April 24th we depart Dent island Lodge and head for Forward Harbour. Slack at Dent: 07:56. slack at Green Point Rapids 13:27. Time for a nap at Bickley Bay! Wait a minute....Slack at Whirlpool Rapids is 13:28...I guess we take Green Point Rapids at slack and run Whirlpool at center channel...farther from shore....more room to get whirled! 15:05 we are now doing 11.2 knots. Past Forward Harbour, out Sunderland Channel and up Johnston Straight... The whole dam place is ebbing...and in a hurry!! At 18:20 we turn into Havvannah Channel, Chatham Channel is almost slack. 19:40 safely anchored in Cutter Cove. A long day! My advise is to stay the hell off Johnston Straight as much as possible, we once spent 2 hours in Race Passage and gained only 1 mile, at slack...according to the tide tables!
Sunday April 25th...a stop at Lagoon cove for propane, shopping and a visit with Pat and Bob. Off to Echo Bay as a big blow is in the forecast. While waiting for the blow to pass, we spent 2 days on the dock with Pierre (Owner) and his staff Mary and Walt.
A vigorous 15 minute hike brought us to Billy Proctors Museum located on Gilford Island. Billy built a museum on his property to display many years of kindred treasure. He then took the time to enlighten us with a few of his amazing stories from his years of beach coming and duties of Coast 
Guarding.
Sunday April 25th...a stop at Lagoon cove for propane, shopping and a visit with Pat and Bob. Off to Echo Bay as a big blow is in the forecast. While waiting for the blow to pass, we spent 2 days on the dock with Pierre (Owner) and his staff Mary and Walt.
A vigorous 15 minute hike brought us to Billy Proctors Museum located on Gilford Island. Billy built a museum on his property to display many years of kindred treasure. He then took the time to enlighten us with a few of his amazing stories from his years of beach coming and duties of Coast 
Guarding. Simply, a warm and amazing man.
Echo Bay Marina
Shortly after arriving at Echo Bay, MV Invictus and Explorer IV arrived on the dock and informed us that they also were heading north,so we decided to tag along.
Tuesday April 27th...a nice calm morning, so we motor sailed up to Blunden Harbour and dropped the hook for the night. Dave and Meta invite us over to the MV Invictus for a drink and a tour of their 72 foot Nordhaven. Beautiful Boat!
Wednesday April 28th...up at 4:30 am, got to head north!Oh! Oh! Sump pump not working...not to worry...Wendy is under the galley floor hatch to get it fixed.
Steel Eagle takes us around the infamous Cape Caution to Pruth Bay.
Calm Seas!!!
A 20 minute walk across the isthmus and we were at one of the most beautiful beaches on the coast.
We were more than happy to trade her for some of Bevs garden potatoes and some of our Alberta Beef steaks for their supper.
We Departed Namu with mixed emotions regarding its future.
A 20 minute walk across the isthmus and we were at one of the most beautiful beaches on the coast.
The next morning, Larry is fishing the spectacular Hakai Passage
While the rest of us hang on for dear life in the swells. No luck fishing!
We once asked a local fisherman how we could improve our catch...he
advised us to lie!!!...Ya...I think I just realized the secret to fishing on Big V and Mabel Lake...Right Jan, Eydie and Kirby??!!
While the rest of us hang on for dear life in the swells. No luck fishing!
We once asked a local fisherman how we could improve our catch...he
advised us to lie!!!...Ya...I think I just realized the secret to fishing on Big V and Mabel Lake...Right Jan, Eydie and Kirby??!!
Reel in the lines as we decide to make a side trip to Namu Harbour,
this ghost town used to be home to some 3500 people in 1912 and now there are 3. Pete, Renié and Teresa are caretakers now and gave us a very warm welcome. Teresa was more than happy to take us on a tour of the abandoned town. Interesting, but sad. Once a thriving part of the fishing industry and more lately a popular stopping place for cruisers- it is now somewhere in between and rapidly becoming neither.
this ghost town used to be home to some 3500 people in 1912 and now there are 3. Pete, Renié and Teresa are caretakers now and gave us a very warm welcome. Teresa was more than happy to take us on a tour of the abandoned town. Interesting, but sad. Once a thriving part of the fishing industry and more lately a popular stopping place for cruisers- it is now somewhere in between and rapidly becoming neither.After our two hour tour, Teresa picked us a meal of fresh purple broccoli grown in her garden. As she checks out her rain guage....Too Cool!!!
We were more than happy to trade her for some of Bevs garden potatoes and some of our Alberta Beef steaks for their supper.We Departed Namu with mixed emotions regarding its future.
Proceeded on to drop the hook in pristine Codville Lagoon (Whats the difference between a bay and a lagoon...?? That was the question of the morning.)
Quick trip up Fisher Channel and tied up to the dock at Ocean Falls Marina just minutes before the sky opened up... so much for our 40 minute walk up to Martin Valley and the only local store!
So reading, charting and naps were in order waiting out the rain. So we waited....and we waited...
Ocean Falls is mostly a ghost town since the closing of the mill in 1980, in 1986, bulldozers came to level it but local residents backed them down. We did not get to meet Nearly Normal Norman Brown...but did enjoy the view of the dam. Now a large fish hatchery is in
place but it only employs a few locals.
place but it only employs a few locals.The next day we left...still pouring rain, and headed back toward the ocean and sunnier skies, forgoing a visit to Alexander Mackenzie Rock and Eucott Hot Springs.
Wow, Namu looks interesting. Hard to believe that 3 people are still living there. Great looking greenhouse. I think Carl will remember that beautiful beach(Looks like Hakai Beach). He was there 15 years ago, a few months before we met, and brought back many cool pictures from the area. I think there was a Hermit living there at the time.
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed this update, great sights, interesting stories.
Oh and I think a "lagoon" simply has a narrower opening, where as a "bay" is a bit more exposed.