the broughtons: matilpi and lagoon cove
Date: July 14, 2019
Time Start: 6 a.m.
Time Finish: 4:40 pm.
Cruise From: Forward Harbour
Cruise To: Matilpi and Lagoon Cove
Engine Hours Start: 1021
Engine Hours Finish: 1026
Weather/sea conditions: Calm in Johnstone Strait with fog, clearing to beautiful day, mid 70's
We have an early start today, wanting to be clear of Johnstone Strait before this afternoon when the winds are forecast to increase and create waves too uncomfortable for us. It is calm and gray as we begin making our way in Sunderland Channel with a nice current to push us along, no complaints so far! We have just the conditions we were hoping for.
Time Start: 6 a.m.
Time Finish: 4:40 pm.
Cruise From: Forward Harbour
Cruise To: Matilpi and Lagoon Cove
Engine Hours Start: 1021
Engine Hours Finish: 1026
Weather/sea conditions: Calm in Johnstone Strait with fog, clearing to beautiful day, mid 70's
We have an early start today, wanting to be clear of Johnstone Strait before this afternoon when the winds are forecast to increase and create waves too uncomfortable for us. It is calm and gray as we begin making our way in Sunderland Channel with a nice current to push us along, no complaints so far! We have just the conditions we were hoping for.
This is a different approach to Johnstone Strait than from our cruise to the Broughtons in 2016. We have a lot less time in the Strait on this route, and the time goes quickly. The light fog grows denser as we approach the Broken Islands, and they become just shadows in the mist. Radar is put to use as we turn into Havannah Channel. We are out of the Strait by ten a.m., and are now officially cruising in the region known as the Broughtons! We have arrived!
We leave fog behind, the skies becoming blue and filled with sunshine. It is time for our first official anchorage to celebrate our arrival. Matilpi is our first stop in the Broughtons, the site of an abandoned tribal village. Our anchor is dropped between two small islands. On the main shore is a beautiful beach, piled deep with white shells. Absolutely beautiful!
It's shore time, and here we are exploring and enjoying the beach at Matilpi, on the shores of mainland B.C.
The shells of the midden are mostly butter and horse clams and barnacles. Fucus is the predominant algae. Returning to NORTH STAR, there is time to row a bit before we move on. Our plan is to reach Lagoon Cove today, but we need to wait for the current in Chatham Channel to be in our favor. While rowing, I can see fairly clearly through the water. I watch in fascination as a red rock crab and a small octopus interact, their shadowy wriggling shapes filtered through floating pieces of green algae. Who is the prey and who is the predator? It is hard to tell, but I think the octopus has the edge! Sea stars are green shadows as well. By the way, the water temperature is a balmy 50 degrees, brrr! No swimming here!
It's time to head through Chatham Channel, a narrow waterway with lots of kelp beds and a few homes along the shore. We turn into the Blow Hole between Minstrel Island and E. Cracroft, and then into beautiful Lagoon Cove.
Staff greet us and assist us in docking on one of the new floats. We are just in time for the evening happy hour, with fresh caught prawns highlighting the spread of appetizers shared by boaters. It's BYOB and bring a dish to share, along with your own plate and utensils, and is a great way to meet our fellow boaters. We also meet Dan and Kelly, daughter and son in law of the new owner, Jim Ryan. Jim joins us, too, and shares the story of how he and his wife Lou became the owners of Lagoon Cove in 2016. They actually purchased the property on a whim. Jim was on a boat that stopped at Lagoon Cove when the previous owner was about to turn it over to a logging company. He just couldn't stand to see that happen, and made an offer. Although the sale to the logging company was almost a done deal, things turned around, and Lagoon Cove remains a fantastic destination for boaters, as well as a place that fulfills other needs in the Broughtons community, such as being a year round fuel stop.
A familiar face! Glen Wagner on the Ranger Tug "Journey" is here. We got to know him at the rendezvous last summer. He knows our boats inside and out and is an expert on engine problems. He is also a great guy and assists in teaching the ropes of boating in Ranger Tugs to anyone who needs some guidance. Dan has been hearing a strange noise from our cockpit when the engine is engaged. Glen is most happy to lend an ear and try to track down the source. Look familiar? This is what guys love to do, get into the engine compartment and talk boat stuff! Two good heads together, but the answer to the noise isn't found.
A few photos of Lagoon Cove as daylight wanes: (Some vertical photos, need to click. Also, notice the Ranger dinghy "Puff", an original 1958 Ranger from the Federal Way factory!)