S.V. CAMBRIA: Jervis Inlet

Ballet Bay, Jervis Inlet

Monday, September 19, 2011TheCambrians

Jervis Inlet the Sunshine Coast

Maude Bay, Jervis Inlet

Saturday, June 18, 2011TheCambrians

Jervis Inlet Princess Louisa Inlet

Princess Louisa Inlet

Wednesday, September 29, 2010TheCambrians

Cambria making her way to the head of Queens Reach (photo by Bill Emmens).

Unfortunately,our time in Princess Louisa Inlet is over and we left the dock this morning at eleven o'clock with Bill and Sylvia aboard Salubrious following behind. It was a magical week, my personal favourite for various reasons – the mysterious weather, having the basin to ourselves for a day but, above all, sharing this time with David and such good friends.

It stopped raining early yesterday morning but, by the time all was said and done, we'd bailed more than 150 gallons of water out of our dinghies and were damp, inside and out. Cambria and Salubrious looked like a true cruising boats sitting at the end of the dock with jackets, pants, shirts and towels hanging from the rails in an attempt to dry in the sun.

With the clearing weather, it was a busy day at Chatterbox Falls and a tour boat from Egmont arrived with a complement of tourists. They'd been to the head of Queens Reach and seen grizzly bears feeding on salmon in the river – a diversion which would turn out to be too strong for us to ignore. We also saw the arrival of two float planes and the ranger, Ming, returned later in the afternoon with some people from the head office who had never been here before. She came down to the boat to say hello and remembered Sally from our visit earlier in the year – the silly dog always seems to make an impact wherever we go.

We woke to fog in the basin this morning and the barometer was sitting at 1020 and steady – a very good sign for the days to come. With a little help from the sun, the fog had lifted by the time we reached Malibu Rapids and, for the first time, we turned right when exiting and made our way to the head of Queens Reach. We didn't see any bears, but the detour was well worth the time and effort ending in a stunning alpine-like meadow.

With the days shortening at a rapid pace and time against us, we didn't linger long before turning south and making our way down inlet towards Pender Harbour. We arrived in the dark which is always difficult due to the confusing lights from shore but managed fine with the aid of a two-million candle power light as the charts were off just enough to direct us over land. Back in Garden Bay, we both dropped our anchors and settled in for the night where, tomorrow, we'll decide what our next move will be.

Jervis Inlet Princess Louisa Inlet

Princess Louisa Inlet

Wednesday, September 22, 2010TheCambrians

We left Pender Harbour around eleven o'clock yesterday morning for Princess Louisa Inlet with Bill and Sylvia following close behind. There's a large storm with high winds (20 to 35 knots from the southeast) predicted to hit the area on Thursday but, for now, the weather continues to be beautiful and we had another incredible passage to the dock at Chatterbox Falls where we'll spend the next week or so tied up across from Salubrious.

It was clear last night and as the full moon rose above the mountains you could see the shadow being cast on the granite cliffs opposite the basin as if it were daylight. It was nothing short of spectacular and brought the promise of another beautiful day...which it was. We had blue skies and sunshine all around –the perfect opportunity for Sylvia and me to air up the kayaks and paddle about doing our best to absorb our wholly overwhelming surroundings while Bill and David stayed on the dock and took a look at Salubrious' batteries and charging system – hardly what one would call a fair trade.

We finished the day off aboard Cambria where Sylvia and I did what we could to make it up to the guys at dinner with a little R &R (red meat and red wine). Unfortunately, it caused more work for David as he's the official Chef de BBQ and Chief Dishwasher, but it was a great evening nonetheless and we all enjoyed catching up with each other and recounting our cruising experiences from this summer. Unfortunately, Bill and Sylvia spent four weeks in a boat yard in Nanaimo having emergency work done on the boat. In fact, they only came into Pender Harbour because they'd remembered that we'd said that we were going to the jazz festival and hoped to see us – and we're so glad that they did!

The past few days have been gorgeous but that will change tomorrow. The barometer's been falling steadily and the sky is filling in with dark clouds bringing the promise of rain. As much as we enjoy the fine weather, being in Princess Louisa Inlet when it rains is impressive and we're looking forward to seeing more of her many personalities over the next few days. Surely, she won't let us down....