Cordero Islands

                                                               Cordero Fishing Lodge

WHIRLPOOL RAPIDS

The stern line held all night so we didn’t turn around in circles or head dangerously to the rocks straight ahead of our bow, but this morning around 8:00 the line popped loose of its anchor rock, and we reeled it in. This saved us a trip to shore to retrieve it. I knew it was a friendly rock!

We decided to take the skiff over to the fishing lodge we passed along the way. Breakfast was what we were really looking for, but the cook was gone for the day. The owners gave us a copy of the fishing regulations and a tip as to where to easily hook the best lingcod in the area…nice that they shared some of their trade secrets.

Grabbed our crab pots on the way back to the boat. One was empty but the other had one enormous male crab…need to put some white wine in the fridge…there’ll be crab appies again tonight!

We timed our passage through Greene Pt. Rapids perfectly so we had a smooth crossing…so smooth, in fact, that I didn’t realize we had already passed through them!  We were on our way to Forward Harbor when David discovered another rapids on our charts…Whirlpool Rapids. We were going to hit it at the worse time so decided to head to Beaver Inlet off Loughborough Inlet and wait to cross the rapids tomorrow. We had our fill of whirlpools in Deception Pass so did not want to revisit that experience. Because we have a 7 foot draft, we get tossed around a bit.

                             Another private anchorage in the Cordero Islands

As we motored on down the inlet we couldn’t help but notice the patchwork of clearcut and the crisscross of logging roads on the mountain sides and rafts of logs along the shore. We understand that the logging industry in this area is winding down, and you can see reforested areas where the healing has begun.

Our first choice was to anchor in Edith Cove but the entrance has been taken over by a logging contractor’s float home and dock. We found a small cove not far away and got a firm anchor hold.  We immediately got our crab pots in the water…feeling lucky. During the night, our boat was tossed about a bit by the winds whipping through the inlet. It was a restless sleep for both of us.

                                               Signs of active logging

                                         

The next morning we had a bit of a push and pull through Whirlpool Rapids but nothing drastic. Now anchored in Douglas Bay in Forward Harbour, the wind is still fairly strong and even with this sheltered cove, we are getting hit. David is anxious to put out our traps again. We did land one keeper this morning and have some sardines we want to try. 

                                            Entrance to Beaver Inlet

                                   Reminded me a little of Half Dome

                                 Another anchor cleaning challenge!

                           Painting the deck...David's idea of relaxing!