An aerial view of Port McNeill. It was another foggy morning with a forecast of winds building to 25 to 35 knots in the straits by late-afternoon, so we left Cullen Harbour around noon in hopes that the fog would move south before the wind got too strong. The plan worked. As we approached Vancouver Island, our visibility was good – a mile and a half at its...

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We left our anchorage off Bermingham Island around 11 o'clock Monday morning and made way for Cullen Harbour at the southern edge of Broughton Island in effort to position ourselves better for a passage across Queen Charlotte and Johnstone Straits where the wind consistently blows 20 to 30 knots in the afternoon. The days continue to start with low clouds and fog that seem like they're never going...

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According to several cruising guides, Cypress Harbour is one of the prettiest places in the area, especially Stopford Bay which lies in the southeast corner and is reached through a narrow entrance lined with kelp and rocks on either side. Rather than taking Cambria inside, we decided to dingy to Cawston Point where there's campsite maintained by BC Forest Service with picnic tables, fire pits and an old...

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The view of the Coastal Mountains from Cypress Habour. A high pressure ridge is moving north from the west and is expected to bring gale force winds along with it for Queen Charlotte and Johnstone Straits so we changed our plans for Blunden Harbour, located along the mainland in Queen Charlotte Strait, and made way for Cypress Harbour on Broughton Island. There were several other boats anchored when...

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The view of the Coastal Mountains outside Turnbull Cove. Yesterday was another bright and sunny day, so we took the opportunity to explore Turnbull Cove and a small section of Kenneth Passage, an area that resembles a mountain lake more than the ocean with it's close, tree-lined shores, by dinghy. It's difficult to describe the beauty and appeal of area, but I'm sure that it will remain a...

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The evening light in Turnbull Cove. We left Drury Inlet for Turnbull Cove off Grappler Sound after spending two nights anchored in Sutherland Bay – our quest for a grizzly bear sighting unsuccessful – passing up the opportunity to anchor in the nearby Muirhead Islands, a lovely cluster of islands, islets and rocks that form a well-protected anchorage for exploring by dingy or kayak. But the weather in...

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Looking down-inlet from Sutherland Bay. We left Greenway Sound for Drury Inlet on the mainland this morning in search of quiet anchorages and grizzly bears which are rumoured to roam the shores at the head of the bay. Extensive logging has taken place over the years in this area, like so many others in The Broughtons, and continues today – the trees they cut down now a mere...

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Our anchorage in Carter Passage, Greenway Sound. The summer weather patterns have formed – morning fog, burning off by late afternoon if you're lucky, which haven't been for several days – and, once again, we're socked in eliminating our hopes of motoring down Kingcome Inlet (there's really no point if you can't see the mountains) so we moved over to Greenway Sound off Broughton Island in search of...

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Shawl Bay Marina The sky was overcast this morning so David and I dinghied over to Shawl Bay, about two and a half miles away in search of something to do. Like most isolated villages, Shawl Bay clings to a way of life that began at the turn of the century when hand loggers moved from cove to cove working their claims. Camps consisted of two or three...

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The view from beautiful Moore Bay. We left Simoon Sound this morning for Moore Bay which lies at the entrance to Kingcome Inlet and is one of those special places that merits lingering in. The water is milky-green from the glacial outflow of the inlet and, even with several other boats anchored in the bay, it's beautifully quiet. A good spot to sit on the deck and do...

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A fish farm in Simoon Sound. Attracted to the history of the area, we made Simoon Sound our next destination. In the summer of 1792 Captain George Vancouver, who was sent to the Pacific Northwest to conduct a detailed survey of the coastal mainland from Juan de Fuca Strait to Cook Inlet in Alaska, anchored the Chatham and Discovery in Simoon while survey parties set out in open...

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The water tanks were low, the laundry hamper was overflowing, and the trash had taken over the forward lazarette making it was time to seek out a little bit of civilization, so we left Wahkana Bay yesterday morning and made way for Echo Bay, a small float home community with two marinas. Pierre's is an active spot with dinners planned most nights of the week, from pig roasts...

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Cambria in Bond Sound. We woke up to a beautiful morning and a rising barometer, so we upped-anchor and made way for Bond Sound, another scenic mainland inlet along Tribune Channel. For the adventurous, the real treat would be a dinghy ride up the Ahta River at the head of the inlet which has undergone extensive cleaning and rejuvenating for salmon stock and supports several species of mammals including bear...

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Cambria at anchor in Wahkana Bay. A trough is moving through the are from the north bringing cold winds, so we left Kwatsi Bay this morning for Wahkana Bay on Gilford Island, the largest of the Broughton Archipelago, in search of better protection and a change of scenery. As we left the bay and entered Tribune Channel, we saw 15 to 20 knots of wind from the northwest...

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David enjoying the view along Tribune Channel. We left Port Harvey early this morning to time our passage through Chatham Channel with the ebb tide. What started off as a gray morning with low clouds turned into another beautifully brilliant afternoon with blue skies and plenty of sunshine. The trip to Kwatsi Bay was incredible and, as nice as our destination may be, the journey up Tribune Channel...

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Our decision to stay in Port Harvey one more day paid off around 5 o'clock when we received a phone call from Annie and Craig off of Mary Kay, a couple we'd met at Chatterbox Falls. They had just arrived at the marina and invited us over for dinner and drinks, so we threw a some side-dishes and drinks in a bag and headed over. They're on their way...

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Cambria at anchor in Port Harvey. When I took Sally to a beach this morning I saw a black bear lumbering along the shore foraging for oysters as we approached. We've read a lot about how to avoid encounters with bears and one piece of advice stands out above all the others: be noisy. So I was. And he went back into the woods, but I still wasn't...

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We left Cordero Lodge this morning around 6:30 to time Greene Point Rapids at slack tide and dropped a lunch-hook in Wellbore Cove to wait for the afternoon slack at nearby Whirlpool Rapids. At 1:30 pm we upped anchor and transited the rapids – the final major obstacle of the Inside Passage – and tucked into the head of Forward Harbour for the night. We left Cordero Lodge...

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Approaching Upper Rapids and Cordero Channel early in the morning. We left Waiatt Bay at 6:30 this morning to time our arrival at Upper Rapids with slack tide. Once again, the wind was already blowing and we saw 10 to 15 knots on the nose with gusts up to 20 knots, but it subsided before too long and we had a beautiful trip meandering through the narrow waterways...

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David steering the dinghy through Tentacle Pass. We had hoped to take the kayaks out today to explore the Octopus Island, but it was a little too windy, so we decided to take a tiki-tour in the dinghy. The park is beautiful and quiet with plenty of anchoring possibilities – even when it's full of boats – and looks like a kayaker's dream. It was worth the extra...

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We left Teakerne Arm this morning at 8 o'clock to time our arrival through the western rapids at Hole In the Wall, a narrow passage that cuts through Sonora and Maurelle Islands and is reportedly one of the most dramatic passes in the area. We had hoped to beat the winds with an early departure, but they were already filling in and we had to travel with 10...

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True to the forecast, the wind picked up and blew into Teakerne Arm from the northwest; but Great Sex Cove offers good protection, and we were comfortable. Things settled down later in the day, so we took the dinghy over to the public dock and hiked to Cassel Lake. It was a beautiful afternoon but still a little too cold for swimming, so we were happy to sit...

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   Good Sex and Great Sex Coves in Teakerne Arm, Desolation Sound, BC. It was raining this morning and looked like we were in for a wet day; but it lightened up around 11 o'clock, so we left Van Anda for Westview to buy provisions and do the laundry completely forgetting that it was Canada Day (the Canadian version of the fourth of July). The shuttle that takes...

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