active again. 

 

At 1930, the church bells rang to announce the start of the community annual meeting where they were to elect new directors and discuss various topics.  The wharfinger told us that they are requesting new docks from the federal government, but it may be a couple of years before they get them.  There is a small shack on the shore side of the dock where visitors can sit and look over some of the old newspapers of time past, see before and after photos, use their internet connection, or just sit and play games.  The shack is never locked up.  The lower half of the door is the only thing closed, but that is just to keep the otters from coming in and reading the books (that’s what the sign says).

 

The docks are in good condition and they have 30 amp shore power available.  Moorage was $23.25 per night, plus $8 for electricity.  A very reasonable sum for BC facilities.

 

Today’s Distance:  53 nm                                              Distance to date:  1,835 nm

 

Friday, July 30, 2010

We made an early departure from Ocean Falls in the dark and fog at 0453 and cruised down Cousins Inlet, Fisher Channel and Fitz Hugh Sound on our way to Fury Island, or possibly around Cape Caution if weather conditions are ok. 

 

The fog varied from ¼ mile visibility to over a mile.  The wind was light from the south and the seas were flat calm.  As we got to the south end of Fitz Hugh Sound and into Queen Charlotte Strait, we began to pick up the ocean swells, but very manageable.  We decided to go ahead and try to round Cape Caution with the option of bailing out if conditions changed.  As we got just past Rivers Inlet, conditions changed drastically.  The wind shifted to the southwest at 15-20 knots and the ocean swells became 4 and 5 footers with a wind chop on the top.  We diverted to Rivers Inlet and put into Goose Bay to anchor for the night.  We dropped the hook at 1239 in 32 feet of water in the south end of Goose Bay with 90 feet of chain, then received MouseTrap.

 

As I was dropping the anchor, Shirley said we must be over a rock, as the depth went from 32 feet to 15 feet as the boat swung.  I told her there was no rock in this area.  We soon learned what had made the depth sounder to give us this reading as a hump back whale that had gone under the boat surfaced right off our port side.  The whale continued to give us quite a show as it dived for food and surfaced in the bay.

 

Goose Bay gave us good protection from the wind and is a quiet anchorage.  At the entrance to the bay is the Duncanby Lodge with all of it’s fishing guides taking customers out to fish, which makes that end of the harbor very busy.  We will stay here until conditions improve to round Cape Caution.

 

Today’s Distance:  68 nm                                              Distance to date:  1,903 nm

 

Saturday, July 31, 2010

We awoke at 0400 to check the weather reports.  Egg Island was reporting 12 knot  southwest winds and 1-2 meter seas at 0400 this morning, with the forecast for winds in the 15-25 knot category later today.  Gale force winds are reported in Johnstone Strait.  We decided to go back to bed and spend the day here at anchor.

 

We launched the dinghy and motored over to Duncanby Landing, which is now exclusively a fishing lodge with limited moorage for pleasure boats.  We met one of the owners, Lee, who with her husband, Syd, have closed the store and liquor store due to poor sales and the need for the space for their fishing lodge.  She was very pleasant to talk to and seems enthusiastic about her summer project, which is different than the winter job of running a trailer leasing business, Ocean Transport.

 

Later in the day, we were visited by one of the owners of the old cannery, Tom, who came out in his fishing boat to welcome us to Goose Bay and tell us that the cannery was purchased about 6 years ago and they have new concrete docks that were just installed last week.  They offer moorage if we are interested.  There is no power at this time, as they run the whole place on there penderwheel.  They do have a backup generator when needed.  We remained at anchor, but Tom invited us to come over and have a tour of the place if we wanted.

 

We took the dinghy and went to the cannery.  We were met by Jim, another of the owners, who welcomed us and told us that 30 firefighters from Burnaby, their friends and relatives, had purchased the cannery and the 40 acres of land behind the cannery 6 years ago and have been slowly fixing it up.  They have done a marvelous job of slowly fixing the various buildings up, installing new pilings as needed, and generally cleaning the place up.  They are not in it for a profit, just a fun project that can be affordable for the owners and their families.  Each owner is required to put in 15 days of labor and contribute $100 per month for expenses, plus occasional assessments to pay for new items.  Eventually, they plan to lease out some of the old bunk houses to a fishing guide service in return for a small portion of their profits.  Jim gave us the cook’s tour of the place and explained how everything used to work and how they are putting newer technologies in place to make the place efficient. 

 

Ken and Karen Klett arrived on the Klettitat in the early afternoon and anchored near by.  We invited them over for cocktails and dinner for the evening.  They will accompany us around Cape Caution tomorrow morning, weather permitting.

 

Sunday, August 01, 2010

We awoke at 0430 to listen to the weather reports for Queen Charlotte Strait and Egg Island.  The 0400 reports looked favorable with Egg Island reporting 5 knot winds and 1-2 foot ocean swells.  We decided to go for it and weighed anchor at 0504 to begin our transit of Cape Caution with an eventual destination of Sullivan Bay.

 

As we departed Rivers Inlet, we were met by 2-3 foot ocean swells and heavy dense fog with visibility less than ¼ mile.  We continued on and as we made the turn to head for Egg Island and Cape Caution we had the swells off our starboard bow, which made the ride pretty comfortable with an occasional heavy roll.  We rounded Cape Caution at 0720 and the swells began to be on our starboard quarter.  The fog is still very dense, but our ride is getting smoother and smoother as we progress on our route.  We rounded Point Boyles and entered Wells Pass at 1119.  The fog has now lifted to about 1 mile visibility and the seas are smooth.  We called the Burtons on Sea Cloud and found that they were in Moore Bay.  We decided to meet with them tomorrow, as we have reservations at Sullivan Bay.

 

We arrived at Sullivan Bay at 1222 and were greeted by Chris, who assisted in tying us up.  Sullivan Bay is not full, but they do have some very large yachts here for the night.  Evviva arrived and took up most of the outer dock.  I’m sure that some of the other large yacht owners were not looking forward to be shown up by Evviva.  All of a sudden, their $3-4 million yachts look small compared to the $40 million Evviva.

 

At 1700, they have a cocktail hour get together at the outdoor deck area for everyone to meet the other boaters, then they have a 1 hole golf tournament which consists of each moorage payer to have three chances to hit a golf ball into an old satellite dish that has been covered with artificial turf and anchored about 90 yards off the seaplane dock.  If you get a hole in one, you get free moorage.  No one hit the dish tonight.

 

We joined the Cole’s and went to dinner at the restaurant.  Chris’s wife, Debbie, runs the restaurant and tonight’s special was a deep fried turkey dinner.

 

Today’s Distance:  63 nm                                              Distance to date:  1,966 nm

 

Monday, August 02, 2010

It’s foggy and overcast again this morning, but it looks like this will all burn off by late morning.  The wind is very light from the southeast.

 

We departed Sullivan Bay at 1035 and motored down Sutlej Channel and turned up Kingcome Inlet to Moore Bay.  At Moore Bay we met up with the Burtons on Sea Cloud.  EJ and Patsy Foote and Bob and Linda Kimbrough were also anchored in the bay.  We dropped an anchor at 1223 and rafted to Sea Cloud, then MouseTrap rafted to the other side of Sea Cloud and ran a stern line to shore.

 

We spent the afternoon setting prawn pots, which we left over night.  Jerry emptied his pots from the night before and had a pretty good catch.  We ate them for dinner.

 

Today’s Distance:  12 nm                                              Distance to date:  1,978 nm

 

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

We have overcast skies this morning with occasional sun breaks.  The wind is light and variable and the seas are smooth.

 

After pulling our prawn pots, we prepared to move to Cullen Harbor on the southwest corner of Broughton Island.  The prawn pots did not provide a good catch, but we did manage to get a few.

 

We weighed anchor at 1045 and headed down to Fife Sound to Cullen Harbor pulling the dinghy.

We arrived at 1307 and rafted to Sea Cloud.

 

Today’s Distance:  17 nm                                              Distance to date:  1,995 nm

 

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

The fog is really dense this morning.  We can’t even see the entrance to the harbor we are anchored in.  We loaded the dinghy and prepared to depart for Port McNeill.  At 1018, we untied from Sea Cloud and departed Cullen Harbor for Port McNeill via Queen Charlotte Strait, turned up Cormorant Channel, and crossed Broughton Channel into Port McNeill, arriving at 1232.  As soon as we got into Queen Charlotte Strait, the fog lifted and the seas were glass smooth with a slight northwest wind.

 

The marina is quite full, but Linda Cole had made arrangements with the harbormaster, Hiltje, who tried to hide our spot until we arrive.  They do not take reservations and it is first come first serve.  We moored on G float at 1235 and hooked to 30A shore power.  Moorage was $53.00 per night, including power.  Hiltje and her crew are very friendly and helpful, even offering to come down and handle lines while we docked.

 

We walked up town to find the Laundromat, their hours of operation and how much change we would need to do laundry.  While up town, we stopped at Gus’s Pub for lunch and had their Gus Burger with fries and brown gravy.  Great burger!  Then, it was off to the sporting goods/marine store across the street.  I bought a new prawn pot to double my chances at prawn.

 

For the evening, the Burtons and Coles joined us as we dined at the Breakwater Steak House.  Food was pretty good and reasonably priced.

 

Today’s Distance:  20 nm                                              Distance to date:  2,015 nm

 

Thursday, August 5, 2010

It started out as a foggy morning, but quickly burned off and provided a sunny late morning and afternoon.  Shirley headed for the Laundromat to do laundry and get a latte.  I broke out the boat washing gear and proceeded to give the boat deck a good scrubbing.  All those days at Juneau with the purse seiners and gillnetters starting their dry stack boats covered the decks with black soot that was difficult to remove.

 

We will stay here in Port McNeill until tomorrow, then head back to the Broughtons for about a week.