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!

The Freezers are Full of Salmon Today!

Location: Bunsby Islands
West Coast Vancouver Island Date: Thursday, August 16,2007 Last Post (LP): August 12, 2007 Time: 1800 Location: N 50 15 33
W 129 44 03 Dist. Since LP: 190.2nm Total Distance: 1809.1nm ---------------------------------------

After waving "goodbye" to Heather and Avon at 0915 on Sunday August 12th, we set about cleaning the BurntSand and making her "ship shape" for the next leg of our adventure across the Queen Charlotte Sound to Winter Harbour in Quatsino Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island. This leg would take us 170.5 nautical miles and approximately 18 hours to complete.

A few hours later at 1225, we untied our line from the mooring buoy in Rose Harbour, Gwaii Haanas and cruised out past Anthony Island and on into Houston Stewart Channel. At 1330 we spotted two huge cruise ships The Oosterdam and the Golden princess 10 and 16 nautical miles south of us. The seas were calm at first and then we experienced some tremendous upwelling around and south of Cape St. James. An upwelling is caused by differences in temperature in the water and the geography of the area. The nutrients are brought to the surface attracting a significant amount of marine life.We cruised on into Queen Charlotte Sound where the seas were calm and flat with a 2 foot swell. We encountered many sharks about 6 feet long, sunning themselves on the surface of the sea and many not moving until our boat was almost on top of them. Huge frigates skimmed over the swells and other seabirds bobbed on the sea's surface. A pod of whales was spouting on the surface of the horizon...too far off our course to investigate. We did three hour shifts throughout the night and tied up to the dock in Winter Harbour at 0750 Monday morning,August 13th. Jim immediately walked over to the government dock to check out a 76 foot Nordhavn tied up there.

The energy here is very male oriented. Fishing,cleaning fish, fishing again,cleaning more fish,eating and drinking is the order of the day! It was a glorious morning and we soaked in the sun's warm rays. Deb made a hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast and coffee and headed below for a much needed nap. Jim, on the other hand,was energized and he changed all the watermaker filters, the salt water strainers, topped up the oil on the main engine and cleaned the engine room...and Deb slept on!!

After lunch we brought the dinghy down and made an amazing dinghy tour of Quatsino Sound including the scenic Quatsino Narrows. Ten minutes after leaving Winter Harbour we came across a whale feeding in 40 feet of water. Sea otters popped up to watch us pass. The total distance we covered was an incredible 57 nautical miles! Quatsino is an adaptation of Koskimo, the name for the once numerous and powerful tribe who lived here. They are related to the Kwakiutl Nation. Quatsino Sound is huge with four major arms and it comes within 14 kilometerslearned that the valley draining into the East Creek just southeast of the entrance to Klaskish Basin is slated for logging. Rights have been given to two logging companie and a road is already being built to access the area. Environmental groups are urging Weyerhaeuser to deignate the lowwer east creek an old growth zone and refrain from logging it. The coastline surrounding East Creek is the longest unbroken wilderness on the North Island and logging East Creek would cut that in half. It would be a shame to lose this ancient coastline. This valley is one of 6 unlogged valleys out of an original 90 on Vancouver Island. Imagine!

We brought down the dinghy and Jim headed off to set some crab traps and do some fishing. Bait fish were jumping everywhere. The basin seemed to be teeming with fish. Our eyes combed the drying flats and grasslands at the river's delta hoping to see some wildlife. We enjoyed a great dinner of chinook and went to bed early.

Wednesday morning, August 15th, we rose early to golden sunshine and discovered a catamaran had joined us in the anchorage during the night. Three young men were circumnavigating Vancouver Island and making huge efforts to minimize the use of their motor. Jim checked the crab traps and decided to move them after discovering them filled with very small crabs. We set off for a tour of the area in our dinghy. We were blown away by the pristine beauty of this rugged area. We navigated our way through a forest of kelp and tried to capture the essence of this coastline with our camera lens. We dinghied out into the ocean swell and along the coast, picking our way through kelp and around little rocky islets at Orchard Point. A wide beautiful white sand beach stretched before us along the coastline for at least a mile. We threaded our way through the kelp and anchored the dinghy to the beach and also threw a stern anchor out into the shallow waters. The waters were crystal clear and marine life thrived in the tide pools around rocky outcrops. This is a wildly unspoiled natural playground. We hiked the beach and discovered large bear tracks on the beach close to the dense forest. In the next cove over a group of kayakers had set up camp. We waved a greeting. Within the hour the rising tide signaled our departure time and we reluctantly left this pristine paradise. We feel so privileged to travel and explore this wilderness.

We returned to the BurntSand and took a couple of kayaks down to explore the Klaskish River. We planned to leave on the rising high tide around 1500 hours. Our kayaks cut through the waters, swept on by the flooding tide. We basked like seals in the sunshine. It was an idyllic paddle up the shallow river. We had about 2 to 3 feet beneath us as we glided over the waterway. The estuary is in near pristine condition and navigable by kayak.Apparently chinook, coho and chum spawn in the river. We learned that this reserve is most significant for wintering waterfowl including trumpeter swans. The trees lining the river were alive with the chatter of birds. Three eagles kept watch over the estuary. Our progress was finally blocked by blowdowns crisscrossing the river like giant pick up sticks. At times williwaws which are gusty katabatc winds can scream down the high slopes and funnel through the river valley causing mayhem and downing these large trees. We paddled back to the boat against the tide and a rising wind across the basin. We scrambled in to the dinghy and motored off to check our traps at the delta of the East River. For future reference, this is NOT a good place to crab. We hauled in an assortment of marine life, none of which were crab!

Thursday morning , August 16th found us untying the BurntSand from its mooring buoy at 0830 hours and cruising out into Klaskish inlet in light rain under cloudy skies. We rounded Cape Cook the northwest corner of the Brooks Peninsula which has a reputation for bad weather and high seas from both the north and the south. The cape has a micro climate

Where Have We Been?

Location: Gwaii Haanas, Rose Harbour
Queen Charlotte Islands Date: Sunday, August 12,2007 Last Post (LP): July 25, 2007 Time: 1200 Location: N 52 09 02
W 131 05 18 Dist. Since LP: 387.5nm Total Distance: 1,618.9nm --------------------------------------- WHERE HAVE WE BEEN??? We've been neglecting our postings!!! For those following our cruising adventures...our sincere apologies.

July 25th we found safe anchorage in the Spicer Island Complex at 1440 that afternoon. "Spicer Anchorage" is nestled between Spicer Island and South Spicer Island and is a land locked waterway, well protected from all chop and swells. We were excited to see coho jumping high into the air, breaking the sea surface three,four, five times! Jim landed two coho on our dinghy fishing trips and as always we were delighted to feast on fresh fish for dinner. Eagles continue to be abundant on these outer islands. It is always entertaining to watch their aerial antics as they soar and wheel above us. We listened intently to the weather for our trip planning across Hecate Strait to the Queen Charlottes. We discovered a huge kelp wrapped around our anchor chain which delayed our departure at 0750 0n July 27th as Jim struggled to free the kelp with the boat hook. We encountered 5 - 15 knots of wind in the morning, increasing to 15 - 20 knots in the afternoon. Our stabilizers ensured a comfortable cruise on the 6 hour crossing to Sandspit. We wove our way around hundreds of commercial crab traps strung out in lines across the strait, their bright orange buoys bobbing in the swells. We docked the BurntSand at 1525 that afternoon behind the man made rock barriers of the 10 year old harbour in Sandspit.

The next morning on July 28th we took a taxi to the ferry landing in Alliford Bay to catch the ferry to Skidigate Landing. We hoped to rent a car in Queen Charlotte as none was available at the Sandspit airport rental agencies. Just getting the taxi was a leap in faith as we were never able to actually speak with anyone to confirm our ride. Finally as Deb began to try her luck at hitching a ride, Jim made contact with the taxi driver....which was a lucky thing because all cars and trucks had so far turned into the marina...no ferry bound cars in sight! Once we arrived in Skidegate we discovered the two taxi companies listed had no cars available for the foreseeable future. Jim arranged to rent the last available car with the Budget representative located at "Gracie's Place". Deb saved the day by approaching an elderley gentleman who had stopped by to make a reservation at the ferry building. He wasn't planning on going into Charlotte City some 8 kilometres away but he took pity on us and drove us right to Gracie's Place. Very kind indeed! We treated ourselves to a great lunch of halibut burgers at the Ocean View Restaurant and made our way back to Skidigate to visit the Haida Heritage Centre and buy much needed provisions at the Co-op. We were blown away by the architecture of this world class facility that has just been opened to the public. It was an awesome opportunity to connect with one of the world's greatest cultures. We entered the Greeting House, a traditional six plank longhouse with an amazing glass ceiling and monumental glass doors. In addition to the museum buildings there is an Eating House, a lecture hall/performance longhouse, the Bill Reid Teaching longhouse where the great Haida canoes are kept and a huge outdoor carving shed where three different canoes were being carved when we visited. We returned to Sandspit that evening and stowed away our provisions. The next morning we returned our rental car and enjoyed a sumptuous breakfast of seafood benedict eggs and our adventure continued as we hitched our way back to the ferry and then to the marina. We spent the afternoon washing the BurntSand and preparing for our departure the next day by plane to vancouver. We were looking forward to seeing our family and sharing in the joy of Erika and Dave's wedding up at the Gibbons home in Whistler. Jim is also planning on flying home to visit his Mom in Montreal. It was culture shock for us to re-enter the fast paced life of the city.

Early Monday,August 6th found us winging our way aboard an Air Canada flight with our good friends Avon and Heather Mersey back to Sandspit airport. We needed milk and eggs for our trip and the local store was closed for the holiday, so we altered our plans and rented a car to go to Queen Charlotte. For want of milk and eggs, we ended up having an amazing adventure at the Haida Heritage Centre in Kaay Llnagaay - Sea Lion Town near Skidegate.

We arranged to take the tour offered by the staff at the centre. It began with a tour of each totem poles outside each longhouse. There are six totem poles which represent the main historic villages of the southern Haida: Skidegate,Cumshewa, Skedans, Skung Gwaii and Tanu.Carved by local artists Norman Price, Garner Moody, Guujaaw, Jim Hart, Tim Boyko and Giitxsa respectively. They were raised in 2001 during a week long celebration.An elaborate opening celebration of the centre will be held in the spring of 2008. It would be a great life experience to share in the celebrations. Design differences are subtle and complex but each one has single subject figures. They may be animals, humans or mythological creatures. New colours, shapes and crest designs are being designed by contemporary artists as they keep their tradition of monumental art alive today.

Next, our guide led us to the open air carving shed where we were introduced to Guujaaw and I gave him Carol Roberts' greetings. They are old friends. We first came to the Charlottes 18 years ago with the girls on board thesail boat "Cheena" operated by Dai and Carol Roberts. That was our first introduction to these magical islands on the edge.

Then our guide took us to the Bill Reid teaching centre where the great war canoes are stored. We were introduced to Andy Wilson who invited us to paddle Bill Reid's canoe with him. He needed 12 volunteers and we agreed in a heart beat. It took many strong arms to move the great canoe out of the longhouse down the beach to the shore. It was low tide and we carefully rolled the canoe on huge plastic fenders and set her in the water. We were loaned black vests with the Haida crest in red on the back. We couldn't believe our good luck in being in the right place at the opportune time! It was such a privilege to have the chance to paddle this amazing craft. It is almost 20 years old and is slated for retirement very soon. We were to paddle out and meet Jim Prentice, the federal Minister of Indian Affairs and his wife Karen and take them for a tour of the area. We scrambled into the great canoe, smiles from ear to ear, bow to stern! Andy taught us how to welcome aboard the guests "Haida style": paddles straight to the side with the design forward, paddles straight up resting on the side and then a drum of the handles in a steady rhythm. A most impressive"welcome". We circumvented a little island just off shore a couple of times waiting for the minister's arrival. We were taught to approach the beach backwards tosignify"peace" and straight in, signify "war". A young Haida woman whose name meant "Cumulus Cloud" sat in the bow and was one of the official photographers. She sang a beautiful Haida paddling song and Andy Wilson sang a different one later on. It was like an enchanted dream as the canoe glided through the shimmmering waters. It was a glorious day and we savoured every moment of the two and half hours we paddled the canoe. A speed boat raced over with the minister and his wife and they transferred aboard to our welcome drum of the paddles.

After we helped move the great canoe back to its place of honour in the Bill Reid teaching Centre, we continued our tour of the monumental facility. Afterwards we were invited to join the "private" welcome feast prepared for the minister and his entourage. We lived in a dream. It was surreal. We feasted on traditional Haida dishes of halibut souffle, smoked halibut, crab casserole,blackened cod, baked salmon in a curry sauce, herring roe squares,salads and delicious homemade pies. The Haida hospitality was endless. After dinner we were invited into the performance longhouse to enjoy an amazing celebration of drumming, singing and dancing. The dancers were children ranging in age from 3 to 13 and they were accompanied by 4 adults drumming. The costumes were magnificent. Deep red button blankets, blue, white and brown woven shawls with long tassles, a bear skin, a wolf skin, beautifully carved headresses and masks of the eagle, raven and others swirled by us as we sat in a place of honour behind the minister and his wife. We learned later that the young boy who danced the raven, wolf and eagle dances so beautifully was Guujaaw's son. It was an enchanted evening of Haida entertainment. The children glowed with pride in their world class presentation. We felt so privileged to share this intimate encounter with the Haida nation. Bob Miller, a band councillor, joined us at our table and enriched our understanding of his people. A woman who is a great spiritual leader in the community gave the blessing before dinner and ended the evening with another blessing, speaking to the "Creator" on everyone's behalf. The Haida is a matriarchial society and we could appreciate the influence of some very strong women in the community. These women are planning to build a healing centre in Skidegate. All the women who prepared the food for this occasion were members of a " Haida healing society" which has been responsible in a great way to the healing and rebirth of the Haida culture here. The men speakers acknowledged these strong women in their speeches.

The evening ended in the Welcome Centre with speeches and a gift exchange. It was a baptism into the politics of the Haida land claim. There is scientific data establishing the Haida lived in this area for 20 thousand years. The Hereditary Chief made a speech. He wore the traditional headress of the Haida made of woven cedar strips. Elder Ernie Wilson, a former chief, rose proudly with the aid of two canes and spoke about the importance of learning from our dreams and fasting, always looking for truth and guidance. He implored everyone not to repeat false statements. He is about 95 years old and he has never smoked or drunk liquor or eaten european food. He had a twinkle in his eyes as he spoke. He ended by singing a song about the good old times. Next Guujaaw, the elected President of the Band Council, spoke about the challenges facing the Haida in their land claim and his hopes for the future. Miles Richardson made the most powerful and inspirational speech. He is an awesome leader and when he spoke I felt shivers down my spine. He spoke with eloquence and great passion. We were all deeply moved by his speech. He will be awarded the Order of Canada at the "officer" level for his outstandingleadership in the near future at a ceremony planned in Ottawa. Miles is the CEO of the Museum. Jim Prentice spoke last and we were all very impressed with his speech and his sensitivity as Minister of Indian Affairs. The energy in the room was hopeful and passionate. Strong energy. We admired the pride the Haida demonstrate so passionately for their heritage, their monumental culture and their future here on their lands of Haida Gwaii. At 2230 we caught the last ferry back to Sandspit. Our minds were reeling with the amazing events of our day. We passed several deer grazing by the side of the road on our ride back to the marina. A perfect ending to an outstanding day.

Tuesday morning we left at 1015 and headed out into Hecate Strait and cruised on to Skedans Bay. We anchored and Jim dropped Deb, Avon and Heather at the Haida heritage site of the ancient village of Skedans. He returned to the BurntSand as the winds were strong. We had an excellent tour of the site by one of the Haida Watchmen stationed there for the summer months. A family of deer were walking on the beach. The views were spectacular. These ancient villages have the best real estate, the perfect sites to live.Jim returned for us at the end of our visit and we cruised on to Crescent Inlet where we anchored for the evening. Crescent is a charming winding inlet deep in the wildness of Moresby Island. Our anchorage was nestled in the solitude of the head of the inlet, surrounded by old growth on all sides. We savoured the sunshine and wildness of this untouched wilderness. We had a feast of rack and lamb and drank some very excellent wines! The camaraderie on board was so enjoyable.

Wednesday morning, August 8th,we cruised on through the waters of Logan Inlet, Darwin Sound, Shuttle Passage, Juan Perez Sound, Bischoff Islands to Ramsay Passage and finally moored to an anchor buoy in Ramsay Cove where we lowered the dinghy to visit Hot Spring Island. We saw vast areas of red tide at times it looked like a thick tomato soup. We radioed the Haida Watchmen for permission to come ashore. We took them some Lindt chocolate and granola bars as our token "thank you gift". The sun came out just in time for our dip in the hot springs. We met an old friend of the Merseys in the hot springs...what an amazing coincidence! At 1605 we left the mooring buoy at Ramsay Cove and cruised on to our next anchorage in Matheson Inlet whose tricky entrance discourages many boaters. The inlet is off Juan Perez Sound and the area offers excellent fishing for coho and chinook. We anchored at the head of the inlet and settled down to enjoy a delicious meal of ivory chinook salmon Jim had caught earlier in our trip. Once again we enjoyed some marvellous wines...dining with the Merseys always includes excellent wine!...and lots of laughter!

Thursday morning Jim and Avon put out the crab traps and set off for a morning of fishing. Heather and I had a morning of exercise kayaking around the inlet. We kayaked up the mouth of the river but fallen trees blocked our path fairly early on. Heather spotted a half eaten salmon on the riverbank, a sure sign of bear in the area. Eagles contine to be abundant. The sun was shining and we delighted in our time on the water. The long orange beaks of the oyster catchers glinted in the sunlight as we paddled by their resting spot on the rocks along the shore.The "boys" returned jubliant with a spring salmon and a lingcod. The winds had calmed down so we decided to visit Dolomite Narrows locally known as Burnaby Narrows by dinghy later that afternoon which is a 24 nautical mile round trip. Not another boat or kayak in sight...we had the narrows to ourselves...it was magical. We spotted a huge black bear foraging in the low tide on the beach across from us. We navigated the narrows in our dinghy and at times had only 1 to 2 feet beneath the dinghy. The water was crystal c1ear and we could see the rich abundance of sea life below. We went ashore and hiked along the waters edge. We came upon some deer grazing on the grasses.Deb ever so slowly inched her way to within 15 feet of one. We returned to the BurntSand for another evening of feasting on fresh catch from the sea!...and of course the perfect accompaniment of wine! As always laughter seemed to punctuate every day.

Friday morning Jim and Avon tried their hand at fishing, this time with no success. However they pulled up the crab traps and brought in about 10 large snow crab and rock crab.We brought up the dinghy and kayaks and Avon cleaned the crabs while Deb set the water to boil. Jim and Deb took up the anchor and navigated our way out of Matheson Inlet at 1250. The Merseys harvested the crab meat and Avon prepared an amazing crab omelette for each of us. In a word...delicious! The boys lay down for a well deserved nap and Deb piloted the boat on towards Rose Harbour. A school of 50 -70 dolphins were swimming nearby and they beelined for our boat and swam beside us and played in the bow wake for about 45 minutes. we woke up the boys and we all delighted in this intimate encounter...a true gift from the sea. Heather managed to take a video of some of them. Cameras were busy trying to capture the excitement digitally. It was a stunningly gorgeous day and the dolphins flashed and glistened in the sunlight. We tied up to a mooring buoy in Rose Harbour at 1635. We enjoyed the rest of the crab as an appetiser and Heather and Deb prepared yet another delicious meal.

Saturday morning August 11th, Jim took Heather and Avon ashore in the dinghy to confirm with the Rose Harbour Guest House their seaplane flight the next morning. We tried to arrange to have dinner ashore with the "Old Squaw" but she was fully booked. The winds were calm so we set off in the dinghy for Anthony Island SGang Gwaay to visit the abandonned village of Nan Sdins (formerly spelled Ninstints).Nestled in the forest just a few steps form the beach stands the greatest collection of monumental Haida heralic and mortuary poles in Gwaii Haanas in a state of arrested decay. Summer watchmen carefully remove moss and ferns from the poles hoping to minimize the decay of the wood, but despite these efforts each year sees the further deterioration of the poles. A visit here is always a highlight in our time in the Gwaii Haanan National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site. It was a seven nautical mile trip, two nautical miles in the open ocean swells. We entered what we thought was the north beach...it looked as if a million blue rose petals had been spread across the inlet. Infact these were juvenile man of war jelly fish that would not bee making it to maturity. The live ones looked like tiny sailboats skimming over the water. They are quite beautiful, glimmering on the surface of the water in the sunshine.We explored the beach which was hedged with a dense wilderness of trees and bushes. Deb radioed the Haida watchmen and soon we were inching our way back through the tangle of seaweed to a beach further south. We spied the orange fender hanging from a fir tree and made our way to the "true" north beach. We moored the dinghy and tied her securely to a rock. The stern anchor Jim threw out is on a bungy-like cord which works really well with the changing tides. We met Pam and James at the Watchmen cabin and set off with James for an excellent tour of poles. James is very knowledgeable and passionate about the site and we spent about 4 hours with him. There were a couple of light rain showers during our visit which in a strange way lent to the magic of the site. From time to time, the sun streamed through the clouds and covered the site in a soft light. We returned to the cabin and Pam invied us to share in a tray of crackers and cheese. The Haida are an extremely hospitable people. We were glad we had remembered to bring our token "thank you gift". On our way back across the open sea we spotted a whale and then there was a flash of his tail as the great creature sounded and disappeared. We were treated to sightings of puffins and more fleets of the sailing blue man of war jelly fish. The rocks were alive with sea birds nattering in the wind. We returned to the BurntSand in high spirits from our latest adventure. Jim and Avon went fishing and released a lingcod which was slightly too small to keep. We had a farewell feast that night, toasting our friendship and the adventure we had shared over the past week. The next morning after a breakfast of blueberry pancakes, Jim dinghied the Merseys over to the float plane at 0915 and we waved good-bye until mid-September.

Where Have We Been?

Location: Gwaii Haanas, Rose Harbour
Queen Charlotte Islands Date: Sunday, August 12,2007 Last Post (LP): July 25, 2007 Time: 1200 Location: N 52 09 02
W 131 05 18 Dist. Since LP: 387.5nm Total Distance: 1,618.9nm --------------------------------------- WHERE HAVE WE BEEN??? We've been neglecting our postings!!! For those following our cruising adventures...our sincere apologies.

July 25th we found safe anchorage in the Spicer Island Complex at 1440 that afternoon. "Spicer Anchorage" is nestled between Spicer Island and South Spicer Island and is a land locked waterway, well protected from all chop and swells. We were excited to see coho jumping high into the air, breaking the sea surface three,four, five times! Jim landed two coho on our dinghy fishing trips and as always we were delighted to feast on fresh fish for dinner. Eagles continue to be abundant on these outer islands. It is always entertaining to watch their aerial antics as they soar and wheel above us. We listened intently to the weather for our trip planning across Hecate Strait to the Queen Charlottes. We discovered a huge kelp wrapped around our anchor chain which delayed our departure at 0750 0n July 27th as Jim struggled to free the kelp with the boat hook. We encountered 5 - 15 knots of wind in the morning, increasing to 15 - 20 knots in the afternoon. Our stabilizers ensured a comfortable cruise on the 6 hour crossing to Sandspit. We wove our way around hundreds of commercial crab traps strung out in lines across the strait, their bright orange buoys bobbing in the swells. We docked the BurntSand at 1525 that afternoon behind the man made rock barriers of the 10 year old harbour in Sandspit.

The next morning on July 28th we took a taxi to the ferry landing in Alliford Bay to catch the ferry to Skidigate Landing. We hoped to rent a car in Queen Charlotte as none was available at the Sandspit airport rental agencies. Just getting the taxi was a leap in faith as we were never able to actually speak with anyone to confirm our ride. Finally as Deb began to try her luck at hitching a ride, Jim made contact with the taxi driver....which was a lucky thing because all cars and trucks had so far turned into the marina...no ferry bound cars in sight! Once we arrived in Skidegate we discovered the two taxi companies listed had no cars available for the foreseeable future. Jim arranged to rent the last available car with the Budget representative located at "Gracie's Place". Deb saved the day by approaching an elderly gentleman who had stopped by to make a reservation at the ferry building. He wasn't planning on going into Charlotte City some 8 kilometers away but he took pity on us and drove us right to Gracie's Place. Very kind indeed! We treated ourselves to a great lunch of halibut burgers at the Ocean View Restaurant and made our way back to Skidigate to visit the Haida Heritage Centre and buy much needed provisions at the Co-op. We were blown away by the architecture of this world class facility that has just been opened to the public. It was an awesome opportunity to connect with one of the world's greatest cultures. We entered the Greeting House, a traditional six plank longhouse with an amazing glass ceiling and monumental glass doors. In addition to the museum buildings there is an Eating House, a lecture hall/performance longhouse, the Bill Reid Teaching longhouse where the great Haida canoes are kept and a huge outdoor carving shed where three different canoes were being carved when we visited. We returned to Sandspit that evening and stowed away our provisions. The next morning we returned our rental car and enjoyed a sumptuous breakfast of seafood benedict eggs and our adventure continued as we hitched our way back to the ferry and then to the marina. We spent the afternoon washing the BurntSand and preparing for our departure the next day by plane to Vancouver. We were looking forward to seeing our family and sharing in the joy of Erika and Dave's wedding up at the Gibbons home in Whistler. Jim is also planning on flying home to visit his Mom in Montreal. It was culture shock for us to re-enter the fast paced life of the city.

Early Monday,August 6th found us winging our way aboard an Air Canada flight with our good friends Avon and Heather Mersey back to Sandspit airport. We needed milk and eggs for our trip and the local store was closed for the holiday, so we altered our plans and rented a car to go to Queen Charlotte. For want of milk and eggs, we ended up having an amazing adventure at the Haida Heritage Centre in Kaay Llnagaay - Sea Lion Town near Skidegate.

We arranged to take the tour offered by the staff at the centre. It began with a tour of each totem poles outside each longhouse. There are six totem poles which represent the main historic villages of the southern Haida: Skidegate,Cumshewa, Skedans, Skung Gwaii and Tanu.Carved by local artists Norman Price, Garner Moody, Guujaaw, Jim Hart, Tim Boyko and Giitxsa respectively. They were raised in 2001 during a week long celebration.An elaborate opening celebration of the centre will be held in the spring of 2008. It would be a great life experience to share in the celebrations. Design differences are subtle and complex but each one has single subject figures. They may be animals, humans or mythological creatures. New colours, shapes and crest designs are being designed by contemporary artists as they keep their tradition of monumental art alive today.

Next, our guide led us to the open air carving shed where we were introduced to Guujaaw and I gave him Carol Roberts' greetings. They are old friends. We first came to the Charlottes 18 years ago with the girls on board thesail boat "Cheena" operated by Dai and Carol Roberts. That was our first introduction to these magical islands on the edge.

Then our guide took us to the Bill Reid teaching centre where the great war canoes are stored. We were introduced to Andy Wilson who invited us to paddle Bill Reid's canoe with him. He needed 12 volunteers and we agreed in a heart beat. It took many strong arms to move the great canoe out of the longhouse down the beach to the shore. It was low tide and we carefully rolled the canoe on huge plastic fenders and set her in the water. We were loaned black vests with the Haida crest in red on the back. We couldn't believe our good luck in being in the right place at the opportune time! It was such a privilege to have the chance to paddle this amazing craft. It is almost 20 years old and is slated for retirement very soon. We were to paddle out and meet Jim Prentice, the federal Minister of Indian Affairs and his wife Karen and take them for a tour of the area. We scrambled into the great canoe, smiles from ear to ear, bow to stern! Andy taught us how to welcome aboard the guests "Haida style": paddles straight to the side with the design forward, paddles straight up resting on the side and then a drum of the handles in a steady rhythm. A most impressive"welcome". We circumvented a little island just off shore a couple of times waiting for the minister's arrival. We were taught to approach the beach backwards to signify"peace" and straight in, signify "war". A young Haida woman whose name meant "Cumulus Cloud" sat in the bow and was one of the official photographers. She sang a beautiful Haida paddling song and Andy Wilson sang a different one later on. It was like an enchanted dream as the canoe glided through the shimmering waters. It was a glorious day and we savoured every moment of the two and half hours we paddled the canoe. A speed boat raced over with the minister and his wife and they transferred aboard to our welcome drum of the paddles.

After we helped move the great canoe back to its place of honour in the Bill Reid teaching Centre, we continued our tour of the monumental facility. Afterwards we were invited to join the "private" welcome feast prepared for the minister and his entourage. We lived in a dream. It was surreal. We feasted on traditional Haida dishes of halibut souffle, smoked halibut, crab casserole,blackened cod, baked salmon in a curry sauce, herring roe squares,salads and delicious homemade pies. The Haida hospitality was endless. After dinner we were invited into the performance longhouse to enjoy an amazing celebration of drumming, singing and dancing. The dancers were children ranging in age from 3 to 13 and they were accompanied by 4 adults drumming. The costumes were magnificent. Deep red button blankets, blue, white and brown woven shawls with long tassles, a bear skin, a wolf skin, beautifully carved headdresses and masks of the eagle, raven and others swirled by us as we sat in a place of honour behind the minister and his wife. We learned later that the young boy who danced the raven, wolf and eagle dances so beautifully was Guujaaw's son. It was an enchanted evening of Haida entertainment. The children glowed with pride in their world class presentation. We felt so privileged to share this intimate encounter with the Haida nation. Bob Miller, a band councilor, joined us at our table and enriched our understanding of his people. A woman who is a great spiritual leader in the community gave the blessing before dinner and ended the evening with another blessing, speaking to the "Creator" on everyone's behalf. The Haida is a matriarchal society and we could appreciate the influence of some very strong women in the community. These women are planning to build a healing centre in Skidegate. All the women who prepared the food for this occasion were members of a " Haida healing society" which has been responsible in a great way to the healing and rebirth of the Haida culture here. The men speakers acknowledged these strong women in their speeches.

The evening ended in the Welcome Centre with speeches and a gift exchange. It was a baptism into the politics of the Haida land claim. There is scientific data establishing the Haida lived in this area for 20 thousand years. The Hereditary Chief made a speech. He wore the traditional headdress of the Haida made of woven cedar strips. Elder Ernie Wilson, a former chief, rose proudly with the aid of two canes and spoke about the importance of learning from our dreams and fasting, always looking for truth and guidance. He implored everyone not to repeat false statements. He is about 95 years old and he has never smoked or drunk liquor or eaten European food. He had a twinkle in his eyes as he spoke. He ended by singing a song about the good old times. Next Guujaaw, the elected President of the Band Council, spoke about the challenges facing the Haida in their land claim and his hopes for the future. Miles Richardson made the most powerful and inspirational speech. He is an awesome leader and when he spoke I felt shivers down my spine. He spoke with eloquence and great passion. We were all deeply moved by his speech. He will be awarded the Order of Canada at the "officer" level for his outstanding leadership in the near future at a ceremony planned in Ottawa. Miles is the CEO of the Museum. Jim Prentice spoke last and we were all very impressed with his speech and his sensitivity as Minister of Indian Affairs. The energy in the room was hopeful and passionate. Strong energy. We admired the pride the Haida demonstrate so passionately for their heritage, their monumental culture and their future here on their lands of Haida Gwaii. At 2230 we caught the last ferry back to Sandspit. Our minds were reeling with the amazing events of our day. We passed several deer grazing by the side of the road on our ride back to the marina. A perfect ending to an outstanding day.

Tuesday morning we left at 1015 and headed out into Hecate Strait and cruised on to Skedans Bay. We anchored and Jim dropped Deb, Avon and Heather at the Haida heritage site of the ancient village of Skedans. He returned to the BurntSand as the winds were strong. We had an excellent tour of the site by one of the Haida Watchmen stationed there for the summer months. A family of deer were walking on the beach. The views were spectacular. These ancient villages have the best real estate, the perfect sites to live.Jim returned for us at the end of our visit and we cruised on to Crescent Inlet where we anchored for the evening. Crescent is a charming winding inlet deep in the wildness of Moresby Island. Our anchorage was nestled in the solitude of the head of the inlet, surrounded by old growth on all sides. We savoured the sunshine and wildness of this untouched wilderness. We had a feast of rack and lamb and drank some very excellent wines! The camaraderie on board was so enjoyable.

Wednesday morning, August 8th,we cruised on through the waters of Logan Inlet, Darwin Sound, Shuttle Passage, Juan Perez Sound, Bischoff Islands to Ramsay Passage and finally moored to an anchor buoy in Ramsay Cove where we lowered the dinghy to visit Hot Spring Island. We saw vast areas of red tide at times it looked like a thick tomato soup. We radioed the Haida Watchmen for permission to come ashore. We took them some Lindt chocolate and granola bars as our token "thank you gift". The sun came out just in time for our dip in the hot springs. We met an old friend of the Merseys in the hot springs...what an amazing coincidence! At 1605 we left the mooring buoy at Ramsay Cove and cruised on to our next anchorage in Matheson Inlet whose tricky entrance discourages many boaters. The inlet is off Juan Perez Sound and the area offers excellent fishing for coho and chinook. We anchored at the head of the inlet and settled down to enjoy a delicious meal of ivory chinook salmon Jim had caught earlier in our trip. Once again we enjoyed some marvelous wines...dining with the Merseys always includes excellent wine!...and lots of laughter!

Thursday morning Jim and Avon put out the crab traps and set off for a morning of fishing. Heather and I had a morning of exercise kayaking around the inlet. We kayaked up the mouth of the river but fallen trees blocked our path fairly early on. Heather spotted a half eaten salmon on the riverbank, a sure sign of bear in the area. Eagles continue to be abundant. The sun was shining and we delighted in our time on the water. The long orange beaks of the oyster catchers glinted in the sunlight as we paddled by their resting spot on the rocks along the shore.The "boys" returned jubilant with a spring salmon and a lingcod. The winds had calmed down so we decided to visit Dolomite Narrows locally known as Burnaby Narrows by dinghy later that afternoon which is a 24 nautical mile round trip. Not another boat or kayak in sight...we had the narrows to ourselves...it was magical. We spotted a huge black bear foraging in the low tide on the beach across from us. We navigated the narrows in our dinghy and at times had only 1 to 2 feet beneath the dinghy. The water was crystal c1ear and we could see the rich abundance of sea life below. We went ashore and hiked along the waters edge. We came upon some deer grazing on the grasses.Deb ever so slowly inched her way to within 15 feet of one. We returned to the BurntSand for another evening of feasting on fresh catch from the sea!...and of course the perfect accompaniment of wine! As always laughter seemed to punctuate every day.

Friday morning Jim and Avon tried their hand at fishing, this time with no success. However they pulled up the crab traps and brought in about 10 large snow crab and rock crab.We brought up the dinghy and kayaks and Avon cleaned the crabs while Deb set the water to boil. Jim and Deb took up the anchor and navigated our way out of Matheson Inlet at 1250. The Merseys harvested the crab meat and Avon prepared an amazing crab omelette for each of us. In a word...delicious! The boys lay down for a well deserved nap and Deb piloted the boat on towards Rose Harbour. A school of 50 -70 dolphins were swimming nearby and they beelined for our boat and swam beside us and played in the bow wake for about 45 minutes. we woke up the boys and we all delighted in this intimate encounter...a true gift from the sea. Heather managed to take a video of some of them. Cameras were busy trying to capture the excitement digitally. It was a stunningly gorgeous day and the dolphins flashed and glistened in the sunlight. We tied up to a mooring buoy in Rose Harbour at 1635. We enjoyed the rest of the crab as an appetizer and Heather and Deb prepared yet another delicious meal.

Saturday morning August 11th, Jim took Heather and Avon ashore in the dinghy to confirm with the Rose Harbour Guest House their seaplane flight the next morning. We tried to arrange to have dinner ashore with the "Old Squaw" but she was fully booked. The winds were calm so we set off in the dinghy for Anthony Island SGang Gwaay to visit the abandoned village of Nan Sdins (formerly spelled Ninstints).Nestled in the forest just a few steps form the beach stands the greatest collection of monumental Haida heralic and mortuary poles in Gwaii Haanas in a state of arrested decay. Summer watchmen carefully remove moss and ferns from the poles hoping to minimize the decay of the wood, but despite these efforts each year sees the further deterioration of the poles. A visit here is always a highlight in our time in the Gwaii Haanan National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site. It was a seven nautical mile trip, two nautical miles in the open ocean swells. We entered what we thought was the north beach...it looked as if a million blue rose petals had been spread across the inlet. In fact these were juvenile man of war jelly fish that would not bee making it to maturity. The live ones looked like tiny sailboats skimming over the water. They are quite beautiful, glimmering on the surface of the water in the sunshine.We explored the beach which was hedged with a dense wilderness of trees and bushes. Deb radioed the Haida watchmen and soon we were inching our way back through the tangle of seaweed to a beach further south. We spied the orange fender hanging from a fir tree and made our way to the "true" north beach. We moored the dinghy and tied her securely to a rock. The stern anchor Jim threw out is on a bungy-like cord which works really well with the changing tides. We met Pam and James at the Watchmen cabin and set off with James for an excellent tour of poles. James is very knowledgeable and passionate about the site and we spent about 4 hours with him. There were a couple of light rain showers during our visit which in a strange way lent to the magic of the site. From time to time, the sun streamed through the clouds and covered the site in a soft light. We returned to the cabin and Pam invited us to share in a tray of crackers and cheese. The Haida are an extremely hospitable people. We were glad we had remembered to bring our token "thank you gift". On our way back across the open sea we spotted a whale and then there was a flash of his tail as the great creature sounded and disappeared. We were treated to sightings of puffins and more fleets of the sailing blue man of war jelly fish. The rocks were alive with sea birds nattering in the wind. We returned to the BurntSand in high spirits from our latest adventure. Jim and Avon went fishing and released a lingcod which was slightly too small to keep. We had a farewell feast that night, toasting our friendship and the adventure we had shared over the past week. The next morning after a breakfast of blueberry pancakes, Jim dinghied the Merseys over to the float plane at 0915 and we waved good-bye until mid-September.

New Photos added Today!