Broughton Archipelago
Saturday, June 2nd – We motor into Blackfish Sound in the heart of the Broughton Archipelago and enter a maze of islands and canals. There are fishing boats all over as well as what look like crab and prawn traps. Eureka! We drop anchor in Farewell Harbor. What a great name? It is warm and sunny. We set up the awning and have a pleasant afternoon in its shade. It is the end of another warm, sunny, gorgeous day. Could this be first timer’s luck?
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With high hopes that our good fortune will continue, we set the crab trap for the night.
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Our plans are to spend the next 3 days exploring the Broughton Archipelago and the islands and channels of Blackfish and Simoom Sounds. The further north we go, the wilder the land feels and looks. Though this is a popular summer area, it’s not summer season yet, and we are alone as we press north.
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Simoom Sound is a maze of rocky islets requiring constant vigilance and accurate navigation.
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A view of the chart plotter shows the maze through which we must pass. The small orange circles are the rocky islets. The large blue dot is Avante as she moves through what the chart simply calls obstructions.
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Our luck does hold, and we catch our first crabs.
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A typical day for us here in British Columbia has been patches of blue peaking out of grey to white clouds with ground fog clinging to the mountains. We are loving every minute of this adventure.
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We see our first black bear on a beach to which we were headed. Deciding to leave the bear to his clam searching, we will go ashore elsewhere.
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Monday, June 4th – Our first full day of fog, clouds and rain! We motor through Sharp Pass to Sutlej Channel.
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We stop for lunch at Sullivan Bay – a floating town left over from the logging heydays now turned into a quaint summer retreat. With the land so thickly forested and impenetrable, it was easier and quicker back then to build these floating towns.
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The people in Sullivan Bay have a scant 8 weeks a year for businesses to turn a profit.
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There was a very strong current pushing us off the dock which gave us a difficult time getting near the dock to tie up. We know now, that when we cast off lines, Avante will be quickly pushed off the dock and, we’ll easily be on our way.
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Anchored in Claydon Bay for the night, we launch the dingy to explore the shoreline.
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Massive logs that once supported a dock are seen along the shore. We are amazed at the way various plants have rooted themselves in the dead logs. There is something to be said for a wet climate!
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Tuesday, June 5th – Crossing Queen Charlotte Strait over to Vancouver Island, we were able to turn off the engine and sail for the first time in days. We pull into Port Hardy with a list of tasks to accomplish. We need to provision, to attend to boat clean up and maintenance and to connect to the internet. The Captain gets to change the oil in our hardworking engine, and The First Mate gets to do her least favorite chore: babysitting the dirty clothes at a laundromat. Port Hardy proves to be a rather dull place and not all that picturesque. Its one redeeming feature is the number of bald eagles flying around the harbor. We enjoyed watching their flights. Our plans are to leave in the morning if the weather window still looks good for heading across Queen Charlotte Sound.