summer! Princess louisa
Date: July 8, 2018
Time Start: 9:15 a.m.
Time Finish: 4 p.m.
Cruise From: John Henry's, Pender Harbour
Cruise To: Princess Louisa Inlet
Engine Hours Start: 814
Engine Hours Finish: 821
Weather/sea conditions: Sunny, warm, calm, clouds, wind, but no rain! 70 degrees
The music of Hawaii's Jerry Santos and Olomana drifts though the cabin of NORTH STAR on a sunny and warm morning. Yogurt, fresh blueberries, and poppyseed muffins from the John Henry's store fill us up. Water gets topped off, and we are ready to cruise, all the way to Princess Louisa today, about a forty mile run. We need to be at Malibu to transit the rapids at four o'clock.
After final chats and farewells with our Up Next friends, we take in a final view of Mt. Daniel and follow the shoreline of Pender Harbour as we make our way to Malaspina Strait. There is a lot of high end development in Pender! Estate lots are all numbered and ready for building. The harbour is beautiful, with many twists and turns along the rocky shore.
We make a turn from Malaspina Strait into the Agamemnon Channel that separates the Sechelt peninsula from Nelson Island. And there they are! The spectacular peaks of the B.C. Coastal Range! Like magic, we turn the bend, and they appear.
A ferry pulls out of Agamemnon Bay and gives us a big wake. We cross Sechelt Inlet to Prince of Wales Reach, getting closer to the mountains, magnificent! We are in waters over 2,000 feet deep!
Making our way through the reaches - Prince of Wales, Royal Reach, and Queen's Reach - we are totally awed by our surroundings. Mountains rise in every direction. Where else can you have a cruise like this? Maybe Norway, or Alaska?
Our timing is perfect, we arrive at Malibu just a bit early for slack in the rapids. Captain Dan says we are good to go, and it takes just a few minutes before we are safely in Princess Louisa Inlet. We smoothly pass the upscale Young Life camp at Malibu.
It's a dream come true. Our winter cruising dreams had Princess Louisa at the top of the list, and here we are! It is just four miles from Malibu to Chatterbox Falls and the dock at the head of the inlet, but what a stunning four miles. We are thrilled to see that waterfalls are still flowing from the snowfields high above us in the surrounding mountains. Here we go, the cruise up Princess Louisa Inlet! We have zigzagged our way to this lovely fjord deep in the heart of the Coast Range of British Columbia.
Luck is on our side. The last spot on the dock is ours. Fortunately, boats either arrive or leave each time there is slack at Malibu for transiting the rapids, so there are changeovers at the dock at least a couple of times a day. Stays on the dock are limited to three days, and on average the dock holds about fourteen boats. It is also possible to anchor here using a stern tie to shore. We aren't the only Ranger Tug here. August Moon, an R31 with command bridge from Mill Bay is next to us.
It's time to visit Chatterbox Falls. We have a partial view from our spot on the dock, and it is just a short walk through the forest to the falls. There is lots of cool mist today!
Date: July 9, 2018
Princess Louisa layover day
Weather: Sun, hazy, clouds and rain in late afternoon
Nights at Princess Louisa are dark. With no intrusions of lights, the sky fills with more stars than you could ever imagine, enough to inspire dreams of other worlds. Morning is peaceful and calm as the sun makes its way over the mountain tops and hits the inlet. A few boats left with the morning slack, and space is available for us to move NORTH STAR to the end of the dock right beside the seaplane float. We now have a great view down the inlet and escape having another vessel tower over us.
Princess Louisa layover day
Weather: Sun, hazy, clouds and rain in late afternoon
Nights at Princess Louisa are dark. With no intrusions of lights, the sky fills with more stars than you could ever imagine, enough to inspire dreams of other worlds. Morning is peaceful and calm as the sun makes its way over the mountain tops and hits the inlet. A few boats left with the morning slack, and space is available for us to move NORTH STAR to the end of the dock right beside the seaplane float. We now have a great view down the inlet and escape having another vessel tower over us.
We chat with Owen and Linda on August Moon and hope to see them again either in Desolation Sound or at the rendezvous. Dominique and Emily on the sailboat Moonstone arrive (Seattleites) as well as Ziggy and his wife on red FanTan. We were with them right here on this dock three years ago when Dan and Ziggy were a part of a team repairing the water supply to the dock. Young Life groups come in by skiff to go backpacking and by kayak for sea camping adventures. Water taxies and seaplanes drop people off here, too. Princess Louisa may be remote, but it is pretty accessible!
I get a relaxing row to one of the nearby waterfalls, following along the shoreline and soaking in the beauty of Princess Louisa. Dan took the dinghy to these falls last night, and his photos (tucked in at the end of this gallery) make me want to experience them, too. Vertical photos here, please click to view.
An afternoon dinghy ride to view Chatterbox Falls from the water and explore along the shoreline gets cut short when we get caught in a rainstorm. Yep, we get wet!
Those grilled steaks we planned to eat in the cockpit become a cozy cabin meal with our colorful solar lanterns lit up to add cheer. The clouds have settled in low along the inlet, and the rain is steady.
Date: July 10, 2018
Princess Louisa layover day
Weather: Low clouds and cool all day, mid 60's
The clouds lay low over the inlet this morning. It rained most of the night and the waterfalls have been fed, streaming down the sides of the steep rock slopes around us. It's a quiet, subdued world today.
Date: July 10, 2018
Princess Louisa layover day
Weather: Low clouds and cool all day, mid 60's
The clouds lay low over the inlet this morning. It rained most of the night and the waterfalls have been fed, streaming down the sides of the steep rock slopes around us. It's a quiet, subdued world today.
The dock boats change, and Moonstone moves beside us. As always, there are lots of helping hands when boats arrive or depart. Kenmore Air flies in all the way from Seattle to deliver family for the Moonstone crew. Water from the rain gets pumped out of our dinghy.
A walk ashore is beautiful with the wet leaves along the forested trail looking shiny and vibrant.
And then there is Chatterbox Falls, loud and with a huge cloud of mist, enlarged with the water added by the rainfall.
The tide is low, exposing a shelf below the falls. Boulders are clad in brown fucus algae and support mussels and oysters.
Back on the dock, a water taxi brings in sightseers from Egmont, a seaplane arrives, and a few changes are made in our neighborhood. The day just passes easily. NORTH STAR gets her eyebrows waxed, we read, and mostly we visit with all of our fellow boaters. It is a great neighborhood here on the dock of Princess Louisa Inlet. And, there is lots of daydreaming, watching clouds drift along the cliffs, and the ever magical waterfalls.
Evening is perfect for a row. The clouds are lifting!
Date: July 11, 2018
Princess Louisa layover day
Weather: Sunny, warm, clear skies, calm water
Oh, what a morning! Stunning, to say the least. Cameras are out to capture the sun and the morning mist hanging over the inlet, and a departing sailboat adds just the right touch to the spectacular scene.
Princess Louisa layover day
Weather: Sunny, warm, clear skies, calm water
Oh, what a morning! Stunning, to say the least. Cameras are out to capture the sun and the morning mist hanging over the inlet, and a departing sailboat adds just the right touch to the spectacular scene.
The falls are lit up by the sun, too, and we visit them by boat as well as by the shoreline trail.
It's time to say goodbye to our friends on Moonstone, Dominique, Emily, and family.
We make a new friend, Iona, on Bayliner "Roundabout". She is from Port Townsend and a member of the yacht club with our friends Cindy and Gerry. We get a laugh at the pilot of the seaplane that has brought in a group for a picnic at Chatterbox Falls. He finds a piece of shade under the wing of the plane for a spot to relax and read while he waits for his passengers to return.
We've stayed our three nights on the dock (fee is by donation to the park), but aren't ready to leave Princess Louisa Inlet. We untie our dock lines and make our way partway down the inlet to MacDonald Island where there are mooring buoys.
History repeats itself, we are on the same mooring buoy that we latched onto three years ago! We don't hear the sound of the waterfall here, but we have plenty of new scenery to enjoy.
It's perfect summer weather, perfect for swims, sun, and more swims. Dan tries out the inflatable SUP board and gives it a thumbs down, preferring the kayak.
The shadow of evening slowly moves up the mountainsides, with just the snow at the top lit before daylight fades into night. We get serenaded by the sounds of guitars and singing from the "Beyond Malilbu" campers on the shore. All four buoys are occupied for tonight.
Date: July 12, 2018
Princess Louisa layover day
Weather: Sun, clear blue skies, 90's today!
A spattering of zillions of stars crossed the sky last night. Morning starts slowly at MacDonald Island, the sun peeking over the mountains and getting gradually warmer and brighter. The calm water reflects the sky and shores, a receding tide exposes layers of fucus, mussels, and oysters. Breakfast is leisurely and in the cockpit on this stellar morning. A lone seal plies the water, and a school of tiny fish break the surface with their silvery bodies sparkling in the sunlight.
Princess Louisa layover day
Weather: Sun, clear blue skies, 90's today!
A spattering of zillions of stars crossed the sky last night. Morning starts slowly at MacDonald Island, the sun peeking over the mountains and getting gradually warmer and brighter. The calm water reflects the sky and shores, a receding tide exposes layers of fucus, mussels, and oysters. Breakfast is leisurely and in the cockpit on this stellar morning. A lone seal plies the water, and a school of tiny fish break the surface with their silvery bodies sparkling in the sunlight.
A loop trail begins at the dinghy dock across from the island, winding through forest and opening up at a shoreside view point with bench before circling back through the forest. It is just right for stretching our legs.
Afternoon heats up to the 90's and swims feel terrific. Dan works on his SUP skills, but still gives the board a thumbs down. And we have visitors, one by dinghy and one swimming from adjacent buoys.
We have salmon pasta salad in the cockpit on this hot day. And then evening, so peacefully beautiful . . .