Letter 4, July 4th

Leaving Windsong Marina at Echo Bay, we motored on around the channel to Kwatsi Bay. It was reported to have lots of crabs. Another tale a year old! We set the traps and didn't even catch a starfish. We stern tied for the first time this trip. That's where you set the anchor in deep water a few hundred feet from shore, let out lots of chain then backup toward the shore and tie a line around a tree. It keeps the boat from swinging around the anchor, and because the bottom is so steep and deep, it keeps the anchor from coming loose. Al didn't like it so he motored back to a small dock in the head of the bay and paid for moorage.

The next morning Trinda and I decided to go on and maybe fish a little. The owners of the dock were dutch as is Alfons, so they decided to stay another night. It also seems that the husband was going to town for supplies in his high speed runabout, and offered to get some stuff for Al. We decided to meet up again in Lagoon Cove again. 

We started fishing just outside the cove and around the points of the next coves. The fish finder showed lots of bottom fish, probably rockfish. I started trying real hard and had some success. I caught a couple of long thin fish called Greenling. We had caught one 2 years ago and weren't sure that we liked them. I did like the Quillback rockfish. I managed to catch a large on then some small ones. They are about 100 to 150 feet deep. When you get one you don't like and throw it back, they float for a while on top, maybe even die. We noticed one floating by the back of the boat just as we heard a whoosh. Trinda looked up just in time to see an Eagle snatch the floating rockfish up out of the water for his supper! Quite a sight!

We motored on around the channel and down to Cutter Cove, near Lagoon Cove. As we entered Knight inlet, a 5-mile wide fjord, the wind started up. By the time we were half way across, the wind got to 30 knots, right on the nose, of course! The boat slowed to less than 4 knots. It doesn't do well motoring into the wind and waves, which had developed to about 4 feet high. Across and into Cutter Cove it was still blowing 15 to 20, so we sat on the boat and had a quiet night alone.

The next morning we picked up our empty crab trap again and motored across to the bay outside of Lagoon Cove. We set the crab trap where we had had luck before and then set the prawn traps in 320 feet of water. Now to look for a salmon! We motored out to the exact spot that I had caught my only other salmon, 2 years before. An hour of trolling around in circles next to the cliff at the edge of the channel and I had a bit. We were in the Katie Lee, not the dinghy. We were about 40 feet from the cliff at the edge of the channel and it was still over 200 feet deep! Then another bit, and this one stayed on. I got it aboard. There are at least 5 kinds of salmon, and only 2 are legal this time of year here. We put the fish in a plastic bucket and went for the fishing rules book. Sure enough, I can't tell the difference in them. There are pictures, and written descriptions, but none of them look 'just' like the one I had in the bucket. Next I got out the tape measure. It was 49 centimeters long, so that made it a sockeye, they were legal that size here! So now we had food for supper!

We motored on into Lagoon Cove, this time past the dock and anchored at the back. Al and Judy pulled in just a few minutes after I had anchored and anchored next to us. I told them that I caught a salmon, and they didn't believe me. I offered to share it with them, then it was OK! Trinda doesn't care that much for salmon, and was tired, so Judy, Al and I ate the whole thing! 

The next morning we had one smallish crab in the trap that was legal, so Trinda cooked and cleaned it and put it in the ice box for later. Al was real tired of the rain, so they headed on south toward Desolation Sound. They plan to call and get their mail forwarded there. I checked my prawn trap and had 135 prawns! We decided to try for another salmon on the way out. I caught a 65 cm. It weighing just over 6 pounds, so we decided to spend another night in Lagoon Cove! This time we stayed at the dock. The local game warden came up to the happy hour the dock sponsors. When he heard that I caught a salmon, he assured me that there were NO sockeye salmon in that channel! I didn't argue with him, after all we no longer had any evidence! We had a real nice evening visiting the other boaters. 

One guy had just installed a computer navigation system just like mine. He asked if I would help him get it to work. It took me about an hour to straighten out his wires and show him how to use it. He gave me rye and coke to sip while I worked, else it might have only taken 15 minutes!

The next morning, we decided to catch up to Alfons. We picked up the crab trap, but again had only one barely legal one. Next we picked up the prawn trap expecting another 100+. Only about 30, as the bait can had fallen open during the night! So we motored on around Chattum Channel to Port Harvey Bay just off Johnstone strait. We anchored with about five other boats.

Next morning we headed south down Johnstone. It has a reputation for wind and rough Today, it was out of the northwest and light. We were making good time so we just kept on going. We had decided that we wanted to eat with Leon and Ruth at Oleo's restaurant again. When we stopped there on the way up for lunch they had roast duck on the menu for supper only and I didn't get to try it. We needed a store too, so we decided on Blind Channel Resort as a target for the day. As we neared one turnoff possibility, I noticed that the current was with us so we went straight on down toward the second way to get there. I went through Current Passage. The computer showed that the current might reach 7 knots. It did! As we passed the norrowest place, the GPS showed we were going 12.7 knots! What a ride! The fastest we had been was 8.3 under sail in Wells Passage in the last letter. We made record time for Port Harvey to Blind Channel I think. 

They couple on the boat next to us at the dock in Blind Channel had been trying to go the other way in Johnstone Strait for 3 days, and didn't realize that the current was that strong. They had not looked at the correct part of the current tables in the book! I printed out the current charts from the computer for each of the places they needed to pass the next day. They couldn't believe that they were trying to go against that strong of current! They looked at the current for the next week and decided to go the other way instead, back toward Desolation Sound too.

The next day we hiked in on a trail to see an 800 year old Cedar tree. It was really big one. It must be 15 feet thich at the base, but got slim as it got tall. Then we motored on up to Oleo's. It was only 13 miles, so we went real slow, so as to arrive AFTER lunch! Because we wanted supper, the DUCK!, we visited and drank coffee all afternoon. We were the only customers for supper. His wife, Ruth, does as many crafts as Trinda. T hey had a time talking about them. I tried to adjust an old sewing machine for her, but it was too goofed up for me. I inflated the two kayaks for their kids to play in. They had fun and a water fight!

When it was time for supper, we got up out of the living room and went into the restaurant. Now we were customers. Their daughter(12) was the waitress and their son(17) made the bread. We had smoked salmon with olive oil, olives and a secret Greek herb appetizer followed by a Greek salad. Then the roast duck, half each! After we destroyed the duck they brought in a 6 inch square chocolate layer cake. They don't have a liquor license, so I added a bottle of white zinfandel to make a near perfect supper. Leon and I sat up till 11:00 telling lies. The bill was only 32 dollars Canadian! And it included moorage for the night. The night before in Blind Channel, the moorage alone was $45and I had to cook supper my self! ( It was barbecued prawns and bacon Mexican style though.) The next morning Leon said he needed a flare tool to fix his propane tank and pipe to his new ovens for the restaurant so I got out my tools and helped him get them installed. He made us pitas for brunch and gave us a fresh loaf of homemade bread and said it was all part of the package. What a wonderful place to stay!

We still needed a store so we headed for Campbell River. I was tired from gossiping half the night so I laid down in the cockpit and turned the helm over to Trinda. I had laid out our course in the computer, so all was set. We were to go south down the only channel with no turns or places to turn. It is a wide channel, maybe 3 or 4 miles wide until it reaches Seymour Narrows, where it gets narrow and the current really flies. The next thing I know, Trinda is waking me up and saying something about 12 knots. I look up and instantly realize that I forgot to mention to her that I thought that we might get to Seymour a little early and need to stop and wait for the slack tide to go through the narrows. Its too late! The boat only goes 6.3 knots with the motor and now we are going 12.5. That means the current is with us at 6.2. We can't turn around and wait, because if we try, we will be going backward .1 knots and the last thing I want is to go through rapids backwards! I take the wheel and start steering like mad! The GPS gets us all the way up to 15.7 before we get through into the marina in Campbell River. It is about 7 miles and we did it in under 25 minutes! Thank goodness there are no real whorl pools in this narrows, just tide rips and stray currents. The boat wallowed around some, but it was not really dangerous, but I don't want to do it again!

One of the toilets had broken and I used my last spare toilet part to fix it. Also the seat in the shower needed re-varnishing, but when we started taking it apart I found some rotten wood. So we needed some things from the marine store. Campbell River is a small town, bigger than Dora but smaller than Portales. They didn't have the wood I needed but did have the other stuff. The town is kind of spread out, so we walked and walked! I had to buy a new pair of walking shoes. My boat shoes are NOT good for LOOOONG walks! We got groceries and water too. 

It was the first place that the cell phone got a signal for 10 days so we made a few calls. I found an Internet Café and checked my stock and e-mail. 300 junk e-mails and a few from the tribe. I spent half the night copying what few pictures and some maps of our trip to a CD so that I could upload them to my webpage. I carried it up to the Internet Café this morning and, guess what, they didn't have a CD drive in ANY of their computers! Well, at least I have the CD working again. Maybe I can give the CD to Eldon next week. He is supposed to be up here about Friday the 14th and back there about the 30th. 

We left Campbell River this morning. The tide was going out so we only made 3.5 knots the first hour. It beat the scare of 15 though! Then we got out in the Strait of Georgia and made fair time to Desolation Sound. Just before turning the last corner around the southern tip of Cortez Island, I hear this loud bump up by the bow. I look up and Trinda is pointing at the telephone pole sized log sticking up out of the water with its small end still under our keel. Thank goodness again for the 2"x1/2" stainless steel support down around the front of the bow. I went down to check the bilge for water, but didn't expect to find any. None! It is bone dry! Got to watch for them logs up here in logging country, they're every where!

We decided that we have spent enough on marinas for a few days, so we passed Refuge Cove, where Alfons and Judy are, and went to Squirrel Cove. We anchored with  27 other boats! I don't remember this many boats in Desolation Sound before. I hope all the places to anchor are not this crowded!