West Spitfire Cove To Dodwell Group Inner Basin

We enjoyed a peaceful night, the winds were calm, and no swells can make it into this protected cove. We awoke to clouds, but they quickly parted, revealing blue skies and bright sun. Today’s plan is a short 8 nautical mile trip to Sans Peur Cove (off Sans Peur Passage, in the McNaughton Group), so we took our time enjoying breakfast, some housekeeping and a little planning.

The route to Sans Peur takes us down Spitfire Channel to the west, on the “outside” for just a mile or so and around Superstition Point and Superstition Ledge. The combination of shallow waters and the ocean swells made for choppy seas and we certainly can understand why some kayakers choose to portage from Swordfish Bay toSuperstition Cove rather than deal with the currents and rip tides off Superstition Point. 

Superstition Point

We left the shore about a mile to our starboard side and with the stabilizers working, we had a good but confused ride. It honestly was the most “motion” we’ve felt on this calm-to-date trip, far more than around Cape Caution. As soon as we turned into the entrance to Cultus Sound, the seas were on our stern and everything calmed down very quickly. Karen says “Cultus” means “worthless” or “good for nothing” in Chinook jargon, but today it means sunny and beautiful. She sat for a while on the bow, just enjoying the blue skies and lack of wind.

Karen enjoying the peaceful ride in Cultus Sound

Sans Peur requires a few doglegs to make your way in, but the charts are pretty good and kelp marks the fairway well. It’s a small cove and requires a stern tie. I set the hook (short scope) from the helm while Karen watched our stern to make sure we did not drift back into any rocks. Then, without too much drama, we got the stern tie set to a dead tree and were back on the boat in short order. The more you do these stern ties, the better you get at it.

The wind was about 15 knots out of the Northwest, which hit our bow in the forward port quarter. The anchor and stern tie were work hard to hold us in place. We decided to have a light lunch of leftover mac & cheese and see how things held.

Little islets dot our stern tie spot

Great view off the stern held fast by the stern tie just to the right

Although we held well, we’re only 28 yards from the lee shore and the winds are forecast to continue at this speed or higher all night. After checking our guidebooks for an alternate anchorage in the McNaughton Group with better wind protection (and finding none),we decided to head for our next planned anchorage in the Dodwell Group, just 4.5 miles away. We brought the dinghy on board and retrieved our 300 feet of stern line. The only hiccup was the anchor chain piled up again inside the locker, requiring me to go down and flake the chain as it came onboard. Alaskan Dream has 375 feet of chain, which we love, but it is at the limit of what will go back into the locker without some help. I think once you pay out more than 150 feet, you can plan of a 50/50 chance of have to flake the rode. Next stop, I ‘m going to pay out a bunch and see if I can flake it in so that it is less likely to pile up and jam.

Back underway, we have a short trip until we anchor at the Dodwell Group in the inner basin at the northern part of the group. Here too, you make a few turns around some small islets, and then find yourself in a moderately sized cove with good protection and nice views encompassing even more islets and rocky ledges. We anchored in the northeast corner, in about 40 feet, to protect ourselves from the northwest winds that were so troublesome in Sans Peur Cove. Of course, here the winds were out of the southwest. No matter, we have lots of room to swing. However, the crazy anchor chain did jam again on the way down. Fortunately, enough was paid out that we could set the anchor before addressing the jam in the chain locker.

One breathtaking day

With the winds, we decided to hunker down til late afternoon before going exploring. About 5:30, we headed out in the dinghy to explore some of the other anchorages that the Hamiltons talk about in their guidebook.We headed first toward Soulsby Point, where there is an old, abandoned fishing camp on the 20 meter island just west of the point.

Lots of great fishing stories were told here

It is amazing how much more fun a dinghy ride is when you do not have to shout to be heard. These headsets come in handy in so many ways.

We explored Soulsby Cove, and Forbidden Basin (so named by the Hamiltons because they could not get their anchor to set there, even with a tandem anchor).All the sites are pretty, but none are better than where we are!! It was only about a 3.5 mile round trip to explore these areas.

Karen is checking the how much water we have in the shallows with our handheld depth meter

Dinner was Karen’s favorite – Curried Chicken Salad with Golden Raisins and Celery, served with hot, fresh, homemade drop biscuits. We watched a little Sat TV until the signal could’t keep up with the movement of the boat any more. An early night for all!

Kittyhawk Group to Spitfire Cove West

A very peaceful night in Kittyhawk. It was a fairly gray day, and the route plan was to head to Brydon Anchorage on Hurricane Island, with Hurricane Anchorage as an alternate depending on winds. We were supposed to have SE winds again, and Brydon did not look like the place to be, but we wanted to check it all out. And given that everything was so close – about 2-3 nautical miles at best from Kittyhawk, why not turn it into a day of exploration?

A few dogleg turns took us out of Kittyhawk and almost right into Brydon. There are 3 anchorages in Brydon, with the Northwest being the favorite of the Hamiltons. For us, the SE corner was the one we found most cozy, but we were not in a mood to stop yet. We swung around the SW tip of Hurricane Island and took a look at Hurricane Anchorage. It is big with room for lots of boats. Good wind protection too, but just not something that spoke to us. So we went up Hurricane Channel, happy for the high tide. It was easy until the narrow part at the north end, where the electronic charts were off just a bit and we were happy to have the kelp marking the fairway. Once through, we turned right, had a peek down East Spitfire Channel to the very narrow area, and turned into our new home, Spitfire West Cove.

The sunny day brings out the textures of the tidal zones

This cove is quite pretty and large, with some rocky ledges along the sides that keep you from anchoring too far towards the head. The views are great in all directions, especially when the winds orient you to look at Spitfire Channel and across to Spitfire North Cove.

Having skipped breakfast, we decided to have an early lunch up on the fly bridge, enjoying the view and the brightening skies. Then we launched the kayaks, with an eye on Spitfire Lagoon (reached through Spitfire North Cove). The paddle, as always, was into the wind, and as we crossed Spitfire Channel there were some little waves on our beam. But once we turned into the Cove, it calmed down. The entry to the Lagoon was very “kelpy”, but we had plenty of tide (it was falling, but not a big swing from high tide). The lagoon was peaceful, and we went up to the head where trees choke the stream.

Karen leads our “expedition” into the lagoon

Exiting the lagoon, we headed to the east in Spitfire Channel to check out the narrow constriction area where all the guidebooks urge caution. The current was pretty strong so we didn’t go all the way through in our kayaks, but it was definitely a challenging area for a larger boat. Doable, but you’d want the right high tide and avoid having the current pushing you as you maneuvered through.

Karen headed up to the flybridge to enjoy the sunshine and read her Nook, while I worked on pictures for the blog. Karen saw a small dinghy race up the channel – other than that, we have not seen sign of another human being since we left Pruth Bay. Not even any fishing boats. This is definitely an area where you need to be self-sufficient.

Dinner was Penne with Hot sausage, fresh peppers, onions and a little cinnamon topped with parmesan, accompanied by some good wine. Somehow we ended up watching the Disney Movie, Tangled, which tells the story of Rapunzel. It was silly, but we enjoyed it well enough.

As the old salt says: "Red sky at night, sailor's delight".

Kittyhawk Group

Last night, the rain woke us at 12:43am. It is quite loud on the “roof” of the aft cabin. The anchor alarm also sounded a few times during the night, but it was a spurious GPS signal rather than worrisome anchor dragging. When I (Karen) headed up to the salon about 7:30, we were facing SE, and shortly after it started to get really gusty (as forecast).

We decided to make it a lay day, and spend another night in Kittyhawk.  We really like it here, there are interesting views on all sides, and our anchor is well set, though a bit noisy on the rocky bottom on the ledge we are perched on. With the wind shift, we have swung 180 degrees since yesterday.  In honor of our lay day, Bob made killer cinnamon raisin French toast for breakfast. I read my Nook, Bob worked on pictures from the trip so far, and we were happy to be inside.

Karen paddling under the cloudy skies

About 3:30 or so, the wind died down and the gray skies brightened some. We decided to kayak. The water is lovely and clear, with some shell “sand” below so you can really see what’s down there. We paddled out along the 72 meter island, go into some kelp and some swells, and then cut back into the anchorage from the Eastern side. Paddling near the rocky islands that are scattered around the anchorage is fun, and I love seeing all the purple starfish that call British Columbia home. I did let out a shriek when a Mink went scurrying along one of the rocky islets, I just wasn’t expecting it.

The purple sea stars of British Columbia are unmistakable

All the life and textures that reveal themselves at low time are remarkable

More low tide views from the kayak

Bob coming around the corner after finding some more subjects for his camera

Noting but a kayak can get you so intimate with the environs

The highlight of the day, as always, is Bob’s cooking. Tonight’s dinner was an excellent adult version of “Mac and Cheese”, based on a dish we had in March in Nantucket. It is made with lots of different cheeses, some true Macaroni pasta, and peppadews, crispy bacon, peas, and some Chinese 5-spice, with toasted Panko Crumbs on top. Coupled with a good bottle of wine, we had a fabulous meal and you can certainly tell we are not roughing it.

“Mac & Cheese”

Two episodes of The Good Wife later, we called it a night. Tomorrow we plan to head Brydon Anchorage, a short 2 miles away on Hurricane Island.

Pruth Bay to Kittyhawk Group

It was a slow morning. I did not get out of bed until 8am and we did not depart until 11am. But that’s OK, we’re on vacation, and today is a short travel day. Our plan is to anchor in Lewall Inlet, only 8 miles away across Hakai Pass. And hanging out in Pruth Bay longer allowed use to use their free wi-fi to update our blog.

As we were pulling up our 200 feet of anchor rode, the chain started to foul in the hawsepipe as it entered the chain locker when we had about 15 feet or so left to pull in. Sometimes you can prevent this by paying out some chain and then bringing it back in. Not this morning. So down to the chain locker I went to un-pile the chain and re-flake it on board so there was no fouling. This requires laying prone on the forward V-berth and using gloved hands to wrestle the anchor chain. Karen remained at the helm, ensuring we did not drift anywhere undesirable. Problem fixed, we started to head out.

View of the Institute from Pruth Bay

We went slowly, only 4.7 knots to enjoy the reduced sound levels. It was a beautiful morning with high clouds, and light and variable winds. We saw our friends on Island Mist fishing in Hakai Pass when we entered. We headed across this often swelly pass with minimal swells to speak of. After passing the Breaker Group (aptly named islands), when then took the narrow southern entrance into Edward Channel. When we arrived at Lewall Inlet, it did not offer any great kayak opportunities or inspire us to stay (otherwise it was a fine anchorage with lots of protection from most winds), so we left this anchorage and made our way out Nalau Passage and set a course to the Kittyhawk Group.

The Kityhawk Group is a rag-tag bunch of little island and islets. Not many anchorages, but lots of good exploring either by dinghy or kayak. We found a spot in the northwest that should give us good protection from the forecast SE winds. The group as a whole is littered with debris on its shores, the results of the pacific storms that roll in through here. As a result, there is some floating junk that you need to dodge. There is also a fair amount of kelp, but at low tide (when we entered) the kelp “edges” help make the fair channel visible. We found a 33 foot ledge in the large bay and set the anchor there. The bottom must be very rocky, because as we spun around in the variable winds, we were treated to the growling of the anchor chain being pulled over the bottom.

Karen took her Nook and went up to the flybridge to read and enjoy the view, protected from wind by the canvas enclosure. I stayed down in the salon and worked on pictures. It was a nice afternoon, and the sun actually came out for a while, though the winds remained fairly active (as did the anchor chain noise).  Tonight’s meal was cheeseburgers on the grill with brown sugar glazed baked sweet potatoes, chased by a nice beer. By this time, the wind was calm, though we knew it was forecast to change to the SE 10-20. We watched some Satellite TV and saw the trail of destruction the tornadoes had left in Joplin, truly a disaster for those folks. The pictures were sobering.

At 9:30, we listened to a weather update that forecast lighter SE winds overnight and headed off to bed, confident our anchor was well set.

Fury Cove to Pruth Bay

We awoke to a lovely morning in Fury Cove. Our powerboat neighbors had already departed, but the sailing fleet was still in the anchorage. It looked like a good day to head north to Pruth Bay up Fitz Hugh Sound.

Another variation on my egg scramble holds us until dinner

A beautiful day  -- all is great in Fury Cove

The famous beaches at Fury Cove

The contrast between sea, forest and sky continues to fascinate

We departed at a leisurely 9:45am, and went out through narrow Breaker Pass rather than leaving Cleve Island to starboard. Karen worked on editing previous blog entries while I took the helm.I chatted briefly with the BC Ferry Northern Explorer on its way to Prince Rupert, just to clear up that we would parallel his path until he was ahead of us and we could then turn behind him toward Calvert Island.

B.C Ferry Northern Explorer makes its way north

As we made our way up Fitz Hugh Sound, sighting two Dall’s porpoise frolicking along the way, the ferry suddenly did a 180 degree turn, about 5 miles ahead of us. He continued around until he was abeam the Sound and stopped dead in the water. We had no idea what he was doing…and are still uncertain.He was just abeam Addenbroke Lighthouse, and we saw a dinghy come charging out to the ferry, and a high speed dinghy from the ferry head off to the north, and we suspect that they rendezvoused out of our sight to exchange either crew or supplies. Very unusual…and that hard 180 degree turn certainly made it look like it was a last minute decision. Still, very fun to watch.

Addenbroke Lighthouse looks like a great place to be a light keeper

We continued on our way to Pruth, and as we turned into Kwakshua Channel, the winds and waves were more evident. We had decided to head to the end of the bay, where the Hakai Beach Institute is located, to see if we could pick up what is rumored to be free wi-fi so we could check email and post blog entries. There were 4 boats in the bay already, 2 sailing vessels, the Nordic Tug Sandpiper and a power boat from Bellingham, WA named Island Mist.We dropped the nook quite a ways back from the Institute’s docks and decided to head for shore to take the walk to West Beach, a true sandy beach on Pacific Ocean. Sandy beaches are hard to come by out here, most are made of shells at best!

The docks were super, and we tied up our dinghy and chatted with some Institute staff who were waiting on a float plane to take them to Port Hardy. They said the Institute was privately owned by 2 well-off scientists who wanted to create an ecological center and attract lots of scientists to come and study. They apparently bought the place from the previous owners who ran it as a high end fishing resort. The entire property is 215 acres, and has numerous buildings: welcome center, two lodges, staff housing, and a hard hat area with lots of equipment. Seems pretty self-sufficient, and was being very well landscaped when we arrived.

Karen greets and is greeted by some of the staff waiting for the float plane

Pretty nice facilities at the Hakai Beach Institute

The view of Pruth Bay from the Hakai Beach Institute

The walk to West Beach was super, flat and fairly short through the forest. You could hear the sound of breaking waves before emerging from the forest on to a very large and flat sand beach, reminiscent of the beaches we saw at Cannon Beach, OR (without the tall towering rocks).

Along our walk to the beach we found new life cascading down from an old-growth downed cedar

Bob's ready for action. The next photo awaits.

Instead the view oceanward was framed by several islets. We went for a long walk in hard sand, Karen looking for shells and other treasures while I took pictures. We walked to the south end and spent time in some rock cliff formations checking out tidal pools full of interesting creatures, including these odd green sea cucumber or sea anemone type critters.

What a beach!

Pruth Bay Beach from Robert Minkus on Vimeo.

It was completely sunny, warm and so beautiful, it was hard to believe that we were at the beach in the sun and yet could see snow-capped mountains when we turned back toward the head of Pruth Bay.

Beach, forest, snow-capped mountains. You'll find this nowhere else.

A group of kayakers from Bella Coola were on some sort of trip, and were camping on the beach. This was a huge camp, and these teens seemed as if they were having a lot of fun.

Weekend at the beach and kayaking day trips

Nature is an amazing artist

Karen looks through the wave cut granite

Sea star is such a perfect name for this critter

We saw the trailhead to North Beach, but were ready to head back to the boat. Next time, we’ll mountain goat our way to North Beach as well. This is a jewel of a stop, and definitely a must do in sunny weather.

Along the path to the beach, someone with a sense of humor created this long art. We call him “Stumpy”

As we headed back to the docks, we met the couple who own Island Mist, Frank and Margo. They recognized our boat, Alaskan Dream, as having been previously Samaria, owned by “slip neighbors” of theirs in Bellingham. It is a really small world. They boat for the season, and Frank was born in Petersburg, AK with a brother who lives north of Craig. They were really nice and quite happy to see Samaria again.

Back at Alaskan Dream, we uncapped two beers and sat up on the fly bridge to look at the lovely view. Two more boats arrived and the Nordic Tug left, making for 5 boats in the bay plus us. A veritable crowd for this time of year!

Herb garden on the Nordic Tug

I made pizza again, this time with some sweet sausage and red peppers as well as the flank steak, gorgonzola cheese and balsamic glaze. This is Karen’s favorite meal, and she was happy to have it two days in a row, which was necessary because I made enough dough for two pizzas the night before.

Another variation of my pizza recipe

We wound down watching 2 more episodes of The Good Wife, and headed off for a peaceful night’s sleep.

The sun starts to set on Island Mist in Pruth Bay