Tidings of Joy: April 2021

Finally finally finally the day had come April 5th 2021 (also our anniversary) and it was time to start making our way north to Alaska. We had been so busy leading up to the big day completing last minute projects like getting hydronic heat installed and finding a storage facility for our camper van. We provisioned for a month and had all of our documents in order and at 6:29a.m. we threw lines from Elliott Bay Marina and made our way north to Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands. We were ecstatic! The 73 mile cruise was uneventful. The sun was shinning and the Puget Sound was calm and we were on our way. We spent all of last summer cruising the San Juan Islands so to be heading back for the night was something we looked forward to. After securing the boat we quickly lept off to go rediscover Friday Harbor. It was surprisingly busy for Monday afternoon during Covid. We enjoyed walking around the familiar town and I was disappointed that the port and chocolate store was closed but we decided to get some champaign and happy hour treats in order to celebrate our 22nd anniversary and also the start of our big trip. Things felt perfect.

Leaving Seattle

Stern View

Docked at Friday Harbor

We were anxious with anticipation as we went to sleep. Worried how things would go in the morning with the customs agent and crossing the boarder during Covid-19 when Canada is closed. We did our research and heard from other boaters that you are allowed through as long as you stay on your own boat and only anchor at night to sleep as you pass through. No going to marinas or on land until you reach Alaska.

8:23a.m. we threw lines at Friday Harbor and made the two hour trek to Sidney, British Columbia and tied up at the Van Isle Marina Customs Dock and made the call. Jeff answered several questions the agent had and then was told two agents would be over in 20 minutes. We sat nervously trying to look calm and composed and not guilty of any crimes or suspicious activity. The agents showed up promptly and we grabbed our documents and masks and went outside to greet them. They were friendly Canadians as you would expect and asked us questions about our trip and our purpose. One agent took our passports into a makeshift office on the dock while the other agent talked with us. He said he was appreciative of our honesty and preparedness having our float plan and vaccine cards ready. After a few more questions, "do you have firearms? do you have tobacco? how much alchole do you have? we were told the agent would be going inside the boat and looking around while we were to remain on the aft deck. We watched as he entered the boat looking around and opening kitchen cabinets then he disappeared downstairs. I leaned against the back rail while Jeff did everything in his power to remain in one spot and not pacing and fidgeting. When the agent reappeared he said everything looked good inside. He informed us that due to some dishonest American cruisers who have been "getting lost" in Canada despite saying they are transiting only that they would be keeping track of us via AIS to make sure we were heading in the right direction. We thanked them and took a deep sigh of relief as Jeff hoisted the Canadian flag along with our yellow quarentine flag and American Flag.

It was official we were going to Alaska. Once again I threw lines and we made our way to James Bay on Prevost Island where we would spend our first night at anchor.

Tidings of Joy Crossing into Canada

Van Isle Marina - Sidney, B.C.

Customs Dock

James Bay - Prevost Island

James Bay with One Other Boat

The alarm at 5a.m. came quick and by 6:30 we were up anchoring and heading out. Today we would face the first of our many challenges of the trip - passing through Dodd Narrows a narrow passage that needs to be timed perfectly with the current because it can run up to 9 knots. Fortunately Jeff did his homework and timed the narrows perfectly and after calling a Security we traversed with no issues at slack tide. For those of you who have never cruised the Pacific Northwest one of the biggest challenges besides timing of currents and weather is the constant logs in the water. They come in all shapes and sizes from a little piece of firewood to full on telephone poles. Sometimes they are obvious to see while birds perch and ride them along the water to hidden deadheads that pop up just in time for your boat to glide over it. It makes for very intense boating having to keep your eyes glued to the water every second constantly trying to spot these hidden dangers. As we made our way passed Nanaimo Jeff found one of these Northwest treasures. I was down below and it sounded like we were hitting ice bergs it was so loud. Never having seen the hazard the mood became very intense. Our first. Strangely right after the log incident the winds and rain began picking up and they were opposing the current and we found ourselves rocking and rolling all over the place. The cruise was beginning to feel long. With our anchorage in site we began judging the wind and waves and wondering why it was rolling in the anchorage we had so carefully chosen. Jeff was puzzled. He said the wind would be coming from the opposite direction and we both pulled out our phones and confirmed. We got some protection as we pulled into Tribune Bay on Hornby Island but were still rolling around some. To add to the intensity and the mood the side we chose to anchor in was full of rocks and we listened as the anchor scraped against them and we dragged it around. Deciding we would never catch here nor be relaxed and happy we moved over to the windy side and just like that the wind shifted as Jeff thought. Now things were calming down, the anchor was secure in the mud and the most spectacular rainbow came out right next to the boat. Our reward after a very nerve-wracking day.

Heading into Dodd Narrows

Nanaimo, B.C.

Tribune Bay

Rainbow Right Outside our Window

Tribune Bay

Sunset Tribune Bay

After a comatose night sleep and getting to sleep in till 8a.m. we felt refreshed and ready to tackle another day. At 10a.m. we up-anchored and set out for the Strait of Georgia en route to Gowlland Harbour. For the first couple of hours the seas were lumpy but then laid down. The weather was cool (40 degrees) and sunny as most days have been. We stared out the window taking in the beautiful Canadian scenery. There was some heavy winds predicted the next day so we would stay in Gowlland Harbour for a couple of nights. A nice treat after getting up and going everyday for the last 4 days. We found this anchorage thanks to a YouTube boating couple we watch called Sea Venture. We watched videos of them transiting through Canada and made note of all of their stops. This was our first of theirs and I was anxious to see it. Evergreens lined the land surrounding Gowlland and we were fortunate to be only one of two boats in the entire anchorage. At 5p.m. we set the hook and settled in for the night and the windy next day.

Strait of Georgia

Tug with Freight Strait of Georgia

Entering Gowlland Harbour Anchorage

Gowlland Harbour

Sunset Gowlland Harbour

Sleeping in the next morning was one of life's little pleasures for me. We got to have a slow morning dragging out coffee and breakfast for hours while staying in pjs and soaking in the scenery. Nothing better in my opinion. Already the wind had started to pick up and we were blowing around significantly. As I looked out at our sailboat neighbor I noticed that he seemed to be further away but assumed he was just pulling tight on his chain. The rest of the morning dragged on as we read our books and stayed in pjs only thinking about what we would eat for lunch. Again I noticed the sailboat drifting further and further away. By now Jeff was agreeing with me and we wondered where they guy was who owned it. Jeff saw him dingy away last night never returning. Surely he knew the wind forecast for today and wouldn't just leave his boat unattended during the big blow. As the day progressed we kept a close eye out and now the sailboat was dangerously approaching rocks on shore and dock belonging to a local business. We got out the binocular and surveyed the site. We found a name of the business belonging to the dock, googled the phone number and tried calling. No answer. We assumed they were close for the season. Worried about the sailboat and not seeing anyone in site we decided to hail the Canadian Coast Guard. Jeff gave him the information and waited for instruction. The coast guard informed us they would take it from here. Within the half hour we saw a small coast guard rib with three guards in it approaching the sailboat. They harnessed a line to the sailboat and began towing it off the rocks and towing it to the lee of the island. Afterwards the Coast Guard came by and spoke to Jeff thanking him and giving him their cell phone number in case the sailboat didn't stay where they put it. We felt good now that the sailboat was secure and safe. Later that same day a guy in a dingy came causing over to our boat and when we went outside to greet him we realize it was the sailboat owner. We told him the story about his boats rescue by the Coast Guard and thanked us profusely. What a day. That night we were rewarded with a double rainbow right next to the boat.

Canadian Coast Guard Towing Sailboat

Sailboat Owner Came to Thank Us

Double Rainbow

Double Rainbow over Gowlland Harbour

The wind thankfully died down overnight and we woke up feeling good and ready to go. Today's cruise would take us through Seymour Narrows a 2 mile long passage that can run up to 16 miles an hour and must be timed perfectly. The ideal time to catch it is right at slack tide which would be at 5pm today. We sat ready all day and at 3:30pm began up anchoring in anticipation of the 5pm slack. Since Jeff and I both tend to be on the anal side of time management we arrived 30 minutes early for our slack crossing. We anxiously hovered near the opening out of the current waiting for our time to go. We watched as a couple of tows with barges attached made their way towards the narrows. We thought it best to let them through first and we would follow behind. Timed perfectly the narrow were no big deal and as we passed through the cannon like surroundings we were in awe of how gorgeous it was and enjoyed our first evening cruise. We ate dinner underway and 28 miles later at 7:50pm we dropped the hook in Chameleon Harbour. Our first anchorage with zero cell service.

Waiting Outside Seymour Narrows

Tug & Freight Entering Seymour Narrows

Freight

Seymour Narrows

Chameleon Harbour Anchorage

It was a quick turnaround and we pulled anchor at 6:30a.m. the following morning in order to time our passage through past of Johnstone Strait another difficult passage that needs to be perfectly timed with current and wind. Johnstone is 55 miles long and each section has it's own currents and tides. Getting through the entire passage in one day is very difficult unless you're willing to fight the current for a significant amount of the way. We decided to get through a lot of the strait but leaving some for tomorrow to afford us a smoother ride. Another sunny but cold day we found Johnstone Strait not that intimidating. We started at slack and then had significant current in our favor. We even reached 14 mph which is a record for us. There again were a ton of logs and today was my day to hit one. Again I never saw it and as Jeff looked out the back door for it to pop out he too didn't see it either. The clunking under the haul is something no boat owner ever wants to hear and it makes you cringe and ache all over. We were both so happy to be at our anchorage at Port Harvey and off the Johnstone Strait away from all it's debris.

Cruising Thru Johnstone Strait

Johnstone Strait

14mph in Johnstone Strait

Safely Anchored Port Harvey

Up and at'em 5a.m and up anchoring at 6:00 sharp. Today was going to be a long 77.5 mile day and we needed to get going to finish our timing of the Johnstone Strait. Just when we thought 14mph was a record we hit 16mph today. Our cruise was gorgeous and today we got our first glimpse at a whale, sea otters and a bald eagle. Unfortunately the whale dove too quickly for us to get a good picture of it. Finally around 2:30 we slowly made our way into Miles Inlet this tightly enclosed anchorage that made us feel very protected and nicely nestled. We were in awe when we arrived and think to this day it's our favorite anchorage so far. It has been 7 days since setting foot on land and my legs were starting to feel achy and desperately needing to be stretched. So while Jeff settled in I took to the side deck and began walking around in circles doing laps. I joked I was walking the promenade deck like on a cruise ship. Regardless of what you want to call it I managed to get 2800 steps in going round and round and my legs were feeling a lot better. We sat on the aft deck hand some cheese and crackers and took in our gorgeous view.

Early Morning Departure

Johnstone Strait

Entering Miles Inlet

Miles Inlet

Like every other day we had an early 6a.m. departure time in order to round Cape Caution - 40 miles of open water to the ocean that needs to be transited with care making sure you have calm seas and little wind. Fortunately the weather was in our favor and the passage was easy and not memorable. We continued on for 78 miles now in Northern B.C. and finally starting to feel like we were getting somewhere and almost to Alaska. The entire day we only saw three other boats - two commercial fishing and one cruiser. It was getting more and more remote the further north we were. Finally around 3:30 we dropped the hook at Codville Lagoon our anchorage for the night. Relieved to be around Cape Caution and hoping to see bears as the guidebooks mentioned we plopped ourselves in our chairs in the aft deck and began soaking in another gorgeous anchorage.

Leaving Miles Inlet

Sunrise Cruising

Cape Caution

Floating Log

Entering Codville Lagoon

Codville Lagoon

Unfortunately we didn't see any bears but are still hopeful as we make our to Alaska. The following morning we left at 7a.m. and these early mornings and long days were starting to take a toll on us. It might sound silly to think that we could be tired just cruising but between the planning- checking on weather and winds, creating routes, deciding on stops, nonstop early morning departure and long days it takes a lot out of you. Not to mention we couldn't go to shore to get some exercise. Today we met a friend. A black raven decided it wanted to take a ride with us while we cruise. He sat on the rail for a long time then would leave and circle around and perch back on the rail and just sit and stare at us for awhile until he finally pooped on the boat and left us. Our excitement came to a screeching halt. The cruise took us past a quaint little town called Bela Bella where we were more then happen to get some free cell service. The first for us in days and as we cruised past it quickly went away and we were back to being on our own.

Bottleneck Inlet was another breathtaking anchorage. We couldn't believe day after day all of these amazing anchorages. So scenic and serene and all to ourselves. We spent another late afternoon and evening just staring at the trees and mountains and wondering where we were.

Bela Bella

Raven Riding the Rail

Another Log

Entering Bottleneck Inlet

Bottleneck Inlet

One thing that boaters need to be is flexible. I don't think anyone who knows Jeff or I would use that word to describe either of us. We hate when plans change but have learned in boating it happens frequently. Today was one of those days. We had intended to go to Hawk Bay an 8 hour cruise that we had time with the current but as we got close and checked the currents for the next day saw that the would be strongly against us making the day even longer so we pushed on to another anchorage called Nettle Basin a very long 86 mile 10 hour day. Defiantly not my kinda day but it made the most sense so we changed plans. The cruise was gorgeous and we passed by several waterfalls throughout the day. We both got excited and found ourselves constantly saying, "look over there it's a waterfall" as we cruised passed. Not only did we see them all day during our cruise but our anchorage at Nettle Basin had it's own waterfall which we anchored very close to. We first tried anchoring in 60 feet but it was rocky and the holding wasn't good so we moved out to 100 feet and the anchor finally grabbed us and we let out 300 feet total. From the boat we could see the waterfall and this bizarre white foam that hit produced as the crashing water hit the rocks. At first I thought it was snow and ice. The day was long arriving at 5:30pm there wasn't time for much except making dinner, waterfall watching and going to bed. We were pooped.

Jeff Taking Break While I Drive

Waterfalls En Route

More Waterfalls

Nettle Basin Anchorage

Nettle Basin

We woke up super excited today. Not only did we not need to depart until 11a.m. and got to sleep in but we were heading to our final stop in British Columbia before getting to Alaska. The goal was in site. All of our hard work and effort to push on was finally paying off. It felt kind of like running a marathon (not that I have) and having the fishing line in site. We saw a very bizarre thing as we made our way out of the anchorage. It was a deer in the water swimming across our path He looked so little and helpless in the current. Today's destination was a place called North Kelp Passage that we learned from the Youtube's Sea Venture. When the made their transit into Alaska this was another one of their stops. We loved Gowlland Harbour so we were anxious to see what this anchorage would look like. The day was short and uneventful only 47 miles. As we cruised in we saw another boat already anchored. We waved and dropped the hook forward of them.

Canadian Coast Guard Passing By

More Logs in the Water

Sailboat Anchored in North Kelp Passage

North Kelp Passage

Sunset North Kelp Passage

Today is the big day. The day we have been waiting for and planning since 2017. The day we finally cross into Alaska. And what a memorable day it was. I've never seen so much debris in the water in all of our cruising the entire pacific northwest as we did this day. Both of us hit random objects never to be seen from again. Making loud banging and clanging noises on the haul making us cringe and pucker in dismay. It took both of us for several hours keeping watch and helping the other one drive so as not to hit anything too big. Some of it was just unavoidable. Leaves and logs, sticks and deadheads filled the entire passage from North Kelp to Foggy Bay Alaska. And to hype up the tension a little more while I was driving we heard a mayday being called on 16 for a boat who had a crack in their forward haul, was taking on water and needed immediate assistance. We both were on high alert most of the day. Then before we knew it we were crossing into Alaska and approaching our anchorage. The anchorage is lots of rocks and shallowing so I stood on bow watch as Jeff slowly made his way into our destination. Feeling super accomplished and proud at 2:00pm on April 17th just 11 days after leaving Seattle we now were in Alaska. Drinks and rest and relaxing were in order. We did it!