One of the many domes along Roscoe Inlet. Today was the day.  We finally made if to the Bitter End of Roscoe Inlet.  And it was absolutely, positively worth the wait.  The journey began one mile south of Boukind Bay at Roscoe Narrows and “goose-necked” back and forth for 12 nautical miles deep into the mainland.  Apart from a small section of logging just inside, the area is...

Continue Reading

The view looking down Roscoe Inlet from Boukind Bay All good things must come to an end, or so they say.  And our time in Ocean Falls, for the moment, has ended.  We left the docks Saturday morning after one last run into “town” to say goodbye and have been sitting patiently in Boukind Bay, some 20 nautical miles away, waiting to enter the “goosenecks” of Roscoe Inlet...

Continue Reading

Our original plan was to stay in Ocean Falls for only one night, but plans are made to be changed.  And so we stayed.  A “must-do” while here is a visit to the marine ways where “Nearly Normal Norman Brown”, one of the locals we met at the pub Wednesday, has created a museum from items he found in the town over the years – everything from children’s...

Continue Reading

The damn in Ocean Falls. After another quick soak in the hot spring pool, we upped anchor and left Eucott Bay (without incident) for Ocean Falls, passing by Sir Alexander MacKenzie Provincial Park along the way.  The park commemorates the site of the first recorded walk across the North American continent, marked with an obelisk monument.  Along the shoreline, there’s a rock which reads, “Alex MacKenzie from Canada...

Continue Reading

I was really disappointed that we weren’t able to get into the hot spring pool yesterday, so we went back this morning to give it another try.  The water had cooled down overnight and was warm, but not scalding, so we soaked until our fingers looked like prunes and our heads were light from the heat.  David, who is definitely not a morning person, kept saying it was...

Continue Reading

The view from the hot spring tub in Eucott Bay. We left Codville early this morning with a rising tide in hopes of getting some help from the current as we travelled 38 nautical miles up Dean Channel to Eucott Bay.  The inflow winds had already started and filled in quickly blowing around 20 knots most of the day, creating a sea of whitecaps on the water.  Fortunately...

Continue Reading

A natural landslide in Codville Lagoon Marine Park We left Sea Otter Inlet this morning and travelled north along Fitz Hugh Sound making way for the mouth of Fisher Channel.  Along the way, we passed another milestone …52.00.00° N, our highest latitude yet.  Though not our ultimate destination, Codville Lagoon on King Island is a convenient stopover on our way to Eucott Bay, which is.  The entrance to...

Continue Reading

Kayaking into Fitz Hugh Sound. Eager to reach the inlets of the Central Coast, we left Fly Basin around 7:30 yesterday morning and made our way out back into Fitz Hugh Sound.  The marine layer was clinging to the mainland and the sky was grey, threatening rain, but visibility was good and just as we were turning north, we saw a humpback whale blowing the distance before taking...

Continue Reading

A boat rounding Cape Caution to the south. Today was the day.  We left Blunden Harbour close to 7:30 this morning and motored north with a one metre westerly swell and ten knots from the southeast – right up our backside.  You couldn’t ask for better conditions.  They were so good, in fact, that we by-passed our intended anchorage, Miles Inlet, and continued up the coast, beyond Cape...

Continue Reading

All that remains of the former First Nation's village. Blunden Harbour is one of the best anchorages along Queen Charlotte Strait, which is exactly why we’re here.  For the past four days the wind has blown steadily, easing off at night, only to increase again by eight in the morning.  Along with the wind comes an increased sea state, three to four metres (10 to 14 feet), making...

Continue Reading

   The beach in Blunden Harbour. The conditions were excellent yesterday morning, so we upped anchor and motored to Port McNeill to fill our tanks (both water and fuel), do laundry and buy more groceries.  With all of our chores done and another fine day in store, we left at eight o’clock this morning and made our way across Queen Charlotte Strait to our first new anchorage of...

Continue Reading

Crease Island, The Broughtons Our goal is to reach Port McNeill, a small logging town that lies off Johnstone Strait on Vancouver Island, to refuel and provision before we move north.  We’d hoped to take advantage of the most direct route – up the strait itself – but have no confidence that we can make the 30 nautical mile trip before the winds are too strong, so we...

Continue Reading

"Oily George" leaving Port Harvey. Our time in Shoal Bay was short, but sweet.  And after another wonderful evening onshore having dinner with Mark, Cynthia and the rest of the“regulars”, we upped anchor early Sunday morning and have been on the move since.  After transiting the final two sets of rapids Sunday afternoon, we headed for Johnstone Strait.  Knowing what we do about the area (and Johnstone in...

Continue Reading

David enjoying another beautiful Shoal Bay evening on the deck. Octopus Islands Marine Park is another of our favourite places to stop, but some visits are better than others and this one was lacking for one reason or another.  Maybe it was the full moon.  Maybe it was the tides.  Maybe it was the pressure we feel to get north.  Or maybe it was the group of eleven...

Continue Reading

Cambria at anchor in Rebecca Spit. It rained most of the day again yesterday but visibility was good, so we moved to Rebecca Spit Marine Park on nearby Quadra Island to buy provisions and set ourselves up to go through the first set of rapids, Beazley Passage, today.  The best time to transit arapid is at or near slack tide, this is especially true for sailboats.  And, like...

Continue Reading

David's rainy-day studio aboard Cambria. The rising barometer promised better weather for Saturday, but it continued to rain in Prideaux Haven so we upped anchor shortly after lunch and motored twenty-four nautical miles northwest to Gorge Harbour on Cortes Island where we found a completely different day.  The sun was shining and people were out in droves– kayaking, barbecuing, swimming and camping – enjoying every bit of it. ...

Continue Reading