Klemtu and Clothes Bay

We didn't leave too early in the morning for Klemtu. Jim took Jenny to shore and we towed the skiff instead of raising it back up.  The trip was about 34 miles or so. 

To get to Klemtu from Raven Cove we travelled west in Seaforth Channel - up Millbank sound and Finlayson Channel and finally up Klemtu passage. 

We saw a large whale in Millbank sound.  Jim had gone down below for a bit and I was watching the wheel.  I noticed a large splash at some distance but then I noticed something in the water very - very close to the boat and I thought it was something. But I couldn't really go around the boat to look.  I thought it was a whale though. And then when Jim came back I went to the stern and was able to see a large whale behind us. But by then it was quite far away. I got a few photos. Not very good one. There was a sailboat behind us that got a good look at it I think. 

We planned to anchor up in a little bay close to Klemtu called Clothes Bay.  There were two boats in there when we got there, a sailboat and a motorboat. Both were American boats.  The people from the motor boat were just coming back in their skiff with a very nice looking halibut. 

Phoenix Hunter at anchor in Clothes Bay. 

There were a lot of eagles in Clothes Bay 

We went in and set the anchor without any problems. It was a small bay right off the Klemtu channel. Maybe room for one more boat. The little sailboat that was behind us came in later but when they tried to anchor they had a problem with their chain and windless and ended up going to the dock at Klemtu. 

As we were arriving we saw a boat called Navigator on the AIS in Klemtu. We were able to contact them on the radio as they were leaving. They were fellow Krogenites - Lynn and Neil. Unfortunately they were heading north - they said they were unable to get water in Klemtu and their water maker wasn't working so they were heading to Prince Rupert to get parts to get it fixed. So Klemtu is another place that is having a water shortage and not giving water to boaters. 

After we set the anchor and we took the skiff into Klemtu to look around. Klemtu is a small First Nations village. There are some sources of income for the local people here. There is a resort there that operates year round - The Spirit Bear Lodge - tourist can stay and go on Kermode bear sighting tours from there.  There is a fish hatchery and a BC ferry terminal. There are a couple of small grocery stores - the band store has a small cafe. A school and a medical centre. 

Klemtu 

There is also a Big House that was built in the late 1990s and opened in 2001 or so.   Jim and I were able to get a tour of the Big House. They offer tours for a fee $15.00 a person. There were some pretty impressive totem poles in the Big House.  Our tour guide Shane had told us they were carved by a carver from Campbell River. And the trees were not from the area as there weren't any trees large enough in the area due to logging. 

Standing in the entry of the Big House with our tour guide Shane. There were 4 large totems. Two on each end.  They were pretty amazing! 

The Big House from the water as we were going by in our skiff. 

We spent two nights at Clothes Bay. It rained hard off and on when we were there. When we wanted to go see the Big House we got caught in a down pour and got soaked. We had to turn the skiff around and go back and dry ourselves and our clothes and try again a couple of hours later. Thank goodness for the dryer - and the generator. 

It was clear and sunny as we left. The forecast was for Gale warnings for most of the Central and south coast for the next few days so we wanted to move somewhere a little more sheltered. 

I took this photo as we we walking from the Big House back to the dock.