Lagoon Cove

It rained in buckets last night. After lunch the clouds looks better so we went off in the dinghy to explore. We don't always travel light. We each had a travel mug of coffee, bottled water and Merlin. I wore a poncho so I could keep Merlin & I dry. Halfway down Hole-in-the-Wall, the heavens opened up. Merlin & I were fine but Fred's coffee leaked and then his hat trying to blow off. Not fun anymore. The rain kept up so we didn't go to Happy Hour tonight.

Port McNeill to Lagoon Cove - 5 hours, 32.3 miles

We went up for a latte before leaving port. We headed over to the fuel dock. We took on 200 gallons of diesel @ 4.04/gallon. The price was a shocker. This is much higher than we paid in Anacortes in June. The sun is out and we are heading back into the Broughton’s today. We are taking a new route that will take us off of Johnstone Straight and into some lovely, small waterways. The weather was so nice that Merlin & I sat upon the bow and watched the world go by. About an hour from our destination we caught up with six trawlers that appeared to be traveling together. Sure enough, as we got closer to Lagoon Cove we heard on the radio that numerous boats were having a yacht club rendezvous there. As we entered the cove we really couldn't see how much, if any, dock space was free. Since this is a nice peaceful cove we decided to anchor instead of going on the dock. I made a fruit salad and we went over to Happy Hour at 5 PM. We had a nice time and sure enough the place was packed. We had a wonderful dinner of cheese, fruit, meatballs and fresh shrimp. As most of us were done eating, Bill got up and was telling some of his wonderful stories. Then it started to rain. We hung around until Bill finished one of his stories to pack up and leave. The rain was coming down harder so the party was pretty much breaking up. We were pretty wet when we got back to Aquila. However, we had a nice warm boat to dry us off.

Port McNeill

We were up at O-dark-thirty to board Code 3 for our fishing charter. The sun is out and the seas are flat. We have no idea if that is good or not for fishing. What we do know is that we will be relatively warm and definitely dry. Merlin stayed aboard Aquila as our guard dog. We dressed warmly and brought our fishing poles that John gave us last year. Barry gave us quick orientation to this 26’ boat. The boat is great because it has heat inside and a stand up head. It was fascinating watching Barry showed us his gear and he explained why he used each gadget. He used salted herring as bait. He has two downriggers and rod holders all over the boat. He placed three lines in the water, each at a different depth. We just sat back and waited for a tug at a line. It wasn't too long before Fred caught our first fish. Unfortunately it was a small flounder that got thrown back. The second tug turned out to be a small rock fish…he went back in too. We waited…and waited and finally got a really good tug at a line. Fred reeled the fish in as Barry got the other lines out of the way. This was a beautiful wild Coho salmon. It is not allowed to keep a wild Coho in this area, only hatchery ones. This fish had a small dorsal fin which is cut off on hatchery salmon.

Shawl Bay to Port McNeill - 5 hours, 36.6 miles

No journal.

Burly Bay to Shawl Bay - 2 ¾ hours, 16.5 miles

No journal.

Jennis Bay to Burly Bay - 2 ½ hours, 14 miles

Fred pulled the kayaks up on to the dock and emptied the water out of them. In between the rain clouds we took a nice long kayak trip at low water. It is easier to see the starfish, crabs and little fleeting fish at this time. The seats in both our kayaks stayed damp but we ignored this discomfort. Merlin was a perfect gentleman in the kayak today. I hardly knew he was there and we were out for 90 minutes. On one of the islands we say a mink scurrying on the rocks and then disappearing. A mink looks like a ferret, but a little bigger. We were waiting to leave the dock for the high slack at Stewart Narrows at 2:30 PM. Phyllis came to say good by and to take our photo with the boat for Allyson's album (Fred warned about his ability to break cameras). We couldn't decide where to go next so we went back to Burly Bay. This time we anchored near the outlet of Hopetown Passage. The water was like glass the entire time. It was particularly serene.

Jennis Bay

This is a very nice bay for kayaking. Merlin was my copilot as usual. The most interesting thing we saw was near the area where a stream enters the bay. There is a huge amount of broken dishes in the water. Apparently in the old days of lumbering the folks had a habit of using the beach as a dump. The water is clear and beautiful now but interesting pieces of the past remain.

Muirhead Islands to Jennis Bay

We had a very short trip back down Drury Inlet to Jennis Bay Marina. They only have room for about ten boats here. There were five here. That is a nice amount for visiting. Allison & Tom, the owners, are not here. The caretakers, George & Phyllis, are very nice and interesting people. This is the place that their large dog was attacked by a wolf up near the building on shore. This happened last summer. Fortunately everything healed except the left eye. Phyllis also told us that a Portuguese Water Dog was walking on the shell beach (midden) at Blunden Harbour and the dog was grabbed by a cougar and disappeared. The BC coast is a rain forest and the woods and shrubs are very dense. Now, of course we are wary of taking Merlin in a place near the forest. We took him up to the head of the dock only. He did have fun running around on the docks. Of course we had Happy Hour in the Cook house. We ran into a couple who live in Alameda! George was very interesting. He comes from the middle of Canada. He told us stories about being a lumberjack and about his bull riding days in the rodeo.

Muirhead Islands

It started raining during the night. There is no wind and the water is like glass. How beautiful. Today is another day to catch up on chores and settle down for reading a good book. Merlin is funny. When we are anchor like this without a place to go for a walk, Merlin does “his business” on the foredeck. Well, not in the rain. He just poked his head out and had a few drops on his head and he was back on the sofa. Fortunately we have other options under cover.

Muirhead Islands

Well, no crab again in the crab pot. Fred moved it hoping for better luck. It is a spectacularly clear day. We took a ride in the dinghy to explore. We are close to another inlet that we have never explored. It is near high tide so we have plenty of water under us. We passed through Actress Passage and into Actaeon Sound. There are so many islets that I was turned around completely. Thank goodness that Fred has an excellent sense of direction. It is quite beautiful but not much different from where we are anchored now. On our way back to the boat we passed a rock that had about ten seals on it. I think they are harbour seals. It was interesting that they were several different colors. Some were dark and spotted and several others were a pretty brown. Maybe different ages? I will have to look them up. As soon as it was dark (about 9 PM) the moon came out. It is about half full and so bright it lit up the entire bay. The water was like glass and the mirror image of the hills and trees was lovely.

Burly Bay to Muirhead Islands - 3 hours, 20.5 miles

We planned out journey to arrive at Stuart Narrows in Drury Inlet at slack water. We passed Jennis Bay Marina and went back into the inlet and anchored in the Muirhead Islands.

Burly Bay

Today we are going for a dinghy ride in search of bear. We went down Mackenzie Sound to Little Nimmo Bay. We passed a very high end fishing lodge there. We didn’t see any action but they had a fast boat and a seaplane docked there. We went up to the head of the bay to check out the anchorage. The location is good but it is too close to the lodge for our taste. We looked everywhere but the bears are still hiding. Sunset is magnificent here. The way the sun lights up the granite walls and trees is really not describable.

Sullivan Bay to Burly Bay - 1½ hours, 11 miles

What a way to cool down. We woke up to heavy fog. By the time we left we could at least see at water level. We have had a lovely time on docks but it is time to head out and hang on the hook”. We experienced no turbulence as we passed through Grappler Sound and Kenneth Passage. We didn’t see any boats in Burly Bay and our favorite spot behind Blair Islet was free. We anchored without difficulty and were enjoying the serenity. One direction we look out a huge wall of granite and the other way we hear the water passing through Hopetown Passage. We were disappointed to see another boat enter our bay in the afternoon. It is a beautiful Selene called “Three Wishes”. It motored around Aquila and found that there was no room in our nook. It anchored across our little bay near the opening of Hopetown Passage. We will have to remember that that is a good anchoring spot.

Sullivan Bay

Another scorcher today with high humidity. Mama ain’t happy. Fred seems to thrive in this weather, I wilt. We saw and heard a great deal of sea bird action out in the water and we saw dolphins playing out there too. I'm glad the kids can add another mammal sighting to their list. Jason & Kelli were packing and we were saying our goodbyes when I heard the plane coming into the “airport”. It is a little early. They weren’t supposed to leave until 12:30. Fortunately the pilot wasn’t in a panic (is it because he is 15 years old…no only looks it). The plane was a XXX. We got a lot of photos of the plane and them leaving. It was bittersweet. Our guests are gone but now we have more space to spread out in. The storage that was in the second stateroom had to be moved to our room during the visit. Now we can move it back and be less claustrophobic when we sleep. Tonight the special at the restaurant is deep fried turkey. We made reservations and fortunately the weather cooled down enough that we enjoyed the dinner tremendously.

Greenway Sound to Sullivan Bay - 1 ¼ hours, 8 miles

This morning Fred, Jason & Kelli took the dinghy over to the small float that leads to a hiking the trail up to Broughton Lake. It is going to be another hot day, so Jason & Kelli took swimsuits to cool off by swimming in the lake. Apparently only Jason took the plunge. The hike was too much for me but the pictures showed that is quite beautiful. At noon we left to head over to Sullivan Bay. Jason & Kelli will be flying out of there tomorrow. Fred opened up the upper helm for the first time this year. Even though we don’t have a bimini anymore, everyone was quite comfortable and enjoyed the views. The temperature is in the low 90’s and we all are very uncomfortable when the boat stopped. The only relief was sitting on the swim platform and cooling our feet in the water. This is the home of Buddy. He is a teeny tiny Yorkie owned by the managers. Today he is adorable and friendly. However, in 2008 when we here during Merlin's first cruising season, Buddy yapped and frightened Merlin right into the drink. Merlin is definitely not an alpha male. There was no harm done and Merlin's ability to swim was reaffirmed. Today the dogs are friends and Buddy is not the least bit “yappy” or aggressive. Sullivan Bay is quite charming. It is up against a cliff and all of the buildings are on floats. There are three docks for boats, one and a half for homes and one for “downtown”. There are also about 10 or so homes on floats here. I don’t mean boathouses, these are very upscale homes. One has its own float plane behind it another has a beautiful red helicopter on the roof. Definitely high end. All of the docks have street names. The head of the marina has different floats which contain a restaurant, grocery store, laundry & shower, garbage, fuel and airport. This is called “town”. Before dinner there is an interesting event. Every boat gets two golf balls and aims them for a target set up in the bay which is covered with artificial grass and made to look like the green on a golf course. A fellow on one of the boats plays the bagpipes. He led the parade off the “golf course”. If anyone gets a hole-in-one they get a free night’s moorage. Jason & Fred weren’t even close to the target. I think Jason gave a seagull a real scare. However, there is a Manager’s Special that if one stays two nights the third night is free. We have no plans after Jason & Kelli leave… so we’ll stay. Jason & Kelli took us out to dinner at the restaurant. The food and service were excellent, if a bit pricey. It was a lovely ending to their visit. We have enjoyed the company.

Shawl Bay to Greenway Sound - 1¼ hours, 8.2 miles

Greenway Sound is another very unusual marina. The dock is shaped like a “U” that is ½ mile in total length. The marina changed hands earlier this year so we were curious to see what, if any, changes had been made. The previous owners (and founders), Tom & Anne Taylor, had the docks topped with red, felt carpet. The new owner has done it in green. Green seems appropriate. We have heard mixed reviews about the restaurant now. We decided to save our money and eat on the boat.

Viner Sound to Shawl Bay - 1½ hours, 12.1 miles

It was a short trip to Shawl Bay. Again this is a favorite place. Rob, the son of the owners, met us on the dock with his friendly German Sheppard named Shiloh. As always, there have been improvements to the marina. Rob informed us that it was fish chowder night. All we have to do is bring dishes and utensils. They now have a beautifully carved sign with a whale logo. I did a load of laundry here but the machines are so slow I didn't have time to do more. The marina filled up and we had a nice crowd at dinner. Everyone else loved the chowder. It was a bit too fishy for me.

Glendale Cove to Kwatsi Bay Marina - 5 hours, 36 miles

Low tide was at 8 AM and sure enough there are bears on the beach turning over rocks for whatever good stuff is underneath. There is a large female and three cubs. One of the cubs was blond in color. There were all adorable. We all went out in the dinghy to have a better look. The boat was about 50 yards from the shore. The bears just kept on feeding and ignored us. We are all elated that we get to see brown bears in their natural habitat. We left at 10:15 to head back down Knight Inlet. We had the wind in our face this time but we had the tide with us. We arrived at Kwatsi Bay Marina at 3 PM.

Lagoon Cove to Glendale Cove - 4 hours, 27 miles

We all discussed our next destination. One option was to go up Knight Inlet to Glendale Cove to see brown bears (grizzly bears). It is a long haul. 27 miles straight up Knight Inlet. However, we were traveling on a flood tide with the wind at our back. This added 2 knots speed. We arrived at the cove at 3:30 PM. It was near high tide and the bears come out at low tide. We had a heck of a time anchoring. There were numerous crab pots located in the best anchoring spots. Also, the cove has a large mud flat at the head. I think we tried 3 times until we felt comfortable. Comfortable is a relative term. We were well anchored but we were in about 90 feet of water and there is a huge amount of rocking and rolling because this cove is open to Knight Inlet.

Lagoon Cove Marina

We did the final inspection before Jason & Kelli arrive. They are expected to arrive via Kenmore Air (float plane) at 12:30. We received word from Jason that their flight was held up in Seattle due to fog. The plane finally landed about 4 PM. We gave them a little tour of the marina and of course reviewed the location and purpose of all safety equipment aboard Aquila. They barely had time to relax before we headed up to Happy Hour. Again I did not have to cook. There was a marvelous selection of foods and we had our fill of fresh prawns. I brought brie and crackers. There is a small group of folk singers aboard one of the boats so we are going to have a sing along by the campfire at 8:30 PM. The weather was cool but very comfortable and we could see of the stars. The group was quite good and we had a wonderful time singing old camp songs. After the singing we had a marshmallow roast complete with smores.

Viner Sound to Lagoon Cove Marina - 4 hours, 26 miles

Fred woke me up early to see a black bear turning over on the rocks near the boat. Finally, a bear here on our last morning. It rained really hard last night. It sounded so pretty over our heads while we were warm and dry. It rained a little this morning and then just changed to overcast. We had a nice ride to Lagoon Cove. This is one of the several family run marinas in the Broughtons. Bill & Jeanne Barber are always helpful, fun and full of great stories. Ask Bill to tell the one about the bear. We had finished getting the boat clean and ready for Kelli & Jason’s arrival tomorrow and went up to check email. I looked out into the cove and I saw Teddy Bear coming in. This is a 55’ Florida Bay Trawler that was custom built for Teddy & John Hozemer. We last saw them in Sitka in 2007. We had a nice visit during happy hour. As usual, I didn’t have to cook dinner. Everyone brings a pot luck appetizer and Bill provides all you can eat fresh prawns.

Viner Sound

We have given up on getting more than one crab here. Also, the bear appears to out of town. We spent most of the day rearranging things and tidying up in preparation for Jason & Kelli’s arrival on Sunday. We weather has been getting more overcast and we had our first rain in a long time this afternoon.

Viner Sound

We decided to take the dinghy over to Pierre’s at Echo Bay. It is about five miles away but a pretty straight shot as the crow flies. It is in the 50’s with filtered sunshine. We bundled up and were prepared for sea spray. We took the computer so we could check email too. The computer was in it’s bag, wrapped in a beach towel and placed in a waterproof backpack. We weren’t taking any chances that it would be injured. Merlin enjoyed the ride for about 10 minutes then he climbed onto my lap, facing the stern and I wrapped him in a beach towel to keep him comfy and dry. We saw one humpback whale showing off. We were able to check email and do some shopping at their little grocery store. Merlin got to run around on the dock and we even met another Cavalier King Charles. She is a “black and tan” and adorable. The crab trap is still filling up with babies and starfish.

Viner Sound

A buoy became available so we moved Aquila to it. This places us in a wonderful small cove. We have seen bears in the rocky areas we are close to now. We had a nice time kayaking but no bears yet. The crab trap had a dozen crabs but only one large enough to keep! I guess Fred put it down in the nursery.

Joe Cove to Viner Sound, Gilford Island - 2¾ hours, 12 miles

We are traveling in the Broughtons now. These passages are narrow and beautiful. We hear the birds chirping but no sign of bears. As we passed the marina of Pierre’s at Echo Bay, we picked up some weak wifi. We were able to do a quick check of our email as we passed heading for Viner Sound. Viner is a lovely fjord. The little nooks along the passage are too rocky for anchoring. There are two coves ahead, one on the right and one on the left. There are two mooring buoys on each side. All four are occupied. Shoot! We have never anchored in here but Douglass’ book says we can at the head of the sound. We have to careful because of the huge boulders underwater and shoaling close to the head. We picked one spot but as the boat slightly drifted on the anchor we found ourselves in 10 feet of water at high tide. Not good. We pulled up the anchor and moved to a spot right between the two coves with buoys. The anchor caught well and we are settled. We took the dinghy out and wandered looking for bears (none found). One of the boats on a buoy looked just like our so we went over to say hi. Al Mirati has a 34’ CHB, Lady Sea, which looks just like ours (almost). He is single handing the boat and we invited him over to see Lady Sea’s big sister. He says that Lady Sea only has one cabin and everything is on a much smaller scale than ours. The crab pot got put down for the first time this season. We have had good luck in the past.

Port McNeill to Joe Cove - 3½ hours , 21 miles

The fog was a factor in a cruise today from Port McNeill to Joe Cove on Eden Island. Fortunately the wind was not. We had very calm seas for our journey. Our radar works beautifully and the few other boats that were out here were easily picked up. This is our first stop in the Broughtons. Joe Cove is pretty large and very protected. As we entered we saw that there were only two other boats here. We chose a nice spot in the middle.