Desolation Sound 09

In the early summer of 2009 I began thinking about plans for a summer trip.  It made sense to do something with the boat and the more I thought about it the more the idea appealed to me.  An alternative to this was a driving trip around the Western States, something like a big loop through Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Nevada.  But love of the water had a greater appeal at that moment, so I tabled the driving idea for another time.  Next, figuring out what destinations I wanted to do, and the notion of going as far as possible northward had a lot of appeal.  This meant the Desolation Sound region in British Columbia, and possibly the area north of there, into the islands around Johnstone Strait.  I bought a book entitled North of Desolation Sound and started reading about some of the truly remote sites and incredible beauty these islands provide.  The problem with the region is that the tidal currents in many of the passes can be incredibly fierce, such as up to 8 knots and more.  The only way to navigate these passes is by meticulous reference to the tide and current tables, and planning every movement to match the slack current times.  After a lot of thought about this I decided that the restrictions on my movements caused by the need for this kind of planning was not the best use of the time I had available, so I reluctantly scrapped the idea, at least for this trip.  I decided there were still plenty of good spots to the south that would be new adventures for me.  Next consideration was picking the right time for the trip.  From previous experience the best and most reliable weather patterns are in July, so I picked the week beginning Saturday July 11.  Also, the days are noticeably longer in July than in August.  So here begins the journey .....

All the destinations I describe on this page are near or around Cortes and East and West Redonda Islands.  The large landmass to the west in this photomap is the northern end of Vancouver Island, which I have heard is the largest island in the Pacific Basin.  (Wikipedia reports the following facts: (1) that it actually is the largest island on the western side of North America at 12,407 square miles; (2) is 290 miles long and 50 miles wide; (3) is the 43rd largest island in the world.)  The land to the east is the "mainland" of British Columbia.  Although the region generally is referred to as "Desolation Sound" the body of water to the east of Cortes Island and south of West Redonda Island is the actual Desolation Sound, and is designated a Marine Park by the provincial government of British Columbia.  The approach to the islands from the south is via the Strait of Georgia, which I regard as one of the nastiest bodies of water on the planet.  My luck with her this year, however, was amazingly placid, and despite the official weather advisories of "high wind warnings" the winds were rather mild and seas were free of whitecaps on both the northbound and return crossings.  I think my choice of timing helped in this regard.

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Next morning after a stop at the fuel dock I left for Nanaimo, BC, my "usual" stopoff for last-minute provisioning.  The cruise northward across the border and up through the Gulf Islands is always pleasant as the islands of Galiano and Gabriola provide protection from the sometimes-stormy Strait of Georgia just to the east.  There is a narrow passage at the tip of Galiano known as Dodd Narrows, where the current can run up to 7 knots.  So I had to time my departure to arrive at Dodd at slack current, plus or minus 20 to 30 minutes at most.  Afternoon slack current  that day was at about 1:30, and knowing that the time to reach there from Roche was about three hours at 11 knots' speed, I knew I had to be on the way by 10:30.  It turned out my  calculations were spot on, and Dodd Narrows had nary a ripple when I got there.  The run from Dodd to the harbor at Nanaimo is only about twenty minutes, so I got there about 2PM, in plenty of time to secure an excellent berth for the night  This was not to be the case a week later, as we shall see. 

Next day, Monday, the destination was Gorge Harbour, located on the southwest coast of Cortes Island.  The plotter calculated the route as 77 nautical miles, so I planned on a 7-hour trip.  On previous trips to the region I have stopped at the little community of Lund, but because of some problems encountered there in the past I opted to bypass it and go directly to Gorge.  As it turned out this was a delightfully good choice, as the facilities at Gorge Harbour have been completely rebuilt.  This includes all new docks, new office/store for the wharfinger and new landscaping on the grounds around the marina.  They have even built a swimming pool up the hill, and it looked ready for use, but apparently the building inspectors had not done the final inspection by that day.  They still run the elegant restaurant up the hill, and I went there for dinner Monday night.

The beauty of Gorge Harbour is that it is a large lagoon, roughly oval in shape, perhaps a mile across and completely surrounded by land except for a narrow entrance on the west side.  Regrettably, I did not do it justice and took only two photos (below) one just after leaving the fuel dock (the green-roofed building toward the left) on my way out and the other as I exited through the pass. 

Next day, Tuesday, the route took me along the south coast of Cortes Island eastward, across Desolation Sound and into Waddington Channel, which lies between West and East Redonda Islands.  Then northeastward into Pendrell Sound, the finger of water that nearly cuts East Redonda in half (see the Google Map, above).  I had a choice to make between Pendrell Sound and Walsh Cove, a little cove at the north end of Waddington Channel where I have stopped many times in the past.  There were a couple of elements to the decision about this, one of which was that I had not seen Pendrell Sound, and the others were (1) Walsh Cove is much smaller and can become rather crowded with too many boats, and (2) the holding qualities of the bottom for anchoring are questionable.  I have had difficulty with this in the past, as some of my previous guests can testify.  In my defense, I think it safe to say that the bottom is probably made up of hard granite in large portions of the cove and it is difficult for any anchor to hold.  So I opted not to deal with this and try something new.

Above: Pendrell Sound looking generally southwest; the top two were taken around 4PM, the lower two about 7PM

As these photos show, this was a scene of absolute tranquility.  There were no people within earshot, the nearest boat was a quarter-mile away, the sky was blue, the wind calm and peace prevailed.  And in the sky, I was treated to the sight of a bald eagle soaring overhead as he searched for prey.  After barbecuing a steak for dinner that night and sitting out on the front deck watching the stars, I turned in late.  There wasn't even the sound of wavelets lapping on the hull all night long.

Next morning, Wednesday, I hauled the anchor about 10:30 for the two-hour run to Refuge Cove, one of my favorite stops of previous trips.  The trip this morning was mostly back-tracking, southward down Pendrell Sound to the intersection with Waddington Channel (less than a mile) and eastward following the south shore of West Redonda Island.  Refuge Cove is just around the southwest tip of West Redonda.  When I arrived at about 12:30 it was still early and there was a choice spot to tie up, just below the store and restaurant.  Refuge Cove is a bucolic little community with a wintertime population of about ten (10) and a summertime population perhaps ten times that, including visiting boaters.  The store (shown in the photo below) has most provisions for visiting boaters including a well-stocked grocery, boat supplies, fishing gear and a liquor store selling wine, beer and most brands of liquors.  The restaurant in the adjacent building serves mostly breakfast and lunch of sandwiches and hamburgers on the deck overlooking the marina. 

I met a group of folks from Seattle who had arrived in various boats, including the one ahead of me in the photo at the left.  He was wearing a t-shirt from Rosario Resort, which prompted a discussion about that destination.  I was pleased to hear the next morning that my glowing report about Gorge Harbour was being heeded and they planned to go there later on Thursday. 

Next morning I debated about destinations and ended up deciding on Cortes Bay, just a short hop on a due westerly course and less than six nautical miles away.  Geologically Cortes Bay is similar to Gorge Harbour in that it is a lagoon, surrounded on all sides by land except for a narrow entrance on one side.  There is always the option to anchor in the middle of the Bay but as there was a vacant berth on the public dock I decided to take it.  This also provides a source of electricity, though I soon discovered that it was a quite unreliable source. 

Another peaceful night, and this time not having to worry about swinging on the anchor.  In the morning it's time to start for home, so I had to set my alarm and cast off by 7:30.  There's no fuel dock here, so I ended up stopping in Lund for fuel.  The run to Nanaimo is about 6 hours, so I just turned on DirecTV and watched news out of the corner of my eye.  As had been the case all week, the weather was incredibly calm.  Even the Strait of Georgia was cooperative, with winds not more than about 10 knots and waves about a foot at most.  I pulled into Nanaimo around 3:30 and called the office on the radio.  They asked particulars about my vessel, then told me to "stand by".  After about five minutes, an unusually long wait, they informed me that the harbor was full and there was no moorage for a vessel of my size!!!  So now what???  It just happened that there is a large anchorage across the bay from the marina, just inside Protection Island, with depths of 20 to 40 feet.  So I cruised over there and after trying about three spots finally found one well away from other boats.  This was NOT what I had had in mind for this night, but in this business we play with the hand we're dealt.  C'est la vie.

The photo below is not one of my best but it was taken when the ambient light was so low that shutter speed was approaching a full second, causing the blurring you see here.  I just didn't take the time to make adjustments that would have fixed this.

The Port of Nanaimo where I had wanted to be this night, is in the center.

Next morning, Saturday, I had to time my departure with slack current at Dodd Narrows, which the tables said was at 7:00.  So I was underway at 6:40 and made it exactly on time.  If you look at the tables the current is less than 2 knots for up to a half hour either side of the moment of exchange.  The boat could handle this or more quite well, so it wasn't absolutely necessary to make it through at exactly the right time; I just choose to do it the easiest possible way.  Planning the rest of the day's cruise involved choosing the destination for the night: Roche Harbor or Friday Harbor.  Friday Harbor is that many miles further south, and Sunday's route would be that much shorter if I were to go there.  So Friday Harbor it was.  The run down the channel to the U.S. border was predictably calm.  It was not until where I would have turned into Roche Harbor that the US Coast Guard broadcast a gale warning for the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with wind waves four to six feet.  At almost exactly that moment the wind built up and the chop at my location built to over a foot, all within minutes.  The rest of the ten miles or so to Friday Harbor was a bit unpleasant, though not the gale force the Coast Guard was reporting.  Locally, the wind did drop off some about the time I got to Friday Harbor. 

I tied at the customs dock at 11:45 and was obliged to go up to the customs office to check in.  Following that I made arrangements for a slip for the night and after some confusion finding the one they assigned to me, tied up at about 1PM.  Did some housekeeping and met some of my neighboring boaters, then went into town for some shopping.  My favorite is the San Juan Hot Shop, in the second block on Spring Street up from the harbor.  There they have the biggest assortment of hot sauces, marinades and barbecue sauces I've ever seen.  I make it a point to visit there whenever I'm in Friday Harbor.  Here's the link to their website: www.sanjuanhotshop.com    I stopped at King's Market for a bottle of wine for one of the neighbors who did me a favor and for a couple items for the galley and headed back to the boat. That night I went to the Front Street Ale House for a good pub meal and microbrew. 

Sunday morning it was time to do the "final push" for home.  I was concerned about the gale warning issued the day before, but it had been canceled.  So I left the slip at 8:00 sharp and headed south with a detour north of Shaw Island and around the north end of Lopez before heading due south across Rosario Strait.  The run through these islands was new to me and except for frequently dodging ferry boats was quite a pleasant and scenic passage.  Rosario was a bit lumpy as was Admiralty Inlet, but not enough to reach a "misery index".  In fact, Admiralty was smoother than a week prior on the northbound leg.  In the general vicinity of Everett I was treated to the sight of a "boomer" headed to sea from the sub base at Bangor.  She was escorted by two ships that looked like cargo carriers; I'm not sure what their normal function is when not escorting subs out to sea.  In the photo what appears to be a small boat following the sub is simply the sub's rudder.

After arriving at the fuel dock at exactly 5:00 for a final fillup I headed for home, tying up there at 5:45.  I had traveled 101 nautical miles today in exactly nine hours, for an average speed of 11.2 knots.  For the trip I had run the engines a total of 52 hours.  

Here are a couple of final shots:

In all the trip had been a spectacular success.  I had been to one of the most beautiful regions on the planet (except perhaps for Palau) and Anam Cara was truly the Soul Friend that her name implies.  She was utterly flawless in her performance throughout the trip.  I met a number of friendly people among other boaters, and as always the  staff of the places I visited were most pleasant.  The weather throughout could not have been better.  It was warm and except for some morning overcast on several days, sunny and clear.  Evenings were cool but still not enough to require a sweater.  Wind was not a problem, either, except the first day crossing Admiralty Inlet which is at the east end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  The three-hour crossing of the Strait of Georgia from Nanaimo to the south end of Texada Island was, for me at least, un-characteristically easy, with wind less than ten knots and wind waves not more than a foot to a foot-and-a-half.   So the parts of the trip that have on occasion been difficult in the past were pleasantly easy this year.  It was a most memorable trip.

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