Northern BC waters finds: friends, wildlife, and seafood

---

---

Queen Charlotte Strait Crossing

Codville Lagoon

Lizzie Cove

Klemtu

Hartley Bay





(Thursday, 7/18) Morning light starts earlier each day the further we go north so getting a start at first light means 5:00am (0500) in God’s Pocket but we know that crossing Queen Charlotte Strait (QCS) will be easier the earlier we leave. It’s odd leaving a place like this without ever checking in with the locals or owners of the resort in this case. There was only one boat at the dock when anchoring last night and it looked well secured so we guessed there were no guests at the resort. The last time we hung on the hook in their little harbor, we had rowed ashore but their gift store had slim pickings and we only chatted briefly about the weather.



Crossing the QCS is all about the weather. It’s a direct opening to the ocean so no one goes when it blows from the NW bringing the mighty Pacific onshore. We plan to leave at high tide to ride the outgoing tide.



It’s about a 50-mile crossing from God’s Pocket to relative shelter behind Calvert Island across the strait. Everyone breathes easier once past Cape Caution, then a welcome course correction at Egg Island, about 4 hours from our anchorage at our speed. We manage to catch a light SE wind that helps to push us along so we travel the full strait at over 7 knots. Things are definitely going north!



Despite some big swells that rocked us much of the way, we make very good time and decide to skip the first safe anchorage at Fury Cove. Finding calm waters in Fitzhugh Sound and still enjoying light southeast winds, we decide to sail right by Hakai at the end of Kwakshua Channel though promising ourselves to stop for a sandy beach hike on our return.



Codville Lagoon is one of our favorite stops on the way north and we stop faithfully each year because it usually yields several prawn dinners. Since we haven’t caught any fish yet, there are no fish heads for the trap so we break out the ever-reliable, stinky cat food to bait our trap before anchoring. Our 90 NM journey today caused us to be the last to anchor in the well-protected bay but after a couple tries, we find a good spot and Peter breaks out his clean-water prosperity banjo to relax on the back deck while I stay busy in the galley. It isn’t long before we have visitors, partly from the music’s siren sounds but also because of our unique boat. Roger the cat helped himself onboard and literally checked every spot on AMA. He lapped up the cream I offered him and we were fast friends after that. We talk about decarbonizing and sing the Bio-rigged ship song for them which does the trick and sends them on their way.



First thing in the morning, we harvest 2 dozen large prawns from our trap and decide to stay the rest of the weekend for another turn of the tides to stock up on fresh seafood.



Codville Lagoon is not only popular for its prolific prawning but those in the know (or at least those who read their Waggoneer) know to look for the trailhead at the back end of the bay that takes you to a freshwater lake. It’s only a 1.2 KM trail and half of it has new wire-mesh covered boardwalks so it’s relatively easy especially as we find a pile of walking sticks at the trailhead. Despite its popularity and obvious heavy use, we both carry bear deterrent spray. Peter’s is a large can with propellent that supposedly goes 30’, though luckily we’ve never had to test it. Mine is a pocket pepper spray, probably only good for dark city streets, but we both also fill soda cans with gravel on the beach, taping over the openings so they become loud noise shakers. Plus we sing! The walk is short, maybe 20 minutes, but with an elevation gain of about 1000 meters mountainous so we get a good work out on the way to Sagar Lake.



The lake is probably 20 miles around and fed by mountain streams. Its freshwater is normally icy but the shallow end, rimmed by a red sand beach, is inviting to swim as well as bathe in with bio-soap and shampoos. At this point in our trip, access to these areas is by boat only so we know that no one else is likely to surprise us. Our clothes are off and we dive right into the shallow warm water and it is pure bliss to sunbathe afterward on the sunny beach surrounding the lake.



We manage to pull in another 3 dozen prawns the next morning when leaving the area and it sounds as if the seals say goodbye as we pass from the inner harbor on our way out.



(Sunday, 7/21) Not long after heading out we fish Lama Pass, mostly looking for halibut which we don’t find, but do run into our friends from Lizzie Cove who make us feel at home when they recognized Ama, and hail us. We have a short day underway with no fish but hope for more shellfish instead by dropping crab pots before tying up at the floating home community in Lizzie Cove. It isn’t long before our good friends Howard & Linda tied up behind us, and the fun of meeting up with friends on the water make me forget about the long days away from home. Linda & I whip up “appies” as she calls them and we hang in the communal float with Rene, Pete, Theresa along with T’s sisters and family who were all visiting for her big 70th bday! We missed the big bash on Friday night but their family-vibe lingered plus Peter & Howard played together for hours with another guitarist longing for musician buds. I can’t believe the four of us never did get to play Yahtzee but it was only because our conversations never stopped and we feasted hard on the Coho Howard just caught on the way in!



(Monday, 7/22) The bad weather forecast makes us re-think our plans for a leisurely morning and after sadly saying goodbye so quickly, we all cruise out of the harbor and go separate ways. We continue north to Klemtu and our Nanaimo friends, return slowly south. Our cruise north takes us by Bella Bella and Shearwater, into Seaforth Channel and back, into the edge of blue water around Ivory Island, in Milbanke Sound. We are relieved to have light winds and low swells and it isn’t long before we spot our first pod of orcas! I spot the big male, accompanied by a smaller orca off our port bow, then right away, we spot at least 3 more off our starboard side so we cut the engine and drift hoping more follow.



Not long after turning back inside behind Lady Douglas Island we slip into Jackson Passage. It is narrow, and shallow in parts, but worth timing it for its sheer beauty though we don’t stop in Rescue Bay, one of our favorite anchorages on the whole Inside Passage for the incredible bird and wildlife. The first nasty weather we have encountered on our trip is in Finlayson Channel but we only have a short 3-mile crossing then duck behind Cone Island for a calm stretch to land at Klemtu. It’s perfect timing as we arrive 10 minutes before 5pm (1650) so I have the chance to pick up a few food supplies before the band store closes.



(Tuesday, 7/23) In the morning, we moved to the transient dock very near to their fish processing plant in the middle of the harbor. A humpback whale fishes as we tie up, eagles soar and seabird feast all around us. We power walk (me) and bike (Peter) to the Kitasoo Xai’xais Stewardship office to say hello to our friends that we met earlier this spring when we presented IPDP concepts to the students and administrators. We were lucky to see Ester, the head gardener, and see the success of their raised beds and greenhouse. It’s a relief to see such happiness from the kids helping in the gardens and the community progress in this stressed community.



Our travels today lead us up Tolmie Channel past another favorite anchorage in Horsefly Cove on Green Inlet. Princess Royal Island, known to have Spirit Bears, is to the west so we constantly scan the shores and waterfalls but don’t get lucky this time. Our turn into the inlet where we spend the night leads us deep into a fiord with a large sand bar almost all the way across its opening. Soon we can see snow-capped mountains towering over us and the inlet is equally deep. At its end, there is a waterfall that starts miles above us, a wide thread at first, then silver ribbons, branching out a couple of times until coalescing back into one generous cascading waterfall, covering the base of a glacial slump. We’ve heard stories of the mama grizzly who raises her cubs on the berry bushes lining the shores here and last year witnessed her teaching 3 cubs about the treasures found in tidal pools. There is no sign of her this year though not long after anchoring, two guys on a small sailboat launched a kayak and paddled over to the nearby river mouth where he spotted a large male grizzly who stood on hind legs and raised himself to full height to warn off his intrusion.



Our interactions were mellow, chatting with fellow travelers who also know about this special location and enjoying the constant waterfall purring us to sleep.



(Thursday, 7/25) We start out at high tide in the fog using our radar and enjoying a smooth ride to start the day. Its not long before turning into McKay Reach that we spot Humpback whales around us, three in as many hours. The rain starts when the fog lifts and continues all day until we tie up at Hartley Bay. This small First Nation community has been our destination in the past and we look for friends from previous visits. Like clockwork, the men head out to fish in the morning. We don’t see any kids until later so assume they are taking lessons during the day. We get the opportunity to meet with band administrator and share our new fuel guide but the rain has kept most people inside all day.



Both Peter & I are getting cabin fever so despite the rain, we take a stroll on the Gitga’at beautifully maintained boardwalks to their fish hatchery and nature walk along the river. We both have boat maintenance projects but the weather keeps us inside cozy Ama throughout our stay in Hartley Bay this year.



Blog #4 • 2019

The IPDP is a grassroots effort to decarbonize the marine and light displacement maritime ecosystem of the NW’s Inside Passage over the next decade through demonstration, awareness, education, and strategic partnering. The IPDP’s three principal foci are on clean, very low carbon propulsion; clean, renewables-based lubricants, 100%!t(MISSING)ruly renewable port electric grids, and vessel shore-power for charging.







Check out more news & information at Inside Passage Decarbonization Project: www.DecarbthePasssage.net

---