The forecast for crossing Dixon Entrance was about as good as it gets. Wind light, building to northwest 5-15 knots in the afternoon and 10-20 knots in the evening. Environment Canada, NOAA, Windy, and Windfinder all basically agreed, too. We’d have a lazy, three foot swell and basically calm winds. This is the longest day of our trip at 64 nautical miles. Given the long day and the possibility of … Read more
Today felt like a longish day from Lowe Inlet up Grenville Channel to Kelp Passage. It wasn’t actually that much longer than any other day, it’s that it was a day of gray, rain, fog, and not a lot of scenery or wildlife. Grenville Channel can be a bit boring when the weather is less than stellar and visibility is poor, and today was one of those days. As soon … Read more
We awoke to the pitter-patter of raindrops falling on the deck. Outside, clouds hung low on the horizon. Environment Canada warned of 25-35 knot winds out on Hecate Strait, and we worried some of that wind might whip up rough seas even on the inner channels we’re traveling on. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. We had a bit of a following sea as we headed northwest in Fraser Reach, but … Read more
We’ve been lucky with the weather so far. We’ve had sun almost every day, sometimes not until the afternoon and occasionally with some rain showers mixed in, but overall it’s been really nice. Yesterday afternoon, clouds moved in, and this morning felt like a typical day on B.C.’s central coast: misty with low clouds clinging to the mountainsides. Since it was too bumpy yesterday afternoon to run the dinghies up … Read more
The flotilla left Rescue Bay this morning by 9:00 am and headed up Mathieson Channel — destination Windy Bay. We are now entering the Fiordland Recreation Area, one of the most remote areas of our trip so far — where there is virtually no civilization, no cell service or internet connection, and very little boat traffic. We are rewarded with glacial fjords, steep granite cliffs, lush forests, and more waterfalls … Read more
After a busy day doing chores in Shearwater, we were ready to get back to the fun part of cruising—anchoring in remote, beautiful places! From Shearwater, we headed west out Seaforth Channel towards the ocean, then turned north, transited Reid Passage, and slipped through Perceval Narrows. This is a relatively complicated route, but it avoids the worst of the swells in Milbanke Sound. The south entrance of Reid Passage can … Read more
The flotilla arrived at Shearwater Resort by about 10:00 a.m., which was great since it left the rest of the day for chores. Shearwater is always a busy stop for us on our way up and down the Inside Passage. We can shop for groceries, do laundry, fill up with fuel and water, eat out, and if anyone needs parts or mechanical help there’s a travel lift, full boatyard, and … Read more
We were on our way to Ocean Falls by 7am this morning. This is an early (and independent!) group. The wind started to pick up as we approached Cousins Inlet, but the sun was shining and the scenery was beautiful as usual. We took advantage of the nice weather to hike up to the dam and the lake, then wandered around town in and out of some of the old … Read more