The summer cruise: Princess louisa
Date: July 1, 2015
Time Start: 7:00 a.m.
Time Finish: 1:15 p.m.
Cruise From: Egmont
Cruise To: Princess Louisa
Engine Hours Start: 187
Engine Hours Finish: 193
Weather/Sea Conditions: Sunny blue skies, hot 94 degree day, smooth cruising
It's the first day of July (also happens to be Canada Day) and we are on our way to Princess Louisa! This is a dream destination for boaters, and it has definitely been in our dreams. We leave early while the rest of the boaters at Egmont still sleep, crossing Skookumchuck Narrows to Jervis Inlet. The mountains are inviting us to this gateway to the crown jewel of B.C. cruising! Dan compares it to going by boat into Glacier National Park. Yes, it is phenomenal and breathtaking to be here.
Time Start: 7:00 a.m.
Time Finish: 1:15 p.m.
Cruise From: Egmont
Cruise To: Princess Louisa
Engine Hours Start: 187
Engine Hours Finish: 193
Weather/Sea Conditions: Sunny blue skies, hot 94 degree day, smooth cruising
It's the first day of July (also happens to be Canada Day) and we are on our way to Princess Louisa! This is a dream destination for boaters, and it has definitely been in our dreams. We leave early while the rest of the boaters at Egmont still sleep, crossing Skookumchuck Narrows to Jervis Inlet. The mountains are inviting us to this gateway to the crown jewel of B.C. cruising! Dan compares it to going by boat into Glacier National Park. Yes, it is phenomenal and breathtaking to be here.
Morning haze is giving the mountains a bit of a veil. The mountains drop steeply into the inlet, and we see water depths on the chart plotter of over 2,000 feet! Jervis Inlet is divided into reaches, and we hug a rock wall as we curve around from Prince of Wales Reach into Princess Royal Reach where there are hazy layers of mountains reaching down to the water.
And then we round Patrick Point into Queens Reach, and the scenery is spectacular. Mountains, some with snow, are closer and clearer. We are surrounded by the British Columbia Coastal Range.
We have reached Malibu, where we will enter Princess Louisa Inlet through the Malibu Rapids at slack tide. We have arrived early, so have lunch aboard and enjoy the scenery while we wait. There is a Young Life camp at Malibu, and today campers are arriving for the week on the camp boat, Malibu Princess. We watch them arrive, along with other boats that will also be going in through the rapids to Princess Louisa.
Dan is eager and makes us the first boat to enter the rapids. Oh, how beautiful! We pass boaters heading out and Camp Malibu, where the docks are filled with campers. We make our way through the cathedral-like mountains, so steep beside us, to the head of Princess Louisa.
We have arrived! There is plenty of space on the dock for us, where we have amazing views of the mountains and Chatterbox Falls cascading down the mountainside and into the sea. A new Ranger Tug, an R29, in beautiful teal green is on the dock. It hails from Shaw Island in the San Juans. We love that we not only see the falls, but hear them as well. The sailboat Amiri arrives and docks to our stern. Another sailboat, red Fan Tan from Vancouver, is at our bow.
Afternoon on the dock is hot, we get a reading of 94 degrees! Fortunately, the sun drops behind the mountains at 5:30 p.m., making the evening pleasant. Swims feel great, the water is warm, and there is a drizzle of fresh water coming out of the dock faucet so that we get a good rinse afterwards.
So what is it like here? Like we are in a meadow at Yosemite but the meadow is flooded and the sheer rock mountains rise above! It is really hard to convince ourselves that we are at sea level and not on some mountain lake.
With evening there is another slack tide for boats to transit Malibu Rapids, and a few more make their way to the dock, including friends on "Spirit of the Wind" who we had met at Egmont last night. They are from Fairbanks but keep their boat at Anacortes. We meet Cheryl and Tom on an Ocean Alexander who have come from Portland, Oregon, via the outer Washington coast. Another couple on a Nordhaven 40 are learning to make it their retirement home, downsizing to a life on the water. Fan Tan, the red steel sailboat off our bow, was built by her owners and they have lived aboard for 33 years! She is a beautiful boat, looks like new. Ziggy (Zigfield), is the captain and a charming man. Fan Tan is from False Bay in Vancouver. Dock stays are so great for meeting fascinating people!
So what is it like here? Like we are in a meadow at Yosemite but the meadow is flooded and the sheer rock mountains rise above! It is really hard to convince ourselves that we are at sea level and not on some mountain lake.
With evening there is another slack tide for boats to transit Malibu Rapids, and a few more make their way to the dock, including friends on "Spirit of the Wind" who we had met at Egmont last night. They are from Fairbanks but keep their boat at Anacortes. We meet Cheryl and Tom on an Ocean Alexander who have come from Portland, Oregon, via the outer Washington coast. Another couple on a Nordhaven 40 are learning to make it their retirement home, downsizing to a life on the water. Fan Tan, the red steel sailboat off our bow, was built by her owners and they have lived aboard for 33 years! She is a beautiful boat, looks like new. Ziggy (Zigfield), is the captain and a charming man. Fan Tan is from False Bay in Vancouver. Dock stays are so great for meeting fascinating people!
Date: July 2, 2015
Princess Louisa layover day
Weather: Hot, sunny, calm, 98 degrees, a swimming day!
Our nights have been so warm, we sleep with all of the windows and hatches open. Even before the sun rises over the mountains, we are well into the 60's, and into the 80's once it does rise.
We head towards shore and Chatterbox Falls to take morning photos, but dock visiting totally waylays us. More new boats have arrived, including the 60 foot sailing yawl Carlyn from Orcas. The Carlyn has several students aboard from the Four Winds-Westward Ho summer camp who are spending four weeks learning sailing skills. Across the inlet we can see the Pacific Swift, a replica sailing ship out of Victoria, that is also acting as a training ship for student sailors. They all seem to be having a great time, swimming, rowing, hiking, and swabbing decks!
Pat and Dennis on the American Tug 34 "Peter D" invite us aboard their beautiful boat and we find so much in common in both our boating interests and in our personal lives. Dan and Dennis have some overlapping work connections, having worked on common projects and working with the same people! (He is a retired engineer.)
Princess Louisa layover day
Weather: Hot, sunny, calm, 98 degrees, a swimming day!
Our nights have been so warm, we sleep with all of the windows and hatches open. Even before the sun rises over the mountains, we are well into the 60's, and into the 80's once it does rise.
We head towards shore and Chatterbox Falls to take morning photos, but dock visiting totally waylays us. More new boats have arrived, including the 60 foot sailing yawl Carlyn from Orcas. The Carlyn has several students aboard from the Four Winds-Westward Ho summer camp who are spending four weeks learning sailing skills. Across the inlet we can see the Pacific Swift, a replica sailing ship out of Victoria, that is also acting as a training ship for student sailors. They all seem to be having a great time, swimming, rowing, hiking, and swabbing decks!
Pat and Dennis on the American Tug 34 "Peter D" invite us aboard their beautiful boat and we find so much in common in both our boating interests and in our personal lives. Dan and Dennis have some overlapping work connections, having worked on common projects and working with the same people! (He is a retired engineer.)
We finally make a noon visit to the falls, following the short and lovely trail to the base. The mist from the falls is cool and refreshing on this hot day.
The water system serving the dock is having some problems. Dan, Ziggy, and Denis (from the catamaran Tango opposite us), take on the plumbing task. Good work, guys! The dock now has water, although it isn't potable. Dan learns that Denis spent two months on the atoll of Penrhyn in the Northern Cook Islands while cruising the South Pacific on Tango. This is yet another coincidence, as Dan did biological work on that atoll some 20 years ago. With a remote location, small size and a population of only about 200 people at present, the odds of ever meeting anyone who has been to this remote place are minuscule!
We take the dinghy on this hot afternoon to tour some of the shoreline of Princess Louisa and to take photos of boats, including Pacific Swift (several of her matching rowing skiffs are in action!), and the mountains and waterfall. Tide is low and oysters and mussels are exposed along the steep rocky shorelines.
Late afternoon swims cool us off. The temperature has now reached 98 degrees, making a dip in the warm water feel terrific. Thanks to our dock plumbers, we get a fresh water rinse from the dock hose when we are finished.
The park ranger is here this afternoon and comes around to say hello and welcome us. She is thrilled to have the water system up and functioning. There are no dock fees. Instead, there is a donation station. Things are quite laid back here.
Once again the sun drops behind the mountains by 5:30 and the evening is pleasant for cooking and dining outside in the cockpit. To see the moon, we need to get up in the middle of the night. It takes its time to rise over the mountains.
Once again the sun drops behind the mountains by 5:30 and the evening is pleasant for cooking and dining outside in the cockpit. To see the moon, we need to get up in the middle of the night. It takes its time to rise over the mountains.
Date: July 3, 2015
Time Start: 12:15 p.m.
Time Finish: 1:00 p.m.
Cruise From: Princess Louisa Dock
Cruise To: MacDonald Island, Princess Louisa Inlet
Engine Hours Start: 193
Engine Hours Finish: 193
Weather/Sea Conditions: Clear, Calm, Sunny and HOT! We actually it 100 degrees!
Its a beautiful morning with calm glassy water. We watch as the catamaran Tonga with friends Denis and Holly leaves for MacDonald island, and we will follow her there later. Several boats were away from the dock to catch the early morning slack at Malibu Rapids, including friends Pat and Dennis on Peter D and the sailing vessels Carlyn and Pacific Swift.
Since there are no restrictions on water usage, we give NORTH STAR a good rinse, knowing that water will be more scarce as we continue further north on our cruise.
Time Start: 12:15 p.m.
Time Finish: 1:00 p.m.
Cruise From: Princess Louisa Dock
Cruise To: MacDonald Island, Princess Louisa Inlet
Engine Hours Start: 193
Engine Hours Finish: 193
Weather/Sea Conditions: Clear, Calm, Sunny and HOT! We actually it 100 degrees!
Its a beautiful morning with calm glassy water. We watch as the catamaran Tonga with friends Denis and Holly leaves for MacDonald island, and we will follow her there later. Several boats were away from the dock to catch the early morning slack at Malibu Rapids, including friends Pat and Dennis on Peter D and the sailing vessels Carlyn and Pacific Swift.
Since there are no restrictions on water usage, we give NORTH STAR a good rinse, knowing that water will be more scarce as we continue further north on our cruise.
It is hard to leave this friendly dock. Feeling the pangs of a farewell to something wonderful, we will miss the people we have met here, the view and sound of the falls, the scenery.
We cruise part way down Princess Louisa Inlet to MacDonald island and tie onto a buoy. Tango is on a nearby buoy, and a wilderness camp for Young Life is on the main shore across from the island.
We enjoy the antics of the Young Life campers. When a water taxi arrives (and this happens several times throughout the day), they are jumping with excitement and noise, singing and dancing their welcome to new arrivals.
We have our lunch in the cockpit, and then . . . the boat nap! Zonk! With our little fan turned on to cool us, off we drift. This is a luxury we are enjoying while being on the cruise.
Afternoon is swim time once again. Dan puts on his short wet suit and uses a brush to lean under NORTH STAR. It is a mask and snorkel task.
All cleaned up, we take the dinghy over to Tango (a Perry 43 catamaran) for happy hour with Denis and Holly and a chance to see their photos from their two months on Penrhyn. A lot of South Pacific adventure stories get exchanged as memories are triggered. Dan and I were on Penrhyn some 20 years ago when he was doing a project dealing with the ecology of black pearl farming. Denis and Holly visited the atoll in 2010. They also stayed in Honolulu and Hilo on Tango, places where we have not only boated but lived as well.
Afternoon is swim time once again. Dan puts on his short wet suit and uses a brush to lean under NORTH STAR. It is a mask and snorkel task.
All cleaned up, we take the dinghy over to Tango (a Perry 43 catamaran) for happy hour with Denis and Holly and a chance to see their photos from their two months on Penrhyn. A lot of South Pacific adventure stories get exchanged as memories are triggered. Dan and I were on Penrhyn some 20 years ago when he was doing a project dealing with the ecology of black pearl farming. Denis and Holly visited the atoll in 2010. They also stayed in Honolulu and Hilo on Tango, places where we have not only boated but lived as well.
Date: July 4, 2015
MacDonald Island, Princess Lousa Inlet layover day
Weather: Another blast of hot weather for a sizzling 4th of July, upper 90's again, a breeze
Happy Fourth of July! Our stars and stripes fly from the stern of NORTH STAR. We hear a chorus of male teen voices belting out the Star Spangled Banner from the youth camp, putting their all into it. We respond with two toots of our horn.
MacDonald Island, Princess Lousa Inlet layover day
Weather: Another blast of hot weather for a sizzling 4th of July, upper 90's again, a breeze
Happy Fourth of July! Our stars and stripes fly from the stern of NORTH STAR. We hear a chorus of male teen voices belting out the Star Spangled Banner from the youth camp, putting their all into it. We respond with two toots of our horn.
Watching the campers ashore skip rocks, toss frisbees, etc., makes us nostalgic for our kids and grandkids. We hope they are all having a fabulous time celebrating together in Berkeley! We'll celebrate in a mellow way here in beautiful Princess Louisa Inlet.
Boats are coming and going continually, ferrying campers and supplies in and out of the camp. Everyone seems to know just when they should be on the dock, this is a well organized camp.
Boats are coming and going continually, ferrying campers and supplies in and out of the camp. Everyone seems to know just when they should be on the dock, this is a well organized camp.
We break out our shade panels for the cockpit, figuring out how to hang them with the Rhino clips attaching to the canopy and bungee cords to the rails. Dan checks the water below NORTH STAR, 98 feet deep and 76 degrees. Definitely swimmable.
A forty five minute ride in the dinghy takes us to Malibu Camp for a visit and tour. What a camp! It is more like an upscale resort with every kind of imaginable activity for the lucky teen "campers". Water fun of all kinds, volleyball, a gym for hockey and other indoor sports, a climbing wall, you name it! Kathy, the tour guide for this month, shows us around the complex of facilities. And what a view from the camp, looking up Princess Louisa to the mountains or out towards Queens Reach in Jervis Inlet. Our tour ends with a visit to the snack bar for ice cream. Espresso chip tastes great on this hot day.
Time for the return to MacDonald Island and NORTH STAR. Once again we hug the shoreline, and we feel like real adventurers on our little "ship", out in the midst of all this grandeur.
We are more than ready for a swim! Then it is pau hana time in the cockpit, followed by a pasta salad for our Fourth of July picnic.
We have been smelling smoke today, like that from a campfire. As we take evening photos, we notice a haze in the air. Our guide at Malibu Camp had told us there is a forest fire in Sechelt,, and the smoke is blowing into Princess Louisa. There are now clouds over the mountains that are actually smoke. And then, ash starts falling from the sky. We stow away everything that we can, knowing that we will leave in the morning when the tide is slack at Malibu Rapids.
We have been smelling smoke today, like that from a campfire. As we take evening photos, we notice a haze in the air. Our guide at Malibu Camp had told us there is a forest fire in Sechelt,, and the smoke is blowing into Princess Louisa. There are now clouds over the mountains that are actually smoke. And then, ash starts falling from the sky. We stow away everything that we can, knowing that we will leave in the morning when the tide is slack at Malibu Rapids.
Date: July 5, 2015
Time Start: 7:45 a.m.
Time Finish: 12:45 p.m.
Cruise From: Princess Louisa
Cruise To: Egmont
Engine Hours Start: 194
Engine Hours Finish: 199
Weather/Sea Conditions: Heavy smoke and ash from forest fire, warm with no sun (a red dot through the smoke!), poor visibility
It is 6 a.m. when we rise to a world of heavy orange fog. It is already 70 degrees. The windows have been open through the night to let in air for sleeping, but the hatches are all closed. There is no wind, but ash has been drifting through the screens, and everything inside NORTH STAR has a dusting of fine grey-white ash. The air smells of smoke, like the smoke from a campfire. There is soot and ash on all of the outside exposed areas of NORTH STAR, too. We can just see as far as Tango on the next mooring buoy.
Time Start: 7:45 a.m.
Time Finish: 12:45 p.m.
Cruise From: Princess Louisa
Cruise To: Egmont
Engine Hours Start: 194
Engine Hours Finish: 199
Weather/Sea Conditions: Heavy smoke and ash from forest fire, warm with no sun (a red dot through the smoke!), poor visibility
It is 6 a.m. when we rise to a world of heavy orange fog. It is already 70 degrees. The windows have been open through the night to let in air for sleeping, but the hatches are all closed. There is no wind, but ash has been drifting through the screens, and everything inside NORTH STAR has a dusting of fine grey-white ash. The air smells of smoke, like the smoke from a campfire. There is soot and ash on all of the outside exposed areas of NORTH STAR, too. We can just see as far as Tango on the next mooring buoy.
We have another two hours before we can pass through Malibu Rapids and try to make our way out of the smoke. Of course, we have no idea where the fire actually is and how far we need to travel to escape its effects. Luckily, our handheld vacuum does a good job of sucking up the ash inside the cabin.
The parade of boats leaving Princess Louisa begins. We hear on the radio chatter that there are two fires, one to the north and one in Sechelt. We, too, are on our way, and so surprised when we pass Camp Malibu to see campers out water skiing in the smokey conditions!
The parade of boats leaving Princess Louisa begins. We hear on the radio chatter that there are two fires, one to the north and one in Sechelt. We, too, are on our way, and so surprised when we pass Camp Malibu to see campers out water skiing in the smokey conditions!
Now we are in Jervis Inlet and on the lookout for other boats and navigation hazards. Visibility is limited, and our radar is turned on, as well as our running lights. It is an eerie world, with ash floating on the water and congregating in places where the water swirls. It almost looks like someone dumped a gigantic container of cinnamon from the sky, but the aroma is of a campfire with very wet wood.
It is still smokey and ash is coming down when we reach Egmont, but not as severely. We top off our fuel and learn that there are several fires. We are thinking of heading towards either Pender Harbor or Powell River for the night, but they are also affected by the fires, so we decide to stay in Egmont until tomorrow.
We tie up at the Bathgate Marina this time because it has amenities to meet our current needs: a laundromat, a small grocery store, and water. NORTH STAR gets a rinse but will need it again later as the ash keeps drifting down like fine powdery snow. It covers everything, floats on the water and drifts into every nook and cranny it can find.
We have to say that Bathgate Marina is in need of a whole lot of attention. It has the appearance of a place about to fall apart at any moment. It is under new ownership as of May, so maybe things will improve. And of course, the smokey atmosphere doesn't help to form a good impression.
We tie up at the Bathgate Marina this time because it has amenities to meet our current needs: a laundromat, a small grocery store, and water. NORTH STAR gets a rinse but will need it again later as the ash keeps drifting down like fine powdery snow. It covers everything, floats on the water and drifts into every nook and cranny it can find.
We have to say that Bathgate Marina is in need of a whole lot of attention. It has the appearance of a place about to fall apart at any moment. It is under new ownership as of May, so maybe things will improve. And of course, the smokey atmosphere doesn't help to form a good impression.
There is no action anywhere today, the "town" is dead on this eerie day. The sun cannot even penetrate the haze of the smoke, it looks like an alien red moon in the sky. It is a surprise when we see two people fishing off the dock.
