Sirius Sailin'

Vessel Name: Storm Petrel
Vessel Make/Model: Fisher 34
Hailing Port: Winchester Bay, Oregon
Crew: Fraser and Jeff
About: Additional Crew: Zac and Indy
Extra: Storm Petrel is a 1977 Pilothouse ketch. She has sailed the Oregon/Washington coast since 1999, now home port is Pleasant Harbor, WA.
Recent Blog Posts
30 September 2023

uly 24 - 25 A Rollicking Ride Down Hecate Strait to Cumshewa Inlet & Gordon Cove (53° 02.5’N, 132° 01.6’W) First Quarter Moon

The early morning was gorgeous! We got underway at 05:35 under thin, broken overcast skies with very light wind. The "Sleeping Beauty," a profile of a supine female form seen in the configuration of the mountain tops to the NW appeared navy blue in the early morning light. The gauzy white overcast was [...]

30 September 2023

July 23– Daajing Giids, Bearskin Bay, Queen Charlotte Harbor (53° 15.1’N, 132° 4.7’W) Waxing Cresent Moon

We left the marina by midafternoon with the intention of repositioning to the fuel dock adjacent to the marina in time to meet the attendant’s hours, 16:00-20:00 to this time of year. Before casting off the lines, we realized that the external regulator was not powered. Jeff did some troubleshooting [...]

30 September 2023

uly 21 – 22 Daajing Giids, Queen Charlotte Harbor (53° 15.2’N, 132° 4.4’W)

Although Jeff and I prefer to anchor out, being at a marina has advantages. It is easier to walk Zac and Indy at any time, engage in boat repairs and maintenance, explore the surrounding area, and of course, it is always nice to have a hot shower with plentiful water, that is, if one has enough “Loonies” [...]

At the Gateway to the Broughton Archepelago

11 July 2009 | Port McNeil, Vancouver Island, BC
Fraser and Jeff
10 July 2009

We departed Squirrel Cove early so as to visit Teakerne Inlet just across the channel from Squirrel Cove. This is a beautiful inlet with a broad waterfall near its head. The day was a little overcast, but the scenery was spectacular. Several boats had anchored near the waterfall deploying an anchor off the bow, then a stern tie to a tree or rock on the shore. This method allows more confident mooring when the bottom is too deep or holding uncertain for a single anchor. Unfortunately, in the case of the falls at Teakerne Inlet, it was a lee shore, a shore with the wind blowing toward it, so that if an anchor was to slip or not hold securely, the boat would be blown up on the rocks. We both decided that despite the spectacular scenery, we would not have anchored there.

After leaving Teakerne Inlet, we continued up the channel toward a series of three rapids. The challenge with these three sets of rapids is that because of their positions in the basin of water, the slack does not follow as one might expect. The first rapid encountered when heading northwest is Yaculta, which at about 1.5 miles before Gillard Passage, has slack 20 minutes before that at Gillard. Then the third, Dent Rapids, with the infamous "Devils Hole," is 15 minutes before that at Gillard. The slack period at Dent Rapids, the most daunting of the three, only lasts 5 minutes. In each of these places the flood and ebb currents exceed 10 knots. According to Sailing Directions-British Columbia Coast, the idea when headed northwest is to time the slack going to ebb so as to arrive at the beginning of the Yaculta Rapids at an hour before slack, then utilize the eddy on one side of the channel to get to the midpoint, where you should switch to the opposite bank to take advantage of the prevailing northbound current. As you approach the Gillard Passage Rapids, you try to avoid the swirling waters near the obstacles along the shores without getting into the strongest currents near the center. If all that works OK, you continue toward Dent Island Rapids. Fortunately, there are a couple of docks at Big Bay, just before Gillard Passage, so that if you're late or the currents are worse than predicted, you can spend the night waiting for the next slack during daylight hours.

The rapids were every bit as powerful and challenging as advertised in all of our cruising guides. Our careful planning paid off and we made it through the set of three rapids without a hitch. As fog began to form we reached Chameleon Cove, our night's anchorage. The cove was just beautiful, accented by a heavy gray sky and mist-cloaked trees.

We spent a quiet, restful night in Chameleon Cove and awakened to a cozy morning with a light rain falling. After a quick walk with the dogs along the rocky shoreline, we were underway toward Johnstone Strait through Nodales Channel. We had been unable to find "bear spray" anywhere in our travels thus far, so we were a little anxious about spending a lot of time ashore, and certainly couldn't let the dogs off leash. The cove looked like perfect bear country, especially at low tide when the mud flats offer a delectable array of seafood.

Johnstone Strait is a NW passage with a reputation for severe conditions and heavy currents but we enjoyed a tranquil day of motor sailing. We were lucky to time our transit to one of the few periods of light, east winds that occasionally exist during the summer. It rained the entire day. Low clouds blanketed the mountains and seeped into the channels. After the long passage the day before, we wanted to stop a bit earlier and looked closely at Billygoat Bay on Helmken Island in the middle of the strait between Current Passage and Race Passage. While the little cove was extremely scenic and private, Sailing Directions-Bristish Columbia Coast reports that it offers poor holding. There were also a lot of downed logs and other debris washed up on the shore and probably lots of sunken logs on the bottom just waiting to grab an unsuspecting anchor. We continued on west down the Johnstone Strait toward our alternative anchorage, Blenkinsop Bay.

We entered Blenkinsop Bay and dropped our anchor in 25 feet of water behind Tuna Point in a light rain. The mist swirling through the tree-covered hills along the shore of the bay gave the entire scene a surrealistic air. As we were anchoring, we saw an eagle sitting on a huge rock scanning the water below for dinner and two bears, a sow and cub, foraging along the shore. We continued to watch the bears turn over rocks and forage along the shore as we secured Storm Petrel for the night. After we gave the dogs their dinners, we observed another bear, this one a bit bigger than the two bears we first saw. We watched him turn over rocks on the shore looking for crabs and starfish for his dinner. After we ate our own dinner, we took the dogs over to the nearest rock for their last pit stop before bed. We talked loudly and whistled, and didn't go near the tree line. Happily, we did not see another bear while we were on the shore.

Yesterday, we awoke to a broken sky, no rain, and a promise of warmer skies. Jeff rowed the dinghy while the dogs congregated in the bow and Fraser took the stern as we headed for the island where we first saw the eagle the night before. As we approached the island, Jake decided the liberty boat wasn't fast enough and he dove off the dinghy swimming for shore. Of course, that was all the encouragement Casey needed and he was quickly following Jake. Kaela, not to be left behind also abandoned us and started swimming directly for the beach where we had seen the bears last night. Jeff started rowing hard and quickly caught up with Casey and Jake and we were able to pull them back into the dinghy. Then we were off again, Jeff rowing with all his strength to catch the elusive Kaela. She was bent on reaching the shore before we caught up with her. Fortunately, as she neared the beach, she was slowed by weeds growing on the bottom. We were able to catch-up and scoop her into the dinghy, much to her dismay. Of course, the dogs were not thrilled to be leashed to us as we walked on the muddy beach. Without a doubt, if Casey had the chance, he would be off chasing any bear he came across. Casey did just that while hiking with Fraser and Jake along the Middle Fork River Trail several years ago. He spied a cinnamon color bear on a ridge above the river and before Fraser could clip on the leash, was running full speed through the woods in pursuit of the bruin.

The ebb current drew us westward as we left Blenkinsop Bay and re-entered Johnstone Strait. Initially there was no wind, but as the morning progressed, a light easterly breeze started and we were able to motor sail. Suddenly, a stunning black and white Dahl's Porpoise joined us, swimming in the bow wave. We all ran to the bow to watch the antics of this little dolphin as she swerved from one side to the other. Casey was already on the bow in his usual lookout spot and was the first to see the new comer. It was great to watch as the dolphin enjoyed being pushed along in the bow wave for about 15 minutes.

We passed Robson Bight in the early afternoon. The bight is a marine preserve set aside for the Northern Resident Orcas. It is an area where the big dolphins are known to come in to rub their bodies on the pebbly bottom. We looked closely with binoculars as we passed the bight, but did not see any Orcas. During a previous visit to the area we were treated to close encounters with several members of the Northern Residents. Perhaps we will see them as we explore the Broughton Islands and Queen Charlotte Sound on our way to the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Rather than traveling into the late afternoon, we decided to visit Alert Bay on Cormorant Island. Maneuvering into our position along the pier was a bit tricky as it required squeezing between two gigantic, aluminum purse seiners. Storm Petrel looked positively petite in such company. Alert Bay is the perfect place for an introduction to the Kwakiutl culture. We particularly enjoyed looking at the wonderful collection of potlatch masks and regalia at the U'mista Cultural Center and the totem poles on the 'Namgis burial grounds.

By early afternoon we were on our way to Port McNeil on Vancouver Island. We plan to be at the dock in Port McNeil Boat Harbour until Saturday in order to provision, do laundry, clean the boat, change the engine oil and other assorted boat jobs, and review our charts for the next portion of our travels north. Everything is within easy walking distance. We are surrounded by a fascinating array of boats from the United States and Canada. Several of the people we've met are on extended cruises, while others are on summer holiday. As we sail farther north, we notice fewer boats and they tend to crewed by seasoned mariners. The weather forecast indicates high wind warnings in Johnstone Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound for the next couple of days, so being in port is well timed. We've made one foray into town already and are happy to report that at long last, we found bear spray. May we never be called upon to use it! Employing the spray would certainly require a closer encounter than desired. We do hope to see more bears from the safety of the cockpit.
Comments
Storm Petrel's Photos - Main
1 Photo
Created 10 September 2023
Random Pictures from our travels.
20 Photos
Created 12 July 2009
Casey, Jake, Kaela
11 Photos
Created 6 June 2009

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