July 10, 2024 - Corney Cove to Bear Bay

A pair of large Pectoral Fins,
Whale on it's back?

Momma Humpback and Baby

Played for about an hour like this.

This little guy must have slept good last night.

Momma and baby duet jump

We stopped for an hour or so watch momma and baby frolicking in the channel outside of Klemtu.  It was awe inspiring to watch them go on for this length of time.

 July 9, 2024 Cornwall Inlet to Corney Bay 

Red-Necked Loon

We received the call from my brother that their company cancelled their trip on their boat so they were coming up to see us.  We agreed to meet them in Shearwater in two days.

We circumnavigated Princess Royal Island. Stopped and spent the night in Corney Cove, at the entrance to Meyers Passage and in the morning stopped in Klemtu, picked up some water, fuel and fresh groceries.

Beat the wind into Corney Cove and had a pleasant quiet night.

 July 5-8, 2024 Cornwall Inlet

Cap't giving me the look! 

The delta at the very head of the long arm. A river on either side

Dropping tide - Tidal Bore

A view up Whale Channel

Not much choice of lunch meat,
a throwback lunch to the 70's

The little red triangle is where we were anchored

Water rushing through the tidal bore at the rising tide

Looking up towards Hartley Bay

Probably about 6 or 7 years ago, we came to Cornwall Inlet by dinghy (gunk holed) and toured this inlet.  It's approximately 7 or 8 miles long and then about another 7 or 8 mile arm coming off it.  You have to go through a set of rapids (Tidal Bore) to get in and there are rocks and massive kelp beds at the start of these rapids.  Needless to say, we anchored on the outside of these rapids and dinghied in through the rapids.

The longhouse at the head of Cornwall Inlet

A stiff breeze made for a lumpy gunkhole.  Pretty inlet, but not a lot of wildlife to see.  At the very head of the long arm is (I believe) and old longhouse (probably belonging to Hartley Bay) or perhaps this was this summer home.

It was a relaxing stay, Mike did some fishing, but not a lot of luck, he believes he is cursed this trip on the fishing end.

July 3-4, 2024 - Khutze Inlet to Cornwall Inlet - 5 hour cruise

A couple of houses left

Just one shed still standing

Butedale waterfall

Le Boleal - 250 passenger Ponant Cruise line

Beautiful day for a cruise.  Finally warmth....blue sky, some puffy cumulous clouds and fairly calm seas (a bit of chop).WE just cruised by Butedale, the docks look good and are pilings.  Probably a safe stop if the wind is not northwest.

A pair of Dahls porpoise played in our bow wake.  See this Porpoise in bow wake for about a 5 sec clip!  They get bored easily.

Tomorrow, more on Cornwall Inlet.  We will gunkhole it tomorrow and spend two nights here.

 June 30 - July 3, 2024 - a 4 hour cruise to Khutze Inlet

Did I mention the crab?

Shaman in the mist

Couldn't help it, what a great shot!

Barn Swallow scoping out
a new nest site?

Sunset last night - gorgeous!

Double click on this one, panorama shot of the delta

A short cruise from Windy Bay to Khutze Inlet.  Bar-none, one of our favourite places on the coast.  A few years back, with a few other boats, a humpback whale came into the bay - that was a kick.....wondering if the big humpback was going to drag one of our anchors with him, they are not the brightest whales!

Lots of bird action, had a pair of barn swallows try and build their next under our bridge, a hummingbird draw by Mikes red Floater jacket, loons doing a dance in the bay (I think it is a courtship dance) a short video.  Again, I am no videographer, I seem to miss most of the action by the time I remember to grab my camera. On the 2nd, we finally saw a pair of grizzly bears, a sow and her cub jumped out of the high delta grass right in front of us to swim to the other side. We were good tourists and kept our distance.  Momma was very wary and kept a close eye on us and her cub.  Nothing to trifle with.

Momma and Baby swimming across the channel

Being checked out and to ensure baby makes it out of the water

A steady stream of boats came and went as most were too scared to anchor.  It tricky in that it goes from shore-side @ 20 feet to a steep slope and then you are in 90 feet of water. We have slipped off this slope a few times in years gone by. Most of the boats that tried to anchor and gave up were flying the US flag.

Crabbing - when we first arrived @ 4:30, I threw the crab trap off the back of the boat, with the timer set to check it after 1/2 hour (we are on anchor and you don't want the trap line to be hooked up with your anchor chain) - 4 massive dungeness crabs, one undersize went back.  Hmmm....if I can get three in 1/2 hour, what will the next 1/2 hour bring, another three.  Backs the size of dinner plates.  All male (can't keep female crab).  Cooking crab all night and shelling everything the next day.  Only got one more in the four days there.  

p.s. It wasn't until we got to Klemtu, that we saw the signs that said no crabbing in their territory (Of which Khutze is in) - there is a squabble going on between the Kitsou and the Feds about who has jurisdiction of their waters.  In my personal opinion, it's because they have a mess of very large fish farms and with everyone being told to get their fish farms out of the water and to land (within 5 years), I think this might be their way of continuing to fish farm in the ocean.  Again, in my opinion, very short-sighted.

 June 28 & 29, 2024 - Shearwater to Windy Bay

    A long day of cruising today - Eagle Bay back to Shearwater to pick up spare parts. A quick natter on the dock with Ross and Elizabeth and then off like a herd of turtles.  8 Hours of cruising up Finlayson Channel to a place we never stayed before, probably because the name was unsettling.... "Windy Bay",  

We saw what appeared to be a gray whale, didn't have the usual little fin on it's back, so we can only assume that it was a Gray.

Ever have that non-stop laughter at the most inappropriate time?  Had one of those moments on the drive up Finlayson.  Sitting downstairs calmly scanning another mountain of photographs and then I hear the loudest crash from upstairs.....thinking the worse, I run up the ladder to see Mike sitting in his chair at the helm, but the chair has come off its base and Mike is at a right angle on the floor, still sitting in his chair.  After ascertaining he was okay, I could not quit laughing, as a matter of fact I am so sorry I did not have the mind to grab my camera to take a picture!  Still thinking its quite funny, but Mike does not think it funny!  All fixed and he is once again sitting up right.

Peaceful couple of nights in the rain, listening to the water being funneled into the water tanks from the rain.  Off on June 30th to our most favourite place!

View of Windy bay in our anchorage

Elephant Mountain?

Windy Bay overview

A very calm cruise up Finlayson Channel

We think its a Grey Whale, not a humpback.

Picked up our parts, bye bye Shearwater

That dang boat is still following us!

Misty day in our little bay

Pretty Calm in our little bay

 

June 26 - 27, 2024 - Eagle Bay

Yet another unnamed bay that we have been coming to for years.  Faye named this "Eagle Bay" and its stuck with us.  True to form, we pulled in and dropped the anchor and three eagles flew overhead and started squawking that we were trespassing!  We have been here with most of our friends, some have been lucky with fish, but most not.  This bay is in behind Idol Point and we get a clear view (without wash) of cruise ships and all boat traffic heading down Seaforth channel.

Overcast, but warming up.  Just finished plowing through a novel (my 10th I think!) and time to do some chores.  Hooked up the hose to get some fresh water as the rain is coming over night!  And since I took the time and trouble to climb up on the roof and clean it (back in Shawl Bay) - the water will be "sans bird poop" :) 

ps - any of the photos on my blog can be enlarged by double clicking on them.

 June 25, 2024 - Shearwater

Gray, overcast, but hey, its not raining!

A sister ship to Grey Pearl

We spotted a familiar burgee!

One of the hubs of the central coast.  Fuel, groceries, and yes, laundromat! 

Other than being able to stock up on groceries and get much needed laundry done, it was a mediocre stay.  A Wagoneer flotilla came in of 7 boats, enroute to Alaska with their wagon master.  I am almost positive that is why they jacked up the fuel prices by .10/lt the morning they arrived.  We put 200 gal in and the cost was .80/lt more than Campbell River.  That's a lot of freight charge in there!  In years past, fuel used to be about .30 lt more, which is quite understandable, so gouging fuel price is not just relegated to Powell River I guess!  

So we go to check in, and guess what mariners, you can now tip your dockmaster for taking your lines.  Guess they are not paying their employees enough?  Not only is moorage 2.00/foot, which we have no issue with, but now for the pleasure of taking one of our lines, they expect a tip of 12.00-24.00.  I think this is a shameful practice.  I guess that is the price of the beautiful sunsets they have here.

The service was good in the pub (we didn't mind tipping our server) - but the food was mediocre.

Did see a fellow Burrard Yacht Club boat there, who was enroute to Prince William Sound in Alaska....way to go!  An ambitious feat that you won't find me doing. @ 400 nautical miles of open ocean!

Spare Parts ordered, will arrive in a few days, out to Eagle Point for a few days of fishing.

Anchoring in three different bays in one day

Going out for a gunkhole, the rain has stopped

She is still pretty!

Another sandy beach in anchorage three!

Proof, Sun finally came out!

Pretty waterfall from all
that rain!

A beautiful end to the day!

 

July 23 and 24, 2024 - Three unnamed bays in a day!

Second day in our unnamed bay didn't start out so well.  Generator quit working, first a change of impeller, ran for a little while, then it stopped again, "I found the problem" says Mike, a collapsed hose, replaces that - meanwhile, Betty is outside with her fresh bucket of water washing windows.  She spots a trailing bunch of bull kelp trailing behind the boat.  Gets out the pike pole and attempts to unhook it from the bottom of the boat.  That didn't work, it was firmly hung up on something, and then an "Aha" moment, the bull kelp is randomly sticking to the water intake, thereby stopping the waterflow into the generator.  Run with my theory to Mike.  We decide we can't get the kelp off without moving, so we move about 1/2 mile away to another unnamed bay.  Generator works perfectly!

Sitting, rusticating in the rain, I look at my new acquisition - "Squid Jigs"....I purchased three of them (see photo below), I had high hopes of catching some squid for some fresh "calamari".  One huge problem, you fish at night, and around here, it doesn't get dark until 10:45 or later.....so those that know me, know that I will have to set my alarm and get up at dark to go fishing....didn't think that one through!

My new Squid jigs,
will I ever stay up late enough
to use them?

Couldn't go fishing as the seat that the downrigger sits on broke when Mike was out fishing, a new part needs to be fabricated.  Naptime it is! Later, sitting up on the bridge, we all of a sudden notice we are no longer anchored and heading to shore at a pretty good pace.  Pull up the anchor and go across Cultas Sound to another unnamed bay.....Lots of anonymity going on around here!  The sun came out and we found a new bay that was totally protected from both wind and waves and it was beautiful.  Spent two night here and headed into Shearwater to see if we could get some back up parts (that we used up) and see if someone in Shearwater workshop can fab something up for the seat.

 July 21-22, 2024 - a one hour cruise from Swordfish to an Unamed bay.

My first "pano" of the trip.

Had a good laugh today.  

B: "looking at the chart" - says: No name on this Bay

M: Few minutes of staring without glasses - Yes there is, some "indigenous" name that I can't pronounce. (says in a very snotty tone of voice)

B: zooms in on the chart - bursts out laughing.....- Silly captain, wear your glasses, it says "49.5 feet" in this bay. (didn't really call him captain....will leave it to your imagination)

My unnamed bay has become, "need to wear my glasses bay".

Rain came in overnight (filled up my rain bucket), and the 40 knot S.E. winds started up this morning, and in comes the fog or low handing cloud.  Good day to get caught up on inside chores.  Generator needs a new impeller, collected rain water to wash salt off the outside windows, perhaps some more baking (if the generator gets fixed) and today seems like a good day to have that Lemon Drop.  Smarty pants that I am, I froze my fresh Lemon Juice in 2 ounce ice cubes.....I had a premonition!

I also charged up my two cameras, but alas, any pictures I take with them will have to be backfilled when I get home, forgot my card reader at home, so phone photos it will be for the rest of the trip. Wishing you all a great Saturday!

 

 July 20 - 21, 2024 - 4 hour cruise to Swordfish Bay from Fognar Bay - a four hour cruise.....(caught you singing it)

Dodging Rocks and little islets to get into the 
Spider Group of Islands

Swordfish Bay - we like to stay in the
arm that looks like a swordfish bill.

Belted Kingfisher 
Quite the ruckus
he/she made!

Beautiful Swordfish bay in the sunshine.

Taken with no extra
settings played with on my phone

Using the zoom on manual settings 
to maximum magnification.  I cry BS...this
must be the AI at work.

Funny thing about our view, it changes 
every 6 hours!

6 hours later

Swordfish Bay - we have dragged many o'boating friends in here, its a great place to anchor if you have salmon fishing in mind.  Which I believe my captain has in mind.  In this anchorage, you can see the waves crashing on the rocks if the sea is rough out there.  You can hear the surf all night long with little to no effect on your sleep!  

Woken up from a sound nap with the squawking of a Belted Kingfisher sitting on the side rail.  Can hear high pitched chirping in the bush somewhere, perhaps this is momma bird and she is telling us we are too close to her babies......who knows.

I was playing with my phone camera settings on the first night and was quite surprised at the results.  Spooky, actually!  How can it take the cloud cover away and come up with such a clear photo.  This cannot be the real thing!