June 15 – Bishop Bay Hot Springs to Europa Bay Hot Springs

We raced up Graham Reach in the afternoon, turned right at Wright Sound (BC Ferry Sinking) and headed for Bishop Bay for a relaxing soak in the hot springs. It is not immediately busy when we arrive and there is ample room for us to drop the anchor and stern into the dock, except the 40’ Mainship already on the dock refuses to move up 5 feet so that Dave can tie to one side and Wayne to our other side. Oh well…..what goes around, comes around. The three sailboats we passed in Graham Reach also enter into the bay and one of them side ties to us, a 26’ boat out of Kitimat side ties to a boat behind us on the dock….it’s a Hot Springs Party in the making! There are now 8 boats tied in one form or another on the dock that is built for 2 boats, with 2 more boats anchored in the bay. We meet six young men out on a fishing trip (from Kitimat) and they are in a party mood. I guess the Mainship had a long night with the men laughing and their generator purring long into the night.
The hot springs are nice, but crowded!
The hot Springs are covered in with a soaking pool outside, so no view unless you sit in the outside pool (which is much cooler) – picture the inside of the Hot Springs with signatures from other boaters that have visited – a guest book of sorts. We see a signature from fellow Deep Cove yacht Club members, “Trivial Pursuit & Dorado” from May 30/08. Not to be outdone, Dave is up early the next day, he finds a piece of driftwood and carves and stencils, all of our names and boat names and screws the board to the inside of the hot spring building. So for those of you lucky enough to make it to these hot springs…look up, way up and you will see the fish stenciled sign with our names on it.

June 14th – Khutze to Butedale

Butedale Memoribilia

Every year, more buildings fall into the water

Butedale Bowling Alley

Part of the Power Generating Plant

Waterfall outside Butedale

Today it’s a bit overcast, as we putter up Graham Reach to Butedale. A buck and doe were sighted when we were almost at Butedale, but no Kermode bears ): The white spray paint is starting to look good!
We are greeted by the ever friendly Lou (caretaker) at Butedale. As we are tying up to the float at Butedale, Mike and I knock heads (Literally!) His expensive Bolle sunglasses fall into the water, but wait, he manages to save them…..but alas….the arm on the glasses has been snapped right off! A true definition of a “cocobonk “ - CJ – I have a suggestion for Father’s Day!!
Things are looking worse than what we saw in 2004. More buildings have collapsed into the ocean and it’s almost a hazard to walk around anywhere. Mike, Wayne, Cathy and Dave go for a tour to the electricity plant and over to the Bowling Alley (A warehouse with Bowling Pins set up at the back)
We leave all the magazines we can for Lou as he paints and draws from the photos in the magazines and bid him a farewell with a promise to stop in on our way back. Another 16 miles up Graham Reach to Bishop Bay Hot Springs for the night.

June 12 & 13th – Green Inlet to Khutze Inlet

"Whats Up?"

"nap time in Khutze"

"Who's the guy in Yellow?"

Dave, come back and tow us out please

First Grizzly when we enter the bay

Estuary at Head of Khutze

Can you see Me?

Better view of the Humans

Waterfall At Head of Khutze

Morning View

Mike - "Promise you won't leave?"

Our raft at anchor in Khutze

More Glaciers

Khutze Inlet is by far one of our most favorite anchorages up coast. Picture an inlet that opens up at the head with a valley that seems to go on forever. Over on one shore is a spectacular waterfall that starts at the very top of a sheer cliff and all the tops are still covered with snow. Large ridge cracks in the snow suggest that with some warm weather, there will be some pretty spectacular avalanches. We were last in here 4 years ago with Gayle (en route to Alaska) and we were extremely disappointed that we did not see any bears. Turns out that the Grizzly bear jamboree starts 2 weeks earlier than the last time we were in. In one afternoon in the bay, we have spotted 5 grizzlies. There was one lounging around at the entrance to Khutze and at least three in the grassy delta between the two rivers and one at the base of the waterfall. With no dinghy, Mike was bummed out that he couldn’t go roaring in there himself, but had to be reliant on our friend’s inflatable. We set out at high tide with Mike and Wayne in one dinghy and Betty and Dave in another. Cameras and binoculars in hand, we set up the left river. About ¼ mile in, we spot a female feeding in the grass at the side of the river. We get some great shots. Mike decides that we can get better shots from land so he jumps on the very edge of the grass….he did not see it, but Dave and I did, the big bear lunged from his grass eating and started clicking his jaws. From previous bear information, we were told that clicking of the jaws meant an extremely agitated bear and we are to beware. Mike and Wayne continue on through a little estuary, as they are leaving, the bear stands up on his hind legs to make sure they are gone and she goes back to eating. Whew….Mike was almost a Scooby snack for a grizzly! Dave and I catch up to the two hooligans in a small estuary where they are pointing and putting their fingers to their lips to shush us as we enter. About 50 feet away is a grizzly climbing onto a fallen tree and before our very eyes, he curls up and falls asleep (see photographs above) – the current grabs Dave’s dinghy and we end up pushing Mike and Wayne into the mud and they are stuck - which of course was the moment that the grizzly decides to wake up from his fake nap and starts standing on his log looking at us. It was kind of funny in a perverted way with Mike loudly whispering, “Dave….grab our line and tow us out, we are stuck” – it was at that moment that I forgave Mike for the dinghy blow up and we went back for them. But the adventure continues. When we get back to the boat we spot a very large griz on the nearby beach. Wayne takes Cathy and Mike ashore for a closer look with Mike at the bow of the dinghy. It’s at this time that Wayne decides to see how close they can bow in to the shore without browning off the bear. Mike knows he is in line as the first mouthful if the bear gets mad and he uses very select expletives to convince Wayne to get the heck out of Dodge. We decide it’s better to leave the bears to feed on their own as we have some spectacular bear shots and no one has been mauled yet. Prawn and Crab Traps were dropped and we float in our threesome in the middle of the bay getting a 360 degree view of all the grizzlies.
The next morning, it’s a bit rainy and overcast and we decide to spend a puttering day in the bay, getting caught up with all the chores and finishing up dinghy repairs. Dave gets up early and takes the dogs to shore as he does not see any bears there. Within 5 minutes of leaving the beach, a very large grizzly comes out of the brush and starts sniffing where the dogs had been. Close call Dave! We pull anchor the next day (14th) and head to Butedale. As we are leaving Khutze we are greeted by a humpback whale entering the inlet….we hope that the other boaters we have left in the bay get a show like we received leaving!
!

June 12th – Afternoon stop – Swanson Bay

Whats left of the original Pier

Dinghys "pre high and dry"

Three Storey Concrete Building

One of the chimneys still standing

Old Wooden ducting still intact but rotten

One of six boilers still intact

Little did we know that this stop would prove to be marriage testing….. All three of us anchored separately in Swanson Bay and took our dinghies to shore to look at the Smokestack and buildings left over from the 1930’s. Swanson Bay was the former site of a pulp mill and sawmill built back in 1908. The remains of a huge brick chimney are still visible from Graham Reach. While on shore, we find the remains of a three storey concrete building that housed the boilers etc (they are still there). Its last production was in 1934 and the population of this bay was said to have been 500. After some bushwhacking, we come back to find that the dinghies are high and dry so we must wait out the tide. There is about a 1 ½ ft chop in the bay, and our boats are all holding on their perspective anchors. Wayne manages to free his dinghy so I get a chauffeured back to our boat for some lunch while Mike and Dave stay on shore to wait the tide out. After a few hours, the boys get the dinghies free and come back to their boats. While I am holding ours off and Mike is passing me all the crap out of the dinghy, a wave picks the dinghy up and slams it down on the back Cleat on our swim grid…..a streak of blue languages is emitted from both of our mouths at the same time as we hear the hiss of the air coming out of our front tube. That popping and hissing sound when a tube blows is unmistakable! After a lot of cussing, yelling and finger pointing (at each other), we decide to pull the dinghy back on deck to start repairs. The gash is around 8” long and is just beside a seam at the front of the tube. The patch kit only has a 7” strip in it……. Two things we learned, don’t fill up your dinghy with too much air and don’t hold the dinghy close to the boat in a chop sea. We agree that it was both our faults and we press on to the Khutze Inlet behind the others.

June 11 – Alexander Inlet to Green Inlet

Racing into the Lagoon

Entrance to River at head of Lagoon

Wayne "Waterfall" Wood

"Not another Waterfall" Dave

Davisons in the River

Waterfall number 52 in Green Inlet

Our Raft at the head of Green Inlet

A 25 nm trip from the head of one inlet to the next. Two black bears and a humpback whale spotted enroute. Last chance for emails and phone calls as we will be out of range until we hit the Kitimat area. The books say that this inlet has a beautiful waterfall at the head and that there is not very good anchorages inside the inlet (just at the start of the inlet) but this bay is called “Horsefly” Cove, so we opt to not stay there but go to the very end to see what’s up. There is a waterfall enroute, so the tourists pull their boats in front of it to get a postcard photograph taken. There is no waterfall at the head of the inlet, but rather an entrance to a lagoon that is spectacular inside and has a beautiful river at the head of it. We suspect that the author of the boating book saw the over falls at low tide and thought it was a waterfall? We enter just before dinner and spend about an hour inside the lagoon (we don’t want to get stuck with the tide change) There is still snow on the hills and too many spectacular waterfalls to count. The boys agree that this is one of the best lagoons they have been in. After a nice spaghetti dinner, we play some cards, watch some movies and off to bed.

June 9-10 – Alexander Inlet

Our First Grizzly Sighting

View outside Alexander Inlet

Sunrise in Alexander Inlet

We motored around 2 hours to get into the head of Alexander Inlet where there is a lagoon and lots of interesting landscape. The book tells you that if you want to get away from it all, not many boaters go in there. We felt kind of bad for the American yacht that was already in the bay (for about 5 minutes) as we were sure he thought he would have the place to himself. On the way in I spot a grizzly feeding on the shore. What a treat! After dinner, we go high speed gunkholing (refer to earlier post for definition) – we are on the lookout for Betty’s Kermode bear….we spot a grizzly instead and Mike threatens to spray paint it white….go ahead I say, if you can do that, I will quit whining to see one! It’s a beautiful night and a beautiful bay.

June 9th – Klemtu

We spent the morning, fueling, watering up and eating in the Klemtu restaurant. This was followed by a tour of the Longhouse or Big House by Francis. Francis has a wicked sense of humour and it is not uncommon when you first meet him for him to hold up his hand and say “How”….after an awkward moment, he bursts in to a large smile and tells you that you were to have said “When”…..We believe that Francis is an elder of the Kitasoo Clan and was therefore qualified to do the tours and explain their history. Although the longhouse is quite modern (sprinkler systems etc), it has some of the most beautiful totems and Indian art that we have seen. Klemtu has a population of approximately 400 and they are very friendly. As this is the area and home of the Spirit Bear (Kermode) a lot of the stories range around the bear. Perhaps being a dry community (you can’t purchase liquor in the village) has a lot to do with their outlook.
The telephone system in this area is VHF radio 06 and 08. We had hours of entertainment listening in. When you want a tour, ask for Francis and when you want fuel, ask for Ernie. We heard everyone in the village congratulating Dennis on his birthday and we overheard numerous other conversations. This included someone not being able to beat level 5 in a game they were playing and asking for help and one announcement of the holding of an Auction at John’s place…..1st prize was a “Nintendo Wii” and the second prize was a “lady’s size 7 fast runner.” Tickets could be had for 5 for $1.00 or 21 for $5.00…the math seemed to be a bit off as was the range of prizes.
There is only one main road and 2 stores. No one appears to have insurance on their vehicles and one of the pre-requisites of boarding the BC Ferry is to show your Drivers License (leads me to believe that most don’t have a driver’s license). We believe that since we tipped Francis handsomely for our tour and spent money on fuel, in the store and also on some knick knacks, that we were given gratis moorage. It is normally 60 cents/ft. Fuel had just gone up and was $1.55 for Wayne and $1.48 for Dave and ourselves….I think Wayne got hosed.
We pull out around 2:00 pm for our next Destination – Alexander Inlet.
Klemtu is definitely worth stopping in to!

June 8th - Boat Bay to Klemtu

Three of about a hundred Ravens we saw

Ceremonial Canoe

Pronounced with clenched teeth - Boat Name

Klemtu Longhouse

40-45' Humpback Whale

Lunch Time for the humpie

A beautiful calm day takes us 20 nm up Finlayson Channel and through Jackson narrows onto the Village of Klemtu. A boon day for wild life. The largest Humpback whale we have ever seen, is cavorting around having lunch. We are now on Swindle Island which is just below Princess Royal Island. My personal goal on this trip has been to see and photograph the Kermode Bear (Sprirt Bear) while in and around Princess Royal. Kermodes are found mainly on Princess Royal. My Skipper has been joking that we could take the Shawl Bay compressor and just spray paint a black bear to white, then we will have seen the "Spririt Bear"?? So look closely if you see a photograph on the blog, as Wayne has been assigned to paint the tail area.
Klemtu is one of the largest First Nations Villages in the area with a population of almost 400. They look prosperous with quite a few new homes, 2 large stores, fuel and a Large School. Tommorrow we are arranging for a tour of the Long House and taking the mile walk into town. There are more Ravens and Crows in and around the dock then I have seen on the whole trip. Perhaps that is why it is in their clan totem (emblem).

June 7 & 8 - Boat Bay

Ivory Island Lighthouse

Marine Park - Oliver Cove

After Dinner Guest

Surf's Up!

The Boys enjoy an outing with Uncle Mikey

Ellerslie to Boat Bay. A leisurely 4 hour run takes us to the edge of Millbanke Sound to be tucked into a very protected bay across from the Oliver Cove Marine Park. We found that Oliver Cove is a little more exposed to the wind and waves then the bay we chose. Great gunkholing in the area with lots of sandy beaches in the outer islets and great beachcombing. Our anchorage offers a birds eye view of the channel and we can watch all the boats coming and going from our cozy little bay.
After dinner, a large black bear comes down to the beach for dinner causing the dogs to go nuts and humans in a dither with cameras in hand. Tommorrow off to Klemtu, around a 20 nm trip.