Surfin' in Shearwater

Ahoy! We're watching soccer, drying out, and cleanin' up in Shearwater before heading over to Bella Bella for some supplies, fuel, and water at the band store. The two 'towns' are separated geographically, socially, and psychologically, so we're planning on checking out the Bella Bella side before heading out to St. John's Harbour for the night (if we get all our errands done!).

As for a route update....We've decided, after picking the brain of our experienced friend Morgan who is here doing research through SFU, to take the interior route north and go up the fjords east of Princess Royal Island. Word on the water is that is where to find spirit bears, the albino genotype of the coastal black bear, who only live in a small area of the coast. From Hartley Bay we'll head west and cross Hecate Strait within the next 4-5 days over to Haida Gwaii.




Food for thought...Some more photos of the past week!

We had some lovely evenings, thanks to great tips from my Mom - a whole route planner, complete with distances!

 Seriously, a great help. Our 1984 Coastal Sailing Directions is a good guide, but a bit dry.

 Thankfully, we have Peanut, the Ship's Navigator, to guide our way.

 Although sometimes we have to default to meals ashore....Darn! This is a lovely little bay off River's Inlet where we found shelter through Safe Passage...

 A successful first pressure cooker loaf for a decadent breakfast by Cpt. Lisa - feta spinach omelettes in the sunshine... Our early success has made us overly confident - dreams of pressure cooker cinnamon buns are in our future. Wish us luck!

 Sometimes there is no wind. So we row!

Peanut the Navigator, hard at work

Some beautiful views were to be had in Hakai Pass, West Beach.

 Beauty (hmm....after a week at sea? Maybe not.) and the Beast. Seb, hard at work doing 'manly'
 things. During a break from his other tasks, which include fishin', huntin', and crabbin'. And grumblin'.

 Cheers for now!
 

Blog Log Update from Hakai Pass!

We're safely arrived and exploring the area near the Hakai Beach Institute, a newly refitted research institue and generally a fabulous place to chill out. There is a beautiful beach looking out on the Pacific - all white sand and glorious kelp-y boulders. We burned off steam with some running and leaping for joy...

To catch up, for those who are interested....Here's a synopsis of the last few days, with some backfiller from prior adventures of Lisa and her Dad Mike, after Jesse left for southern climes..... 

For those who aren't....We'll try to upload more photos but the 'Net is NOT fast here. 

Prior to Char and Seb's arrival, Lisa had a great week with Peanut and her Dad, from May 13 to 21. 

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Standing on the Sointula jetty, I waved goodbye to Jesse and Isa—sad to see them go after a beautiful week in the heart of the Broughtons. After a earlier taste of the bakery’s cinnamon buns, I needed to get more, and sat outside in the sun with a coffee and cinnamon bun, watching the ferry disappear from Sointula. In relishing my sweet treats, I got talking to Charlie Ray, a retired lighthouse keeper from a number of stations from northern Vancouver Island to Haida Gwaii. He showed me some of his sculptures on display in town, and then he drove me down to see his studio. I asked to buy one of his prints of a majestic loon, he gave it to me for free (plus a couple other pieces!) as he “gets flustered around young pretty girls” and starts giving things away. Saw Marty from Echo Bay walking down the road outside Charlie’s house, and then later on he came down to the boat, and we went for fish and chips at the Burger Shack with Luke and Clio. After talking a quick evening nap, I met the Echo Bay folks at the Rub Pub for beers, and we enjoyed the sculptures, and writing a poem for Charlotte to be delivered down to the conference in Victoria.

May 14

Borrowed a bike from the marina, and rode around town, getting advice for the nearby waters and heading north.  Got some Hecate Strait crossing tips from Stuart, who has kayaked the crossing for years, and then went for coffee at Charlie’s house.  We poured over charts and old photos of the 25’ double-ender Corazon that he built and sailed up and down the coast. After getting some great advice, he also said I was welcome to come back later and take a bath if I wanted!  I raced back to the boat to get my shower things, and was ecstatic to get clean with fresh water.

Mike and Lisa (May 15 – May 21)

May 15

Finished my arbutus art project, and got a tour of the museum from Sars.  He asked if I had seen the entire island, and lent me his van to go explore, as long as I could drop him off at home first! Went from end to end of Malcom Island, and upon returning to Sars’ house, he took me in for a beer, and told old stories about running aground around North Broughton Island (marked those spots on the chart!). Said goodbye to Charlie, and then set off solo to Port Mcneill to pick up my Dad! 

May 16

Gas fueled, water tank filled, and cast off.  Once clear of the ferry, we set sails with light north westerlies. In Cormorant Channel we saw a pod of 20-25 Orcas crossing a few boat lengths ahead of our bow. Cool! The wind shifted to south easterlies just before the Canoe Islands, and we sailed on to Waddington Bay where we anchored for the night, and had a delicious barbeque feast under clear skies.

May 17

Lazily drifted down Cramer Passage to Echo Bay, and smoothly sailed into the docks. Talked to Mary, and then walked over to Billy Proctor’s house where he was splitting cedar shakes with Jenny from the Salmon Coast Research Station to build a new cabin. After lunch, we attempted to sail off the dock, although needed to set the engine as the wind was blowing us back on the docks. Clearing the docks, we cut the engine, and sailed to the Burdwoods where we found a splendid anchorage right next to the white-shell beach. After setting a stern line ashore, we rowed over to the beach, and walked around the island looking at the culturally modified cedars with bark strip scars, and found some good clam digging spots for our chowder dinner.  (Big ones too!) Yummm…

May 18

With light winds, we power sailed to Sir Edmund Bay, and ate lunch observing the logging and Salmon feedlot in the bay. After getting warm, and finishing our glasses of wine, we made good time with the current through Sutlej Channel and tied up next to the float houses at Sullivan Bay. After walking around the floats looking at the bright float houses, we were invited in for wine with Suzie and Ken from Oregon, and had a great evening cozied up in their float house. Upon leaving, they generously gave us some of their fresh catch—a hearty helping of crab and a cod fillet. Thanks!

May 19

Left Sullivan Bay at 0930. Sailed a bit in the Bay, but we were only drifting, so set the motor to round Atkinson Island.  Around 1130 the wind picked up, and sailed from Wells Passage to Malcom Island over the sunny afternoon, taking turns at the helm as basking the in sun. Sailing all the way into the breakwater in Sointula. Docked at 1730, and cooked a spicy stir-fry with steamed crab legs.     

May 20

After biking around town and picking up fresh goodies from the bakery, we checked out the co-op, museum, and went down to the boat to get everything looking in ship shape. With the boat looking spick and span, we sailed from Sointula to Mcneill to meet up with the new crew!  After car troubles in Victoria (stick to boats, kids!), Charlotte, Sebastian and Miriam skipped down to the boat, and we cozily drank beers, and caught up on adventures. 

AND.....the triumphant trio resumed their journeys north! 

Charlotte, Sebastian, and Lisa (May 21 – Present)

May 21

At 0630 we said goodbye to Mike, and after an Eggs Benny breakfast at the diner, and stocking up on all the essentials (beer, wine, and fresh produce), although winds were light, we picked up some good wind crossing Blackfish Channel. Reached across Retreat Passage, and got a spinnaker run in too! Set a crab trap in Shoal Bay with Peanut begrudgingly watching us use her cat food. Coming into the Salmon Coast Research Station we whipped together a quick dinner, and ate up with the Salmon Coast folks at the main house.

May 22

No crabs (only a female in the trap), and set off for the Burdwoods to search for Lisa’s missing Pelican case (and camera!). Left on the beach after clam digging the previous week, there was no luck finding it, but there is still hope!  The Salmon Coast researchers monitor the area, and promised to keep an eye out for the bright yellow case. Although there was no case, we weren’t at a complete loss, as we gathered a bucket of clams. Motored through Indian Channel and then tacked up the straight to see the sea lion colony on Duff Island.  Over the deep groans and growls of the basking sea lions, we ate a delish lunch made by Char. Lisa rowed the dinghy to get a closer look at the sea lions (about 100!) and Sebastian caught us our first fish! Very manly “hunting” work, although Char and Lisa are going to get him to do the “gathering” as well…With Sebastian at the helm we sailed on to the Polkinghorne Islands, and had good holding in the shell/sand bottom. After a scrumptious dinner, we set a stern anchor to keep ourselves from swinging into the nearby rocks, and went to bed while it was still light out after a long day.

May 23

Happy Birthday Nicky!  We sang a song for you, and we’re eating the last cinnamon bun as birthday cake for you. After hauling anchor at 0730, we set off northwest under power. In changing the fuel tanks, we accidentally flooded the engine, but in open water and only slight swell, we had a fairly easy time draining the carburetor, and learned more about the workings of the engine. So sunny, and Day 2 of Char and Lisa (unintentionally) wearing the same outfit.  Twins separated at birth? A great day of sailing eventually pushed us as far as Blunden Harbour, although beating into the increasingly strong NW breeze proved to be slow going. Thankfully, Blunden offered us a welcome respite from the elements, and we explored the old First Nations village, clam midden, amazing old growth forest, and excellent crabbing grounds. Happy hour back on board after some beachside stretches felt well-deserved, although we weren't idle as the fishing rods came out and we attempted our best casts into the shallow, sandy bay. 

A magnificient supper of crab (which almost came away with Char's finger) concluded the day....

May 24 to 26

Rounding the Cape! We set out from Blunden Harbour without intending to make it around Cape Caution that day, meaning to merely spend the day in Miles Inlet. However, an early start, refreshing wind, and favourable tides pursuaded us to push on. We arrived in the entrance to Rivers Inlet late in the afternoon after a day of attempted spinny runs, long tacks into the open Pacific, bread kneading, and story telling. Yes, we're making bread - in the pressure cooker! The first attempt proved highly successful, as we munched it the next morning in our extremely sheltered bay while gazing out at the (flat calm) seas of Fits Hugh Sound. 

A good morning of motoring (past our first dolphins of the trip! A good 100 Pacific white-sided!) got us as far as Hakai, and we're currently curled up in the cabin while Lisa's sundried tomato-dill bread bakes on the stove after a morning of hiking in the boggy, gnarly coastal moors. We're departing with the flood this afternoon in the direction of Bella Bella, as far as the freshening SE wind can send us

'Til next time! And we're off. 

We're Alive!

A sunny hello from beautiful Echo Bay!

Char and Seb have (finally) re-joined Lisa and Peanut aboard, and we're headed north, for real this time. C & S made it to Port McNeill last night from a conference in Victoria, thanks to the lovely Myriam Belisle, and settled down for a last land-based sleep thanks to her amazing hospitality. After Mike Erdle left this morning, we departed McNeill after some harried errands and set sail across to the Broughtons for one final afternoon of island-hopping and blissing out.

We're currently catching up with the folks at the Salmon Coast Field Station (where Lisa has become a regular over the last few weeks) over good food and chats. The internet is slow, so we're holding off to upload photos til Bella Bella. Tomorrow we're headed to Blunden Harbour, then Miles Inlet, past Cape Caution, and beyond to Hakai Pass. Stay tuned for more to come!

Sunny skies and fair breezes,

Char, Lisa, Seb and Peanut

Jesse and Lisa (+animals) explore the Broughtons

Jesse Grigg and Isa, Jesse’s beautiful Sheppard mix, have joined the ship! After fixing the new antenna to the top of the mast (oh, what a great view!) we’re off for a weeklong cruise of the Broughtons. Starting of east down the Brroughton straight, we spotted a pod of transient orcas off in the distance in Cormorant channel (plus many cormorants too, of course!). Jesse’s been quite the guide pointing out the murrelets from the pigeon guillemots, and his eagle eyes spotting all creatures of the sea! Sailed downwind through a passage that Charlotte had marked, and spotted the First Nations rock painting of a large face painted in red on the north end of Berry Island. Further down the channel we made it to Mamalilacula, and explored the old First Nations village there. Navigating through thick salmon berries amidst an amazing abundance of hummingbirds (and an alarming abundance of bear scat) we trekked through the old site, coming across a turn of the century schoolhouse, as well as long house and totem pole ruins. Stopping for honey sandwiches, we ate on the porch of an abandoned house, looking over the white clamshell covered beach and the scenic bays. While we were confident that Peanut was doing a fine job standing her watch at the anchorage across the bay, we made our way back to the water, and rowed to the boat for some reading and tea.

The next day, after weighing anchor and eating bagels up on deck, we set off north with light westerly winds. With calm weather and lots of sunshine, we lazed up Retreat Passage to Echo Bay. Although the going was slow (woooh! 2 knots!), our leisurely pace allowed us to spot a pod of Harbour porpoises and sea lions playing about. Jesse got in a good nap too after drifting off to sleep soaking in the many sounds of the Broughton Islands. Rocking up to Echo Bay, Mary, one of the groundskeepers preparing for the summer season, spotted Nakusiak and remembered those “three pretty young girls” that had come through the year before! She showed us around the docks, and we made our way up to see Bill Proctor’s “pile of junk,” as he calls it. This marvelous collection marking the history of fishing, forestry, and life on the coast dating back to early stone tools was a marvel to be toured through by the man himself. After a walk through his museum Bill went down to the docks to have fresh caught fish with the local fishermen, and we trekked back through the woods to the boat to get across the bay for a visit with the folks at the Salmon Coast Research Station. Taking us in for burritos with homemade flour tortillas, we geeked out talking about boats, conservation and the local Broughton wildlife.

After saying goodbyes at Echo Bay, the crew set off for Viner Inlet—a short sail away, but the distance was much appreciated by all due to the non-stop rain. At the mouth of the river we tied up to a mooring can, and we marveled at how far away everything seemed. Peanut was cozily tucked in the v-berth, but the rest of us rowed ashore for a hike. Crunching some fat mussels under our feet as we carried the dinghy ashore, Jesse showed off his “awesome” mussel harvesting skills, and later cooked them into the finest chowder ever known. We were all pleased to have a warm hearty meal on such a chill-to-the-bone kind of day, and Peanut was thrilled to get a taste of the local seafood.

The next day we set off to round Gilford, and saw some amazing sites! Lacy Falls was stunning, and nearing our destination of Minstrel Island, a pod of 15-20 Pacific white-sided dolphins came to play with the boat! As they jumped and dove, keeping pace at our 5 knots, we were thrilled. They also brought with them some sunshine! Just as they parted, so did the clouds. A good omen for adventures to be had on Minstrel Island… Pulling into the public wharf, we were the only ones there. While the dock was once part of the now abandoned resort, the weathered tie up was the perfect spot. We explored the old resort finding a table and chairs for our fine dining supper, and hiked up the island’s logging roads to get a good view of the surrounding islands. While both Peanut and Isa got into the whipped cream for dessert before we did, dinner on the docks while under the stars was fantastic!

Marooned skipper ashore...

As Lisa captains our trusty ship in the Broughtons, I'm back on land for some field work in northern BC and thought to unload some photos as I enviously envision the salty adventures that are doubtless occurring afloat.

Chilko Lake in all it's glory.... We're here tagging sockeye smolts so we can track them on their difficult seaward migration through the Fraser River and beyond. Fun, except at 2am in the snow. 

At least it's incredibly beautiful!

And, aren't they cute? 

 So all this land-lubbing got me dreaming of salt air and sailing. So here are some shots of the last few days and our journey up Johnston Strait and into the Broughtons.

After a early early morning through Seymour Narrows, we took a breather from the NW headwinds and tucked into Kelsey Bay for our first pressure cooker meal (which was scary at first - as it whistled and hissed I retreated to the far side of the salon, imagining an explosion of brown rice all over our little home...). And she's so cute, we wouldn't want to do that!

While nestled among the working vessels of the area, we also discovered a ship worthy of aquisition...the Godfather!

Which was for sale, as cleverly advertised on the slip. Beware!

 Sadly, we couldn't come up with the necessary coinage, so we pressed on to Port Neville, an enhilarating sail away as we tacked up the Strait.

Which was really lovely.... And leaves me at camp, about to go fishing for more smolts to tag and looking forward to being seaward bound myself in the near future!

Vancouver - Port Mcneill

And we’re off! After several weeks of preparing the boat for three months of cruising, we’ve untied fromBurrard Civic and left Vancouver in our wake. For those who aren’t sure of our intended adventure, here are some details.

In a nutshell: We’re Haida Gwaii bound, and intend to be back by mid-July as Lisa must head off to receive a DOUBLE Master’s degree and Char has to finish the one she’s started. In between, we’ll cruise through the Inside Passage to the central coast, cross to the Charlotte’s, and have many adventures in between. For now, we’re planning to sail promptly up to the Broughton Archipelago, where Char will leave the boat for some UBC commitments and Lisa will cruise with Peanut as a (somewhat useless) first mate for three weeks.

So back to the beginning: Our lines skillfully untied by Al, Irene, and Toria (Char’s folks and sister), we motored out of English Bay with the early ebb tide. Spirits and morale were high (although Peanut looked a little green), and we soon set sail across Georgia Strait. Turning west, we aimed for Gabriola, where we hoped to find a friend, Christine Chourmouzis, whom we knew was studying boatbuilding on the island. We just weren’t sure where. After a tight passage through the outer islands into Gabriola’s Silva Bay, we tied up at the fuel dock and inquired as to the location of said boatbuilding school. “Just up the ramp, take a left!” we were informed, and so after some purposeful cleaning, organizing, and wiring maintenance we were off to wander and find Christine! We found the school, the office, and the marina, where everyone knew Christine, but not her whereabouts. We were told to look for Jude’s place….”Left at the dumpster, left again at the top of the hill, past the rusty 1950’s truck in the woods, past an arts centre….” Ummmmm….yeah. We wandered. And asked some folks along the way, who were just as confused as us (“You lookin’ for red haaaaired Juday?”). At long last, we found great success, and Christine! She had just moved that day, and we were very much her first surprise visitors. She showed us her beautiful 18-foot boat that she’s owned for the past year, and gave us a tour of the island. In return, we gave her a tour of Nakusiak, and celebrated the reunion with a bottle of bubbly in the harbor. After visiting her friends aboard their lovely hand built classic Native Girl, we rowed ashore to check out the boat building studio and Christine’s new art gallery, a collaborative endeavor right by the water. Stunning work. After feasting with Christine ashore, we rowed back to our trusty ship for the night.

En route north again the next day, we set the spinnaker, and later the jib, for a downwind passage to Hornby Island, 40 NM further up the Strait. A perfect sailing day; sunny, clear, with some good following waves and wind to push us along at over 6 knots. Highlights of the day included good tunes, views, and Peanut’s first voluntary appearance on deck while under way. She must be feeling better, as she managed to steal a bit of Lisa’s lunch right off her plate. Naughty!

Hornby Island, and the little anchorage of Ford’s Cove, afforded us a protected nook for the evening while we wandered ashore and cooked a feast on a beachside campfire. The geologic wonders of the nearshore rock formations impressed, and the locals offered sage advice of the dangers of building fires on sandstone (Exploding rock!) before wishing us a good evening. Ha! A great evening, made better by a brief chat with Jack and Jennifer of All that Jazz, and Pemberton couple who insisted on giving us flowers, advice, and homemade smoked salmon spread. All in a day’s work!

May 2nd, we awoke to a steady NW wind and cast off our anchorage under sail. Lisa handily tacked us out of the bay before turning us northward, with Campbell River us our goal. Bolstered by Siegel’s Bagels, we ran wing-on-wing for much of the day to arrive at Mudge Point near CR by 1600. Unfortunately the day of surfing down waves at over 7 knots meant we arrived 2 hours early for slack water at Campbell River, so we ‘forced’ our way through the tide rips (read: struggled) to arrive at the public wharf by 1730. With some shore time, we ran errands and found essential purchases (6 bags of post-Easter Mini Eggs! 25 cents each! A Whitehorse-worthy box of mangoes for $5! Sierra, you would have been proud).

May 3: Through Seymour Narrows! An early morning, we headed out at 0430, under way with the new nav lights beaming. Made it to the narrows just after slack, and cruised up the straight with the current while tracking the dozens of fish farms dotting the area. ‘Twas a chilly morning, but plentiful tea and Char’s homemade hats kept us toasty! By 1100 the wind and waves picked up and we tucked into Kelsey Bay for some hot lunch and a much-needed nap. Feeling recharged, we sailed up Port Neville. The sun was shining, and we took turns hiking over the rail with spray splashing over our rubber boots. In Port Neville we peered into the old post office and now uninhabited stone farm houses…or so we thought! The soft-spoken grounds keeper appeared, but he remembered Charlotte’s face from last year, and was pleased that the boat found its way back to Port Neville.

May 4: More wind from the south! Some great sailing, and hugged close to shore for the current to help carry us along. Met some turbulent current around Cracroft Island, but set the engine, and power sailed the rest of the way into Port Mcneill. After investigating a small crash on the deck, we discovered our antenna was gone! To be investigated…It was getting gusty with a bit of rain nearing Port Mcneill, and got warmed up in the Dalewood with some tasty dinner. Before long we were missing the boat, so went back for some Baileys and the world’s best apple crumble. Charlotte is becoming quite the pressure cooker cook! (And pressure cooker kook too!)

May 5: After a hearty breakfast, Charlotte packed up to work on that Master’s of hers, but left Lisa, Nakusiak, and Peanut feeling a little bit deprived without our salty skip. However, some time in Port left for some quality time for reading, boat work (new whippings on the jib sheets!), and exploring Port McNeill. Peanut hasn’t ventured too far away from the boat, but she certainly has her eye on a cute tabby on Dock B…After enlisting winchers from a neighbouring 41’ Beneteau First, to haul Lisa up to the mast head, the crew of Kipperkite invited the Nakusiak crew over for Cinco de Mayo celebrations with margaritas. Missed the hockey game with Bing (an earlier date invitation from the 70-something former logger), but had a great night talking about sailing with seasoned Broughton cruisers.

More to come! Peanut is walking all over the keyboard and is doing some serious purring for attention. Bye for now!