Fly Basin to Oliver Cove

Day 3                                    82.5 nm

Sea Otter keep their distance - just beyond camera range it seems

The 0400 weather reported lumpy water and 18 knot winds at Egg Island, with winds predicted to drop later in the morning. We went back to sleep. Our actual 0745 departure was a much better choice with rippled water and light winds for our travels. Oh, how I appreciate Environment Canada weather reporting!

   
Half a dozen fat sea otters floated around in Smith Sound, as wary as ever and keeping their distance from the boat. One lone killer whale surfaced inside False Egg Island and worked the shoreline of nearby islets. Wildlife watch certainly tops log watch for entertainment value.

A few tugs passed us today, heading south with unusual tows. One tug towed a single barge piled high with a jumbled stack of scrap metal. Occasional bits and pieces were recognizable, but mainly the cargo was a rusty, tangled mass. 

Near Bella Bella another tug pulled two barges piled high with a forest of stacked cedar logs, many still bristling with green-needled branches. An unusual sight; we’re used to seeing log barges carry stripped, de-branched logs. Where did each tug and tow come from? They were southbound, but I wondered where were they headed?

This Oliver Cove sign shows damage from vandals rather than weather.

We often run through Reid Passage, a more protected route inside of Ivory Island, but this is the first time Oliver Cove, a B.C. Marine Park, has been empty. The cove is fairly open to the channel but the anchorage was comfortable, with a good-holding bottom and no issue from passing boats' wakes. A well buoyed set-net floated off the south point at the cove’s entry and two more nets bobbed around along the far shore across the channel, but no one arrived to tend them during our stay.

Farewell Harbor to Takush Harbor

Day 2                                    71.0 nm

More logs and fog began the day. Radar is a valuable tool when traveling in fog, but AIS identifications shown on the computer navigation screen were also helpful in dealing with traffic along our route. One big round meatball of a blip on radar was ID’d by AIS as the Coral Princess, a large cruise ship that would throw a heavy wake as she passed close by. A quick tap on the VHF radio brought up her course and speed, useful data in planning an evasive maneuver. By the time she overtook us, we had crossed to the far side of the channel, traveling where her wake was considerably flatter. Back to radar watch to avoid a scattering of small fishing boats out working the early morning bite.

   
The fog lifted and we enjoyed blue sky and flat water until Cape Caution where the chop suddenly grew ugly and chunky. Continuing on around the cape, we passed Egg Island in steep-sided, closely-packed 4’ chop with breaking whitecaps on top of ocean swells. We pitched and rolled our way into Smith Sound, heading for the calm water inside Fly Basin, Takush Harbor, for overnight anchorage. Where are the other cruising boats?

Discovery Harbor to Farewell Harbor

Day 1                                    78.0 nm

An on-schedule departure took us through Seymour Narrows near slack, then outbound with the current up Discovery Channel, and out Johnstone Strait until a bit past noon. Wow, we raced along at 13.5 knots (indicated speed over ground) without changing the boat’s RPM, a nice boost to our more typical 9 knot travel. A favorable current is a good thing!

   
Not so good was the horrendous amount of timber along the entire route. Recent high tides must have cleared the beaches of every drift log, refloating them just to keep us alert. At least it felt that way.

   
Not so good was the fog that lingered along the Vancouver Island shore and finally closed in on us mid- channel. Boat traffic, debris in the water, and fog are never a great mix.

   
Not so good was finding the entrance to our target anchorage, Growler Cove, full of logs. One large cruiser already anchored in the cove looked like it might end up in the middle of a log raft by morning. (Mental image: pack ice surrounding old sailing vessels, like Scott and Shackleton, or more recently a Russian research ship, in Antarctica) A good night’s sleep didn’t seem possible, not with the likelihood of bumps, thumps and rafting up by logs, so we kept on going.

   
The current had already reversed, so not so good was the heavy 4-5 knot opposing current running through a narrow passage we needed to navigate to continue on. Whirlpools wanted to spin the bow and sweep us sideways, but the Capt handled the challenge easily.

   
Very good was anchoring in a familiar harbor, a protected spot with far fewer logs and minimal current moving through it. I slept soundly that first night, ready to turn in after being super alert on log watch for 9 hours.