Day 2 - Campbell River

Day 2 – Campbell River  (Written Tuesday evening, May 14, 2012)

Nothing to exciting today…  and I like it that way.

We had a perfectly still anchorage last night and we all slept great.  After doggie duties, engine checks, etc., we throttled up and made the 4 hour run up the Strait of Georgia and stopped at Campbell River for some fuel as well as a slip for the night.

 

I needed to do some business and there was a gale blowing in Johnstone Strait so a slip made sense for tonight.  Normally, we much prefer a quiet, secluded cove.  My Garmin tells me that we put on 147 nautical miles (169 statute miles) in the last day and a half.  We normally cruise a couple of hours a day and then we go hiking, fishing, or whatever.  This afternoon, I made calls and worked on my e-mails while Connor home-schooled and Val read/napped.  Then we all went out to dinner, got our fishing license, and, of course, more provisions.  It was a beautiful night.

Tomorrow, weather permitting will be another bigger day up North through Johnstone Strait.  The weather has been typical, sunny, comfortable, Northwest winds.  It can get lumpy on these straits when the wind opposes the tides.  We had about an hour and half of lumps today and hoping our timing will give us a smooth passage tomorrow.  The current runs through Seymour Narrows just North of Campbell River up to about 10 knots…even the cruise ships have to stage their passage.  So, tomorrow, we’ll have to wait for the current to subside before we sail but I don’t want to wait to long as the winds tend to kick up in Johnstone Strait as the day goes on.  We've learned to plan "loosely" on our cruises allowing plenty of room for weather, fish cravings, and who knows what else.  That's part of the joy (and curse) of boating.

Have a great day.  We'll be in touch in Port Hardy, Lord willing.

And We're Off!

And We’re Off!  (Written Monday, August 13, 2012)

After a morning of final preparations and business communications, we finally untied mid day.  It was a beautiful day and the water was flat.  Our first leg consisted of a 4 mile run to Blakely Island Marina as Connor and I were having a nasty craving for a chili cheese dog and a malt.  The way the crab has been washed down with salt and butter, this could be the perfect ending to my pre-cholesterol pill life.

After Blakely, we pushed the throttles down for about a 45 minute smooth ride to Poet’s Cove Resort to clear into customs.  This was one of two times in all our years cruising up here that we were actually boarded by a customs agent.  They were mostly interested in guns and alcohol, which I am also somewhat interested in but for different reasons, I think.  It turns out I forgot about my two little bottles of home-made Dolphin Cove wine and Val forgot about her Kahlua, Baileys, and Vermouth she uses to cook with.  Of course, they did a thorough search of our boat and then gave me a firm scolding but were gracious enough not to take our Nexus status away (or our booze)….oops.

After finally clearing customs, we took the little cut between North and South Pender Islands and then throttled up for about 40 more miles through the Gulf Islands.

By 5:30 or so, we had the anchor set in a little cove somewhere in the northern Gulf Islands and had a chicken roasting on the grille.  As thankful as I am for our little Magma grille, anyone who uses one knows your food will either be raw or completely on fire…there’s no middle ground with these babies!  Keep a fire extinguisher handy!

It was a perfect sunset and the layered mountains proclaimed God’s glory exquisitely.  Even the seals seemed to be rejoicing frolicking around the little islets surrounding our boat.

The days are getting shorter already.  As I write this blog, I would guess the sun will set by about 8:30 tonight and it wasn’t that long ago and it was around 10PM.  The nights are really getting cooler too.  Val is writing a letter.  Connor is on shore brushing Lucky and Tanner, a nightly ritual for them…it really keeps the shedding under control.  If he missed a few days, the hair gets so bad it actually plugs up my scuppers!  A big black dog and a white, wet boat…not a good combination.  (Actually, it is!)  When Connor gets back, it’ll be our nightly game of his choosing and then we’ll all succumb to the gentle roll of the sea beckoning us to our berths.

The boat has been working great with no problems whatsoever, thank God.  The forecast looks good for our run up the Strait of Georgia tomorrow.

Hoping this finds you all well.

Ready Set Sail...Almost.

It's Sunday night, the night before we set sail.  It never seems as we're actually ready but at some point, you've just got to untie and go.  Tonight, Connor and I mostly finished packing the boat with fishing gear, downriggers, crab and shrimp traps, etc. while Val cracked enough crab for her magical recipes on board.

It was a good day: church this morning, lunch at the ferry landing, compiled all my paper charts and made sure my Garmin was up to date, then we pulled crab and shrimp pots this afternoon.  We had 8 big males in one crab pot and 56 shrimp in the shrimp pot (although, they're the little ones like little bay shrimp, not the big ones we get up north.)  We have the best crabbing in all of the inside passage within 2 miles of our cabin here on Orcas.

We really don't have an agenda for the next month or so other than to see where the wind blows us with the overall goal of circumnavigating Vancouver Island.  We like the Dreamspeaker Crusing Guides and we've been previewing "The West Coast of Vancouver Island."  You've heard me say in the past that these guides and even the names of the passes, channels, bays, etc. are enough to scare the cajeebers (sp?) out of you.  Names like Destruction Pass, Massacre Bay, Cape Caution, etc. all have me nervous before we even begin.  Usually, though, on the other side, we always wonder what the big deal is.  Nevertheless, here's a few paragraphs from the introduction of the cruising guide....

"Perhaps no stretch of Canada's Pacific coastline offers more challenges and thrills per nautical mile than the outer coast of Vancouver Island.  Here, ocean swells, swiflty changing weather and strong winds, fog, and rock-studded shorelines test mariners' skills and self-reliance.  But the rewards include myriad uncrowded anchorages, almost endless possibilities for getting "lost" in a place of one's own, and a sense of accomplshment big enough to last a lifetime."

It continues, "Weather on the west coast of Vancouver Island differs significantly from the more moderate conditions of the Inside Passage and lower coastal mainland.  The weather is a fundamental factor to be considered of a voyage along this exposed coastline.  One major difference is the speed of changes in weather - monitoring forecasts and condition reports regularly between scheduled forecast time is essential in transiting safely to a protected anchorage when bad weather prevails."

I am expecting to put on about 1,200-1,400 miles on the boat, which may not sound like much for you land lubbers but it is a significant trip on a 33' boat with a teenager and two labs.  Cody, our oldest son is back home in South Dakota working and in his Junior year at the university.

Well, as I sit here typing, I realize all the things that I forgot to pack and I see the pile by the door growing from Val and Connor's efforts.  I guess, we're not quite ready....but we're leaving tomorrow!

Attacked by Wolves! Saved by Pirates!

After three years since our trip to Alaska, enough people have convinced me to start blogging about our boating experiences again.  I really never expected my postings to be read by so many folks and initially created my blog for my family and a few interested friends; however, we’ve ran into people up and down the coast that asked for more.  So, with a planned trip around Vancouver Island starting this week, I thought it may be a good time to put up some posts.  I guess what ultimately inspired me to start typing again was the request from Ron Meng at Islands Marine Center, who is putting up a hard fight against the cancer that is ravaging his body.  We were talking about his “bucket list” and I ended the discussion by asking what I could do to help.  He suggested I start blogging again.  That made my decision as we have been praying for him every day and hope that you’ll join me in that.

As I sit here in my easy chair at Dolphin Cove on Orcas Island thinking about the trip that lies ahead, I also reflected on some notable experiences since my last blog post.  I can’t believe it’s been three years already.  So, I thought I’d re-start this blog with my “Attacked By Wolves!  Saved By Pirates!” story that we experienced in 2010 and I wrote last year.  Some of you may have seen it in Pacific Yachting or Soundings.  Here it is:

Attacked by Wolves!  Saved by Pirates!

The title of this article may appear to be an exaggeration, but it’s not much of a stretch!  In all our years of cruising the inside passage, we’ve always been amazed at how every day has the potential to yield an exciting and unexpected Grand Adventure.  Most of these adventures turn out to be positive. They are exciting and fun and create great memories.  This one was just plain scary. But it still ended up being grand and exciting.

Many of our cruising days keep us active: exploring, hiking, kayaking, fishing…always with our two dogs and one or both of our sons.  This day was no different…in most ways.

We were anchored, for our first visit ever, in the beautiful Von Donop Inlet, a large, beautiful, all-weather anchorage on Cortes Island in British Columbia.  We woke up to a gorgeous summer day, and my wife, Val, son, Connor, and two active labs, Lucky and Tanner, were all very excited to explore this pristine area.

Dinghy readied, dogs leashed, and camera in hand, we headed to shore and found a trail head.  Our goal was to hike over to Squirrel Cove, a relatively short jaunt across the island.  Although we keep bear spray onboard the boat, it didn’t dawn on me to take it with us.  After all, Cortes Island seemed much more docile than the vast wilderness of Alaska or the wild North coast of British Columbia.

So off we went on our stroll through the woods.  My wife hates snakes with a passion. I have permanent fingernail indentions embedded in the back of my neck as evidence. She claws her way over my back and into my arms at the sight of anything resembling her nemesis.  So anytime I see a snake, or even a squiggly stick, I gently nudge Val to the side without saying a word.  Whenever she sees a snake, every critter within earshot scatters for safety at the sound of her high-pitched screams; and I cringe, knowing the wounds on my neck are about to be reopened.

Several times during our hike, Val insisted she heard snakes in the brush alongside us.  I assured her they were not snakes (I was right, of course!), encouraged her to just keep moving, and we finally arrived safely (so we thought) on the beach of Squirrel Cove at low tide.  Connor, Lucky, and Tanner took off down the beach to search out its hidden treasures.  Val and I stopped for a moment to catch our breath and soak in the beauty of this place.  Suddenly, we heard a thrashing in the bushes, and it was getting louder and coming directly toward us.  We turned around and there were wolves exiting the trail only steps from where we were standing.  One, two, four, six big wolves!  Yikes!

Val shrieked “WOLVES!” and we both jumped back.  I don’t know who was more startled…us or them!  The nervous wolves bolted down the beach.  Fortunately, they headed in the direction opposite Connor and the dogs.  I grabbed my camera, commenting to Val how lucky we were to see wolves in their natural environment.  I was thrilled!  She, not so much!  I just wanted to get a picture before they high-tailed it out of there.

The pack got a good five-iron shot away from us and stopped just as Tanner, our ambitious yellow lab, caught sight of them out of the corner of his eye. He bolted toward the wolves, obviously thinking they would make great playmates.  Val and I watched in terror as Tanner ran like a blue streak (tan, rather) towards his new “friends.”  Then the adrenaline kicked in for all of us and I screamed at Tanner at the top of my lungs.  Much to my surprise, he actually listened and reluctantly heeled up beside me.  I grabbed his collar and let out a huge sigh of relief.  I called Connor and Lucky over and we formed our own pack.  Then we heard more wolves in the brush.  I declared that we weren’t going back the way we came and suggested heading down the beach away from the wolves.

Keeping the dogs heeled beside us, and one eye behind, I was shocked to see the pack turn toward us!  My previous feeling of luck at getting to see the wolves now turned sour in the pit of my belly.  I kept my calm, but suggested we all grab some rocks and sticks and hang onto the dogs no matter what.  The wolves kept coming, and soon they were within steps of us!  We screamed, yelled, and threw rocks at them.  The dogs “yelled” out their own warning, and luckily, the wolves turned away.  We ran toward the water to keep a steady pace away from them.

But once again, they turned toward us!  I couldn’t believe this was happening!  The wolves, the dogs, and even we had our hackles up.  We threatened the pack by hurling more rocks and screaming.  Again, they withdrew.  Whew!

Normally, it takes quite a bit to get me concerned, but this ordeal had red-lined me!  Suddenly we heard screaming. It was coming from a boat anchored in the bay. Its passengers were warning us that there were wolves behind us as if we didn’t know!  I think one shrieking girl on the boat was more panicked than we were!

The wolves advanced a third time. I warned Val and Connor to stand back-to-back and prepare to fend them off once again.  At this point I was seriously concerned, fearful for our dogs’ lives as well as our own.  As we assumed our defensive positions, we heard a dinghy outboard start, and it grew louder!  As it got closer, the wolves retreated.  We were being rescued!

We turned our attention to our rescuer…and couldn’t believe our eyes!  The man in the dinghy appeared to be a pirate who had launched his dingy from a distant pirate ship!  No way!  What the heck!?!?  The entire ship was painted black.  A dragon hung from the hull pulpit.  Shrunken skulls lined the handrails.  A Jolly Roger was aflyin’.  The scary-looking man in the dinghy approached us and introduced himself as “Barnacle Barry.” “Get In!” he commanded.  His long black hair hung in a pony tail down past his waist.  Every inch of his exposed skin was tattooed with skulls and crossbones. When he grinned, his teeth revealed a serious need for extensive dental work.  Even his black attire added to the perception that we were being rescued by a real-life pirate…or so we thought.

As we puttered away from the beach, Barnacle Barry revealed that he and his wife and daughter had seen forty wolves on the beach shortly before we arrived.  I was relieved that the wolves were no longer a threat, but I was not comfortable with our present situation either.  We heard more yelling from the pirate ship Barnacle Barry was steering the dinghy toward. My wife’s eyes shared my concern.  Had we gone from a bad situation to worse?

As we approached the pirate ship to grab a line, a huge St. Bernard appeared, barking over the railing, apparently eager to devour us and our dogs.  Then, before we could board, Barnacle Barry’s wife announced in alarm that her daughter was so distraught that she had gone into labor.  Labor?  It turned out the girl was pregnant, but not nearly far enough along to deliver yet.  My goodness!  Was this all really happening?

Barnacle Barry’s wife handed him a cell phone with a stern warning that I didn’t quite catch.  Barry looked over at me and muttered, “Those #@$%& women overreact to everything!” Then he opened up the throttle.  We just kept our mouths shut!  Or maybe they were hanging wide open. I’m not sure which!

As Barnacle Barry motored our family across the bay, we talked about the whole ordeal.  He dropped us off at an old logging trail and told us how to get back to our boat safely. It would be a very long way back.  I never found out how the daughter fared, but Barnacle Barry turned out to be a really great guy.  He was so gracious and kind.  As we hiked back, we reminisced about our Grand Adventure and were able to laugh about it all in disbelief. But we kept one eye open for more wolves!

Back at the boat we called our parents and oldest son to tell them we had been attacked by wolves and saved by pirates.  The only thing more bizarre would have been to be attacked by pirates and saved by wolves!  Yes, it was another Grand Adventure in the life of this cruising family.  Thank goodness for great pirates like Barnacle Barry and “Barry” good ending!

© 2011 Kent Huisken

Interestingly enough, we had some guests from South Dakota up here last week and took them to the amazing Butchart Gardens.  They stayed in the Brentwood Bay Lodge and Spa and we anchored near the back entrance to the gardens in Tod Inlet.  As we were entering Brentwood Bay, I was amazed to see the pirate ship and exclaimed to my wife, “Hey, it’s Barnacle Barry!”

After watching the fireworks on Saturday night and a great nights rest on the hook, my family and guests went to tour Butchart Gardens.  I stayed back, launched my kayak, and set out to find Barnacle Barry.  As I paddled closer, I saw the big dog, who didn’t seem quite so scary this time, and Barnacle Barry’s long pony tail hanging down his back.  I think I startled him as I approached and called out his name.  “Well, holy f#$%!” he exclaimed.  Memories flashed and soon we were reminiscing about the whole episode.

The most burning question I had for him was how his daughter turned out.  He explained that after our rescue she settled down, the contractions quite, and she went on to a normal delivery!  Thank God for that.  In fact, the reason they were at Brentwood Bay was because she just had a second baby and they were there for a visit.

Barnacle Barry was so happy to see the story published.  He says that everyone calls him a hero now.  I would agree!  He says he reads it every day and still gets a good laugh out of it.

Barry did confess that when the episode was going down, he was more interested in sitting in his cockpit, eating his popcorn, and enjoying our saga being played out.  His wife is the one who insisted that he go rescue “that poor family.”  So, who’s the true hero here?  I guess they both are.

Well that’s it for this post.  Lord willing, tomorrow we’ll set sail for a month long circumnavigation of Vancouver Island and a whole other set of new adventures.  One thing is for sure… Life on the water is never dry.

Tips On Reading This Blog...

In the summer of 2009, our family cruised over 3,200 miles and 47 days from Orcas Island, WA to Glacier Bay, AK in our 33' Ocean Sport Roamer. Here are our blog updates along the way. You don't need to register to read the blog. The newest posts are posted on top. Now that the trip is over, you may find it more helpful to read from the bottom up. (If someone knows how to sort the posts chronilogically, shoot me an e-mail.) A few of my favorite entries...

• Day 7 - Prince Rupert to Ketchican....Just for the Halibut!
• June 26-29, Thomas Bay (North of Petersburg) to Ford's Terror (Endicott Arm)
• Tuesday, July 7, North Sandy Cove, Glacier Bay -
• Friday, July 17, Red Bluff Bay -
• Friday, Jul 24, Punchbowl Cove, Misty Fjords National Monument-

Enjoy! Kent Huisken Kent.Huisken@sio.midco.net

HELP! No Worries- I Just Need Your Feedback!

Did that title get your attention? No worries. We're safe and sound; but I would really like you're help. I'd like some feedback on my blog. Would you be willing to share with me? How did you find out about the blog? How often did you read it? Did you read every entry or just some or simply scan the pictures? Was it too wordy? Too many or not enough photos? Where are you from? Did you know me before you found the blog? Are you a boater? What did you find most interesting about the blog? Any overall comments about the blog or the trip? Please feel free to cut and past the above with your answers or just send me a note with your thoughts? Kent.Huisken@sio.midco.net Thanks!

Saturday Evening, Port Hardy to Orcas Island Dolphin Cove…A 250 Nautical Mile Day! –

Wow! I can hardly believe it. Our Alaska Trip is officially over! We’re tied up at our dock on Orcas Island. The boat is off-loaded. I’m surprised it didn’t sink with all the stuff we had on it. Last night, we went to sleep early with the thunder rumbling, lightning flashing, and the pitter-patter of rain. There are gale warnings in Johnstone Strait and High Wind Warnings in Queen Charlotte Sound and the Strait of Georgia. The winds usually die down at night and kick up by the afternoon in these passes, so we wanted to leave at first light hoping to get through Johnstone Strait. We were off the dock shortly before 6AM, hoping the new drive actually worked. We stuck our nose out of the breakwater into solid fog. We ran slowly with radar for a couple of hours with eyes pierced and bugging out. The sun finally brightened things up and burned off the fog about 7:30 or so. It was really quite beautiful. We could finally run at cruise speed. We pulled the throttles back at Campbell River about 11 and took on some fuel and lunch. By 12:30, we were cruising again. We had flat water almost the entire way with only 1-2’ chop near the end. We dropped our crab trap 4 miles out from our dock and tied up at a little after 6PM…250 nautical miles later. That was our biggest day by far. We needed to get back to pick up Cody’s best friend from the airport. The blown outdrive cost us a couple of days and we need to have a good day. Praise God for flat water and that the new drive worked. After we docked, it was all hands on deck…off-loading, cleaning, hauling, etc. Cody and Mom put clothes and food away. Connor and I hauled everything off the boat into the cabin. Mom had another great grilled Halibut meal ready for us by 8PM. Then, Connor and I went to check the crab trap. (Legally, it has to be out of the water by midnight on Saturday.) In just a couple of hours, we pulled up 15 crabs! We kept 4 large males. It was the best crab pull we’ve had all summer, right here, in our own back yard. Crazy! So, since we left Orcas Island, we’ve logged 2,806 nautical miles (3,227 statute miles,) and burned 1,680 gallons of diesel, (sorry, Mr. Gore!) for an average of 1.92 miles per gallon. (That also includes running the genset for about 100 hours and the furnace too.) We ran heavy most of the time because I wasn’t sure about fuel availability or pricing. Had I ran with less fuel, our economy would have been better; but I am very pleased with these numbers. It’s really nice having a fast boat. When we need to, we can fly…like today, for example. When we get a good weather window, we can make up lost ground. When it’s snotty out, we can hunker down and wait it out. Other than the blown drive, which was a huge deal to me, everything ran way better than I expected. I give a lot of credit to the designer and the builder, Ron Meng and Jim Lindell. The Ocean Sport is a great boat for a trip like this. God has blessed our family greatly in this last six weeks. It was a trip of a lifetime and I’m so glad we could do it as a family. It was so much better than we expected in so many ways. God took care of us. Our four daily prayers were answered: 1) We had great and safe weather. 2) We didn’t hit anything. 3) Everything kept working (except the blown outdrive, which couldn’t have happened at a better time or place.) and 4) We all got along great! Thank you, Lord, for your mercy and grace on this family. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. May God bless you and your family as He has blessed ours. Good night. I may have some more closing thoughts after a good night’s sleep. But I wanted to share a few pictures of the lovely San Juan Islands as viewed through the lens of my new friend, Jeff Hanson, who I met at Islands Marine Center right before we left for Alaska. He is an amazing photographer. I’ll try to load these in high-resolution so you can click on them and view them in all their glory. Speaking of glory, remember that everything you’ve seen in this blog was created by Jesus Christ for the glory of God!

Friday, July 31, Port Hardy, Still –

Not much has happened lately other than waiting, waiting, and more waiting. It just about kills us to watch all these huge Halibut and Salmon coming in off the fishing boats and not being able to go catch them. Our new outdrive left the San Juan Islands bound for Seattle yesterday afternoon. It left Seattle and arrived in Port McNeill early this afternoon and the mechanics got it installed by about 4PM. (We are taking the blown one back with us for an autopsy.) Our boat got back in the water by about 5:30PM, just in time for a big thunderstorm; the first one we’ve seen this summer. Nutz! We were hoping to cruise for a couple of hours tonight. The forecast is for severe thunderstorms and gale force winds. So, we’re staying put here for the night. Karl, Randy, Donna, Amber and so many others here at Quarterdeck Marina have been so nice to us. It’s great to see so much quality service again. The Volvo Penta dealer in Port McNeill was great as were the folks at Kenmore Air and Ron Meng at Islands Marine Center. Everyone worked hard to get us back in the water.

We also met a lot of other nice boaters on the docks. The boys saw a 27’ Skagit Orca go by and commented that it looked like our old boat. I looked up and said, “Hey, that IS our old boat!” We ran over to great Tom and Theresa Connelly, who bought it from us. They live just north of Nanaimo but were up here fishing and we just happened to run across them. The love their new boat and are really making good use of it. They came in with four really nice Coho and one nice King. Tom didn’t think it was that big but Theresa did. (Guess who caught it?) Cody spends time working on his school work. He’s getting a great jump on his senior year already. Connor loves talk to people on the dock and throw a lure at anything that moves (above and below the water!) Last night, he caught two small Halibut right off the dock. (Actually, there was another name for them, but they looked like big sole or little flounder. Whatever they are, he had a great time catching them.) Tanner and Lucky enjoy all the attention they get from the passers-by. Val even got to walk to the mall today for some shopping. I enjoyed the whole boat lifting, fixing, process and was glad when everything checked out.

We had pizza delivered to the boat tonight. We had our devotions and played our nightly game of poker. I did win the last two games and even had a true Royal Flush; which I’ve never seen before! But, Cody is really running away with the summer standings. Val is in a potential come-back second position (with some major luck.) I doubt if I can ever recover from my third place standing and Connor is dust in the wind.We’re thankful that we’re back in the water and that all the planes, people, and parts made it here. We’re praying for flat water tomorrow morning and we’re leaving at first light. So, I better get to bed. You should too. Good night and God bless you.

Thursday, July 30, Hakai Pass to Port Hardy – Dead In The Water!

A lot has happened since my last update. Mostly good, but one major bad! Let’s start with the good… Tuesday morning, we made the short run into Bella Bella/Shearwater and took on fuel, water, got caught up on communications, had lunch, etc. By the time we got cruising again, it was 2:30. It seems like every time we stop at a marina, we burn so much time that could be spent exploring or fishing! We ran about 10 miles before we just couldn’t stand it anymore and just had to fish. Within 30 seconds we had a real nice Coho on board. We fished for about 45 minutes longer and landed another and threw a few Pinks back. We needed to keep cruising so that we could get to Fury Cove by dark as we wanted to make the big Charlotte Sound crossing on Wed. morning. But, nature called and an hour later, we were fishing again. We were catching Cohos left and right! We landed 4 more nice size fish in about an hour and half. We lost at least that many too. What a blast! But, once again, we knew we needed to keep cruising. Val had to pry the pole out of my hand and give me a “time out” in the captain’s chair. We promised the boys we’d stop at a beach and we were flat running out of day. We cruised for an hour or so and went into Hakai Pass and anchored in Pruth Bay. We decided that we couldn’t spend time on the beach and still make it to Fury Cove…it just would mean an earlier morning on Wednesday. That turned out to be a great decision. We walked across a narrow forest between our safe little cove to the wild west coast beach! It was so pretty there. The beach was sugar sand, the waves were crashing, the sun was warm, the driftwood was stacked high…it was just plain great! The boys and dogs were off running, laughing, playing in the waves. Within minutes, they braved the initial chill of the water and were body surfing. Tanner wasn’t to be left out. He doesn’t miss much adventure and this was no exception. He sucks the marrow out of every drop of life. He would roll end over end in the big waves and keep right up with the boys. Once again, we all laughed and laughed at him.

Lucky and Mom built a nice beach fire for when the boys got done swimming. I ran around with cameras in hand capturing all the fun. We watched the sun go down, while we roasted sausages, and talked and talked. They boys wanted to stay another couple of days and so did Mom and I, but we need to cross Queen Charlotte Sound and Straight and I wasn’t sure the weather was going to cooperate. Being we needed to be home by Saturday, I wanted to allow a day for holding up for weather. So, at 5:30 Wednesday morning, we were anchors up and heading back out of Hakai Pass with hopes of returning again someday.

We did OK making the crossing but the swells were kind of scary. It was dark, foggy, and we were taking them right on the starboard beam. Climbing them, we’d slow to a snail’s pace and then we’d go surfing down the other side. We were running in fog, dodging the blips. It was the most white knuckle crossing we’ve had so far, but it looked much worse than it actually was. We made it to Port Hardy a couple of hours later and saw lots of fishing boats working Duval Point. We simply couldn’t let that opportunity pass so we dropped our gear and put two nice Coho in the cooler and caught a half dozen Pinks, which we released. What great fun. I had a monster on the line, (no doubt a trophy King, haha) but it spit the hook, NUTZ!

Near noon, we landed in Port Hardy fueled the boat, ate lunch, and set sail again mid-afternoon. We were planning on doing some more fishing at Malcom Island and then heading to Pierre’s Bay for the evening. I mentioned to the family that there was a certain sound in the engine area that didn’t seem quite right. No one else thought they could tell any difference and thought I was just overly cautious and paranoid again. I inspected the engine room and the outdrive; everything looked fine so we started cruising again. Within a couple of moments we were dead in the water. The boat just quit. I suspected right away that the outdrive had blown. My heart leapt into my throat! Now what?

I ran to the back, threw open the engine room hatches…no leaks, thank God. I knew we’d be ok as we were within 9 miles of Port Hardy. My cell phone was getting a strong signal. A phone call to the folks at Island Marine Center yielded no good news. With a strong current and the wind, we were slow poking our way back to Port Hardy on the kicker engine, making a whopping 2.8 knots…ouch! We all thanked God for the nice weather, that we were close to town, and that we were safe. We also prayed that we’d have enough kicker fuel to make Port Hardy. It was a long, contemplative ride back to Port Hardy. I worked the phone along the way and got Volvo Penta and Islands Marine Center working on the problem. They were very accommodating and got on it right away.

We got back to Port Hardy around 7PM and were very glad to be tied to the dock, safe and sound. We all praised God that this happened when, where, and how it did happen. It could have happened in the big waves and the fog in Queen Charlotte Sound earlier…that would have been terrifying!

This morning, (Thursday) Ron from Islands Marine Center had a new drive on the airplane into Seattle, transferring to Port McNiel tomorrow morning. I’m glad to have a reputable dealer backing me. Ron speaks highly of Volvo Penta and the dealer in Port McNiel. I am optimistic that this will all be behind us tomorrow, Lord willing. Thankfully, this is still covered under the Volvo Penta warranty.

So, today, we’re paying bills, making calls, etc., Unfortunately, we’ll have to high tail it home from here with no more fishing! Nutz!

Well, send up a prayer of praise for us, if you would, and also ask the Lord to bless our repairs and that we’d make it home safely. Blessings to all of you. Thanks.

Monday, July 27, Horsefall Island (Near Bella Bella/Shearwater) –

This morning, Cody dropped Val, Connor, the dogs, and I off at the log dump before he went fishing. We hiked up the old logging skid road hoping to find Lake Alvin and some nice Rainbow Trout. We hiked for about an hour and half but kept running into overgrown logging trails. Bummer. Cody came back with one nice Rock Fish and one crab from the trap. When he picked us up at the log dump, Tanner had nearly perfected his high diving routine. It was 11AM and the tide was almost out. From the water to the top of the log dump was 22’ and he dove off after his stick without hesitation time and time again. We couldn’t believe it and all laughed and laughed at him. By the time we got done with lunch and ready to cruise, it was noon; perfect for a slack water exit of Watts Narrows. By the time we got out of the narrows and on plane, it was about 12:30. We throttled up to 23 knots and didn’t shut down until 130 miles later. We were at our anchorage by 6PM; not a bad day. Even though there were gale warnings out, the wind was at our backs and we had smooth sailing for the most part. We took just a bit of spray but never had to throttle back once.

Val had a lovely Crab Carbonara ready for dinner. Yum. After dinner, the boys and Tanner went off exploring/fishing. Val cleaned up the inside and I washed the salt spray off the boat. It was really warm today…it hit 78 but it felt a lot warmer. There hasn’t been any bugs, either….which is really nice. Alaska had a lot of little bugs.

We’re only 6 miles from Bella/Bella Shearwater. Tomorrow, we’ll stop and do some laundry, communications, fuel, water, etc. and then hopefully get a couple hours of cruising in. We need to be back by Sunday as Cody’s best bud, Andre’, is flying in for a visit. It’s hard to believe, but we’ll be back in South Dakota in three weeks. Officially, our summer will be over: major bummer. This one will go down as the best in history, so far, barring anything unexpected (knock on wood.)

How’s your summer going? Send me a note! I haven’t heard nearly enough from you lately.

Monday, July 27, Baker Inlet, Grenville Channel –

Val loves her new reel and I’m a bit jealous; it’s silky smooth. She got to give it a whirl yesterday. After we pulled up anchor on Dundas, we trolled for a bit. Sure enough, we couldn’t keep the Pinks off the line; constant action. Then, a bigger bite hit my pole. I could tell right away this one had some size. Val took over the pole and I netted a 9 lb. Coho. That was really fun; however, my cheapie dip net from Wal-Mart snapped in half in the process. We fished some more and another big bite hit my pole. This one felt bigger again. We weren’t sure how we were going to land it with no net. When we got to see it, we could tell it wasn’t a Salmon. It was a Halibut. I’ve never caught a Halibut trolling before. It wasn’t very big for a Halibut but sure made for adrenaline pumping during the fight. I gaffed him and brought him on board. It wasn’t a bad morning of fishing; although I wish we could have caught less Pinks and more Cohos.

A little after noon, we made the 20 mile run into Prince Rupert, cleared customs, filled with water, fuel, and grabbed some lunch and groceries. Then we went to the fuel dock, filled up, found a new semi-cheapie dip net, and set sail again about 6PM.

The forecast is for 30 mph North winds for the next two days. We had hoped to take the more Western passage back home but with the forecast, we opted for the narrower Grenville Channel again. We cruised a couple of hours until Baker Inlet. We had to pass through Watts Narrows to get in. It was deep but very narrow with trees encroaching from both sides. As we entered we were faced with a lot of current from the dropping tide. At times, I had to give it about ¾ throttle to keep steerage. I’m very glad that it was deep enough…I had memories of the dinghy prop bashing on the rocks powering up the creeks. Once we made it through the narrows, the bay opened up into a gorgeous flat water anchorage. We dropped the hook and settle in for the evening. Cody went fishing but didn’t catch anything worth keeping…thankfully; I’ve cleaned enough fish for the day.

This morning, we woke up to another sunny, warm day. I can hardly believe the forecast for this area is for gale force winds. We’ll poke our nose out and give it a try but we need to wait for a bit more slack tide to get out of Watts Narrows. There’s an old logging skid road we’re going to explore now. By the time we get back, the tide should be ready for us…I hope.

Have a great day!

Sunday, July 26, Dundas Island, BC, Misty Fjords: NOT So Misty Anymore! –

Yesterday, a massive high pressure moved across the panhandle and burned off all the clouds and warmed us right up! We prayed that we would be able to see Misty Fjords; at least above the 100’ cloud deck that we’d seen the previous two days. The sun felt great after being in the rain for two days. By the time we had everything ready to cruise, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and everything was drying out nicely. Thank you, Lord! The scenery was better than expected. We cruised through Punchbowl Cove in awe of the 3,000’ granite wall. The fantastic scenery, rugged cliffs, waterfalls, grizzly bears, etc. continued to leave our jaws hanging open as we cruised in silence through the rest of Rudyerd Bay. It reminded me of the song, “How Great Thou Art!”

O Lord my God When I in awesome wonder Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made I see the stars I hear the rollin' thunder Thy power throughout The universe displayed. Then sings my soul My Savior God, to Thee, How great Thou art How great Thou art Then sings my soul My Savior God, to Thee How great Thou art How great Thou art! When Christ shall come With shouts of acclamation And take me home What joy shall fill my heart Then I shall bow In humble adoration And there proclaim, "My God, how great Thou art!" Then sings my soul My Savior God, to Thee, How great Thou art How great Thou art Then sings my soul My Savior God, to Thee How great Thou art How great Thou art! How great Thou art How great Thou art!...

A few miles south, we dropped anchor at a 230’ spire coming out of the middle of Behm Canal, called New Eddystone Rock. After lunch, we dinghied in and played on the island for a couple of hours.

The tide was rapidly rising and our little beach was disappearing quickly. The sun felt great and it really warmed the water rising over the hot beach. I went for a swim and the water was really quite warm and refreshing. Val played fetch with the dogs. Tanner ended up on another 30 minute marathon swim chasing birds. The boys played with their Air Soft guns until an argument broke out about who shot who…it was time to go anyway. It was such beautiful, warm, sunny, calm day and the cruise was so beautiful. We were thinking we’d stop just north of the border, in Foggy Bay, for the night; but upon receiving the forecast, we decided to keep going. We called Canadian Customs and asked if we could anchor in Dundas Islands before heading into Prince Rupert in the morning. Being Nexus holders, they approved on an “exception basis.”

That brings us to this morning…another glorious bright day. It’s Val’s birthday today. The boys and I had a new reel wrapped up for her when she got out of the shower. She hates open face reels and loves her halibut reel so we got her a spool salmon reel. She knows she’s loved now! Well, I better go get some line on that reel. There are salmon to be caught! You all have a great Sunday.

Friday, July 24, Punchbowl Cove, Misty Fjords National Monument –

Last night, we went to explore the Forest Service cabin. There was no one around but we could tell there were people who had set up camp there, so back to the boat we go.

On our way out of Blind Passage, we pulled the shrimp trap and found the biggest shrimp we’ve ever caught, if not seen. I should have measured it before we cleaned it. Val and I estimated it to be about 9” from head to tail.

We got half a dozen shrimp and half a dozen longistinos. (I can’t even get close enough on the spelling of this for spell-checker to help me.) These fellas look like little tiny lobsters with really long, skinny claws. It would take several hundred to make a meal, but we kept them just for a taste.

Misty Fjords is very appropriately named. During our cruise through Behm Canal yesterday it was raining all day with very low ceilings. We had to run on radar much of the time. Yesterday was the darkest, dreariest, rainiest day we’ve had yet. It was a steady downpour from before we got up until after we went to bed. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see much of the majesty we were hoping to; although, we could still get a flavor for how wild and rugged this place is. We putzed through Walker Cove stopping by numerous waterfalls which pummeled from thousands of feet into the bay. We could nose our boat as far as we dared to the cliff walls and still be in hundreds of feet of water. The charts in this area often show 1,800 feet deep…too deep for our sonar to even detect. There aren’t too many places to anchor in these fjords because of the deep depths going straight down off the mountains. It’s very mysterious with all the fog layers and cloud covered peaks. It almost seems like the mountains could go all the way to heaven and the depths could go on forever. It all makes me feel pretty small and humbled. About 8-10 miles south of Walker Bay, is Punchbowl Cove, where we actually found a Forest Service mooring buoy, which we tied too. Connor and I donned our rain gear, launched the dinghy, did doggie duty, set the traps, and did a little exploring. It’s just raining too hard to stay out. When we got back to the boat, Val and Cody had dinner ready. We had our devotions, played our nightly poker (I won!) and crashed into bed early, finally!

This morning, we awoke to more fog, rain and low ceilings. Nutz! We did get a momentary glimpse of the 3,000 ft. granite face that we’re moored directly under. There must be a dozen waterfalls pouring into this cove. The tide is very low today…-4’ at 9AM. This afternoon, at 3PM, it’s going to be +18’…a 23’ lift. It’s amazing how the cove changes with 23’ less water in it. Beaches that didn’t exist before are now several hundred yards wide. Rocks are poking up that didn’t appear anywhere when we explored the cove yesterday. Thank God that we haven’t hit anything. The charts in this area aren’t nearly as detailed as the ones down south. On the picture below, look at Connor vs. the high water line; which nearly touches the bottoms of the trees. Crazy! We’re going to get geared up for a hike to Punchbowl Lake. The cruising guide makes it sound like a hike similar to the one we did in Thomas Bay. Mud, rain, slipping, sliding…bring it on…let’s go! It’s gonna be a great day! Hope yours is too!

Friday Evening Update – After the boys heard about the Punchbowl Lake hike, the “pretty boys” decided they didn’t want their make-up to run, so they decided to stay back on the boat. Connor has the Narnia books he’s reading and he’s into Gilligan’s Island. We have the whole 3rd season on board. Cody has to get his school work done…its Friday.

With the 23’ tide, the beach was way too long for our anchor rope and all the ropes we had on board. I couldn’t figure out how we were going to be able to get our dinghy back if we beached it at low tide. On the other hand, when the tide is high and it’s beached, it would be a couple hundred yards from the water. So, we took our walkie talkie and had the boys drop us off at the beach. Val and I hiked up along the creek for about an hour and a half. It wasn’t too bad of climb other than a landslide area, where we had to scratch our way up the mud, trees, and rocks. At the top, we found a canoe and a little shelter on the beautiful Punchbowl Lake. The Forest Service really did a nice job here. It felt good to get out of the rain. We met a group of kayakers from Anchorage that were there too. We got into a nice visit with John, Greg, Lenny, Jeff and Dave. I had carried Connor’s little fishing pole all the way up and I had fishing on the brain. Val wanted to stay under the shelter and visit so I launched the canoe to see what I could catch.

I fished along the granite cliffs enjoying the scenery even more than the fishing. I decided to go get Val. As I was landing the canoe, I reached down for the pole, which I was about to crank in, when I realized it was snagged. All of us a sudden, the snag started fighting back! I had a fish! He fought hard on Connor’s lightweight pole. I was surprised to even catch a fish. He was a big one too! I got him to the boat and he launched out of the water, flipping and spinning, and he was gone! That bugger spit the hook. Nutz!

This got me fired up! I cast out again and that very next cast, wham, I had another big fish. This one fought even harder and ran the line out a couple of times before I got a look at him. This time, he launched in the air and wrapped himself up several times in the line. Not having a landing net, I figured this was my chance. I grabbed the line and yanked him the boat! What a beautiful fish. I brought him to the little shelter and Greg identified him as Rainbow Trout. Evidently, this is quite a large Rainbow. He looked like a nice size salmon with lots of pretty colors to me. This was the first Rainbow I’ve ever caught.

This got Greg in the fishing mood so we went out in the canoe together while the other got a nice fire going to roast the fresh catch. Greg and I got skunked but really had a nice time enjoying the scenery and the fellowship. When we got back, the fire was ready for the fish. I filleted him and set him on a couple of cedar planks on the hot fire. I offered up a prayer of thanksgiving and soon, we were all sharing fresh trout cooked over an open fire up in a granite-walled alpine lake. What another great day. By early afternoon, Val and I headed back down to see if the boat was still afloat, half expecting it to be on fire or rock n’ roll music blasting through Punchbowl Cove. We called the boys on the walkie talkie to come get us. Everything was fine. It was nice to get some alone time with my bride and I think the boys enjoyed their alone time from their parents.

After a nice meal of fresh halibut and crab, the boys went off fishing, discovered a sea plane had landed in front of the granite face, and decided to go off and race him when he took off again. When they came back, they had caught the biggest Yellow Eye Rock Fish (Red Snapper) I’ve ever personally seen. They were really amazing fish and we hadn’t caught any yet this year. I’m so glad they had a great time together and had fishing success.

Well, the rain FINALLY quite. I’m glad the boys are off having fun. The marine forecast sounds great. A big high pressure is supposed to push the clouds out of here and the forecast is for record highs…84 degrees in Ketchikan on Sunday…we’ll see if it happens. Unfortunately, we’ve got to be high-tailing it home soon. We’re still in Misty Fjords and we need to be back on Orcas Island a week from Sunday. I don’t want to go! We’ll linger here tomorrow hoping to see the mountains and then we’ll cross the border back into Canada on Sunday, or so, Lord willing.

Have a nice weekend!