July 9, 2010
We headed out of Ocean Falls and had a slight chop until we got in the channel that leads to Seaforth Channel. It is always bouncy, but we made it around the point and to Rescue Bay.
We have always stopped in Rescue Bay and feel we have made it into the next phase of the trip when we get there. There are a couple of places that can be challenging on the way to Alaska and Seaforth Channel is one of them. We spent a quiet night and got up early to head north to the Fiordlands. We initially thought we would head up the channel and spend the night in the Fiordlands as they are very beautiful and majestic with steep rock walls and waterfalls along the route. However, when we got to Kynoch Falls the weather started to get cloudy and the weather report was predicting rain, so we motored on and did not waste the time to go up the channel as it is a long way and we would have to come back the same way to continue north.
We headed out of Ocean Falls and had a slight chop until we got in the channel that leads to Seaforth Channel. It is always bouncy, but we made it around the point and to Rescue Bay.
We have always stopped in Rescue Bay and feel we have made it into the next phase of the trip when we get there. There are a couple of places that can be challenging on the way to Alaska and Seaforth Channel is one of them. We spent a quiet night and got up early to head north to the Fiordlands. We initially thought we would head up the channel and spend the night in the Fiordlands as they are very beautiful and majestic with steep rock walls and waterfalls along the route. However, when we got to Kynoch Falls the weather started to get cloudy and the weather report was predicting rain, so we motored on and did not waste the time to go up the channel as it is a long way and we would have to come back the same way to continue north.
KYNOCH FALLSWe ended up in Khutze Inlet and had a bouncy night. We anchored behind a little spit at the entrance of the inlet because it is very deep and hard to anchor unless you travel the 5 miles to the end. The weather was rainy and windy, so we did not want to waste the time to travel the extra 5 miles in then 5 miles out again in the morning. Behind the spit is pretty close to the main channel which has a lot of wave action from the passing cruise ships and can be rolly if the wind is blowing. We were glad to pull up the anchor in the morning and move on because the night was very rolly. We then headed to Lowe Inlet where we stayed on our last trip. It is a great spot if you get on the inner channel. There is a waterfall at the head of the bay which can be fun to anchor in front of. We ended up on the outside of this inner channel on our last trip in 100 feet of water and Ron had to sit up all night watching the anchor so we did not drag into the rocks behind us because the wind came up and we had williwaws that vibrated the boat all night long! So we decided this trip, if we did not get in the inner channel, we would not stay. We were lucky and got a spot, but it turned out to be pretty shallow when the tide went out. As the tide goes out and the water goes lower, the anchor chain gets longer and you drift further away from the anchor. Because we were in an area that sloped, we got closer and closer to the shallows. Karyl ended up staying up all night watching the depth sounder! It did get to 6-1/2 feet at one point and the alarm went off! She had to pull in the anchor chain to get up closer to the anchor and away from the shallow water. Needless to say, we have decided that Lowe Inlet is not a good place for us. We never seem to get any sleep in that anchorage. After leaving Lowe Inlet, we headed back out into Grenville Channel (which can be another “fun” part of the trip if you have northwesterly winds) and the wind started to pick up. After a short trip, we heading into Watts Narrows and Baker Inlet as we were both tired after being up most of the night. It was one of the best places we stayed so far! The weather was sunny and there were show covered mountains right where we anchored. We also got to see our first black bear on the beach. He spent most of the day foraging on the shore and we got lots of great pictures! It was great!
BEAR IN BAKER INLETWe got up early and finished the rest of Grenville Channel on our way to Prince Rupert. Most of the trip was beautiful and majestic. The wind started to pick up again and it was getting to the point that Karyl and dogs were starting to whine, so we took a detour around an island to get out of some of the waves. It was a longer ride, but it was well worth it for Ron
GRENVILLE CHANNELWe were heading up the marked channel leading to Prince Rupert and the water was calmer, so Karyl decided to take Maddie back for a potty break while we were motoring. As she got back to the saloon, she ran back and put Maddie back on the bench seat and screamed, “a ferry is right behind us!” We had to get way over to the right of this narrow channel and got a great view of the enormous Alaskan ferry passing us only about 100 yards away! This was our second close call with a ferry. It is really scary when they come up right behind you and blast their horns! Where is that rear view mirror when you need it! We got to Prince Rupert safely and had to anchor in Pillsbury Cove as there was no room on any of the docks.
APPROACHING PRINCE RUPERTThe fishing fleet was in and with the weather was so awful, no one was leaving the slips. We finally got a slip after two days and a dinghy ride to ask when they might have room for us. We plan to head to Dundas Island tomorrow morning and hope to make it across Dixon Entrance in the next day or so and head to Ketchikan
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