Pierless Blog - 2026-06-03 Oliver Cove to Collison Bay - Haida Gwaii/Gwaii Haanas

 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 departure time for crossing.  This should put us at our anchorage in Gwaii Haanas sometime in the middle of the following day.

Crossing Hecate Strait to Gwaii Haanas

We got up around 8:00 a.m.  Our usual routine is to start coffee, then check outside for wildlife.  To our surprise, we were greeted by two wolves who were perusing the shoreline.  They seemed quite unperturbed by our presence as they slowly moved along the shore.  The female was a light cinnamon/golden retriever color. The male was more black and grey.  They observed us as we did them.  We also saw what we think was a fisher, a member of the weasel family and closely related to the wolverine.  Not a bad start for the day!

Oliver Cove in the morning

After reviewing possible anchorages to the north, we hauled up the anchor at 10:30 and left Oliver Cove in our wake.  With our application submitted, we waited for the parks folks to let us know we could proceed with our plan.  Dave started calling at one hour intervals trying to determine our status.  In the meantime we were proceeding west to round Price Island and head farther up the coast.

Dave was able to reach the park administrators 1:30 p.m. and confirm our reservation, so we changed direction and headed west toward Haida Gwaii / Gwaii Haanas!  It would be a long trip covering over 100 nautical miles of open water exposed to the Pacific swell and weather.

Dave calling park personnel

Initial conditions allowed us to sail with a single reef in the main and full genoa sail.  The wind died off around 6 p.m., so we reverted to motoring.  By 9:30 p.m. we had enough wind to motor-sail.  This is helpful because the sail really helps stabilize the boat and reduce roll.  Nonetheless, life aboard became more challenging with all the motion below deck.  You really have to keep a hand on a handhold at all times to prevent being tossed across the cabin!

Sailing Hecate

We kept 2 hour watches where one of us was at the helm and the other trying to rest/sleep.  We were able to sail from about 1:00 a.m. until 7:30 a.m. with reefed main and staysail.  This combination of sails works well up to about 30 kts of wind, which was good as winds increased past 28 kts during the night with swell and wind waves up to about 10 feet.  While sailing we used our wind vane to keep us on course.  This is an alternative to our electric auto-pilot.  The vane works using a wind vane at the stern of the boat (see picture) which activates a small rudder in the water.  When the angle of the wind changes, the vane is pushed over and activates the rudder.  This in turn pulls a line connected to the helm to steer the boat back on course.  No electricity needed!  It's like having a third person on board to steer the boat who does not need food, rest or sleep.  Perfect for long passages under sail!  Unvortunateld, our rough conditions were mostly at night, so we didn't get any pictures...

 Brian at helm - Hecate Strait

The wind died down around 8:00 a.m. and the swell reduced as we began to gain protection from the swells by Moresby Island.  We continued motor-sailing to save fuel and arrived at Collison Bay at 2:20 p.m. Thursday after 28 hours of continuous travel.  We anchored, ate, and had a well deserved rest!

Arrived Collison Bay / Gwaii Haanas!