At the end of our last post, we had returned to Daajing Giids after circumnavigating Moresby Island in Haida Gwaii. We had been on the water for almost two months, and still had a month to go to get back home. The trip back was through areas that we had cruised before, but every trip has it’s surprises. Here are some of the highlights.
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The schooner Pacific Grace sailing past Skidegate.
Pacific Grace is part of Sail and Life Training Society (S.A.L.T.S), providing young people with outdoor experiences. https://www.salts.ca/site/about-us.html
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The next morning, we leave Sandspit at 6am for our crossing of Hecate Strait.
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The squiggly black line shows our track across Hecate Strait. It took 9 1/2 hours to cover the 60 nautical miles from Sandspit to Larsen Harbour, at the north end of Banks Island.
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After our foggy but calm crossing of Hecate Strait, we had sunshine and lots of wind, resulting in clamping down the coffee pot in order to get that cup of coffee.
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Suddenly, we encounter industrial infrastructure as we approach Prince Rupert.
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Prince Rupert wasn’t in our plans but I got a toothache and had to see a dentist, so we were there for a couple of days.
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A couple of days south of Prince Rupert, we were back into typical mid-coast weather. In Whale Channel we started to see whales….
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While drifting with the engine off, we were approached by this mother and baby humpback whales.
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The baby whale was curious, and slowly circled the boat.
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This was an amazing whale encounter experience, and we just sat there in wonder as they slowly swam away.
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Raven Song looks a little out of place among the local craft in the Hartley Bay harbour. The Native hamlet of Hartley Bay has excellent cell-phone service and we stopped here so that Jan could attend an online meeting. Due to lingering Covid restrictions, we could not go ashore and were restricted to the docks.
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South of Hartley Bay, we again encountered a lot of whales. Among them we spotted this whale engaged in vigorous tail-slapping.
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Next to the tail-slapper, this young whale started breaching repeatedly.
We stopped and drifted to watch this spectacle.
The young whale came closer and closer, and breached right behind the boat.
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The small whale came right over and circled the boat, rolling over to look at us. Was it the same one as before? We don’t know, but we know that youngsters everywhere are curious and playful.
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A couple of days later, Jan catches her first halibut!
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Exploring a small estuary at Higgins Pass. There were coho jumping out in the bay, but we didn’t see any in the river yet. We have seen wolves here before, but not this time.
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The Northern Adventure emerges from the mist on her way to Prince Rupert.
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Evening light at Pruth Bay.
Pruth Bay on Calvert Island is popular with cruisers. It is the home of the Hakai Institute. https://hakai.org/ There are trails to various beaches, and the Institute generously provides wifi in the bay for cruisers.
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Raven out for a sunset stroll on the beach at Pruth Bay.
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The next day, we walked this trail through an enchanting bonsai forest. This type of sub-alpine terrain is common on the mid-coast.
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Raven comes along to keep an eye on us.
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Jan puts up the hanging straps in preparation for rounding Cape Caution. We had a nice day but the ocean swells rocked us around.
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The Northern Sea Wolf plows through the swells around Cape Caution on her way to Bella Bella.
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Austere scenery is a testament to the storms that can lash this coast.
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We reach Port McNeill late in the day, and immediately head to the pub for beer and burgers, accompanied by several tv screens showing spectator sports. The next day, at the new brew-pub we have a different experience – no tv’s, and much better food.
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Raven Song among an interesting mix of local boats in the Sointula harbour.
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Every time we come to Sointula, we enjoy the walk from the harbour to ‘town’. It’s a peaceful stroll, with blackberries along the way.
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A photo on display in the Sointula museum.
When artifacts from your childhood start showing up in museums – well, it’s some sort of a sign, I’m sure. Anyway, it’s been a while since I had checkerboard sandwiches….
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The seiner Queens Reach leaving Sointula harbour late in the day.
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Out in Blackfish Sound we encountered a lot of whales. Here are a couple of whales engaged in tail slapping and flipper waving. We enjoyed watching the activities of the whales, but there were so many of them that we had to be careful not to run into one!
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It is the end of August now and we are heading south in search of warmer weather. On the mid-coast or anywhere on the outer coast a sunny day usually starts out looking like this.
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By mid-day the fog usually burns off. Here in Johnstone Strait, the fog is blowing in from further north.
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Finally, a fog-free dawn in Port Neville.
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The next day we made the transition from the colder northern coast area to the warm, benign waters of Desolation Sound.
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From whales to mega-yachts: The sailboat M5 passes us in Desolation Sound. The M5, at over 250ft long is the world’s largest single-masted sailboat. Easily big enough to carry that seaplane on the stern.
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First swim of the summer! What a treat.
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Dark clouds portend a coming storm. We had some wind and a bit of rain, but it didn’t slow us down much.
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Evening light at the docks in Lund, as the storm passes.
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The bounty of a farm market on Hornby Island. This is the best produce we have seen all summer!
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A day at the beach in Tribune Bay on Hornby Island. It feels like a holiday!
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A couple of whales cavorting in Georgia Strait. We are encouraged to see whales this close to home.
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The days are getting shorter. Sunset scene at Newcastle Island by Nanaimo.
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Smoke moving in from the south at Walker Hook beach on Saltspring Island. Somehow, with the arrival of the smoke, we feel like we are close to home.
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Cormorants grooming on the rocks at Wallace Island.
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Finally, we arrive at our marina slip and get ready to join the hustle and bustle of life in the city. We will go home and re-discover our apartment, get used to higher ambient noise levels, and enjoy the great selection of food and entertainment on offer.