Ocean Falls Lay Day

We were the only cruiser on the docks after the M/V Yofi left early this morning.

oceanflyer enjoys the solitude at ocean falls

Haircuts are the first order of business as they are overdue. We prefer to do them off the boat when we can, typically outside on the docks. It was raining too much to do that today. So I checked “The Shack” on the docks and it met all our requirements. It was covered, had a chair to sit on, good lighting from two big windows and a broom so we could easily clean up after ourselves. And no one was around to inconvenience.

“the shack”, a.k.a. The barber shop, a.k.a. Ocean Falls Harbor Authorty

“The Shack” is also the home of the Ocean Falls Harbour Authority. Basically, it’s where you find the slips and envelopes to pay your moorage. We also came across the Ocean Falls mermaid in “The Shack”. I noticed she was not in her usual position on shore at the end of the dock, greeting all visitors. I suspect she or her mounting system was under cover for repair, or maybe they take her in during the winter and no one has put her back.

ocean falls mermaid taking a break in “the shack”

Later, looking far better coiffed, we tackled the most important mission of the day: Operation Banana Bread. We marched up to the store to pick up our order. They were both sitting in the window, well wrapped in foil, just beckoning Karen to come in. Those loaves were still warm and smelled heavenly.

The gift shop, located in the marine ways building, was also open. Staffed by Christina who we met 2 years ago in Martin Valley on a walk. She is a great ambassador for the town and a great way to catch up on the latest news since our last visit. The saddest story was the Slaggo’s Saloon, which had been sold to a young couple with big renovation plans 2 years ago, has since been sold and is now a private residence. Oh well.

bc ferry calls on ocean falls

We had a very peaceful rest of the afternoon, and remained all alone on the docks overnight.

Shearwater to Ocean Falls

The forecast, sadly, remained gloomy, with more rain and more wind predicted. So we agreed we’d rather wait out the inclement weather at Ocean Falls, a place known for its high total yearly rainfall. Home of the Rain People? What better place to wait?

Ocean Falls is one of our favorite places in this part of the Central Coast. And Karen has been dreaming about the banana bread we bought there in 2022, sold at the Little Licker ice cream shop adjacent to the Olde Bank Inn. Maybe we can get some more!

The trip was uneventful, though with low clouds and on and off rain. As we made our way up Cousins Inlet, we once again saw a commercial prawner setting tons of traps in the downpour. How wet and cold they must be.

When we arrived at Ocean Falls, the outer dock was wide open. We backed in, port side to, in the exact same spot as in 2022. When we went to plug in shore power, there was no joy. We tried both our bow and stern power sources to no avail. I got out my trusty volt meter and low and behold – there was no power on the docks at all. This is atypical, to say the least, given Link Lake Hydro! We decided to walk into town to see if we could find out what was going on.

oceanflyer on the outer dock arm

oceanflyer from the docks to the old paper mill, now home to crypto mining

Of course, as we walked, it started to pour, but we were ready in our foul weather gear. Our destination was the Olde Bank Inn, because we figured that they were mostly likely to be around on a weekend in this sparsely populated town. As we walked past the Court House, we ran into another couple who jokingly said they were there for Jury Duty (Trump had just been found guilty on 34 counts, so it was really funny). They were on the inner dock on a boat called Yofii, and said that they hadn’t seen anyone around at the Inn or the Bakery. We made plans to hook up at Happy Hour and continued on our way.

karen’s favorite place in ocean falls. the bakery.

the dam and spillway is the heart of oceanflyer

a look at the breakwater at ocean falls.

We did find Les at the Inn,  and he said work was being done on the power system. The repairs were supposed to take two hours and they started at 9am. It was now about 2pm, and nothing was back on yet. Karen asked him if the bakery was open (it had moved across the street to the converted Firehouse), and he said yes just ring the doorbell.

many abandoned buildings are atill used. But we never go in as the ceilings and floors are deteriorating

We traipsed over and rang the bell, but no one was home. At long last, we realized that with no power, the doorbell probably was not working. With a manual knock, we had success!

The bakery now also carries frozen meats and some supplies. The owner, Marc, invited us in to look around. He did not have any banana bread but was willing to make some we could pick up tomorrow. Karen told him how much she loved that bread two years ago, and placed an order for 2 loaves. All is now well in the world. We bought to cinnamon buns to tide us over until tomorrow.

The power came on around 5pm, and we had a lovely time chatting about boats and destinations with Greg and Ruth on Yofi. I think we convinced them to have a Starlink shipped to Ketchikan!

evening falls on ocean falls

Shearwater Lay Day

Rain, boat chores, laundry. The relentless rain has put a damper on cruising. Everyone on the docks is bemoaning the last week of rain. Combine that with a forecast that promises more of the same and you can see why the cruisers are moping about.

I mentioned laundry – the marina laundry in Shearwater is good. Karen made several friends while doing several loads, while I worked on boat projects.  We met up for lunch at Fisherman’s Grill, and then went back to the boat to chill.

The docks were fairly full, there were three large Maritimos and also the charter vessel Great Bear II, as well as a range of sail and power boats. We were very glad we fueled up ahead of those thirsty Maritimos!

Rain also meant no drone photos. And I also forgot about the helipad behind the fuel dock, which means no drone flying without first getting permission for the controlling authority. Maybe on our way back south, if the weather is better!

an interesting bow modifation seen in the shearwater yard

 Our plan was to head for Culpepper Lagoon off Kynoch Inlet in Fiordland, but neither of us wanted to be there in the rain.  So we changed our plans and decided tomorrow we’d go to Ocean Falls. It is the home of the “Rain People”, so where better to be in the rain?

Fancy Cove to Shearwater

We had a peaceful night in the wonderful little cove. As the coffee was brewing, we spotted a black bear at the head of the cove foraging for spring grass. Probably the same one we saw last night on a different beach.

It’s only 11 miles to Shearwater, so we timed our trip to arrive at the marina docks at 11am, after an hour spent at the fuel dock. Karen had estimated we’d need about 490 gallons and she was close to spot-on.  The attendant at the fuel dock was friendly and helpful, as we found two years ago when we were last here. And it was just misting, which made the hour fueling more pleasant than in a downpour.

This morning the marina docks we almost empty and harbourmasters Jeff and Molly caught our lines. This is their second season at Shearwater and they too were very friendly and helpful.

Shearwater itself seems to have not changed at all in the past 2 years, which is good. While we are 4 days after the grocery delivery, the store still had a pretty good selection. We were not looking for much except some mayonnaise. Of course, they we out of stock on Mayo. We made the usual rounds, checking out the well-equipped marine store, the yard and our favorite, Hodge Podge. The later offers a delightful selection of baked goodies and all matter of coffee, lattes and hot chocolate. The owner takes great pride in his food and drink offerings, and it shows. The rest of the store reflects it name, and it seems you could find almost anything from electronics to jewelry  to batteries and bongs.

Dinner was at Fisherman’s Grill. The menu does not seem to change much from year to year. And while the kitchen and service can be slow, the food is OK for pub food. We both like the Nashville Chicken sandwich. I also think the fish and chips passes the test. We were bummed that there was no Hoynes Dark Matter beer available, but we did uncover an acceptable (just) alternative called Naramata Nut Brown Ale.

Naramata Nut Brown Ale

We walked the docks after dinner and met Dan on Tsusiat, also a Grand Banks. What makes Tsusiat super interesting is the carbon fiber hard top that Dan built for her. It really is well crafted and creates another full room.  Turns out Dan is friends with Byron and Sue, friends of ours from Bellingham. What a small world!

M/V Tsusiat with carbon fiber hardtop

Pruth Bay to Fancy Cove

Originally, we planned to go straight to Shearwater. But it’s about 5 hours, and we need at least an hour to fuel up before mooring at the marina. We’ve found that it’s often better to arrive early than later in the afternoon to avoid the fuel dock crowds.

So new plan – we’ll head to Fancy Cove, a lovely little anchorage we first visited in 2022. It’s about 4 hours to Fancy Cove, so we raised the anchor at 10am to  arrive at low tide in Fancy Cove. We always prefer to anchor at low tide in small coves so we can get a good look at all the rocks.

The weather looks to be reasonable for today’s trip. Winds and waves are not much to speak of but showers will continue to plague us.

 As we headed out Meay Inlet, which connects Kwakshua Channel to Hakai Pass, we started to feel the gentle ocean swells.

 We finally saw some wildlife today. There was a small pod of Dalls’ Porpoise south of Carpenter Point

Fisher Channel. There were almost in the exact same spot where we encountered them two years ago, and they accompanied us and played in our bow wake for a while.

We also saw a humpback at the intersection of Lama Passage and Fisher Channel. I also noted the same entry in my logbook from two years ago. I guess these must be good fishing grounds to have such similar occurrences happen in the same places two years apart. We’ll be on the lookout next time we pass through these waters in early summer to see if we hit a trifecta.

To top off our critter sightings today, as we anchored up in Fancy Cove, Karen spotted a black bear grazing on the grass growing in the northeast arm.

grazing on the protein rich sedge grass

We repeated 2022 again as we dropped our anchor in the same spot. Fancy Cove is one of our favorites. We tuck behind the small islet near the head. It has “bear beaches”, both the NE and SE bear beaches are visible from the boat, and the view back out the Cove is beautiful. We like small anchorages with big views.

back into the forest

tucked into our spot in Fancy Cove

looking out from fancy cove

fancy cove is a picturesque spot