Abby vs the "Kelp"

Date : Aug.27
Log: 56112
Bar: 1017
Sky: clear
Location: Frances Bay N50*21.6' W125*19.3'
Comments: Day spent in a leisurely motor through Okisolo and Hole in the Wall passes -- caught them just at the end of the flood.
We got here just at noon and have spent a VERY relaxed day with no other boats around. It was amazing how much warmer it became immediately after we came through Hole in the Wall. We are no longer getting the effects of the cold Pacific water.
We are planning to head off to Pendrell Sound tomorrow and see if it warm enough to swim still.
Abby now spends a lot of her time standing at the bow watching for kelp -- we have no idea why she is so fascinated by kelp but she is currently totally focused on it. When we are in the dinghy and we go near a piece of kelp, Abby will try to paw at it and has even licked it. Perhaps she relates the smell of the kelp to the smell of the whales.

Cheers, Turicum

Getting hard on the fuel bill!

Date : 26 August
Log: 56087
Bar: 1017
Sky: Sunny
Location: Thurston Bay Marine Park, Nodales Channel -- N50*22.9' W125*19.3'
Comments:

We left Cordero Islands at a leisurely pace this morning at 1015 and spent some time sorting the anchor rode and chain and cleaning the anchor locker (which was really becoming rather nasty!)

Motoring again today (*sigh* still no wind...) down Nodales Channel to Thurston Bay Marine Park. We saw many small boats fishing along the rock walls (and in fact, some fishermen were also catching!) We anchored behind an island in the bay, which we shared with just two other boats, some distance away. We had a view of the channel and in the distance, Chatham Point, in Johnstone Strait. The outboard chose to stop running (water in fuel perhaps?) so rowing was the exercise of choice today. Our short day ended at 1330 and the rest of the day was well-spent in dedicated sloth -- to hell with the outboard!

Cheers, Turicum

Alas no wind again

Date : 25 August
Log: 56077
Bar: 1015
Sky: showers/clearing
Location: Cordero Islands N50*26.7' W125*19.27'
Comments:

We had planned to go from the Mist Islets (which lived up to their name this morning) in Port Harvey to Forward Harbour today, but we took a hard look at the Tide & Current Tables and realized that our best opportunity for getting through Dent & Yucultas tomorrow was to get ourselves through Greene Point rapids today.

We motored (no, no wind yet...) down Johnstone Strait , noticing more boat traffic of all kinds. The days in the Charlottes and on the north coast when we would rarely see another boat are definitely over! Johnstone Strait was placid and flat today (okay, who stole the wicked Strait and replaced it with a millpond?) and we were joined for a short while by a pilot whale. The showers caught up with us as we entered Sunderland Channel, but fortunately they were brief, and the sky started to clear by mid-afternoon.

We motored through Greene Point and anchored by around 1600 in one of our favourite spots behind the Cordero Islands, and noted that we went 49 nm today! In discussing our plans for next day, we decided to go down Nodales Channel and then through Okisolo and Hole in the Wall instead of through Dent and the Yucultas as it allowed us an hour more sleep and still make slack water at both.

Cheers, Turicum

Rental alert!

Date : Aug. 24
Log: 56028
Bar: 1010
Sky: O/C showers
Location: Port Harvey -- N50-33.68' W126-16.09'
Comments: On our way out of the anchorage yesterday, in the only deep channel, we were confronted by a large powerboat appearing from between some islets on our port side about 200 yards away. We were quite surprised to see it as our charts showed shallow water and rocks in that area. It immediately became obvious that they had no intention of changing course or stopping even though they were give way boat so I slowed down to let them pass -- I was also very interested to see where/what they were going to do.
I was not disappointed -- they continued to motor into an area where I had seen some drying rocks at last night's low tide and as we are almost at another low, things were looking more interesting by the moment.
Ah, yes progress came to a sudden stop.
As we continued out toward Knight Inlet they appeared to have extracted themselves and were heading into the anchorage we had just left.
This was the second time we had witnessed someone either not paying attention to navigation or not having a clue as to what they were doing. A day or 2 earlier we saw a 70+ft powerboat suddenly come to a stop when they missed the marker buoy and went over the Neill Ledge shoal by Port McNeill.
I guess anybody can rent anything now.

The rest of the day was very uneventful with rain showers and a rather tedious motor up to Minstrel Island and then down to Port Harvey. Our original plans to anchor at Warren Islands got blown away with the SE gusts of 25kts and not enough protection.

Off to Forward Hbr tomorrow.

Cheers. Turicum

You may note a format change --- we are going to try to make this look more like our actual log. Log number is like the odometer in a car -- our total miles traveled

Whales and porpoises, seals and sea lions, oh my!

Date : Aug. 23 Log: 55999 Bar: 1017 Sky: sunny Location: Goat Island, Village Channel Comments: Leaving Port Hardy we were greeted by a pod of Orcas just outside Hardy Bay (photos up as soon as we can) Dall's and Harbour porpoises as well as seals and a sea lion all put in appearances today as well. Wind was very light, so we motored in the sunshine past Malcolm Island, across Blackfish Sound and into Whitebeach Passage. We saw a cruise ship, the Coral Princess, in Blackfish and fantasized (for a least a moment or two) about Mai Tais served next to the pool. We had planned to anchor at Farewell Harbour, but there's a fishing resort there, a power boat was anchored in what looked like the best spot, and there didn't seem to be any doggie beach available. We headed into Village Channel and tucked in behind Goat Island to anchor amongst a half dozen little islets. The people on a Washington power boat that was anchored near us warned us of a bear (the only remaining animal on our list to see) on the beach in the early evening (where June was about to take the dog ashore!). We had a pleasant evening at anchor (but no bear sightings!) On the "What's Next" front, a new set of spark plugs has worked wonders for the recalcitrant outboard -- it now runs on 2 cylinders not just one. That was balanced by nothing happening when we tried to start Turicum's engine and were met by stony silence -- turned out to be a wire off the starter but getting to it was a dismantle the boat story again. We are off to Warren Islands for tonight. Cheers, Turicum

Wind and Water

We had expected to be on our way this morning but alas it will be tomorrow.
We had planned to also be going down the outside but that has been literally blown away. We have been blessed with fantastic weather for the last 2 months so it is time to see some of the other side. The 30-40kts forecast and 12-15' seas outside are not what we were looking for so we are going to explore the inside route for the next 2 weeks.
To top it all off, the water main at the marina broke yesterday and that has postponed the laundry and the boat cleanup although we did have some water from Shearwater in one tank (an interesting tan colour) that was put aside for emergency purposes. We have been using good water from Hartley Bay and "Wheezy" the watermaker for the last week or so. We had been a bit tight on water after thinking that we could pick up water in Klemtu when we left in the morning only to find that the treated water supply was available ONLY when filling up with fuel.

Pamela Bendall, who we first met several years ago at the Vic Maui race (and who has done almost every job connected with the race) lives in Hardy and has been a fantastic help to us setting appointments, lending a car, and generally helping us solve problems.

One of the biggest and longest running problem has been the rather indifferent charging we have been getting from the alternator. At times the 150amp alternator and smart regulator system has worked fairly well although there has always been a strange pulsing and the occasional shutdown of the charging when the house batteries were clearly not fully charged -- even to the point of not having enough power to maintain the computer. The system seemed to work only when the engine was run at very low speed.
After a particularly frustrating day where we had to start the engine several times while we were sailing to maintain enough power to have our navigation systems working, I got out the data sheets for the regulator and reviewed the instillation and wiring with Dan and Marek. The book made a big deal about sensing battery voltage after the isolator as there is a voltage drop across it and the batteries would be under charged if we sensed voltage at the alternator output. I totally understood that and had setup the system accordingly. What I missed was that the alternator has to sense "house" battery voltage not starting battery voltage. We found what was happening was that the start battery was doing very well at 13+ volts while the house batteries were almost dead. When I had originally installed the system I followed the directions carefully and wired things as if there were only 1 general purpose battery.
We now have new wiring and the necessary relays so that the charging system "sees" the battery we are currently switched to and provides the necessary power to charge that battery. If the switch is set to all then all the batteries will be brought up to full charge.
I am very interested to see how this works out. The test at the dock looked good.

We don't have many pictures from the trip down --- Dan took off to his B&B and a round of golf and Marek had airplane to catch so I wasn't able to download their photos. I know they have some good ones and hopefully I can add them later.

Today is laundry, repair the fuel gauge sensor, final provisioning and getting ready for an early departure tomorrow morning -- we also have to do something about a haircut for Abby -- she is starting to look like a Hebridian cow -- we haven't seen her eyes for about 2 weeks now.

Cheers from Turicum

Pounding South

Just a quick note while we have a signal -- Leaving Shearwater and heading to Safety Cove for the "crossing" tomorrow. Sounds like NW 20+ so it should be a great ride.
We got in 3+ hours of sailing yesterday but things have been quiet so far -- rolling up the engine hours.

Cheers, Turicum

On to Klemtu

August 15

We left anchor this morning to motor to Klemtu, taking the opportunity of little wind to make today another navigation exercise. For no other reason than we hadn't been that way before, we took the channel down the east side of Sarah Island, easily passing through Hiekish Narrows.

We have a cell signal at Klemtu which is allowing us to get out some messages but we haven't got photos sorted as yet -- they will be added in the next few days.

Cheers, Turicum

Butedale

August 14

Heading down McKay and Fraser Reach today towards Butedale, we were visited by a pod of Dall's porpoise, enjoying playing in our bow wave. Butedale is largely in ruins now; the net loft and sheds that were in poor condition on our trip here in '92 have now collapsed and are returning to the elements. There is a float, and a couple of small power boats were moored to it. It's a bit sad to see a place like this, that was once a going concern with a cannery with fuel, ice, a store, and many employees gone to an untidy end. Butedale Creek still rushes into the ocean here, and the waterfall is still as beautiful as ever. We stopped to take some photos, and then continued down Fraser Reach to Khutze Inlet for the night.

Cheers June

Whale ho!

August 13

Leaving Mink Trap Bay in the fog this morning, a humpback obligingly provided a photo op for us -- hope to add one of Marek's photo's to this blog -- outstanding!
The fog cleared off as we entered Otter Passage at the top of Campania Island to produce a warm, sunny afternoon. We stopped in the village of Hartley Bay for fuel and water, and received the usual cordial welcome we've had at every stop on this trip. Hartley Bay is tidy and picturesque, with residents who take great pride in their village. The docks were busy behind the stone breakwater, and we took only a quick look for moorage as we were concerned about adequate depth.

Cheers, June

Rainy north coast day

August 12

We left Larsen Harbour early this morning, heading down Principe Channel generally heading in the direction of Hartley Bay. Rain showers followed us most of the day, but we managed to dodge most of them until early afternoon. We had some great upwind sailing in about 10-12 knots SE, with flat water. We found a place to anchor on Pitt Island, off Mink Trap Bay (we can't resist the names of some of these places!) Nesbitt Rock and Sewell Islet guard the entrance (named by childrens' literature fans?) Moolock Cove is a well-protected little bay with many small islands and lagoons, which are perfect for dinghy (or kayak) explorations and Abby found a couple of spots that were perfect for her "walkies". We shared the cove with five other vessels, all power. Four of them were rafted companionably out of sight, but we met one of the boaters with his canine, out in the dinghy for their evening constitutional.

Cheers, June

Leaving the Charlottes

August 11

Joy and Keith left us in Charlotte City on Saturday to return home, and we hope they've had a memorable trip! We had time in Charlotte to visit with family, get laundry done and have a last look around the town before we also made our departure.

We spent yesterday on the dock in Sandspit, rigging the staysail and runners, getting a few (more!) groceries and getting our new crew familiar with the boat. Marek and Dan have joined us for the trip south to Port Hardy. The wind and wave forecast for Hecate is something we can live with, so we headed out this morning to make the 50 nm crossing back to Larsen Island. The wind remained fairly light all day and the seas less than one metre. We got in a couple of hours of sailing, but motor-sailed most of the day.

Coves & Beaches

A bit of an update -- we decided to stay on the dock today taking care of various chores. Plans for tomorrow are a "graduation" breakfast followed by a few hours sailing (practical exam) and then off to Charlotte City to sign off the paper work and a final boat clean-up. Everybody has had showers -- including our star Abby so it is time the boat got a bit of a wash.
I have added some of Joy's photos to the last couple of posts.
We have a change of weather coming in so departure for Hardy may have to wait a day or so. I really don't want to beat into some south easterlies in the Strait.

Thursday morning---
We are again in Sandspit on the $10 wifi --- I am really not sure of the details and that is probably just as well.
We are here to deal with fuel, laundry, water, propane and food -- having run out of mostly everything over the last 2 weeks.
One of the things that we couldn't help but notice is the "fog" -- we thought that things were getting misty because of the high temps but I couldn't understand the bluish tint --- I now understand it is smoke from fires in Alaska. We don't get much (any) news but we gather that forest fires are a huge problem again this year.
Then next couple of days will be more exploration around Charlotte City and then a change of crews and back to Hardy. I will try to get some of Joy's photos onto the blog but I might be delayed a bit without a internet connection

I had a bit of a chat with a fellow this morning who has spent several years exploring this area in a 14ft Zodiac with 15hp Evinrude outboard --- including the west coast of both islands and a big chunk of Alaska. He currently has an aluminum 25 footer with twin Evinrude 250s on the back -- I gather it cruises at 30+ and he has a problem with his chartplotter being showing the boat offset about 200 yards from his real position -- hate to think of the noise a big aluminum box would make hitting a rock at 30+.

Our next page will be added at Klemtu on our way home or any were else we can find a cell link.

Cheers, Turicum

Aug 5th - part II

We found one secluded little bay in Poole Inlet that we liked so much we stopped there again on the way back north. The guidebook we have just indicates that there's anchorage in the inlet, but gives no other information. We anchored in a quiet little cove, passing a whale in Hecate on the way in, and finding an eagle to greet us as we anchored. A short dinghy ride and walk through the trees brought Keith & Joy to a beautiful sand beach, which Abby also appreciated. Covered in fine, soft sand she romped until she ran out of steam. The previously unnamed beach is now known as "Dirty Dog Beach".

A memorable stop was at Hotspring Island, another Watchman site, well-maintained and staffed by friendly and helpful individuals who treat visitors as honoured guests. Everyone (except Abby - sorry, no pets!) enjoyed a soak in the springs and the luxury of hot showers, soap and shampoo. Of the three rock pools, the one closest to the sea was our favourite; very hot (so lingering for too long wasn't really an option) with a view of Juan de Perez sound - sea, mountains and eagles.

"Boat issues" continued to plague Hale...the patch on the jib started to come adrift, so that was re-repaired. The watermaker ("Wheezy") seemed to enjoy throwing off the output hose and draining the fresh water it made into the bilge, so, two hose clamps later...

Aug 5th
Back from our trip South to SGang Gwaay.
It's really hard to know where to begin. Probably the easiest way to put it is that it's best to throw away all of your mental pictures of Haida Gwaai ---- those images of cold, rocky shores with huge surf; horizontal rain, fog, seagulls all that stuff -- just forget it.
This place is quiet, secluded bays with beaches of sand or very fine, smooth pebbles, and yes, some gravel ones. It's cloudless skies, temps in the high 20s, (mid 30s inside the boat for a few days) swimming in the ocean and eagles, whales and seals everywhere.
SGang Gwaay was a very special place: the mortuary poles and house foundations remain as the legacy of the Kunghit Haida who lived there. The island itself is beautiful, well-kept by the Haida Watchmen, with trails that wind through dense forests, onto rocky beaches and, seemingly, through rock walls. Our guide, "Girl" (aka Christine) was knowledgeable and friendly with a great sense of humour, and loved to share the history and significance of SGang Gwaay
Rose Harbour in Houston-Stewart channel, close to Anthony Island (SGang Gwaay) was the busiest place we found; a couple of private residences, float planes, mooring buoys and (holy cow!) about a half-dozen boats sighted at once! We anchored in Louscoone Inlet, where we found the float with the water hose attached to fill the tanks.