Garden Bay, Pender Harbour

We woke with a beautiful blue sky and warm weather.  The forecast is for winds 10 – 15 from the NW, so our hope is that we can sail back down Agamemnon Channel on our way to Pender Harbour.  At first, things were not too promising as we came out of the marine park into Hotham Channel, but as we motored toward Agnew Passage, the entrance to Agamemnon, we could see that winds were picking up.  We shared the relatively narrow passage with the ferry from Saltery Bay on its way into Earl Cove and as we rounded the corner, the wind was blowing at 12 knots.  Unfortunately, as seems to be our luck it was right on our nose.  After some debate, we decided to go ahead and raise the sails and beat up against it.  Part of our decision was based on another sail boat that was already reaching back and forth and in the spirit of sailing we had to join in the fray.  It was a lot of work, but a whole lot of fun.  We tacked back and forth as we made our way up the relatively narrow channel.  We were only able to stay on each tack for about 2 – 3 minutes before having to come about.  Janet was at the helm and Paul was working the lines.  The fun continued for several hours until we were nearly out of the channel and our stomachs were telling us that it was well past lunch.  We dropped the sails, ate lunch and made preparations for entering Pender Harbour.  We dropped anchor in Garden Bay near the head of the harbor. 

Today is our wedding anniversary (31 years), so dinner on shore to celebrate was on the agenda.  We took the dinghy over to the marina past a huge sailing yacht with what seemed like an endless number of people.  Perhaps a good way to enjoy sailing the Salish Sea, but we both agreed it was not for us.  We had a great dinner and headed back to the boat where we collapsed from the long day of sailing.

Captain Janet at the helm.

Mega yacht!

And their toys!  They had two of these, plus
 an assortment of other water toys.

Harmony Island Marine Park, Hotham Sound

Bill had suggested we check out Hotham Sound on our way south. We decided to head up Jervis Sound from Musket, planning to spend the night somewhere among the Harmony Islands. The weather was severe clear. We saw all the mountain peaks that we missed early in June. Temps have really warmed up. The weather is great!

We observed a seal log rolling as we approached the marine park. He dipped under as we approached, but jumped right back on the log as we passed. The marine park was inclusive of a group of islands and a narrow channel running between them and the mainland. The approach to Harmony was deep, 800 feet shoaled out to 150 ft in the narrow channel. We found a narrow rock shelf very close to shore. We motored thru the entire area and decided to stern tie off the shelf, stern to the islands. We hooked the ledge first try and were able to get the stern line wrapped around a suitable boulder below the high water mark. This marine park is surrounded by private property so while the water ways are great, you can’t go ashore unless it is below HW.

Paul and I went for a dinghy adventure to circumnavigate the island group and check out a waterfall. When we returned there was a parade of boats which had arrived. Everyone was looking for the perfect anchorage. It continues to be an evening ritual watching and learning from others techniques. I will be surprised if we don’t have some anchors drag tonight.

This has been a great stop. All crew had a chance to relax and enjoy the anchorage.

Log rolling seals.

Tia relaxing enroute to our next destination.

Paul scoping out the local scene.

Frail Falls, about a mile down from our anchorage.

Louie enjoying a morning massage on the deck.

 

Janet was very pleased and proud of her stern tie.

s/v Talos IV at anchor at Harmony Island Marine Park.

Musket Island Marine Park, Hardy Island

This morning the water was like glass. Winds were now out of the NW and not expected to exceed 10 kts. We decided to motor to the marine park located just across the Jervis Inlet, about 3 nm.

We found a great anchorage and enjoyed a dinghy adventure. Enclosed you will find the photo diary of our exploits on Musket Island.

Paul posing with the park sign.

Paul relaxing on the park bench.

Janet is all smiles.

Paul trying his best to mimic the local art work.

s/v Talos IV at anchor at Musket Island Marine Park.

Thunder Bay, Jervis Inlet

We departed Lund mid morning with a freshening breeze from the SE 10-15kts. The forecast was for increasing winds to 20 kt and we were going to have a turning tide on our nose. This set us up for a rather challenging day.

We were under motor as the wind conditions would have required us to tack multiple times to gain very little ground. The lesson for the day was best described as better to wait for the tide to be in your favor. That said, we did have a successful run south. The swells were 3-4 ft and winds 18 – 20kts. Talos IV handled this without problem. We remained a dry boat up until the final turn into Jervis Inlet. At that point we took a small amount of spray to the cockpit.

As we headed into Jervis Inlet we were looking for anything that was protected from the SE winds. Thunder Bay was a perfect “Hurricane Hole” which was protected from the wind, had a good holding bottom and wasn’t too deep. We pulled in followed closely behind by a small Coast Guard buoy tender. I guess even the “Coasties” needed some shelter.

Needless to say, there are no pictures from today.

We had a very good nights sleep and woke this morning ready for a better day.

Lund, BC Mainland (End of the Road)

The morning arrived with two anchored and rafted motor vessels adrift, crossing our bow in 15 kt winds. We alerted their crew and observed them attempting to reset the anchor several times. Finally they pulled anchor and headed to another port. We set sail as soon as we cleared the bay. Winds were building to 20 kts and the seas had about a 2 foot chop. Talos IV was in her element. We headed to Mitlenatch Island, a wildlife preserve, mid channel of the Georgia Strait. When we arrived the only protected anchorage was unsettled and Janet stated she would not feel comfortable leaving the boat at anchor to hike. I suppose seeing the motor vessels this morning left a lasting impression….

We sailed on, rounding Hernando Island and making toward Lund. Wind continued to allow us a close reach at 15kts. We made Lund and were lucky to get a raft up at the govt dock. Celebration for a great day of sailing and Paul’s docking finesse was in order. We treated ourselves with lunch and a latte. Lund is celebrating “Lund Days” and things are very festive (artsy and slightly out of control) surrounding the harbour. It will quiet down after 8-9pm tonight per the harbour master Fran.

It is somewhat sad that today marks our departure from the Discovery Islands and Desolation Sound. It is interesting to note that the day we arrived in this area we enjoyed one of the best days of sailing at the beginning of our trip. It is nice to leave the area with a great sail out. 

King Neptune guarding the harbor entrance.

s/v Talos IV rafted with two other sail boats at the
government docks.

Paul at the end of the road (Highway 101)
marker.

Once again, Janet simply can't resist a latte.
Paul was right on her heels.

Mansons Landing, Cortes Island

We are taking advantage of the severe clear and warm weather. Manson’s Landing has it all! There are white sand beaches on the seashore, a reversing lagoon and a fresh water lake with white sand beaches and wolves. An added bonus is the water at the fresh water lake is warm!

We hiked to Hauge Lake thru the woods and along the lagoon shoreline. The lagoon was dry as it was low tide. The lake was huge and beautifully clear. We spent the afternoon hanging out, reading and getting a swim in.

On the way home we observed an overloaded dinghy shoot the rapids at breakneck speed. We wanted to try it in our dinghy but were afraid that we might not be able to get out until the tidal change a few hours later. Back on the boat we relaxed, had dinner and hung out watching other boats anchor.

Have a great hike...oh, watch out for wildlife!

Hague Lake

Talos IV at anchor, Manson's Landing

Gorge Harbour, Cortes Island (2nd time thru)

We had to motor to Gorge (a little over an hour) to recharge the battery. It was too bad, as winds were off the beam and 10 kts. This time, negotiating the Uganda Passage was no problem at all. Having done it before the markers made perfect sense and the excellent visibility also helped.

Our two day stay in Gorge was highlighted by great showers, good laundry and superb weather. We had some dinghy adventures exploring the rest of the harbour and looking at boats. We were able to take a walk to Whaletown which we missed last time we were here. Each night the resort had live music at the fire pit which we enjoyed. The musicians I think were local and a lot of fun.

Music of the local variety

On the road to Whaletown

Road to Whaletown

Local library...open 3-6 Fridays

Whaletown

Salish Sea Cruise Update #7

We are now back in the Discovery Islands area and continuing our trip south and east.  Our plan is to play around in this area for about a week, enjoying some of the spots we missed on our way up.  We will be in the Canadian Gulf Islands in a few weeks where we will hook up with our friend JP, who will spend a week with us.  The map is getting a bit challenging to follow as the route is now beginning to cross over our route north and west.


View Salish Sea Cruise Update #7 in a larger map

Yaculta Rapids and Heriot Bay, Quadra Island

9AM: Paul evaluated the tide and current tables this morning. He felt it safe to proceed out of Big Bay and into the thick of the rapids on a dying flood. We had about an hour and half until slack, but this would give us a nice push and minimal turbulence due to the lunar phase and lower currents. Out into the thick of it we went, centered mid channel and picking up speed. We zipped down Cordero Channel with very little problem except for the tremendous wakes left by mega motor yachts who seemed determined to be full throttle and blowing 6gals of diesel / hour. For most of the morning you could hear boats being scolded on the radio for the wake problems. That aside, the journey thru the rapids was easy for Talos IV and only slightly nerve racking for Janet and the furry crew. For the first time this sailing adventure, all crew were up topside, full attention and standing ready for action. The furry crew soon retired to the forward cabin for a little nap as things calmed down.

After the rapids we hoisted the sails and deployed the drifter. We spent about 2-3 hours playing with different sail configurations before we had to drop sails and motor. We arrived at Heriot Bay around 5PM. We were worried about being back in civilization and finding a suitable anchorage. As we pulled into Heriot we saw a nice spot slightly removed from the masses behind a small Islet. Temps are in the upper 70s, sky is blue, and the weather is supposed to hold for a few days. We dropped anchor in 20 ft of water and decided that we might just stay here for a day or two…..pretty sweet!

We spent the first day at Hariot Bay provisioning, taking showers and using the wifi at the Hariot Bay Inn. A walk in the afternoon up the road a bit to Taku Lodge and along the beach was completely relaxing. The weather is in the mid 70s and severe clear. We are ging to stay an extra day to take advantage of our great anchorage and the good weather.

Day 2: we hiked around 4 miles to the provincial park of Rebecca Spit, explored the campground and checked out the local eatery for burgers. A shower and dinghy ride back to Talos IV resulted in the need for a mid afternoon nap of the furry crew and Paul. Janet did some general planning of the next several days by researching the books and nav charts. Tomorrow we will head for Gorge.

Tia watches for eddies off starboard

Louie monitors whirlpools from port

Out of the rapids and into calm waters

Louie is wiped out from his watch duty.

What's wrong with this anchorage?

Welcome to Heriot Bay

sunset

Big Bay, Stuart Island

Today we had to transition 2 major sets of rapids. We had a relaxing morning and set sail once out of the inlet. Winds were 10-20kts and gave us almost a perfect day of sailing. The Cordero Channel is very wide where it meets Frederick Arm and Nodales Channel. We spent about 1 ½ hours sailing on several different tacks, going shore to shore and taunting another sailboat

Finally we had to get serious about doing Dent Rapids and Gillard Rapids. Timing was critical…but once again we made the trip thru without problems. I had read somewhere that the wakes from the big motor cruisers was almost as hazardous as the eddies and whirlpools in the water. After yesterday I believe it. Thank goodness Talos IV is stable and handles this sort of thing with ease. There was a nice community dock after the rapids which we chose tie up for the night. We had one more rapid to go thru tomorrow before entering the Discovery Island Group.

Taking down the canvas...love the weather!

approaching the rapids at slack

down the channel

Louie is completely exhausted after a long day under sail