Summer 2018 – Part I: The midcoast

January 16, 2019 Sarah

Well, it’s been another long hiatus from this site, but now that the dark and rainy season is here again, I can spend some time in front of the fire doing a bit of updating.

As usual, things have been busy, with sailing, and with other adventures. The big event of 2018 was that we took the summer off and sailed up to the midcoast and around Vancouver Island.

Below is a map using data imported from the Garmin InReach we took with us. We only uploaded our position every hour, so some tracks appear to go over land, but we did manage to make it around without running aground.

We departed on June 29. It didn’t seem like everything would fit in the boat, but it did eventually!

“Just jam it all in!”

On day 2 we woke up at 5 to catch the tide through Porlier Pass and made our way up to Jedidiah Island. We anchored in Codfish Bay, but weren’t there for long before another boat came in and un-anchored us while trying to set their own hook. There was some excitement before we were untangled and they beat an embarrassed retreat from the bay trailing apologies.

Codfish Bay

Dinner! Sadly not a trend that was to continue. Despite plenty of attempts and all kinds of advice, it tuns out we’re terrible fisherpeople.

After Jedidiah we made our way up to Powell River, where we had our customary Mexican food and ice cream stops, then on to Squirrel Cove and through the rapids to the Broughtons.

Chores, chores, chores
And some relaxation too of course

Shoal Bay

A vigilant watchkeeper in the fog
hmmm

House posts at Mamallilacula

“The trail is a touch overgrown. I sure hope there’re no bears enjoying these thimble berries . . “

After the Broughtons, we made a quick stop in Port McNeill (yes, of course we saw the world’s largest burl while we were there!) and then headed north. We rounded Cape Caution in a building northwesterly and decided to duck into Smith Sound where we spent three nights in Fly Basin waiting for the weather to change. West lost a tooth on the way round the cape, but luckily it turned out not to be scurvy.

Fly Basin, home of the best stargazing I’ve ever experienced
Fly Basin is pretty remote and doesn’t have much shoreline, so there was plenty of time for lego (and for meal experiments, such as fried, pancake-battered ju-jubes)

From Fly Basin we headed to Fury Cove and then on up to Dawson’s Landing. Dawson’s Landing is a tiny place, all afloat in very steep country and year-round home to 3 people.

Dawson’s Landing

From Dawson’s Landing we went to Fish Egg Inlet and then on to Pruth Bay. Pruth Bay has access to the exposed beaches on the west side of Calvert Island and is home to the Hakai Institute. Coming ashore there was a bit surreal after being away from civilization for so long. Not only does the institute have science labs, groomed grounds, and free wifi (yay!), but it’s also a port of call for every superyacht on the coast.

Kite flying
silhouettes
Liquid O2 for the labs

From Hakai we headed up the coast, passing by Namu, which looked to be in much worse shape than during our last visit in 2009, and on to Codville Lagoon. There we had a nice swim in the lake and, thanks to some tips from the locals, we caught some prawns!

Namu slowly crumbling into the sea

From there we headed to the metropolis of Shearwater where we ate out at the pub (!) and the kids tried every ice cream in town. We also hiked into Eddie lake in the middle of Denny Island. Unusually for the midcoast, the weather was hot!

Tied to the breakwater at Shearwater
Hiking to Eddie Lake

After a couple of days relaxing in Shearwater, we headed out again, making our way up to Cunningham Island. The anchorage there was beautiful, but it was also home to a very aggressive seal who lunged up onto the kayak and dinghy three times to attack us and managed to get in one good bite on my arm. Although the wound was pretty minor, we returned to Bella Bella and made a stop at the hospital to make sure I wouldn’t be rabid in a few days. Apparently old Norwegian sealers used to contract “spekk-finger” from seal bites and scratches, so I was glad we did!

Seal teeth marks
The band school in Bella Bella (it had a great playground, sadly not pictured)

With antibiotics in hand (and arm) we headed up to Ocean Falls. Sixty years ago Ocean Falls was a vibrant town, home to one of BC’s biggest hotels and a swimming facility that produced several Olympic athletes. Today, it’s mostly abandoned with only a handful of year round residents. It’s a friendly place and was as welcoming this time as it was when we were here in 2009.

Approaching Ocean Falls
No luck checking in at the hotel

Exploring some abandoned houses
The Ocean Falls museum

From Ocean Falls we made our way out to the Goose Group, an isolated set of islands at the north end of Queen’s Sound. This is serious beach combing territory, but although we found lots of interesting flotsam, we had no luck with our primary goal of finding a glass fishing float from Japan.

The Goose Group

Anyone need a shoe?

From the Goose Group we headed back across Queen’s Sound to the McNaughton Group and then down through Spider Anchorage to Pruth Bay and Fury Cove. From there we rounded Cape Caution southbound and made our way to Murray’s Labyrinth and then Port Hardy. There we visited our friends Colin and Laina and began phase 2 of our journey.