Geetla Basin to Fury Cove via Dawson’s Landing

It’s happening again. The sun is up, the skies are clear and the winds are light. Today’s route is planned with two legs. The first stop is Dawson’s Landing, and our ultimate destination is the popular Fury Cove near the junction of Rivers Inlet and Fitz Hugh Sound.

The boat has been running great. The only problem I have not resolved is that only two of the three burners on the stove work. I have a couple of ideas to check out, but as I have been getting along fine with two burners, I have not been motivated to start taking things apart.

Dawson’s Landing is only a two hour hop from Geetla Basin. It has a full store with everything, and I mean everything, you could want. From fuel, to parts, to food, it’s one of the best stocked groceries you’ll find in the hinterlands.

The store, et. al., at Dawson's Landing

Fuel dock is just to the right of the store

Other cabins, fishing lodge and who knows what, line the docks at Dawson's Landing

The official “greeter” on the docks. Super nice. I wonder how many boats he has seen come and go in his day?

It is Victoria Day today, a Canadian holiday, so we did not know if they would be open. We approached the docks, which were cluttered with overwintering docks and miscellaneous floating stuff from fishing lodgings in the area, but no visiting boats. It looked quiet. We easily found an open spot for Alaskan Dream and tied her up. Nora was kind enough to open the store for us and we were able to fill some needs in utensils and food, and I even found a great fleece vest. Like I said, it’s a great store, and Nora is extremely nice.

One amazing wilderness store. The other half, full of marine and fishing supplies, is to the right.

We also took on water, and as the tanks, filled I walked around and took some pictures of the environs. Nora said that only six of the nearby fishing lodges were opening this season. The economy has been tough on the industry. Some went bankrupt, some fell victim to the health of the owners, and others suffer from the reduction in boating and fish.

As I mentioned there were a multitude of random docks and structures that were overwintering or being repaired after the winter. It seems a never-ending job to keep all this floating equipment, lodging and whatnot in working order and good repair. It seems there is 9.5 months of maintenance for a 2.5 month season. Such is the life out here.

Winter storage, winter projects. Soon to be gone from the front of the docks, ready for the season to start.

Exploring the docks, looking for stuff to photograph

How's this for a helm station

I thought the herb garden was a nice touch

After the tanks were filled and we checked out email by using Dawson’s WIFI, we set out for Fury Cove down Darby Channel. It was a bit windy, and when we joined up with the Sound, we did see the Disney Wonder cruise ship headed south to Vancouver. Fury Cove is a popular anchorage for those enroute to Alaska this time of year. Its claim to fame is a white shell beach. Sure enough, as we pulled into the cove, you were rewarded with a view out to the West overlooking the white beaches. There was a kayaker’s area with a set of stairs that could be seen from the anchorage. We were the first to arrive, so we had our pick of places to anchor and took a spot overlooking the gap out to the West.

The view back into the anchorage at Fury Cove

Fury Cove panorama video

One of the cuts between Fury Cove and the ocean

Karen searching for shells

Driftwood makes a good prop for this portrait

It did not take long for use to make our way to the beach in the dinghy. It was lowish tide, so we timed our exploration well. There is a lot to explore. We walked the beaches and even checked out the rather luxurious kayaker’s cabin just in the woods.

Welcome to the Clam Shack. Humble, but I bet it looks like the Ritz after kayaking in the rain for a couple of days.

We then just sat on some driftwood and enjoyed the plentiful sunshine, watching a family of Long Billed Dowitchers (2adults and 12 babies) foraging along the shore.

Yummy! Bugs!

Dad always keep himself between me and his chicks. But for the most part, they cared little that we were there watching.

One suggestion given to us, which we did not do, was to make our way to the other side onto the southwest beach and build a bonfire and watch the sunset. Sounded like a great idea -- maybe on our next trip!

As the day wore on, we were joined by three sailboats and one other trawler. We were on the flybridge, enjoying a beer and the sunshine, watching the anchoring dance.

Karen could eat this every night. Not certain I could make it every night.

I made Karen’s favorite Pizza (with gorgonzola, caramelized onions and flank steak), and two episodes of The Good Wife kept us entertained until bedtime. All 5 boats in Fury Cove enjoyed a still night at anchor.

Ahclakerho Islands to Geetla Basin

I hate to start every blog post with a weather report, but it is so spectacular today that it cannot go without reporting. Clear skies and calm winds, a real treat for this time of the year.

What a beautiful morning, you just know it is going to be a good day

We are off for Geetla Basin, which means we need to head back down Smith Sound and round up into Rivers Inlet, while avoiding any ebb issues. We think we have the timing right, so we’re not concerned, and the wind is benign. This time, on the way out, Karen saw the pictograph. It makes you wonder – what does it mean, that “bug”?

I love the way life clings to even the smallest opportunity. We call these bonsai islands.

Beautiful ride up the channel under the Northwest Exploration burgee

Currents in the channel reflect in the sun

The current was running almost two knots on our stern as we departed the Ahclakerho

Today is the day we try the watermaker for the first time. One tank is down a little more than half, owing to the two loads of laundry we did enroute to Fly Basin. Alaskan Dream is equipped with a Village Marine water maker that produces about 20 gallons per hour. The only downside of this installation is that there is no remote operating panel in the salon, which means you have to go into the engine room to operate the unit. And, of course, you only operate water makers when you’re underway. Not a big deal, when you consider the flexibility it gives us in planning trips to areas where water supplies are scarce. The owner did a great job of writing up the operational instructions and with a turn of a valve here, a flip of a switch there, check the flow, turn another handle and lo and behold, we’re making fresh water.

After a couple of hours, it seemed the fill rate, which one can monitor with the water tank gauges in the salon, had stopped. When I went to check the water maker, it had switched itself from normal to “dump/cleaning”, and the psi of the outflow had dropped well below the desired target. Inspecting the 5 micron filter, it was completely encased in a 1/6 inch of green slime. That was a surprise, given that we were running in large open channels and the water is so cold (46F). I changed the filter, and all was well. Tomorrow we’re moving to different waters and we make some more water in earnest and see what the filter captures as we travel.

Green slime clogs the watermaker filter

The big excitement for the day was spotting a small pod of Orca. As we were entering the mouth of Rivers Inlet, Karen spotted the fin of a female. As we continued to scan the area for more activity, the larger fin of a male appeared and later another small fin. They were traveling in a straight line in the opposite direction with a sense of purpose. We watched as they departed Rivers Inlet while we began making our way up. Our destination was Geetla Basin. But on the way up, we took a short detour to check out Duncanby (a high end fishing resort that was not yet open), and we enjoyed winding our way along the small islets. We also saw the Cannery under renovation at the end of Goose Bay, but did not go down to tie up and go ashore.

Just off the open and sometimes challenging Rivers Inlet, you’ll find Geetla Basin. A quick turn in though a narrow entry and then some rocks, and you’re rewarded with a wonderful small anchorage that can handle two or three boats with ease. It was very well protected and offers good holding…and we were again alone, with the exception of a frolicking seal. This anchorage is recommended by the Hamiltons in The Secret Coast, and it’s a great spot.

Immediately after securing Alaskan Dream, we launched the dinghy to explore the east/west oriented lagoon that is at the end of Magee channel. According the Hamilton’s Cruising the Secret Coast, you can take the dinghy in there on higher tides. They were right as always and we explored, looking to the float house that they reported at the west end. It was not there, but we did find that it looked possible to go through the cut at the west end into Darby Channel. Certainly only something to be attempted in a dinghy or Kayak, but at this high a tide, it was doable.

The dinghy is a great way to do a quick overview, before launching the kayaks

We swung by the entrance to Geetla Inlet, where the kayaking was supposed to be good. The tide had to be above 10’ at Bella Bella to allow entry. Saw that the dinghy path was blocked by a downed tree, so we went back to the boat to get the kayaks and wait for the tide to rise a bit.  The challenge here is that about one third of a mile up the narrow inlet channel is a section about a quarter mile long that dries.. To complicate matters further, one must manage the currents flowing in and out of the two large lagoons to avoid fighting the current on entry and exit. We left about 5:19, knowing high tide at Bella Bella was at 6:08. Our plan was to ride the current in, and then ride the current out.

We did ride the current in.  The base current was about 1.5 knots in the wider entry section, which made for a great ride. However, in the narrow, shallow, rocky sections, the current would pick up a couple of knots and some small rapids made us pay attention as we navigated between rocks and fallen trees.

We paddled into the first large lagoon and came upon twenty five or so sea gulls making the most ungodly racket. The only thing we could think of is that it was mating season, because no one was fishing.

Bob backlit in “Gull Lagoon”

I decided that it was time to head back, because it was about 6:15 and the current should be changing soon to run out the inlet. Well, Karen and I fought our way up-inlet for a while and finally had to take shelter in a spot out of the current behind a fallen tree to wait for the current to slow and then reverse. We clearly did not use the correct current info! We had to wait, with me holding onto a rock and Karen holding on to my kayak, for an hour for the adverse current to slow and then stop. Karen was so impatient, she wanted to go anyway, but I convinced her to wait, and it was a good decision. We cast off at 7:21 and had a lovely paddle back to the boat, without having to fight any current. We were happy to get back to the boat, that’s for sure!

Waiting for the current to go slack

After stowing the kayaks and the dinghy, we had an easy meal of Chili and homemade drop biscuits. One more episode of The Good Wife later, off to bed at 11pm…and it’s still sort of light out.

Ahclakerho Islands

Ahclakerho Islands

The Northwest weather has returned: cloudy, overcast, a little fog in the morning with a dampness in the light breeze. It has been declared by Karen “a lay day”. I did not get up until 9. Karen was up at 8 and I found her reading her Nook, drinking her second cup of coffee, nestled under her blanket on the settee. It was a perfect morning for her.

Breakfast scramble, lots of veggies and yummy on a sleepy morning

I did not make breakfast until 11am, after we looked at our planned schedule and decided that we would just stay here, tied to the shore and comfortable, rather than head further down the channel to Broad Basin. After a week on the go, it is good just to stop and recharge and slow down.

The stern tie masterfully set by Karen. It's a lot of work, but well worth it for all the small anchorages it opens up to you.

Karen had asked me to buy Season 1 of The Good Wife, and we watched the first two episodes which were quite good. I made some chili for future consumption and worked on the blog and pictures, while Karen continued to commune with her Nook.

Dinner was marinated and glazed pork loin with hoisin sauce and maple glazed carrots. Even Karen’s sweet tooth was satisfied by those carrots!

 Karen loves all things glazed; glazed carrots, glazed pork tenderloin

 

 Sun starting to set, no wind turns the water into a mirror. What's out your window?

The clouds are still playing with the tops of the mountains after sunset

Fly Basin to Ahclakerho Islands

Fly Basin to Ahclakerho Islands

Our neighbor last night left about a half hour before us. We weighed anchor and began our trip at 7:57am in order to arrive at the narrow Ahclakerho Channel at low slack about 10:00am. The channel looks narrow on the chart and there are some rocks that line the fairway, but we found the Nobeltec charts to be spot on and the trip was an easy passage in beautiful sun.

Beautiful sunrise at anchor

We enjoyed a calm and still night at anchor

Sticky mud and shells make for good holding

Fly Basin is well protected and we enjoyed a calm night

There is a reason power boats got the nickname “stinkpots”

You never are in doubt where the high tide stops. The trees look as if they are trimmed with a laser.

These are the views views you see cruising nowhere else

Karen had read about some pictograph in the channel across from one of the small islets. I was able to a get a photo, Karen will have to wait for the return to see it. I find it difficult, at best, to spot these ancient symbols. Often faded, they seldom look like anything you expect. Add to that, the fact that the rocks themselves are emblazoned with marks from Mother Nature, and it’s no wonder we bat about 50/50 in spotting these. I got a picture, and when we later looked at the blow up of the pictograph, it was a crazy bug with eyes and a mouth.

The anchorage in the small “V” shaped notch at the eastern end of the larger of the two Ahclakerho Islands is cozy but not cramped. Because of the shoaling at the northwest end and the marked (but not seen) rock, we did what most people do and set a stern line to the south shore. We have not done a stern tie in a couple of years; add to that a new (to us) boat with different equipment than we are used to, and it took us about an hour to do the “stern tie dance.”

We set the anchor in about 15 feet of water (rocky bottom!) on a plus 2 foot tide about 85 yards from the rocks. From there we set the anchor at the 50 foot mark on the rode and then proceeded to pay out a total of 250 foot of chain. That allowed Alaskan Dream to sit 30 yards from shore in 33 feet of water.

It was low tide ant only one foot above low water, so Karen had to climb the barnacle-encrusted and slimy, slippery rocks to find a suitable place to run our stern line. We were so close to shore that I just rowed us to and from the boat in the dinghy rather than starting the engine. Our stern line was nicely long enough to get the job done, and we were finally snug in the cove.

The bonus to this anchorage is the great Kayaking to be had. At first it only looks OK, but once you get out and start to explore the north shore line of the large island, you’ll find some special small spots and passages that are a kayaker’s delight.

Karen loves to explore what she calls “Kayak Garages”

I love all the different textures and colors you find as you look closely from the cockpit of the kayak

In addition, on the west end of the “v” anchorage you’ll find a drying pass that, at high water can be paddled up for about 150 yards. From there you turn around and get a great photo of your boat with snowcapped (it was May 20^th) mountains in the far distance.

The view from the kayaks is not to be missed

Alaskan Dream framed by the snow capped mountains

Karen and I spent about 2 hours going in and out of every little nook and cranny we could find. Occasionally we were join by the local seals who were as least as interested in us as we they.

 

The end of the little drying inlet was messy but still a fun paddle

There were also these triangular (like baby conch) shells everywhere with some sort of sea life inside. We have not seen these before but they were in abundance, along with lots of big clams and mussels.

An abundance of mussels, but it's the wrong time of the year to harvest them

Dinner selection was driven by chef Bob, who wanted “comfort food” and thus made a fusilli gorgonzola with peppers, onions and kielbasa. After dinner, we decided to check out Broad Cove by dinghy as an alternate anchorage. It was about a 3 mile ride, and it was nice, but not as cozy as where we already were. The dinghy on Alaskan Dream is so nice, very stable, and with an electric start, so easy to get going. It also gets up to 14kts, which is nice for those times when kayaking doesn’t cut it!

Dinner aboard Alaskan Dream

We were the only pleasure boat in the area, but we did see a fishing boat tending his prawn pots.

Just us and Mother Nature. Adventure the way we like it.

Miles Inlet to Fly Basin

We awoke to sun and not a cloud in the sky. Today is the day we round the infamous Cape Caution. Renowned for its crappy seas, Karen has read everything she can about making the passage. From the Hamiltons to Waggoner, to an account of a tug boat skipper, she has gleaned all there is to know about the do’s and dont’s. As it turns out, the weather and forecast were almost perfect. Low westerly swells and seas rippled at Pine and Egg Islands were just what we wanted to hear from the VHF radio weather report.

A good hearty breakfast before rounding Cape Caution

Entrance to the north lagoon at full outflow

The channels in some locations are narrow but deep. Here we are in 50 feet of water with the shore only 15 feet to starboard. It feels strange at first, but you get used to it.

Here are the buoy reports at 4am. Many say to not round the Cape if the seas at West Sea Otter are greater than 1.5 meters. However West Sea Otter is out to sea and the other two islands are on the route. With that report of seas rippled, that was the deciding factor.

Buoy Reports:

 West Sea Otter: SE4 Seas 1.7 meters, low westerly swell

Pine Island: Calm, Seas rippled

Egg Island: SE4 Seas rippled

The reports were spot on and though the seas were a bit confused at Slingsby, we had timed avoiding the ebb correctly and we made our way around the Cape in comfort. The outside air temperature was only 52.2F, but the combination of sun and light winds almost made you want to sit outside on the bow.

Again, there is not much traffic to be seen. We did see a large tug towing a monstrous barge of logs, going the opposite direction. The barge sported two cranes for loading and unloading. The only other traffic we saw in Queen Charlotte Sound was on the AIS. The cruise ship Island Princess was in range of the AIS but out of sight as she headed north for our ultimate destination of Ketchikan, Alaska.

The light at Cape Caution. Somehow I expected something more given the reputation of the Cape

It was only as we approached our destination that we saw a couple of fishermen tending their crab pots in Browning Channel.

The entrance to Fly Basin in Takush Harbour is spotted with rocks, but they are well charted and the channel you see on the charts provides a fair passage although it does have a couple of doglegs to contend with. You are rewarded as you arrive in Fly Basin, a large but well protected anchorage with good holding. We dropped in the hook in the east end in 33 feet, expecting to lose about 8 more feet at low tide.

We were happy to have amended our earlier plan to go all the way to Ahclakerho Channel, we were ready to drop the hook and bask in the sun.  We did a couple loads of laundry and about 5pm, a small boat with two kayaks aboard joined us in the anchorage.  We had  curry chicken salad for dinner, Karen’s all time favorite, and then watched via Satellite TV some Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert before heading to bed.

Tags: Cape+Caution