The Broughtons

Hi everyone!

We still don't know why MarineTraffic.com isn't picking up our position. We radioed a nearby fishing crew to check our ship-to-ship signal, and they confirmed it was still working (and wished us a very pleasant day of sailing, which was nice of them). Oh well, if that's the only thing not working so far, we can be thankful.

Ok, now on to the fun stuff!

The falls at Kwatsi Bay Marina

Kwatsi Bay Marina

The view from our impromptu "Happy Hour" with Max (see previous post)

May 8th (Day 11):

We left Kwatsi Bay and headed out to sunshine and calm seas. We sailed drifted down Tribune Channel for a couple hours before hearing whale spray nearby. We saw fin and tail dive near Burdwood Islands and then again several times as it made its way along the mainland shore. Cross-referencing the approximate length, spray shape, and coloring with our trusty whale field guide, we think it may have been a Minke; however, only the whale knows for sure.

Beautiful Tribune Channel

Right outside Kwatsi Bay

The wind picked up as we left the channel and suddenly we were moving. Like, really moving! 0-20 knots from the west, no the south, no the southwest, no the north? It couldn't make up its mind, but at least we were sailing!

Gusts swung around from all directions until we were nearly 50 yards from Pierre's Echo Bay Marina in Echo Bay. Apparently, we gave everyone there quite a show while taking down the main. To flake a mainsail properly, we should point directly in the wind, not an easy task when the wind shifts every ten seconds! We broke our "no non-reciprocal moorage" rule once again, and are we glad we did! This marina is its own little paradise.

Helpful

Midden beach in the foreground

A friendly goldendoodle greeted us on the dock with his human, Sam. Sam works at the marina and lives in the floating home community. He warned us they were not yet open for the season and could not supply us with shore power or WiFi, so they'd only charge us half of the rate. This was generous, as we much more interested in the ambiance of the community than anything electricity or Internet could offer.

With our new canine friend, we explored the area, trekking over to Proctor Bay and to Billy Proctor's Museum. Billy Proctor is a well-known community fixture, and he's been collecting BC coastal artifacts since he was five years old. He built a two-room structure to house his immense collection of antique bottles and vases, historic spirits, First Nations tools and crafts, documents, steam engine parts, signs, letters, and other odds and ends on its several aisles. It was extraordinary, and we could have easily stayed all evening there.

When Billy saw us walking toward his museum, he hiked up from his dock and met us there. Now in his 80s, he seems a bit more hunched than his pictures in our older cruising guides, but he's still a spitfire. He unlocked the museum and laughed, "Oh, it must be tourist season again; I only unlocked this about a week ago" and jokingly (we think) chastised the dog for not keeping the vagrants out. Billy has led a remarkable life here in the Broughtons. You can read more about him here and here.

Proctor Bay

Billy's Museum

The Elementary School

We were happy to see another sailboat at Echo Bay, the first we'd seen since we saw one fishing outside Octopus Islands. One of the crew members was an Englishman who had sailed around the world with his wife in the 80s. They crossed the Red Sea with very inaccurate charts from the 1840s and spent a couple of years in Hong Kong. 

May 9th (Day 12):

After a short walk, we headed out again in the confused wind, but it seemed to grow more steady once we left Echo Bay and entered Penphrase Passage on the north side of Broughton Island. We tacked back and forth until the light mist turned to rain and the rain turned to hail. Hail!

We anchored outside Broughton Lagoon at the entrance of Greenway Sound. Again, a place all to ourselves. Quiet and magical.

Novi in Greenway Sound

Once the hook was set, we explored by kayak. We paddled to the south entrance to the lagoon, but the rapids were too strong against us. After several hours of following the shoreline and investigating every almost-trail, mossy plantlife, and sea creature, we entered the current on the northside. The current sent us winding through a path to the open lagoon. After exhausting our trail mix rations, we exhausted our muscles getting back through. Dave was fine, but I spent the rest of the evening huddled in the vberth with a couple Icy Hot patches and a good dose of Ibuprofin. Totally worth it.

Broughton Lagoon

Lots of current!



Novi's so close! Just a little more paddling! 

May 10th (Day 13):

The wind was steady, and we upped the anchor and tacked back and forth through Sutlej Channel and Patrick Passage, dodging trawling fishing boats along the way. In Wells Channel, we found cell service on the mainland side, so for 4-5 minutes before each port tack, we'd be able to catch up on one important text or email. We tacked quite a few times in this area, so we were able to get a lot done before reaching Queen Charlotte Strait.

The steady 15-20 knots apparent continued in the strait, so we were making good time to Port Hardy. Suddenly, 15-20 became 20-30 and some considerable chop, so we reefed both sails. How come we always seem to be going upwind when this happens?

Once inside Port Hardy's harbour, we docked up to the Fishermen's Wharf and relaxed a bit.


May 11th (Day 14):

We finished boat chores and provisioned at the Save-On market down the road. The fresh produce and eggs alone were worth the side trip. We will need to ration it wisely, as we won't see fresh food again until Shearwater.

Port Hardy Fishermen's Wharf

As I'm writing this, Dave's calling me up to the cockpit. Sea lions!