Ocean Falls

First a note about prawns. There was reason we did not get any prawns in Codville Lagoon -- even though there were lots of prawns in there. Jim did not set our pots near the commercial pots -- the commercial fishermen lay big long strings of pots and you don't want to get tangled up in their gear.

The reason the other two boats got lots of prawns is because they put their puts very near ( and on top ) of the commercial gear - and they needed to call the prawn fisherman and get help with untangling their gear. So - although we didn't get prawns we also didn't get tangled!

A downloaded a few photos from the camera from Ocean Falls. I thought I'd post them today.












A few photos from the Ocean Falls Marina during a brief interlude in the rain.



The coast Guard ship - Captain Godard came and anchored up for a night.








I didn't get out much in Ocean Falls. It was raining the entire time we were there. And cold - it was 7-8 degrees Celsius.

I discovered that in the cold and the wet this year my foot -- my mankle - as my sister calls it - has really felt the cold. It's almost as if the actual metal bits in my foot are colder on the inside of my foot. It was strange. I could feel the screws and plate in my foot freezing inside. And then my foot would get stiff and painful. So I didn't really walk anyway this year in Ocean Falls. Hopefully the weather warms up soon.

We are now in Klemtu. We will have 3G until tomorrow morning and then we will be without any cell service until we get to Haida Gwaii - Queen Charlotte City and Sandspit area.






Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Rain - Heavy at Times.

Hakai Pass was flat calm when we left Pruth Bay. Often in the past it's been very windy and wavy through there. And no sports fishing boats in the pass either. We are too early for the salmon season.

Our plan is to go to spend a couple of nights in Codville Lagoon and get some prawns have a birthday dinner for me!

As soon as we got into Codville Lagoon we discover there were a bunch of commercial prawn pots about - so Jim muttered a few choice words that meant - we might not be getting prawns!

We were the only boat in the anchorage and we were quite successful in setting the anchor right where we wanted it.

Jim got busy and we got the two prawn pots down from the boat deck and started setting them up to drop them in the main part of the Lagoon - in 200 feet of water or so. The boat is anchored in about 45 feet of water.

As he was preparing the two pots he'd had them both sitting on the swim step. As I was watching - one of the pots just ever so gently tipped off the swim step and started to fall into the water -- Jim - Jim!! I yelled. And he looked up and reached out to try to catch it as it slipped just out of reach - gently sinking to the bottom of the ocean. Well that sucked! In the end he did have another pot - an old one that was needing work but useable. So after quite a bit of fiddling he got the two down and then we hoped for prawns for my birthday dinner. We did have a Plan B though -- pasta.

So --- we had pasta.

Although we did get 6 small Humpback shrimp. Not a single Prawn.

Jim left the pots down for overnight and he pulled them again in the morning and we got a few more Humpback shrimp.




Our entire catch of Humpback shrimp from Codville.

Jim decide he would make us an "Amuse-bouche" with them.



There weren't many but they were tasty! Just what we needed.

We decided we didn't need to spend two nights in Codville Lagoon and we headed to Shearwater for some 3G and a dinner in the pub.

We arrived in Shearwater on May 31st. Today is June 4th. It has not stopped raining!








We spend two nights at anchor, the second night we had pizza in the pub.





Although in amongst all the rain there was a lovely rainbow.





The second night it was blowing 35 knots most of the night. What a racket that is! We were just hanging on the anchor. The Rocna Anchor has never failed us! Best anchor EVER!

We left on the morning of June 2nd -- blowing 25-30 knots as we are trying to put the skiff up and pull the anchor between wind gusts.

We motored up through Gunboat Passage and blowing 27 knots in Fisher Channel -- to Ocean Falls.

We spent two nights in Ocean Falls. We did a bunch of laundry, got some crab, got some water.

We met some boaters that had a great catch of prawns from Codville Lagoon, and they gave us prawns. I think they felt sorry for us - every time they talked to us they gave us a bag of prawns!

Today we motored back to Shearwater to spend the night and start the voyage north toward the top of Banks Island - where we will position ourselves to cross Hecate Straight.

And it has not stopped raining!! And it's cold. And wet.

Did I mention it has rained non stop since May 31st? And it's cold!!







- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Pictures or it didn't happen

We stayed two nights in Pruth Bay. The anchorage was empty when we arrived although there was one boat motoring in just before us.

We were so excited to drop anchor as close as we could to the dock. We discovered we were not close enough when two sailboats came in and anchored right in front of us -- much closer! Sometimes we miss the mark a little! We need to be more assertive!

We decide if they left the next morning we were moving up to where they had set.

One of the benefits of being close to the dock is there is free wifi that is available for the boaters from the Hakai Institute and the closer you get to the dock the better the connection.

It's so generous of the institute to give us wifi - 300mb a day. You can go to shore in the dingy and sit at the tables and chairs that are provided and check email - send a few iMessages and fight off the black flies. I was bit pretty bad the first day there.

The wifi has a pretty strong connection and it can be received a short distance out in the anchorage. So if you can get a spot close enough you can check email and send iMessages from the comfort of your own boat away from all the nasty biting black flies!!

The next morning both sailboats left and we hauled anchor and moved in -- nice and close -- success - wifi in the comfort of our salon!! For some reason Jim's iPad seems to pick up the signal a bit better then mine iPad.






We enjoyed a couple of nice walks on the beach. Beach walking is not quite the same without Jenny! We miss them both - although it's hard to say who we miss the most!




In the afternoon Jim went out in the skiff to do a bit of fishing. Soon after he left he excitedly called on the radio that he had just hooked -- but lost a Halibut -- 4 feet long and 2 feet wide. He was pretty thrilled he'd finally caught a halibut. I said - you know that old saying -- Pictures or it didn't happen! Haha. Anyway it sounds like there is hope for halibut one day! And what would we have done with a 50 lbs halibut!! We only need a small one.

We met a couple on a Catamaran who were heading to Alaska. They had travelled all over the world in the Cat for 4 years and home schooled their daughters while traveling. Such interesting adventures and stories from boaters.

On one of our walks Jim found a bug on the beach that he was busy taking photos of when some people came over - the 30 something man said -- "oh ewww" and Jim said " not Ewww -- it's -- Ohhh" -- and you shouldn't be afraid of an Isopod! ". It's the Biologist in him!




And of course --
Later that night a sailboat decided it needed to be right in front of us!! There were 3 boats in Pruth Bay - its big enough for 30 boats - and they needed to drop anchor right in front of us and right around where our anchor was. I let him know that in the morning when we left there was a good possibility we'd be coming pretty close to them as we pulled our anchor. Oh well.

We pulled up fine in the morning. But we did get close. There were a LOT of other places he could have gone!! Seriously!!

Next we are on our way to Codville Lagoon for my birthday.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Port McNeill to Pruth Bay

Phoenix Hunter on the dock in Port Harvey




May 22 to May 26.

Four nights in Port McNeill at North Island Marina.

If you ever find yourself in Port McNeill the best place to be is North Island Marina. The owner - Steve and all the staff are just great and friendly and helpful. We are becoming regulars there and they are always happy to see us and it seems we are always there for at least 3 nights - usually 4. Often waiting for a weather warning to end.

The grocery store and marine store are just a quick walk up the dock. There used to be two groceries stores but Super Valu closed last summer. So grocery shopping is so-so there.

There is also a laundry and a wonderful little Thrift store all within easy walking distance. I always seem to find something to buy at the Thrift store. We usually get a few items from Fields and. Rona and the Bargin store. We either forget stuff or we "need" stuff and by the time we get to Port McNeill we have a list.

Our skiff trouble was quickly solved by Graham. I'm sure we are assisting in his retirement fund! Seems every year we have a little skiff issue that Graham has to fix.

And we got pizza! The pizza oven wasn't running yet in Port Harvey ( another favourite dock ) but we found a very good pizza at the Sportsman Bar and Steakhouse at the top of the dock.

We always seem to meet a few new boaters at North Island Marina.

We met a couple on a sailboat that we're heading north and waiting for the wind to pass. There were two really windy days in Port McNeill - blowing 25 kts in the Marina -- very windy!!

There was a break in the wind on Friday May 26th so we left the dock and motored up to Clam Cove. The couple we met in Port McNeill came up on Saturday - we had a Happy hour on their sailboat.

This little hand painted sign was there in 2015.




There is a little collection of float houses in Clam Cove. We've been here before. It's a nice little spot and an easy staging spot for Cape Caution





We went for a little dingy ride around the Cove




And a walk on shore.




The first part of the path was an old logging road. But as soon as the path ended it was mossy and wet. It was a very difficult walk for me.






Sunday morning we pulled anchor and left Calm Cove at 5 AM. The trip crossing Cape Caution we pretty much uneventful. We had the poles down - ready in case there was some wild wave action but we never put the fish in the water. It got a little foggy around Smiths Inlet and then a little windy as we came up to the Pruth Bay. The wind always blows the fog away!




It was a beautiful sunrise as we were leaving Sunday morning at the crack of dawn. Not often are we underway at this time of day!!

We travel all the way from Clam Cove to Pruth Bay - 57 nautical miles. Something we probably would not have done with Jenny on board. Getting such an early start is difficult when you have a dog to take to shore - a skiff to put on the boat deck and then poles to put down. So all the prep work was done the night before and we just had to pull the anchor in the morning.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Prideaux Haven and Shoal Bay

The last couple of years we have not stopped in Prideaux Haven - or Shoal Bay. Both spots are on our favourite places list but they can be quite busy in the peak seasons.

Prideaux Haven is so lovely with the "big vistas" - a fellow boater called them. This year we were able to drop our anchor in the one spot in Prideaux Haven that was his favourite place to anchor. Looking up towards Homfrey Channel and the Coast Mountain range.














A bit of a grey day though when we arrived.

The next morning it was a glorious bright blue sky sunny day.














Could it get any better than this??

We pulled up our anchor and headed north through "The Dents".

When we arrived in Shoal Bay around 1:30 pm the dock was empty. The view from the dock is just stunning - straight up Phillips Arm.




That photo is taken from the cockpit of Phoenix Hunter shortly after we tied up.

There was a photography group from Nanaimo staying in the rooms in the pub. So the pub was not yet open. The group of photographers had been out on their boat and had seen some bears in the estuary at the top of Phillips Arm.

We took the skiff down from the boat deck for a little test and ride up to check out Bickley Bay. It looks like a nice anchorage if the weather is good. The skiff ran well.

Later in the early evening we thought we'd take the skiff up Phillips Arm and look for bears. And -- nope - that darn skiff! Didn't start!!! Well. That's why we wanted to check it out before we got too far along. Probably the battery? We were able to get enough power with the pull cord to get the engine into the tilt position for raising back onto the boat deck.

Nothing ever goes 100% smoothly. And this skiff of ours has caused us a few extra days in Port McNeill before.



Shoal Bay dock from the shore.






Not quite as sunny the morning we left.

So after a night in Port Harvey - where we were too early for pizza and cinnamon buns -- we are now in Port McNeill. And it's blowing a gale out there in Queen Charlotte Straight! So we will be here for a couple of nights and we will get the skiff issue sorted before we leave.


Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Lovely evening last night.







This morning we left around 9 Am. obviously not have the dog to take to shore in the morning doesn't get us moving any faster!

The weather has been cool but no real wind and no rain. So that is a good thing.

Flat calm seas on the way north around Powell River.







I am trying to sort out photo size. I used to have a "Blogger" app on my iPad but it no longer is supported or working. I don't think Google really wants people to use Blogger any more. They have made the whole process complicated not not very user friendly!!

This app is called "BlogPress". It works fairly well but I'm having difficulty figuring out how to get a decent photo size. So this list is mostly a test.




Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Leaving Pender Harbour

May 18, 2017

Here it is -- a new cruising season and I have not quite finished the last cruising season. Terrible!

So a quick update.

We returned from the Central Coast in early August and took our granddaughter Phoenix on a trip into the Gulf islands for a week. That was great fun! Phoenix - from Alberta - had a couple of rough crossings of the Straight if Georgia and was not sea sick once!

We went to Clam Bay - Sydney Spit Marine Park and Montague Harbour.








We really had a great time with Phoenix.

In early September Jim took a couple of friends on a trip in the Gulf Islands.

At the end September Jim and I went to the "Krog In" in Anacortes. We took a couple of extra days and went to Oak Harbour for fuel and then spent a night in La Conner.

Jessica brought Hunter and Jack for a visit in February. So Jim and Eric brought Hunter to the boat for a little trip up the river.















We are planning to go to Haida Gwaii this year. We have registered to go into the Gwaii Haanas park in mid June.

We have decide not to bring Jenny and Lilly this trip. Although we will miss them terribly. Jenny is getting older and had problems with her knee a couple of times. And getting her on and off the boat and skiff is becoming more difficult. We have found an amazing person to dog/cat and house sit for the summer - so we decided it was the perfect opportunity to make a few long crossings and see some places that we've not been able to see as easily with Jenny and the need for good shore access.

We are heading up to Pender Harbour and will take our usual route up through The Dents. Maybe a night at the Shoal Bay dock.



Posted using BlogPress from my iPad