Pierless Sailing Adventures

June 5th - Friday 7:45 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. - 44 Nm Traveled   We had a good rest Thursday afternoon and an uneventful sleep last night, so were feeling refreshed this morning.  Among our top locations to visit while here in Gwaii Haanas was the cultural site SGang Gwaay (Ninstints) on Anthony Island.  From Collison Bay we will head south toward Rose Harbor then cross over to Anthony Island.  This will be a round trip day where we go to Anthony and return back to Collison Bay for the night. SGang Gwaay is an uninhabited UNESCO World Heritage Site in Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve.  It is renown for its spectacular collection of mortuary and memorial totem poles.  Historically, this was a thriving hub of the Haida people.  More than 20 memorial poles carved from cedar trees stand facing the sea.  The village was decimated during the smallpox epidemic and was abandoned in 1878. Leaving Collison for Anthony Island / SGang Gwaay We raised anchor at 7:...

  June 3rd - Wednesday - 10:30  a.m. - 2:20 p.m.  Thursday - 107 Nm Traveled   We awoke to an uncertain day with respect to visiting Gwaii Haanas.  The permitting process requires visitors to submit an application with specific dates for their visit as well as read information about the park and expectations, then take a test which you must complete successfully before your permit is issued.  The catch is the uncertainties when traveling in a small boat.  Early in our trip, we could not be specific about our arrival since weather and other factors determine our rate of progress.  We decided to get close to a crossing position, then apply for our permits with dates we could commit to.  Oliver Cove was that position.  From Oliver Cove, we could  still work north on the mainland side if we had to wait for our permit application to be completed.   Weather permitting, we calculated a late morning start would be the best departu...

June 2nd - Tuesday- 7:40 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.    33 Nm Traveled We had a beautiful morning as we hauled anchor and left Kisameet Bay.  The anchorage was not what we hoped, so moving on felt good.  Having watched the weather reports/forecasts for our crossing to Haida Gwaii, the next few days looked good, with high winds coming in later in the week.  Moving north quickly and getting in position for a crossing would be critical or we would have to wait for another good weather window... Leaving Kisameet Bay Our plan for the day was to head to Bella Bella for fuel and provisions, then continue on to Oliver Cove near Price Island.  The engine was on and anchor up by 7:40 a.m.  The morning was clear and sunny, no wind and quite warm.  Water was glassy smooth and we enjoyed the sun on our backs. Calm waters leaving Kisameet Bay   Warm morning leaving Kisameet Bay The passage to Bella Bella (also known as Waglisla) was warm and calm.  We had a help...

June 1st - Monday- 4:45  a.m. - 6:30 p.m.     65 Nm Traveled   Our night at Allison Harbour was quite peaceful.  We had a long day planned which included rounding Cape Caution, so an early start to avoid higher winds and take advantage of tide/currents was in order.  Cape Caution is a milestone of sorts for cruisers.  This leg of our journey represents the first bit of coastline directly open to the Pacific Ocean.  In poor conditions it can be a treacherous undertaking. Moonset over Allison Harbour After hauling in the anchor, we headed out of Allison with the sun coming up and a full moon on the western horizon.  Quite a nice start to the day!  Our initial plan was to head to Calvert Island.  Calvert has many interesting areas to explore.  Sandy beaches on the ocean side, wolves, bear and otter.  There is also a research institute on the island and many miles of trails to explore.  While traveling north, looking at t...

May 31th - Sunday- Departure Time 5:30  a.m.     37 Nm Traveled   We left Port McNeill at 5:30 a.m. in clear/calm conditions.  The ebb current pushed us NW past Malcom Island and into Queen Charlotte Strait.  This crossing puts us back on the mainland side, away from and north of Vancouver Island.  Our destination is Allison Harbour, a good staging location for rounding notorious Cape Caution on our way north.  It has lots of room for many boats, so the odds of finding no room are pretty slim.  This is often a consideration in this area where anchorages become fewer and smaller.  If you arrive to find no room, you may have to push on for hours to the next anchorage... Leaving Port McNeill Route to Allison Harbour Our route to Allison Harbour take us in a northwest direction, pretty much into the wind.  We motored, motor-sailed and sailed part of the way.  It became exciting when the wind freshened and we had to reduce sail! Dav...

May 30th - Saturday - Departure Time 6:1 5 a.m.     45 Nm Traveled Neville was a great refuge from the wind and currents.  The wind continued into the night, but by morning it was mostly calm.  Tika (our neighbor on the dock) departed around 4 this morning.  The kayakers were likewise long gone on their paddle toward Alert Bay. After the morning brew of java, we cast off our lines at 6:15 to head north.  Our initial plan was to go about 9 miles down Johnstone Strait, then cut north into Havannah Channel to get out of the rough waters and winds.  As forecast, the winds were quite low and the current with us, so we decided to wait until reaching Havannah to decide whether to push on down the strait to Port McNeill.  Continuing toward McNeill would get us farther in the direction we need to go to reach Haida Gwaii, so it was an appealing option.  In addition, Port McNeill was going to be our last stop for provisions and fuel before heading ...

 May 29th - Friday - Departure Time 4:45 a.m. We raised anchor and departed early from Douglas Bay (in Forward Harbour) to catch the ebb current down Sunderland Channel and into Johnstone Strait.  Douglas Bay was a great and well protected anchorage from the NW winds, so we were a little reluctant to leave the shelter it provided.  Winds were "on the nose" during most of this section, but the tail current kept us moving forward at a reasonable pace. Dave at the helm After exiting Forward Harbor and rounding Althorp Point, we had 12 - 28 Kts winds in the face.  The favorable current kept our average boat speed around 3 Kts.  As before, we hugged the north side of Sunderland to get some protection from the wind and waves.  This is a trick I used when canoeing and kayaking and it has worked fairly well thus far on our trip.    Wave action in Sunderland Channel We continued down Sunderland into wind and waves with a tail current.  We passed a lar...