August 8, 2010 – Leg 6, Day 7 – Shearwater to Fury Cove

We left Shearwater on a pretty clear morning – no fog! – and cruised past the First Nations town of Bella Bella into Lama Passage, where we had to dodge a lot of logs in the water. The morning light on these wooded islands dappled them in myriad shades of green, and it was beautifully calm as we transited Fisher Channel on our way into Fitzhugh Sound. We made our way along the jagged mainland shore with occasional whale sightings. We nosed our way into Namu Harbour, another old defunct cannery community that does have caretakers who welcome visitors. Then further on cruised by the mouth of the Koeye River, a river known for its salmon runs and where a First Nations longhouse is located. This is an area which has been inhabited by the native peoples for thousands of years.

As we neared Fish Egg Inlet, we started seeing lots of whale blows – to the right, to the left, and all around us! As we hovered around watching the humpback whale show, a sailboat hailed us – it was the Spirit of Freedom with Captain Bill’s uncle and cousin aboard. They had recognized the NWE fleet (we are a pretty distinctive group up here), but still, there is something about unexpectedly running into your relatives in the wilderness….

We entered into Fury Cove, a sheltered anchorage with a beautiful white shell midden beach. This was also the most crowded anchorage we’ve been in so far, and we rafted together in two groups to reduce our footprint (boatprint) in the cove. Several shore parties explored the beach and tide pools, then it was back to the boats for an early night - for tomorrow we cross Queen Charlotte Sound.