Squamish to Alert Bay - Summer Locum

This year’s cruising trip is going to be a little different. John is doing a three week locum up in Alert Bay so the plan is to cruise there and live on the boat while John works. Our schedule is tight because we can’t leave Squamish until June 14 and he starts work in Alert Bay on June 24^th. This gives us time to get there but not much time for exploring along the way. To complicate matters, we have a nine month old Schipperke, Scout and this will be his first boating trip. He has had some time to acclimatize to the boat because I stayed on board with him for 10 days during our recent move from our old house to a new one as there was a small period in between moves when we were technically homeless. Our boat received a major refit this past fall with a new Yanmar 54 HP installed, along with an upgraded electrical system, new heating system and on demand hot water. We need to run the engine hard at regular bursts during the breaking in periods so expect to be motoring most of the way there.

Passage to Alert Bay

 

John glad to be underway again

June 14 – Squamish to Plumper Marine Park 25nm

It was 1130 with 25knots against us by the time we left Squamish. The new engine was about to get a good workout. It was a choppy ride for the first two hours until we slipped behind the shelter of Gambier when the seas became calmer and the winds lightened. The engine was doing a great job of making way in the heavy winds and we made 6 knots at 2500 revs, which would have been impossible with our old Perkins in these conditions.

We put the brand new life-vest on Scout before leaving and though it appeared to fit him, he acted like we had put him into a strait jacket. He sat bolt upright like a sphinx reluctant to move. The engine when run at the highest revs, which we needed to do for 3 mins every 30 minutes was stressful for him. I decided to take him below and placed him on the salon bunk. He leaned into the corner and made the best of a miserable situation. Not a great start to his nautical life. 

Pumper was full with all the mooring buoys in use. We found a nice spot to anchor however and Scout came to life again as soon as the engine was turned off and his life-vest removed. I noticed that his penis was protruding slightly throughout the trip and wondered if the belly-band which was very wide was irritating him. As soon as the life-vest came off everything returned to normal and Scout was alert and ready for a trip to shore. We dinghied ashore and had a lovely walk to Keats Landing. Scout a happy dog again. We had supper at 2000 and all of us packed it in at 2100 and had a great night’s sleep.

 

June 15- Plumper Marine Park to Powell River 53nm

0530 – Scout awake and making little huffing sounds to get our attention. 

0600 – went for a walk ashore and took the route towards Barnabus. Didn’t go all the way but will definitely check it out next time. Back n board for breakfast at at 0700 and away at 0810 to get through Shoal Passage before a very low tide of .7 metres due at 1100.

Winds light and variable. Perfect for traveling northwards under power. Scout stayed below on salon for first three hours then came up on deck. More comfortable today. We opted to use his harness and a long leash instead of the life-vest. 

Saw two mama orcas with babies in the Malaspina Channel. Quite the treat. Got to Westview Marina at 1530, which was a long day but great progress made. This gave us some wiggle room if weather turns nasty further north. We walked the sea wall evening and morning.  Dog on board ensures a walking regimen. Westview marina is a great stop with friendly staff, diesel and showers. Groceries are a bit of a walk away but we were still well stocked so didn’t make the trek uptown.

June 16 – Powell River to Refuge Cove 24nm

Left Powell River at 1100 on a beautiful day with light winds. Continued breaking in the engine. Only 18 hours left – Thank Goodness. Running it hard every 30 minutes is a pain. Making very good time but noisy at high rpm’s. Sailed for about 30 minutes over lunch when the wind freshened a bit. Scout stayed below on the salon couch for the trip. We manoeuvered into a very tight spot at Refuge Cove with some help from people at the dock. Tight squeeze but a great spot. One hour later the boats ahead of us and behind us had left! Met Diane and Les on Gemini – friends of Bridgit and Bruce whom we met in Mexico. Not much room to walk in Refuge Cove but we treated ourselves to Pizza and Cinnamon buns from the local bakery. Gotta love cruising! Brought Scout for a kayak to a small island close by so he could have some off leash time. 

June 17 – Refuge Cove to Big Bay – Stuart Island 20nm

0700 Left Refuge Cove in plenty of time to get to Kelsey Point (start of Yuculta Rapids) before slack turning to flood. Winds forecast to be high 20-25 knots from the northwest. Inside passage gave some shelter from winds and we arrived quite early. Decided to wait a bit before going through, so floated around for 30 minutes with the engine off and enjoyed a cup of tea. Went through the rapids at 1030 with a 2 knot current in our favour. No problems during transit. We docked at Stuart Public Wharf in Big Bay and walked to Eagle Lake. The decking on the main dock had been replaced. Apparently the owners of the large resorts in the area help financially with maintenance of the community dock. The hike to Eagle Lake takes about 25 minutes and is well worth a visit. A few old rickety floats protrude out into the lake and there is a floating dock at a short distance from the shoreline that you can swim to. We sat on one of the floats and John decided to go for a swim. At some point we heard a splash and realized that Scout had also gone in, probably not intentionally, because he was pretty quick to come back to the edge looking for assistance to get out of the water.

When we returned to the boat we started working on installing the netting we had purchased. This is a VERY persnickety job and requires planning and patience. The plan was to hang it in four different sections; two long ones from the push pulpit on either side to the gates, two shorter ones to the start of the solar panel arch. After completing the first long section with a number of remedial refits along the way, it was looking pretty good but something seemed not quite right – Should the netting be hung inside the stanchions or outside the stanchions? Back to the You Tube video – the outside duh! Much better anchored and stronger this way. Fuddle duddle –we would have to dismantle it and restart the whole effort. We are blaming the sun. It was just too hot that afternoon to make sense of anything. We went below to cool off and have a refreshing kombucha from the fridge. 

 

John and Scout both end up swimming at Eagle Lake

Getting started on the netting

June 18 Big Bay to Codero Islands 16nm

0500 another early start to go through Gillard Rapids just before slack and hit Dent at slack. Both these rapids require respect and accurate timing, especially on a relatively slow moving sail boat. While moored at Big Bay the previous evening we could hear Gillard Passage roaring during maximum flow with a white frothy overfall visible from a considerable distance. The flow was still running about 2-3 knots against us but we pushed through and got to Dent Rapids in perfect time with a very smooth passage. With the turn to ebb our speed picked up to 8 knots and we arrived at Codero Islands at 0700. Another vessel was already anchored there so we tucked in deep behind the islets and anchored in 25 feet of water with about 8’ of excursion left in the ebb. John set about redoing the netting and I brought Scout ashore on the kayak and had a nice walk on the shoreline as the tide receded. 

Made some scones for second breakfast when I got back to the boat. Second breakfast is a nice treat and compensation for an early start and hasty first breakfast. It was a beautiful morning but we noticed the winds were picking up by quite a bit by 1030. As the tide receded and the winds continued to pick up Sea Reach was spun around on her anchor several times in either direction. We were in a swirling current and decided to move closer to the entrance into slightly deeper water. This made quite a difference. The anchorage has good holding, which is just as well as the high winds persisted through the anchorage throughout the afternoon and evening.  

June 19 Cordero Islands to Port Neville 26nm

Two more rapids left to negotiate – Green Point and Whirlpool.

0500 left the anchorage and headed for Green Pont 30 minutes before slack. A tug pulling a barge went through just ahead of us. Winds already at 10-15 knots from the NW. Made good time towards Wellbourne Channel and Whirlpool Rapids. We were through the second set of rapids by 0700 and headed down Sunderland Channel. The Johnstone Strait was kicking up with gale warnings in effect so decided to go only as far as Port Neville. We moored to the Government Wharf. There was quite a bit of current at the wharf so the approach was tricky but a good place to moor once we got sorted. We met Jeanna and Irwin from Kelsey Bay FN doing research on marine habitat in the local waters. Band has recently purchased land in the Port Neville area and will likely develop the facilities there. The old store and homestead were still standing and the grounds were mowed and kept in good order. We enjoyed wandering in the grounds and along the shoreline. Jeanna warned that there was a grizzly in the area. He had left his mark in a few locations on the property so we kept a sharp eye out during our walk. Scout had a great time on the beach and is clearly settling in to life on board Sea Reach. We have two matts on deck for him so he can pee while traveling but seems to be reluctant to use them for anything other than laying out and sunning himself on.

 

Old Store at Port Neville 

June 20 Port Neville to Growler Cove 23nm

John brought Scout for an early morning walk before we left the dock at 0600.

He saw 6 otters on the wharf. We had seen three the previous evening but the whole family had come ashore in the early morning. Happy to announce that the engine is now broken in so we can cruise along between 2000-2500 revs. Much more pleasant, Scout approves and so do I J. 

By 0800 the wind was 25knots from the NW and chop had developed against the ebb tide. Seas started to build by 0900 so we decide to duck into Growler Cove on Cracroft Island rather than continue to Port Mac Neill. Growler Cove is a good hidey hole used by fishermen to get off the Johnstone Strait in a blow. We anchored a bit close to what we thought at first was a crab trap but later decided it was probably a mooring tie marker. Crossed our fingers that an angry fisherman didn’t come in late at night looking to pick up his tie and move us out of his way. At low tide we went ashore for a nice walk. Shoreline a bit muddy but still worth exploring.

Winds continued to blow hard throughout the afternoon. Definitely made the right call to duck in early. We played some flute and harp and John completed the netting at the finicky gate closure section.

 

Two main sections of netting completed

June 21 Growler Cove to Port Mac Neill

Our destination was Alert Bay but we had a few days in hand so decided to go to Port Mac Neill to restock, do laundry, refuel and empty the holding tank. 

0630 – A calm gray morning. We had a very good night’s sleep and thankfully no-one came to pick up the mooring tie we were close to. It was a calm easy passage to Port Mac Neill. We arrived at 0930 and went directly to the fuel dock. After refueling went to the pump out station and then moored at the municipal marina. Paid for two nights moorage so that we could have a restful layover before heading to Alert Bay.

Port Mac Neill is a great place to get set up for further travels. Showers, fuel, laundry and grocery store as well as a few restaurants all within easy walking distance of the marinas.  The municipal marina is cheaper than the private marina but is on a first come basis. The private marina takes reservations and as a result is a favorite with many cruisers especially from the U.S.. Gale force winds on the Johnstone Strait resulted in both marinas filling early in the day and we were glad that we had arrived as early as we did. We met two other couples getting ready to set off on a trip to Alaska. An exciting expedition for them. Now that we have a new engine, plan on doing the trip ourselves in the next couple of years.

 

Port Mac Neill is home to the world's largest burl

June 23 Port Mac Neill to Alert Bay 7nm

Set off at 1100 on Sunday morning heading for Alert Bay. John had previously called the wharfinger at Alert Bay to let him know we needed moorage for 3 weeks. Steve was very accommodating and despite having a full marina managed to squeeze us in on B finger where we would be close to the toilets and showers during our stay. It was a tight squeeze – the tightest we have ever slipped into. Steve moved the vessel behind us a little further back with nose hanging over the end of the finger so that we both had some wiggle room. The docks are in good order and we have electricity and water available. A very pleasant place to moor our lines to for the next three weeks.

 

Rainbow on Johnstone Strait. It felt like we cruised right through it.