Up the Central & North Coasts of British Columbia

Lagoon Cove around Cape Caution to Pruth

On Thursday, June 13th after 3 nights at Lagoon Cove we left at 6:45 am.  The last few days had been windy so we decided to wait for better weather.  This was the day for transiting!  Don was totally right to wait for this day.

We crossed Queen Charlotte Strait with moderate swell and a light chop.  We decided not to stop at Blunden Harbour where we would normally anchor to then wait and check the weather forecast to determine when to cross the open ocean.  Instead Don felt confident that today was the best day so we continued going through Richards Channel into Queen Charlotte Sound and around Cape Caution.  Crossing the open ocean we were in 5 foot swells on our beam.  Not the most comfortable ride but we got use to it!  I actually took the helm for most of the ocean crossing.

By 5:30 we were well in the lee of Calvert Island travelling up Fitz Hugh Sound to Kwakshua Channel anchoring in a small bay south of Pruth Bay; the channel leading to Hakai Passage.  We arrived at 7:55 pm.  It was amazing to think we had just been in Lagoon that morning.  13 hrs 30 min cruising time.

Pruth Bay to Shearwater

Last year we spent an amazing day on the white sand beach of Pruth Bay.  This year we wanted to continue up the central coast of British Columbia due to our late departure.  We left this little bay at 8:30 am on Friday June 14th in rainy but light wind conditions.  From here we went into Hakai Passage which is also open ocean then back into Fitz Hugh Sound up to Lama Passage past Bella Bella to Shearwater.  We arrived in Shearwater at 1:50 pm in the afternoon.  Glad we got there early so we could do laundry, get groceries, water up and remove the garbage and recycling we have accumulated since leaving Nanaimo.  Shearwater also has a nice restaurant with good food.  Bosun had fun getting out for some walking and interactions with humans and dogs.  5 hrs 20 min cruising time.

Shearwater to Butedale

Saturday June 15th we left at 6:00 am to start our journey by going thru Seaforth Channel which was really calm.  Seaforth Channel is part of the Inside Passage.  At the east side of Ivory Island we took Reid Passage.  Because Seaforth Channel was so calm there were no breakers at the entrance which was a welcome surprise.   We travelled Reid Passage and continued up Mathieson Channel in flat water.   Jackson Passage is the scenic route from Mathieson Channel to Finlayson Channel.  Parts of Jackson Passage are narrow and shallow with depths as low as 12 feet at Jackson Narrows.  We had some ebb current through Jackson Narrows but had no difficulty transiting it. 

We continued up Finlayson Channel to Hiekish Narrows.  We stopped to fish for about 20  minutes and we caught a good size rock fish and a kelp greenling.  We wanted some fish for Bosun’s food. He’s a little spoiled!  We took Graham Reach north to Butedale arriving at 5:15 pm.11hrs 40 min cruising time.

Butedale is a good overnight spot.  It is the site of an old historic cannery next to a beautiful waterfall which comes from Butedale Lake above this property.  Untreated lake water is available and is used by many local fishing and charter boats.  This property was purchased by a developer in 2013 and new side-tie floats were installed.  Hopefully they will get the funds/investors needed to re-develop this property.  We got the last available spot on the dock!

Butedale to Lowe Inlet via Bishop Bay

We were going to spend the day here but Don enticed me into leaving Butedale to go to Bishop Bay Hot Springs.  We left at 11:40 on Sunday June 16th.  When we got to Bishop Bay there were several boats already anchored so we did not find a good spot because it is a small bay and it is deep.  We decided not to wait and instead we did a cruise around  Gribbell Island and head on up to Lowe Inlet.  We arrived at 9:05 pm.  9 hrs 25 min cruising time.

We stayed at Lowe Inlet on our way up to Alaska last year and on the way back down.  It is one of our favorite places to anchor.   Verney Falls is at the end of Lowe Inlet.  We anchored in 100 feet of water and had a nice steak dinner to celebrate Father’s Day.  We stayed another night here so Don could do some things on the boat.  I love hearing water rushing down a waterfall.  

 Lowe Inlet to Lewis Island Anchorage

We left on Tuesday June 16th at 10:30 am.  We were lucky because we needed to time it for high water slack for Evening Point when we went north to go up Grenville Channel.  That day the tide change was later in the morning.  Evening Point is where the tides meet so at that point ebb tide goes north out Grenville Channel  out into Chatham Sound but the south channel of Grenville Channel ebbs south out into Wright Sound.   By timing it we rode the current north while the tide was flooding in from the south and then when we reached Evening Point we rode the current north while the tide was ebbing (flowing out) to the north into Chatham Sound.   Don tries to get a boost as often as possible.  It can make a big difference going with the flow versus fighting the flow.

From Grenville Channel we went into Arthur Passage then turned east to go through a small passage called Chismore Passage.  We anchored behind Lewis Island at 4:10 pm.  It was a nice day for cruising.    5 hrs 40 min cruising time.

Lewis to Brundige Inlet on Dundas Island

The next day Wednesday, June 17th we left our anchorage at 4:55 am.  We decided to skip going to Prince Rupert since we don’t really need anything.  We have lots of produce we will say good-bye to before we cross into U.S. waters again.  We headed up Chismore Passage on the inside of Lewis Island and Porcher Island to Malacca Passage then into Chatam Sound. 

As we were coming up Chatam Sound we noticed a 165 ft mega yacht travelling much faster than us that passed.  They were not really close at all so I didn’t think much about it.  I did not see any wake coming our way.  I took over so Don could get in a little nap.  I’m cruising along and suddenly huge waves start hitting the boat on our starboard side.  The boat was rocking back and forth.  I turned off the auto-pilot and tried to steer into the waves.  I thought we could capsize.  I couldn’t get the steering wheel to turn no matter how hard I tried.  Don of course woke up and I yelled to him and he said turn into the waves.  I said I was trying to but the wheel won’t turn.  He said turn off the auto-pilot.  What!  I thought I had but apparently I didn’t hit the off button hard enough; I have to get on my tippy toes to reach it.  Lesson learned – always check the auto-pilot if the steering wheel is resistant. 

We travelled north turning into Holliday Passage on the inside of Dundas Island.   We saw the mega yacht again out in the middle of the sound stopped.  Then Don noticed there were whales out there.  That must have been why they had raced up there then stopped.  The whales were really too far away for us to see much.  We went around the tip of Dundas Island and into Brandige Inlet anchoring all the way to the end of the inlet.  What a nice, beautiful, protected spot to anchor.  We were set at 11:10 am.  5 hrs 40 min cruising time.

Heading up the South Coast of British Columbia

Bedwell Harbour to Nanaimo

It was such a nice cruising day that we decided to skip anchoring in Montague Harbour off of Galiano Island and continue up Trincomali Channel on the east side of Galiano Island.  We stopped at a little bay on the south end of De Coucy island at a bay off Ruxton Channel to wait for slack at   Dodd Narrows.   We waited an hour and 15 minutes and pulled up anchor to continue up through Dodds Narrows and into Nanaimo for two nights. Our arrival time was 5:45.  8 hrs 45 min cruising time.

While in Nanaimo we did laundry and provisioning since we had no produce, and we went to the liquor store to stock up for our cruise through Canada. Grocery, Liquor store, Florist shop and Drug store are all right next to each other in the same shopping center.  We had a nice slip right near the harbour master and just around the corner from Penny’s Palapa Mexican Restaurant.  The grocery store allows you to take a cart back to the marina but they will take your id so you will return the cart.  Not a big deal since the grocery is just a few blocks away.  I bought a beautiful bouquet of white Peonies to enjoy on the boat. 

I love the promenade that runs along the Nanaimo waterfront.  Bosun and I had several walks on it and it was bustling with people and the shops were open late into the evening (10 pm) to take advantage of the nice weather.  I saw many adults and kids walking with ice cream cones.  What a delightful city.

Nanaimo over Whiskey Gulf to Squirrel Cove

We left Nanaimo on Saturday June 8th at 6:00 am after 2 nights in Nanaimo.  It was a calm sunny day.  We had been trying to determine if Whiskey Gulf is active.  For those of you who do not know; Whiskey Golf is a deepwater range that is used by the Canadian Navy and United States Navy to test torpedoes and other navel ship systems.  The area is marked on the navigation charts.  You can easily go around the designated area, but it is much faster to cruise across it if you want to travel east to northeast.

We tried to call the status line number but got no answer.  Nor did VHF channel 10 answer when we hailed it.  The VHF weather channel usually announces it but it did not when we listened to it.  Finally, we just used VHF coast guard channel 16 to ask the status of Whiskey Gulf and they were able to tell us it was not active.

We had a good weather but a little rocking travelling across Georgia Strait due to light wind and waves.  Once we crossed and turned north up Malaspina Strait on the east side of Texada Island the water calmed down.

Right after lunch as we were cruising north Don got very ill.  He was vomiting over the side of the boat.  We had him sit down and relax as I took the helm cruising up to Squirrel Cove in Desolation Sound.   

Squirrel Cove through Dent Rapids to Shoal Bay

Sunday June 9th we left at 4:00 am so we could get to Dent Rapids by slack turn to ebb at 6:50. Currents here run to 9 knots so timing is everything!  Other times when we cruised through Dent Rapids, we would see a colony of Sea Lyons out sunning themselves.   I call it the Sea Lyon Riviera.  I wonder what happened to them.  It was overcast that day so perhaps they slept in at another spot.

At 8:15 am we arrived at Shoal Bay on East Thurlow Island which is part of the Discovery Islands Region.  4 hrs 15 min cruising time.

Shoal Bay was the largest town on the western coast of Canada from the late 1800s to 1900 due to gold mining on the hillsides above the town and the surrounding areas.  It was the major industry until mining slowed in the early 20th century.  Then the town shifted to timber and fishing. By the 1950s the population had moved to more developed communities.

Today, Shoal Bay exists only as a small resort.  Moorage is available at the government wharf.  Bosun and I went for a nice walk.  The owners of the resort were very nice and said to let him run off lease as there was nobody around that day.  He had a blast on the trails, wadding in the streams, and rolling in the grass.  What a delightful day.

Shoal Bay to Green Point Rapids, Whirlpool rapids to Lagoon Cove

We departed Shoal Bay on Monday, June 10th at 6:00 am under overcast skies and mid 50’s temperature.  I’m sure you are wondering why cruising is considered relaxing when you have to get up early so often to leave.  We needed to time going through Green Point Rapids which has currents up to 7 knots.  We went through just after slack and we rode the ebb out to Wellbore Channel where we met up with Whirlpool Rapids. 

Whirlpool rapids have currents to 7 knots which cause whirlpools, upwellings and back eddies.  The best time to transit is within one-half hour of slack.  We studied the current and how the water looked before deciding to go because we were there 2 hours after slack.  We had a great ride!  It is difficult to time multiple rapids on the same day.  If it had looked bad, we would have holed up somewhere until the appropriate time to go through.

We continued on Sunderland Channel into Johnstone Strait then turned up into Havannah Channel.  Normally we would have stopped and anchored in Port Harvey, but it was such a beautiful day we decided to continue.  We got to Chatham Channel which also is suggested to transit at slack tide.  We have used this channel several times and the channel is well charted.  The south end has 2 ranges to use for navigation.  Once through the channel we turned to transit The Blow Hole to then go into the Lagoon Cove Marina.  You must be careful going through The Blow Hole because the passage is shallow and there are lots of reefs.  We went through at a fairly low tide which is always a little scary.  We arrived at 12.25 pm.  6 hrs 25 min cruising time.

It was so nice to be at Lagoon Cove Marina; one of our favorite marinas.  It is very relaxing to be there, and they have some nice hiking trails that Bosun and I did everyday we were there which turned out to be 3 nights.  They have a fun 5:00 happy hour with a large bowl of fresh boiled shrimp and each boat that wants to participate brings an appetizer.  Those evenings we never need to have dinner.  We really enjoyed talking to other boaters about their plans and past experiences. 

I let Bosun off leash on the trails so he would run ahead and then circle back to see what was taking me so long.  He loves to go bushwacking through the undergrowth which worries me a little.  I don’t want him to go flying off a slope.  He slept well those 3 nights.

Arriving in Canada

Notifying Customs we are ready to cross the border

Notifying Customs we are ready to cross the border

We checked the current revision of Waggoner’s cruising guide for updates to customs procedures.  Our first task on Thursday morning the 6th of June was to call Canadian Customs.  We used the Nexus procedures which were to call in and announce our estimated arrival time (ETA).  It had to be at least 30 minutes in the future up to 4 hours ahead.  We also had to tell them where we wanted to clear customs which we chose Bedwell Harbour on South Pender Island.  Over the phone they asked Don a bunch of questions and gave us a clearance number.  We still have to go in and tie up on the customs dock.  Don allowed us plenty of time to get there but it was a good weather day. 

The instructions say to tie up and wait until your ETA and if there are no customs agents we can leave. 

We left Prevost  Harbor on Thursday, June 6th at 9:00 am.  On our way we were close to the harbour when a customs boat passed us.  They were also headed for Bedwell Harbour so we knew there would be agents there.  Once docked Don walked up to the office and talked to a customs agent who asked the same questions and more than the customs agent on the phone in Ottawa.  He asked a lot of questions about having pistols which we did not have and made sure Don understood if they did ever find any, we would lose our Nexus privileges.   

Finally Leaving!

Leaving the dock

Every year we strive to get away by April 15th for our cruising season.  We have not made that target date lately and this year was no exception. 

We have been ignoring the 24-foot Sea Ray I bought new in 2000.  This year we decided we really should not leave until my boat has been sold.  The issue was the MerCruiser engine and outdrive that Don and his sons rebuilt over a few years.  We had the engine and lower unit reinstalled into the boat last spring but then we found water intrusion over the winter caused the engine to be ruined.  After waiting a month to see if our insurance claim for it would be approved, we found out it was denied. 

We then tried to donate the boat but nobody seemed to want to be bothered with it so we sold it on Craigslist in 1 day to a nice guy from Vaughn which is in the northwestern Key Peninsula area.  He will replace the engine and get her fixed up for resale. 

Goodbye to Crystal Red, my 24 foot SeaRay. She is ready for a new owner.

We left our slip-on Friday May 31st at 11:45 am to start our journey with peace of mind that my little Sea Ray was I good hands.  Our trip was to cruise north up the inside (east side) of Whidbey Island up to Hope Island and anchored for the night.  We arrived at 7:30 pm.   7 hrs 45 min cruising time.

Poulsbo to Hope Island in Kiket Bay

Hope Island is close to Deception Pass and is a wonderful marine state park in Skagit County with hiking trails and camping.  Across from Hope Island is another smaller island named Skagit Island, also a marine park with camping.  It is for people arriving by human-powered watercraft.  We have taken our dinghy to the island to hike the trail that goes around the island. 

Bosun sporting a summer cut on the lookout to protect the boat.

On our way to Anacortes

We left the next morning, Saturday, June 1st at 11:30 timing our time to the tides for Swinomish Channel.  We travelled out of Kiket Bay and backtracked to the entrance for Swinomish Channel.  It is a very narrow but well-marked channel; you just have to pay attention.  We went past La Conner without stopping .  I recently went to lunch and shopping there with my girlfriend Yana so we stimulated their economy for this year. 

Hope Island to Swinomish Channel past La Conner to Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes.

Passing through La Conner - Lots of commercial crab boats.

Downtown La Conner Waterfront - Lots of restaurants and shops

We continued on to Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes to take advantage of their lower fuel prices.  We took 240 gallons (our capacity is 600 gallons).  Arrived at our slip at 2:55 after fueling.  3 hrs 25 min cruising time.

Cap Sante is an exceptionally nice, well-run marina.  We ended up mooring there for 4 days due to the extreme wind and rainy conditions.  There were 8-foot seas out there so you did not see boats leaving the safety of the marina for a couple of days. 

Memorial for Seafarers who have lost their lives at sea

Lady of the Sea - Lighting the way for those returning from sea

Cape Sante Marina - Large marina with a very nice walkway to stroll along the water.

Finally on our way to San Juan Islands

On Wednesday June 5th we left Anacortes at 6:10 am heading for John’s Island, a private island just south of Stewart Island.  We have a girlfriend, Marita, who has a summer home there.  Unfortunately, after tying to her second buoy we suddenly noticed we were drifting towards the rocks on shore.  We had to remove our line and head out.  Marita had also been delayed telling us she was staying at her place on Friday Harbor until the next day. 

We went north to Prevost Harbor on Stewart Island, finding a spot on the dock.  We tied up at 10:35 am.  Bosun and I took a couple of nice hikes that afternoon.  It was sunny with a light wind.  Just perfect conditions to complete the day.  4 hrs 25 min cruising time time.