Day 15 | Flotilla to Alaska | Khutze Bay to Lowe Inlet

Another gorgeous morning! Blue skies and very little wind made the cruise up from Khutze Bay to Lowe Inlet a very pleasant day. Today is another longish cruise (~54nm) through beautiful inside channels. Sunshine improves the view. We spotted a big black bear on shore as we transited Graham Reach. At first it looked like the bear was going to hightail it into the woods before we could get much … Read more

Day 16 | Flotilla to Alaska | Butedale to Lowe Inlet

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

Day 15 | Flotilla to Alaska | Windy Bay to Butedale

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

Day 14 | Flotilla to Alaska | Butedale to Lowe Inlet

We left Butedale early this morning — just before 6:30am — to beat the current in Grenville Channel. Grenville Channel floods from both sides, and currents run to several knots. Ideally you ride the flood in, and the ebb out. Theoretically, the current was supposed to turn against us about an hour before we reached Lowe Inlet. Instead, we had over a knot of current with us the entire trip. We’ll … Read more

Day 13 | Flotilla to Alaska | Bottleneck Inlet to Butedale

When we woke up in Bottleneck it was totally calm—glassy, except for rain drops, and not a breath of wind. Just outside, though, it was unexpectedly rough. There wasn’t much wind, but the southerly swell worked its way up Finlayson Channel. We spent a few minutes rolling around as we left, but things quickly settled down and we had an easy run up to Butedale. Butedale is an awesome stop. It’s … Read more