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Summer 2008 Cruise – Leg 1

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Date	False Creek to Secret Cove		Weather
June 27^th,08 Friday			Sunny, fair seas
Leaving Vancouver and City Life Behind Sea Foam Enjoying Calm Seas First Day Out on the Water Water Taxi making a run from Secret Cove Marina across Malaspina Strait to Buccaneer Bay - $20 per person		My Captain picked me up from my last day of work at 1030 and we drove to Richmond to leave our car at my brother’s home. He drove us to False Creek, Vancouver and bid us farewell at 1300. We thought we would cruise as far as Gibson’s Harbour at the start of the Sunshine Coast today but decided the weather was good enough to push on right through to Secret Cove just northeast of Welcome Passage. We checked the weather from the automated buoy reports at Halibut Bank and Merry Island in the middle of the upper section of Georgia Strait and the lighthouse reports from Point Atchinson along the mainland coast and Entrance Island just outside of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. This area of the Strait of Georgia can be troublesome, just like any of the straits along this coastline, so we wanted to “get along when the getting’ was good”. The wind speeds were all less then 15 knots which is my tolerance level I had made arrangements to meet with friends in Secret Cove, Dianne Smith and Ron and Monica Mayhew. Dianne would be coming to Secret Cove by car and Ron and Monica in their sailboat from Nanaimo. Tomorrow we expect to meet up with Mark and April coming from Shelter Island, Fraser River aboard their 42’North Pacific XXIV VII. We had good cell phone reception so were able to make contact with Dianne to tell her the rendezvous spot had changed from Gibsons to Secret Cove. It would take us almost three hours to travel that distance while it would take her about 45 minutes by car. We gave her an ETA at Secret Cove of 1930. We arrived on schedule and enjoyed a quiet evening and dinner together on the Sea Foam. Not long after we had settled down for Dianne’s favorite activity, playing cards, the MV Hi Dad motored into the anchorage and went well into the back past the marina. This boat is owned and kept in the Delta Marina by Captain Rick in Richmond and is a large (80’ approx) pilot house design that often cruises these waters. Tomorrow our plans are to meet with Ron and Monica at Buccaneer Bay at Thormanby Islands where we will spend the day on the beach. It is a short two mile distance from Secret Cove to Buccaneer so we can make the crossing in the Catch-Up. Buccaneer Bay is a lovely sandy beach area between North and South Thormanby Island and when the sun comes out the beach is full of local sun worshippers that travel the short distance over from the Sunshine Coast areas of Sechelt and Pender Harbour. It is exposed to the north so I prefer to keep the Sea Foam in the protection of Secret Cove and make the journey with Catch-Up. Just around the corner from Secret Cove is another popular anchorage, Smugglers Cove. When we arrived this anchorage appeared to be full of sailboats rafted together. It is a tight anchorage and difficult to see the opening. There are several anchor spots in the back once you enter the cove if the front spot is full.

Date	Secret Cove to Buccaneer Bay to Secret Cove		Weather
June 28^th/08 Saturday			Sunny with a slight breeze
John and Cheryl Aboard MV Sovereign, Catch-Up, Our Water Taxi, at Buccaneer Bay Kona, Our 120 pound Italian Mastiff Shore Duty for the XXIV VII crew before dinner Another year of “Love and Leisure” as promised June 28, 2003		After a leisurely breakfast Dianne and I prepared a picnic lunch for our day at the beach at Buccaneer Bay. Not knowing if the anchorage would fill up in our absence the Captain decided to put a stern tie on the Sea Foam to make more room for other boaters that could arrive throughout the day. This is a popular anchorage and marina and a long weekend so it could get busier. We loaded up and into our tender, Catch-Up, and headed over to Buccaneer Bay. As we motored around and into the anchorage behind Surrey Islands we spotted John Alexander and Cheryl Fortier’s 1949 52’Chris Craft Conqueror, the MV Sovereign. John and Cheryl had traveled to the Queen Charlotte Islands during the summer of 2004 and their detailed and comprehensive log will accompany us on our trip. They wrote a two part article about their trip in the February and March 2006 issues of Pacific Yachting magazine. John and I first met when we worked together in the early 80’s for the Mission Recreation Department. We were happy to stop and chat with them and let them know how much we appreciated the work they put into their log. We had spoken to them last summer where they live aboard in Spruce Harbour in False Creek, Vancouver. With a few words of wisdom pried out of him, John said he was sorry he couldn’t make the trip with us and wished us well and safe travel. We thought it very timely to run into them just as our journey northward was about to begin. We motored away to the beach and set up our things on the sandy beach and proceeded to blow up our floating chairs in preparation for a day of keeping cool in the water. Ron and Monica arrived in their boat at 1350 and we had a great afternoon catching up on their plans to acquire a new sailboat. We combed the beach and enjoyed the sun, sand and refreshing water. We left the beach at 1730 and as we motored the Catch-Up into Welcome Passage on our way into Secret Cove we were able to hail the XXIV VII on our radio. They would be arriving by 1900. Ron and Monica followed us back to Secret Cove and anchored nearby with a stern tie. When they arrived we all met on the Sea Foam and enjoyed an evening of appetizers, barbequed smokies and excited chatter. We celebrated with a toast to Rick and me for our fifth wedding anniversary and the start of Anniversary Cruise V to the Queen Charlotte Islands. Ron and Monica were on their way to Pender Harbour tomorrow and Mark and April will follow us to the Broughtons and then spend the remainder of their five weeks cruising that area.

Date	Sunday Secret Cove to Grace Harbour			Weather
June 29^th/08
Ron and Monica Releasing Their Stern Tie Preparing to Weigh Anchor for Jedediah Island Heading North for Desolation Sound XXIV VII Close Behind Bow Rider Rick – Another Naked Canadian? Cyclops the Kite In Flight The Town of Lund - A Good Stop for Ice Cream Passing Powell River's Paper Mill Turn to Starboard at Sarah Point Voila! The Entrance to Desolation Sound Grace Harbour Anchorage with Hi Dad from Delta Marina rafted in centre Lily Pond to Enter the Lake		With the weather conditions predicted to be favorable I wanted to make tracks today early and get past Malaspina Strait and around the corner into Desolation Sound. The water from the southern tip of Texada Island to Sarah Point just past Powell River can be a messy piece of water if the northwest wind is up. The ebb tide from Jervis Inlet can confuse the water too if wind and tide are opposite. We returned, shook Dianne out of a good sleep and put her to shore by 0900 and weighed anchor. Goodbyes were said to Monica and Ron with the hope of meeting up with them again at the end of August on our return. It was a beautiful sunny day and the Sea Foam with the XXIV VII close behind motored out of Secret Cove and on into Malaspina Strait. The tide was in our favour and we enjoyed a wonderful cruise under a cloudless sky. It was a long trip, approximately 54 nautical miles, but it was a perfect day for cruising. We took turns photo shooting each other’s boats as we traveled along. We got some great shots of the XXIV VII underway and they took some of us as well. The Captain of the Sea Foam thought he would pose nude “Titanic style” on the bow of the boat. We took out our kite and flew it for a while and left it perched in one of our fishing rod holders. I bought it for Rick after he had laser eye surgery on only one of his eyes. The kite is a Cyclops! We turned the corner at Sarah Point and headed into Desolation Marine Park with the XXVI VII close behind. We forgot to pay attention to the many rocks and reefs in the area and had Rick not suddenly noticed us moving into a green area on his Garmin screen we would have been up on the rocks. We had seen a similar scene several years ago in an anchorage at Tenedos Bay further along in Desolation when a beautiful Grand Banks East Bay was on the rocks in a falling tide. We anchored at the back of Grace Harbour along with several other boats and read in Anne Vipond’s guide book, Best Anchorages of the Inside Passage, there was a small lake after a fifteen minute easy hike from the head of the bay. We anchored and jumped into the Catch-Up with our bathing suits and towels at the ready. It was hot in the anchorage and a cool deep would be lovely. As soon as we hit the shore the black flies hit us and I was happy to report to the Captain that I had bug spray in my bag. We sprayed ourselves and listened to the incessant buzz of the bugs around our heads as we walked along the trail. They didn’t land but they swarmed around our head, ears and neck. Kona needed relief from them as well but didn’t like that I sprayed bug repellent on her. We met a man with his two young sons coming down from the “lake” and he was almost wild and bugged eyed (no pun intended) with having the bugs at him all along the trail. He told us the bugs were awful and the lake was a pond with lily pads and no easy swimming access. We continued on to see for ourselves. He was right. We walked along a swampy shoreline looking for a way in but would have to swim about 20 feet through lily pads to get to open water. Rick did just that while Kona and I watched from shore. I would have loved to swim because it was very hot but the mucky bottom and lily pads all around were too much for me. We met another couple on our return and told them our story. They turned around and walked back with us. It was then we noticed a trail leading off to the right that we should have taken in the first place. It led to better access to get into the “lake” with rocks around a small pond like area. The bottom was murky and the rocks slippery with brown sediment but I stood in it up to my thighs just to cool off. I later read in the Waggoner cruising guide that a woman had returned from this “lake” with a leech on her hand. We walked back along the trail chatting with Eric and Sherry from the 30’ Californian Starry Night. Eric was a diver and knew some of the people Rick knew. Once we got back to the start of the trail I happily plunged into the sea for a long awaited dip while Rick chatted further with Eric about diving and Californians – we loved our 34’ – Fish-N-Chips before acquiring the Sea Foam. We returned Kona to the Sea Foam and headed over to the XXIV VII for another lovely dinner with Mark and April. We called it a night at 2200 and made plans to make it to Forward Harbour tomorrow.
Date	Grace Harbour to Forward Harbour			Weather
June 30, 2008				Sunny with Cloudy Periods
Large Log Boom and Three Tugs Transiting Dent Rapids Captain of the Island Navigator Thankful For Our Small Wake at Dent Rapids		Before breakfast I was busy planning our route to time the transit over three sets of rapids before reaching our destination for today, Forward Harbour. Stewart island is at the north end of Desolation Sound and is about halfway up between Vancouver Island and the mainland. Due to the geography of this area and Stuart Island’s central location, channels that are host to some very strong rapids surround the island. These rapids are called Yaculta, Arran and Dent Rapids. All of these rapids can flood or ebb at up to 10-15 knots of current. This means that at full ebb or flood, these passages look much more like rivers than salt-water passages. It also means that you only transit these rapids at very close to perfect slack – especially if you are in a sail boat. If you want to see a remarkable site, hike up the mountain above Big Bay Resort and time your arrival to the “summit” for full flood or ebb. It is interesting to note that while Stewart Island is only about 28 nautical miles north of Prideaux Haven in Desolation Sound, the water temperature drops to a very chilly 45-48 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s always lively in these areas as many boats are attempting to go through at the same time. We have experienced inconsiderate boaters that speed up to get through creating huge wakes that toss you around in an already tenuous situation. Sailboats get the worst of it as they are tossed about much more severely with their keels so much further down in the water. On this transit a tugboat Captain came on the VHS asking that a large yacht slow down so as not to break up their log boom as they tried to negotiate through Dent Rapids.
Date	Forward Harbour to Potts Lagoon			Weather
July 1
Sea Foam Suitably Decorated to Celebrate Canada Day Colourful Float Homes in Potts Lagoon Crew of the XXIV VII on Shore Patrol		Happy Canada Day!
Date	Potts Lagoon to Safety Boat Cove			Weather
July 2
Kayakers Sit Out on the Rocks Waiting for the Current to Slow		After shore duty for all dogs we motored out and away from Potts Lagoon and out into Baronet Passage with the current in our favour but the fog limiting our visibility. Captain Rick and Captain Mark enjoyed playing with their radar and determining whose reflector was doing the best job. As we reached Blackney Passage we kept a close look out for whales as we carried on along the southern shore of Hanson Island along Johnstone Strait. As we rounded the corner at Weyton Island and into the Plumpers we were glad we had planned to arrive here at near slack as the currents through the islands can be strong and troublesome to maneuver a boat in. We settled in our secret anchorage in the Plumper Island group and relaxed for a time before heading off in the Catch-Up to take Kona to shore and show Mark and April some of our favorite spots for diving and watching for wildlife.
Date	Safety Boat Cove			Weather
July 3
Low Lying Fog Over Blackfish Sound Looking northwest from Plumper Islands Ready to Dive off Safety Boat Cove April on Grassy Island Admiring the Vegetation and the Views Over Blackfish Sound
Date	Safety Boat Cove to Port McNeill			Weather
July 5
Port McNeil Fishing Dock Charter Operator Preparing Halibut Fillets
Date	Port McNeill to Miles Inlet			Weather
July 6
Long Narrow Entrance to Miles Inlet North Lagoon Entrance with Foam on the Ebb Tide as the water rushes out Posing with XXIV VII Crew in Southwest Lagoon Exiting the Lagoon at the Southwest Arm of the Inlet Beside our Anchorage
Date	Miles Inlet			Weather
July 7
Mark in the “Tighty” Heading Out to Fish A Trip to Shore for Kona Close to Our Anchorage After an Unsuccessful Fishing Trip
			Continue to Leg 2