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.  

Raven Cove

We left Shearwater late in the day so we only travelled about 10 kn to Raven Cove. A spot recommended to us by a fellow Krogenite.  He said he really liked the anchorage and we agree it was a lovely spot 

It was a really nice motor up to Raven Cove.  

Dryad Point Lighthouse 

Bella Bella 

I'm not sure what this building is but the totem pole was quite spectacular. 

The shore in Raven Cove was pretty good for Jenny.  Jim rated it as a C. It was accessible at all tide heights and there was a bit of grass for Jenny. Not really anywhere to walk though. 

Sunset in Raven Cove 

Lilly got to come out on the bow for a little while in the evening while we enjoyed the sunset. But she still gets a little too curious and brave - so back in to the pilothouse for the rest of the evening! 

It was a beautiful evening.  The sky and the water just shined as the sun was setting. It was hard not to take a hundred photos. 

Bella Bella and Shearwater

We had a pretty easy time of it crossing Queens Sound back from the Goose Group. The swells were low and not too uncomfortable. 

We were able to secure dock space in Shearwater early in the day. A number of boats came in after us. Because it was a Saturday I was concerned it would be quite busy at the dock. As it turned out Sunday was a much busier day.

Greeted by this eagle in the tree at the top of the dock 

The Shearwater Marina 

We wanted to take on some fresh water in Shearwater. We had heard that Bella Bella was not giving boaters water. We had heard the water was better and faster at Bella Bella but it seemed that the only place giving water in the area was Shearwater. 

There is a pretty good pub/restaurant at the top of the dock. We had two dinners and a breakfast there. The Halibut burger I had the first night was really good! 

Nice to have 3G cell service again. The service is Bella Bella is really good - it's the faster LTE service. And the cell service covered quite a large area. Nice to talk to people again. The Hakai Institute offered free wifi to the boaters - 100 mb a day. Very generous of them. So we were able to iMessage and email but not much else. So we hadn't had 3G since leaving Port McNeil. 

We did two large loads of laundry on Sunday - a busy day at the laundromat. The place was jumping! 

On Sunday we took the 1:30 Seabus to Bella Bella and got a few groceries in the store there - some fruit and cheese and milk. All the dairy products were half price. It was a good little store and the prices were pretty good. The town has nothing else that we could see. A little shop at the top of the dock that had native art items that were made in China. We took the 2:30 Seabus back to Shearwater. It rained pretty hard off and on all day on Sunday. 

Lilly watches it rain from the pilothouse. One of her many spots to hang out on the boat. 

We also bought a few groceries in Shearwater. It was a pretty good little store as well but not the size of the one in Bella Bella. There is no public dock in Bella Bella. So boats dock in shearwater and then take the Seabus or their dingy to Bella Bella. 

We spent two nights there and then Monday morning we had to move the boat up the dock to get water. There are a bunch of hose bibs along the dock but none of them are potable water - only one at the top of the dock was potable. We were able to fill the tanks but the water flows so slowly through a very narrow hose and we couldn't change it out for our larger hose. A normal fill takes maybe 20 minutes. We were filling for well over an hour. Not a good setup there. They have all these big stainless steel boxes along the dock with power outlets and hose bibs and signs on the boxes reading - Not Potable water - No boat Washing. So I want to know - what is the purpose of that water? The taps do work I turned one on and water came out. I don't think we'd go back there for water. Too much of an event to get and too long to fill. 

Goose Group

The clear Sunny morning convinced us to make the trip across the open water of  Queens Sound to the Goose group. It was about 7 kn and a big long open sound that could have quite the fetch and roll if the wind was up.  It was pretty flat calm for most of the trip but towards the last couple miles the wind came up to over 20 knots. It got a bit bumpy.  We had decided to tow the skiff - so it was bouncing around behind the boat. 

The Goose Island anchorage is pretty much open to the south east and the north west just has the low lying Goose Island. There is a quite a long beach with white/brown sand as well as some tombolos between the big Goose Island and the small Gosling Island.  

Big vista!  Big open anchorage. 

When we got to the anchorage it was blowing from the north - northwest 16 - 20 knots!  Quite the wind!  We set the anchor into the wind and it seemed to hold well fortunately. We have a Rocna and we have been very pleased with the holding of it. But it was quite the fetch and roll at the anchorage. It is certainly more of a fair weather spot and the wind was maybe a bit more than we would have liked but we held well.  

When we went to shore we found the wind on the beach was much less.   We found some wolf prints on the beach - quite a few. At least we figured they were wolf - certainly tracks that were much bigger than Jenny's tracks. 

Pam and Jim selfie on the beach.  We have the halibut spear for protection!  Jenny is on the leash. 

Jim put down the crab pot - Nothing again. 

We had a nice evening. The wind went down a bit in the evening. There were a total of six boats anchored up for the night, us and another motor boat and 4 sailboats. I think they were all Canadians. 

A beautiful sunset. 

The next day we decided we would stay one more night. The wind was expected to be down and still from the north so since we might not get here again we decide hang out for another night.  The motor boat and a couple of the sailboats left. 

Jenny has been reluctant and difficult at times with going for a poop on the shore. She needs a lot of encouragement ? Time? Who knows what goes on in Jenny's mind when she first goes to a new place and goes to shore. Sometimes she will not do a thing even though it's been all day since she's been to shore. 

Jim and I took Jenny to shore for an afternoon walk at low tide. We wanted to walk around a little point and go to the other side of the island.  Jenny was being difficult - we took her into a little wooded area - it's quite lovely in the woods.  There is lots of moss and open areas - not thick with salaal.   It was a spot that kayakers had been using as a camp. There was a small fire pit and some driftwood benches. After she was finished we headed down the beach and around the point. Collected some pebbles and a small piece of driftwood. 

As we were coming back around the point Jim spotted a wolf - up on the high beach where we had just walked Jenny - around the kayak camp.  We stopped and took a couple of photos and then the wolf starting coming towards us. Jim had his halibut spear - Jenny was of course on the leash - we had bear spray and Jim yelled and tried to scare the wolf away. We were on the low beach close to the shoreline. The wolf was on the high beach. The wolf started coming down the beach - towards the shoreline and directly towards us.  Jenny was watching but never barked. It got pretty close and Jim threw a couple of rocks - which never phased the wolf at all. We kept getting closer to the water walking towards the skiff which was a ways down the beach and tried to be calm and quickly get passed the wolf to our skiff and out of there.  I never took more picture. We were just a little too close for comfort!  Too close. But the wolf carried on down the beach towards the little point and around the corner - going to where we had just come from and we were heading to where the wolf had just come from as well. A bit scary.  The scary part was the wolf not the least bit afraid of us!  

That night we took Jenny to a little beach on Gosling island for her evening walk. The wind shifted to a south - south east direction and there was this big long rolling swell that rocked the boat all night long!  Lilly spent the night in our bed. We should have put the poles down!   There was a kayak tour boat that came in quite late in the evening. 

We left in the next morning. All the rest of the boats left as well except the kayak tour boat. Next stop was to be the Shearwater Marina and Bella Bella for laundry and water and some groceries. 

West Spitfire anchorage

Our last night in Pruth Bay was socked in with fog. You can just see the big dock light through the fog. 

We left Pruth Bay after the fog lifted around 11 am. 

The fog was pretty thick overnight and in the early morning but by 11 it was bright and clear in the anchorage. After we head up the little pass between Calvert Island and Hecate Island we found ourselves in fog again.  We ended up travelling in and out of fog the entire time.  It would dissipate when we were close to the shore or in a little  arrow pass but in more open water it would be quite thick. 

Travelling in and out of fog patches. 

Jim did a Securitee as we were entering a little pass and Dragonfly responded - so we were able to chat briefly with Brian and Josee. They were heading south. 

We were winding our way north through some pretty narrow little passes and a couple of spots I had to go out on the bow and keep an eye out for rocks and reefs.  It seemed that when we got into the narrow parts the fog would be gone. So that was great. It was a lovely trip. Through Ward Channel, Brydon Channel, Spider Channel.  Around a bunch of islands named after World War Two airplanes - Hurricaine, Spitfire, Mosquito Islets, Lancaster Reef.  The Kittyhawk Group. The Breadner Group. 

Our plan was to go to an anchorage called Swordfish Bay on Hunter Island.  As we got close we ended up on fog again. We thought the fog would lift as we got close to the shoreline. But it was really socked in around the little channel we needed to go up to get to Swordfish Bay. So - we turned around and went to West Spitfire Anchorage which is in Spitfire Channel. It was a very pretty little spot.  No one there but us. Quiet - no fog and pretty good holding. We had to reposition the anchor once as it was dragging. But once we backed up it held well in thick mud. Not easy to get Jenny to shore though. But better than Ahclakerho. 

Getting Jenny to shore. There was a little bit of grass but the shore was pretty rocky for getting the skiff close enough for Jenny and Jim to get to the grass. 

The fog was supposed to be coming back in the morning so we were not sure where we would go if it was foggy. But we woke up to a glorious sunny clear morning. 

Jim wanted to go to the Goose group but it was a bit offshore and if it was foggy or windy it was not the place to go as the anchorage was pretty open and the land around was low and not much protection. 

So off we went to the Goose group. 

Pruth Bay - Lookout Walk

Pruth bay - Lookout Walk 

There is another walk at the south end of West beach that goes up to a Lookout and then also further along the shore to more beaches.  We decide to take the trail up to the Lookout instead of to the beaches. 

An eagle on the beach. 

A view of West Beach from the trail. 

It was a pretty easy walking trail - except for a few spots - but mostly boardwalk and stairs and a well maintained trail.  It was about 1/2 hour. It was an easier trail to walk than the North beach trail. We walked a total of two hours there and back. 

There was a little stand of walking sticks just at the start of the West Beach trail. I decided to use one on this walk and then returned it when we finished.  As it turned out I didn't really need it. 

As we got higher we could see fog starting to roll in from the west. 

Almost to the top - a lovely bench to enjoy the view 

And right at the top there is a small pond with a little boardwalk around it. And it was just a glorious sunny day!  

The view was amazing. I'm glad we were able to do the Lookout walk. There were more beaches to walk to as well but we will have to do them next time!  

The next day - on the 7th Jim had a meeting with Christina Munk and got a tour around the facilities. 

We had a nice hour long walk around West Beach and then in the evening the fog rolled in pretty heavy. We were planning to leave the morning of the 8th so we were a bit worried it would be too foggy to leave. The weather forecast was for the fog to clear by noon - and by 11 AM it was pretty clear and we pulled the anchor and began our journey further north. Heading towards the Spider Islands and Hunter island. There were areas of fog as we travelled. Mostly in the open waters and then It would lift when we got close to a shoreline or in a narrow passage. 

Pruth Bay - West Beach and North Beach

We spend a total of 6 nights at Pruth Bay. We enjoyed two long hikes ( 2 hours each ). One to North Beach and the 2nd was the Lookout walk on the south side of West Beach. 

The docks at the Hakai Beach institute 

The Hakai Beach Institute is here.  There is a lodge and a number out buildings and dock that are from a up scale fishing lodge that was built here and then went under about 10 years ago or so. A entrepreneur from Quadra Island  ( Eric Peterson and his wife Christina Munk ) bought the resort and created the Institute. A place of learning and gathering of information for university students and scientists. 

Jim was invited to go on two beach seining expeditions. He enjoyed himself with the small group of young staff members.  They seemed to enjoy having him tag along. They searched him out a couple days later to help them identify a fish they were having problems identifying. And happily - he solved the mystery. 

Jim coming back after a day with the beach seining crew 

There is a short - well maintained trail that leads from Pruth Bay - through the institute's property - to the beaches on the West side of Calvert Island. The biggest beach and most accessible is West Beach. We walked West beach every day. Jenny loved to run on the beach and do her usual - lie down in the water and try to lap up fresh water - like she does up Cypress trails - only to discover the water was not for drinking! 

And she had some "puppy fits" one day on West Beach 

West Beach is the longest Beach. It is similar in characteristics to the beaches around Tofino. Not as long and the sand is more yellow/light gray than the darker gray at Long Beach. 

There is a longer trail that goes to North Beach - 1/2 hour of walking through the trees - past a lovely pond full of water Lilies - again well maintained and clearly marked.  There were a number of areas where the trail went up and down fairly steeply but there were ropes set up to help with the climbing. We walked there and back one day - total walking time of around two hours.  And my ankle managed it well!! 

Trail to North Beach 

It was a lovely walk to North beach. A little pond full of Water Lillie's with a small wood bridge was along the path.  

North Beach

Jim's selfie on North Beach!  Not too bad! 

There are lots of horseflies around -'the size of small Shetland ponies!  Lilly has finally come in handy though - she catches 3-4 everyday and quickly eats them. Even Jenny catches one or so a day.  We've been putting spray on but they still bite around the ankle and boy do they itch!