S.V. CAMBRIA

Tuesday, July 21, 2009TheCambrians

After spending six wonderful days at the head of Princess Louisa Inlet exploring the area in our kayaks, bathing in the waterfalls, and making new friends over cocktails along the friendly dock, it’s time to move on. It’s been a magical experience for us both and we’re reluctant to leave. Every step we’ve taken so far is more beautiful than the last overwhelming us with options – do we stay and enjoy what we have or continue on to see what’s next? Surely nothing could top this!

Princess Louisa Inlet is called the pinnacle of cruising in the Pacific Northwest and will clearly be a favourite spot of ours – one we’ll return to every chance we have while we’re here. But for now, we must drop our lines early tomorrow morning and make our way out of Jervis Inlet.

Princess Louisa Inlet

Malibu Lodge

Sunday, July 19, 2009TheCambrians

Today we put the 8 hp outboard motor on the dinghy and travelled up the inlet to Malibu Lodge, a Young Life Christian summer camp for teenagers, for a tour and to take a peak at the rapids as they were running. As we pulled up to the dock, we were greeted by one of the many volunteer staff members who guided us through parts of the camp while explaining its history.

The lodge was originally built as a luxury resort in 1940 by Thomas Hamilton but closed due to the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. In 1945, it re-opened and catered to Hollywood celebrities, such as John Wayne, and well-to-do families looking for isolation and privacy. Because of its remote location and short season, the resort didn’t do well financially and closed in 1950 after a polio death and quarantine two years earlier.

In December of 1953, Jim Rayburn, the founder of Young Life, bought the property as one of his premier summer camps for teens and it’s been running as such ever since.

Princess Louisa Inlet

Trapper's Cabin

Saturday, July 18, 2009TheCambrians

This morning I hiked to Trapper’s Cabin by myself knowing the trail would be too difficult for Sally and beyond David’s interest as it’s described to be nearly impossible, not well-marked or maintained, and primitive. A couple of years ago, a man in his 20’s attempted the trek, fell down, broke his leg, and subsequently died. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was getting myself into but had decided early on to turn around if it got too dangerous. With a gain of nearly 2000 feet in elevation, it’s more of a climb than anything else and was the most challenging hike I’ve ever done, both mentally and physically. In many sections the trail rises 30 feet or more up nearly vertical rock outcroppings and the only way through is to clamber up and down natural ladders formed by exposed tree roots. With only distant orange and pink ribbons to guide me, I was careful never to lose sight of what little trail there was, stopping every few minutes to slow my heart rate and drink water. My determination almost failed me a time or two on the way up, but I took my time and finally arrived at a place where the forest ended along the base of a steep cliff and the path became more horizontal than vertical. A few hundred yards further and I was rewarded with an incredible bird’s-eye view of Princess Louisa Inlet, the collapsed remains of the log cabin, and a waterfall – all to myself. The hike down proved to be just as difficult as the climb up, but I was carrying an unbelievable feeling of accomplishment along with me for company which made the time pass more quickly. Four long hours after my departure, I returned to the boat both exhausted and exhilarated which kept me in a euphoric state the entire day and well into the next.

Jervis Inlet Princess Louisa Inlet

Princess Louisa Inlet

Thursday, July 16, 2009TheCambrians

We left Dark Cove around 9:30 this morning to time our arrival through Malibu Rapids which guard the entrance to Princess Louisa Inlet with currents running up to nine knots during maximum flood and ebb tides creating white water and large overfalls.

The 30 nautical mile trip up Jervis Inlet was beyond any and all expectations we could have possibly had as we travelled further inland and approached the Coastal Mountains. The geology clearly changed becoming more rugged and spectacular. Rounded mountain tops covered in fir trees rose higher and higher as they grew into jagged granite completely barren of life other than smatterings of ice fields and ancient glaciers.

We arrived at Malibu Rapids around 2:30 pm when the tide was slack and made our way down Princess Louisa Inlet which is often described as the world’s most beautiful fjord, the eighth wonder of the world, and the “holy grail” for cruisers. For us, it’s all of these things and more.

Once inside the narrow inlet, you’re completely dwarfed by mile-high mountains that drop almost vertically into 1000-foot depths below the surface. It’s truly majestic and breathtaking, like entering a great cathedral. But not one made by man. The glory here belongs to Mother Nature. There was nothing more for us to do than stand there as we motored along and allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by its beauty.

At the head of the inlet lies Chatterbox Falls, the crown jewel of Princess Louisa, which drops 1600 feet in a series of cascades down the granite cliffs making it’s finale in a wide rush of water at the shoreline, surrounded by a bowl of high, sheer cliffs. Words do not exist to describe the pristine beauty of this place – virtually untouched by man over the years and now protected by the province of British Columbia – or the privilege one feels to be here. For the next week, this will be our home.

Jervis Inlet

Wednesday, July 15, 2009TheCambrians

We left Howe Sound yesterday afternoon with the tides and had a nice passage up to Secret Cove along the BC mainland coast – not so secret, by the way, with hundreds of boats berthed and anchored there. The next day, we left for Jervis Inlet arriving late in the afternoon and began our search for an anchorage for the night passing on two before finally settling on Dark Cove. When we arrived, there were two large yellow mooring buoys planted in the only spot shallow enough to anchor. By this time, we were short on options, so we decided to help ourselves and ask forgiveness later not being sure whether they were private or belonged to the state. Come to find out, they’re private property and Randy, the owner, just put them in the week before for a large party he held celebrating the approval of permits he received to begin work on a large resort and marina. He was kind enough to allow us to use the mooring and invited us up on his deck for a drink which we gladly accepted.

As the evening drew on, the wine flowed more freely and we had an incredible time talking to Randy and two of his friends who were visiting from Winnipeg. We saw the plans for the resort; and, although it’ll be sad to loose another beautiful anchorage, looking out at Cambria resting at anchor, it was easy to see the appeal of the project.

Howe Sound

Gambier Island, Howe Sound

Monday, July 13, 2009TheCambrians

David spent the past three days working on a series of diagnostic tests on the regulator and alternator. End result: the alternator is shot and needs to be rebuilt. Needless to say, it’s been a difficult weekend aboard Cambria.

Under normal circumstances, we’d make arrangements to have the work done before continuing our trip north. But because I’m flying out of Seattle in August to attend my niece’s wedding, we have less than a month on the water and are pressed for time, so we’re going to wait until we return to Poulsbo to have the repair done and depend on our auxiliary generator for topping off the batteries. It’s not an ideal situation, but one we think is manageable for the next three weeks if we’re prudent.

We’ll stay one more night in Port Graves while a trough moves through and continue north tomorrow. There’re still plenty of coves to explore in Howe Sound, but we just don’t have the time to spend here if we’re going to make Desolation Sound before we have to start sailing south to Poulsbo. In the meantime, now that David has a spare moment, we can spend the day walking around Gambier Island so he can at least have a taste of this beautiful place before leaving it behind.

Howe Sound

Gibsons Landing

Thursday, July 09, 2009TheCambrians

As it turned out, one night in Gibsons was enough. The anchorage is deep and exposed to the wakes of the busy marina entrance, but it served its purpose. Sally and I were able to take care of the provisions first thing in the morning, leaving the afternoon for David and me to explore the town who’s claim to fame is the filming of the Canadian TV series the Beachcombers from 1972 to 1990 and continue our search for the best fish & chips in North America (Barbara’s in Princeton-By-The-Sea still holds the lead) before returning to the boat to up-anchor and find a more suitable spot to spend our second night.

The batteries were in need of re-charging, so we decided to run the engine and take a cruise down the sound on the way to our next anchorage. We were having a great time and enjoying some of the most amazing scenery we’ve ever experienced on our own personal boat when an alarm went off. David came up from below to say that the batteries weren’t charging; our moods dropped like lead balloons.

Feeling rather beaten, we anchored in Port Graves on Gambier Island for the night where, tomorrow, David will begin a series of diagnostic tests to see exactly where the problems lies and what our options are.

Howe Sound

Wednesday, July 08, 2009TheCambrians

The passage to Gibsons Landing and across the infamous Strait of Georgia went well. Known for getting “snotty”, we had a light southerly breeze and current pushing us over flat seas. As we approached the mouth of Howe Sound, mountain tops rose out of the sea as majestically as they do in Tahiti and Fiji. The Pacific Northwest is reputed to be the best cruising ground in the world by people who have spent years on the water; we won’t disagree.

Customs the Gulf Islands

Canada!

Wednesday, July 08, 2009TheCambrians

We checked in Canada Monday afternoon without incident. They had all of our information stored on the computer, so it was only a matter of answering a few simple questions over the telephone – how much alcohol do you have onboard? any fresh produce? any pets? – before we were given our new clearance number.

We chose an anchorage just outside the custom’s dock and Poet’s Cove Resort and Spa where the cliffs seem to appear straight out of the water; we honestly haven’t seen anything this beautiful since New Zealand. In fact, each stop is more beautiful than the last and it’s difficult to know whether to carry-on quickly and see what lies ahead or to savour each anchorage until we tire of it. If the latter were the case, we’d surely be here for weeks enjoying the resort’s heated pool, restaurants, and nearby hiking trails. Maybe we’d even take advantage of the local “car stop” where pedestrians can wait for a passing car to pick them up – hitchhiking, Canadian-style!

It’s been raining off and on since we arrived and we’re waiting for the weather to clear before we leave. Hopefully, that will happen this afternoon, but it looks unlikely at this point. In the interest of time, we decided to cross the Strait of Georgia over to the mainland of British Columbia where we’ll work our way north to Desolation Sound rather than take the route inside the Gulf Islands. If all goes well, our first stop will be Gibson’s Landing, just north of Vancouver, where we’ll buy more provisions and exchange US dollars for Canadian ones. Until next time….

the San Juan Islands the Strait of Juan de Fuca

Port Townsend to Orcas Island

Monday, July 06, 2009TheCambrians

We left Port Townsend last Saturday and made way for Orcas Island in the San Juans where we spent the week visiting friends and exploring the island. Our short time there was filled with sharing wonderful dinners with our friends and seeing the sites. Bill and Sylvia lent us their Jeep, so we were able to make our way back and forth between Moran State Park, where there's a mass of hiking trails and an amazing view of the San Juan Islands from the top of Mount Constitution, and spend time visiting the township of Eastsound, where we saw the Fourth of July Parade and meandered through the Saturday Farmer's Market.

The beauty of the San Juans is far-reaching and can easily capture your spirit. Eagles soar within metres of you and literally take your breath away leaving nothing behind but silence. We could loose ourselves here spending months exploring each island and every nook and cranny along the way and, yet, this is only the tip of the iceberg -- there's so much more to see and do.

Unfortunately, we're somewhat pressed for time so, once again, we must move on. We'll leave Orcas later this morning and sail over to Bedwell Harbour on South Pender Island in the Canadian Gulf Group where we'll check in to Canada and spend a couple of days planning our next step.

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Princess Louisa Inlet

Malibu Lodge

Trapper's Cabin

Princess Louisa Inlet

Jervis Inlet

Gambier Island, Howe Sound

Gibsons Landing

Howe Sound

Canada!

Port Townsend to Orcas Island

Welcome Aboard

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