pacific north west

[Tim]

And a few more from Frank;

Thanks Tim. The 1st pic is the dock at shoal bay. The view is awesome!
Full moon right now and tides about 14ft!
The guy that lives there is too funny.
There are 3-4 cabins..."twin city to Paris france"  ;D
We are provisioned and heading back into Desolation Sound tomorrow with sunshine forcast
for several days.....rare this time of year. Looking forward to it.

[Frank]

Just back from a few days at Cortes Isl and another tour around Desolation Sound. All I can say is WOW. It snowed since 1st tour and the mountains looked simply awesome!! The feeling of being part of a "National Geographic Special" is hard to shake. There is no one out here this tme of year. The scenary is superb and wild life constant. Vicky will send a few pics to post later.

[Frank]

more...

[Frank]

I know this is a KISS site and I wouldn't call the boat I'm currently on KISS. But as we cruise up here, I keep thinking about a "project hull" I have at home. Its a shark 24 hull but no mast/boom or keel. I'm having visions of doing a pilot house on it and creating a light weight, easy to tow lil mini trawler. An 8HP 4 stroke would push it smoothly at 6-7 knots and be great on fuel. Yep....KISS is very much on my mind.

[Frank]

Quick update: The boat was hauled and blocked yesterday and will fly home tomorrow. Ended at 782 nautical miles total. I still haven't fully digested all that we saw while here. One of our last destinations was Princess Louisa Inlet. Words nor photos can really discribe it....you must experience it. Once I'm home and settled for a bit I will post more pictures. All I can say is if at all possible for anyone here that loves scenary and nature....these cruising grounds are among the finest anyone can pass through....do it. There is a lifetime of islands and inlets to explore. I'm already getting the "re-entry" depression. It has been 2 amazing mths onboard. Biggest concerns were tide, winds speed and direction and if there was enough Gosling Rum. This simplicity will change dramitically in a few days. I'm not looking forward to it.....seems to get harder each time.

[Frank]

A few more

[Frank]

...

[Frank]

..

[Frank]

Lund is mile 0

[Frank]

Lund harbor mascot  (Neptune)

[Frank]

Princess Louisa.....AMAZING place!

[Frank]

princess Louisa...chatterbox falls

[Frank]

PL

[Frank]

Princess Louisa was awesome!

[Frank]

 I'll wrap this thread up for now. We took over 1200 pictures and several video's while poking around these waters. It really is hard to put the camera down....great scenery and wildlife are so plentiful. It is a little out of the way for many, but if you have every thought of trailering your boat there or chartering, I can assure you that you would be well rewarded for your efforts. Summer would be both warmer and have more sunshine than during the time we were there, but I loved the solitude. It is like being in your own wonderland after september. Once you get confident useing the tide tables for the various rapids, it really is an easy place to navigate with a well rounded mix of quiet out of the way anchorages as well as little places for supplies and a dinner out. Hopefully Tim returns next summer and he'll share his thoughts and pictures here.

[Tim]

FWIW here are links to some past trips there;
http://www.pbase.com/morningdove/desolation_sound_06

http://www.pbase.com/morningdove/desolation_sound_2008

http://www.pbase.com/morningdove/desolation_sound_2012

[CapnK]

That is some incredible and awesome scenery. I love the pictures with sunshine. :)

[Frank]

 1st....I have wondered if I should post this report. I'll admit...I have gone "to the dark side" for PNW cruising during the fall. Then...the boat is not really "KISS"...but it is well suited for this use. We have auto pilot, a plotter and an espar heater. Makes things very comfortable...even on rain days in the wheel house. But...what you experience here this time of year is siimply awesome. There are near zero other boats cruising. You have this prestine wilderness to yourself.
Anyone within hitting distance of cruising here really should consider it.
We've been out since Sept 14th and to date have put 890 nautical miles on. (138 engne hours) We cruise at about 6.5 knts and try to work the tides. I won't bore everyone with the "on day 3 we did.." stuff....I'll simply report what stands out in my mind.

We did the San Juans. Loved them. Friday harbor was truly funky with a wide assortment of boats big and very small. Neat folks and a great lil town to poke around. Its on the "go back to" list. Roche Harbor...although beautiful, is full of "dock queens". The people were snobbish and the average boat looked to be 7 figures. It's on the "seen it-done it-no need to return" list. We also stopped at Laconnor...loved the lil town. Great older buildings and friendly folk.

Back up through the Gulf Islands we stopped at Sydney. Beautiful lil town! From there we took a bus (only $2) to Victoria. Victoria has some awesome older buildings and is a bussling city. Glad to have saw it...glad to take the $2 bus ride back to Sydney. On our way through the Gulf Islands we had stops at Salt Spring Isl (hippy ville), Chemainus (with it's multiple wall sized murals...a must see), Lady Smith and Nanaimo. All good.

Crossing the straight we've been to Gibsons Landing (where the old Beachcombers TV show was filmed), Pender Harbour on up to Powel River and Lund. All funky in their own way. From Lund on...you are getting even further away from any towns or people.

A short day from Lund takes you into Desolation Sound. Simply awesome wilderness and too many anchorages to mention. The snow capped mountain vistas are beyond words.

From there we went up through the "Discovery Islands" complete with 5 sets of tidal rapids that MUST be timed for slack or you'll be in trouble quickly. You are on your own up here and must be careful. Sloal Bay is a favorite stop. The view from the dock up Philips Arm is breathtaking and every changing with varying light and clouds up the mountains. Of note: This lil 3 shack place was a bustling community in the 1800's between a mine, the fisheries and the lumber biz. It had a town of over 5000 people complete with hotels, bars and a brothel. It was actually substantially bigger than Vancouver at one time. Hard to believe when viewed now. I should note that there are multiple books about the history of the coast and truly add to the experience as it has a rich past full of events and characters.

Moving on N we entered the Broughton Archapeligo. Knight and Kingcome Inlets,  Tribune channel and others are majectic. The islands them selves are great to cruise through as well. At Echo Bay..Bill Proctor (turned 80 while we were there) is a fisherman turned enviromentalist and has a museum (free) of the things he's collected over a life time. he is a treasure to talk to...full of history and experiences. Shawl Bay is another worthy stop with Lorne...another pleasant "lifer" owning the tired lil marina. Joe Cove is a great anchorage..pretty and well protected.....many others (this is a long story very short)

We crossed BlackFish Sound 3 times on supply runs to Port McNeil (a great place to provision and get fuel)
BlackFish was the old name for Orca (killer whales). As we were late...we missed them but each crossing we were treated to multiple Humpback whales as well as 40+ Sea Lions and the usual seals (common as squirrels back home)

I had a somewhat spiritual experience at Bond Sound (off Tribune channel) Bond sound is unique in that it has never been logged and the feed river at the head was never used to run logs. We anchored as close inshore near the river mouth as possible and I hopped on the dingy to get closer in...hoping to see a grizzly as a few salmon were still running. Although no bears were sighted...the wildlife is incredible. A huge veriety of birds (and numbers) made quite the orchestra. There were seals awaiting the salmon as well as 76 (yes..SEVENTY SIX!) bald eagles in the trees within view. The sights and sounds left an impact. Isn't it amazing how well nature does when man doesn't F it all up!!!  I didn't want to leave.

We ventured up N as far as Drury Inlet. Any further would have put us offshore up Queen Charlette Straight and the wind blows often in late fall.

We poked back, spent more time exploring the islands all the way S and today I'm pecking this out from Powell River. Vicky just flew out this morning. I've got boat cleaning, an oil change and provisioning for a "guys run" starting monday.

A few events of note. We've had both dolpnins and porpoises often. In Knight Inlet we were followed by a pod of about 20 twice. At the intersection of Cordero Channel and Frederick Arm we encountered about 200+ !! I shut down and they were all around the boat...playing and feeding. Some were very interested in us...others couldn't care. As noted ...Blackfish Sound never failed to give us whale and sealion sightings.
The fishing is good here. You "jig" off the bottom for Ling Cod and Rock Cod. Trolling flashy spoons for salmon is common (I didn't get a license as it was late) Crabs and Prawns are there if you have the room for pots.

The PNW is hard to discribe. It is busy as far as Desolation Sound during july/august and then quiets down. The further N you go...the more lonely and remote. The scenary is incredible (Tim will attest) it must be experienced. Pictures don't do justice. I feel blessed to have saw and experienced what we have. Another 3 weeks to go before haul out. Will be a sad day.

PS...I can't post pictures...I will once home

[Tim]

Man! Why did I ever leave! Glad you are still out there having fun  :D

[CharlieJ]

Because it's coming on winter and it get's COLD up there?? Plenty good enough reason for me. It's 64 here and I have a heater going !!!

Cold SUX!!!