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 ...
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:...
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...
Comments
Post a Comment
Comments are now open to everyone.