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 to clear. But they do, revealing the beauty of our current anchorage. There are many small islets and rocks littering the harbour and it'd be worth facing the cool temperatures to kayak around them but the current here is too strong, so we have to use the dinghy for all of our explorations.
At the northwest corner of the bay, lies the entrance to Booker Lagoon, considered to be one of the most beautiful of the Inside Passage, which is guarded by a swift and narrow pass – the current running at least 7 knots at maximum but, according to local fisherman, it's more like 10 or 12. At full flood or ebb on big tides, the pass is a cauldron of white and turquoise water with whirlpools for hundreds of yards leading to and from the narrows. But at slack water, which may only last five or ten minutes, it's benign and straight forward. We considered entering ourselves but, after taking a look at the lagoon by dinghy, decided it was prettier where were.
We'll stay here one more night and leave for northern Vancouver Island tomorrow morning. We're down to two days of food and need to reprovision in Port McNeill where we also hope to get a replacement high-pressure hose for the watermaker which gave out weeks ago.
The Inukshuk marking the reef at the entrance to Booker Lagoon.
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