Tuesday August 11 2009

Second day at Sullivan Bay waiting for steering ram to arrive with Tom to install it.

Tom Matson took off this morning with his helicopter what an unusual sight to see it leave the top of his floating house.

Sunday August 2nd

Sunday August 2nd

Today was a day of rest. We went into Shearwater, worked the internet then had a nice lunch, stocked up on Milk and stuff then shoved off in early afternoon for Discovery Cove / Anniversary Cove.

We set the prawn pots and had a very nice late afternoon cocktail cruse around this beautiful Bay. This is arguably one of the most scenic anchorages on the west coast. Ha Ha. :0)

We did have a nice catch that evening but next morning was zero. We suspect someone pulled our pots and emptied them.

August 3rd

Spent a wonderful second day relaxing at Discovery /Anniversary Cove.


Tuesday August 4 2009

We headed for Spider Island group to anchor inside Hurricane Island and arrived after a leisurely run and got a great Grey Whale show with the big tail going up then down.

Once anchored on Hurricane Island we went out to set the prawn pots which later proved to be a good idea.

Tonight we are having Lenore’s famous Salmon Pie. It is wonderful!

The Spider Island group is where we got lost two years ago with Doug and Gail Stewart on a 3 hour dinghy tour that took 5 hours. We took a wrong turn and ended up in the ocean surf.

Wed August 5 2009

We Headed for Fish Egg Inlet and ended up in a wonderful anchorage called Oyster Bay which is a very wild and remote area.

Today upon arriving inside Fish Egg Inlet the Steering went out on Sea Jay and after inspection I found that the main hydraulic steering cylinder ram had begun leaking hydraulic fluid. Gary and I added fluid to the steering reservoir and pressurized it to 30 PSI and the fluid ran out again. So since this is not a slow leak, we can’t just add fluid and go.

Sooooo not to worry…
We ran the boat on into Oyster Bay with no rudder control using the engine speed and bow thruster (at slow speed) to steer the boat.

Thursday August 6, 2009:

Learning to steer at 16 knots with no rudder control.

There were a few options for us to consider.

1. Go to Duncanby Landing have a nice dinner and start making make calls to get a new steering cylinder.

2. Go to Fury Cove and take the dinghies to Duncanby Landing to make calls.

3. Cross the straights and head for Blunden Harbor. There we would be in cell phone range and perhaps our Sat phone would work again.

While I was zigging and zagging like a drunken sailor learning how to steer at 14 to 16 knots Gary checked the weather and it turned out the West Sea Otter Buoy was only .7 meters and wind waves were minimal. In other words it was flat seas and good to go. So after 30 minutes of learning to control 1600 horse power to steer the boat we decided to go for it and cross Cape Caution with no rudder control.

Some of you may ask, why do we have to go 14 to 16 kts to cross the Cape. The answer is because we can. And the quicker you get across the less chance you have of having the weather turn bad during the crossing.

We decided since we must get a new steering cylinder and if the water conditions were good we would make a run at crossing Cape Caution. I ran the boat for a while and began to get the hang of steering with engine speed alone. We averaged 15 knots for 57 miles while crossing the Queen Charlette Straights and the water was very calm which helped enormously. We ran into fog about 2/3 of the way across so we had to trust our radar and GPS because as you know fog plays dirty tricks with your mind and you go in circles like a hunter lost in the woods.

We arrived at Blunden Bay in the early afternoon and I began making Sat phone and limited cell phone contact to get a new cylinder located and shipped up for installation. (The Sat phone just started working again. It seems to loose the signal north west of here) Hmmmm……

Meanwhile we can run the boat fine with out using the rudders as long as both engines run.

If we loose and engine we will not be able to steer the boat. But if we go slow we can use the bow thruster for emergency steering. The boat idles at 5 knots so if we had to we could get out of harms way to anchor. That is the rumor I am spreading and I am sticking to it. The fact is we have no choice but to be positive about these little bumps in the road.

Blunden Harbor is a very large and beautiful anchorage. I am surprised we have never been in here and highly recommend it to any one crossing Cape Caution. It is a perfect anchorage and stepping off point to cross the dreaded straights.

In the late afternoon we took a tour in the F16 with Gary and Lenore leading the way in Nooner to see a portion the Elizabeth Lagoon. It is wild, awesome and enormous. We saw two kayakers looking for a camp site to stay for the night.

Friday August 7 2009

Spent another day at Blunden harbor and did a tour of the other leg of Elizabeth Lagoon and pulled in another nice catch of Crab We pulled the crab traps and Gary got an awesome catch of some really nice crab. I got one female and though her back. We cooked so0me of the crab and check the rest into our deluxe Crab Hotel. Gary dropped two delicious mackerel into the hotel and the crab made fast work of them once they were settled in at about 8 feet down in the water he Sat TV is working again and I am sort of sorry is does to see the news and all the political fighting going on like a soap opera. We are waiting for Pacific Mariner to locate a steering cylinder.

Sat Aug 8 2009

We pulled anchor and headed south by southeast then east up Wells Passage to Carridan Bay. This is a great anchorage not far from Sullivan Bay and only exposed to the East

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Sunday Aug 9 2009

Pulled anchor and headed for Drury Inlet. This is a wonderful area that has a unique rugged aura about it with many rocks and small islands. We anchored at the head of the inlet amongst many small islands called Muirhead Islands in about 29 feet of water.

This is a beautiful place for a dinghy tour so we went for a great tour of Actaeon Sound which is quite extensive with some old logging rafts, a steam ship and a few newer logging operations. One must be very careful in this area because of the hundreds of rocks that abound in this beautiful Sound.

Monday Aug 10 2009

Pulled anchor at 9:30 so we would hit Stuart Narrows at slack tide keeping in mind we are still running with no rudder control. Once through the Narrows I called Tom our Pacific Mariner Guru technician and he informed us the cylinder may be in his hands as early as today. So we decided to head for Sullivan to wait for him to fly up with the steering ram and install it.

Sullivan Bay is a wonderful floating village with a restaurant, general store, fuel, and floating Houses. In its hay day it was the place to go to catch salmon and bottom fish.

Sullivan Bay has new owners this year and has been completely rebuilt with all new docks and Electrical system. We have been coming here since the late 1980’s

August 2nd 2009

August 1 2009

Monday July 20 2009

Today we headed fro Hartley Bay and had a very nice cruise down Verney Passage. In my opinion Gardner Canal is more a scenic area.

We anchored just inside Promise Island. This is an excellent anchorage with a good holding bottom. Is was very hot as is the whole west coast so I turned on the air conditioning system and it was wonderful to just sit and have a cold beer.

Tuesday July 28, 2009

Today we went fishing just at the south end of Promise Island and we caught our limit of Coho Salmon in about an hour. Gary caught a nice pair of pinks and we had them for dinner with seasoned with Old Bay, Canola oil and a sprinkle of Brown sugar. We smoked for 15 minute with apple smoke chips.

It was an outstanding meal.

In the afternoon we took both shore boats to Hartley Bay for fuel. This Indian Village with a population of 140 is built entirely on wooden planks and timbers. The street is true dimension 2X12 and they ride ATV’s o the dock like construction. We walk up the hill to the “store” which was a large white house. Once inside we were surprised to find a very large and well appointed home with granite counter tops a large open kitchen where they cook take out meals for the locals. We purchased Ice cream cones and sat outside on a swing in the 90 degree heat to enjoy our treat.

Tomorrow we will start around the outside of Prince Royal Island and do some Halibut fishing along the way

Wed July 29 2009

We stopped in Evinrude Inlet as a recommended anchorage.

It was deep so we stern tied and had a peaceful evening.

Thursday July 30

We got up to make 4:30 high slack tide through Meyers passage as we approached the turn to Meyers Passage we decided to go straight to St Johns Harbor which meant 35 miles in open water. Since it was a calm morning we went for it and arrived at St Johns Harbor by 9:30.

This is a very popular fishing area and has several floating fishing camps.

We were here two years ago with the Codville Armada and caught fish.
Once we were anchored we settled in for a nap and a move and did not begin fishing until the crack of 2 PM.

I hooked 7 salmon lost four and kept 3. One was a very nice 17 pound Coho.

We were back on the boat by 3:30 to begin preparing for another great Salmon dinner.

After dinner we went to next Bay to see the floating fish Camp.

It was a surprise to see 25 guide boats docked to a huge floating hotel complete with rustic but nice wood stairs leading up to the Bar. Lenore asked if we could have a look and a drink and the manager of the operation suddenly appeared and escorted us to the bar and gave us all a drink “on the house”!

The bar was very nice with over stuffed furniture and even a shuffle board. It was just like you would dream of a fancy fishing lodge would be. Unfortunately we did not take a photo camp. What a treat!

Friday July 31

Another day of leisure and fishing. This time Gary and Lenore both caught huge Spring salmon. M Jim caught a couple of very nice Coco in choppy seas just outside of Dyer Cove. But this night we had Cheryl’s famous lemon chicken for dinner and Lenore treated us to awesome chunks of fudge that she made that day.

We have decided that St John’s Harbor is a must stop place for a trip north.

Sat August 1 2009

We awoke to dense fog with the intention of going to Shearwater for fuel, supplies and one of their famous cheese burgers with Sleemans draft beer.

Pulled anchor at 11:30 and ran in the fog about 2/3 of the way and arrived at Shearwater early afternoon, refueled and set the anchor in the bay in front of the resort.

July 19

Sunday July 19, 2009
The Colliers and Stewarts headed south to Kayak Cove the Timm’s and Matheson’s are headed north to Ellerslie Bay.

July 20 & 21 Ellerslie Bay

Ellerslie Bay is arguably one of the most beautiful anchorages on the west coast.

We anchored at the head of the bay and had a very nice Prawn Dinner. Next morning we set the prawn pots then headed outside the bay at high slack tide to do some bottom fishing. Gary found a suitable “high Plateau” and using large jigs loaded with octopus bait we caught 7 fairly large Red Snapper and they were wonderful pan fried with a light dusting of bread crumbs toped off with crab cocktails. Next morning we pulled the prawn pots and they had nothing in them. Very disappointing.

On July 21st we headed for Klemtu an Indian village settled by two tribes. We stopped for fuel and water and called on channel 6 for a tour of the Long House. I got Francis on the radio and he said he would meet us there and that it was a short 15 minute walk around the bay.

Soooo we walked to the Long House and it was an n interesting walk to see the First Nation people and their lack of concern with junk in their yards. The road was paved for a short distance then turn into a dirt trail that was downtown Klemtu. It was a hot day and when we arrived at the Long House we were pretty warm. There was Francis sitting on a folding chair just outside of the back door to the Long House. Francis , a 72 year old senior elder of the tribe was difficult to understand at first and seemed to ramble on about the Eagle, the Bears and the Orca. After about 30 minutes standing outside the long House being eating by Black Flies Francis took us to the front entrance were we stood for another short time for a story about the Spirit bear which was actually very interesting. Then he opened the door and we went inside to see a beautiful structure with enormous Cedar timbers holding the hoof with an open covered area in the center which is to act as a chimney when they had their fire pit in action . There were bleachers on two sides with a sand floor and an 8 foot in diameter stone fire pit on the center of the floor. At the opposite end were very large Totem cedar carvings and a hollowed out log which is used like a drum for up to ten drum beaters. Francis said to use only the left hand when striking the log. The sound was awesome to say the least.

We got Francis to call a cab to get us back and it was a run out mini van with no suspension, no muffler and I got to ride in the rear compartment behind the back seat over the pot holes and ruts. We all decided that it was a worth while stop to see Klemtu and the Long House.

That night we anchored at the head of Alexander inlet which was a very windy muddy passage about 5 miles long.

July 22nd 2009

We pulled anchor and headed for Kutze Inlet. Upon entering the inlet I gat a radio call from a fishing boat that was traveling nearby and he gave us directions on entering the bay and where to anchor. He was a retired commercial fisherman with his wife and grandson and we anchored at the head of the Inlet just opposite from a wonderful waterfall that must have been several thousand feet in height . This is truly one of the most beautiful anchorages we have experienced in our 30 years of boating. We were just off the drying grassy flats between where the Kutze River enters the Bay and The waterfall. At low tide there were dozens of eagles sitting on the mud flats. Wayne the fisherman said that we may see Grizzles on the grassy flats. We shall see.

We celebrated Cheryl 65th birthday and Lenore provided a super pork roast dinner complete with a round cake filled with apple pie filling. It was outstanding.

July 23rd

We went to the river in the F 16 a crossed the channel to look for brown bears and saw none. Set the crab pot and got only one nice male crab.

Tomorrow we go to Butedale only 8 miles away.

July 24

Stopped at Butedale and decided the dock was not safe so we continued on to Bishop Bay Hot Springs.

The anchoring was iffy but we finally dropped 300 feet of chain and we held well with great weather.

The hot springs was very nice with a recent overhaul of much of the walk way. The water in the hot springs was just right for a 15 minute soak and it was very clean and clear with not a trace of slime on the rocks. There was even a camp ground made of all cedar planks looking out over the bay.

Bishop Bay Hot Springs is a must stop venue for sure.

July 25 2009
We traveled up Gardner Canal with the thought of staying the night at Shearwater Hot Springs but did not like the poor anchoring condition so we traveled on to Owyacumish Bay which was a stunning setting with a big roaring waterfall and river coming into the bay all set in very tall steep granite cliffs and snow capped mountain ridges. The water was blue green glacier water with a very low salt content. We anchored near the outflow of the waterfall and went up the river to look for bears and saw none. There was a cabin at the mouth of the river there fall Kayakers and campers. It was a wonderful setting that looked like a movie set it was so perfect.

That afternoon we toured at least 4 big waterfalls and then when turning in for the evening I noticed that we were suddenly in 158 feet of water and we seemed to have moved 180 feet from the original anchoring position. I mark all anchoring locations on the moving map with a man over board sign so I can tell if we have dragged anchor.

The wind was blowing hard and the tide was going out Sooooo… silly me sat up until 5 am to make sure we did not drag anchor. Cheryl took the 5 am to 7:30 watch because I could not say awake. It turns out that once the tide was back in and the wind stopped blowing we seemed to be in the original anchoring position. By the way the stars are fantastic up here with no city lights to interfere with the sparkle of the Big Dipper.

July 26 2009
We pulled anchor and headed for Kitimat which is about 50 miles due north. The water was like a mirror and the scenery was wonderful. We arrive at Kitimat about 1:30 and stayed at Mk Bay Marina.

Kitimat is a town of 11,000 people with three major industries. ALCAN an aluminum producer, a Pulp Mill and a large producer of Methanol. These industries are on the other side of the bay and they produce an angry cloud of some kind of pollution. The trees on the hills surrounding these plants are all dead.

We hired a local native that Lenore met in the Marina store, and for $20 each way Randy drove us into town where we had lunch and replenished our groceries and booze supply.

That evening we went to the local Indian village to have dinner at their restaurant on the water and it was excellent!
Kitimat is a very pleasant experience and the people were extremely friendly.

Kitimat is around 100 miles from the Alaska border and is the most northern destination we have made in our boat.

Tomorrow we will begin to head back south starting with Hartley Bay where the salmon fishing is said to be good.