Central Coast
Destinations
Spiller Channel | Way Back Wednesday
Wednesday, April 05, 2017TheCambrians
Disclaimer: This blog article is not to be
used for navigation. It is solely an account of our personal experience and
anchor locations in Spiller Channel during settled weather conditions. What
worked for us at one particular time is no guarantee or indication that it will
work for others. There are no services in the immediate area and any boat that
enters Spiller Channel should be self-sufficient. It is our advice, however,
that ONLY dinghies with adequately powered outboard motors enter Ellerslie
Lagoon.
When it came to destinations, Spiller Channel wasn't exactly calling our name: The surrounding hills are low and have
been heavily logged, a practice that continues today, so the scenery isn’t what
we’d consider “enticing”. But in
“Exploring the North Coast of British Columbia,” Douglass has this to say about
the waterfall located at its head:
Ellerslie Falls .
. . in our opinion are the best on the entire British
Columbia coast and arguably the
entire west coast of North America
(p. 201).
A few years ago, we finally allowed ourselves to
be influenced by their bold words and made a trip up to see what the excitement
was all about . . . and we’re glad we did.
If there’s one thing you can say about Spiller
Channel, it’s that it gets off to a slow start: A major logging operation is in
full-swing at the southern end of Yeo Island
and is one of the first sights to greet you. The channel itself is subject to
inflow winds and, when there’s an outgoing tide, the water can be choppy. And
the few anchorages located along the passage aren’t very scenic, so the one and
only attraction appears to be 20 miles in. In all fairness, we skipped Spiller
Inlet and the anchorages north of Coldwell Peninsula,
which may or may not be worth visiting, but we did spend a night in Neekas
Cove, just off Neekas Inlet.
Neekas Cove isn’t much to look at: The bay
ends in a mud flat with log stumps and fallen trees littering the head. The
surrounding hills are low and many of them have been clear-cut in the past. But
the anchorage is a welcomed break from the chop along Spiller Channel and
offers good protection and holding in mud.
Five miles beyond Neekas Inlet, the channel
forks –Spiller Inlet to the north and Ellerslie Bay
to the west – and the scenery improves. Ellerslie Bay,
home to the lagoon and falls, feels closed-off and intimate thanks to the twist
and turns of the main channel. Unfortunately, it’s too deep for convenient
anchoring but several options in reasonable depths can be found just south of
the bay in Ellerslie Anchorage East, a beautiful and quiet spot surrounded by
tree-covered hills and steep, rocky shores.
But we weren’t there to enjoy the anchorage. We were there to see the waterfall; and to do that, we needed to get inside the lagoon.
But we weren’t there to enjoy the anchorage. We were there to see the waterfall; and to do that, we needed to get inside the lagoon.
The entrance to Ellerslie Lagoon is infamous
because it’s shallow, rocky, uncharted and protected by rapids
that roar for all but a few minutes throughout the tidal cycle. The depth in
the entrance is reported to be somewhere between four and seven feet at maximum
water. Needless to say, our plan was to go in by dinghy.
The problem (or at least one of them) is
that the seabed level of the lagoon is approximately 1.8 metres (6 feet) higher
than the seabed in Ellerslie Bay, so overfalls are common. The entrance is also
rock-strewn, providing the perfect environment for turbulent water. The
constant flow from the waterfall adds to the confusion. And the water is
muskeg, so visibility is poor. But when it comes to calculating slack tide, the
difference in seabed levels is the biggest challenge.
 |
| This is NOT an accurate depiction of the seabed for Ellerslie Bay and Lagoon (the bottom is rocky and uneven), only a very basic drawing to illustrate one of the challenges of entering the lagoon. |
With at least a two metre differential,
we knew that the incoming tide would have to rise beyond that height before the
water level inside the lagoon and in Ellerslie
Bay
would be the equal – according to the Douglass book, that would be
approximately two hours after low tide was predicted for Bella
Bella. For the day we entered the lagoon that was 11:43 am, giving us a 1:43 pm
entry time. We arrived early and stood off the rapids to watch and wait. At 1:56 pm,
David and I went through. The current was still running against us at more than
one knot, but the overfalls had stopped. Our friends, Bill and Sylvia, went through
five minutes later and the water flow had slowed down to at least half that
speed.
Once inside, the depth of lagoon drops to
approximately 13 metres (43 feet) and allows some breathing room, but the hazards
don’t stop there: A second set of narrows about a third of the way in extends
from a shoal along the southwest shore. The depth here is similar to the entrance
and, despite the fact that we were searching for the shallows, a few rocks
caught us by surprise because of the murky water. Just beyond the second
narrows, there’s a large section of deadheads in the southwest corner of the
lagoon. After that, the lagoon opens up to the east with depths of 6 to 16
metres (20 to 53 feet) and, apart from rocks around some the shoreline, it seems
to be clear but we can’t be sure: The water is so brown it’s difficult to see
anything.
To leave, we had to wait for the second slack
water period which occurs when the tide in the lagoon raises to the same level
of Ellerslie Bay. Once
again, we arrived well before this was supposed to happen and watched and
waited so we didn’t miss the opportunity – the last thing we wanted was to be
stuck inside the lagoon overnight in our dinghies. David had reconnoitered the
entrance the night before to double check times so we knew what to expect and
at 5:40 pm,
we exited the lagoon. There was still a slight current running against us in the
entrance but the water was navigable by dinghy: High tide for Bella Bella was
at 6:04 pm.
 |
| Tides for Bella Bella on the day we entered the lagoon with the times we went in and out marked in red. |
So,
what about the lagoon and falls?
The Douglass guide calls the scenery “outstanding”
and the waterfall the best along the BC coast, possibly the entire west coast
of North America. Do
we agree? No, not really. Is the lagoon pretty? Yes. And Ellerslie Anchorage
East is a really nice place to spend a couple of nights – it’s beautiful and
has a sense of seclusion that we really enjoy in an anchorage. But is Ellerslie Falls
the best? It’s definitely impressive and would be even more so after a heavy
rain or early in the season when the falls are running at full chat. But is it
the best? I suppose that depends on what you’re looking for in a waterfall. In
the end, it doesn’t really matter: We had a good time and are glad we made the
trip.
Notes from Cambria’s log:
A cautionary note: this entrance is narrow at
best – providing less than two boat widths at its widest point. It is strewn
with rocks just waiting to damage the hull or prop of the imprudent skipper. The
flow is turbulent due to these rocks and other submerged contours and is not
laminar. We have read accounts of other vessels transiting this pass, some of
which were fortunate to survive with only minor damage to the hull and prop. Be
aware that in the event of sustaining damage to either, you are quite a
distance from assistance – would not attempt personally with anything larger
than a dinghy with outboard.
Things to consider before entering Ellerslie Lagoon:
If you plan to spend the afternoon inside
Ellerslie Lagoon, slack tide occurs at a 4 – 8 – 4 – 8 hour interval (that’s
low – high – low – high).
Therefore, it’s best to enter at low water
slack and leave at high water slack. Four hours was more than enough time and,
frankly, eight hours would have been a difficult stretch.
Once you’re inside the lagoon, there’s no way
to leave until the next slack water so make sure you bring everything may you
need with you, including a handheld VHF radio in case of an emergency.
The times for high and low water in Bella
Bella seem to be accurate indicators for predicting slack water at the lagoon
entrance but arrive early and watch and wait. Better still, reconnoiter the
entrance the day before and make note of slack tide first-hand.
Ellerslie Lagoon four states:
Lagoon Tidal Outflow – the lagoon water level
is higher than the outside sea level in Ellerslie Bay. This
state occurs on a falling tide and continues past low tide.
Lagoon Tidal Slack (low) – the sea level and
the lagoon level are identical during low water. In our case, this occurred
approximately 2h15m after predicted low water for Bella Bella (i.e. 2+ hours after
low tide in Ellerslie Bay
as the tide was rising).
Lagoon Tidal Inflow – the outside sea level in
Ellerslie Bay
is higher than the lagoon water level. This state occurs on a rising tide and
continues until near maximum water is reached in Ellerslie Bay.
Lagoon Tidal Slack (high) – the second slack
water occurs on a rising tide near the predicted time of high water for Bella
Bella.
Waypoints of interest:
Spiller
Channel Entrance:
Western
Approach: 52°15.279’N, 128°15.891’W
Eastern
Approach: 52°15.725’N, 128°14.068’W
Neekas
Cove Entrance: 52°26.627’N,
128°09.245’W
Anchorage: 52°27.993’N, 128°09.537’W
Ellerslie
Lagoon Entrance: 52°31.779’N,
127°00.924’W
Ellerslie
Anchorage East: 52°31.258’N,
127°59.398’W
52°30.986’N,
127°59.162’W
For more information about how to enter
Ellerslie Lagoon, photographs of the entrance and the hazards to navigation
within the lagoon itself, consult the Douglass book, “Exploring the North Coast
of British Columbia”.
2 comments
What an adventure! It does not sound worth attempting to take your home into. It's always interesting how different opinions can be about one spot; a few weeks ago we went to "the best anchorage in the Bahamas" and couldn't figure out why anyone would say that (especially since it was such a pain to get into).
ReplyDeleteNo, it doesn't. Sailboats definitely can't make it through but some smaller trawlers have done it. I'm with you, though. A "best" anchorage has to have good access (what if you need to leave suddenly during the night), excellent protection (so you don't have to leave suddenly during the night) and a beautiful view.
Delete