Sailing Adventures of s/v Talos IV: Rebecca Spit – Surge Narrows – Waiatt Bay

Leaving Campbell River on a flood tide carried us south to round Cape Mudge. We clocked 10 kts with the help of current. The speed was a bit scary. I was glad the current finally turned us loose as we distanced ourselves from Seymour Rapids. We turned up Sutil Channel and headed to the Rebecca Spit Marine Park. This is listed as one of BC’s first and most loved Marine Parks. It was very peaceful and the holding ground was good on a mud bottom. We encountered s/v Thor again but were not able to link up with them. A call from Lori next morning on the radio advised us that they were turning south and heading homeward. Morning came early….we were headed toward Surge Narrows (a rapid).

Timing is everything. We had analyzed all our resources and determined when we needed to be at the rapids for slack. I think we are both still a bit anxious about the unknown, as we arrived a little early. We waited until the appropriate time and poked our nose around the corner. Another sail vessel was just coming thru from the north. We let him pass and proceeded thru. Everything went well. The morning was still very misty and quiet as we pulled into Waiatt Bay.

Waiatt Bay is huge. Not wide as much as it is long. A sailor told us about it when we were in Gorge Harbor. It was as he described. We opted to go to the head of the bay for some solitude. It was not a problem as there were only 2 other boats and one was preparing to leave. We enjoyed a great hike and heard a wolf call two different times while we were there.

Another rapid was waiting for us the next day as we transitioned to Owen Bay. We headed away from Waiatt via Tentacle Channel thru Octopus Islands. This put us into Okisollo Channel and face to face with Upper Rapids. We were too early on this rapid, so we had to hover and wait. When we did go it was still a few minutes early. The current was really against us and there were lots of eddies. It was a reminder to not push the clock too much. Talos IV handled it just fine, but it left me feeling a little nervous about the set and navigational hazards. We entered Owen Bay (Sonora Island) which is just north of the rapids. It is also a very quiet harbor but has cabins and a lot more boat activity. We worked our way thru crab pots and fishermen to a good spot for anchoring. After getting settled Paul took the dinghy and set his crab pot. We would retrieve it tomorrow morning.

What a relief! No rapids today, but we need to go up and around the Lower Rapids via the Okis Islands route. We wanted to transition at slack. We were up early and after breakfast Paul went to pull the crab pot.

BONANZA!!!!! He had a Dungeness female and a red male. The male was of very good size. Hello appetizer for dinner tonight. We steamed the crab before leaving and put him on ice to cool. The Dungeness female was returned to the bay unharmed.

We motored around the Okis Islands without problem and thus avoided the rapids. The weather is cold and rainy. Visibility is good and the showers moving thru don’t last too long. We motored out Okisollo Channel and entered Discovery Channel. This was a short transition until we were able to head up Nodales Channel. We were headed up the west side of Sonora Island to Cameleon Harbour. Our arrival was about 1 PM. The place is deserted except for a motor vessel anchored at the head of the bay. We anchor off a bit, have some lunch and start to plan the next several days route. The rain is getting worse and finally we are in a full blown storm with thunder and wet rain and wind.

Tomorrow we are planning to head to Blind Channel Resort, on West Thurlow Island.

NOTE: The crab was served tonight for an appetizer. It was very tasty.

Day 2; Cameleon Harbour

It is the “Rain Coast” and it is raining, and raining and raining. Not just misty foggy rain but a shoulder soaking, bone chilling wet rain. We are staying put today as the front has stalled out and is not moving on until tomorrow. I made up some beans in the pressure cooker and Paul is reading manuals on all our intricate systems. We are learning and appreciating much more about the great improvements Bob Ford put in place for Talos IV. The positive about all this rain is we know Talos IV is leak free. We have a dry bilge and have not identified any problems with moisture.

Did I say it is raining??? A lot.

Rain stopped at 5:32 this evening. Blue sky above and clearing to the west. Paul jumped in the dinghy and rowed ashore to check out some eagles and look for bear. As of now we are the only boat here. In the clearing conditions the harbour is very peaceful and the colors on shore are beautiful. The furry crew is on deck after almost 48 hours of confinement (self imposed).

It looks like we will head to Blind Channel Resort tomorrow.