M/V BurntSand - Northern BC & Alaska 2007!

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!

Near Gale Causes Anchor Dragging!

Location: Captain Cove off Petrel Channel
Date: Wednesday, July 25,2007
Last Post (LP): July 21, 2007
Time: 1100
Location: N 53 48 59 W 130 11 87
Dist. Since LP: 21.7 nm
Total Distance: 1,231.4nm
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We woke to hard rain and increasing south easterly winds on Sunday, July 22nd. Our ears glued to the marine weather forecast and our eyes performing a constant scan of our anchorage we appraised our situation carefully. We both believed the anchor was dragging under the force of the winds. We turned on the instruments. We soon had 34 - 35 knot winds and our instruments confirmed we were moving very slowly. We quickly shifted into operation "escape the anchorage" and Jim donned his weather gear to head out into the storm to bring up the anchor. Deb manned the helm and kept the boat heading into the wind. Twice our hydraulic system which operates our windlass failed. Deb reset the hydraulics. We were glad we had put out sufficient scope to adequately cope with this situation. In anticipation of worsening weather we had lifted the dinghy aboard the night before and battened everything down. We left the anchorage at 1130 and headed towards Crab Trap Cove to see if we could safely anchor there but the winds were quite strong (25+ knots) there as well. So we cruised on to "plan C" and sought a quiet refuge in Captain Cove off Petrel Channel. Captain Cove is approximately 2.5 miles long with two streams at its head. Very picturesque. The stream in the northeast corner had large drying flats and invited exploration. We performed our anchoring ritual at 1420 and relaxed in the cosiness of this anchorage nestled beneath the protection of tall mountain peaks. A resident pair of eagles perched nearby was our welcoming committee. Always a good sign.

Once the rain abated, we lowered our dinghy and put out two crab traps filled with fresh fish heads to entice the Dungeness crabs we favoured. We headed to the drying flats and tied up the dinghy securing it with both stern anchor and forward tie to a log. We had a great hike and discovered what appeared to be fresh bear tracks which had passed sometime ahead of us. Jim was able to capture the beauty of the area with his new camera. The drying flats were covered with crunchy sea lettuce laced with barnacle encrusted rocks. We found one small dead Red Rock crab. No fish were spotted in the shallow waters we crossed. Numerous streams threaded their way into the river and all was quiet except for the gentle roar of water crashing over rocks and falling into the delta. A heron rose up suddenly ahead of us and then the quiet of the wild descended upon us again. We returned to the dinghy before the flood was too high and planned to return at high tide to explore by dinghy later that night. Quite a few splashes of fish jumping in the cove encouraged us to try our hand at fishing but no luck. Jim checked our traps and brought back a bonanza catch of 5 large male Dungeness crab. He had already released twelve female and undersized crabs. Hunting and gathering can be hard work especially releasing the crab from the net traps. The traps work well and are compact for storage but a real challenge when 18 crabs each equipped with 10 legs all of which are intent upon grabbing a filament of net!!!Picture that. However the feast that evening was well worth the effort. Deb cooked up the crabs and we elected to explore the river at high tide and dine later. It was 2100 as we slowly plied our way up river in the dinghy. Deb spotted the bear first. A beautiful black bear with a rich glossy coat was foraging on the sedge grass near the riverbank. Jim killed the motor and we drifted delighting in the bear bathed in the magical light of dusk. We returned to the BurntSand at 2230 and Jim mixed up some margaritas to celebrate our day and accompany our crab feast. It was a late night!

The next morning we were elated to find sunshine and more importantly ...no rain. We had a leisurely breakfast and headed out in our kayaks at high tide to visit our bear. Jim brought his camera and he was able to get some excellent shots before our bear disappeared into the woods. A pair of ducks with following train of ducklings were navigating the waters. We returned to the BurntSand and decided to do some maintenance projects and stay another night in the cove. A fleet of three power boats joined us in the anchorage and rafted together. The largest boat was about 100 feet in length and the smallest was 50...they were serious fishermen and had a small fleet of dinghies and a couple of 22 foot fishing boats. It looked like a floating village of condominiums.

We left Captain Cove at 1050 the next morning and headed for Larsen Harbour in warm sunshine. Hurray!

Unfortunately the six mooring buoys in Larsen Harbour are no longer in existence and with southwest winds predicted to be 20-25 knots we have to find another anchorage as Larsen is relatively open.

Absalom Cove off Freeman Passage (The "Outside" of the Inside Passage)

Location: Cove West of Absalom Island, B.C. off Freeman Passage
Date: Saturday, July 20,2007
Last Post (LP): July 16, 2007
Time: 1100
Location: N 53 56 61  W 130 36 953
Dist. Since LP: 46.7 nm
Total Distance: 1,209.71 nm
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July 18th at 0955 we left the docks of Prince Rupert and headed back to our happy fishing grounds of the Freeman Passage. We soon left the fog of Prince Rupert behind us and enjoyed the cruise in fabulous sunshine. We were originally hoping to tie up to a mooring buoy in Freeman Passage Cove but the four mooring buoys noted on the charts were nowhere to be found. We discovered a beautiful,private anchor site tucked in between Porcher and Absalom Islands, well protected from all winds. we set our anchor at 1550 and were delighted to be so close to excellent kayaking grounds and of course the FISH of Freeman Passage. Eagles are everywhere, soaring and wheeling above us or perched high in the trees,the kings of the kingdom. We put out two crab pots at the head of the bay and set off to do some serious fishing. It was a lovely afternoon and we plied our way up and down the little bays lining Freeman Passage. A couple of eagles followed us as we made our way to and fro. They were absolutely magnificent. A whale entered the passage where we were fishing and awed us with his spouting. We couldn't believe our good luck! A couple of porpoise swam by. We are enthralled with the wildness and beauty of this area. We caught and released about five rockfish and also released a cutthroat trout which we wished in hindsight we had kept when we lost two fish we thought were probably salmon. I decided that fishing is like tennis...lots of fun, but way more fun when you're winning ie catching fish! The next morning we headed out early and after more catch and release action we landed a beautiful chinook about 24 pounds and a good sized coho. Very exciting! No whale sighting today but porpoise and seals definitely like this waterway.We were ready to enjoy yet another delicious salmon feast. Once again our freezers are almost completely full.

The next morning two fisheries inspectors paid us a visit and checked our fishing licenses. We were so surprised to see them as we hadn't seen a boat in days...its so remote here "on the inside of the outside" (the Queen Charlotte Islands are the next stop West). They said they almost missed us tucked in as we were, with a ring of rocky shoals almost hiding our presence at low tide. We checked our crab traps and found 17 Red Rock crab...we released them all as we prefer Dungeness...fussy, fussy, we've become! We moved our traps to a new location hoping to find Dungeness. We decided to fish a little before lunch even though we didn't have our tackle box or net on board. We did have a rod set up and a fish bonker. Within 10 minutes we had a beautiful spring on the hook and did he ever fight! Jim played him to hopefully tire him out before we attempted to land him without a net...he won and broke the line! We headed back to the BurntSand for a quick lunch and headed out to fish again. For the next 5 hours we fished through rain, heavy rain, light rain, sunshine, calm, wind, calm and sunshine ...and unhappily NO FISH. WE chastised ourselves for being too cocky in fishing without our net. We ended the evening with our ongoing backgammon tournament now all tied up at 3-3 after Jim mounted a comeback when down 3-0.

Prince Rupert and More Grizzlies!

Location:         Prince Rupert Prince Rupert Yacht Club, B.C.
Date:               Monday, July 16,2007
Last Post (LP): July 12, 2007
Time:               2200
Location:          N 54 14 74 W 130 20 86
Dist. Since LP:   0 nm
Total Distance:  1,163.01 nm
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Friday morning found us tied securely to the Prince Rupert Yacht Club dock. It was foggy and thunder claps caught our attention as Jim was scheduled to fly out to Vancouver and on to Montreal to visit his family. We caught a cab to the hotel where a bus would pick up all the Air Canada passengers to take them by ferry to the airport on Digby island across the water. The fog began to lift and there was a promise of a sunny day. I walked back to the boat and stopped en route to check out some excursions available. There was one spot left on a float plane excursion to the Khutzeymateen Inlet for an intimate viewing of grizzly bears aboard a eleven passenger boat operating from a floating barge in the inlet. Sunshine plus floatplane multiplied by grizzlies equals Deb signing up in a heartbeat! I left in high spirits at 1600 aboard a Beaver floatplane and had an amazing three hour adventure.It was a twenty minute flight over snow capped mountains dressed in granite and conifers and following deep fjords into the B.C. wilderness. The views were spectacular. The Khutzeymateen Valley north of Prince Rupert is a protected sanctuary of 45,000 hectares for a resident population of about 60 grizzlies.

Our plane landed and tied up to a floating barge,boasting an eclectic summer home including two orange tents. The roof was made of plexiglass and three sides were open to the elements. This was the epitome of the "open concept". A large patio umbrella provided the only shade. There was a small wood burning stove and the kitchen floor had a plexiglass insert for viewing the waters below. A fire pit outside looked very cosy and welcoming. For an extra $100 I could have brought my sleeping bag and spent the night. Our guide had spent the last 27 years studying and photographing the bears. He lives on the float home 6 months of the year with his wife and five year old son. We boarded the boat and set off for the sanctuary. We came across two four year old cubs foraging on the sedge grass by the waters edge. We came within twenty feet but they seemed completely oblivious to our presence. Grizzly sows leave their cubs in their third year to make their own way in the wilderness. We continued on further into the inlet and encountered a large six year old boar foraging in sedge grass along the bank of the inlet. He was a magnificent specimen, his head was enormous and we were close enough to admire his amazing claws. At one point he left the sedge grass to come down to the water's edge for a drink of water. Apparently the numerous waterfalls and rivers leading into the inlet provide so much fresh water into the seawater inlet that the surface often ices over during the winter months. I was so glad I had remembered to bring our powerful binoculars from the boat. Eagles were soaring in the sunshine and keeping watch atop the majestic conifers lining the inlet. The scenery was stunning in the afternoon sunshine. We returned to the float and had an equally amazing flight back.

I returned to the Yacht Club and had a visit with Lloyd and Cheryl aboard the Lady Nel out of Nanaimo. We had shared our adventure at the Anan River with them earlier in our trip. We exchanged stories of our latest boating adventures. I called Jim just as he had arrived in Montreal and related my adventure with the grizzlies. I made myself a tasty salmon burger and settled into my boat keeping responsibilities aboard the BurntSand. Saturday morning I treated myself to a pedicure and had the most enriching conversation with the esthetician named Valerie Tait. She is Tsimshian and her father is a very famous carver named Norman Tait. She held me in rapt attention as she related stories about her Dad meeting Trudeau in his early years as Prime Minister and his meeting with Queen Elizabeth. A totem he carved is the only totem raised on royal property. She and her brother helped him carve the totems in the Capilano Mall in North Vancouver. She is from the Raven Clan and her father is from the Eagle clan. She now devotes her art to fabric design but her father is encouraging her to study jewelry design. Her children are 23, 19 and 11 and she now has more time to further develop her creative skills. That evening Jim and Diane Neff aboard Adirondack across the dock from us invited me to enjoy some conversation and a glass of wine with them. We enjoyed the beautiful sunset up on their flybridge. The camaraderie on the docks is very heart warming and welcoming. I'm missing Jim and consoled myself watching a DVD Seven Years in Tibet...the first of our trip.

There are three Canadian mine sweepers rafted together. The word on the docks is that they are training vessels. They are docked at a special dock with 24 hour security. Another interesting vessel tied up near the BurntSand is a 95 foot sailboat from Rhode Island. It is actually a research vessel operated by the Venner Institute. Its crew is taking water samples at various spots en route. They began the trip in Washington, D.C. Sunday morning at 0530 I was blasted awake by a long series of horn blasts...I'm suspecting the Canadian fleet?! I had a lazy morning doing odd jobs around the boat and picking up some groceries. The internet cafe was jammed with personnel from the Canadian forces' ships so no emails from me today. I've discovered the cheap minutes of the 7/11 calling card. My cell phone doesn't work in Prince Rupert...the city owns its own phone network.

Back in Canada!

Location:          Prince Rupert
                        Fairview Marina, B.C.
Date:                Thursday, July 12,2007
Last Post (LP):  July 7, 2007
Time:                2200
Location:           N 54 14 74 W 130 20 86
Dist. Since LP:   268.51 nm
Total Distance:  1,163.01 nm
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At 0745 Sunday morning we left Red Bluff Bay at slack tide and cruised 108.3 nautical miles to Craig, Alaska. The seas were calm in Frederick Sound and the sun came out and nourished our souls. Our spirits soared. We navigated our way past Cape Decision and across the waterway beween Warren Island and Kosciusko Island. We could now now feel the ocean swell from the south. The excitement on board rose with each whale sighting. We navigated the BurntSand into Sea Otter Sound and through the maze of little islets and islands hugging the coastline of Prince of Wales Island. It was an absolutely beautiful day and the chatter on the VHF confirmed the delight of the mariners in the area in this change of weather. We saw some sea otters floating in the sunshine. They are the most endearing creatures. It is always so delightful to encounter them floating on the sea.

As we approached the chain of little islands outside of Craig we saw many pods of humpback whales and orcas. What a gift it is to experience these amazing creatures in the wild! At 1915 that evening we tied up to the dock in the south harbour of Craig on Bucarelli Bay. Our last rip to Craig we stayed in the north harbour on Klawock Inlet. The weather began to turn and the winds came up. We added two more lines to hold the boat fast to the dock. Then the rains came in a fury. We decided to stay two nights, hoping the weather would settle down. The talk on the docks and in town was weather,weather,weather... and what the various fishermen had reported. Across the dock from us was the Lady Laura and her skipper, David, had a fleet of king crab fish boats in the Aleutians. He lives mainly in Seattle now but keeps his boat in Craig for the summer months.

Tuesday morning we left Craig at 0555 at the beginning of the flood in order to make optimum tide for passing through Tlevak Narrows to Cordova Bay. We had four feet under the BurntSand when we left the dock. It was overcast and foggy but the winds were light. The weather had definitely calmed down. We were originally planning to anchor in Seth Cove but decided to push on to Nichols Bay on Prince of Wales Island 2.5 miles west of Point Chacon because the weather was still good. At 1430 we anchored in Nichols Bay after our second attempt to achieve good holding. It was a pretty bay and we could hear the roaring of various waterfalls crashing into the bay. We were surprised to find a small fishing barge nestled in the corner of our anchorage. It wasn't mentionned in our guide book so it must be fairly new. As we approached Point Chacon we passed eight trollers slowly plying the waters so it must be good fishing in this area.aJim was sorely tempted to go fishing but it had been a long day. We left Nichols Bay the next morning at o740 and headed on to Dixon Entrance. We had to use our sat phone to check out of the U.S. and left a message with Customs in Ketchikan. We didn't have to do this on our last trip. 

We left the rain and fog of Alaska behind us as we navigated our way to Prince Rupert and beautiful sunshine and hot weather. Welcome back to Canada! We called into Canadian Customs with our CanPass and received our clearance number. At 1520 we docked in the Fairview Marina with all the fish boats. We were the only yacht in the harbour. The fishermen were very friendly and welcoming, just like the last time we stayed here. Jim treated us to a delicious meal at he Cow Bay Cafe and we had a beautiful view from the deck. Tomorrow we move to the Prince Rupert Yacht Club closer to town. We plan to buy fuel on the way at the Esso fuel dock. We will need almost 6000 litres to fill all four tanks as we wanted to use up all our old fuel before we bought new fuel. The prices in Canada were better than in Alaska.

New Pictures Added Today!

Pybus Bay to Frederick Sound Across Chatham Strait to Red Bluff Bay

Location:           Red Bluff Bay Baranof Island, Alaska
Date:                 Sunday, July 8,2007
Last Post (LP):   July 4, 2007
Time:                1430
Location:           N56 52.29 W134 47.06
Dist. Since LP:   94.3 nm
Total Distance:  894.5 nm
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Thursday morning was overcast and Jim and I had some errands to accomplish before we said "goodbye" to Petersburg and continued our boating adventure. We had feasted on white salmon lox and King crab legs the night before and decided to buy some more King crab before we left. I headed to the Coastal Cold Storage and the grocery store while Jim made his way to the Internet cafe to send a posting and pick up some wine and beer. All our little cravings satisfied, we left the dock at 1300 leaving behind the persistent metallic hammering of the motorized barge beside us whose captain had decided to chip the rusty paint off its steel hull. A most annoying assault on our peaceful existence!

We cruised out of the harbour into the calm waters of Frederick Sound and had two whale sightings: a pod of orcas and a pod of humpback whales spouting and sounding in the distance. We encountered one great sea lion swimming practically on the reciprocal course to the BurntSand. Five hours later found us performing the anchoring ritual in Cannery Cove in Pybus Bay on Admiralty Island. We shared this picturesque anchorage with two other boats. Pybus Bay is well protected by all the little islets and islands standing guard at the entrance. The amount of snow covering the surrounding mountains continued to amaze us. We saw little snow on our last trip to Alaska. A gauntlet of commercial crab pots made a float necklace on the waters at the head of Cannery cove. That evening we feasted on King crab legs and salmon lox...in a word delicious or should I say decadent. We can hardly believe the amazing seafood we've enjoyed on this trip.

There is a large fishing lodge at the entrance to the cove so fishing must be good in the area. The next morning we set two crab pots each boasting a succulent salmon head as bait. We made a 20 mile round trip dinghy exploration of Pybus Bay and encountered two crab boats checking their traps. Eagles were abundant in the trees as well as down scouring the beaches at low tide.The skies are mainly overcast but rays of sunlight seep through at times affording us magical photo opportunities. We pulled up our traps that evening and one trap held 25 crabs...we were absolutely amazed. We released all but four large male Dungeness crabs, the rest were females. We suspect the commercial crab fishery had cleaned out the male population. Our other trap held one lone female crab which we released. This confirmed to us that this trap was indeed a dud and we will replace it at the next opportunity. Jim tried a little fishing in the dinghy but no luck that day.

Saturday morning we set off for Red Bluff Bay at 0940. We cruised down Frederick Sound and into Chatham Strait. The seas were calm and we passed two small sport fishing boats and one cruiser. A tranquil time on the water. We hand steered into Red Bluff Bay on Barinof Island. Red Bluff Bay is a fabulous fjord entered through a narrow passage between a group of little islands and islets guarding the entrance from Chatham Strait. The fjord extends deep into Barinoff Island and narrows to about a hundred yards between high cliffs near its mid point and then opens again into a larger bay with a river delta at its head and an amazing cascading waterfall just past the narrows. There are nine or ten waterfalls crashing down the steep cliffs surrounding the fjord. Accumulations of snow from previous avalanches are abundant. Did I mention the cold??! This is a pristine wilderness and we are in awe of the majestic peaks which tower above us.

We were disappointed when another boat cruised into our kingdom and anchored beside us. We soothed our disappointed spirits by feasting on our freshly caught Dungeness crab for lunch. After lunch we took down a couple of kayaks and tried to paddle upstream in the river but the current was too strong for us. We paddled over to the huge cascading waterfalls and experienced the local wind produced by the force and energy of the cascading water. Several large jelly fish resembling poached eggs floated in the waters beneath our kayaks. Our eyes continually scanned the river delta hoping to see some foraging bear but no luck this time. That evening the rains poured down and the anchorage seemed desolate and suddenly dreary. Snug inside the BurntSand, we enjoyed a hot pasta dinner courtesy of Ciao Bella...our favourite Italian restaurant in Vancouver. We plotted our course to Craig, Alaska, our next stop on our trip.