Princess Louisa Inlet is the grand cathedral for Pacific Northwest cruisers. Located north of Vancouver, on the east side of the Strait of Georgia, on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast, it is the Mecca that serious cruisers have on their to-do list. Princess Louisa Inlet is on the scale of Yosemite Valley with 6,000-foot mountains ending in a sheer wall to the water. Where the depths are all in the high triple digits. It is God’s place.
Princess Louisa Inlet is heavily guarded by natural obstacles and is not for the boater who is ill prepared or reckless. First there is the Strait of Georgia to cross or ascend with its own reputation of high winds, steep waves and when those are absent; fog. Then there is 50 miles of long and deep valleys called reaches where the wind can howl through and cause steep waves and the tidal current is fast is swift and strong as the water level changes up to 17 feet. Finally, the door of the cathedral is protected by Malibu Rapids, a dog-leg of large boulders that can only be transited near slack tide. Princess Louisa Inlet is not close to anything; you have to want to get there.
In twenty-five years of boating, it was our time to journey to the cathedral.
Day One
It took us three hours to trailer the Laurie Ann from home, arrive in Bellingham, and ready the boat and to launch at a minus 3.0 tide. We always seem to launch at the lowest tide, which makes us better trailer boaters because we handle so many challenges. That’s my story and I am sticking to it.
We had spent the previous three days working, off and on, to prepare for the 14-day trip. The Laurie Ann is always in a state of readiness and we work a one-page checklist to ready the boat for a long trip.
We like Bellingham's harbor because it puts us much closer to our destination, the ramp is good and the cost of parking our truck in their long term parking area is only $5 for the two weeks. They are truly boater friendly. After leaving the ramp we topped off the diesel fuel tank and at $2.42 a gallon we put in 40 gallons.
We fought eastbound flooding current for hours that moved to our normal speed of 8 miles per hour at 2200 RPM and then to only 5 miles per hour as we went around Lummi Island, between Sucia and Matia islands, skirted around Waldron Island and crossed into Canada to South Pender Island. We checked into customs by phone at Bedwell Harbor and were pleased with the efficiency and courtesy of the Canadian Customs official even though we had to throw out our plums and apples.
We love going through the Pender Canal as it is much like the narrow places at Watts Bar Lake on the Tennessee River and we anchored for the night at Prevost Island. We chose Annette Inlet on the north side of the island because Environment Canada had issued a wind warning for northwest winds rising to 25 knots and the cruising guide said that this inlet was well protected from those winds. We anchored in 15 feet knowing that at about 0800 hours that we would leave when the lowering tide would put us at about 5 feet. We had covered about 50 miles.
Day Two
We were underway at 0800 hours and fighting a 2-knot current; these tides create a force that must be reckoned with! We headed north in the protected waters of the Gulf Islands; protected from wind and waves of the Strait of Georgia and headed to Dodd Narrows. We listened to the VHF Channel 16 as skippers announced their entry into the one-mile long narrows because it is only wide enough for one boat at a time.
By the time we arrived, the slack tide had passed and it was well into a flood tide, streaming at 7 knots but in our direction. We waited while two powerful powerboats battled the Dodd Narrows current and passed us. Then, we entered the Dodd Narrows going 1400 RPM at 6.5 miles per hour and when it narrowed to about 50 yards across with white foam that was formed by the power of the water, we were rocketing along at 15.3 knots. The side currents and the whirlpools pulled us toward them but the tug’s steering was responsive and in 3 minutes it was all over.
We had hoped to cross the Strait of Georgia but by monitoring VHF Channel 10 we knew that the Whiskey Gulf military area was open and that boaters had to take a route around this area. But the real problem was wind and waves. By 1100 hours, the weather channel told us that the strait had sustained winds of 20 knots with wind waves of nearly 4 feet. We got a taste of these as we approached the town of Nanaimo and the tug was covered in spray as it fought to climb and power through the waves. Boots, our cat threw up in the bouncing and we put in at Nanaimo to spend the night at Mark Bay on Newcastle Island. The public docks, at $2 per meter were available and restricted to boats of less than 28 feet but we opted to anchor in 10 feet of water knowing that another 15 feet was coming with the high tide. We had covered 34 miles.
Newcastle Island is a provincial park with ample trails, a visitor center and a walk-on ferry to Nanaimo that costs $4 a person. We decided to do Nanaimo on the way back from our intended goal of Princess Louisa Inlet. We walked a six-kilometer trail and read about the limestone that left the island to build the San Francisco Mint and the special limestone rocks that were made into grinding wheels that transformed logs into wood pulp throughout the West.
We showered and enjoyed a cold beer from the refrigerator in the 85-degree afternoon.
Day Three
Resolved to attempt a crossing of the Strait of Georgia, we pulled the anchor and headed out of Mark Bay at 0630 hours. There was a light breeze coming into the protected harbor that should have been our clue to what lay head. Thirty minutes later we were clear of all the protective headlands and into the Strait. The wind was exactly as predicted on the Canadian weather channel and the high wind warning was well deserved. We were headed into seas of three foot waves with many four footers. Bigger boats were “slogging” their way across. We were taking spray over the cabin. When Boots threw up and lost her bowel movement, Laurie announced, “I am not so sure about this” which is a coded phrase for, "Lets get out of here." We turned around and in 30 minutes were anchored exactly where we had been.
We had breakfast and took a break and then took the dinghy to the city dock in Nanaimo. We bought a smoothie, found a good boat store to get our Canadian boat flag, toured a dive shop, and enjoyed the new city museum that provided an historical perspective of this town. We found a good gallery that had very reasonable pieces, had a nice lunch in a pub and we walked the harbor front. We returned to the tug by late afternoon and formulated a Plan B if we could not get across the dreaded Strait of Georgia.
Day Four
Up at 0500 with a light breeze from the northwest in the protected harbor. We pulled the anchor and 30 minutes later we were around Newcastle and Protection Island and into the dreaded Strait of Georgia. The winds were 17 knots and soon we were in two-foot seas, then three-foot seas and followed by the occasional 4-foot wave. Spray drenched the port side of the tug constantly for nearly two hours with water streaming into the cockpit and pooling caused by a partially plugged cockpit drain. In the heaviest of waves, the bottom of the fiberglass bulkhead at the helm station groaned in protest.
We steamed through the military exercise area before it was active and thus saved over 20 miles of travel. In the lee of Texada Island, the swells were gone and the wind was mitigated. We had beaten the Strait of Georgia. What was different about this crossing was that we got a head start on the building weather, we drove faster at 2,800 RPM keeping the bow up and we quartered the waves at a 45 degree angle rather than hitting them dead on.
More importantly, we had armored ourselves mentally.
We took the Laurie Ann into Pender Harbor, a wonder labyrinth of coves, many marinas and houses perched on the side of the hills amongst the Douglas fir trees. We dropped anchor in Garden Bay at 0930 hours in 60 feet of water and proceeded to have a leisurely breakfast and toasted ourselves for our good fortune. We washed the windows, did some cockpit laundry, and planned the voyage to Egmont and Princess Louisa Inlet with the intention of crossing the Malibu Rapids, that guards the entrance, at the high water slack; at no later than 8:30 PM.
At John Henry’s Gas and Store, we bought 40 gallons of diesel, topped off the water tank with 15 gallons, got a few groceries and chocolate ice cream for the crew. We were off at 1330 hours enjoying a flooding tide and turned up an inlet with the winds and seas at our back. Motoring at only 2000 RPM’s, we were making over 9 miles per hour and in 90 minutes we arrived in Egmont. We killed about 30 minutes there having lunch and talking to the boaters at the dock.
At 1530 hours we entered the first of several long valleys, called reaches on the chart. The flooding tide was building in speed at our stern and the afternoon winds always blow up the reaches. With the combined wind force of 15 knots at our back and a 3-knot current on our stern, we were approaching 10 miles per hour while motoring at only 2200 RPM’s. We were surfing the two and three foot seas, with sometimes hard steering as the tug climbed the back of waves and skidded down the other side.
The high mountains with the old scars of clear cutting were clear of snow but streams were cascading down to the water’s edge. We checked our location and determined our estimated time of arrival at Malibu Rapids. If we got there too late and missed the slacked, we would be locked out by the opposing ebb tide until the next day. If we got there too early, the surging food current could make passage over the rapids too dangerous. But, we could wait for the current to subside.
We rocketed through the reaches and eased back the throttle to our fuel sipping speed of 1,800 RPM and still made 8 miles per hour. We arrived at the rapids with two sailboats and a powerboat at 1930 hours or an hour early. The powerboat went on through but radioed back that he had to use a lot of power to make it. We decided to hang back and wait. Thirty minutes later another powerboat and one of the sailboats went through. That was good enough for us and we powered the Laurie Ann up to 2,600 RPM and jetted over the rapids at 15.3 miles per hour.
We anchored behind MacDonald Island and tied our stern tie to a tree in only 25 feet from the boat’s stern. The anchor was in 70 feet and the stern is in 18 feet. We had set personal records for the most miles traveled in a day, conquered the Strait of Georgia and endured the long 50 mile trip to the gates of the cathedral.
Day Five
Worried about the lowtide and the closing gap between the fiberglass hull and the granite bottom, I was up before the sunrise but went back to bed after determining that all was well with the world. At 0830 hours, we arrived in the cockpit to find that the boat was only four feet away from MacDonald’s island and therefore decided to move on after breakfast as the tide was falling rapidly in its 15 foot descent.
We watched a mother seal and her young pup play and feed and a new family of Canadian Geese paddle about the water. We let go of the stern tie and then pulled up the 90 feet of anchor rode and proceeded to idle around the circumference of the inlet taking in the massive views of the 6,000 foot high mountains, countless waterfalls and wondered how trees survive on the narrow ledges.
At the head of the inlet was Chatterbox Falls, a river about 100 feet wide pouring into the inlet. Nearby, there was room on the 600 foot long dock so we found a spot. We enjoyed a walk to the falls, met the ranger who had spent nine seasons in this remote spot, and a wonderful couple who lived aboard their steel sailboat, Fan Tan, in a cooperative live-aboard marina in Vancouver. They had lived on boats for 35 years and had the air of being totally at ease. You felt like they were great listeners who would not interrupt you with their own story. They invited us to move our boat in front of theirs because the view would be better from our stern of the falls. They are frequent visitors to the park and shared with us the location of the freshwater pool that is warm and perfect for bathing.
After lunch, we hosed down the boat and took a dinghy ride around the head of the inlet and met Rick and Prudence who we met the previous day while waiting to cross the Malibu Rapids. She had taken photos of the Laurie Ann cross the rapids and gave us a print and invited us to their boat for drinks. We spent part of the afternoon planning our departure from the inlet and decided that we would leave tomorrow while the tide and the timing was right. Sometimes, you have to let the forces of nature make these decisions for you even though you may not be ready to leave.
We met Rick and Prudence on their boat and enjoyed their stories. Rick is a retired communications engineer who made money selling the companies that he formed to serve the Northern California area before the advent of cell phones. Rick was quiet but very comfortable in his own skin. He had accomplished much work on the boat and exuded considerable patience for his wife. She worked in juvenile detention centers and more recently was the special behaviors teacher for the Arlington School District. We had dinner back on our boat and enjoyed the cooling of the evening.
We decided to make the run back to coast in the morning so we could be within cell phone range of son who was on call should he have liberty from his military duty. It was a gamble, but one worth taking.
Day Six
We found that our house battery bank was completely dead; a problem that would need to be dealt with. But the other batteries were fine and running diesel easily brought the system back to full charge. We pulled away from the dock at Princess Louisa Marine park at about 0730 hours and slowly motored our way down the inlet, watching the morning sun on the high mountains.
At the rapids, we were one of five boats making the transit at the 0830 hours slack and we cruised across the rapids like it was a lake and enjoyed running with the ebbing tide through the 36 miles of Reaches. All the powerboats passed us as we went about 9 miles per hour, running at 2200 RPM. The wind was calm and the water was only rippled. We passed Egmont 4 hours later and continued on into Pender Harbor, though we talked about running across the Strait of Georgia while it was calm and nearly flat. But it was hot and clear day and time to enjoy the places.
When we saw the 25-foot long dock space at Madeira Park Marina, we took it. We had done fifty miles in about six hours. Garden Bay had 5 times more boats than what we had seen before. We walked up to the local boat store and shipyard and they had replacement batteries for $150 each. We decided to test each of the two house batteries under a load to determine the failed battery. The working theory was that a cell had died on one of the batteries. For two hours, I conducted tests with increasing loads on each battery and taking voltage measurements every 15 minutes. The conclusion: both of them are toasted. We decided to pay a the dockmaster a bit more for power and put the whole system on the 120 volt smart battery charger and then replace the batteries back home. Laurie walked to the store and did some restocking.
For dinner, we did a first and made a pizza from scratch and baked it on the BBQ using a baking stone. Aside from the crust sticking to the stone because we needed to oil it better, the result was fantastic! Our son called and we received it on the cell phone. He was in a taxi with other candidates for 15 hours of their first liberty. His conversation was restricted because he was not alone but he sounded well, though stressed.
We took a long dinghy ride around this part of Pender Harbor and looked at the boats and the marina opportunities that are in Garden Bay. A great place for a cruise with friends. The sunset over Pender Harbor was the best this summer! The wind came with a punch and cooled everything down for the next hour.
The weather forecast was morning wind from the Northwest in the Strait of Georgia building to 15 knots, then easing to calm in the afternoon and then building again in the evening. We decided to head to both Dodd Narrows and Gabriola Pass, taking advantage of the ebbing tide and the wind at our backs and timed our departure to coincide with the afternoon slack at the passes.
Day Seven
We slept to 0800 hours with the fatigue of the previous long day having taken its toll. Getting the boat ready for the Strait of Georgia followed a breakfast of eggs and juice and we were gone at 0915 hours; joining the steady stream of big boats heading out of Pender Harbor. After clearing the harbor, the boat was pushed by the ebbing tide and a light northwest wind and we easily made 9 miles per hour at 2200 RPM.
Two hours later and being clear of the large islands, Texada and Lasqueti, the waves increased to two and three feet and they were coming more on our beam as we headed toward Nanaimo. We decided to begin a pattern of turning into the waves slightly so they hit on the bow’s starboard quarter, run that for course for 10 minutes, turn away from the waves until they hit the stern’s port quarter and run that for 10 minutes. The ride was much smoother and we increased speed to 2800 RPM to a speed of 10.5 miles per hours to make up for the increase in distance caused by this steering tactic.
We made great time and decided to continue past Nanaimo to Gabriola Pass. The tide was dropping and Dodd Narrows would be very narrow with a lot boat traffic lining up on each side to get through it. We would arrive there earlier than we could run it and would have to wait. Gabriola Pass was new to us and it was wider. We kept monitoring our speed versus our location and recalculating our estimated time of arrival at the pass because we could not be late and get through it. We easily navigated through the small islands using the chartplotter, the large Marine Atlas and the cruising guides. We went through Gabriola Pass 11 minutes before slack without a ripple or a swirl.
Our destination was Pirates Cove Marine Park, which is a short distance from Gabriola Pass. We had been there years before and were unafraid of the narrow entrance and the long row of rocks. We liked places like this because the big boats and the skittish captains will run to developed marinas and leave the pristine places for the rest of us. We arrived at Pirates Cove Marine Park at about 1430 hours. On a Sunday night there were only 12 boats. We dropped the anchor in 12 feet and threaded the stern tie line through the ring that was secured in the rock wall and marked with pink flagging tape. The tide will rise another 8 feet in the next 7 hours and we will adjust the anchor rode as necessary to keep us secure.
We walked the perimeter of the island to get our exercise. The trails were narrow and we had the whole island to ourselves. A large stairway was destroyed in a storm and caused use to take a detour. On the south end of the island, another small cove protected four large sailboats. Back at the boat, our attention was called to the shoreline about 100 feet away where a mature bald eagle was near the water’s edge and tearing a part flesh and sinew and eating the remains of something that had died. The bird was huge and its power was impressive.
Day Eight
We enjoyed the morning light in the cove as the few boats left to catch the slack water at the pass. We pulled in the stern tie and hauled up the anchor at 1100 hours and motored out in low 80-degree temperatures under clear skies. We moved to our traditional “river boat” speed of 1800 RPM which gave us about 8 miles an hour. We went between the islands, dodging the shoals and the jutting our rocks that were on the chart or that we could see and went by a dive site of the Wreck of the Miami as we scoped out a small bay.
On to the town of Ladysmith, that is on Vancouver Island and where we found a working industrial area amid the small marinas and across the bay from a decent anchorage. It was only noon and too early to stop so we continued on southbound following the shoreline. The town of Chemainus was next and billed itself as the place of 37 murals in the business district. The small marina was sandwiched between a huge freighter loading milled lumber and the ferry dock. After we slid in between a yacht and the rock breakwater, we docked and we were immediately greeted by the harbormaster, who said that he only had room for overnight moorage and not day use. We decided that the noise was too much for us and after a short lunch, we pulled out and continued southbound to Maple Bay.
We first headed toward the public float and pulled away without stopping despite the availability of space because the vibe that Laurie got from all the teens hanging around. We continued to the end of the bay and the Maple Bay Marina and paid $1.35 a foot plus $4 for power. The guest docks were nearly empty and we learned that a large group had reserved the marina starting tomorrow.
The heat was rising in the low 90’s and we needed all of the AC fans working. After having ice cream and doing some laundry, we waited for the cool evening air to arrive. We walked the docks and looked at the houseboats and then grilled hamburgers and baked brownies on the BBQ. The showers were great. I read that the Maple Bay Public Dock was an active dive site and asked the fuel attendant if he knew anything about it. He is a diver and highly recommended the site. We resolved to check it out on the next day.
Day Nine
We awoke to the sound of a growing group of people gathering at the end of the dock. Some had luggage, there were a couple business suits and all were checking the time, Finally, the float plane arrived and off-loaded two passengers and took on six and lifted off, heading north. We had a breakfast of bacon in eggs and fruit and pulled away from the dock at 0900 hours.
We idled back to the public dock and found the dock was full. Also, two long rowing shells were pulling out to practice a race. We anchored in 40 feet and decided to check out the natural reef. We pulled out the dive gear and donned our drysuits, saving the last layers for the final minutes in the warming morning. The cool water was great and we descended to 53 feet with good visibility. But the current was strong as it swirled around the edge of the bay. We decided to stay near the anchor line and explore the area under the boat. After about 35 minutes, we ascended and spent the next 90 minutes talking about the dive and what we had seen. That is what diving is about.
After lunch, we motored on southward for 25 miles at 8 miles an hour between Saltspring Island and Vancouver Island, across Satellite Channel, to Sidney and anchored at Sidney Spit Marine Park. We took the dingy ashore and walked the 3-mile loop trail in the towering trees and enjoyed their shade. The water was calm and flat with only a mild breeze coming from the west. The evening was only interrupted by the teenagers on the beach and their go-fast boat as they towed the screaming females around the bay. By sunset, they had gone back to Sidney and everyone on deck appropriately admired the setting sun and its twilight.
Day 10
We pulled the anchor under clear skies and calm waters as the radio spoke of the record setting heat wave in Seattle. We had no such issues on the water. We motored to the west of Darcy Island and talked about how this was used to isolate Chinese leprosy victims at the turn of the century and what did we learn from the lesson?
We crossed back into the United States while crossing Haro Strait, headed toward San Juan Island and Lime Kiln State Park to look for Orca whales. Two huge freighters passed by us going 20 knots as they took their cargo to Vancouver. At the lighthouse at Lime Kiln, we turned northward, riding the flood tide and looked for the whales. At 1800 RPM’s, we were running over 8 miles per hour and again, we were one with nature.
At the entrance to Mosquito Pass, we abandoned our search and went to Roche Harbor to check into Customs. I hate Roche Harbor for the display of the abundance of yachting toys; the mega yachts whose size is inversely related to the size of the owner’s genitals. I was not disappointed as big boats were ignoring No Wake rules and common courtesy did not apply when your bank account is so huge. At Customs, I put on the quiet courtesy behavior of yes sir and no sir and open-ended questions are answered in five words or less. In 10 minutes, we were cleared and we headed out. Laurie had checked the voice mails on her phone and this put her in a cloudy mood over our son's experience in Virginia.
Barring another plan, I went to our favorite island, Jones Island, and we dodged the onslaught of boats that were everywhere. At Jones Island, we found space on the deck and enjoyed another night on our state park annual pass for moorage. We walked to the south cove and saw the classic Jones Island deer. We spent the afternoon and evening relaxing, reading and enjoying the sights. We talked to a couple who owned a Pacific Seacraft Flicka sailboat and who live on Bainbridge Island. They wanted a tour of the tug and we talked about our travels on the Laurie Ann.
Day 11
We caught a favorable tide out of Jones Island and scooted down to Friday Harbor arriving at about 0900 hours and found a place on the day use dock. We found the dive charter business on Front Street and learned that they could fill our scuba tanks after they launched the morning charter. We shopped at the King’s Market and stocked up on the immediate consumables.
We split up and Laurie went to the hot sauce store and the post office while I carted the tanks from the boat to the dive shop and back. By the time Laurie got back, I had filled the tug’s water tanks and after buying only 25 gallons of diesel, we took off for Victim Island at Orcas Island’s Westsound for a dive. We could have bought 50 gallons to fill the tank but we wanted less weight on the trailer for the road trip home. Years before, we have learned the hard way to buy fuel using the rule of thirds: keep one-third as a reserve and buy it in increments of thirds.
We snaked through the Wasp Islands and arrived at Victim Island at lunch. We anchored in 20 feet and did a dive off the marked reef. The visibility was so bad, that at a depth of 43 feet, I could hardly see the numbers on the depth gauge. The plankton bloom was in full swing and it was like swimming in pea soup. We aborted the dive and still had a good learning experience, which is part of the adventure.
We pulled the anchor and headed east, listening to the weather forecast of building south winds through the night and into the next day. Rather than stopping at Doe Island for the night, we took advantage of the weather window and crossed Rosario Strait at slack tide with the wind behind us and surfed the two-foot swells toward Bellingham.
In Bellingham Bay we slowed down from 2600 RPM’s and 9.3 miles per hour to enjoy the end of a sailboat race and their use of spinnakers in the south wind. We pulled into the guest dock at 1900 hours and grilled steaks and backed cinnamon rolls on the BBQ; a full day with 60 miles, a dive, and Friday Harbor.
Day 12
The wind woke us during the night and it moderated slightly during the morning. We prepared the boat for haul-out on the rising tide. We had traveled 375 miles on 57 engine hours, used just over 100 gallons of diesel, and probably 50 gallons of water. We paid for three nights at marinas, anchoring or using a park pass for the reminder.
Every trip is an opportunity to learn and to make a list of the things that we need to repair or improve upon.
Princess Louisa Inlet is heavily guarded by natural obstacles and is not for the boater who is ill prepared or reckless. First there is the Strait of Georgia to cross or ascend with its own reputation of high winds, steep waves and when those are absent; fog. Then there is 50 miles of long and deep valleys called reaches where the wind can howl through and cause steep waves and the tidal current is fast is swift and strong as the water level changes up to 17 feet. Finally, the door of the cathedral is protected by Malibu Rapids, a dog-leg of large boulders that can only be transited near slack tide. Princess Louisa Inlet is not close to anything; you have to want to get there.
In twenty-five years of boating, it was our time to journey to the cathedral.
Day One
It took us three hours to trailer the Laurie Ann from home, arrive in Bellingham, and ready the boat and to launch at a minus 3.0 tide. We always seem to launch at the lowest tide, which makes us better trailer boaters because we handle so many challenges. That’s my story and I am sticking to it.
We had spent the previous three days working, off and on, to prepare for the 14-day trip. The Laurie Ann is always in a state of readiness and we work a one-page checklist to ready the boat for a long trip.
We like Bellingham's harbor because it puts us much closer to our destination, the ramp is good and the cost of parking our truck in their long term parking area is only $5 for the two weeks. They are truly boater friendly. After leaving the ramp we topped off the diesel fuel tank and at $2.42 a gallon we put in 40 gallons.
We fought eastbound flooding current for hours that moved to our normal speed of 8 miles per hour at 2200 RPM and then to only 5 miles per hour as we went around Lummi Island, between Sucia and Matia islands, skirted around Waldron Island and crossed into Canada to South Pender Island. We checked into customs by phone at Bedwell Harbor and were pleased with the efficiency and courtesy of the Canadian Customs official even though we had to throw out our plums and apples.
We love going through the Pender Canal as it is much like the narrow places at Watts Bar Lake on the Tennessee River and we anchored for the night at Prevost Island. We chose Annette Inlet on the north side of the island because Environment Canada had issued a wind warning for northwest winds rising to 25 knots and the cruising guide said that this inlet was well protected from those winds. We anchored in 15 feet knowing that at about 0800 hours that we would leave when the lowering tide would put us at about 5 feet. We had covered about 50 miles.
Day Two
We were underway at 0800 hours and fighting a 2-knot current; these tides create a force that must be reckoned with! We headed north in the protected waters of the Gulf Islands; protected from wind and waves of the Strait of Georgia and headed to Dodd Narrows. We listened to the VHF Channel 16 as skippers announced their entry into the one-mile long narrows because it is only wide enough for one boat at a time.
By the time we arrived, the slack tide had passed and it was well into a flood tide, streaming at 7 knots but in our direction. We waited while two powerful powerboats battled the Dodd Narrows current and passed us. Then, we entered the Dodd Narrows going 1400 RPM at 6.5 miles per hour and when it narrowed to about 50 yards across with white foam that was formed by the power of the water, we were rocketing along at 15.3 knots. The side currents and the whirlpools pulled us toward them but the tug’s steering was responsive and in 3 minutes it was all over.
We had hoped to cross the Strait of Georgia but by monitoring VHF Channel 10 we knew that the Whiskey Gulf military area was open and that boaters had to take a route around this area. But the real problem was wind and waves. By 1100 hours, the weather channel told us that the strait had sustained winds of 20 knots with wind waves of nearly 4 feet. We got a taste of these as we approached the town of Nanaimo and the tug was covered in spray as it fought to climb and power through the waves. Boots, our cat threw up in the bouncing and we put in at Nanaimo to spend the night at Mark Bay on Newcastle Island. The public docks, at $2 per meter were available and restricted to boats of less than 28 feet but we opted to anchor in 10 feet of water knowing that another 15 feet was coming with the high tide. We had covered 34 miles.
Newcastle Island is a provincial park with ample trails, a visitor center and a walk-on ferry to Nanaimo that costs $4 a person. We decided to do Nanaimo on the way back from our intended goal of Princess Louisa Inlet. We walked a six-kilometer trail and read about the limestone that left the island to build the San Francisco Mint and the special limestone rocks that were made into grinding wheels that transformed logs into wood pulp throughout the West.
We showered and enjoyed a cold beer from the refrigerator in the 85-degree afternoon.
Day Three
Resolved to attempt a crossing of the Strait of Georgia, we pulled the anchor and headed out of Mark Bay at 0630 hours. There was a light breeze coming into the protected harbor that should have been our clue to what lay head. Thirty minutes later we were clear of all the protective headlands and into the Strait. The wind was exactly as predicted on the Canadian weather channel and the high wind warning was well deserved. We were headed into seas of three foot waves with many four footers. Bigger boats were “slogging” their way across. We were taking spray over the cabin. When Boots threw up and lost her bowel movement, Laurie announced, “I am not so sure about this” which is a coded phrase for, "Lets get out of here." We turned around and in 30 minutes were anchored exactly where we had been.
We had breakfast and took a break and then took the dinghy to the city dock in Nanaimo. We bought a smoothie, found a good boat store to get our Canadian boat flag, toured a dive shop, and enjoyed the new city museum that provided an historical perspective of this town. We found a good gallery that had very reasonable pieces, had a nice lunch in a pub and we walked the harbor front. We returned to the tug by late afternoon and formulated a Plan B if we could not get across the dreaded Strait of Georgia.
Day Four
Up at 0500 with a light breeze from the northwest in the protected harbor. We pulled the anchor and 30 minutes later we were around Newcastle and Protection Island and into the dreaded Strait of Georgia. The winds were 17 knots and soon we were in two-foot seas, then three-foot seas and followed by the occasional 4-foot wave. Spray drenched the port side of the tug constantly for nearly two hours with water streaming into the cockpit and pooling caused by a partially plugged cockpit drain. In the heaviest of waves, the bottom of the fiberglass bulkhead at the helm station groaned in protest.
We steamed through the military exercise area before it was active and thus saved over 20 miles of travel. In the lee of Texada Island, the swells were gone and the wind was mitigated. We had beaten the Strait of Georgia. What was different about this crossing was that we got a head start on the building weather, we drove faster at 2,800 RPM keeping the bow up and we quartered the waves at a 45 degree angle rather than hitting them dead on.
More importantly, we had armored ourselves mentally.
We took the Laurie Ann into Pender Harbor, a wonder labyrinth of coves, many marinas and houses perched on the side of the hills amongst the Douglas fir trees. We dropped anchor in Garden Bay at 0930 hours in 60 feet of water and proceeded to have a leisurely breakfast and toasted ourselves for our good fortune. We washed the windows, did some cockpit laundry, and planned the voyage to Egmont and Princess Louisa Inlet with the intention of crossing the Malibu Rapids, that guards the entrance, at the high water slack; at no later than 8:30 PM.
At John Henry’s Gas and Store, we bought 40 gallons of diesel, topped off the water tank with 15 gallons, got a few groceries and chocolate ice cream for the crew. We were off at 1330 hours enjoying a flooding tide and turned up an inlet with the winds and seas at our back. Motoring at only 2000 RPM’s, we were making over 9 miles per hour and in 90 minutes we arrived in Egmont. We killed about 30 minutes there having lunch and talking to the boaters at the dock.
At 1530 hours we entered the first of several long valleys, called reaches on the chart. The flooding tide was building in speed at our stern and the afternoon winds always blow up the reaches. With the combined wind force of 15 knots at our back and a 3-knot current on our stern, we were approaching 10 miles per hour while motoring at only 2200 RPM’s. We were surfing the two and three foot seas, with sometimes hard steering as the tug climbed the back of waves and skidded down the other side.
The high mountains with the old scars of clear cutting were clear of snow but streams were cascading down to the water’s edge. We checked our location and determined our estimated time of arrival at Malibu Rapids. If we got there too late and missed the slacked, we would be locked out by the opposing ebb tide until the next day. If we got there too early, the surging food current could make passage over the rapids too dangerous. But, we could wait for the current to subside.
We rocketed through the reaches and eased back the throttle to our fuel sipping speed of 1,800 RPM and still made 8 miles per hour. We arrived at the rapids with two sailboats and a powerboat at 1930 hours or an hour early. The powerboat went on through but radioed back that he had to use a lot of power to make it. We decided to hang back and wait. Thirty minutes later another powerboat and one of the sailboats went through. That was good enough for us and we powered the Laurie Ann up to 2,600 RPM and jetted over the rapids at 15.3 miles per hour.
We anchored behind MacDonald Island and tied our stern tie to a tree in only 25 feet from the boat’s stern. The anchor was in 70 feet and the stern is in 18 feet. We had set personal records for the most miles traveled in a day, conquered the Strait of Georgia and endured the long 50 mile trip to the gates of the cathedral.
Day Five
Worried about the lowtide and the closing gap between the fiberglass hull and the granite bottom, I was up before the sunrise but went back to bed after determining that all was well with the world. At 0830 hours, we arrived in the cockpit to find that the boat was only four feet away from MacDonald’s island and therefore decided to move on after breakfast as the tide was falling rapidly in its 15 foot descent.
We watched a mother seal and her young pup play and feed and a new family of Canadian Geese paddle about the water. We let go of the stern tie and then pulled up the 90 feet of anchor rode and proceeded to idle around the circumference of the inlet taking in the massive views of the 6,000 foot high mountains, countless waterfalls and wondered how trees survive on the narrow ledges.
At the head of the inlet was Chatterbox Falls, a river about 100 feet wide pouring into the inlet. Nearby, there was room on the 600 foot long dock so we found a spot. We enjoyed a walk to the falls, met the ranger who had spent nine seasons in this remote spot, and a wonderful couple who lived aboard their steel sailboat, Fan Tan, in a cooperative live-aboard marina in Vancouver. They had lived on boats for 35 years and had the air of being totally at ease. You felt like they were great listeners who would not interrupt you with their own story. They invited us to move our boat in front of theirs because the view would be better from our stern of the falls. They are frequent visitors to the park and shared with us the location of the freshwater pool that is warm and perfect for bathing.
After lunch, we hosed down the boat and took a dinghy ride around the head of the inlet and met Rick and Prudence who we met the previous day while waiting to cross the Malibu Rapids. She had taken photos of the Laurie Ann cross the rapids and gave us a print and invited us to their boat for drinks. We spent part of the afternoon planning our departure from the inlet and decided that we would leave tomorrow while the tide and the timing was right. Sometimes, you have to let the forces of nature make these decisions for you even though you may not be ready to leave.
We met Rick and Prudence on their boat and enjoyed their stories. Rick is a retired communications engineer who made money selling the companies that he formed to serve the Northern California area before the advent of cell phones. Rick was quiet but very comfortable in his own skin. He had accomplished much work on the boat and exuded considerable patience for his wife. She worked in juvenile detention centers and more recently was the special behaviors teacher for the Arlington School District. We had dinner back on our boat and enjoyed the cooling of the evening.
We decided to make the run back to coast in the morning so we could be within cell phone range of son who was on call should he have liberty from his military duty. It was a gamble, but one worth taking.
Day Six
We found that our house battery bank was completely dead; a problem that would need to be dealt with. But the other batteries were fine and running diesel easily brought the system back to full charge. We pulled away from the dock at Princess Louisa Marine park at about 0730 hours and slowly motored our way down the inlet, watching the morning sun on the high mountains.
At the rapids, we were one of five boats making the transit at the 0830 hours slack and we cruised across the rapids like it was a lake and enjoyed running with the ebbing tide through the 36 miles of Reaches. All the powerboats passed us as we went about 9 miles per hour, running at 2200 RPM. The wind was calm and the water was only rippled. We passed Egmont 4 hours later and continued on into Pender Harbor, though we talked about running across the Strait of Georgia while it was calm and nearly flat. But it was hot and clear day and time to enjoy the places.
When we saw the 25-foot long dock space at Madeira Park Marina, we took it. We had done fifty miles in about six hours. Garden Bay had 5 times more boats than what we had seen before. We walked up to the local boat store and shipyard and they had replacement batteries for $150 each. We decided to test each of the two house batteries under a load to determine the failed battery. The working theory was that a cell had died on one of the batteries. For two hours, I conducted tests with increasing loads on each battery and taking voltage measurements every 15 minutes. The conclusion: both of them are toasted. We decided to pay a the dockmaster a bit more for power and put the whole system on the 120 volt smart battery charger and then replace the batteries back home. Laurie walked to the store and did some restocking.
For dinner, we did a first and made a pizza from scratch and baked it on the BBQ using a baking stone. Aside from the crust sticking to the stone because we needed to oil it better, the result was fantastic! Our son called and we received it on the cell phone. He was in a taxi with other candidates for 15 hours of their first liberty. His conversation was restricted because he was not alone but he sounded well, though stressed.
We took a long dinghy ride around this part of Pender Harbor and looked at the boats and the marina opportunities that are in Garden Bay. A great place for a cruise with friends. The sunset over Pender Harbor was the best this summer! The wind came with a punch and cooled everything down for the next hour.
The weather forecast was morning wind from the Northwest in the Strait of Georgia building to 15 knots, then easing to calm in the afternoon and then building again in the evening. We decided to head to both Dodd Narrows and Gabriola Pass, taking advantage of the ebbing tide and the wind at our backs and timed our departure to coincide with the afternoon slack at the passes.
Day Seven
We slept to 0800 hours with the fatigue of the previous long day having taken its toll. Getting the boat ready for the Strait of Georgia followed a breakfast of eggs and juice and we were gone at 0915 hours; joining the steady stream of big boats heading out of Pender Harbor. After clearing the harbor, the boat was pushed by the ebbing tide and a light northwest wind and we easily made 9 miles per hour at 2200 RPM.
Two hours later and being clear of the large islands, Texada and Lasqueti, the waves increased to two and three feet and they were coming more on our beam as we headed toward Nanaimo. We decided to begin a pattern of turning into the waves slightly so they hit on the bow’s starboard quarter, run that for course for 10 minutes, turn away from the waves until they hit the stern’s port quarter and run that for 10 minutes. The ride was much smoother and we increased speed to 2800 RPM to a speed of 10.5 miles per hours to make up for the increase in distance caused by this steering tactic.
We made great time and decided to continue past Nanaimo to Gabriola Pass. The tide was dropping and Dodd Narrows would be very narrow with a lot boat traffic lining up on each side to get through it. We would arrive there earlier than we could run it and would have to wait. Gabriola Pass was new to us and it was wider. We kept monitoring our speed versus our location and recalculating our estimated time of arrival at the pass because we could not be late and get through it. We easily navigated through the small islands using the chartplotter, the large Marine Atlas and the cruising guides. We went through Gabriola Pass 11 minutes before slack without a ripple or a swirl.
Our destination was Pirates Cove Marine Park, which is a short distance from Gabriola Pass. We had been there years before and were unafraid of the narrow entrance and the long row of rocks. We liked places like this because the big boats and the skittish captains will run to developed marinas and leave the pristine places for the rest of us. We arrived at Pirates Cove Marine Park at about 1430 hours. On a Sunday night there were only 12 boats. We dropped the anchor in 12 feet and threaded the stern tie line through the ring that was secured in the rock wall and marked with pink flagging tape. The tide will rise another 8 feet in the next 7 hours and we will adjust the anchor rode as necessary to keep us secure.
We walked the perimeter of the island to get our exercise. The trails were narrow and we had the whole island to ourselves. A large stairway was destroyed in a storm and caused use to take a detour. On the south end of the island, another small cove protected four large sailboats. Back at the boat, our attention was called to the shoreline about 100 feet away where a mature bald eagle was near the water’s edge and tearing a part flesh and sinew and eating the remains of something that had died. The bird was huge and its power was impressive.
Day Eight
We enjoyed the morning light in the cove as the few boats left to catch the slack water at the pass. We pulled in the stern tie and hauled up the anchor at 1100 hours and motored out in low 80-degree temperatures under clear skies. We moved to our traditional “river boat” speed of 1800 RPM which gave us about 8 miles an hour. We went between the islands, dodging the shoals and the jutting our rocks that were on the chart or that we could see and went by a dive site of the Wreck of the Miami as we scoped out a small bay.
On to the town of Ladysmith, that is on Vancouver Island and where we found a working industrial area amid the small marinas and across the bay from a decent anchorage. It was only noon and too early to stop so we continued on southbound following the shoreline. The town of Chemainus was next and billed itself as the place of 37 murals in the business district. The small marina was sandwiched between a huge freighter loading milled lumber and the ferry dock. After we slid in between a yacht and the rock breakwater, we docked and we were immediately greeted by the harbormaster, who said that he only had room for overnight moorage and not day use. We decided that the noise was too much for us and after a short lunch, we pulled out and continued southbound to Maple Bay.
We first headed toward the public float and pulled away without stopping despite the availability of space because the vibe that Laurie got from all the teens hanging around. We continued to the end of the bay and the Maple Bay Marina and paid $1.35 a foot plus $4 for power. The guest docks were nearly empty and we learned that a large group had reserved the marina starting tomorrow.
The heat was rising in the low 90’s and we needed all of the AC fans working. After having ice cream and doing some laundry, we waited for the cool evening air to arrive. We walked the docks and looked at the houseboats and then grilled hamburgers and baked brownies on the BBQ. The showers were great. I read that the Maple Bay Public Dock was an active dive site and asked the fuel attendant if he knew anything about it. He is a diver and highly recommended the site. We resolved to check it out on the next day.
Day Nine
We awoke to the sound of a growing group of people gathering at the end of the dock. Some had luggage, there were a couple business suits and all were checking the time, Finally, the float plane arrived and off-loaded two passengers and took on six and lifted off, heading north. We had a breakfast of bacon in eggs and fruit and pulled away from the dock at 0900 hours.
We idled back to the public dock and found the dock was full. Also, two long rowing shells were pulling out to practice a race. We anchored in 40 feet and decided to check out the natural reef. We pulled out the dive gear and donned our drysuits, saving the last layers for the final minutes in the warming morning. The cool water was great and we descended to 53 feet with good visibility. But the current was strong as it swirled around the edge of the bay. We decided to stay near the anchor line and explore the area under the boat. After about 35 minutes, we ascended and spent the next 90 minutes talking about the dive and what we had seen. That is what diving is about.
After lunch, we motored on southward for 25 miles at 8 miles an hour between Saltspring Island and Vancouver Island, across Satellite Channel, to Sidney and anchored at Sidney Spit Marine Park. We took the dingy ashore and walked the 3-mile loop trail in the towering trees and enjoyed their shade. The water was calm and flat with only a mild breeze coming from the west. The evening was only interrupted by the teenagers on the beach and their go-fast boat as they towed the screaming females around the bay. By sunset, they had gone back to Sidney and everyone on deck appropriately admired the setting sun and its twilight.
Day 10
We pulled the anchor under clear skies and calm waters as the radio spoke of the record setting heat wave in Seattle. We had no such issues on the water. We motored to the west of Darcy Island and talked about how this was used to isolate Chinese leprosy victims at the turn of the century and what did we learn from the lesson?
We crossed back into the United States while crossing Haro Strait, headed toward San Juan Island and Lime Kiln State Park to look for Orca whales. Two huge freighters passed by us going 20 knots as they took their cargo to Vancouver. At the lighthouse at Lime Kiln, we turned northward, riding the flood tide and looked for the whales. At 1800 RPM’s, we were running over 8 miles per hour and again, we were one with nature.
At the entrance to Mosquito Pass, we abandoned our search and went to Roche Harbor to check into Customs. I hate Roche Harbor for the display of the abundance of yachting toys; the mega yachts whose size is inversely related to the size of the owner’s genitals. I was not disappointed as big boats were ignoring No Wake rules and common courtesy did not apply when your bank account is so huge. At Customs, I put on the quiet courtesy behavior of yes sir and no sir and open-ended questions are answered in five words or less. In 10 minutes, we were cleared and we headed out. Laurie had checked the voice mails on her phone and this put her in a cloudy mood over our son's experience in Virginia.
Barring another plan, I went to our favorite island, Jones Island, and we dodged the onslaught of boats that were everywhere. At Jones Island, we found space on the deck and enjoyed another night on our state park annual pass for moorage. We walked to the south cove and saw the classic Jones Island deer. We spent the afternoon and evening relaxing, reading and enjoying the sights. We talked to a couple who owned a Pacific Seacraft Flicka sailboat and who live on Bainbridge Island. They wanted a tour of the tug and we talked about our travels on the Laurie Ann.
Day 11
We caught a favorable tide out of Jones Island and scooted down to Friday Harbor arriving at about 0900 hours and found a place on the day use dock. We found the dive charter business on Front Street and learned that they could fill our scuba tanks after they launched the morning charter. We shopped at the King’s Market and stocked up on the immediate consumables.
We split up and Laurie went to the hot sauce store and the post office while I carted the tanks from the boat to the dive shop and back. By the time Laurie got back, I had filled the tug’s water tanks and after buying only 25 gallons of diesel, we took off for Victim Island at Orcas Island’s Westsound for a dive. We could have bought 50 gallons to fill the tank but we wanted less weight on the trailer for the road trip home. Years before, we have learned the hard way to buy fuel using the rule of thirds: keep one-third as a reserve and buy it in increments of thirds.
We snaked through the Wasp Islands and arrived at Victim Island at lunch. We anchored in 20 feet and did a dive off the marked reef. The visibility was so bad, that at a depth of 43 feet, I could hardly see the numbers on the depth gauge. The plankton bloom was in full swing and it was like swimming in pea soup. We aborted the dive and still had a good learning experience, which is part of the adventure.
We pulled the anchor and headed east, listening to the weather forecast of building south winds through the night and into the next day. Rather than stopping at Doe Island for the night, we took advantage of the weather window and crossed Rosario Strait at slack tide with the wind behind us and surfed the two-foot swells toward Bellingham.
In Bellingham Bay we slowed down from 2600 RPM’s and 9.3 miles per hour to enjoy the end of a sailboat race and their use of spinnakers in the south wind. We pulled into the guest dock at 1900 hours and grilled steaks and backed cinnamon rolls on the BBQ; a full day with 60 miles, a dive, and Friday Harbor.
Day 12
The wind woke us during the night and it moderated slightly during the morning. We prepared the boat for haul-out on the rising tide. We had traveled 375 miles on 57 engine hours, used just over 100 gallons of diesel, and probably 50 gallons of water. We paid for three nights at marinas, anchoring or using a park pass for the reminder.
Every trip is an opportunity to learn and to make a list of the things that we need to repair or improve upon.
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