Desolation Sound Flotilla - September 30, 2010 - Fisherman's Resort & Marina to Princess Louisa

We woke to fog this morning, as we had an early departure in order to transit the famed Malibu Rapids at slack tide. The fog lifted as the sky lightened, and by the time we exited Pender Harbour into Agamemnon Channel we had full sunshine and cloudless blue skies for our trip up stunning Jervis Inlet. The rugged mountain vistas are impressive, showing unmistakably the glacial action that formed this fjord. Amazingly, we saw only one other boat on our trip up to Princess Louisa Inlet on this gorgeous day; very different from the summer season.

Our timing at Malibu Rapids was perfect – it was like a millpond – and then we were into Princess Louisa Inlet. Magnificent sheer cliffs tower above us, streaked with bridal veil-like waterfalls. This place is truly awe-inspiring; it’s easy to see why several writers have described it as the eighth wonder of the world. There were only a few other boats on the park dock, so there was plenty of room for all of us as were greeted and helped in by the park ranger. From the dock we look right at spectacular Chatterbox Falls, the jewel at the head of the inlet (“Chatterbox” seems a bit of a misnomer – it’s more like a roaring cataract), and the crews wasted no time in making the short hike to the base of the falls.

This special place has been preserved for us thanks first to the man who first homesteaded here in the early 1900’s, James “Mac” MacDonald. He strongly felt that no one person should own this place and that it should be available for all to visit. His efforts combined with the boating community and many volunteers/donors led to the formation of the present BC Provincial Marine Park. The International Princess Louisa Society still actively raises funds to acquire land surrounding the park to preserve and protect this area.

The sunshine lasted well into the late afternoon despite the towering walls of the fjord, and most of those who weren’t on shore or exploring in their dinghies could be found basking in the sun atop their fly bridges. A few puffy clouds appeared just at sunset, but no more. We were treated to an incredible starlit sky streaked by the Milky Way undimmed by the lights of civilization. It was a truly perfect day!

Desolation Sound Flotilla - September 29, 2010 - Poet's Cove to Fisherman's Resort & Marina

Today was our longest day, travel time and distance-wise. It was also a challenging one, as we crossed the Strait of Georgia, the largest open body of water we have to traverse on this trip. The good news was that we had a beautiful sunny day; however, we also had NW winds gusting over 20 knots and very choppy seas, which made for a very bouncy ride until we got into the lee of the eastern (mainland) shore. It was the roughest water that some of our clients had ever been in. Trusty Deception, being the heaviest boat with stabilizers, ploughed through relatively comfortably while some of the smaller 36 foot boats felt a bit like they were on a roller coaster ride!

But that was only one part of the trip. We started the day with a beautiful sunrise over Ganges Harbour, and a delightful cruise along Trincomali Channel with Salt Spring Island to our port and Galiano Island to starboard. The Gulf Islands are a prime cruising area and they were really showing off this morning! In the summer months the boat traffic can be quite dense, but we were privileged to have the channel almost to ourselves. We were headed north toward Princess Louisa and Desolation Sound, though, so that meant we had to leave the Gulf Islands behind, head out through Porlier Pass and into the sloppy seas.

After the waves (and our stomachs) settled down, we were more willing to take note of our naturalist’s updates. It was fascinating to watch two giant log rafts being towed by not-so-big tugs past the Thormanby Islands, complete with both birds and seals bumming a free, if slow, ride. We cruised into beautiful Pender Harbour and found our moorage at Fisherman’s Resort and Marina in Hospital Bay, a lovely marina with plenty of room for all our boats. We celebrated our successful crossing of the Strait of Georgia with a social hour aboard Deception (lots of yummy appetizers!) – a fine and fitting way to end a long but adventurous day!

Desolation Sound Flotilla - September, 28,2010 - Bellingham to Poet's Cove, Ganges

The NWE 2010 Desolation Sound Flotilla is underway, under clearing skies and with calm seas as we set off across Bellingham Bay. We are a group of six boats – Spellbound, Navigator, Victoria, Sea Fox, and Grand Adventure, led by the ever faithful Deception. We set our course to cross north of Orcas Island, skirting Matia and Sucia Islands on our way to the Pender Islands and the Canadian Customs station in Bedwell Harbour. Along the way, our naturalist, Emmelina, noted that many of the sea birds we were seeing were beginning to don their winter plumage, especially the common murres and marbled murrelets. Lots of curious harbor seals swam by, clearly checking us out.

The fleet took no time to get accustomed to their chartered vessels and all seemed to be enjoying their first day out on the water.

By the time we got to Bedwell Harbour, we had full sunshine and sparkling seas – Welcome to Canada! After clearing customs, we set off again, rounding North Pender Island. We noted that quite a lot of those harbor seals were taking advantage of the sunny weather and basking on the rocky islets that dotted the shoreline, demonstrating why the NWE crew fondly dubs them “Rock Sausages”. From North Pender we headed almost in a straight line for Ganges on Salt Spring Island, our destination for the night. Salt Spring Island is the largest of the Gulf Islands and Ganges is the largest town. After tying up at our berths at Salt Spring Marina in Ganges Harbour, most of the crews went ashore to explore this charming town and to finish provisioning those items that have cross-border restrictions (primarily fresh produce and alcoholic libations). Several restaurants received rave reviews, and well-fed and well-satisfied with our lot in life, we settled in for a cozy evening under a beautiful starry sky (with Jupiter shining prominently) after an exciting first day.

August 18, 2010 - Leg 6, Day 17 - Friday Harbor to Bellingham

This is it, the last day of the last leg of the 2010 Mother Goose Guided Flotilla. It is a short trip today from Friday Harbor to Bellingham, and we made a leisurely departure (except for Navigator who left early as they had deadlines to meet). We also said good-bye to the crew of Arctic Star, who are extending their cruise with a few extra days in the San Juan Islands. It seemed a bit strange to travel without some of the goslings after having been together for so long.

It has been an awesome journey; each leg has brought incredible adventures and experiences for all our crews, from magnificent scenery and amazing wildlife to developing our skills as mariners. It has been NW Explorations’ privilege to share these waters with all our crews. We wish you all fair winds and calm seas in all your voyages and hope to see you again in the not too distant future. Thank you for a wonderful journey!

August 17, 2010 - Leg 6, Day 16 - Montague Harbor to Friday Harbor

As it is a short trip to Friday Harbor, a later departure was scheduled. This allowed for a lovely morning hike in Montague Harbour Provincial Marine Park, adjacent to our anchorage. We explored a shell midden beach, then walked through fir and madrone (arbutus) trees on well maintained paths, across a rocky beach back to the dinghy dock, and enjoyed views of the boat-filled harbour.

We hoisted our anchors one last time and got underway, cruising down Trincomali Channel past Active Pass, keeping an eye on the ferry and freighter traffic that comes through that aptly named passage. Just as we began our turn into Navy Channel, between Mayne and North Pender Islands, we had the very great pleasure of seeing a large group of Orcas heading our way. We, of course, hovered and soon we were surrounded by the whales. It was truly awesome as we watched them breaching, spyhopping, rolling, and lobtailing! They put on a great show! Some of the whales even went under Navigator which caused a great deal of excitement. Emmelina was able to identify at least one whale as belonging to J Pod, but there were clearly more than that one pod in the area, probably from K Pod, as well. These are the southern resident orcas which are a distinct group from the orcas we saw in northern British Columbia. Emmelina also informed us that this was the first time a Mother Goose flotilla had seen the Southern Resident Orcas on the route home.

After the orcas had passed us, we continued on our way past Saturna Island to cross the appropriately named Boundary Pass back into the United States and into the San Juan Islands. We made our way past Stuart and Johns Islands, along Speiden Island and then down San Juan Channel, dodging a Washington State Ferry, into the port of Friday Harbor. After clearing Customs and settling into our spots in the marina, Deception hosted a last Happy Hour, as our journey is coming to an end. This is always a bittersweet time as we remember the incredible experiences we’ve had and the friendships we’ve made. Ketchikan seems a long time ago!

August 16, 2010 - Leg 6, Day 15 - Secret Cove to Montague Harbor

Today we crossed the Strait of Georgia, the large open body of water between mainland BC and southern Vancouver Island. It was a long straight heading as we made our way to the Gulf Islands and Montague Harbour. The good news was that the strait was very calm, with smooth glassy seas; it can be very rough. The bad news was that the smoke haze still blocked our view of the mountains on the mainland. Emmelina warned us that animal sightings were usually pretty rare during this part of the trip, but there were some fleeting sights of Dall’s Porpoises.

Once across the Strait of Georgia, we cruised along the outside of Gabriola and Valdes Islands, spying some “rock sausages” (aka: harbor seals) basking in the sun, and then passing through Porlier Pass into Trincomali Channel. Now we were in the heart of the Gulf Islands, and had to mind our helms as we watched out for kayakers, other boats and ferries. We cruised almost the length of long, skinny Galiano Island into lovely Montague Harbour, a large protected anchorage which can handle a lot of boats. We all settled in, Deception refilled Navigator’s water tanks, and into the water went the kayaks and dinghies. We had a chance to relax before dinghying to shore to catch the funky pub bus to the Hummingbird Pub – a Galiano Island experience, indeed! We had a delicious dinner with a touch of local flavor (not to mention the excellent halibut), and returned to our boats as a glowing red sun slipped behind the trees. Aahh!

August 15, 2010 – Leg 6, Day 14 – Squirrel Cove to Secret Cove

We awoke to an already warm morning and were soon underway across Desolation Sound, which did not resemble Captain Vancouver’s description of it one bit. If he had seen it on a day like today, it would definitely have had a different name! The smoke haze had dissipated somewhat, but unfortunately obscured our views of the mountains on Vancouver Island. We passed out of Desolation Sound and cruised along the “Sunshine Coast” down Malaspina Strait, with Texada Island to our west. We passed by the town of Lund, which is where the road up the mainland coast ends. In addition, there were lots of houses along the shore and as we cruised into more populated areas, we noticed that we were seeing less wildlife. We did enjoy the antics of quite a few harbor seals, on and off floating logs, however!

The warm weather has certainly brought out the boaters; as we passed by Buccaneer Bay on Thornby Island, we noticed it was packed with boats. After our wilderness cruising up north, the anchorages now seem very crowded. Our destination was Secret Cove, a lovely but popular spot (it is easy driving distance from Vancouver), and even though we arrived there fairly early, finding room for our boats was a challenge. We ended up rafting 3 boats together and stern-tying Navigator, while Inside Passage found a good spot off on their own. There was plenty of time for dinghy trips around the little harbor, kayak explorations, and even some swimming as the weather remained hot. Mystic Eagle hosted dinner for the three rafted boats, and a lovely evening was enjoyed by all as we watched the lights come on in the houses around us.