Last Days

                          This is our Anchor Alarm/Plotter tracking the movement of our anchor chain.

We had a very restless night near the Cordero Islands. Our original anchor spot was not available so we had to seek out another. During the early hours of the morning, we could hear a thumping and groaning. David figured it was our chain that was being dragged on the rocky bottom. He stayed in the wheelhouse watching our radar screen closely. We left in the morning a lot earlier than we had planned.

                                                           Morning Person

                                                                  NOT!

                                                                     Morning Skies

We were anxious to get to Anita and Bruce's dock so that we could tie up to the Westberg. They were definitely a sight for sore eyes. They invited us to join them for a "block party" with most of the property owners on Boulder Point. It was a fun evening of meeting new people and hearing their stories. Four of the owners were from Alberta, another couple was from Oregon and a third was from South Africa. They also have neighbors who live in France. All felt they had found paradise.

The next day while David helped Bruce with a few projects, Anita, her friend, Sarah, and I went for a hike around the point visiting many of her neighbors. We walked about two hours through groves of Canadian Maples, pines, cedars and madrones (they call them arbutus). I was awed by the views each property had and the resourcefulness of the homesteaders. Each property's projects were in all different stages of development and very unique to each individual's vision.

.                                                     One of the ten-ten acre properties

                                      An avid fisherman, Murray has his own fish cleaning station.

On one of the properties, they had posted wooden fish...one for each fish over 10 pounds which had been caught. Each post recorded the fisherman, the type of fish and the weight. I thought this was really a fun idea for family and friends.

After our walk, David and I needed to move our boat so that Anita and Bruce could take theirs across the bay to the Public Dock to pick up more lumber. We moved to the anchoring bay very near to them and were surrounded by vacationing boaters. So unlike our first visit.

 We are the orange circle with the white center spot All the other red in the blue water are other boats.

When we got to the dock to help load lumber, there were 8 of their friends and neighbors there to lend a hand. Loading and unloading back at their dock went rather smoothly with all the helping hands. The Boulder Point neighbors really seem to have a wonderful sense of community. Anita and Bruce are very lucky.

                                           I can see the profile of a sleeping man...can you?

We left Squirrel Cove and spent a night in Hospital Bay in Pender Harbour, a frequent destination. We are in the last few days of our trip and anxious to get back to our marina and regroup. Our second night was in Haklett Bay on Gambier Island in the Howe Sound just north of Vancouver. We plan to anchor in English Bay enjoying the Festival of Lights..an annual .fireworks competition.

                                                           Point Atkinson Lighthouse

                                     Boats arriving to anchor and wait for the big show.

                         The spectators lined the beaches. We were told they were half a million strong.

The entrance into English Bay was far too rough for my liking. We are low on fuel and water so not as much ballast plus our 2500 pound dinghy and outboard makes us mighty top heavy. We were rolling quite a bit and in spite of our efforts to secure everything, we could hear crashes and thumps as we made our way in. It was not pleasant.  We continued to roll even after anchoring so we looked like drunks moving around the boat.

                                                            Vancouver Sunset

There were lots of party boats and crates of beer. One large boat cruised by with a wedding taking place on board. Another yacht was hosting a formal party with everyone wearing suits or cocktail dresses and the  music was blasting. We sat up on our boat deck sipping wine and sampling cheeses as we waited for the fireworks. It was Canada's night to show off their giant sparklers, and it was a great show. Canada even won first place (fancy that!)

 The waves never stopped rolling all night long. We might have had 3 hours of sleep. Both of us were even feeling a bit nauseous in the morning. We couldn't wait to get out of there so lifted the anchor at 6:00 a.m. It was rough going out but after about an hour, we were in the river and found relief.

 Just before we arrive at our marina, there is a railroad bridge that needs to swing for us. David was calling on our radios but got no response. We were idling near the bridge and a fisherman came by and asked if we needed help. We asked him to call the bridge which he did and got a response right away. Then David got on the radio and he was told he could be heard "loud and clear". The operator may have been having a siesta!

Our docking was aided by Ron and a marine neighbor, Steve, so all went quite smoothly. No gazelle leaps to the dock were necessary.

We are celebrating a wonderful trip and the fact that we came full circle in one piece. We have lots of debriefing to do and inventories to take but catching up on sleep is our number one priority. We are both looking forward to cruising further north next spring. The Lillian Belle has served us well once again!


Boating Stats

Miles.............................730

Hours on engine.............129

Fuel...............................495 gallons

Days................................58

Destinations (marinas and anchorages)......30
    San Juan Islands
    Gulf Islands
    Desolation Sound
    The Broughtons

Crabs trapped and eaten..........................37

Whales.......................................................3 humpbacks  3 orcas

Bears.........................................................4

Mosquitos and Horse Flies........................annoying amount

Waterfalls ................................................ 0   (low snow pack)

Bald Eagles and seals...............................plentiful


GO FIND YOURSELF AN ADVENTURE!!!

Johnstone Strait

                                                       We were cruising with the Big Guys!

 

BACK TO DOUGLAS BAY

We are retracing a section of our previous route in order to make it back to Squirrel Cove to see Anita and Bruce, return Bruce’s charts, exchange more books and hopefully, take on some more of their well water. We will again be in Douglas Bay tonight and in the morning cruise through Greene Pt. Rapids anchoring once more near the Cordero Islands. Before reaching Squirrel Cove, we will need to time the Dent and Yucata Rapids. David tells me these rapids will be much easier to navigate because we will be moving with the tide this time instead of having to wait for slack tide.

Johnstone Strait was (as Lynne likes to say) “flat calm” for us.  We motored along enjoying the tunes on “The Bridge” which is an XM station. They play a lot of Van Morrison, Jackson Browne, and Jim Croce and of course, my favorite, James Taylor.  Our log and buoy watch was accompanied by our enthusiastic lip synching and if we were really moved by the music, we actually sang along.  We passed a cruise ship heading north, a few porpoises, and one lone black bear on the beach turning up rocks maybe in search of bugs. It is a cool 61 degrees and has started to rain…glorious rain.

                                            That really is a Black Bear on the shore...trust me.

Our trip today took about 4 hours. On long journeys, David loves to either bake or start something for dinner. I am feeling much more comfortable at the helm so I am sure David feels at ease leaving me alone at the wheel much more now than when we first started boating. That’s not to say that he isn’t keeping an eye on me for which I am grateful. He always leaves with, “Keep looking ahead. Watch for logs and crab pots.” In those early days, he would be gone just minutes, and I would be calling (more like screaming) his name…that’s if I let him leave at all! I figured out rather quickly that the best way to get David out of that noisy engine room was to pull back the throttle and slow the boat down. That got him back by my side in no time.

I am reading a book entitled Fishing with John which tells the true story of a New York journalist, Edith Iglauer, who joins John Daly on his BC fishing troller for the fishing season in the 1980s.  She is as green as it gets when it comes to boats and much of what she experiences physically and emotionally during this intense experience is somewhat how I felt when we first bought our boat. Even after more than 10 years of boat ownership, I am still learning the jargon, rules of the road and the mechanics of a world I knew nothing about. But “Fishing with David” has always been an adventure!

                                                         Bring on the rain!

 

We just dropped our crab pots. We caught 2 crabs here last time, and we have big hopes for our “Triple Threat” bait…frozen prawn heads, salmon and chicken. It has always come through for us.

Buckets of rain are pouring down on us and the other four boats in the bay. We feel quite cozy in our Belle. Our mighty diesel stove keeps us toasty warm…far too warm for David. He is usually sitting near an open window or door, and I have a blanket. I wish I could send some of this rain back home to California.

Alas, we are crabless in Douglas Bay. Caught only a female and undersized male. But we still have our bisque!

Burial Cove

                                                  Blue Heron

 BURIAL COVE

HALLALUJAH!!!!  We finally had a bear sighting!  A cinnamon mama bear and her two cubs walked right pass a house on the shore.  The dogs and birds were going crazy, and David spotted them first and yelled to me from the dinghy.  I’m still smiling.

 Mama and cubs ran right in front of this house...not quick enough with the camera!

                    

 I was able to find cell coverage on our way here. It had been 8 days since we had contacted the kids. I texted Ashley and then she called right back. It was so great to finally get to talk with her and catch up on the news at home. Not being able to text or call for days on end has been the most difficult aspect of our trip. Next time, we will try SPOT so our kids can track our progress, and we can send out frequent short notices to let them know we are OK.

We lost our wooden wedge (peg) that we have been using on the anchor wheel to stifle the squeaks as the chain shifts from the pull of the anchor. I didn’t notice that it was in place before I started to lower the anchor, and it popped into the water. We watched it float with the current to shore, but David has taken two exploration trips searching in the dinghy with no luck. It’s out there somewhere. It’s one of the originals so would like to find it.

                  Saw a winch just like this at Billy's museum. This one looks like it is still being used.

There are at least four houses on shore along with two large boathouses. The extending docks and floats are certainly limiting the amount of anchorage available in this small cove. The two golden retrievers who inhabit one homestead seem right at home riding in their owner’s dinghy and wandering the docks. Their barking is what alerted David to the bear on the shore. He happened to be taking the dinghy right to the spot where the bears were headed. Good thing he was still in the boat and not on the shore…mama bear may not have been too pleased to see him.

While we were sitting in the wheelhouse reading, a bright orange boat with orange clad occupants glided over to our boat. The official looking young men were members of the Canadian Search and Rescue Team. They are based on Vancouver Island but also serve the islands here. They were just on an exploring expedition to familiarize themselves with the area. One friendly gentleman was very curious about our boat, and David was more than willing to share its history.

The next day was a rainy one. It’s great to have some much needed moisture, but it puts a crimp in our plans to jump in the dinghy and explore the area. We have spent the time cleaning, reading, working on the radar system, and enjoying David’s crab bisque. There is a sense of satisfaction when the boat is shipshape, but I could sweep the floors twice a day and they would still not stay debris free for very long. Having to limit our clothes washing makes clean sheets and towels a great cause for celebration on the Belle.

                        We were surprised to find so much development here.

                         

 

We need to navigate through the Johnstone Strait tomorrow and it is notorious for its unforgiving winds and waves. We will be listening closely to the weather report later this afternoon and will make a decision when to leave here or if it’s wiser to stay another day. It’s great to have the flexibility to change plans. We have been under some strict time constraints on past trips which demanded that we push forward in spite of reservations, and it was often not the best decision.

                                       Heading for Johnstone Strait

  

The rain let up allowing a brief window of opportunity for a cruise in the dinghy. I finally got smart and grabbed one of our float cushions to sit on and it definitely made the ride more enjoyable and drier. We discovered more houses in the area and disturbed many a heron as we glided past. Tried again to find our wooden wedge but only found huge rocks in shallow waters and a widespread kelp bed.  Looks like our lost wedge will be calling this home.

Cribbage update:  David is 3 games ahead. Every game has been a close one within two or three pegs.

Another Fun Boat Name:   Plan B  

Knight Inlet

                                                      Look closely...do you see the witch?

KNIGHT INLET/CUTTER COVE

David timed the tides just right and we cruised along the inlet at an average of 7.5 knots.  It was a bit choppy but not uncomfortable. I loved the feeling of the inlet with its sparkling glacier green waters. Strangely, we only saw one sailboat and one tug during the entire journey.  At one point the depth reached 2600 feet!  This area is known as a bear haven so, needless to say, I was excited about the possibility of finally seeing a bear in the wild.

There are very few good anchorages in the inlet but Glendale was supposed to be the most protected so we headed there. After almost 4 hours boating, we explored the cove for a spot to drop anchor. David was up top in the dodger and I was at the bow ready to start the anchor when given the word. Suddenly, David “put on the brakes” and started moving in reverse.  Apparently, the depths had gone from 100 feet to 10 feet in a rather short distance! David was back peddling quickly to get out of the shallow waters.

We did not expect to discover an Eco-Lodge in the cove and its location was probably the best place to anchor but for obvious reasons, we couldn’t take advantage of that. We finally settled on a spot in about 30 feet of water but we were in the open. It was a bit windy but not of any concern at that point. We put out our stabilizers to help temper the rolling motion.

 

                                  A clear cut in the shape of a high-heel shoe!

We sat up on the dodger and observed small excursion boats motoring along the shoreline most likely watching for bear.  They would always come by the shore closest to us so we thought we had a pretty good chance of catching a glimpse of a bear during our time there. Our binoculars were glued to our hands.

                                          

That evening around 7:00 the winds grew in strength. We were swinging constantly in a 180 degree arc…so much so, I was getting dizzy. We could hear the wind howling toward us and then “smack!” it would hit sending us in our half-circle track.  We even considered pulling anchor and heading out but it would be another 2 hours before we reached the next possible anchorage, and it wasn’t too promising as a safe refuge from the blasts of wind.

We stuck it out. David didn’t allow himself to fall asleep until around 3:00 a.m. when the winds finally settled down. It was a very unpleasant night and to top it all off, the shoreline was bare of bear. 

                                                 Made in the shade

Our anchor was clean but we pulled up a large granite rock with it which I saved. Our anchor must have been gripping a much larger rock below or a bed of rocks to keep us from drifting because there was no muddy bottom to sink into.

                                         Boat deck from dodger to stern

While we were hauling the anchor, we had a real “National Geographic Moment”.  We witnessed a bald eagle circling a small bird in the water.  In spite of other birds trying to ward it off, the eagle swooped down, caught its feathered target in its claws and carried it to a log where it became breakfast.  I would rather have seen a bear.

                                                     A bit of snow left

We reached our destination, Cutter Cove off Chatham Channel, around noon.  It was difficult finding a spot to drop anchor because of all of the crab pot buoys (which could be a good sign for some crab). Our first attempt ended up being much too shallow at our stern. Our second attempt seems to have worked out just fine but we are in direct line again to any winds if they should start up.

Fortunately, we had a lovely night and were able to catch up on some sleep. Our morning was blessed with the biggest catch of the trip with 22 crabs trapped in all!  Lots of females in this haul but we were able to save four big males. The sun is shining, the water is glistening, the waves are gently dancing and there will be crab for dinner tonight…can it get any better?

We watched a commercial crab boat come through the cove hauling up their many traps. They drop several pots along a line stretched between two buoys and use a large pulley to haul them onto the boat.  The pots are quickly emptied, re-baited and dropped once more. There is always a rapid fire of females and undersized males tossed back into the water. I am fascinated by the efficiency of the crew. I wonder if they will even care that they have come up 22 crabs short today. Ha!

                                           The professional crabbers

We are off in a few minutes to Burial Cove on East Cracroft Island.  We have to time the tides just right because we will need to navigate a very narrow stretch of water and the current can become challenging.  We have anchored or docked in 16 different coves, sounds or resorts while just in the Broughton Archipelago.  Number 17…here we come!

                                           The remains of a logging pier

                            My shadow witch turned into an eagle!