Our voyage to Prince Rupert would be our British Columbian adventure and a staging post on our trip to Alaska. We started in Port Sidney, one sunny, warm Sunday morning.

We were going to be negotiating various channels, sounds, straits and narrows as we weave our way through the inside passage. Starting with the southern low islands with their shallow, protected harbours with the backdrop of snowy peaked monster mountains to the northern inlets which resemble fjords, which are long and steep sided. The anchorages here are much deeper and fewer in numbers. As we travelled north the number of vessels reduced, apart from in the marinas and larger hub “cities”. The passage is relatively sheltered but there are various straits encountered along the way, which we travelled with extreme caution. Stephen and Leo did a great job of the passage planning taking into consideration the nature of the rapids that we would storm through along the way but only if we got the tide right. The natural beauty of this vast area is overwhelming with a mixture of volcanoes, snow capped mountains, glacier carved fjords, waterfalls, rain-forests, green islands scattered everywhere and of course the abundance of wildlife. The summer weather was surprisingly warm with few days hunkered down because of weather warnings to small craft. The sailing was limited due to the lack of wind during the summer. We have heard this is a different matter in the winter when the spectacular Pacific storms lash the western coastline. Motoring was the main feature of the trip, noisy but necessary and we had tidal gates to meet so the constant speed was important. One of the beauties of being here in the summer are the very long days. On the 21st of June we had over 17 hours of daylight and it doesn’t get dark until 11pm, with dawn generally at 4.30am. This extends our cruising daily range as it is discouraged to travel at night because of the floating logs and tree trunks, which could cause serious damage to our hull.
Our first night anchorage was in Green Bay in the Agamemnon Channel. The cruising guides suggested that this was a tricky anchorage with rocks and drying reefs but cautiously we entered and had a perfect night there. We were visited at dusk by a beautiful Rufous Hummingbird who took a liking to Percy our cloth parrot hanging from the boom.
The following few days were spent in the charming granite walled gorge, Princess Louisa Inlet at Chatterbox Falls. This gorge is also named Suivoolot (sunny and warm) by the native people. An American, James F. Macdonald obtained the land in 1927 and gave it in trust to the Princess Louisa International Society in 1953, “….all may enjoy its peace and beauty as God created it, unspoiled by the hand of man”. In 1963 the administration became the responsibility of the BC government, who protected it further by making it into a marine park with a resident ranger. The mountains behind rise to 2,100 metres, clad in forests of cedar, pine and firs. The inlet is almost landlocked, 5 miles in length and almost 300 metres deep. At the head of the gorge the roar of water attacks the senses before you see the magnificent waterfall, cascading 40 metres into the calm waters beneath. Bubbles and Amelie anchored just off the falls, held offshore by the current from the waterfall. This area is a huge tourist attraction with a public pontoon attached to the land on the other side of the small bay,with a “parking” spot for the seaplanes. We launched our kayak and explored the falls and surrounding area. Many seals inquisitively watched the strange antics of these creatures on two legs! We enjoyed a trail walk getting very close to the waterfall and wandering through the beautiful forest. A timber built open sided canopy housed a fire pit for shelter to boaters in the rain. This is known as the James F. MacDonald Memorial Lodge. A discovery was made at the expense of Stephen regarding the boy’s fishing adventures. Together with their fishing licences (which are by law necessary to fish unless you want to pay a huge fine), wellies and crab traps with bait, Leo and Stephen ventured off to lay the traps for a crab supper. Stephen had bought a prawn trap! Nonetheless, they used Leo’s trap and we had several crab meals with a memorable Crab Extravaganza made by Karin.
We had night stopovers at Savary Island and Okeover Inlet with a warm evening spent in the Laughing Oyster restaurant with it’s tasty, fusion food.
Hole in the Wall connects Okisollo with Calm channel and has shoals and drying rocks. We were advised to pass only at or near slack water, which we duly did. We entered the Octopus Islands Marine Park which are some of the most beautiful islands we have visited yet. However we didn’t see much of them because for three days we worked on our watermaker only to discover we needed a new primer pump. Oyster were alerted and in true Oyster efficiency ordered the parts and will arrive with David on the 8th of July. Bubbles is our water supplier in remote areas, filling up with dock water when we are in marinas. Whilst we relaxed after our frustrating attempts we were entertained by many Bald Eagles of different ages, plucking clams out of the drying, muddy foreshore. Ju, you may need to stop reading this paragraph. Nature can be cruel at times with the survival of the fittest but we witnessed an adult eagle gliding down and with it’s talons scooping a squawking duckling from the water and enjoying the feast not far from Amelie. Bald Eagles were a common sight throughout our journey north and their high pitched chirping became part of our daily lives.
Passage making was swift with Stephen paying a close eye on the navigation and various hazards along the way. Generally we were sheltered but at certain points we had to travel along some of the straits that are at the mercy of the Pacific Ocean. Weather reports are constant on the VHF radio and we took the reports seriously. The notorious Johnstone Strait on the northeast of Vancouver Island, named after Captain Vancouver’s shipboard master, can be treacherous with strong currents, sharp, steep seas, cold, strong winds and few anchorages for cover. We watched the weather for a few days and then had the perfect crossing in sun. We ended up in Waddington Bay, anchoring in stinky, sticky mud where the boys caught many crabs. Stephen and Debbie took the RIB and explored the islands ending up in Pierre’s Echo Bay, which was closed until mid June but Pierre opened his stocked shop to allow us to buy some goods. Pierre is quite a character, well known for his rib beef roasts and he is identified by his long ponytail with an equally long beard. The docks were colourful with hanging baskets in painted gas cylinders. The wooden buildings lining the land side of the marina were within keeping of loggers cabins.
A short hop around to Sunday Harbour allowed us to make a direct journey to Port Hardy. Sunday Harbour is extremely pretty but full of floating logs. Our trip across Queen Charlotte Strait was tiring due to constant lookout and swerving huge trunks of trees. This strait is 15 miles wide with a typical sea breeze picking up late morning. The personality of this strait shows in the afternoon when the wind generally picks up with a big sea. Fortunatelywe were tucked up in Quarterdeck marina in Port Hardy by then.

As we entered the final part of our journey we saw a Humpback whale constantly fluking its tail, the noise was so loud that you could hear it over our engine and passing craft. Humpbacks have extremely long flippers, about a third of the length of its body. Generally the first thing you see with the humpback is the blow from large distances, then the immense body with it’s stubby dorsal fin followed by the serrated edge of it’s tail flukes before it dives (sounds). We were at the start of the summer migratory feeding time for the whales from Hawaii. Migration takes advantage of the huge quantity of seasonal prey available. Foraging takes up most of their time during the late spring and summer. We have witnessed flick feeding, where the whale flicks it’s tail several times and then surfaces, lunging on it’s side with it’s mouth wide open to engulf the Krill. The thwacking of the water tends to stun the krill making it easier to catch. Bubble netting is another form of capture where several whales encircle the herring and one whale dives just below the surface, emitting bubbles from it’s blowhole. The bubbles rise to the surface making a barrier from which the herring cannot escape. A whale lets out a “feeding” call and when the call halts the whales lunge feed. Bubble netting is exclusive to Humpbacks and generally those who have worked together for a long time. Predators, apart from man are sharks and Orcas who tend to attack the calves. Their displays are spectacular with flipper and tail slapping; breaching and spy-hopping. The large flippers aid in their great agility and manoeuvrability in the water and the tubercles on their leading edge aid their hydrodynamic role. It is not known the reasons behind these acrobatics but different schools of thought think it could signify courtship or a meeting display; annoyance; excitement; change of wind or/and sea state. Humpback population is recovering from the depletion due to whaling.

Port Hardy is a great place for provisioning, buying a crab trap (Stephen), book buying (Cafe Guido), cheap booze in the marina and an excellent hardware/fishing store nearby. Stephen, Leo and his friends went sea-fishing during our stay and Stephen caught a huge wild salmon, 29.5lbs. A very happy man who had the majority of the salmon sent off to a processing plant to have it marinaded and smoked for our return in August. We ate succulent, pale, salmon steaks that night with our friends on Bubbles.
We had been recommended to visit Fury Cove with it’s white sands as an anchorage. Truly beautiful but alas we moved on the following day because of the weather and had a cold, wet, miserable motor to Pruth Bay.
We anchored at the head of Pruth Bay, looking towards the Hakai Beach Institute which is a research and conference centre. The areas of research include local archaeology, ecology and First Nation culture. The grounds are pristine and there are signs to follow to the West Beach, via a boardwalk, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We continued to the North Beach,overlooking the Hakai Pass, which was less developed and slightly challenging, passing a lake full of flowering waterlillies and a vision of a Woodpecker, doing what Woodpeckers do. Electricity is generated by a 50kW solar farm, water is collected on site and sewage is treated before being released. We chose to follow suit and locked off our black water tanks until out to sea during our stay.
At about this time Amelie was the furthest north she had been since delivery in Ipswich, UK.
The next stop was Wigham Cove, on the south of Yeo Island. The navigation here was tricky with an underwater rock lying starboard to Amelie, together with drying rocks that extend into the eastern side of the entrance. Once the entrance has been transited, the cove is fully protected and we anchored close to the shore. A stunning place but once again just an overnight spot.
Fjiordland was an area we were keen to visit and it happened to fall on Leo’s 65th birthday. This area has some of the most striking scenery on the coast. The pilot book states that the anchorages are almost non existent. Fortunately we found two fabulous deep anchorages. Firstly we stopped at Kynoch Inlet, off the Mathieson Channel. We continued to see many Bald eagles and seals but the icing on the cake was a Grizzly Bear foraging on the shoreline. A real treat for the birthday boy…….and us.

Several days later we anchored in the most unspoilt anchorage of our trip, Oatswish Bay. This bay has the most spectacular waterfall and the area appeared to be unspoilt by man. Mussel Bay was nearby and we used the RIB and kayak to explore. The Bald Eagles were close by sitting on fallen logs or trees watching every movement and calling to one another. Once again we were excited by a sighting of a Humpback Whale entering the inlet towards dusk. We watched it dive and fin, then swim gracefully out of the bay to deeper water. Stephen caught seven crabs, throwing one back because of its size and the following day we had another Crab Fest.
The head of Graham Reach is the Khutze Inlet where we anchored next, an overnight stay but for Leo an ideal spot for putting down his prawn trap and catching 65 prawns…..now in the freezer. The early departure showed this anchorage in perfect light, stunningly beautiful.
Our last anchorage before reaching Prince Rupert Island was Kitsaway Inlet. Initially our hearts dropped when we turned the corner and saw a logging operation but further on we discovered a good overnight anchorage, ready for the passage to Cow Bay the following afternoon.
We motored down the Grenville Channel which is natural but looks man made, meeting Humpbacks fluking their tails and a dramatic display in the distance of a whale finning and breaching.
Cow Bay marina had opened several months before our arrival and the standards and efficiency of the marina staff were impressive. The Cow Bay area of Prince Rupert is quaint and busy with tourists and locals. Many people stopped by Amelie just to say Hello and answered lots of our questions. The marina manager, Marty, had a British mother and loved strong tea which he couldn’t get in his supermarket. We invited him and his wife aboard and the look on his face was priceless when he inhaled the aroma of Yorkshire Gold.
Prince Rupert in the 1980s and 90s was known as the Halibut capital of the world, which some of our party chose at the local pub. Stephen astonished Debbie by devouring a bagel with his breakfast at Cowpuccino’s. He is not keen but was very hungry. We found an excellent sea sport shop where Debbie replaced a crab feeder that she accidentally misplaced overboard while tidying up. Stephen also managed to find a part for the outboard.
Prince Rupert is the last major “city” before transiting the Dixon Entrance which separates Canada from Alaska and is closer to Asia than any other west coast port.
During our time anchoring in these magnificent places we have seen many creatures that resemble an otter or a seal. We have since discovered that Sea Otters which historically ranged from SE Alaska to N. California and the North pacific rim to Japan were relentlessly hunted for their valuable furs. By 1911 Sea Otters had been extirpated (when a species ceases to exist in a geographical area, but exist elsewhere) from SE Alaska to California. The last four pelts were sold in Vancouver, BC for $2,000, more than enough at that time to buy a substantial family home. In the 1960s and 70s Otters were translocated from the Aleutian Islands and they have successfully re established themselves to a population of around 6,800 by 2013. We were lucky enough to spot one of these Sea Otters lying on his back, as they like to do and at 1.5 metres he was probably weighing in at 40kgs. We read that this behaviour of floating on their backs is because they are clasping a stone on their abdomens, to allow them to crack open the shells of crabs and other crustaceans. It is common to mistake Seals and River Otters for Sea Otters.
Our wildlife expectations on this passage have been pretty well met especially the Orcas, a Grizzly, a Sea Otter and the fabulous Bald eagles. The scenery has been breathtaking and photographs do not do it justice. Whilst disappointing that we haven’t been able to sail, our passages under motor have taken us through challenging rapids and narrows and in conclusion we’ve had a brilliant time.