Klewnuggit Inlet to Baker Inlet
/Happy Canada Day.
While many of our fellow cruisers are gathering in nearby towns for parades, celebrations, and tonight's fireworks, we're headed in the opposite direction. One of the joys of cruising this coast is that solitude is never very far away if you're willing to leave the crowds behind.
After spending three days troubleshooting the watermaker and replacing the seawater pump on our 9 kW generator, we're more than ready for a change of scenery. Baker Inlet has always been one of our favorite retreats, and today it promises exactly what we've been missing—quiet water, towering mountains, and the chance to relax instead of turning wrenches.
The defining feature of Baker Inlet is Watts Narrows, the narrow gateway leading into the four-mile-long inlet. The passage twists through a series of sharp bends, including a blind corner near the northeast end, making a securité call essential before entering from either direction. Although the water is deep, the channel is so narrow that meeting another vessel in the narrows would be difficult and, in places, nearly impossible.
Like so many passages along the British Columbia coast, timing is everything. Watts Narrows is best transited at slack water, which conveniently coincides with the high and low tides at Prince Rupert.
The current deserves respect. During large spring tides it can exceed six knots, and the 0.6-meter drop across the narrows creates standing boils and swirling water along the rocky shoreline. Even though we arrived close to slack, the surface still betrayed the powerful forces moving beneath it. It is an impressive reminder that the calmest-looking passages often demand the greatest respect.
Once through the narrows, the world changes almost instantly. The water settles, the mountains close in, and Baker Inlet becomes a place of complete tranquility. There are several places to anchor, but we always find ourselves drawn to the head of the inlet, where broad alluvial flats stretch out beneath steep mountain walls. It is a peaceful setting that never seems to lose its appeal, no matter how many times we return.
oceanflyer anchored at the head of baker inlet
baker inlet is a very special place just off grenville channel
Of course, scenery isn't the only reason we come.
Baker Inlet has earned a reputation aboard OceanFlyer for producing some of the largest spot prawns we've found anywhere on the coast. Every visit begins with high expectations and freshly baited traps.
This year, however, the prawns had other ideas.
Our catch was respectable but nowhere near the harvests we've enjoyed in previous seasons. We brought aboard enough beautiful spot prawns to enjoy as appetizers over three dinners, but the freezer will remain noticeably lighter than we'd hoped. That's part of cruising this coast. Every season writes its own story. Some anchorages reward you with spectacular sunsets, others with overflowing prawn traps, and a few simply offer the luxury of complete silence.
On Canada Day, Baker Inlet gave us that last gift—and after the past few days of repairs and troubleshooting, it was exactly what we were looking for.