The Log, Part 3 - In the Southern Queen Charlotte Islands

Monday - Wednesday,  June 25 – 27

Sandspit Marina is a sturdily built, well run, unassuming place.  It features reasonably spacious slips, potable water on the docks and a convenient fuel dock (convenient fuel is a really big deal out here).  The warfinger, Kathie, knows where to find everything of interest to boaters. The marine supply store, within walking distance, carries a surprisingly good inventory.  The nearby airport has cell phone coverage, a wireless hot spot, rental cars and a café with doughnuts and greasy hamburgers (yum).

In contrast, the public wharf at the Village of Queen Charlotte has rather limited dock space and is primarily for the use of the commercial fishing fleet.  Yachts are welcome on a space available basis and rafting is expected. Fueling is possible, but requires arranging for a fuel truck.

The ferry to Skidegate and Village of Queen Charlotte is 10 minutes down the road from the Sandspit Marina (fares are collected southbound only).   Both towns are compact, but offer reasonable shopping and restaurant options.  We found the best selections of produce and meats at the Co-Op store in Skidegate. 

Jag’s Bean Stalk coffee shop in Skidegate features marvelous scones and a deck with an excellent view out over Skidegate Inlet.  As soon as the proprietor learned that we were headed down into Gwaii Haanas, he grabbed his well thumbed copy of The Queen Charlotte Islands (Vol 2), Places and Names, and shared his favorite spots with us. 

Haida Cultural Heritage Centre

The highlight for us in this area was a tour of the soon to be opened addition to the Haida Cultural Heritage Centre near Skidegate.  It will enhance the center’s efforts to present the history and culture of the Haida.  Six new totem poles were erected there in 2001 as part of the planned addition.  Each pole represents a different Haida Village, and features clan crests appropriate to that village.

The orientation session we attended was quite informative.  There were three parties of two at our

One of MANY displays inside.

 session – one by sail and two by kayaks. The majority of visitors to Gwaii Haanas are kayakers, and most of them are associated with licensed tour groups.  

To limit human impact on the environment, the joint management board restricts the total number of visitors at any time to 300.  Daily entry permits are controlled accordingly. Our permit allows us to enter on or after Saturday, July 1 and requires us to leave not later than July 14^th.  In addition, not more than 12 visitors at a time are allowed ashore at each of the five Watchmen sites.  The Watchmen are based at the most significant historical Haida village sites.

More on weather:  The low that is currently dominating weather in the northland is gradually weakening and tracking to the SE towards Cape Scott.  However, it did bring gale force winds to the Hecate Strait and the western Charlottes.  We crossed the day before it became a significant factor.  Looking out over a whitecap-laced Skidegate Inlet the next afternoon, we watched another sailboat working towards the marina with just a scrap of jib rolled out.  We were sure glad we crossed when we did.  Talking later with the crew from that boat, they remarked that the crossing got particularly rough as they approached the shoal water near the islands.  Their mainsheet tackle carried away during the crossing, and they plan to stay in Sandspit a few days to make repairs.

The forecasts are steadily improving, although it blew hard all last night.  MJ & I expect that the winds and seas will have moderated enough by Thursday or Friday for us to start south towards Gwaii Haanas.  These frontal systems carry in prodigious quantities of moisture. The rain persists for a day or two after the winds moderate.

After another night of rain and wind, we are blessed with a fine sunny morning.  The plan is to explore the north end of Graham Island by car.  Then …..?

MJ's Musings

We had a quick sun break during our tour of the Haida Heritage Center.  The woman at the desk said that sunshine is so rare that her kids play in the rain and don’t understand the sun. 

Thursday, 28 June

We saw them first from aboard Sirius as we crept towards the narrow cove – silver sentinels from a

long gone era at Skedans Village.  We checked the wind, the tide and the time.  It might just be possible to go ashore and experienced them close up.  (Note:  Skedans is outside Gwaii Haanas, so that we could go ashore here before the start date of our permit.)  The anchorage would be marginal at best, but doable so long as the wind stayed in the north.  Judging from the mats of bull kelp covering most of the cove, the bottom was rocky.  Could we get a good hook?  Yes!

The Skedan watchman answered our hail with permission to come ashore.  We had the kayak inflated and ready to board in record time.  Our young guide, Laura, conveyed a love and reverence for these old poles.  She walked us past the seven standing ones, explained the purpose of each, and helped us to ‘read’ the figures and clan crests despite the inevitable deterioration from more than 100 years of exposure.  She also showed us several downed poles that were much harder to ‘read’.  The excavated benches and floors for two of the more prominent long houses were also clearly visible.

We walked through the old village site for an hour or more before returning to Sirius.  Freeing her from the kelp bed took considerable effort, but we were soon on our way again towards Thurston Harbour on Talunkwan Island.  We are currently anchored 24 miles, as the raven flies, from Sandspit Marina, but we had to travel 50 miles to get here.  The major reason was the long, drying spit running north from Sandspit.  We had covered nearly 18 miles before we were back to the latitude of the marina.

This was another day that came together better than we could have hoped.  The favorable winds

 held much longer than forecast which allowed us to bypass Cumshewa Inlet, our initial goal, and push on to Skedan Point before anchoring for the night in Thurston Harbour.  A remarkable day.

Friday, 29 June

A contemplative day that found us becoming every quieter of mind and spirit.  We began with coffee in the V-berth; then I made hot cakes with Canadian bacon.  With no place we needed to be, and an appealing, secure inlet to ourselves, we decided to ride to anchor for the day.  We read, knitted, napped, studied charts, set the crab trap, and explored the inlet by kayak and afoot. 

Saturday, 30 June

The day began, as many before it, with low overcast and a few blue holes.  The plan for the day was some leisurely sightseeing: weaving back and forth through the Selwyn, Dana and Logan Inlets before anchoring for the night in Crescent Inlet (Moresby Island).  By early afternoon, rainsqualls were blowing in from the southeast, and the shelter of Crescent Inlet was most welcome.  Once anchored, we watched four black bears foraging in the meadow at the head of the inlet. Later, they were joined by three deer.

Sunday, 1 July

Another day that exceeded our expectations by far.  The forecast was for building SE winds.  Tanu and Windy Bay are both exposed to the southeast, and have no protected anchorages near by.  We headed towards them in hopes of at least getting a view from the boat during a sail-by.

Fortunately, the wind stayed light ‘til nightfall.  We were able to anchor off Tanu.  The Watchman,

Tanu site plan affixed to a tree.

Frank, treated us to a long walk through the old house sites and a recap of the history of the village.  Some of the house corner poles are still standing.  Many of the roof beams are intact (on the ground), and the excavations for the chief’s houses can be clearly seen.  One house frontal pole lies face down, along side the remnants of the house timbers.  A luxuriant layer of moss carpets the whole village site and second growth spruce casts a deep shade over it all.  The site has a very tranquil feel about it. 

The Windy Bay site is set back into a cove guarded by extensive rocks and reefs.  Rather intimidating the first time in.  Once we spotted “Looking Around and Blinking House” we knew we

"Looking Around and Blinking House" at Windy Bay.

 had the correct cove.  Leah, the Watchman, encouraged us to use the mooring, which relieved our concerns about the holding ground. 

The significance of Windy Bay is rather different than for Tanu and Skedans.  While this site was occupied in the past, the village site is not the focus here.  Rather it is the old growth forest that was preserved through the Haida logging protest on this island in 1985, which catalyzed the creation of the park reserve.  Looking Around and Blinking House was constructed to house some of the protestors during that difficult time.  Leah led us along a boardwalk through the old growth forest to a stunning old spruce tree.  Its 14-foot diameter dwarfs all around it.  This tree, located near a salmon stream, is thought to be another example of how the forest is fertilized by salmon, with the aid of bears. 

We did not get the hook down in Haswell Bay (Moresby Island) until 2030.   It was a long, wonderfully full day.  Strong SE winds did make up during the night – along with rain.  But, Sirius rode securely to anchor while we stayed warm and dry below.

Monday, 2 July

We’ve been in enhanced fuel conservation mode since yesterday.  Our review of the “Big Picture” led us to favor a return crossing from mid-way down Gwaii Haanas.  When we start for the BC coast, we will need a fuel reserve sufficient to motor the 75 mile crossing plus another 50 miles or so to Klemtu, the first point of re-supply.  So, we sail or motor-sail whenever possible and motor at 4 - 5 knots rather than 6.   A day or so later, MJ observed that four knots turns out to be the perfect speed to absorb and savor this wonderful area. 

Again today, the weather broke in our favor.  The forecasted strong SE winds did not make up ‘til nightfall.  We had 15 knots on the beam for a nice sail to Hot Springs Island and back to Haswell Bay – the next bay south on Moresby Island.  The Hot Springs Island Watchman told us where to find their mooring buoy on the relatively well-protected NE corner of the island, and welcomed us to land.

The preliminary hot showers felt wonderful, and the soak in the main hot spring feed pool even more so.  We could feel all stress draining away as we looked out over the Juan Perez Sound from the largest of the three pools.  After our soak, our legs were almost too rubbery to carry us back to our kayak.  This is hot springs bathing at it very best.

Tuesday, 3 July

Another lay day.  It blew hard and rained all night; the forecast was ugly.  By mid-afternoon, 25-knot gusts were rolling through the inlet.   Another vessel, a converted fishing tug is riding out this storm with us. 

Wednesday, 4 July

The water danced around us today as we sailed down the Juan Perez Sound.  Looking more closely, we saw a school of tiny fish trying to take to the air.  Humpback whales were feeding all around us, and these fish must have realized their deadly peril.  Twice more we saw the water dance when whales were feeding within two hundred yards of us.  The whales were still feeding throughout the Sound when we rounded the NE corner of Burnaby Island and lost sight of them. 

Our goal for the day was Bag Harbour just off the south end of the Dolomite Narrows, with a plan to arrive just about low tide.  Had the weather been more inviting, we would have immediately launched the kayak to explore the riches of these tide pools.  Alas, this latest low is still bestowing its moisture upon the land.  (We spoke with a Canadian trawler also riding to anchor here.   He said that this is the worst summer weather he has experienced in five seasons of cruising the Charlottes.)

Thursday, 5 July

Turquoise, purple and burgundy oh my.  The bat stars along the shallows of the Dolomite Narrows come in a wondrous variety of colors.  We planned our arrival by kayak for just before low slack on a 3-foot tide.  The various rocks and reefs that make this narrows a navigators nightmare were all draped with sea weed, and sported a variety of sea stars, limpets, snails, etc. all waiting for the higher water.  We paddled as far as the drying bar, and then headed back to Sirius to catch the last of the ebb out into Skincuttle Inlet. 

A gentle breeze on the beam allowed us to sail all the way to the entrance to Ikeda Cove.  The narrow entrance to this cove is particularly photogenic – rocky points on either side with steeply rising shores heavily forested in old growth.  The cove offers excellent holding and fine protection.  We’re set for the night.  Tomorrow – Huston Stewart Channel and Rose Harbor.

 MJ's Musings

It’s a rope until it’s put on the boat.  Then it is a line – bow line, stern line, spring line, etc.  But c’mon – where did sheets and guys come from?  Especially those lazy guys.  I’m not sure I want ‘lazy guys’ on my boat.

Friday, 6 July

Clearing Houston-Stewart Channel, we saw SGang Gwaay standing alone out in the open waters of the Pacific near the southern tip of this island chain.  Approaching under sail seemed somehow fitting.  From a distance, the rocky shores of the island conveyed a sense of power that fits with the strength we sensed among the Haida watchmen we’ve encountered. 

Shirley, one of the two Watchmen, answered our hail and directed us to the mooring in the north anchorage.  The “anchorage” is narrow and rocky, and we were a bit relieved when MJ spotted the mooring ball with binoculars from out in deeper water.   The walk through the old growth forest to the Watchmen’s cabin itself is worth the effort to get here.  Trees cling to rocky outcroppings; dense carpets of moss spread throughout the forest floor. 

The cabin looks east, across the sound towards Kunghit Island.  The Watchmen often see whales feeding in those waters.  James was our guide.  He was very generous with his time, often adding personal experiences from his Haida upbringing when discussing the cultural life of the village.  As

 we walked along the line of standing poles, James discussed their significance as well as the efforts made to extend their life.  This village was recognized by UNESCO in 1981 as a World Heritage Site.  As a consequence, the Haida Council has allowed a more aggressive effort to extend the life of the remaining poles here than in the other village sites. 

Under sail again beneath a brilliant blue sky, we looked back at SGang Gwaay and watched the surf breaking upon its shores.  We decided that a remote anchorage for the night would be more in keeping with the experiences of day, and so bypassed the public moorings of Rose Harbour.

Saturday, 7 July

Yesterday was the capstone of our Gwaii Haanas experience.  We are reluctant to leave, and our minds often travel back to highlights of our cruise here.  However, our thoughts are slowly turning towards the path home.  The forecast last night suggested that a weather window for re-crossing the Hecate Strait would open on Monday.   We decided to sail back up to Ikeda Cove to wait out the SE blow forecast for Sunday afternoon.  It will make a good jumping off point for our crossing over to the Estevan Group, 70 miles distant.

Sunday, 8 July

Rain and wind in the night.  The winds boxed the compass so we put out a second anchor this morning after the rain stopped.  By noon, it was a gloriously bright day.  We explored the cove by kayak and afoot, finding a couple of old metal rails of the tramway that was used to haul ore down from the Ikeda copper mine.  The forest has all but subsumed the remnants of this mining operation – with exception of some tailings that will remain visible for a long time to come.  

After dinner, we celebrated our 45^th wedding anniversary with freshly baked brownies topped with maraschino cherries and accompanied by a well-traveled bottle of Champaign.  Then we sat in the cockpit luxuriating in the last of the day’s sun.  This was exactly the day that we needed to unhook, mentally, from Gwaii Haanas and take our leave.  We are well rested, and feel that we, and Sirius, are prepared for whatever we may encounter during our crossing. 

Monday, 9 July

Up at O-dark-hundred; recovered the anchors and cleared the entrance of the cove at 0530.  A somber morning that gradually evolved into a brilliant blue day with good wind just free of close hauled.  It was a very good day for a crossing.  We had the hook down in Gillen Bay (Dewdney Island of the Estevan Group) at 1815. 

The BC coast was quite handsome in the late afternoon sun as we closed the Estevan Island Group.  Our anchorage is attractive and secure – but somehow it lacks some of the grandeur (and mystique?) of Haida Gwaii.