Broughtns Part 3
15 August 2018 | Pierre's Echo Bay Resort
Sunny, Hot, light winds
Kwatsi Bay Marina
In the quiet morning air of Kwatsi Bay, we waited for the fog to lift. Not a Down-easter pea soup fog, but a light cloud clinging to the water until the sun burnt it off, (an August feature here). After lots of good-bu's to Anka (Max had left for supplies in Sointulla) we were off down Tribune Strait to Siboon Sound where we tucked into beautiful MacIntosh Cove. In the entire sound, we had only three other boats. Out in the kayak to explore the area, we quietly drifted back to the boat when we spied three bears, a mother and two cubs, on the shore. In our quiet approach they did not hear us until we were quite close. But when they saw us, they just quietly ambled up into the woods and disappeared.
Emboldened by our success in Potts Lagoon, we set the crab trap, confident of a nice haul in the morning. Back aboard, we thawed another steak. We're getting a bit tired of frozen meat, but the plan is to re-stock in Pierre's Echo Bay Marina on Wednesday when we will spend a night and enjoy his famous cuisine.
In the morning we checked the trap and our haul was: one sea urchin (tiny), one rock cod (undersized) and one tiny spider crab (no meat and no season), so all were released. Then off to new destinations.
Plan A was Waddington Harbour, a small harbour about 15 miles away, through two straightforward channels into a small group of islands.
Arriving, we were a bit surprised at the crowd, making for tight quarters. We tried anchoring in one open area, but found only kelp and soupy mud. Not good for the nightly winds that blow through. We tried a couple of other spots, either too deep ( a common problem on the west coast) or too crowded.
Off to Plan B. Up Blunden Passage, past the four way intersection with Misty Passage and Old Passage, and through the very tight narrows, where we turned down int Lady Boot Cove. Its name derives from its shape, a long leg down to where there is a small branch off (the heel) and the main branch into the toe. With just two other boats there, we anchored in the toe and went ashore to stretch our legs. Lady Boot Cove is on Eden Island, part of the Broughton Islands Marine Park. But it is a wilderness park, meaning nothing has been done to create anything ashore. So we landed at a tiny beach, stumbled over a bunch of rocks for an hour or so until the tide forced us off.