Day 22 - Kwatsi Bay

View Looking out into Kwatsi Bay

"Shaman" steaming up the docks when the sun came out

MV "Shelagh"

A dull day to travel

From Lagoon Cove to Kwatsi is about a 10 mile run. A short day on the water. Max is the only one in at Kwatsi. Anka has gone to town to do the big store shop, getting ready for the summer season. Sweatshirts and hats to be bought.

Winter has been pretty harsh for this new age pioneer family. A large landslide came down within about 100 feet from the house taking out their power and water for a period of time. It occured around 3:00 am and not only was the noise frightening, but Max said that the smell of the cedar trees and mud permeating the air in their house was a sure sign that the slide was close. No one was hurt and all has been repaired. Marika (15 year old Daughter) tells me with some trepidation that her and her brother will be going to Port McNeil next year for School and that the family will be moving their as well for the school year. They have been homeschooled in conjunction with part time schooling at Echo Bay for most of their lives. This change has its positives and negatives. Hopefully there will be more positives!

There is a boat (Shelagh) tied to the dock at Kwatsi that Max skippered up from Victoria. Turns out that it belongs to one of the inventors of the game "Trivial Pursuit" - the gentleman has a similar boat on the East Coast and both boats are being used for Whale Research. The Shelagh will be tied to a whale research station in Echo Bay (Alexandra Mortons' old place) and the University students will be using it along with the owner to do Whale Research in the Broughtons. Stop in and say "Hi" Chuck!

I asked Max about sealife in the area and they have had whales, both Orca and Grey come into their bay in the last little while. A few years ago, we ran into a large school of pacific white sided dolphins (around 50 of them) in Bond Lagoon (next door). Unfortuneately Bond Lagoon has a large logging operation in it now and the Creek that the good folks of the Broughtons had worked so hard to stock with Salmon has had a few slides into it.....logging....slides...related??? I am finding more causes that I could champion while up here. I know the trees grow back but we have seen more slides up this way this year than in the last 10 years of coming up here. It sounds like not all "good" practices are being practiced with the logging.

We had a nice stay with Max and Marika and wish them a busy season!