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Our passage to Alaska officially started today. Our
route up the Inside Passage started in Olympia and will
extend to Ketchikan, Alaska. While the trip started
today the preparations and dreams started over a year
ago. For this passage 5 boats are traveling together.
Not just any boats, but these wooden boats have all
spent some time under the loving care of wooden boat
designer/builder Sam Devlin of Devlin Boats in Olympia,
Washington. The boats range from converted fishing boats
to works of art designed and built in Sam's shop.
For the 12 people on this trip, today is the culmination
of months of preparation, and years of dreaming about
it. The dream for many boaters is to head north and
explore Alaska, the last great boating frontier left
in North America. This passage is one which will be
etched into the memories all for the rest of their lives.
The preparations involved many aspects. Personal lives
need to be sorted out. Work commitment arrangements
and re-arrangements needed to be made. Most of the boats
underwent major maintenance in preparation for the trip.
And supplies and fuel needed to be purchased and loaded
aboard each boat in preparation for weeks, and in some
cases several months underway, as some of the boats
will be continuing on from Ketchikan to tour Alaska
before returning to the Seattle area. For one boat,
LEAN-TO, a 34' converted fishing boat, this passage
will be to its new home, 1500 miles away in Seward,
Alaska.
Four boats all gathered at the One Tree Marina, located
in the shadow of the Capital building of the State of
Washington in Olympia. The day prior to departure was
rainy and misty in Olympia as final shopping was completed
and the boats were loaded. Passersby stopped, noticed
the activity with boats being loaded, and asked the
destination. Many were amazed to hear that this group,
and their small wooden boats would be going all the
way to Alaska. All hoped for good weather for the departure
the next morning. The sky's appeared promising as the
day's rain in Olympia turned to blue skies for a long
beautiful evening just one day after the summer solstice.
For departure, an early start was planned for 5:30 am.
Not just to take advantage of the 4:40 am sunrise and
a long cruising day, but the tide would be at its peak
and the ebbing current would provide an extra 5 knots
or more of speed at times, which in a displacement boat
that normally cruises at 7-9 knots, are fast, free miles.
Leaving the dock at a more leisurely mid-morning time
would mean fighting a changing tide and current where
eventually it would be 5 knots against your forward
speed, significantly lengthening the time for the trip.
On this passage, I am a guest on LEAN-TO, a fishing
boat formerly converted into a pleasure boat and cruised
by Sam Devlin, and now owned by Chad and JuLee Morse
and their son Joel. For the Morse's, Anchorage is home
and Seward, Alaska will be the home port of LEAN-TO
at the end of this passage, is it proudly says on her
stern. Chad has carefully worked his duties, teaching
at the University of Alaska, around the schedule for
this trip. JuLee could not take off enough time for
trip from her job teaching summer school in the Anchorage
School system and would not be making the trip, although
she did fly down with Chad to help prepare the boat
the week before. Joel is working this year in Sam Devlin's
boat building business and this trip is his reward for
an outstanding job of restoration work on LEAN-TO to
bring her up to bristol standards for the trip. Joel
worked on the boat for the last year refitting some
of her key systems and the interior. Last month Chad
flew down and father and son had LEAN-TO hauled out
of the water for repairs. They stripped the hull down
to the bare wood, replaced some areas in the stern where
the wood was deteriorating, re-painted the hull, and
got all systems up and running. LEAN-TO probably looks
better today than it did for most of it days since its
keel was laid in 1962.
 
Our departure morning
preparations on July 23rd started on LEAN-TO at 4:45
am as Joel needed to leave his truck at Sam Devlin's
yard until he returned in August. Sam and his crew all
arrived at 5:25am and loaded a truckload of last minute
supplies, tools and one of Sam's handcrafted dinghys
onto his boat, JOSEPHINE, also a converted fishing boat.
MOONGLOW, a 29 foot Black Crown model boat, designed
by Sam and built in his shop in 1995, was loaded and
ready to go. MOONGLOW was chartered by Paul and Robin
Dye, who would be using this trip to make their first
passage to Alaska. And at the end of the dock was the
beautiful DAWSON, a 42-foot boat that is truly a work
of art. In the view of many, the culmination of Sam
Devlin’s design and boat building skills.
 The
engines were started to allow for warm up and by 5:50am
all were aboard and the 4 Sam Devlin boats left the
marina. The day looked promising with a slight haze
and high clouds as the sun rose. We began our passage
up Budd Inlet, all pretty excited to finally be underway.
Cruising through to the top of Nisqually Reach and then
Drayton Passage, we worked our way past the prison on
McNeil Island, where the charts warn boaters not to
pick up swimmers in the waters. As we approached “The
Narrows” and under the Tacoma Narrows bridge,
the current from the ebbing tide pulled the boats to
speeds of up to almost 14 knots for a short while. We
passed Commencement Bay as the city of Tacoma started
to wake up. And, under a hazy blue sky, the Space Needle
came into view with the rest of the skyline of the city
of Seattle and Elliot Bay.
For those not familiar, LEAN-TO and JOSEPHINE are displacement
boats. They push through the water and do not go up
on plane, like a speed boat. They are very fuel efficient
and cruise at 7-9 knots (about 10 mph). The ride is
very comfortable with a gentle rocking rather the slapping
a speed boat makes underway. MOONGLOW had the advantage
of being able to cruise at speeds of up to 18 knots
due to it Volvo-Penta engine and efficient, semi-displacement
hull design under the pen of Sam Devlin.
 LEAN-TO
was built to fish the waters of Canada. Sturdy and stout,
and built the old fashioned way with strong timbers
and a hull of Yellow and Red Cedar. Sam Devlin took
the boat in trade years ago and converted it into a
salty pleasure boat, but still retained its workboat
look and functionality. Its pilot house is small as
a fisherman only needed to carry himself and a crewmate.
Two steps below the pilot house is the primary living
space with a V-berth, sink, cooking area and a fold
down table for preparing food or eating. The former
fishing hold area was converted into a second cabin
with a table and two comfortable settees along both
sides facing each other and a fold down table in the
stern. The back cabin is surrounded by windows and has
several skylights, making it a comfortable space for
this writer to live and work during this passage.
As we continued North, Sam, as the flotilla leader made
the wise choice to head up behind Whidbey Island passing
the cities of Edmonds, Mukilteo and Everett. Whidbey
Island is the longest island in the US, over 60 miles.
Houses line the shoreline along the way and our flotilla
of wooden boats became a part of their waterfront view
for a short period of time.
We took this route to avoid the tidal currents in the
Admiralty Inlet, which would have slowed us down by
3-4 knots, or half. Our goal was to make it through
Deception Pass on the north end of Whidbey Island by
7pm when the tide changed and the current was close
to slack, or if later an ebb current would pull us through
the Pass with an additional two knots. Later, Deception
Pass would be very turbulent with eddy and whirlpools
trying to swing your boat around, making passage difficult.
The irony for this writer is, my home is just two miles
up the coast from Deception Pass, where I left just
yesterday. As we pass Burrows Bay, where I live, it
feels odd to be passing your own home as a waypoint
on this passage.
Crossing Rosario Strait MOONGLOW was intercepted by
two U.S. Coast Guard patrol boats. With machine guns
on their bows, three Coastie’s boarded MOONGLOW
and proceeded to inspect for safety equipment, and of
course, anything that might look suspicious. The Paul
and Robin took it all in stride and after about 20 minutes
proceeded to catch up with the rest of the group.
Our destination for the night was Spencer Spit on Lopez
Island, in the San Juan Islands of Washington State.
This is a spit of sand about a quarter mile long with
an anchorage on either the north or south side. We dropped
the hook about 8:30pm after a long day’s run of
about 105 miles. By driving standards, this may not
very far. By displacement trawler, 100 miles is a good
day.
Joel rigged the grill for dinner, and within minutes
we were dining under the sunset, on deck. The menu on
LEAN-TO for the evening consisted of grilled hot dogs
and fresh cole slaw. After clean up, we rowed over to
Sam’s boat, the JOSEPHINE for cocktail hour and
a recap of the day.
This was our last stop in the U.S. and was a good time
to make cell phone calls to family before turning in
for the night as the final glow from sunset went to
dark at 10:30pm.
Our day was planned to start at 5am. Again the schedule
for the tides and currents was dictating our plans.
Dodd Narrows, on Vancouver Island of British Columbia
is a choke point for the tidal flow, subject to strong
currents of up to 7 knots on the ebb or the flood. We
had 58 miles to go to get to Dodd Narrows which went
slack at around 12:15pm. We could challenge the narrows
after slack but not by more than an hour to maybe an
hour and a half. At 1:45pm, the prediction was for the
current to be just under 5 knots. But the current was
running in our direction, basically north. This current
also would increase our speed after the tide change.
Still it was a race against time. Knowing this, LEAN-TO
attempted to take every advantage it could. We had all
started late but could take a few short cuts like Pole
Pass, between Crane and Orcas Island to make up for
the late start.
We left Spencer Spit before the sun had risen behind
Mt. Baker to the east. MOONGLOW soon joined and JOSEPHINE
was in trail. The DAWSON got a later start as they were
not aware of the planned 5am departure. Once they got
underway there was a little bit of confusion over the
routing for the day.
Looking back over our stern we could see MOONGLOW, but
the boat behind her did not look like one of our flotilla.
Through the binoculars we could see that MOONGLOW was
being trailed by the Coast Guard. Sure enough, a few
minutes later she was boarded, again, for the second
time in less than 12 hours. I have never been boarded
in 20 years of cruising in the islands. This time it
was an abbreviated inspection with a delay of about
15 minutes. The Dyes were getting used to this, but
as this stage every minute counted.
LEAN-TO started its passage across Haro Strait and towards
the U.S. and Canadian border. The seas were dead calm
and quite beautiful in the early morning light. JOSEPHINE
and MOONGLOW with DAWSON in trail elected to take the
routing through the Wasp Islands and to the south of
Crane Island. This unfortunately would add a few precious
minutes to their routing. A few minutes later, Dan the
owner and captain of DAWSON came on the VHF. “We
have decided to break-off here. You guys are maintaining
a tough schedule and we will continue on our own.”
There was silence on the VHF until Sam on JOSEPHINE
came back on the line and wished DAWSON well with the
alternate plan to join up with the other boat, MOONDANCE
that would be leaving Seattle on Saturday and possibly
catching up with the rest of the group. We all felt
that it was unfortunate that DAWSON would not be along
on the trip.
The rest of Friday morning we all forged on not knowing
whether we would be in Naniamo by afternoon for a relaxing
day in town, or in the later evening after having to
wait for the next slack current at Dodd Narrows, 6 hours
later. LEAN-TO took the Plumper Sound route and JOSEPHINE
and MOONGLOW took Swanson Channel, to the south of Pender
Island. Both groups worked their way up Trincomali Channel
about 4-5 miles apart. JOSEPHINE was making up time
and gaining on LEAN-TO. Meanwhile, LEAN-TO picked up
ground speed after Porlier Pass as the current dropped.
It was back to 8 knots and sometimes more, but an updated
calculation put passage at Dodd Narrows at 1:20 at best,
over an hour after the time of slack current. Dodd Narrows
can be dangerous and the current rapidly builds after
slack. Over the VHF the discussion covered the options.
The crew of LEAN-TO felt comfortable challenging the
rapids with a 4 knot current in the same direction we
were headed. It was decided that MOONGLOW should use
its speed of up to 17 knots to catch up to LEAN-TO and
pass through Dodd Narrows in trail. Sam announced he
would take a peek at the rapids and determine if it
was safe. This would be difficult as once one heads
into the Narrows, you and your vessel and crew are committed.
 The
current was not helping and LEAN-TO’s speed was
dropping below 8 knots putting us into the potential
for a stonger current due to the late passage at the
Narrows. Approaching Dodd Narrows is like approaching
the bottom of a funnel. The rock sides start to close
in to the point where Chad, at the helm of LEAN-TO,
was wondering just how wide the opening would be. There
is no current or turbulence as you enter the Narrows.
But as you pass through you can see how the water is
constricted and the how fast the water is running along
the sides. On the GPS the boat speed rose from the normal
cruising speed of 8 knots to 12.2 knots. We made it
through the Narrows but then the fun began. You could
see ahead the eddys of water swirling and the turbulence
from the whirlpools. In one quick moment the relief
of the passage was replaced by amazement and a tinge
of concern as the current grabbed the boat and began
to swirl it to one side. Chad threw the wheel over,
but the current swung the boat almost 90 degrees. And
then as the boat worked its way to the other side of
the eddy, the whirlpool swung the boat hard the other
way. Chad struggled with the wheel as this cycle repeated
itself through another eddy. And then, pop and we were
through it and on our way to Nanaimo.
Behind us, it was MOONGLOW’s turn. They watched
with a bit of amazement at the gyrations of LEAN-TO.
As they went through they added power and maintained
a bit more control. From there it was a 1 hour cruise
to the docks at Nanaimo, where we cleared customs and
waited for Sam and the crew of JOSEPHINE.
  About
a half hour later, JOSEPHINE appeared and rafted up
next to the rest of us at the Customs dock. Knowing
what both LEAN-TO and MOONGLOW went through we wondered
how JOSEPHINE did in current that probably was running
about 1 knot faster for a total of 5 knots. In Sam’s
words “I would like to say it was a piece of cake,
but I would be lieing.” JOSEPHINE took a couple
of strong rolls to where the deck scuppers were in the
water. Sam’s crew was impressed to say the least
and happy to be at the dock.
Everyone took the rest of the afternoon off to clean
boats, shower, restock as few food stocks and other
goodies and explore Nanaimo. The day turned to blue
skies and sunny at the docks in Nanaimo.
Not bad for just two days into this passage to Alaska.
 The
alarm clocks were once again set for 5am for our three
boats in Nanaimo Harbour, although this time we were
not facing a tidal current deadline. Today, we wanted
to make time to get up to the Desolation Sound area,
with a passage across Georgia Strait, from Vancouver
Island east to the mainland coast of British Columbia.
The weather forecast called for winds of 15 –
20 knots in the morning, dieing down in the afternoon.
Winds like this for a crossing usually mean the seas
will be choppy, but without white caps. Our group was
slow in getting started and left the dock around 7am.
We proceeded up the channel behind Newcastle Island.
Once out of the protection of the island, the effect
of the wind on the water was the predicted 3-5 foot
choppy seas. The sun was shining under a blue sky. Psychologically
it seems to make a difference to have the sun shining
when the seas are a little rough. It does not seem as
bad. At first we proceeded at boat speed and then found
that a speed of about 5.5 knots allowed for a more comfortable
ride. The stout little LEAN-TO rode the chop well taking
spray and occasional water over its bow covering the
windshield and dousing the entire boat in salt water.
JOSEPHINE was rolling a bit while it bounded over the
waves. Sam Devlin, made the decision to deploy his paravanes
to smooth out the ride. Paravanes, also called “fish”,
are triangular spades at the end of a chain extending
out on down riggers extending out both sides of the
boat. The effect of the paravanes cutting through the
water, about 12-18 feet down, keeps the boat from rocking
from side to side as it goes up and down the waves.
Some may have a chilling memory of paravanes from the
movie “The Perfect Storm” when one of the
vanes left the rough water with such force that it swung
into the pilot house breaking the window and severely
injuring the helmsman—great Hollywood drama that
rarely happens in use.
 We
took the three hour crossing to scenic Lasqueti Island
and turned up the Sabine Channel along the west side
of Texada Island. Lasqueti and the Jedediah Island Marine
Park have a number of secluded anchorages amongst rocky
coves—definitely a place to note for my next passage
in these waters in August.
Texada Island is over 25 miles long, but the waters
went to flat calm. It was a long 3 hours to pass Texada
with only the occasional crab fishing boat passing by.
Past Texada, the scenery gets interesting as you pass
the town of Lund and enter the Copeland Islands Marine
Park. From there it is just a short passage around Sarah
Point to the Desolation Sound Area, one of the most
beautiful cruising grounds in the world.
Then why is it misnamed Desolation Sound? The naming
of many of these nautical features in British Columbia
goes back to the famous explorer, Captain George Vancouver.
Over a 3 year period he searched ALL of the coves and
inlets from the Columbia River north looking in vain
for the infamous Northern Passage for the Queen of England.
Sovereign ownership of a passage from the resource rich
west coast of North America to Europe was considered
a very high priority. As a result, he and his crew mapped
the entire coast sometimes following waterways many
miles inland until it was clear that it was not a navigable
passage.
After some time, Captain Vancouver came to Desolation
Sound on a gloomy day. His mood was reflected in his
logbook and his naming of this area. “…Bleak,
treeless and shunned by humans?” Today, that is
hardly the case as Desolation Sound is one of the most
popular boating destinations in the Pacific NW. It is
not unusual to enter a secluded, hideaway cove and find
another 20, 30 or 40 boats anchored there to share the
solitude with!
  Our
destination was Teakerne Arm, on West Redonda Island,
where we could hike to Cassel Lake and swim in its warm
waters. When you enter Teakerne Arm, you can see a white
ribbon along the shoreline 2 miles away at the head.
As one gets closer, you realize that this ribbon is
a 3 story high waterfall roaring to the waters below.
On the way in Sam rigged 2 shrimp traps and dropped
them in 300 feet of water to try his luck. We brought
the boats to about 200 yards from the waterfall and
set a deep anchor on LEAN-TO, almost to the full length
of its anchor chain and rope rode. We were sitting in
130 feet of water, but just 20 yards from the high rock
walls of the shore line. Sam ran a shore tie to a hook
on the rock wall and rafted JOSEPHINE to LEAN-TO. MOONGLOW
then pulled up and we had a 3 boat raft up in front
of the waterfalls. Boating in the Pacific Northwest
does not get much better than this.
Steaks went on the barbeque and the decision was made
for an easier day on Sunday. All would sleep in and
MOONGLOW, being the fast boat of the group, would head
to Refuge Cove in the morning, a run of about 20 minutes
to pick up fuel and for those who wanted any last minute
provisions. After a long day’s run from Nanaimo,
all were tired and fell asleep to the sounds of the
waterfall.
Sunday morning activities were split, part of the group
went to Refuge Cove and the other part of the group
took the short hike up to Cassel Lake. The lake is one
of the few places were the water warms up enough for
a good swim after the hike up. Once all returned, we
did a quick calculation and figured we could transit
the Yuculta Rapids and Dent Rapids if we left right
away. Engines were started and MOONGLOW proceeded out
first. But there was a problem on LEAN-TO. Chad could
not start the engine. Worse, when the start key was
turned there was no sound at all. If the battery was
dead, you would hear a clicking sound for the solenoid.
The first thought was the key switch had gone bad as
apparently it had happened before. Chad dug down into
one of the lockers in LEAN-TO and came up with a brand
new key switch. It was installed, but nothing! The panels
around the engine came off and Mark started with a voltmeter
checking the battery and all of the circuits. The battery
was good and for good measure we cleaned all of the
contacts on the battery and on the starter solenoid
under the engine. Still not a click! We had now missed
our window of time for passage through the rapids, but
worse, we could not bring LEAN-TO’s engine to
life. After 3 _ hours of work troubleshooting the engine
and tracing circuits, we decided to attempt to go back
to Refuge Cove where we could use the phone and call
for a mechanic. It was 4pm on a Sunday afternoon and
our hopes were not high. Several listed emergency numbers.
Chad made a number of calls but all recommended we tow
the boat to Lund on Monday morning and seek repairs
there. We returned to Teakerne Arm just in time for
a feast of freshly caught white spot shrimp and Jambalya.
As we returned to the anchorage, we were surprised to
see another of Sam Devlin’s built boats, a Black
Crown, just like MOONGLOW rafted up to JOSEPHINE and
LEAN-TO. Randy and Becky from Durango, CO. followed
Sam’s original itinerary and rendezvoused with
the group. The irony was, if we had left as planned,
before LEAN-TOs problems, they would have missed the
group.
Chad was fairly depressed. The one mechanic he talked
to described all of the worst things that could be wrong
with LEAN-TO’s engine, usually followed by, “I
could help you, but it will be really expensive.”
Four Sam Devlin wooden boats were rafted up in front
of the waterfalls with beer, wine and freshly caught,
Shrimp Jambalaya.
Monday was another 5am wake up call. We left MOONGLOW
behind, with Randy and Becky’s NIGHT HERON, while
JOSEPHINE towed LEAN-TO side tied, back 15 miles to
Lund. We arrived about 8am, just in time for opening
at the Lund Auto and Marine repair. Lee Edmondson, the
owner, was not optimistic. He thought the soonest he
could possibly look at LEAN-TO’s engine would
be Wednesday. This week was a holiday week in Canada.
The best they could offer is to have a mechanic look
at the engine later in the morning to diagnose the problem,
but probably not fix it. In case the starter was bad,
the local rebuilder said he had the parts and could
have one built by Tuesday. Lee called several other
mechanics, but everyone was either busy or out of town.
This did not look good.
Chad was getting gloomier. LEAN-TO was his boat to take
across the Gulf of Alaska, a 40 hour or more crossing
in the wide open Pacific Ocean on the way to Seward,
Alaska. One does not want problems along the way. Also,
what would this cost?
When we returned to the boat, Sam’s son Kenzie
made a comment to Sam about checking fuses that triggered
an idea. Sam recalled once before having this problem
when he owned LEAN-TO where a fuse blew on another panel
we had not checked. Sam jumped down into LEAN-TO and
came up with a blown fuse. Chad found a 20 amp replacement
fuse, put that in and that blew, but the engine clicked
before it blew. We knew we were on to the root of the
problem and the starter was not the broken. A 30 amp
fuse from the spare parts kit was installed and the
engine started right up.
Sam and Mark did a quick navigation check on the timing
for the upcoming rapids and our distance. It would be
very close, but with a little bit of extra speed we
had a slight chance of challenging Yuculta Rapids, Guillard
Pass and Dent Rapids after slack but just on the edge
before it became dangerous. If we left at noon, we just
might make it. Quickly both boats were set to go and
we left the dock.
We proceeded the 30 miles and 3 hours to Yuculta Rapids.
Every 15 minutes we crossed checked our position and
time to go along with calculations for passage of all
three rapids. If we missed we were stuck in a cove called
Big Bay for the night.
As we passed Squirrel Cove we called out to MOONGLOW
on the VHF. Paul and Robin were having a civilized lunch
on the deck at The Cove restaurant with Randy and Becky
enjoying the view with the sun shining and a blue sky.
They elected to finish lunch and catch up to JOSEPHINE
and LEAN-TO, as MOONGLOW could go twice as fast as the
other boats. They caught up just as we entered Yuculta
Rapids.
 Tidal
rapids are not like river rapids, although the principals
are the same. They are a constriction point in the waterways
of islands, where the billions of gallons of water flows
in and out of Johnstone Strait to the north and the
Strait of Juan de Fuca to the south, to the Pacific
Ocean. The tidal action is caused by the pull of the
moon and changes direction every 6 hours. The benefit
is the water is almost always moving around the islands
like natural rivers, except they proceed one way for
6 hours and then the other. At some points in the islands
the waters take a turn around an island. This rushing
water can create a current of up to 14 knots in some
areas. For a boat that does 7-10 knots, one would not
be able to proceed forward.
The tidal flows at a constriction point can be agitated
by the rock faces along the sides or an irregular bottom.
The result is a number of large eddys and whirlpools
in the water. Some like Devils Hole at Dent Rapids or
Seymour Narrows, have been know to suck a boat in and
pop it back out quite a ways away when at their maximum
flow. In fact, if you are 30 minutes late, it recommended
that one not consider passing through Dent Rapids. Most
prefer to go through at slack current, between when
the current changes direction. We were late and going
to attempt to pass by what looked like 20 minutes late
according to the Tide and Current reference tables.
The turbulence was noticeable as we entered the Yuculta
Rapids with the current pushing us at an additional
3 knots, twisting the boat from left to right as we
proceeded through the eddys in the water. As we approached
Guillard Pass, the current dropped as we hit it on slack
time even though by the current prediction tables we
were supposted to be late. But this meant that Dent
Rapids had already turned to slack 25 minutes before
and was now starting to build with a current that would
be opposing us. We headed for Devils Hole with minutes
to spare. Two large yachts, just ahead, took the center
of the channel right through Devils Hole. As they went
through the waters around them seemed to change as small
white capped wavelets formed. Both 50 foot boats twisted
and turned in the rapids as their captains worked to
maintain control. With JOSEPHINE leading we skirted
the Devils Hole to the south and close to Sonora Island,
and had a pleasant ride with some turbulence in the
whirlpools, but very manageable. We watched in amazement
as Devils Hole began to build knowing we were the last
boats through for at least the next 6 hours.
We proceeded through 2 more rapids, Green Point and
Whirlpool, where both sets had a 5 knot current running
against us. By now Chad was used to steerage through
the rapids, reading the current and turning in anticipation
of the direction of the eddy. We worked maintained a
course only 20 yards off the rocky shore to work the
back eddys against the opposing current, a strategy
Mark had used on previous passages through this area
and maintained a respectable speed through the opposing
current.
Just after Whirlpool Rapids we turned up into Forward
Harbour, a long narrow inlet, with snow capped mountains
in the distance. We cruised past a lone sailboat anchored
in a small quiet bight just before Robson Point, making
note of its potential as an anchorage for the evening.
Past Robson Point, Douglass Bay, our intended stop for
the night, had 9 boats already anchored there. While
there was still room for more, why bother. We circled
back and anchored in the quiet nook feeling apologetic
to the crew of the lone sailboat that had staked that
spot as their own.
With the three wooden boats again rafted together for
the evening, in 30 feet over a mud bottom, the grill
was brought out for salmon and fresh shrimp sautéed
in garlic and white wine, which were pulled from the
traps when we left Teakerne Arm that morning. Paul Dye
cooked up fresh vegetables he brought from the Bainbridge
Island Co-op and Mark contributed Asiago and Sunshine
(sun dried tomato and cheese) breads, fresh from Nancy’s
Bakery in Lund at noon. After the evening conversation,
all turned in by 10pm while twilight continued until
11pm. We wanted to again start at 5am for the passage
to Alert Bay and a possible crossing of Queen Charlotte
Sound, if the weather is in agreement.
The 5am departure started a little later. It is just
tough to get a group going. Also, our problem starting
LEAN-TO persists. We blew 3 fuses but shorted the circuit
and got the engine going. Once a diesel engine is going
you don’t need the starting circuit going. We
planned to proceed to Alert Bay for repairs.
We headed out to Johnstone Strait. Often when the winds
pick up out of the NW, they howl down Johnstone Strait
creating 5-6 foot seas or higher. For this day, while
the sky is overcast, Johnstone Strait is flat with nary
a ripple. During some parts of this passage the water
was like glass. The gods were shining on us as the sun
broke through the overcast in settled seas.
The Dyes with their faster boat decided to speed ahead
and explore. We all then stopped in Alert Bay for fuel
and fuses for LEAN-TO’s starter problems. Alert
Bay is a tribal village with a small main street commercial
area with a few gift shops and a combination grocery,
hardware store and deli, and a few restaurants. Like
many places in BC, the Information Centre offers internet
connections, but today it was closed for lunch until
2:30pm, well past our departure time.
Due to our need for fuses for LEAN-TOs starter problems,
we elected to stop next at Port Hardy where we would
also inquire about a mechanic to look at the problem.
As we left Alert Bay and headed north, we saw some rather
large traffic ahead. Two very large cruise ships were
headed down the narrow channel to enter Johnstone Strait,
where they would continue to Vancouver or Seattle and
be there for morning departures after a 10 day cruise
to Alaska
Along the way, Sam called out over the VHF that he saw
whales breaching “10,000 yards” ahead. As
we approached there were about 4 Humpback whales working
over the fishing grounds, rolling over and slapping
their tales. It was fun to watch for about 20 minutes.
As we entered Hardy Bay, the harbor for Port Hardy,
a new whale surfaced not more than 50 yards from the
right of the boat. Joel pulled the throttle back and
LEAN-TO’s engine stopped! Chad jumped down and
placed another fuse in but when starting that blew out
also. We were not too far from the dock so we rafted
up with JOSEPHINE and she towed LEAN-TO into the dock.
It was not after 6pm and everything was closed. Chad
and Mark walked up to the auto parts store, but they
had closed at 6pm and would not open until 8am the next
morning. Sam went the other way to find the showers
and found the dock marine store was still open and yes,
they had 30 amp fuses. He bought 3 boxes.
Everyone met at IV’s restaurant and pub and had
a well earned meal before turning in for the night back
at the docks. We had made it through the might Johnstone
Strait that day, although we were extremely fortunate,
as it was mightly glassy on the day of our passage.
 During
the morning we organized ourselves and the tasks at
hand. Chad set to work to locate a mechanic and a thermostat
for the GM “Jimmy” Diesel. Canada Day, July
1st, (the Canadian equivalent of the US 4th of July)
was coming on Friday and as we experienced in Lund,
many of the mechanics were trying to clear their backlog
before the holiday weekend. The NAPA auto parts store
did not have a thermostat for a Jimmy diesel engine.
Chad found a mechanic who could be down to the boat
in about an hour. He would first diagnose the two separate
problems and then work out the parts situation.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group took off to explore
the town of Port Hardy.
The town is about _ mile from the marina area and has
a lot to offer. Gift shops, gallerys, coffee shops,
a computer and camera store, and choice of restaurants
ranging from Chinese to BBQ and Japanese Sushi. The
Glen-Way grocery store looked very nice and they deliver
free to your boat at the dock. Internet connections
are available at Guido’s coffee shop, the Electronic
Shoppe computer store, the Info Centre and at the public
library. If you wanted to see more of the area you can
rent cars, bicycles or kayaks.
By mid-afternoon progress was made on LEAN-TO’s
engine. A new thermostat was found and installed. It
turns out the Jimmy engine shares the same thermostat
with the common Chevy 350 cu. inch engine. Next, the
mechanic determined that the solenoid for the starter
was going bad. It would draw on the circuit down when
the key was turned and blow the fuse. It was only a
matter of time before it burned out all together. The
last thing Chad wanted was not being able to start the
engine on the trip, or during their crossing of the
Gulf of Alaska.
Bit by bit, everything was fixed and at 4pm we were
ready to go. We decided to go to a small cove called
God’s Pocket on Hurst Island, at the entrance
to Queen Charlotte Sound. There is a fishing/kayak,
rustic sport resort there. We left the dock and soon
were underway with our flotilla of 3 boats for the 1
hour or so passage. Shortly after leaving the dock we
came upon several sport fishing boats, one of which
had a salmon on the hook. The temptation was too much.
We joined the fray and soon Soitza, Sam’s girlfriend,
pulled in one Rockfish then another. Mark caught a Ling
Cod too small to keep, and then Joel hooked a nice Rockfish.
We were not rigged for salmon fishing, but were happy
with what we caught.
  As
we moved on, the humpback whales were again working
for their evening meal. We stopped and continued to
marvel at their size, scale and antics in the water
as 2 whales thrashed and rolled around us.
After an hour’s cruise, we rounded Hurst Island
and found God’s Pocket cove and resort on the
west side. There were a few boats already anchored and
we decided to move on to an interesting anchorage in
the Walker Island group, named “Walkers Cove”.
You enter the narrow cut between Kent Island and Staples
Island, about 15 yards across. The crew of all three
boats were a little apprehensive about this one as the
entrance is very narrow with trees lining both sides
above the rock sides. To add to the excitement there
was a current running in the entrance pushing the boat
to one side and then the other.
Once you pass the entrance, there is a small cove shared
by the islands. In the cove, already anchored to the
large yellow provincial buoy, was the Nordhavn 40, ONWARD,
owned by Tom Hall and Liz McLoughlin of San Francisico.
Two anchors were set by LEAN-TO and JOSEPHINE and then
both boats were rafted together. MOONGLOW anchored about
50 yards away. Dinner was cooked on board. Meanwhile
Tom and Liz stopped by in the kayaks for a chat. They
are big fans of the Fine Edge “Exploring”
series by Don and Reanne Douglass. We exchanged information
and had a great chat. It was unfortunate to hear that
this will be the last cruising season for Tom and Liz
after many years of exploring Southeast Alaska and Northern
BC. At the end of the season they will be selling their
beautifully equipped Nordhavn 40. They also have a wonderful
web site detailing all of their cruises as well as their
well traveled trawler (www.bikenfly.org).
Before settling in for the night, Sam, as the defacto
flotilla leader, decided to share the leadership duties
by asking Chad to lead the next days crossing of the
infamous Queen Charlotte Sound, a distance of about
40 miles of waters open to the Pacific Ocean.
The stories of ships foundering while crossing Queen
Charlotte Sound and passing Cape Caution are legendary.
Just past Cape Caution is the Egg Island manned lighthouse.
While situated up on a rock, with the swell and waves
crashing below, it has seen some of the fiercest weather
on the western North American seacoast. Years ago, the
lighthouse keepers watched in horror as the waves rose
to the height of the base lighthouse compound, 100 feet
above the waters edge, washing away the buildings and
damaging their home. The resident light housekeepers
at the time, retired after that incident.
But the weather gods were once again shining in our
favor. We used a course from the Fine Edge “Proven
Cruising Routes” which would keep us clear of
Allan Rocks and two miles off Cape Caution. Most importantly
was the weather report. We had been following the weather
for the last couple of days as a high pressure ridge
worked its way into the area. This provided the glassy
conditions during the passage up Johnstone Strait. Our
day in Port Hardy for repairs kept us on edge, watching
the weather and hoping the high pressure would remain
over the area. The weather report looked promising with
predictions of a southwest wind of 10-15 knots or less.
We decided to plan for a 4:30am departure
The morning’s weather report still looked very
good, with calm seas reported. The West Otter ocean
buoy, sitting about 5 miles offshore, reported waves
of less than 1.8 meters. While waves of 5 feet might
seem intimidating, this is good weather for crossing
Queen Charlotte Sound. The choice could be to wait for
better, but the conditions looked good and we proceed
to leave. Once outside the protection of the islands,
the effect of the 4 foot swells started. For some, this
passage lead to a little queasy-ness. The crew of JOSEPHINE
put their passive stabilizers out to smooth out the
ride. While there was swell, there was no wind and the
passage was straight forward. After 2 hours, we passed
Cape Caution. Then, Egg Island and the Egg Island lighthouse.
We were tempted to call and wish them a good morning,
but it was still early.
We expected to see other boats crossing but saw none,
possibly because our early start from “Walker
Group Cove” at 4:30am gave us an early start over
faster boats leaving from Port Hardy or Port McNeil.
MOONGLOW found their best speed over the swells for
a stable ride at 11 knots, almost twice as fast as JOSEPHINE
and LEAN-TO. They elected to proceed ahead and wait
for the rest of us in the appropriately named, Safety
Cove on Calvert Island. Soon after we passed the lee
of Calvert Island several hours later, the southwest
swell was blocked and with no wind, the water flattened
out for a pleasant ride. We had crossed Queen Charlotte
Sound with no problems. We decided to go to an interesting
anchorage up ahead. Codville Lagoon, which is also a
BC Marine Park. While enroute, LEAN-TO’s engine
began to make a slight surging sound for about 45 minutes.
Then at one point it just stopped and the engine temperature
climbed quickly. JOSEPHINE was called on the VHF and
set up for towing LEAN-TO. The decision was made to
transfer Mark to MOONGLOW and speed on ahead to Shearwater
about 1.5 hours away. It was 2:30pm and if we had any
chance of talking to a mechanic, it would have to be
before 5pm. To complicate matters, the next day was
July 1, Canada Day, a national holiday and all businesses
would be closed for the 3 day holiday weekend. MOONGLOW,
now with Mark on board proceeded to Shearwater arriving
at 4pm.
 Docking
at Shearwater was a little more exciting than expected.
As Mark and Robin prepared the lines and fenders for
docking, Robin slipped and went right into the 55 degree
water. Hypothermia is more than just being cold in the
water and the body stopping its functions. More people
die shortly after they hit the water due to involuntarily
inhaling water due to the shock of hitting the cold
water. Mark heard the splash and yelled Man Overboard
and Neutral to Paul. At the same time he tossed the
fender he had in his hand to Robin and then the stern
line. Robin was startled but treading water, luckily
with her glasses still on. While holding the fender,
she grabbed the stern line that landed just over her
head and Paul and Mark pulled her to the boat, where
Paul lifted her out. Tragedy averted, Robin was now
very embarrassed as MOONGLOW’s entrance to Shearwater
caught the attention of everyone at the dock. After
a warm shower on board and a quick wash of her clothes
everything was back to normal.
Mark now began the process of locating a mechanic. Lorne,
one of the local mechanics just happened to be down
on the dock finishing working on another boat. Mark
explained the situation and asked Lorne to stay past
5pm. Lorne reluctantly agreed and at the same time racked
his brain to figure out from the symptoms what the problem
might be. Meanwhile we were getting reports over the
radio of LEAN-TO and JOSEPHINE’s progress while
under tow. They were making good progress but would
not make it to the dock until probably 5:45pm. LEAN-TO
had started her engine again and was now underway on
her own.
About 5:30pm, Mark went up to the shop to update Lorne
and hopefully convince him to hang in there. He saw
Lorne just leaving, ready to head out for the holiday
weekend. Lorne said he really could not wait any longer,
but after more discussion, he agreed to come back the
next morning around 9am, despite it being a Canadian
holiday. He seemed to be a man that enjoyed taking on
a challenge, as well as one who takes pride in his ability
to troubleshoot problem boats. As we inquired around
the dock, many attested to Lorne and Rex, the other
mechanic, and their ability to save boaters who run
into mechanical trouble in this area. Shearwater is
the only repair facility between Port Hardy and Prince
Rupert, almost centered in a span of some 250 miles.
Around 5:45pm JOSEPHINE and LEAN-TO made it to the Shearwater
dock. Shearwater has excellent facilities, with a well
stocked store, new laundry facilities conveniently located
with the showers, which allow you to run a quick load
of laundry while showering and freshening up. The restaurant
served up a good dinner for all and it was back to the
boats by 10pm.
We celebrated Canada Day by sleeping in with breakfast
in the restaurant in Shearwater. This also gave us a
vantage point to watch for Lorne. It was his holiday
and not clear that he would decide to come down to the
dock that morning. But, true to his word, he was there
about 9:20am ready to track down the elusive engine
overheating and shut down on LEAN-TO. This problem is
especially troubling as this is the shake down cruise
for LEAN-TO. After Ketchikan, she would be alone without
the benefit of the other boats in the flotilla for the
trip up to Juneau and then across the Gulf of Alaska.
There would be no convenient tow. In short, the engine
had to work reliably. The next few days running would
be the test with the one major symptom we knew being
a surging and shut down after about 8-9 hours of running.
For the 40+ hour crossing of the Gulf of Alaska, a shut
down mid-way could be disastrous to both the vessel
and her crew.
Lorne, went through all of the symptoms with Chad. In
Lorne’s view we had done everything right, but
the problem did not fit anything within his experience.
We could wait for his master mechanic Rex, but that
would mean most likely waiting until Tuesday as Rex
was taking off and extending his first break of the
season over the long holiday weekend.
With no solution and an engine that was running again,
the decision was made to press on, leaving the dock
at 11:30am. The destination was planned for Kynock Inlet,
a remote anchorage with a waterfall and a place where
you can hear the wolves howling all night long. As we
threaded our way up the channels, a low hanging rain
fell covering the pine tree covered mountains and hillsides
with a mist. The seas were dead calm and we proceeded
at 8 knots.
One would think that rainy days are dreary while underway.
In British Columbia, and along the Inside Passage, the
view is more of an undulating emerald green carpet lining
the sides of the passages rising to wispy clouds that
hang overhead. White ribbons of water begin to form,
waterfalls dropping down out of the forests above. Some
are just a small rushing stream and some drop down stone
walls from hundreds of feet above—hardly boring,
just a different view than the blue skies from a few
days before.
Kynoch Inlet is part of the Fiordland Recreation Area,
a name that aptly describes the visual look and feel
of the area. The deep passages are surrounded by high
green mountains rising steeply to 2,000 or 3,000 feet.
Cruising as a flotilla offers a perspective as other
boats ahead and behind you give a sense of scale to
the enormity of the area. So often you have to pinch
yourself to realize that the vistas going by can only
be viewed from a boat. This channel is not visited by
cruise ships and it is doubtful cruise ship passengers
even have the same perspective from their lofty perch
7 stories above the water.
The entrance to the Kynoch Inlet is wide and just after
you turn the corner you can see a large waterfall off
in the distance. It is impressive rising to over 4 stories
high with a broad rush of water. We attempted to take
pictures with JOSEPHINE directly in front of the falls,
but the pictures did not look as good as some of the
others. The waterfall just dominated the images with
the boat so small in front of the crashing water.
 
 We
continued down Kynoch Inlet for about 7 miles, or an
hour underway. The view was awe inspiring. The towering
mountain sides were granite sheers, with misty clouds
above. The forested sides were dark green with areas
of new growth in light green. Deep valleys with light
green sides presented a view that looked surreal, more
vivid than any painter could capture, and if he or she
did others would think it was too much artistic license.
To add to the view, not that it needed more, were the
waterfalls. Not one, not two, but at least 50 or 60.
Each one was unique. Some were a ribbon of water that
started 3000 feet up on the sheer granite face. Some
were a tumble of water that just emerged from the forest.
Some were set by nature to shoot out from a cliff to
the water 50 feet below. Others were a series of tiers
of flat, dark granite with white water tumbling across
emerging from the forest and dropping into the deep
inlet just a few feet from the boat. For a landscape
designer specializing in waterfalls, this was Mother
Nature’s museum for inspiration, with all on display.
At the head of Kynoch Inlet is the opening to Culpepper
Lagoon, navigable at high water slack, but a small rapid
later in the tidal cycle. We elected not to explore
Culpepper Lagoon as we wanted to leave early the next
morning and continue our way north. From the guide books,
it looks like an interesting area. The head of Kynock
Inlet has a drying ledge and we anchored as close to
the ledge as we dared in 65 feet of water
The late evening below this beautiful panorama was spent
grilling our dinners, the three rafted wooden boats
sharing our excitement over rum tonics or red wine.
For entertainment, the fishing gear went down and soon
small flounders, or sand dabs, were caught. We were
tempted to bread and fry them but released them for
another day. After dishes were cleaned and put away,
we all turned in at 10:30 pm as the twilight sky still
glowed inside the inlet.
 This
day’s passage started extra early at 5am. We had
to pass through Heikish Narrows and if we reached there
by, between 7:30am and 9:00am, the current would be
with us and push us through with an extra 4-5 knots.
The clouds hung down lower than our arrival in Kynoch
Inlet the night before, covering some of the high granite
faces and their waterfalls. We were fortunate to have
the views we did when we entered the inlet the evening
before.
Our initial plans were for a shorter cruising day with
fantasies of a passage to Bishop Hot Springs. A rustic
spa is set up where the hot water bubbling up to the
surface is led by pipes into several tubs allowing warm
baths and a natural hot soak. There are a number of
hot springs off the Ursala Channel and Verney Passage
in BC. It was a little out of the way but is a pleasant
experience when you have been underway for a while.
The hot springs used to be part of the local knowledge
amongst boats traveling to this area. Word would be
handed down from one boater to the other, or amongst
the fisherman. “Take the channel up to the second
bay to the right, turn in and continue about two miles
until you see the log float. Follow the trail to the
concrete tub in the woods.” Today, cruising guides
like the Don and Reanne Douglass’ book “Exploring
the North Coast of British Columbia” or Bob Hale’s
“Waggoner Guide” give detailed directions.
Over the years many of the hot springs have been re-built
and maintained thanks to the volunteer work of yacht
clubs or boating groups. They are free to use, with
the request that the facilities be used with care and
with nothing left behind.
We prepared to leave and start engines but LEAN-TO’s
engine would not turn over. Not even a click from the
new starter solenoid. Could the problem now be a bad
starter? It would be impossible to start the 180 hp,
diesel engine without the starter. Chad noted that the
lights did not come up on the house battery charger
system indicating it was probably inoperative.
Chad connected a car battery charger to the system and
started his Honda generator on deck. After 15 minutes,
he tried to start LEAN-TO’s engine again. The
starter turned and the engine caught on the first turn.
We were running, but now what. The electrical problems
were persisting on the one boat that was going the furthest,
over some of the most volatile seas on the Pacific Coast,
the Gulf of Alaska. LEANT-TOs engine was now running
well and we decided to proceed.
Our passage for the day
took us up 50 miles of passages. We hardly ever saw
another boat along the way. The passes were high steeped
mountains with deep water in between and waterfalls
occasionally appearing along the green-forested sides.
About 1:30pm after being underway for 8.5 hours, we
decided to stop at the former fishing cannery town of
Butedale. What was once a thriving factory town of several
hundred people is now crumbling into the water. Refrigeration
on boats made remote canneries like this obsolete, as
large fish processing plants in Prince Rupert or Vancouver
could now be reached by refrigerated delivery boats
called fish packers. The town people left when the cannery
shut down but Butedale continued to live on with its
lone caretaker and every light in the town left on causing
quite a sight when approached at night in this dark
corner of a waterway called Fraser Reach. Electricity
for the cannery came from a Pelton Wheel generator being
fed with cascading down fresh water from the lake above.
The lights were left on to keep a load on the generator
until it finally failed in the 1980’s. It became
a welcome, albeit eerie, night-time landmark on the
lonely passage north or south. Today you can dock at
the main float and walk among the ruins to visualize
a bygone area. You can walk up to the old generator
house and see the turbines and generators rusting away.
The caretaker has rigged a small automotive generator
with belts and pulleys to one of the old slowly spinning
turbines to generate electricity for his house. The
small generator is almost comical next to the large
old generators. Butedale is stop worth making and a
good place to stretch your legs.
When it was time to leave, again, LEAN-TOs starter system
would not budge the engine. We rigged up the charging
system and gave it a start. A starting sequence was
in place and we determined that the large starting battery
for the boat probably had a bad cell and would have
to be replaced in Prince Rupert.
We continued on, now deciding not to stop at the Bishop
Hot Springs but to get as much of the passage to the
major town of Prince Rupert, BC as we could.
Soon we started up the mighty 45-mile long, Grenville
Channel, a 6-hour passage for our flotilla. This is
one of the main waterways of the Inside Passage. A water
highway with tug boats, cruise ships, and large ferries
all traveling between Alaska and areas in BC or the
US. We had decided to make it a long cruising day to
allow us to reach Prince Rupert after a short passage
in the morning. MOONGLOW decided to use her speed to
push on ahead and we agreed to meet at Baker Inlet near
the top of Grenville Channel.
Along the way, we watched with great interest while
a helicopter transferred giant logs from the backside
of a ridge down to a waiting barge and log loading ship,
all anchored in front of a scenic roaring waterfall.
Just a mile up the channel, a motorized barge was parked,
tied to the side of the channel holding the housing
quarters for the logging crew. Life is different up
here. We also were thankful that the logging was being
done on the backside of the ridge. A thoughtful logging
tract owner, or government official, had rightfully
decided that it would be best to log out of view from
this well traveled channel. The cost was more expensive
for log removal by helicopter rather than the old days
where trees were felled with handsaws and jack screws
and allowed to fall to the channel below by gravity,
where they could then be towed to the mills by tugs
with log floats. It was hard work and the men that logged
these areas were a unique breed. Helicopter logging
also reflected the high value of lumber these days.
We wondered whether the logs would end up here or be
shipped to lumber hungry Asia.
Our course was set up the straight channel until a new
wrinkle emerged in our plans. At one point, the electrical
power faded in the pilot house for LEAN-TO cutting out
the radar, GPS navigation, depth sounder system and
most importantly the VHF radio. We had back ups for
everything but the radar, and found that cutting everything
back would allow the boats batteries to slowly recharge.
This new dilemma required a rethinking of our plans.
It was now after 9:30pm, and while still light out,
we would not be to Baker Cove until 10pm. But should
we shut down LEAN-TO’s engine for the night and
risk not being able to start it. Or, should we continue
through the night and reach Prince Rupert by 2am? It
had already been a very long day and now we talked of
going further.
A discussion took place on the VHF evaluating the options.
We were beginning to feel like Apollo 13 as we cobbled
together solutions with our backups. But we did have
a big difference. We were a flotilla of 3 boats where
one could come to the aid of each other. Sam came on
the VHF and sounded tired. It had been a long day. He
said “I can’t leave a wounded bird alone
to try to keep flying…” There was a momentary
silence on the VHF. The crew of LEAN-TO decided to listen
to the weather and evaluate the options.
The continuous recording on the VHF weather channel
for Environment Canada was not promising. Gale Warnings
were posted for the crossing to Prince Rupert. The idea
of a crossing, in the dark, as a “wounded bird”
had less appeal. We now understood some of the problems
and understood a solution to re-start the engine. Besides,
we were all tired and hungry. The idea of an entrance
into Baker Inlet sounded like the better option. It
was well protected. If the weather kicked up during
the night, we would be tucked away in a well-protected
anchorage. You could tell we were further north. The
mountain sides above us still had patches of white snow
this late into the summer.
 The
entrance to Baker Inlet was another narrow passage,
about 50 feet wide. Chad maneuvered LEAN-TO through
the pass with the current keeping a careful eye on the
trees that extended out on either side and to keep them
from snagging in the old fishing boat’s rigging.
We made it through the pass and proceeded down the 3-mile
inlet. Like Kynoch Inlet, from the night before, the
scenery was beautiful. By the time we got our anchors
down, it as about 10:30pm. A quick dinner was prepared
on all of the boats and by dusk at midnight everyone
was turning in. The weather report for the next morning
contained the gale warnings. Gale Warnings mean winds
of 34-47 knots which can set up wind waves that can
be dangerous to small vessels, not to mention very uncomfortable.
Through the night you could hear the wind and rain.
Williwaws blasted down across the water from time to
time shaking the boats and we wondered what the conditions
would be like on the water the next day.
The morning weather forecast did not appear promising.
Gale Warnings were still in effect and we felt we were
well protected in the beautiful Baker Inlet.
Mid-morning Chad started up LEAN-TO’s engine using
our charge and start procedure. It worked and he left
the engine idling for several hours as all three boats
took advantage of the weather time to read or hike on
shore.
To check weather conditions, a survey team took the
faster MOONGLOW out to the Channel to see the weather
conditions in Grenville Channel for themselves.
 We
elected to start out at 1 pm, raising anchors and heading
up the inlet. As we proceeded, LEAN-TO’s engine
began to surge, a sign of problems and what we later
determined to be overheating. It surged until it shut
down. JOSEPHINE pulled up and we rigged for a sidetow.
We side towed a short distance to the mouth of the cove
and decided to retry LEAN-TO’s engine. It fired
up and we were on our way. Now if the weather held we
would be on to Prince Rupert. Chad kept a wary eye on
the engine gauges for LEAN-TO.
Our flotilla of 3 boats continued up the rest of Grenville
Channel. The wind conditions were not as forecast and
were lighter. As we continued out Arthur Passage to
the more open seas the chop started to build. It was
not uncomfortable, but with the prospect of an open
passage in Chatham Sound to Prince Rupert, it had our
attention.
Slowly the surging started on LEAN-TO’s engine.
It became progressively worse over a half hour period
and the crew of LEAN-TO was concerned that the engine
would quit. We were rigged for towing but JOSEPHINE
was now about a mile behind LEAN-TO. If the engine quit,
LEAN-TO would bob like a float, but could turn and begin
taking waves over the side in the 3-5 foot seas. While
the sturdy former fishing boat has probably handled
much worse, it would not be pleasant. MOONGLOW had meanwhile
darted ahead and was waiting in a cove they had found
on the north of Edith Island. We rounded the reef at
the top of the island and headed into the cove. We needed
to give LEAN-TO’s engine a slight rest. LEAN-TO
motored into the cove and Chad brought the engine back
to idle. JOSEPHINE soon caught up and we once again
evaluated options as we were headed across open sea
in an area known to be rough. The weather report was
not promising but so far conditions had been better
than forecast.
LEAN-TO’s engine seemed ok and we proceed out
the cove and into Chatham Sound. Wave conditions and
the swell set up to about 4-6 feet. It was from the
south and our stern, which for some is easier than plowing
into the waves. A boat plowing into the waves is easier
to handle and safer. A following sea basically means
the boat will be surfing down the waves. While the extra
speed is good, the helmsman, Chad in this case, must
be constantly steering, and compensating to keep the
boat tracking forward. Inattention will lead to a boat
broaching, where it will turn sideways to a wave with
the potential for dangerous results.
We continued to cross the sound over the next 4 hours,
working our way closer to Prince Rupert and navigating
around some of the rocky reefs in the area. Soon Prince
Rupert came into view and we proceeded into the harbor
and Cow Bay. As we proceeded into the harbor, the conditions
became calm and it was a pleasant ride as evening settled
over the harbor town. The preferred Prince Rupert Rowing
and Yacht Club dock did not have enough room for our
group and we proceeded to the public floats at the Rushbrooke
Marina, a bit further from town. This large marina was
also full but we spotted a few openings in the commercial
moorage area. We took them as it was almost 8pm and
we did not think any of the commercial fisherman would
be coming back later that day. We also felt that with
JOSEPHINE and LEAN-TO’s wooden boat fishing heritage,
some of the old salts would give us a little slack for
the night.
We tied up the boats and headed up to The Breakers pub
for a fun dinner and phone calls back to family to let
them know we had arrived safe and sound. We had been
out of communication for several days and others were
wondering how our little flotilla was faring!
Prince Rupert is the last
Canadian port on the Inside Passage route north. The
Canadian National Railroad terminates at the port of
Prince Rupert making it a shipping center for grain
from the plains of Canada and other goods to be shipped
to Asia. It is also a major port for the Canadian Fishing
Fleet and has a vibrant marine supply and repair business.
We had another major crossing ahead and wanted to work
to solve LEAN-TO’s mechanical problems.
The morning plan was to locate and purchase a new starter
battery for LEAN-TO and also to have a diesel mechanic
look at LEAN-TO’s engine to see if the source
of the surging could be determined.
When we passed the Prince Rupert Rowing and Yacht Club
the night before, Mark noticed that another flotilla
group from Bellingham, WA was there, now on their way
back south after being in Alaska for several weeks.
 Brian
Pemberton, of Northwest Explorations, (http://www.nwexplorations.com/mgc.html)
was on his way back to Bellingham, WA with 5 Grand Banks
motor yachts. His charter company had sold the trip
in legs, where someone could charter the boat for the
route up the Inside Passage, cruising in Alaska, or
the leg home back down the Inside Passage. The trip
proved to be very popular. People from all walks of
life participated in the NW Explorations trip. Brian
mentioned that the average age was 73, but there were
a few young people on the trip also. For the trip, they
hired their own naturalist, a specialist on Alaska history
and fauna who provided information on the different
destinations as they traveled through the many anchorages
and passes in Alaska and the Inside Passage. The Grand
Banks boats were well equipped. Those who might be prone
to seasickness could ride on Brian’s 49’
Grand Banks, DECEPTION, which was equipped with active
stabilizers that smooth out a rough ride. DECEPTION
also has her own washer/dryer and is very well equipped
for extended cruising. On their more relaxed agenda,
they planned to arrive back in Bellingham by July 19th.
 There
is a lot one can do in Prince Rupert. The museum is
very good showing the history of the local Tsimshian
people. There are a number of good restaurants and shops
to peruse. After a while you may notice that tanks and
street trash cans all are painted to look like a black
and white cow. One of the local coffee shops is “Cowpuccino’s”.
Then you begin to see how pervasive the cow theme is.
This area of Prince Rupert, where the yacht club is
located, is called Cow Bay and a number of businesses
have taken off with this theme. A truck was spotted
where the owner has declared himself the “Mayor
of Cow Bay”.
Another Prince upert distinction is its Bald Eagle population.
One Bald Eagle always catches your attention with their
graceful flight and distinctive white head and tail
feathers. Two Bald Eagles are even more special. But
as soon as you get off a boat in Prince Rupert you hear
the distinctive call of a Bald Eagle, and then another,
and another. You look up into the trees or the corner
of buildings, or the pilings around you and you can
begin to count. It is not unusual to have 12-15 Bald
Eagles staring down at you. You wonder what might happen
if you trip and fall while walking down one of the quiet
roads; will the eagles gang up and make a feast of your
injured body. In actuality they are quite well fed.
There are numerous charter sport fishing boats in Prince
Rupert. When they come in after a day of fishing the
salmon and halibut are gutted and cleaned right there
at the dock and the eagles have all the fish guts they
can consume. The fishing is still very good around Prince
Rupert as we cold see many 30-40 lb. salmon being brought
in to be cleaned.
The day before we were there the gill-netting fishing
fleet was in and the docks were 4 boats deep, rafted
together according to Kevin, the Harbour Manager. If
we had arrived the day before, we would not have been
able to find any space at the dock.
By mid morning, LEAN-TO’s battery had been replaced.
A good diesel mechanic had been found, but he would
not be able to get to LEAN-TO until Thursday! Note to
parents – based on this trip, have your kids skip
med school and become a diesel mechanic. They are hard
to come by and are paid quite well!
 Sam
put out the call that our flotilla of three boats would
be leaving at 2pm. Everyone need to be refuel, ice placed
on board, provisions from the local Safeway and anything
else one needed. The weather report did not sound good
for that day for the crossing of Dixon Entrance to Alaska.
Seas were forecast to be 1-2 meters with winds of up
to 25 kts. There was some debate on whether we would
be better leaving in the early morning when the seas
are usually flatter.
As we worked our way out the circuitous Venn Passage
to Chatham Sound, the winds and seas were picking up.
The fishing fleet was already on its way back in and
they did not look happy. Apparently the catch was not
good and the fishing was shut down by the government.
There were a lot of grumbling fisherman on the VHF radio.
Our goal that day was to spend the afternoon and early
evening working our way north. The plan was to get to
Dundas Island and Brundige Inlet for the night. This
would put us just 6 miles south of the Canadian and
Alaskan border, nothing more than a dotted line across
the water on your charts. As soon as we cleared Venn
Passage, the seas kicked in. It was not as rough as
other points on the trip, but it was up there. As we
headed out to the open sea, we wondered what more lay
in store.
  The
winds were out of the south-southeast, or against the
stern of our flotilla. This meant a following sea. While
this may appear to be better than bashing into waves
hitting you head-on, it does mean that your boat will
rise on the waves from the stern first, and then surf
down the face of the wave. We actually gained about
2 knots of speed while keeping Chad busy at the wheel
to keep the boat facing down the waves.
After a couple of hours we turned into Brundige Inlet.
There were one of two other sport fishing boats near
the entrance but none down the 3 mile inlet. Dundas
Island is not a beautiful anchorage when compared to
the anchorages of the last several days. The island
is relatively flat and the trees are not in protected
valleys. They are subject to the strong winds and fierce
winters and show the stress they carry on this island.
There was a stream feeding into the inlet nearby the
anchorage and we could hear birds all over. We were
miles from the closest civilization.
Tucked safely inside the inlet, we listened to the weather
forecast for our crossing of Dixon Entrance to Alaska
the next day. It sounded ok, but tentative. It rained
off and on through the night with occasional wind gusts
as we lay at anchor in the quiet inlet. We all had dinner
on our individual boats and turned in for the night.
There were no fireworks or 4th of July festivities for
our little flotilla, just thoughts of the crossing to
Alaska in the morning.
The morning weather reports still sounded OK with seas
of up to 1 meter. Not great, but OK. It is tough to
get excited about the weather when there is a solid
overcast and regular rain. We started north about 7am
and an hour later were officially across the border
in Alaska, at least as far as we could tell on your
GPS chart plotters. But we still had 5 hours to go to
get to Ketchikan.
Soon we started to pass amongst the islands of southern
Alaska. We passed Cape Fox and for that moment the appropriately
named, Foggy Bay. The visibility sometimes dropped to
a mile or two and some islands were passed without our
ever seeing them, other than the green featureless blobs
on the radar.
After noon, things began to look more interesting as
we proceeded up Rivillagigedo Channel. The boat traffic
started to pick up and soon we could see houses up ahead
on the shoreline. We began to get cell phone coverage
and made our calls to customs for clearance for the
3 wooden boats. Not only did the boat traffic pick up,
but we started to regularly see float planes either
making deliveries to the islands or taking cruise ship
tourists up to the Misty Fjords area for an aerial tour.
As we got closer to Ketchikan we could also see several
large cruise ships at the harbor front, towering over
the small village, and docked right at the entrance
to marina. We called ahead to the Harbor Master, but
he was doubtful there was room for our three boats.
He suggested we stop in at the Ketchikan Yacht Club,
which has its docks right there in the marina.
We worked our way into the marina and docks in the shadow
of an 8 story Princess line cruise ship. The harbor
was full but we found a couple of spaces. The customs
agent promptly arrived and was extremely courteous and
friendly, a wonderful welcome back to the US and a contrast
to some of the agents encountered in other places.
Ketchikan is a seaport town caught with two missions.
The local towns people maintain a fishing village, but
with 5-7 cruise ships sitting at their docks every morning,
arriving to allow their guests to roam the streets,
there are two sides to Ketchikan. The side the cruise
ship passengers see that include jewelry stores like
Romero’s and Caribbean Gems (Caribbean Gems????),
the lumberjack show, many gift and trinket stores. Creek
Street, just up from the docks, is a charming set of
restored buildings, on a boardwalk along the roaring
Ketchikan Creek. Most of the buildings now house small
shops. One of the more unusual “historical sites”
is Dolly’s House Museum, home to one of the town’s
more infamous bordellos many years ago, as were many
of the houses on Creek street.
Along the harbor front float planes run a continuous
circuit of take offs and landings, just in front of
the cruise ships taking tourist up to the magnificent
Misty Fjords area. The sounds of float planes, chainsaws
and cheering people at the lumberjack show, tour buses,
sidewalks crowded with tourists all take away from the
charm of Ketchikan.
While we were there, it rain and rained hard. Most of
us donned our “Alaska sneakers”, high boots
of various colors, great for working on the deck of
a boat in the pouring rain. As afternoon turned to evening,
the tourists all re-boarded their cruise s |
