Bluden-bust May 7

McEwan Rock at Entrance to Allison Harbor

Our passage through the Broughton's was simply stunning.  The sun shone and the waters were calm.  But, the weather forecast for Queen Charlotte just got worse.  The forecast now calls for winds in excess of 35 in the afternoon.  We poke our nose into Blunden Harbor with its beautiful midden beaches (and a new First Nations dock) since our last visit.  We know the holding in Blunden is good but we also know that protection from a west wind is marginal.  That means we will be safe at anchor but not necessarily comfortable.  Since we still have lots of daylight and the winds have not started to howl, we make the decision to continue to Allison Harbor where not only will we be better protected from the west wind, we will be several miles closer to Cape Caution.
Our trip north to Allison is a bit lumpy but soon we are safely anchored.  We are sharing the harbor with just one additional boat - a small charter pleasure craft.  We are well-protected and are able to sleep easily.

Hail to the Queen (Charlotte) May 6

Morning in the Broughton's

We have entered one of the most magnificent cruising grounds on the planet.  The Broughton’s are an archipelago of small islands, islets and rocks that have been virtually untouched by time. Remnants of First Nations Villages are still just barely visable.  Settlements are few and simple.  In the early morning we ply through one small passage after another in the company of seagulls but not a single boat in sight.  It would be easy to spend weeks (or a lifetime) exploring the hidden coves and we are told the fishing is fine.  But, we are bound for Alaska and don’t want to tarry on our northbound passage lest we never arrive at our destination.

So, the next few days are all about positioning to cross Queen Charlotte Sound.  We listen closely to the weather.  A high-pressure ridge is offshore and while the sun is shining today, stormy weather is on its way.  The forecast calls for gale force winds in Queen Charlotte Sound with winds as high as 35 mph on Sunday afternoon diminishing on Monday.  Light winds are forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday.  Knowing this, we set our sights for crossing Queen Charlotte on Tuesday after the waters have had the opportunity to settle. 

A perfect day

The forecast for Queen Charlotte Strait is light on Sunday morning rising to South 15 in the afternoon and rain in the evening.  Monday’s forecast has winds as high as 25 in the morning. 

All this adds up to slowly working our way through the Broughton’s today with hopefully a stop at Sullivan Bay where we can pick up a few provisions (we could not bring eggs across the border and I am hoping for Canadian maple syrup to go with the waffles Susannah made for our trip).  We will then continue on to Blunden Harbor at the entrance to Queen Charlotte Strait.  Tomorrow if the weather holds as forecast, we will continue up Queen Charlotte Strait to Allison Harbor or Miles Inlet where we will be sheltered from the storm that is forecast to be raging in Queen Charlotte Sound.  Or perhaps we will stay over in Blunden.  The weather will control our progress for the next few days.

I really enjoy this part of cruising on a slow (7 knot) trawler.  We become part of the environment in which we travel.  We cannot outrun trouble so we get to outsmart it.  Interestingly, I like waiting for the weather to improve (assuming the wait time is just a day or two – but if it is longer – so be it).  I can settle in with a cup of tea, a good book and the cat and be very content.  Since I am seldom still for long at home, my friends wonder about my confinement on a boat.  It is difficult to describe but my mind and body celebrate the relaxed pace.  Worldly worries fall away and our focus turns to more immediate matters.  How hard is the wind blowing and for how long?  Which way is the tide running (an interesting question as the water finds it was past and around islands)?  When is high tide and how does that affect our anchoring?  How much power are we consuming?  What can we do to conserve?

Life aboard Chug means that we are essentially operating a small city?  Our water department is an RO water-maker that converts seawater to the best drinking water I have ever tasted.  The process involving filters and membranes results in water with 30-40 ppm .  According to the book, the acceptable level should not exceed 500 ppm.  Power comes from the engine when we are underway, batteries when we are at anchor and a generator to fill the gap.  Keeping an eye on the level of the batteries is part of the daily routine.  Toilets, a holding tank and a pump-out process make up the sanitary department.  And so it goes.  Barrie has worked on most of these systems over the past five years and has they are in much better shape than when we purchased the boat.  Still plenty of opportunity for things to go wrong, but thankfully they mostly don’t!

Today has been stunningly beautiful and for that I am ever grateful.  In fact the weather is holding so well that we are bound for Allison Harbor tonight.  I am quickly posting while I have phone service which I don't expect to last long.  More when we get to Shearwater early next week.

Go or No Go Johnstone Strait May 5

At Anchor in Cracroft Inlet

Today will not be the last day we ask ourselves this question.  Last night the weather forecast looked good for transiting Johnstone Strait in the morning with winds increasing and shifting directions as the day progressed.  This morning we awaken to rain and enough ripple on the water in Douglas Bay to let us know the winds have already kicked up in Johnstone Strait.  We listen to the weather and confirm our observations.  We decide to stay put for the moment.  Since we had planned an early departure, we sit with our coffee and watch the sunrise. 

About 8:30 we notice that the winds have died and the water is flat.  We decide to pull up anchor and see how it is in the Strait.  Since the winds are from the Northwest and the tide is coming in, we take the weather on our bow.  Even with whitecaps, the ride is quite comfortable and we decide to continue on.  We reach Port Neville before 11 and decide to continue for another hour to Havannah Channel where we can duck into the Broughton Islands.  At noon, we round the corner wondering if we should stop at Port Harvey or continue into Chatham Channel.  Chatham Channel is a narrow bit of water that often has strong currents but without the eddies and whirlpools of the rapids.  (Isn’t geology interesting.)  We follow two boats and also take note of the range markers for staying in the middle of the channel.

From Chatham, we take a turn to go through the shallow and narrow passage named Blow Hole and then into Lagoon Cove.  Boating season in the Broughton’s has not yet begun and the marina dock is completely empty.  Since 2013, the resort has been on the market and we wonder if there are new owners.  There seems to be a new sign and everything looks very tidy.  We opt to anchor out and head around Farquharson Island to Cracroft Inlet where we drop the anchor in 30 feet of water.  Winds are at least 25 but forecast to abate later this evening.

Running the Rapids - May 4

Refuge Cove

Woke this morning to overcast skies and light rain.  According to the sign, Refuge Cove is home to 18 families who created a co-op several decades ago.  This morning we see smoke rising from the stack of the houseboat across the way and lights in a house on the hill.  Beyond that, the place appears deserted and forgotten by time.  But, it is still the first week of May and also according to the sign, the season doesn’t open until the end of May when the liquor store, café and art gallery all open.  After the last few months, I find the quiet appealing.  It feels good to have space and time to reflect without the business of life and the blare of the news.

The strong wind warning for Johnstone Strait causes us to opt for taking the back route and running the rapdis.  We check tide and current tables for today, do some math and note that the TTE (Turn to Ebb) tide occurs at 12:39 at Dent Rapids.  This means we will fight the flood current up Lewis and Calm Channels but that the ebb current will carry us through Yuculta, Gilliard, Dent, Green Pointe and Whirlpool Rapids.  Our destination tonight is Forward Harbor.

We depart from the dock a few minutes before 8 and first head across Lewis Channel to return to Squirrel Cove where we have stayed in years past.  We drive past the dock where two years ago while Barrie was attempting to dock, he suddenly found the Morse Controls (gearshift and speed) in his hand instead of attached to the helm.  Somehow he was able to steer us away from the dock and we were able to find a spot nearby and drop and anchor.  A few tightened bolts and we were back in business.  No issues of that sort this year!

Green Point Rapids -- fast for a 7 knot boat

It takes us most of 3 hours to reach the top of Yuculta Rapids and we mill about until noon with several other boats.  We are all waiting for slack tide.  The sailboat heads out first, Chug follows and behind us are two larger pleasure craft.  At slack water, you wouldn’t know there are rapids on this route but the same could be said of the waters at Deception Pass.  All is calm as we work our way through the narrow channels.  We arrive at Forward Harbor just before 4 and join “Yachette” in Douglas Bay.  We drop the anchor at low tide in 35 feet of water.  The sun is shining – I take it as an opportunity to put my kayak in the water and paddle to the nearby waterfalls – Barrie takes it as an opportunity to work on boat projects.  Dinner is stir fry over rice.  We both settle in with our books.  I read page after page without interruption and smile at being able to do so.

I’ve Got Georgia (Strait) On My Mind

I’ve Got Georgia (Strait) On My Mind

Woke up before 6 to light rain.  Weather forecast tells us there is a high wind warning but that the winds will diminish to light as the day progresses.  We listen to weather on the VHS and since we have easy access to the internet, we double check it.  We pay attention to buoy and lighthouse data as well.  Winds are at least 15 in most places but not much higher.  We linger a bit over coffee and breakfast – thinking that as the time passes, the winds die down.  Then again, since we have a 10-hour journey to our destination, lingering too long is not a good idea. 

We pull up anchor at 7:50 and work our way along the waterway past Nanaimo and into Departure Bay.  From there we set a course to keep as much of the weather to our stern as possible.  Eventually, we must head east to cross the Strait and find the weather on our beam.  Now, the boat rolls and we quickly discover what hasn’t been well-secured.  In a few miles, once we reach the southern tip of Lasqueti Island, we are able to change to a more comfortable course.  We head northeast, passing between Lasqueti and Jedediah and then along the west side of Texada Island. 

Soon we reach Desolation Sound.  It almost breaks my heart to scurry through this beautiful cruising ground.  There are so many wonderful anchorages but on we go.  The problem is – that if you stop at each of them, you will never make it to Alaska.  So, with the promise of a more leisurely trip south, we continue north.

Refuge Cove

A few minutes before 5, we make a turn into Refuge Cove.  In years past, we have anchored across the channel in Squirrel Cove.  So, this will be a change of scenery for us.  The rain has started to fall again and the fog is descending on us.  We work our way into the cove to the public dock where we find plenty of room to tie up for the night.  It is still early in the season, nothing is open and almost no one is at home.  We learn from a couple on a tired-looking houseboat on the dock that there is an honor system to pay for moorage at this time of the year.  $30 Canadian will cover us.

We walk up to the closed Liquor Store, put our money in an envelope and slide it through the slot.  Then back to boat for dinner and a quiet evening in the rain.

O Canada

Our experience in Prevost Harbor on Stuart Island was near perfection.  The harbor was nearly devoid of pleasure craft -- two boats at the dock and just two more (including us) at anchor.  We had the small shallow opening on Satellite Island to ourselves.  Just 12 feet of water at low tide, requiring just 50 feet of chain.  It was our first anchoring of the season and we were pleased to have a firmly set anchor on a windless evening.  I quickly dropped the kayak over the side for a late afternoon paddle to the public dock.  I walked five miles of trails on Stuart Island along the beach and through the forest to the small schoolhouse.  Stuart Island is definitely “off the grid” with only a handful of year-round residents.  There is no ferry and no stores.  The mail is delivered by boat 3x per week and I can only imagine the number of Amazon orders. 

Canadian Customs at Bedwell Harbor

Poet's Cove at Bedwell Harbor

Woke this morning at 6 and leisurely started our trip across Boundary Strait to Pender Harbor to clear Canadian Customs.  We arrived at the dock at 7:30 and were met by Morning Star (a beautiful wooden sailing vessel built in 1948 and home ported in Port Townsend).  Morning Star cleared Customs last night and warned us that they were boarded and we were likely to experience the same.  Barrie walked up the dock with our Nexus numbers in hand and placed the requisite call to the Canadian Border Patrol.  The agent asked for his documentation number and then asked: Are you Barrie?  “Yes, I am”; Is Karen with you? “Yes”, How much alcohol?  “Just the limit”, Do you have more the $10,000 Canadian?  “No.”  That was it.  The easiest customs clearance ever!

The sun is out, the water is calm and the scenery is magnificent!  We work our way up Trincomali Channel passed Galliano and Valdez islands with the intention of anchoring in Kendrick Bay at the end of Gabriola Island.  We have plenty of time and the weather forecast is good for the next two days.  We change our minds and head through Ruxton Passage to Dodd Narrows and then onto Nanaimo.  We have not taken this route north on our own (years ago we went this way with Josh & Emily on Ursa Major), so we thought we would try something new.  Now we must wait for slack at Dodd Narrows.  We mill about for an hour waiting for slack tide to transit Dodd Narrows and then work our way to New Castle Island where we drop our anchor in 26 feet of water.  We have sailboat neighbors – several appear to be live-aboards and then we are joined by Morning Star.

Nanaimo

Dinner is pasta with leftover chicken from last night, bacon from this morning and the added flavor of peppers and onions.  Pretty tasty.  We settle in to read books.  Barrie opts for an early evening and heads to bed with his book around 7.  I head to bed about 9 and listen to the rain begin to fall.  We’ll see what the weather looks like in the morning for crossing the Strait of Georgia. 

We Are Off - But Just A Little

Woke this morning to overcast skies and almost no wind.  Finally, we are ready to begin our adventure.   Lagoon Point is a very quiet residential area with dredged canals.  At this time of year, there are only a few boats on the docks and imagine our surprise when our departure coincided with the departure of a 30' fishing boat that moors across the canal from us.  Of course, he was in a hurry to get to his fishing grounds and opted to pass us in the narrow canal.  There was room for both of us - but just barely.

Our 6 am departure provided us with just over 6 feet of water at the entrance to Admiralty Inlet.  Large jagged rocks on both sides of the entrance leave a thin navigable channel.  It really feels like you could reach out and touch the side.  So, slowly and carefully we slide through the channel into Puget Sound.   Yesterday's white caps are gone, but this morning there are 1 foot rollers coming in from China.  The rocking motion of the boat sends McDuff to the forward stateroom and under the covers where he will remain until noon.

I have just put on a pot of coffee and settled in for the journey when I hear Barrie throttle back.  This could be for a number of reasons but few of them are good.  The autopilot has lost it's mind.  We check connections and restart software to no avail.  Finally we call Simrad customer support and the tech suggests we have magnetic interference, which sends Barrie on a wild goose chase.  Barrie notices that somehow the unit has entered the demo mode and he tries several things to convince the unit drop the demo.  Since we are close to Anacortes, we put in a call to North Harbor Diesel and talk to Colin.  If we can't clear the problem, they stand ready to help.  Barrie finally wins the battle with the Simrad and we spend the next several miles testing that the unit is operating properly.  Another call to Colin at North Harbor and we agree that whatever was wrong is fixed - so north we go.

By now we have traveled into Rosario Strait and have veered from our original course that would have taken us through Cattle Pass.  The good news is that all is calm in Rosario Strait so we continue on to Thatcher Pass.  Since the tide change today is fairly small, the currents in Thatcher are modest.  Our AIS tells us that Rekindle (a sister boat to Chug that moors on Whidbey Island) is not far ahead.  We are now tucked into the San Juan Islands.  The boat traffic has picked up but since it is only the 1st of May, things are still pretty quiet here.  The tide is low this afternoon (-1.1) and we are going through some close spaces.  From Thatcher we go through Harney Channel and then through Pole pass before heading toward Speiden Island.

Passing Speiden Island always brings back bitter sweet memories.  Hard to imagine that Mom passed away 15 years ago and this is where her ashes rest.  Just as we clear the west end of Speiden the sun comes out and it seems as if Mom is smiling down on us.  My mom was a remarkable woman.  She had a combination of character traits that I have spent a lifetime trying to emulate.  She was kind and generous and fair and made the most of her short life.  She had high expectations for her children and even higher expectations of herself.  She was fiercely protective and proud of her family recognizing the individual talents of each but also treating all equal.  She expected us to own our failings and to use those experiences to learn.  Somehow she gave us the freedom to be independent and still held us close.   It is impossible not to miss her.

So, off the port bow there is a seal with BIG salmon.  The fish must be 3 feet long and the seal has it held tightly in its mouth as the seagulls divebomb.

With the sun out, Barrie and I both comment that we are grateful - for the opportunity to take this journey.  Grateful that the autopilot is healed, that the AIS is working (lots of boat traffic in the San Juans) and for hot chocolate with BIG marshmallows.  But we are also grateful for our lives.  For the amazing experience of renovating a rental property that turned after 10 years.  While cleaning up the mess hasn't been a barrel of fun - meeting our new tenants (who found us) and finding great people to help with the work has been a joy.  We are grateful for lifelong friends who do an amazing job helping us manage our affairs -- creating necessary legal paperwork at the drop of a hat and walking us through the steps and it is easy to continue to list so many things for which we are thankful.  Certainly, we are thankful for this beautiful moorage in Prevost Harbor at Stuart Island.