Summer 2022 cruise recap

 

1600 nm total (269 nm sailed)

91 nights total on the boat (66 nights at anchor and 3 nights on mooring buoys)

17  new-to-us places

 

Positive highlights:

• Achieved all our goals (North of Caution; Prince Rupert; Haida Gwaii; Skidegate Channel transit; west coast of Moresby Island; daytime sail back across Hecate Strait).
• Stunning geography of the west coast of Moresby Island
• Haida Gwaii, overall
  
• Many beautiful anchorages, including 17 new-to-us places
  
• Some excellent sailing (especially: west coast of Moresby Island, great sail back across Hecate Strait, south/east down Johnstone Strait)
• Good weather (mostly) in Haida Gwaii
  
• Prince Rupert (a great stop, haven't been there since 2002 trip)
• Cruising with friends on SV Chanter (central coast) and SV Carousel (Desolation Sound/ "Discovery" islands), and (albeit briefly) with friends on SV Darwin Sound, as well as a couple days with new friend Henry on SV Kelkara on Moresby's west coast
  
• Pelagia performed great (with exception of fuel issues after rambunctious sail back across Hecate Strain... which we dealt with) 

Negative highlights: 

• Catching COVID-19 on the bus down from Whistler to boat in Vancouver, and subsequent isolation (we weren't too ill, thanks to vaccinations -- a positive highlight we guess)
• Problems with stuffing box overheating due to incorrect packing (corrected in Sointula by Tarkanen Boat Ways, a positive highlight)
• Many gales/bad weather (at least 6) we had to "hide" out from in safer anchorages for 2-3 days each
  
• Williwaws (up to 33 kn) in Anna Inlet
• Fuel starvation issues due to junk stirred up by rough eastward Hecate Strait sail
  
• Isolation (Empty anchorages are wonderful, but we missed our cruising friends. For the most part, we were alone.) 
• As always when heading north: not enough sailing
  

Trip over... home in Vancouver

Home berth: Vancouver Rowing Club

 

Two nights at Cochrane Islands with SV Carousel. Went for lovely hike to (and swim in) Wednesday lake -- so warm! Winds picked up while eating lunch at the lake. When we arrived back at the boats, Carousel had dragged (unusual for Carousel) perhaps 20m-40m due to winds and rocky bottom; Pelagia hadn't moved. Thunder and lightning (happily not too close) for our last night in Desolation Sound (at Cochrane Islands). 

Had a farewell dinner with Gillian and David, then left early (530am) next morning for Ballet Bay/Pender Harbour area, hoping for a favourable current. We never saw the favourable current and had to motor, but at least it was a pleasant trip. Ballet Bay was too crowded for us, so we headed further south/east, checking out Bargain Bay (Pender Harbour) for the first time. We were pleasantly surprised (not crowded, good anchoring, quiet, even good swimming) -- we'll likely return.

Next day, we decided to head to longtime favourite Port Graves (Gambier Island, Howe Sound) for 1-2 nights. Unfortunately, it was an uncharacteristically windy night (southerly inflow winds, straight into anchorage). Woke up tired next day, and decided to head home to our berth at VRC.

TRIP END: At our berth at Vancouver Rowing Club in Stanley Park. Our summer 2022 trip, total of 1600 nm, is complete. "Best sail trip ever" (Michelle)

Sointula to Desolation Sound

Anchored in Handfield Bay (SV Carousel)

After 3 lovely days relaxing in Sointula, we did the short hop over to Port McNeill for 1 night for provisions and fuel.

Next day, we had a calm motor down 1/3rd of Johnstone Strait to Port Harvey. Lots of room to anchor, despite a USA boat who decided it was OK to put down several crab traps right in anchorage. D wasn't so polite in telling him off about it.

Next day we headed back in Johnstone and had a good (sometimes exciting) sail all the way to Forward Harbour (passing Fanny Island when it was reporting 30+ knots of NW wind) -- glad we were going downwind.

That night we made contact on HAM radio with cruising friends David and Gillian on SV Carousel, agreeing to meet up in the Cordero Islands, only 16 nm away. Next morning, we had another nice (but calmer) sail in Chancellor Channel, transited flooding (5 kn current) Greene Point Rapids, and anchored beside Carousel. We were back cruising with friends again. It was a bit windy overnight, but all was well.

Next day we headed over to Handfield Bay (Thurston Marine Park) for a couple nights. The first night was pretty windy, making sleep difficult, but our anchors were well dug in (as we found later when we tried to bring them up). The next day was sunny and calm, and we did some kayaking (even seeing a bear on the beach). All around Pelagia and Carousel, salmon were jumping, but fishing wasn't allowed. We all hoped one jump into a dinghy, but no such luck.

Next day was drizzly and foggy. We headed out to transit the "Yacultas" rapids, a series of 3 sets of rapids (Dent, Gillard, Yaculta) that can be dangerous if transited at the wrong time (10+ kn currents, whirlpools, etc including the scarily named "Devil's Hole" at Dent). We arrived at/near slack (the right time) but the whole transit was in thick "pea soup" fog -- less than 1/4-mile visibility. With lots of boats converging (both directions) at the same time (some with huge wakes showing zero consideration of others), it was a stressful 1-2 hours. But we came out fine, and headed onwards to our favourite swimming/hiking hole in Ha'Thayim (Von Donop) Marine Park at the top of Cortes Island.

We were back in the Desolation Sound area. Warm seas, hot temperatures, and many, many boats. (Squirrel Cove, close by, was reported to have of 70 anchored boats; Von Donop is 3-4 times larger but had less than half that of Squirrel). Quite the change from 2 months of empty (sometimes lonely) anchorages up north. We weren't lonely though, as we shared dinners for 3 of 4 nights in Von Donop with Carousel.

After 4 nights, we all headed over to Heriot Bay/Drew Harbour, where we setup a dinner with HAM friends Erik and Leona (Erik is net control for the eveni g "West Coast Boaters' Net"). A fun dinner was had at the HBI (Heriot Bay Inn), although its menu was less than inspiring.

A nice sail the next morning around the bottom of Cortes Island (Carousel won...), then motoring up to a surprisingly uncrowded Cortes Bay (not counting the busy docks of the 2 yacht clubs outstations).

Next morning, a short trip over to the Cochrane Islands in Malaspina Inlet. Likely our last anchorage in Desolation Sound area (and last with friends on SV Carousel) before we head south for Vancouver.

Of course, first we have to wait for some rain and southeast winds to pass us by.

Mainland coast: south from Chapple Inlet, to Sointula (North Vancouver Island)

Heading south: Chapple Inlet to Sointula

 

Our stay in Chapple Inlet after our long daytime sail across Hecate Strait turned into a 3-night stay due to gales. We SHOULD have high-tailed it south the next day, but we were too tired from the preceding 92-mile trip. So we got stuck in Chapple bouncing around while gales blew outside. It wasn't comfortable.

After 3 nights, with a gentle forecast, we took off south. But we quickly ran into fuel starvation issues: the rambunctious Hecate crossing (and perhaps the two days bouncing at anchor) must have stirred up junk in the fuel tanks (OR we had received some bad fuel... more likely the former). We changed the primary filter and started off again. Within an hour, the problems were back. We were able to motor at reduced revs and speed, so continued on to the (lovely) anchorage at Meyer's Narrows. We changed the filter again, and kept our fingers crossed.

Next day, we headed to Klemtu, intent to get fuel and water (we had been given the heads up that there was no water at the docks at Shearwater... due to a big leak in their lines) and perhaps change the filter again.

We wondered if we would have to get our fuel and tanks "polished" in Shearwater (pricey and time consuming... something better to do in Vancouver). As it turned out, we had no further fuel starvation issues, and that day we went all the way from Meyer's to Wigham Cove, surprising our cruising friends Wayne and Lee on SV Chanter, who kindly made dinner and provided wine for us.

We spent a couple days with Chanter then went to Shearwater to stock up. Indeed, there was no potable water at the docks (but they did find the source of the leak while we were there... they have some excavating to do) -- we topped up our tanks using jerry cans from a potable water tap ashore. Provisions were scarce at Shearwater as they now only stock up every 2 weeks (to save money on shipping?), but Michelle took the shuttle (free for us "elders") to Bella Bella and its store was well-stocked (weekly) and everyone was very welcoming. Laundry was done and David purchased SIX new primary filter cartridges just in case...).

We left Shearwater and joined Chanter for 3 nights at Rait Narrows then at Forit Bay. It was great to be cruising with friends (almost all of our time since May we were alone).

Soon it was time to head south. There was a weather window to go around Cape Caution the next day, so we did a long trip (mostly motor, though we did have a rambunctious, nail-biting sail between swells crashing on rocks for the final 2 hours) from Forit Bay all the way to Millbrook Cove in Smith Sound, setting us up for going around Cape Caution next morning. To our surprise, friends on SV Darwin Sound (who also live in Whistler) followed us in to Millbrook.

We left early the next morning, with a "relatively gentle" motor/motor-sail past Cape Caution (relative because it is usually quite rolly on this passage). Of course, David was worried the rolly trip would stir up more junk in the tanks. But the trip went fine, with a little fog thrown in; we arrived in Port Alexander, only a few miles north of Port Hardy by 1pm'ish. Al and Irene from Darwin Sound joined us for dinner on Pelagia. Port Alexander was new to us, and a little too windy for our liking, but it wasn't a bad night (new anchorages with wind tend to stress David...).

Next day, we headed down to our regular favourite, Sointula, where we spent 3 relaxing days/nights.

We were back on the south coast (albeit, at its northern end).