10 - 12 Aug 2000: Heater Harbour - Bull Harbour
We all slept in after yesterday's tribulations. The plan for the day was to head straight across the Queen Charlotte Sound to Bull Harbour on Hope Island, off the northern tip of Vancouver Island. The weather forecast for the next few days was again favorable, with predicted light to moderate NW win...
18 - 19 Aug 2000: Port McNeill - Houston
We were up at the crack of dawn to finish packing up our gear and cleaning up the boat. One of NYCSS's skippers arrived about 10:00 and we handed over the boat to him; he handed us his car keys, and after fond farewells to John and Laurie and their kids on "Massilia", we drove his car back to Nanaim...
17 Aug 2000: Sointula - Port McNeill
We spent the day leisurely roaming around Sointula. We bought a 5# sockeye salmon on the dock for dinner. About 16:50, we fired up the engine one last time and motored over to Port McNeill, where we tied up at a slip at 18:30. We topped up the diesel tank, gasoline can and propane tank on the way in...
16 Aug 2000: Blunden Harbour - Sointula
We explored Blunden Harbour during the morning and got the hook up about 15:15. From there, we motored and motor-sailed SSE to Sointula, on Malcolm Island, where we tied up at the town dock at 20:00. 50-38.44'N, 127-01.82'W; Log = 24.0 N-m, Sum = 846.7
15 Aug 2000: Bell Island - Blunden Harbour
After another lazy morning ashore, waiting for the fog to lift, we hauled up the anchor at 15:00 and motored NE across Queen Charlotte Strait to Blunden Harbour, where we anchored at 18:10. 50-54.31'N, 127-17.32'W; Log = 12.5 N-m, Sum = 822.7
14 Aug 2000: Port Hardy - Bell Island
We still had a few days to go on the charter and had previously agreed to hand over "Prairie Rose" in Port McNeil. After a morning spent reprovisioning and doing laundry, we pulled out of the Quarterdeck Marina at 14:10 and took on 43 L of diesel fuel. After refueling, we motored north and a bit wes...
13 Aug 2000: Bull Harbour - Port Hardy
After a long lie in, we got going just after 11:00. Outside Bull Harbour, the wind was NW 15, so we hoisted full main and Genoa and had an excellent broad reach down Goletas Channel. We carried the sail all the way into Hardy Bay and were finally tied up at a slip at the Quarterdeck Marina at 17:20....
9 Aug 2000: Rose Inlet - Heater Harbour
The forecast was again good and the weather fine for our planned rounding of Cape St. James at the very southern tip of the Queen Charlotte Islands archipelago. After lazing around all morning, we got going about 13:45, bound for Woodruff Bay. We motored and sailed back down Houston Stewart Channel....
8 Aug 2000: Louscoone Inlet - Rose Inlet
The forecast was again good and the wind was down a bit, so we determined to attempt S'Gaang Gwaii once again. First though, we needed to top up with fresh water and there is a water buoy, again installed and maintained by commercial fishermen, up the inlet from our anchorage. The anchor was aweigh...
7 Aug 2000: Rose Harbour - Louscoone Inlet
Our plan today was to visit S'Gaang Gwaii (aka, Ninstints) on Anthony Island, and, as the forecast was favorable, we collected our crew ashore and slipped our mooring lines by 11:35. After proceeding west through Rose Harbour, we turned south into Houston Stewart Channel. As we neared Ninstiints Poi...
6 Aug 2000: Ikeda Bay - Rose Harbour
Another beautiful day in paradise dawned, with the barometer at 1019 mb. After a leisurely breakfast, we weighed anchor and got going about 09:00 and headed south, about a mile off the coast of Moresby Island. About 11:15, we sighted 4 or 5 grey or humpback whales just to the NE of Langtry Island, a...
5 Aug 2000: Bag Harbour - Ikeda Cove
It was time to move on, especially with the smell of diesel, from yesterday's wreck of the "Texada", still heavy in the air. We had the hook up by 8:15, and motored out of Bag Harbour. The "Texada" was still stuck fast on the rocks, but a Canadian cutter had arrived to assist in the salvage/removal....
3 - 4 Aug 2000: Marco I. - Bag Harbour
After a lazy morning, we let go of "Massilia" at 11:30. John had a great deal of difficulty extracting the anchor from kelp, but we finally got away and headed for the Dolomite Narrows. The Narrows is a very tricky bit of navigation, with 3 different sets of leading and following lines to negotiate....
2 Aug 2000: Bischof I. - Marco I.
The anchor was aweigh at 12:45, and we motored over to Hotspring Island, where we anchored on the SW side of the island. Immediately, we took the dinghies ashore and spent 3 glorious hours soaking in the Hotsprings tubs and pools and cooling off in the 13.2 deg C ocean water. We have not been this c...
1 Aug 2000: Anna Inlet - Bischof Islands
With a good weather forecast, we got the engine started about 12:45, after 1 minute of cranking. After pulling out of Ana Inlet, we stopped in Hoya Passage at a buoy to collect fresh water straight from a stream; we treated this with chlorine tablets. We anchored in the Bischof Islands at 20:10. 52-...
30 - 31 Jul 2000: Beattie Anchorage - Anna Inlet
We caught 1 crab overnight; not much meat, when split 8 ways. Weather forecast good, although we received a message from PR CGR to call my brother-in-law; but nothing urgent. We got underway about 10:45 (the engine started fine after 30 seconds of glow plug warm-up and 16 seconds of cranking - plus...
28 -29 Jul 2000: Sandspit - Cumshewa Inlet
The 07:45 forecast is good, so we are off down-island. We pulled out of Sandspit Marina at 09:30, and headed north to get around the sand bar that extends well north of Sandspit. After clearing the bar, we turned south. The run SSE off the coast of Moresby Island was uneventful, although we had an e...
27 Jul 2000: QCI - Sandspit
After turning in the rental van and doing several more loads of laundry, we finally pulled out of QCI at 13:45. On the way to Sandspit, we stopped at the government dock in Skidegate to fill up the fuel tank, the 5 gal. gerry can and the gasoline tank on the dinghy engine. We pulled into Sandspit at...
24 - 26 Jul 2000: Sandspit - Queen Charlotte City
Up early to move over to Queen Charlotte City, we pulled out of our slip in Sandspit at 08:00 and were tied up in a slip in QCI at 09:45. After a quick oil and filter change, an engine electrician had a look at our 12V system; he found a fault with the smart regulator, which we replaced with a spare...
21 - 23 Jul 2000: Larsen Harbour - Sandspit
We were up at 04:30 to hear the forecast; wind and wave conditions look good for the crossing, so we decided to go and got breakfast going. The engine finally started at 06:00 on the 3rd attempt, after cranking for nearly a minute. Whew!!! We dropped the line to the mooring ball at 06:30 and pulled...
20 Jul 2000: Ethelda Bay - Larsen Harbour
It was still raining in the morning, but the forecast was otherwise good for continuing NW along Banks Island. To start, we retraced our route to the east up Gillespie Channel back to Estevan Sound, where we once again turned NW and then moved into Nepean Sound and finally into Principe Channel. Alt...
18 - 19 Jul 2000: Helmcken Inlet - Ethelda Bay
We need to be moving up the coast and the forecast is good: a bit cloudy, but wind is SE 5. So, we had the hook up by 9:30 and motored NW up the Laredo Channel. Passing the north end of Aristazabal Island, we carried on to the NW, crossing Camano Sound and into Estevan Sound, between Campania (to th...
16 -17 Jul 2000: Meyers Narrows - Helmcken Inlet
The weather forecast was good, but the tide was not favorable early in Meyers Passage, so we did not weigh anchor until 11:00. After motoring west to the end of Meyers Passage, we turned NW into Laredo Channel and into the teeth of a strong NW 20-25 wind. It was obvious we had too much sail up prett...
15 Jul 2000: Boat Inlet - Meyers Narrows
The anchor was aweigh by 08:20 and we headed out of Boat Inlet and continued north on Reid Passage. At Promise Point, we turned to port, headed around the south side of Lady Douglas Island and then turned north up Millbanke Sound. Along the way, "Massilia's" kayak, which they were towing, swamped. W...
14 Jul 2000: Kynumpt Hrbr - Boat Inlet
After a lovely, quiet night at anchor, we swanned around through most of the morning, enjoying the nice weather. We finally got the anchor up about 11:15 and motored out into Seaforth Channel, into a slight westerly breeze, where we turned WNW until we reached the southern entrance to Reid Passage,...
13 Jul 2000: Shearwater - Kynumpt Harbour
There are no groceries to speak of at the Shearwater Marina, so we slipped our lines at 11:15 and motored a couple of miles over to Bella Bella proper, on Campbell Island, where there is a grocery store. After we tied up at the government dock, the Admirals and kids went into town searching for barg...
12 Jul 2000; Goose Group - Bella Bella, BC
We are headed for what counts as civilization in these parts - Bella Bella - to obtain fuel and victuals, so we were up and away by 08:30. With a light westerly behind us, we had the sails up almost immediately and enjoyed a nice sail across the northern end of Queens Sound to the entrance to Lilloe...
11 Jul 2000; Pruth Bay - Goose Group
The early morning forecast was good, so we were up early again for a 06:30 departure, bound for the Goose Group. The anchor was aweigh on schedule and we motored back east across Pruth Bay, turning north into Meay Inlet, between Calvert and Hecate Islands. At the north end of the inlet, we turned NW...
9 - 10 Jul 2000; Fury Island - Pruth Bay
The morning was overcast and cool. After breakfast, we got the anchor up by 10:30 and motored out to Darby Channel and turned to the NNW into Fitzhugh Sound between Calvert Island and the mainland. The wind was very light so we motored most of the way to Kwakshua Channel, about 2/3 of the way up Cal...
7 - 8 Jul 2000: God's Pocket - Fury Island
The forecast for today was good last night, so we were up at 05:00 to be ready for the long run around Cape Caution; the forecast still looked good for our first major relatively exposed crossing. After breakfast, we slipped our mooring lines at God's Pocket and motored out to Christie Passage, turn...
6 Jul 2000: Port Hardy - God's Pocket
After a very restful night, we were up by 08:00 for breakfast aboard. We slipped the mooring lines at the marina at 10:30 and motored out into Hardy Bay. Once clear of the navigation hazards and commercial fishing traffic, we got the sails up and sailed and motored NW up Goletas Channel to Christie...
5 Jul 2000: Port Hardy
As we were all still quite tired, we decided to spend the day in Port Hardy. We walked into town and wandered around more or less aimlessly, although we did pick up a few more provisions and topped up the liquor cabinet. Dinner was at Don's Steakhouse. Eng. hrs: 3378.2
4 Jul 2000: Port Hardy
After the exertions of the last couple of days, we slept in a bit, but finally got up and stored all our gear and provisions. "Massilia" arrived about 13:00 and after greetings and hugs and kisses all round, we walked into town to do a top-up provisioning at Overweightea. We shared a taxi back to th...
3 Jul 2000: Vancouver - Port Hardy, BC
After a very short night, we were up at 5:30, to catch the 07:45 ferry from Tsawassen to Duke Point. We got a taxi from the hotel to the ferry terminal and after a 2.25 hour ferry ride, arrived at Duke Point, on the south side of Nanaimo, where we collected a rental car - a Pontiac Montana van, to b...
1 Jul 2000: Lubbock - Houston
After Mom's funeral in Lubbock on Friday, we flew back to Houston to finish preparations for the previously planned sailing adventure to the Queen Charlotte Islands. Our flight landed in Houston at 15:00. After we got home, we did loads of laundry, grabbed a quick bite and started packing for the tr...
2 Jul 2000: Houston - Vancouver
We finally got away from Houston in the early evening of Sunday, 2 Jul 2000, arriving in Vancouver at 23:00. After clearing passport control and customs, we got taxi to the nearby Holiday Inn Express YVR and immediately collapsed in bed, totally exhausted.