Pender Harbour to Princess Louisa Inlet - 7 ¾ hours, 50 miles

We left at 8:20 AM for our long journey today. The departure time is based upon slack water at Malibu Rapids, the entrance to Princess Louisa Inlet. There was hardly a cloud in the sky for our cruise. We had about a 20 mph tailwind and a one foot following sea. Very comfortable fort us. As we entered Agamemnon Channel the snow capped peaks were starting to become visible. Once we entered Prince of Wales Reach the rest of the journey was in a fjord. One breathtaking mountain top after another. The peaks went almost straight up from the water to 2500 to 3500 meters (1 meter = 3.3 feet). We were essentially in one long winding passage which ends just beyond Malibu Rapids. We traveled in Princess Royal Reach after Prince of Wales Reach. Our destination is off of Queens Reach. We were one of nine boats to enter the inlet through rapids (well, calm since we waited for slack tide). We all motored about until the current was less than two knots. The tide is with us, which helps. We entered about 30 minutes early following a fast trawler. The Rapids have a reverse S curve. The slowest boats, the sailboats, entered last. We were not prepared for the number of boats we saw. The dock is quite small. As we passed Malcolm Island we saw that all of the mooring buoys were taken. We pretty much assumed we would have to anchor. Anchoring in the head of the inlet usually requires stern-tying because the water is so deep. Luck was with us. There were several spots on the inside of the dock. We backed into the next to the last spot on the end. This way we looked out at mountains, not a lot of boats. The author Earle Stanley Gardiner wrote in his Log of a Landlubber: “There is a calm tranquility which stretches from the smooth surface of the reflecting waters straight up to infinity. The deep calm of eternal silence is only disturbed by the muffled roar of throbbing waterfalls as they plunge from sheer cliffs. There is no scenery in the world that can beat it. Not that I have seen the rest of the world. I don’t need to. I’ve seen Princess Louisa Inlet.” This says what we think much more eloquently than I can. Merlin & I went for a walk as soon as we were tied up. There is a short walk, on a boardwalk, through a magnificent rainforest. There are two bridges over rapids which are the end result of some waterfalls on the mountain. The tide is out so I let Merlin off the leash. He loves the beach. Of course, there is no driftwood here. That’s OK, Merlin like to pull small rocks out of the water. Go figure… There is a woman swimming with her Golden Retriever in the chilly water. It is about 60 degrees. They are having so much fun.