M/V BurntSand - Northern BC & Alaska 2007!

Old Friends, new Friends, Fishing & Kayaking!

Location: Nuchatlitz Inlet
Esperanza Inlet, West Coast Vancouver Island
Date: Sunday, August 26,2007 Last Post (LP): August 20, 2007 Time: 1235 Location: N 49 46 30
W 126 57 40 Dist. Since LP: 35.1 nm Total Distance: 1874.2nm ---------------------------------------

On Monday evening at 1745 we tied up to the Government dock at Walter's Cove and were happy to see the "Voyageur", a Nordhavn 46. We had met Judy and Chris briefly in Winter Harbour. We invited them over for a drink which turned into several hours of great conversation. A young native girl came to our boat selling 50/50 tickets and we invited her on board and supported her cause to help defray costs of a group trip to Vancouver "to see the druggies and go to the PNE". Ten minutes later, 10 more little kids ranging in age from 5 to 10 descended on the boat. At one point we had 3 little kids hanging from the back railing in the cockpit,another three inside and two more running around the lower decks, while two more were scrambling their way up the ladder to the flybridge. Mayhem! We bought a few more tickets and asked them to leave us in peace.

The next morning sunlight drenched the boat and Chris stopped by to invite us for breakfast aboard the Voyageur. Judy made a delicious breakfast of zucchini frittata with sausage and sweet potato fries. Mouthwatering muffins and an americano coffee completed the feast. We delighted in the company and the fare. Our lives seem to have many shared threads and the connection was very special. We waved our goodbyes as Voyageur untied her lines and set off for a few days of kayaking and fishing in the Bunsby Islands. Hopefully we'll meet up again in Tofino, if not before.

Jim went off eagerly to fish in the dinghy and Shirley and Robin came by in a little runabout to take Deb for visit at their fishing lodge around the corner. It was so good to connect with Shirley and her clan. It seemed everyday Jim would ferry native kids across the bay to their reservation.

Wednesday morning, August 22 we woke to sunshine. Its our 37th wedding anniversary. Jim went with Peter and his crew to fish aboard "Rampage". Deb dinghied over to the fishing lodge later and admired the catch of four beautiful chinook. After lunch we dinghied over to Rugged Beach just southeast of the Rugged Point Marine Park. Robin and Nabe caught up to us aboard "Metal Head" and we followed them into their "secret" anchorage. It was a beautiful summers day and the water in the anchorage was warm and inviting. We discovered fresh bear tracks leading into the ocean and coming back to the beach a little further on. Our eyes immediately combed the trees lining the beach for any other bear sightings. We threw sticks for the dogs and had a leisurely walk along the beach which stretched out at least a few kilometres. Nabe did some surfing. We headed home to shower and dinghied back to the Bonners for a delicious steak dinner. We toasted our 37 years together and our friends around the table. It was a beautiful moonlit night and the stars were a spectacular display. We dinghied back to our boat in the moonlight. A perfect ending to a perfect day.

Thursday morning, August 23rd, Shirley and Jane kayaked over to pick up Deb for an amazing kayak adventure. The waters were dappled with sunlight and calm. A warm summers day beckoned us to enjoy nature's beauty. We set off to explore a nearby river. The tide was flooding as we made our way through the sparkling waters. We were greeted by the absolute stillness of the river's estuary. The silence was almost deafening. We paddled quietly up the shallows of the river. Our senses were heightened. The colours were so vibrant and clear. The forest seemed to cocoon us in its tangled wildness as we snaked our way upstream into the ever narrowing waterway. A small waterfall blocked our progress and we had to portage our kayaks to deeper waters. A monumental old growth dead fall made an awesome arch overhead and we ducked to clear our way through to a delightful basin with a gurgling waterfall cascading into the five feet deep waters. We had the sensation of being in nature's womb. Beyond the waterfall, sunlight streamed through the forest canopy. It was a very mystical experience. The flooding waters eased our journey back down to the ocean. Our kayaks had more water beneath them to cushion the trip over the rushing waters of the small falls. It wasn't a "white water experience" but we had a sense of excitement all the same! As we eased our way to the river's estuary, a blue heron took flight, wary of our intrusion in its domain. A small sandpiper bobbed its way along a fallen log at the water's edge. Half sunken logs were rich with moss and ferns and small evergreens taking root in its decay. We reluctantly left the serenity of the estuary and paddled out into the lagoon and around the point into the ocean swells. A sea otter silently watched our progress in the gentle swells. Back in Walter's Cove, we said our "goodbyes" and agreed to meet for drinks and appys aboard the BurntSand later that evening. The Uchuck came in at 1800 hours and Deb made her way up the dock to buy some much needed provisions. We had a great get-together with the Bonners and Lustenburgers. Jim made his famous margaritas. As darkness fell we embraced our friends and said our "goodbyes".

Friday August 24th at 1025 hours, we untied the lines and left Walter's Cove for Nuchatlitz Inlet. Most inlets on the west coast tend to be busier and more developed than areas open to the ocean. We performed our anchoring ritual at 1340 that afternoon at a depth of 24 feet.The peaks of Nootka Island, most of which tower over 2000 feet, make a beautiful backdrop to our anchorage here. Jim took the dinghy down and set two crab traps before heading out to fish in the calmer waters of the outer inlet. He did a little rotation along with about 10 other boats fishing for salmon there. He landed a beautiful coho to the cheers of his fellow fishers. The coho put up an exciting spectacle, jumping and diving in his efforts to get away.Jim had to play him long and hard to win his prize. We enjoyed some prawns on the flybridge, savouring a crisp bottle of wine in the fading light of the sunset. A salmon BBQ followed by a rousing game of Mexican train completed our evening at anchor.

Saturday morning we woke to overcast skies. After breakfast we launched our kayaks and set off to explore the river which snakes its way beyond the shallow waters of our anchorage. Several little cabins are nestled in the wilderness along its shores. The waters were calm as we paddled our way to a large lake at its head waters. We discovered some bear tracks but no bear sightings. A solitary sea otter was plying his way through the waterway. The rain fell lightly at first like a fine mist and developed into a steady downpour by the time we began our trip home. The skies lightened and the rain stopped by the time we returned to the BurntSand two and half hours later. Even rain doesn't "dampen" my love of kayaking. There is an oyster farm in the corner of our anchorage. Our crab traps turned up one small solitary red crab which we released. Jim decided to go fishing and I opted to bake some cookies and catch up with my "postings". Christmas in August was the theme of our evening meal as we enjoyed a great turkey dinner with all the trimmings. We ended the evening with Jim the Mexican Train champ two nights in a row. Deb's only consolation is he is behind 5 - 3 in the backgammon championships.

Sunday morning was a gift of calm seas and sunny skies. We launched our kayaks and headed out of the inlet to wards the outer islands. We snaked our way around a little grouping of islets before turning westward. We portaged over an island which was long and skinny and launched our kayaks into the gentle swells of the ocean. We were still well protected by a barrier of outer islets and reefs. We passed a large group of oyster catchers gossiping on a large rookery. Their long orange beaks and distinctive whistling calls caught our attention. We paddled on to a lovely island and beached the kayaks to explore and enjoy the panoramic vistas. In the distance we spotted a whale spouting on the surface. A parade of small fishing boats streamed by taking advantage of the calm passage. The wind came up and we decided to head back hugging the shoreline. We were pushed on by the flooding tide and we were able to navigate our way over the sandbar and back into our anchorage. Hundreds of shorebirds were resting on the exposed sandbar further down. Sea otters popped up to witness our passing all along our route. We returned to the BurntSand after 2 and a half hours of paddling exhilarated by our trip. We secured the kayaks and pulled up the anchor at 1235 hours.

Leaving the Bunsbys for Kyoquot!

Location: Bunsby Islands Part Two
West Coast Vancouver Island Date: Thursday, August 20,2007 Last Post (LP): August 16, 2007 Time: 1500 Location: N 50 15 33
W 129 44 03 Dist. Since LP: 0 nm Total Distance: 1809.1nm ---------------------------------------

Just a few more words about Thursday's fishing extravaganza...after vacuum packing Jim's latest catch, we headed out to his "lucky" spot and caught another spring, a coho and a pink. It was a beautiful evening and we motored quietly in the calm swells. A curious sea otter watched our progress back and forth through the jumping bait fish in our path. We thought of our friend Avon and wished he was here to enjoy the fishing with us. The sun warmed our souls and our bodies as we fished peacefully along the coastline. We were buoyant with our fishing success and looked forward to a good dinner of fresh salmon. Our freezers are very full!

The next morning the weather was overcast and the water was flat calm. We set off in our dinghy for a little tour of the area. It is a lovely group of islands and islets and we loved exploring the winding waterways. Two hours later as we were heading home, the skies opened up and rain fell on us in a fury. It literally came down in sheets. We were well protected in our rain gear and very thankful we were in the dinghy and not our kayaks. We hunkered down and waited out the rain aboard the BurntSand. Later that afternoon Jim went fishing again and caught a really huge chinook. He was using his new reel and was getting used to a different pole. He missed landing about 10 coho and was quite frustrated...though secretly I was glad he only brought home one fish...I'm now yearning for a good steak! I settled down on the settee with a great book, happy and content.

Saturday morning Jim set off to fish and I relaxed with my book, happy as a clam. At noon, we headed off together in our kayaks. Kayaking is one of my favourite passions,especially in such a wild and beautiful setting. Within half an hour we were paddling in gentle five foot swells on the outside of the islands, inside a barrier of little islets,Deb spotted a humpback whale floating on the surface nearby. It moved to within 75 metres of us. Several times it put its head perpendicular to the water and held a "spying" pose. It seemed to be watching us. It had a lot of barnacles on it and was rubbing up against the kelp. At times it surfaced draped in kelp. It may have been trying to rid itself of some of the barnacles? We floated in the water watching this amazing giant roll and float on the surface. The noise it made blowing on the surface was loud and hoarse. It sounded and then broke the surface head first making a deep gurgling sound as it fed on plankton. We watched spellbound as it repeated this feeding frenzy. It was eery. The encounter lasted for about 20 minutes. It was an awesome experience. Such an intimate encounter with a giant of the seas is magical. As the great whale finally disappeared out of sight, we continued our paddle. We saw sea otters hunting in solitude and then once in awhile we discovered a pair hanging out together on the surface of the water. I was disappointed not to encounter any little families all rafted together as we had in Quatsino Sound. We paddled through False Gay Passage which is strewn with rocks and forests of kelp and made our way out into Checleset Bay. We spied a narrow waterway through the island and hoped to find a shortcut back to our boat. It was like a micro Dolomite Narrows. It was very shallow but the tide was flooding with us and the waters were teeming with sealife. Starfish of every type and colour studded the pebbly bottom. It was extraordinarily beautiful. We made our way through the shallow waters, at times negotiating our way between large rocks looming near the surface. We made our way down through a weedy lagoon where the tell tale air holes of clams perforated the muddy estuary. Waterfowl of many types gossiped in the trees lining the lagoon. A crane took to flight startled by our sudden appearance in his kingdom. We went ashore to see explore the possibility of a portage to the other side but decided to return. We spotted some bear skat on shore. Paddling back we discovered a waterfall of the swirling flooding waters blocked our passage and we had to portage our kayaks past these shallow rushing waters. It was a great adventure and we were glad to have made this detour. At about 1800 hours that evening Peter Bonner and Peter Lustenburger arrived and rafted up to us. They brought us a new coffee maker Heather had kindly picked up for us as well a fantastic six pack of wines a gift from the Merseys! Thank you so much Heather and Avon! We had a feast of shrimp and steak and enjoyed the camaraderie of the two Peters very much. Pete's dog Sophie was aboard and we both loved having the company of a dog for a couple of days. She is a springer spaniel and she loves to swim.

Sunday, August 19th we went out fishing and prawning with the "boys" on Rampage. It was another stellar day. We returned for lunch and then Jim and I headed off in the dinghy to explore Battle Bay. We anchored the dinghy and wandered off to explore the beach. We came across two native teenage boys who had arrived that morning by water taxi with a programme called Rediscovery which attempts to bring native kids back to their roots and culture. A group of 15 had made camp further along the beach. The boys had spotted a black bear eating salmon berries at the edge of the forest and we spent some time with them as we admired the bear and took pictures. We returned to our dinghy and made our way upriver until the waters became too shallow to navigate. It was quite an adventure threading our way around sunken logs. The tide was flooding, so we were confident about making our way back. The water was very clear and we could see small bait fish darting to and fro below our dinghy. It was definitely bear country. Berry bushes were abundant as well as sedge grasses lining the river. A bit further upstream is a beautiful fresh water lake where the other members of the Discovery group had gone to swim. We cruised back out into Checleset Bay and made a little reconnaissance trip in and around the barrier islands. It was a sunny day and the seas were calm. We returned to the BurntSand and Jim in our dinghy and the two Peters aboard Rampage set off to have a private fishing derby in Jim's lucky fishing grounds. Jim ended up winning by one fish. All fish were released. We had a BBQ aboard the BurntSand of fresh Chinook Jim had recently caught and everyone contributed to the feast. Afterwards we played "Mexican Train" and "Lusty" is now the reigning champ.

We woke Monday August 20th to rain showers and spent the day organizing pictures and cleaning the boat inside, waiting for a break in the weather to pull up the anchor and head to Kyoquot Sound. Rampage left around 1000 hours to pick up the Bonner Clan and Peter's wife Jane and settle them in the fishing lodge in Walter's Cove. We plan to rendezvous with them in a couple of days. We need some supplies and we plan to be at the government dock in Walter's Cove when the Uchuck comes in on Thursday with the weekly supplies for the general store at the head of the dock. We plan to leave our anchorage by 1530 hours rain or no rain!