Cape Caution, which is on the mainland of British Columbia, is the demarcation point separating cruising grounds between Vancouver Island and the mainland with northern British Columbia and trips to Alaska. All the books and people we have talked with have driven home the idea that pleasure boats such as Hobbit should not round Cape Caution if the combined seas (ocean swell plus wind waves) at a buoy in Queen Charlotte Sound named “West Sea Otter” are more than 1.0 meters. For the last several days they have been more than that, so we wouldn’t have made the open ocean crossing even if we had a fuel pump that didn’t leak. Yesterday’s forecast for today was that the combined seas would be 1 meter.
We set the alarm for 4:00 a.m. in the hopes of leaving Port McNeill and rounding Cape Caution with our new friends Ralph and Ruth Hollenberg. Ralph and Ruth have made the crossing many times. When the alarm went off, I got up, turned on the weather radio, made my tea, and ate breakfast all before Environment Canada got around to reporting on West Sea Otter. They reported combined seas of 2.1 meters diminishing to 1 meter in the late afternoon. I went back to bed. Ralph and Ruth cast off at first light about 4:30 in the morning.
Hobbit left Port McNeill about 9:00 in the morning with the goal of reaching Cape Caution between 3:00 and 4:00 in the afternoon when we hoped the sea would have calmed. The day became just about as perfect as you could want; beautiful blue skies, low wind, and the current was with us (how did that happen?). As we passed through the myriad of islands at the west entrance to Queen Charlotte Strait, we began picking up the ocean swell. As we progressed, we started running into swells as high as 6 to 8 feet. They were long period, so not too uncomfortable. Nevertheless, the favorable seas at West Sea Otter had not materialized. We contacted Ralph and Ruth by radio and learned that they had holed up in Miles Inlet which is on the BC mainland less than 20 miles from Cape Caution. Not wishing to challenge the ocean, we joined them.
Miles Inlet is a beautiful, cozy place with a long narrow entrance and enough room for half a dozen boats to anchor. We were the third boat in; two others came in after us.
Hobbit at Miles Inlet
May 20, 2011, Friday
Environment Canada’s forecast indicated that this morning would have the best weather available to us for the next several days. The winds were forecast to be calm but combined seas were forecast to be 1.5 meters – more than generally recommended.
Many years ago when I was flying P-3s out of Adak Alaska, my commanding officer instructed all pilots that he didn’t want us canceling flights based on weather reports without at least going to the end of the runway and judging conditions for ourselves. With that spirit in mind, we set the alarm for 4:00 a.m. and followed Deo Volente out of the harbor at first light. West Sea Otter was reporting combined seas of 1.4 meters and wind of 4 kts. One thing they didn’t report was the fog which held visibility to less than a mile. Thank goodness for radar, GPS, and chart plotters!!
We pressed on with the idea that if things got too rough we would turn around and go back to Miles Inlet. Fortunately, we found conditions not all that bad and started wondering why people were so hung up on combined seas of 1.0 meters. I can only guess that if there had been wind, sea roughness might have been much different. We passed Cape Caution about 3 miles from land but never saw it because of the fog. The crossing was pleasant with seas generally running 4 to 6 ft.
Cape Caution Shrouded in Fog Just after Sunrise
We anchored for the night in Kwakume Inlet which is just off Fitz Hugh Sound. Coming in we noted black seals lounging on a rock. My first impression was “what are fur seals doing here?” On closer observation with the binoculars I could see lighter splotches and determined that they were really very dark harbor seals. Another wonderful thing about the inlet was the presence of a pair of loons. Their call just makes you think that you’re somewhere out in the wilderness and imparts a feeling of total serenity. The inlet was also loaded with lion’s mane and fried egg jellyfish.
I loaded the dinghy with fishing tackle and went just outside the inlet to see if I could catch some fish for both food and crab bait. My total for 45 minutes was 4 rockfish (Linda’s favorite), 1 flounder, 1 greenling, and 1 sculpin. Tonight it was our turn to host happy hour and a couple of pleasant hours of conversation with Ralph and Ruth.
Catch at Kwakume Inlet
May 21, 2011, Saturday
We had planned on spending the day at Kwakume Inlet crabbing, prawning, and fishing. Unfortunately, we woke to a drizzle and a breeze strong enough so you didn’t want to be outside doing things. Ralph had his crab pots set over night and didn’t catch anything. About 8:00 in the morning he came over to Hobbit in his dinghy and suggested we move on. Linda and I concurred.
Much of our travel was in the fog and I was glad we had radar to help guide us. Along the way we noticed some interesting white bedrock along the shoreline that reminded me of ablative armor. The following picture for Chris Eyles who is currently gone back to college and is studying geology.
Rocks for Chris Eyles to Explain to Us when He Arrives in Alaska
May 22, 2011 Sunday
Another short jaunt today. We went through Bella Bella and anchored in a beautiful but very deep Wigham Cove on Yeo Island. The shoreline was yellow-green with something I hadn’t seen before so, after anchoring, I took the dinghy to investigate. The yellow-green is some type of green algae; maybe I can get my algae instructor to tell me what it is.
Tonight we had our last get together with Ralph and Ruth. They are meandering up to Prince Rupert. We, however, need to start covering at least 40 – 50 miles a day. We will miss our evenings with them and hope to get back together in August when we come south. In spite of being 1 ½ times around the world, they were quite strong in their belief that the Inside Passage is the best cruising ground in the world.
May 23, 2011, Monday
A picture perfect day with bright sun and hardly any wind. 50 miles and not a single building marred the wilderness. We saw one other pleasure boat which, ironically, ended up at the same anchorage as us – Bottleneck Inlet. During the day we saw a pod of Pacific white-sided dolphins which swam under our bow but didn’t feel like playing (i.e. riding our bow), and we went through possibly the narrowest, shallowest spot we have ever taken Hobbit – Jackson Narrows. I went through with Hobbit mostly in neutral and in gear just often enough to keep forward momentum and steerage; Linda was on the bow looking out for rocks. We also had one exciting moment when we unexpectedly encountered some tidal rapids at Perceval Narrows. The book I read to plan the trip didn’t mention that these narrows can be hazardous particularly when an ebb tide opposes swells from the ocean – exactly the conditions we had. Fortunately Hobbit had enough power to go against the 3 kt current and the ocean swells weren’t too large.
We dropped the anchor in Codville Lagoon which isn’t far from Bella Bella. Codville Lagoon is really a beautiful provincial park which could easily hold a large number of boats. Besides Deo Volente and Hobbit there was only one other boat in the lagoon. A pair of loons had taken up residence and their eerie call once again broke the silence. Tonight, we happy hour was on Deo Volente where we were served Ralph and Ruth’s delicious Thai fish cakes and wine.
Pacific White Sided Dolphins in Mathieson Channel
Bottleneck Inlet has exceptional holding for an anchor and extremely steep and high mountains surrounding. As I look out the mouth of the anchorage, I see snow capped mountain peaks and “stars on the water”. After 8 ½ hours of driving and navigating Hobbit, the Scotch I had tonight was wonderful.
The cry of a loon adds the finishing touch to a wonderful place
Bottleneck Inlet
May 24, 2011, Tuesday
The alarm woke us from a sound sleep at 5:00 this morning letting us know that we had to depart for our rendezvous with the Hiekish Narrows which are about 10 miles away. Currents run to 6 kts and we didn’t want to face any more than we had to. Waiting for the current to run with us would require us to loose half a day of travel. Traveling up Princess Royal Channel we had the current against us virtually all day. At peak current we had almost 3 kts on our bow which really slows you down if you’re only going 7 ½ kts through the water. The day itself was largely one where you might as well be traveling as it would be a bummer to be stuck at some remote anchorage: it drizzled most of the day and was blustery from time-to-time.
We went just over 50 miles today and saw eight other boats – 6 were at our destination. For virtually the entire trip we were in Princess Royal Channel which has 2 – 4,000 foot snow capped peaks lining both sides. Adding to the atmosphere were low lying clouds on many of the hillsides and waterfalls too numerous to count. We started out taking pictures of everything but slacked off as the day wore on.
Princess Royal Channel
Waterfall in Princess Royal Channel
Butedale
Unlike yesterday we saw some buildings today – the abandoned collapsing remains of a fish canning station at Butedale. No question but that yesterday and today we traveled through the remotest area we have ever visited.
Ending the day was, however, a super treat. We went into Bishop Bay for one of the regions great attractions – hot springs. A yacht club built some pools and structures to contain the water which comes out of a tube at about the temperature of our hot tub. The area is now a provincial park. People have written their names and boat names all over the woodwork. Unfortunately someone got too exuberant and spray painted the rocks above the pool with a love statement. While sitting under the water enjoying the relaxation, the sun came. Back at Hobbit, Linda cooked the last of the fish I caught and noted that it was time to catch some more. As we relax in the evening, the noise of a waterfall is all that breaks the silence.
View from Behind while Coming into Bishop Bay
Bishop Bay Hot Spring
Soaking Up the Hot Spring Water in Bishop Bay
May 25, 2011, Wednesday
It felt good to sleep in! Today we had an opportunity to wait on favorable tides to help us along on our journey and didn’t leave Bishop Bay until 10:45. We still managed to make just over 40 miles to Lowe Inlet which is off Grenville Channel – the main drag on the Inside Passage which approached Prince Rupert. The scenery continued to be fantastic and the day warm. Two interesting sights along the way were Mickey Mouse ears on a cruise ship heading north and a pair of baleen whales that I believe are minke whales.
In Lowe Inlet we found ourselves looking at several boats we have encountered previous times during the past several days. There are only so many good anchorages and boats heading to Alaska seem to use the same ones. There are seven of us in Lowe Inlet.
Minke(?) Whales in McKay Reach, Princess Royal Channel
May 26, 2011, Thursday
After sleeping in for a second day in a row in order to catch the tide, we departed Lowe Inlet in the rain and visibility about half a mile due to a light fog and low ceiling. During our 40 mile transit to tonight’s anchorage behind Lewis Island, just over 20 miles from Prince Rupert, we saw two boats – a mega yacht and a foot ferry that passed us in Grenville Channel. We are anchored near our third seen boat of the day. No buildings, no people - this place is really remote!
May 27, 2011, Friday
It turns out that my cell phone’s alarm works even if the cell phone is turned off. I learned about that feature this morning when the alarm went off at 6:00. It was rainy and generally gloomy as we picked up the anchor about 7:00 and headed to Prince Rupert – our first civilization since Port McNeill back on May 19.
The preferred moorage at Prince Rupert is the Prince Rupert Rowing and Yacht Club. As we approached, we called on the published frequency but no answer. Eventually the boat we anchored beside last night called to tell us where we were supposed to go – they got that information from a man on the dock. I was aware that there was a current in the marina, but not how much. As I tried to make the U-turn to the slip they assigned, it became quickly apparent that Hobbit couldn’t safely make it. Using fairly high power I backed out of the marina and asked for another spot.
The second spot had an easy approach, but with an estimated 3 kts of current running through the marina, tying up was dicey. The marina manager helped then Linda got off the boat but they were having trouble. I jumped off Hobbit onto the 2 foot wide metal docks and found them really slick – I ended up on my butt and would have ended up in the water if Linda hadn’t grabbed me. We finally got Hobbit wrestled into the slip, but it was definitely no fun.
Interestingly enough, two of the boats we have seen regularly over the past week were with us in the marina. One came in at slack current and took the slip that I couldn’t get into.
Prince Rupert is an interesting tourist town that is becoming a major shipping port with docks for coal, grain, and containers. The advantage of Prince Rupert over ports to the south is that two days can be cut off the trip to the orient.
There was also an interesting ship anchored in the harbor that had an oil platform on its back. I wonder if it’s the same ship that carried the USS Cole home after it was bombed by terrorists in Yemen.
Linda and I took this opportunity to load up on groceries then went to dinner for some fresh seafood.
May 28, 2011, Saturday
First task this morning was to contact US Customs in Ketchikan to get permission to anchor at Foggy Bay in the event we couldn’t reasonably get to Ketchikan on the same day we left Canada. They routinely give this approval but you have to get permission and provide many of the details required when you clear customs. After filling up Hobbit’s water tank, we headed out towards Alaska.
Our goal for today was Brundige Inlet on Dundas Island. This is the jumping off spot many people use for crossing Dixon Entrance. The day was glorious except for a brief period in Chatham Sound when we encountered some ocean swells with about 2 foot wind waves superimposed. The swells weren’t too bad, but the short period waves on our beam really made the ride uncomfortable. After altering our course to get in the lee of the Dundas group, the ride smoothed out.
Out in Chatham Sound the view was breathtaking. Snow covered peaks of both Alaska and British Columbia were present as far as the eye could see, just like a painting only much better. Linda has decided she’s in love with northern BC. We ended up in a marvelous little cove in Brundige Inlet anchored with one of the boats we’ve shadowed for so many days.
May 27, 2011, Friday
It turns out that my cell phone’s alarm works even if the cell phone is turned off. I learned about that feature this morning when the alarm went off at 6:00. It was rainy and generally gloomy as we picked up the anchor about 7:00 and headed to Prince Rupert – our first civilization since Port McNeill back on May 19.
The preferred moorage at Prince Rupert is the Prince Rupert Rowing and Yacht Club. As we approached, we called on the published frequency but no answer. Eventually the boat we anchored beside last night called to tell us where we were supposed to go – they got that information from a man on the dock. I was aware that there was a current in the marina, but not how much. As I tried to make the U-turn to the slip they assigned, it became quickly apparent that Hobbit couldn’t safely make it. Using fairly high power I backed out of the marina and asked for another spot.
The second spot had an easy approach, but with an estimated 3 kts of current running through the marina, tying up was dicey. The marina manager helped then Linda got off the boat but they were having trouble. I jumped off Hobbit onto the 2 foot wide metal docks and found them really slick – I ended up on my butt and would have ended up in the water if Linda hadn’t grabbed me. We finally got Hobbit wrestled into the slip, but it was definitely no fun.
Interestingly enough, two of the boats we have seen regularly over the past week were with us in the marina. One came in at slack current and took the slip that I couldn’t get into.
Prince Rupert is an interesting tourist town that is becoming a major shipping port with docks for coal, grain, and containers. The advantage of Prince Rupert over ports to the south is that two days can be cut off the trip to the orient.
Prince Rupert
There was also an interesting ship anchored in the harbor that had an oil platform on its back. I wonder if it’s the same ship that carried the USS Cole home after it was bombed by terrorists in Yemen.
Heavy Lift Ship with Oil Platform at Prince Rupert
Linda and I took this opportunity to load up on groceries then went to dinner for some fresh seafood.
May 28, 2011, Saturday
First task this morning was to contact US Customs in Ketchikan to get permission to anchor at Foggy Bay in the event we couldn’t reasonably get to Ketchikan on the same day we left Canada. They routinely give this approval but you have to get permission and provide many of the details required when you clear customs. After filling up Hobbit’s water tank, we headed out towards Alaska.
Our goal for today was Brundige Inlet on Dundas Island. This is the jumping off spot many people use for crossing Dixon Entrance. The day was glorious except for a brief period in Chatham Sound when we encountered some ocean swells with about 2 foot wind waves superimposed. The swells weren’t too bad, but the short period waves on our beam really made the ride uncomfortable. After altering our course to get in the lee of the Dundas group, the ride smoothed out.
Out in Chatham Sound the view was breathtaking. Snow covered peaks of both Alaska and British Columbia were present as far as the eye could see, just like a painting only much better. Linda has decided she’s in love with northern BC. We ended up in a marvelous little cove in Brundige Inlet anchored with one of the boats we’ve shadowed for so many days.
At the Dock in Prince Rupert
Green Island Lighthouse, Chatham Sound, BC.
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