Today was Cape Caution day.
We often talk about the “Gates” of the Inside Passage – segments that give boaters pause, and often limit their progress north toward Southeast Alaska. Beginning in Puget Sound, where there is the highest density of boaters, these include Johnstone Strait, the Strait of Georgia, the rapids in BC, Cape Caution, and finally Dixon Entrance.
Cape Caution is the first of these gates that is an open ocean passage, and for many boaters it is the first experience they will have with ocean swell and operating their vessel outside protected waters.
If you did a study of the number of recreational boaters who venture north, you’d find that the count drops significantly at each of the gates, with people choosing to stay behind the gate, enjoying cruising in more familiar waters. For those who push past the gates, the rewards are less traffic, more solitude, gorgeous scenery, uncluttered anchorages, and wonderful wildlife experiences.
North of Cape Caution is the northern coast of British Columbia – a beautiful stretch with countless nooks and crannies inviting exploration, stunning scenery, and very few recreational boaters.
We were up at first light for our Cape Caution rounding. The conditions could not have been much better. Breezes were light, seas were flat – with almost no ocean swell, and traffic was minimal as the previous day had also featured great conditions. Often, vessels will accumulate at staging points such as Port McNeill, Blunden, and others – waiting for an acceptable day to round Cape Caution. Then, when a good day rolls around, everyone goes at once. We had the luxury of rounding on the second good day, so many of the others had likely gone around the day before.
We normally stay at Fury Cove after rounding Cape Caution, but Fury Cove is currently “closed” (they have requested boats not to anchor there for now), so we chose Big Frypan Bay as our stopover. Big Frypan has a narrow but easily-navigable entrance and plenty of room for several boats to drop the hook. We were the only boats in Big Frypan – not that it mattered much. Shortly after we arrived the RAIN came. We managed a quick outing to drop some shrimp traps, and braved a quick dinghy ride to gather on Airship for an abbreviated happy hour to discuss our plans for upcoming days.