We finished our summer's cruise with a week in Desolation Sound with our daughter, Amber. We don't usually spend much time in this area, and have heard the horror stories about what it's like in August. We anchored in Squirrel Cove, Tenedos Bay and Grace Harbour and found them all delightful. The hike up to Unwin Lake is pretty easy and the water is warm enough for swimming.
| 2006: BC Central Coast |
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After picking up our friends Paul and Elizabeth in Sointula, we headed south to explore the Broughtons. One of the places we stopped was Echo Bay where we tromped the trail to meet Billy Proctor and see his fascinating museum. He's lived in this area all his life and moved to this little bay in the 1960s.
| 2006: BC Central Coast |
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We arrived in Sointula in a 40-knot gale, so we decided to stay a couple of days. A great place to put on your itinerary, it has interesting history, lots of artists, and beautiful scenery. Plus the fishing is fantastic. We've stopped here before and love it.
The marina is run by the local Lions Club and it's very cruiser friendly.
| 2006: BC Central Coast |
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This is Chris and Gerry at Storey Beach, a wonderful spot. We've been to Port Hardy several times before, but never managed to get out here.
Chris and Gerry are planning to head south in 2007 around the same time as we are, so we'll likely see them on a few more tropical beaches in the next couple of years.
| 2006: BC Central Coast |
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Again with the gales, we stayed put in Port Hardy for a few days, happily meeting up with Gerry and Chris on Misty Michael, who we'd met in Shearwater earlier. The four of us rented a car and visited Fort Rupert, hoping to see the remains of the old HBC post. We didn't find it, but saw lots of intriguing poles on the reserve. We also drove out to Coal Harbour, where the whaling station was open until the 1960s.
| 2006: BC Central Coast |
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We spent a few days in the Queens Sound area; but our time was cut short by a series of gales that kept blowing in. When we heard the forecast on this day we headed in to very sheltered Lewell Inlet, near the Hakai Recreation Area, with Inside Passage. That night Sartine Island off Vancouver Island recorded wind gusts up to 72 knots. In the anchorage the wind got up to about 20 knots, but there was still time for fishing. Ron got two very nice halibut.
| 2006: BC Central Coast |
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This was our first time at Duncanby and we found ourselves back two or three times more during the summer. Steve & Jean on Inside Passage, who we had met earlier in Blunden Harbour, were avid fishers. On this lucky day, Steve pulled in a 35-pounder! We spent lots of time with them over the next few weeks and fishing was always a number one activity.
| 2006: BC Central Coast |
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We stopped at Blunden Harbour on the mainland for the first time. The winds were blowing pretty hard out in Queen Charlotte Strait, but we were fairly sheltered inside. This is an uninhabited First Nations village site and a pretty interesting place to stop.
| 2006: BC Central Coast |
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Our exploration of the Broughton Archipelago is continuing. Every year we manage to see a different corner. This lovely tree is at the entrance to Waddington Bay anchorage, which we had all to ourselves.
| 2006: BC Central Coast |
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We stumbled upon the Campbell River outdoor market quite unexpectedly and it was great! If you're in town on a Sunday during the summer, put it on your "Must Do" list!
| 2006: BC Central Coast |
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We managed to squeak away from the dock last night about 5PM and spent the night in Plumper Cove. We caught the flood tide and headed up to Pender Harbour, where we picked up Ron's brother Jim, and then carried on to anchor for the night at Musket Cove. It's one of our favourite spots.
| 2006: BC Central Coast |
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It was a grand day when we got our refurbished mast re-stepped and secured! We'd had it out for a couple of weeks while we stripped it, repainted it, put on steps, put the wiring and halyards inside, and did all kinds of other esoteric things. The day was a bit windy, but the procedure went off without a hitch. This is Captain Ron assisting Ian of Ocean Rigging.
Altogether we were on the hard at the Paramount Shipyards in Steveston for about six weeks. We (Ron) rebuilt the steering, the windvane, the binnacle; converted a water tank to fuel; took the rudder apart; and painted the bottom; among other things.
| 2006: BC Central Coast |
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