2016 was a leisurely cruising season for Sea
Reach and her crew. No grand excursions planned but rather some delightful
excursions closer to her homeport of Squamish. We spent a lovely two weeks
heading up the Sunshine Coast and exploring some of the lovely anchorages that
Desolation Sound is famous for.
Destination
Desolation Sound June 24 – July 07
Squamish
to Desolation Sound
On June 24th we set sail for
Desolation Sound. This was to be a leisurely voyage working in harmony with
tides and wind and under no forced agenda except that we needed to be back in
Squamish by July 07/08. We moored for the night in Plumper Cove Marine Park
after a nice sail up Howe Sound. Winds were between 12-15 knots of inflow, so
we were forced to tack, but no worries we had the majesty of the sound to
ourselves and enjoyed lunch underway. We arrived at Plumper Cove at 1600 and
picked up a mooring buoy close to the dock. We walked to Keats Landing before
supper. We had pizza for supper and watched an episode of a ‘Touch of Frost,”
one of our favorite old curmudgeons who solves the murder mystery despite his deplorable
office and paperwork, and slovenly ways.
On June 25th we decided to head
for Pender Harbour while the winds were still from the S.E. (they were expected
to change to the NW later in the evening). We awoke to gray skies that cleared
by late morning and were treated to a beautiful day as we made our way up the
Sunshine Coast. We sailed for an hour with the wind on our quarter moving along
at a leisurely 3-4 knots before deciding to put the engine on and make the most
of an easy passage northwards. We passed to the west of Thormanby Island to
make the best use of wind on the quarter as we veered inland for Pender
Harbour. We were making 6 knots at 1600 revs with sail assist.
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| Lighthouse on Thormanby Island Sunshine Coast |
We anchored at Garden Bay and went ashore
for ‘fish and chips’. A yes, the delights of coastal cruising. Later in the
evening, we inflated the kayaks and went for a trip around the bay. The next
day was a layover day in Pender Harbour to explore the many lovely bays that
make up the marine catchment of Pender Harbour. We visited the Marine Park
located in Garden Bay, then kayaked around the many arms, before visiting the
Madeira Park area and doing a quick stock up at IGA.
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| Old wreck resting on shores of one of Pended Harbours many arms |
Set sail on June 26th for Powell
River. The Malaspina Strait is not our favourite body of water and true to form
it demanded a series of tacks to make progress north. Weather was delightful,
however, and we reminded ourselves that we were not in a hurry, relaxed and
enjoyed the sailing. We had planned on stopping at Grief Point Marina but when
a radio call confirmed that their diesel dock was closed we decided to continue
to Westview Marina. This was our first time at Westview Marina and it proved to
be a very fortuitous stop-off. Moorage
was 90cents/ft, the diesel dock was open and we discovered the wonderful
shoreline walk that extends for 1.5 kms from the harbour front. Had a late
evening walk and watched the herons perched on rocks watching steadfastly for
passing fish. Westview has excellent facilities, showers and friendly staff. We
will come again. On our way to Westview we were hailed on the VHF by Bruce and
Bridget from Sojourn. We met them in Mexico at San Blas in 2012. They had
recently shipped their boat north to cruise in Northern BC waters for a few
years. We arranged a rendezvous at the dock for the following morning. It was
lovely to see them again. After our get together we left the dock at 1130 but
less than a quarter of a mile from the dock the engine quit. We came back to
the dock under a small headsail plus dingy assist from John. He was rowing! We
had not brought any gasoline for our dingy engine – bad decision – NOTE: Always
bring gas for the dinghy even if you think you are not going to use it. We
alerted the harbour master and he came down to the end finger ready to assist
with mooring.
We had returned to Westview – sooner than
we thought!
John bled the supply to the injectors,
suspecting an airlock. The engine started. By now it was mid afternoon so we
decided to relax and stay for another night.
June 29 – left Westview at 0930. Engine
started fine and we encountered no further problems as we made our way north
past the Copeland Islands. The winds were very light. We motored under a blue
sky all the way to Galley Bay in Desolation Sound. It’s one of the first
anchorages inside the sound. It is a small quiet bay with a number of occupied
cottages. We had a late afternoon swim in the cool refreshing water.
Temperatures were in the mid twenties. We had arrived at the famed cruising
grounds of Desolation Sound, and it would not disappoint us.
The
Magic of Desolation Sound
Captain Vancouver was having a very bad day
when he dubbed this paradise – “Desolation Sound.” The sound is far reaching,
surrounded by majestic mountains and bounded by a number of arms, which
penetrate into the mountainside revealing a plentitude of protected anchorages.
The whole area is a marine park and a designated ‘no discharge’ area to protect
its marine life. It is the number one destination for those cruising the east
side of Vancouver Island and though crowded during July and August, we hit it
just before the summer migration had taken hold.
Galley
Bay to Tenedos Bay
Our next stop was Tenedos Bay, a mere 5 nm
to the NE. We had a leisurely breakfast
and early morning kayak before setting off in light winds for Tenedos Bay.
We put the motor on as we approached the
bay and slowly explored the area looking for a suitable anchorage. We chose the
northern bite behind the island and anchored in 35 ft of water and stern tied
to the shore. After a late lunch and snoozes (this was the life!) we took the
kayaks to the small Prov. Park on the east shore where there was a path leading
to Unwin Lake. We had a wonderfully refreshing swim in the lake. An absolute
gem of a swimming hole – but we had to clamber over several logs forming a jam
at the mouth of the lake to get to a swimming spot.
Friday July 01 – Canada Day
Layover at Tenedos Bay. It was a gray day
with some rain, perfect for reading, listening to music and playing some flute
and harp together later in the evening. Just before dusk we spotted a dinghy
crammed with flag bearing Canadians enroute to rendezvous with another boat
that was tucked around the corner. We waved as they passed but were content to experience
the holiday in the quiet embrace of still waters and towering mountains.
Tenedos
Bay to Prideaux Haven – 7nm
On July 02, we lollygagged our way around
to Prideaux Haven. We sailed under the Jenny
with the wind on our quarter at a leisurely 3.5 knots. At Lucy Point we turned
the engine on and made our way through the very tight entrance to the large
anchorage it heralds. We picked a spot on the east side just as it was vacated
by another vessel. By mid afternoon there were two dozen boats anchored. Still
plenty of room but we are more used to the less occupied reaches of the Inside
Passage and the West Coast. We had heard that the place gets jam packed during July
and August. These were just the early birds. We made a note to always visit
Desolation Sound during the shoulder seasons to avoid the madding crowd.
While launching the kayaks, Ger flipped her
cel phone into the bay. So much for the lovely photos taken over the previous
week! Thankfully John had also taken some photos. We went for a kayak around to
Melanie Cove and picked up the trailhead at the head of cove that crosses the
peninsula to Laura Cove. We were really
enjoying our kayaks on this trip because the short distances between anchorages
left lots of time for exploring.
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| Lots of time for kayaking and exploring on this trip |
Prideaux
Haven to Refuge Cove – 10 nm
On July 03 we pulled anchor at 1000 and
slowly made our way out of Prideaux Haven. The wind was up to a brisk 15-20
knots on Desolation Sound but gusting to 25knots in areas where the wind came
rushing out the inlets. We prepared for an invigorating sail up to Refuge Cove.
We were not disappointed. After tacking a couple of time we were able to head
straight for our destination at 6-7 knots with a reef in the main and the Jenny
at 100%. We were close hauled and Sea Reach
was in her element. We sailed all the
way to the entrance to Refuge Cove and made for the fuel dock so that we could
scope out a mooring spot while refueling. There was quite a bit of wind blowing
into the cove, which made docking tricky. We found a tight mooring spot between
two motor yachts but with the help from the owners got safely tucked away
despite the wind.
Refuge Cove is a delightful spot with a
café, home baking, laundry, showers and a well-stocked store. We enjoyed coffee
and a cinnamon bun while our laundry was being washed and also did some re-provisioning.
Moorage was 70 cents/ft. We’ll be back.
Refuge
Cove to Hardy Island – 30 nm
On July 04 we started our journey home. The
winds were 10-15 from the NW which provided perfect downwind sailing until we
got opposite Powell River at which time the winds dropped and we put the engine
on for the second leg of the trip. Just south of Savoury Island while we were
still under sail, a very large motor yacht came barreling towards us on a collision
course doing 10Knots. We tried hailing them on channel 16 but they did not
respond and showed no obvious change of course forcing us to do a gibe at the
last minute to avoid them. The vessel name came up as Oceana on the AIS. We
have no idea if this was due to inattention or disregard for collision
regulations but we were not impressed. We arrived at Hardy Island Marine Park
at 1830. There were several boats already anchored including four boats from
Squamish enroute to the Broughtons. This
is a lovely spot but the Navionics chart was inaccurate showing 4 ft over a
section that actually had 30-50 of water. Emboldened by the other boats who
clearly had been here before, we nudged our way in and anchored behind the
islet running a stern tie to the main shore.
Hardy
Island to Smuggler Cove – 20 nm
Early morning winds were brisk and we had a
good sail for the first 10 nm but the lull came around noon. We put the engine
on and arrived at Smuggler Cove just before a very low tide and stern tied next
to a motor yacht. We kayaked to the trailhead that leads to a lovely boardwalk
through a swampy area teaming with bird life. It is a must do if visiting
Smuggler Cove. We walked beyond the park as far as Frenchman’s Cove, a small
settlement south of the Marine Park with views onto Welcome Passage and across
the Strait of Georgia.
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| Sea Reach nestled into Smuggler Cove |
Smuggler
Cove to Plumper Marine Park – Squamish 45nm
July 06 was a beautiful sunny day with
light winds from the SE. We motor sailed most of the way with about 45 mins of
pure sailing as we explored Davis Bay enroute. Thought about picking up a mooring
buoy at Sechelt but decided against it as it looked like it was going to
rain. Continued slowly towards Shoal
Entrance to Keats Island as we wanted to arrive after the low tide had turned
to flood. It was a 2 ft low. We arrived about 40 mins after the turn to flood
and never had less than 6 feet under the keel. We spent our last night on a
mooring buoy at Plumper Marine Park. It so often marks either the first or last
night of a journey for us. We are aware of its reputation for being lumpy under
certain wind conditions but we have only once ever experience a rolly night
while mooring there. It’s a great stop to explore Keats Island and stretch the
legs after a day at sea.
On July 07 we headed out on the home
stretch up Howe Sound to our homeport of Squamish. Howe Sound never fails to
delight especially when traveling into the head, which invariably has inflow
from midday on. On a bright sunny day, we spent our last afternoon sitting on
the cat seats surveying the aquamarine waters and the high peaks of Garibaldi
as Sea Reach glided up the Sound with the wind on her quarter.
A very pleasant trip indeed.
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