Written resouces on the Quee Charlottes

Resource Materials

Background on the Queen Charlotte Islands/Haida Gwaii

* Guides to the Land, People and History

Haida Monumental Art; George F. Macdonald; UBC Press 1983

This work begins with an extensive discussion of Haida social structure, cosmology, mythology and migration patterns throughout the Queen Charlotte Islands. The two major sections, on southern and northern villages, present much of the field from the program launched in 1966 by the national Museum of Man. Several years of fieldwork were spent mapping and recording Haida villages throughout the islands. These sections are wonderfully illustrated with photographs that date, in come cases, back to the era of first contact. Included in these sections are three of the village sites that are now part of the Watchmen Program in Gwaii Haanas (Skedans, Tanu and Ninstints).

Haida Gwaii, Journeys Through The Queen Charlotte Islands; photos by Ian Gill and text by David Nunuk; Raincoast Books, 1^st edition published 1997, 2^nd edition in 2004.

The authors traveled extensively through Haida Gwaii as they attempted to capture what it is that makes these islands such a special place. Ian’s photographs are remarkably powerful; David’s prose is lively and engrossing. He also includes a fine history of the people and events that lead to the creation of Gwaii Haanas/South Moresby National Park Reserve.

The Queen Charlotte Islands, Vol 2, Places and Names; Kathleen E. Dalzell; Heritage Harbour Publishing, 3^rd paperback printing 1993.

The author starts at the NW tip of Graham Island and works around the entire archipelago in a counter clockwise direction. All of the significant geographic features are identified by their “officially gazetted” names, and also, where appropriate, by the older names that my still be in use by residents. A capsule history of most places/features is included in a way that helps make the history of these islands come alive for a traveler. We kept this book close by the chart table when planning the next day’s travel.

Islands At The Edge: Preserving the Queen Charlotte Islands Wilderness; Islands Protection Society; Douglas & McIntyre, Limited 1983.

This book was published to help generate more public support for protecting and preserving the southern portions of the Queen Charlotte Islands. It provides a fine overview of the flora and fauna that makes this area worthy of protection for future generations.

Haida Gwaii, The Queen Charlotte Islands; Dennis Horwood and Tom Parkin; Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd., 1^st edition published 2000, 2^nd edition in 2006.

This book is more of the nature of a travel guide. It is particularly useful when exploring Graham Island by car. The authors do include the highlights of the southern portions of the archipelago that are accessible only by air of boat.

* Pilothouse guides – Queen Charlotte Islands, north coast of British Columbia and west coast of Vancouver Island.

Exploring the North Coast of British Columbia, Blunden Harbour to Dixon Entrance, Original Research on Queen Charlottes; Don Douglass & Reanne Hemingway Douglas; Fine Edge Productions LLC; Second Edition, copyright © 2002.

The douglas’s work is the definitive guide to the coves, inlets, lagoons and anchorages of these waters. The new material on the Queen Charlotte Islands is a very welcome addition. The authors regularly quote the relevant sections of the B.C. Coast Pilot, but we carried a set of the pilots anyway.

This book will be particularly useful for kayakers in search of a good camping beach with fresh water nearby. However, it’s descriptions of coves and inlets can also be of use to sailors when considering an anchorage for the night. The author includes sketches that show the location and extent of clear-cutting.

All of the detailed coverage one expects in a Douglas guide. The coverage starts in Port Hardy and continues around Cape Scott, down the west coat and along the length of the Juan de Fuca Strait to Victoria.

This is an early classic guide to the west coast of Vancouver Island. It is beautifully illustrated, and Don does a fine job of describing the most attractive features of the area. We used it to help decide where to stop and what to see.

Waggoner Cruising Guide 2007; published by Weatherly Press Divison, Rober Hale & Co. Inc.

Waggoner covers a broad area in one guide – from Southern Puget Sound up the British Columbia coast to Prince Rupert, as well as the west coast of Vancouver Island. We used it primarily to review the services available at possible resupply points. However, it also includes useful, brief, descriptions of anchorages, and navigational concerns for many of the inlets and channels we traveled.

A very well written and illustrated guide to the people and places along the coast from the Brooks Peninsula down to Becher Bay. Another good planning tool when thinking about a cruise along this coast.

A fun read and useful guide for cruisers who like to get off the beaten path. Iain and Kristin have cruised these waters for many years in their 27 foot, gaff-rigged cutter. They share 50 of their favorite anchorages between Cape Caution and Dixon Entrance.

* Weather.

The Wind Came All Ways: A Quest to Understand the Winds, Waves and Weather in the Georgia Basin; Owen S. Lange; Environment Canada.

The first chapter contains a nice introduction to waves in the atmosphere and the development of frontal systems. The heart of this book is the second chapter which introduces the concept of pressure gradients or slopes, and then analyses the resulting wind patterns in the Strait of Georgia and Juan de Fuca Strait for eight different pressure slope directions. The third chapter reviews local weather conditions in six different portions of the Georgia Basin.

Living with Weather along the British Columbia: The Veil of Chaos; Owen S. Lange; Environment Canada.

In this book, Owen builds on the pressure-slope concept introduced in the work above, as part of a longer treatment of Highs, Lows, Fronts and Ridges. The author gives a nice summary of annual variations in weather patterns. Then, he discusses in detail the weather patterns to be expected from the four primary pressure slope directions for the west coast of Vancouver Island, and the B.C. coast up to Dixon Entrance, including the Queen Charlotte Islands.

This is a good weather primer for northwest coast sailors. Jeff includes a section on interpreting facsimile charts, and then focuses on helping the reader develop the observational skills needed to do an independent weather assessment. The final chapter summarizes local weather conditions of particular interest to mariners.