Sun, Snappers and Soaks

Lots of catching up to do, with no internet for a full week!
We left Prince Rupert Wednesday, 04 August, motoring out at 0730 in dense fog and light winds. We continued southbound Chatham Strait, and by 1100 the visibility was improved to a full half mile. We stopped for a short try at fishing, off Smith Island - but no luck - I think I would make a very poor fish, as anywhere I guess as a good spot for a fish, does not appear to be the consensus of opinion for the fish! By 1230 we were off the south end of Arthur Pass, with nice clear and sunny weather (the fog just lifted suddenly, the wind picked up to Northwesterly).
With 15 knots of breeze on our starboard quarter we sailed a nice broad reach through Ogden Channel, and sailed into Captain Cove, on the north end of Pitt Island. On the way in we dropped off a couple of prawn traps, then anchored inside. Being a nice and sunny afternoon, we just relaxed and read, and even tried a bit of fishing off the boat, with no luck. Following a lovely dinner of stuffed roast pork and veggies which Shane prepared, we played a bit of cards,
had a short row around the anchorage in the dinghy, and called it a night by 2200.

We got underway again the following morning, at 0730. The anchorage was overcast with a low layer of cloud trying to join the fogbank outside in the channel. We found our traps in the fog, and hauled up a catch of 4 lowly prawns, which ended up being lost over the side when we used the bucket they were in for a quick deck rinse. We continued southbound in Petrel Channel, with the fog lifting by 0900. The wind picked up again, and again was northwesterly to allow us a motor-assisted broad reach down the channel on a broad reach. By 1200 we were crossing into Principe Channel, with a pod of porpoises playing alongside the boat. As the wind increased, so did the seas....and we pulled into Monckton Inlet for an anchorage for the night, anchoring in a small bay on the northwest side, after resetting our prawn traps in the inlet. The bay is very small for swinging to an anchor, so we put out a stern line to shore for the first time in months. We caught a couple of nice rock cod for dinner, and used the carcasses for bait for our crab traps. The Coleman shower was set up in the cockpit for nice warm showers, and I took a short row around the anchorage before we settled down for a short bit of reading, and bed.

Friday morning (06 Aug) we were up at 0700, but by the time we got our stern line, anchor, crab traps, and prawn traps all settled away, it was 0815 before we were full away. Another overcast, rainy, and foggy morning, but this time the wind was against us, Southeast at 15 knots, forecast to increase. With a building sea, it was good we'd made it into Monckton Inlet, as we only had 8 miles to go southeast before rounding eastward into Otter Channel, and finding calm seas. We crossed Squally Channel (well -named, as we were getting strong gusts of SE winds) with the genoa out for steadying and additional speed. Then across Wright Sound and past Gil Island, ending up at Hartley Bay for 1400. We had to wait awhile for fuel, and then found our old spot in the docks, so tied up there. I was able to get some cell phone coverage, to tell Linda where we were, but although it is rumoured to be possible to get internet access here through the Band Office, we were unable to arrange it. Hartley Bay was just as we remembered it from our northbound trip, with boardwalks and lots of rain. We did a curried mango pork dish with veggies for dinner, and watched a movie ("Cop Out") on board, getting to bed by 2200.

Saturday morning we departed Hartley Bay at 0800, motorsailing northbound into Verney Passage, and then into the Gardner Canal eastbound. Except for the large clear-cuts, Gardner is very scenic. We arrived at Europa Hot Springs aka Shearwater Hot Springs, by early afternoon, and tied up to one of the two nice new mooring buoys there, provided by BC Parks. We were the only ones there, and enjoyed a hot soak in the springs, and even did our laundry, hanging the
wet clothes out to dry in the sunny weather we were getting.

Three of us enjoying Europa Hot Springs

Shane and Kelcy even jumped into the cold water off the boat (too cold for me!). We celebrated our nice weather, beautiful surroundings, and great soaking, with a dinner of stir-fry and drinks (rum for me).

Leaping into the Briny Cold

Shane and Kelcy returned for an evening soak in the springs while I remained onboard the boat and read, and retired.

Sunday, 08 August saw us underway from Europa/Shearwater at 0800 in clear and sunny weather, and light winds. We motored back down Gardner, and into Ursula Channel, now southbound again. Just prior to reaching Bishop Bay, about a dozen white-sided
dolphins joined us and played alongside for a half hour, leaving us as we entered the bay.

Watching Playful Porpoises

By 1400 we were tied to the dock in Bishop Bay, and went off to the springs for another soak. These hot springs are noticeably cooler than the other ones we'd been in, but that just allows a longer, and comfortably relaxing soak. Also alongside our dock was a sailing vessel, "C'est Si Bon", out of Melbourne Australia. The couple had been sailing out of Oz for 8 years, and last year had arrive fromJapan into Alaska, and sailed the north and west parts of it. Without enough time to explore Southeast Alaska (the part we had just done), they'd sailed to Victoria BC for the winter and returned to Alaska to do the southeast part. Now they are southbound for Mexico. We also met a couple from Stony Plains Alberta, who shared a garbage fire and a bit of rum with us.

Monday morning saw us underway from Bishop Bay at 0800, motoring southbound Ursula Channel and Finlayson Channel. It was hard to believe, but again we were experiencing a clear sunny day, with light winds. By the time we passed Butedale at 1200, we were motor-sailing on a broad reach, and decided to go past our original destination of Khutze Inlet, anchoring instead about 8 miles south of there, in Swanson Bay, off a stream and the ruins of an old pulp mill. In theory, the current from the stream should have kept us from swinging toward the shallow water and shelf to shoreward, but we dropped a stern anchor to ensure that. We managed to catch a couple of rockfish for dinner, and for crab-bait. Following our fish dinner, we watched another movie, this time a documentary - Michael Moore's "Capitalism - a Love Story".
Tuesday morning saw us up quite a bit earlier, up at 0530 and underway by 0600, turning into Heikish Narrows and Sheep Passage, for a look at Fiordland area. This is a recently protected conservation area with deep fiord-like scenery. Sheep Passage has lots of Fish farms alongside, but we did start into the wild fiords as we entered Mathieson Channel. We caught a couple of
beautiful yelloweye rockfish (I thought they were red snapper, but confirmed otherwise in a book we carry aboard). We had a lunch of clam chowder with a bit of grilled snapper/rockfish....then we continued into Kynoch Inlet, sailing on
a broad reach.

Nice Catch, Kelcy!

Kynoch has steep granite cliffs with snow-capped mountains on either side, and numerous waterfalls...very picturesque, and fiord-like.

Looking up Kynoch Inlet

We anchored at the end of the inlet, where the water shallows out very quickly....we anchored in 100 feet of water, with the boat sitting in 20 feet of water and a drying shelf immediately astern of the boat (I could have jumped off the stern of the boat and waded ashore in ankle-deep water!). With the wind strength increasing, and no place to drop back with more anchor scope, I got a bit nervous and set our anchor kellet, a weight which improves the holding power of the existing anchor and rode. My knot obviously was not as good as I'd planned - the kellet dropped off...so we resorted to using our second anchor as a makeshift kellet. By midnight, the winds had dropped, and we ended up having a peaceful night after all.

Wednesday morning was another early day, with us underway again by 0600, retracing our way out of Kynoch Inlet, and turning south into Mathieson Channel. Again....a beautiful day, once the fog and low cloud had a chance to burn off in the early morning. Although the winds were forecast to be strong northwest, we were getting very light southerlies, so just motored down the channel. By noon we were in the southern reaches of the passage, dodging numerous logs and bits of wood in the water. I find it interesting, and curious, that we saw almost no logs or wood debris in the water in Alaskan waters, but almost as soon as we entered BC, found ourselves dodging the debris. We entered Reid Passage and anchored in Oliver Cove which we'd found very nice on our way northbound. This time, however, there was a westerly wind building, and putting us on a lee shore. We chowed down on a curried fish dish, and then pulled the anchor in search of a less treacherous anchorage. With Shearwater/Bella Bella being only 15 miles away, we decided to head that way. It was after 1800 by the time we got underway again, and had a 25 knot westerly wind behind us as we sailed a broad reach, and wing-on- wing, down Seaforth Channel. We arrived Shearwater at 2200, just after sunset, and all of the docks were full. The anchorage off the marina, however, had space, so we settled down at anchor for the night. It was a long day, but we were safe in a quiet anchorage instead of facing a full gale (which it apparently had become outside) in a marginal anchorage with a lee shore.

Today is Thursday, 12 August. Finally we are tied to the dock in Shearwater, and have been busy all day taking care of long-neglected chores (laundry, internet/blog/facebook/emails, repair outboard motor, showers). I sit at my computer on the boat with a rum drink before me....it has been another fine sunny day, and our chores are about done. It must be time to post this update, and go to the pub for a celebration!