Nettle Island to Nettle Island July 2

Our friends Neil and Lynn Parker from Navigator (KK 48) are cruising this summer in Alaska.  When I learned they were in Sitka, I sent them an email telling them not to miss dining at Ludwig’s Bistro.  In return, they sent me an email telling me not to miss Pipestem Inlet and Lucky Creek in Barkley Sound.

This morning we left Nettle Island and worked our way back into the narrow reaches of Pipestem Inlet.  It must be beautiful with tall steep cliffs – but we saw very little because of the low cloud ceiling.  On our way back, we stopped at Refuge Island and I put my kayak in the water while Barrie worked on projects on the boat.  We arrived near noon at high tide and the surface of the water was almost glass.  I paddled to the head of Lucky Creek and tied my kayak to a tree on shore.  The path to the waterfall at the head of the creek is well-worn with semi-permanent rope aids in the steep sections and easy to navigate.  At about the halfway point on the hike to the three-tiered falls, an Australian couple was admiring the view.   They have been sailing the world for nine years and we agreed that the west coast of Vancouver Island is lovely but not nearly as rugged as we both had imagined.  

Back at the boat, Barrie helped stow the kayak before we sat down to lunch.  The winds are expected to howl again tonight.  The forecast today started at 10 knots and by midnight could reach 30 knots.  We consider heading back to Joe’s Bay but tomorrow morning’s low tide is 0.6 feet and we don’t want to try and navigate that passage in water that shallow.  We head back to Nettle Island and find we have more company than last night.  We drop the anchor near the northwest shore and let out nearly 200 feet of chain in just over 50 feet of water.  We are at mid-tide so the water will go up several feet and down even more feet before we depart tomorrow. 

We spend time catching up on the blog and reading about how to survive transiting Juan de Fuca Strait.  According to all the books, we are headed in the best direction.  With the wind at our back and a flood current we could actually make average 10 knots or more.  Pretty good for a Knot-so Swift boat.