Apologies for the brevity of my previous pictoral post. Allow me to elaborate further on our adventures on Quadra Island and the surrounding Discovery Islands.
Quadra Island, nestled amidst the coastal beauty of British Columbia, offers a captivating cruising experience. One of its notable spots, Heriot Bay, serves as an ideal location to replenish ship supplies, welcome guests arriving by ferry or float plane, and refuel. While water is available there, it’s worth mentioning that, like many of the Northern Islands, it may not be abundant. However, with the generous water capacity of Great Northern’s 400 gallons, water scarcity seldom poses a challenge for us. We only harbor subliminal worries about running dry.
During our stay on Quadra Island, we stopped at Waiatt Bay and the Octopus Islands, which are quite remote and offer quiet, secluded serenity. Having a good supply of Canadian cab and some fresh veg on hand is a plus. Stocking up on these items at the great grocery store at Heriot Bay prior to departure is a must.
During the daytime hours we spent our leisure time hiking, paddling our kayaks and stand-up paddleboards (SUPS), and quietly exploring the scenic surroundings by slow moving dinghy. As darkness stepped onto the stage and wrapped his midnight black cloak around dusk’s ephemeral shoulders, we found ourselves mesmerized by the starry spectacle above. There is no artificial light within miles of Waiatt Bay. In September there are only a short handfull of anchor lights dotting the bay. And… they are usually more than a polite distance away. The brightness of the skyscape, stillness of the water, and depth of the silence… created a perfect environment for contemplation. Of course, indulging in a glass of wine only adds to the wilderness ambiance.
What an experience we’ve had on our way to and in the Discovery Islands so far. Excellent weather. Light winds. Limited precipitation. Uncrowded anchorages. And… comfortable motoring in a well found, well performing boat between each one. Exceptional anchorages on our recent itinerary: Hunter Bay, Friday Harbor, Reid Harbor, Nanaimo, Tribune Bay. Drew Bay, Carrington Bay, Von Donop Inlet, Waiatt Bay… Offerings: Tranquility, solitude, serenity, nature immersion, safe anchorages.. Those are the touchstones of memory that we will fall back on in the future. I am lucky to have the privilege to explore these hidden gems with our sojourning tribe. It will leavenun an indelible mark on all of us.
After relishing in these moments of tranquility on Quadra Island, it was time for us to bid farewell. To ensure smooth passage through the intricate waterways, we made an early departure from Waiatt Bay, strategically timing our transit through the Surge Narrows and Beazley Passage to coincide with slack tide. Fortune and science favored us as we navigated the channels leading to our next destination. As we approached Surge Narrows and Beasley Passage we were joined on our journey by the Hecate Ranger, a venerable wooden trawler. Together, our two vessels created a serene and dignified procession as we passed through the narrows with applomb. The spying eagles, curious ravens, great blue herons, kingfishers, other avians, and perhaps… a few of the elusive wolves hidden amongst the trees, were all watching our progress.
After our smooth and controlled transit through the Narrows we made our way back down Hoskyn Channel to Heriot Bay, where we picked up fuel for the dinghy and a 15 minute allotment of water (Turn on the tap, wait 15 minutes, turn off the tap. Canadian honor system in play.). Next stop: Cortes Island. We negotiated Sutil Channel, snaked our way through the tortuous Uganda Passage, and slithered into Gorge Harbour.
I covered our visit to Gorge Harbor on a previous post, so… no reason to share more here. The following link will take you to that post:
https://wordpress.com/post/boatingongreatnorthern.org/4946
Our malleable plan for Cortes, was to execute a clockwise circumnavigation of the Island, stopping at several anchorages along the way. According to the guide books and Active Captain entries in our Navionics program, the first two locations with reasonable anchorage were Quartz Bay and Carrington Bay. Carrington came up first, and as we approached the inlet of the Bay, we went in for a recon. Sources state that the bay is not noted to be an anchorage of refuge because it is open to the Northwest. It looked great to us, and the weather was exceptionally calm, and the bay was gorgeous! The cruising guides mention that there are up to five locations to consider for anchoring. The “SalishSeaGuide” paints the best picture:
Anchoring sites 1, 2, 3, and 4 all claim to have rocky bottoms. Not my favorite choice for anchoring. Site 5, close to the Carrington Lagoon entrance boasted a bottom made of mud and gravel with a few rocks. That’s where we chose to anchor. When backing down on the anchor… we could feel it skipping over some rock, but the anchor caught, held nicely, and kept us in place for 3 days. After anchoring I always turn on my two programs that warn me via alarms, if I’m drifting away from the location that I anchored. No issues noted during our stay. When we hoisted anchor… the chain and anchor were clean. No mud… Due to that… I’d have to state that anchorage 5 is mostly rock. That being stated… the location was stunning. The weather was benevolent. So… whatever mischief was lurking in the rock, mud and gravel… our 110 pound Bruce claw anchor and 200 feet of heavy chain kept us in place.
There are some great trails that terminate on the shores of Carrington Bay. Some of them are old, repurposed logging roads. Many other small tributary trails crisscross the area. Some appear well traveled. Others are nearly inperceptible, wispy, tendrils that meander through the salal, moss and second growth forest. Sam’s trail was one of those. It did have the luxury of having a few signs at important turning points. Signage elsewhere in that forest is… meager at best. But what a great place for a nature hike…
Yes… there are wolves and bear on Cortes Island. The largest resident wolf pack sports 16 members. There are several other smaller packs. And… wolves from other islands do swim over to Cortes from time to time if they deplete the food supplies on their current island, and they think that more might be available on Cortes. We did meet several other hikers on the main trail leading to Carrington Bay. No one seemed to be concerned about wolves, bear or other wildlife. We, on the other hand did carry bear spray…
The next stop in our clockwise circumnavigation of Cortes Island was Von Donup Inlet, also known as Ha’thayim Marine Park. It is a long, tortuous inlet tucked away along the northwest coast of the island. It is a tranquil place. From a small opening off of Sutil Channel, it stretches nearly 3 miles into the interior of the Island. It’s offerings: secluded and peaceful anchorages, a safe haven in any weather, and a feeling of “pristine”. As we made our way further into the inlet, we became immersed in natural beauty. A tapestry of evergreens, maples, red alder, madrona, lush, vibrant undergrowth, rocky shores encrusted with oysters, barnacles, kelp, and lichen was before us. Tranquil, reflective water, formed our backroad highway. Von Donup is a showcase. It epitomizes why we desire to spend time cruising the Pacific Northwest in a comfortable boat home.
For us, the highlight of Von Donup Inlet is its numerous secure anchorages. There are many ideal spots to drop anchor and explore the nooks and crannies at a leisurely pace. We paddled our kayaks and SUPs, and made slow dinghy rides throughout the inlet. In mid-September and beyond, it is a quiet spot to relax and take in the serene surroundings. We heard wolves howling at night.
Von Donup is a place we will return to some day…
We departed Von Donup on September 8th and continued our circumnavigation of Cortes Island.
Our next and final stop on Cortes Island was Squirrel Cove. We didn’t take very many pictures due to the smoke in the air.
But… On September 9th we paddled into the Squirrel Cove Lagoon. It was interesting going in. The tide was at the top of its high, but water was still flowing into the lagoon. I was the first to go in. It was clearly a bit too early, but once I committed at the entrance to the lagoon I had to keep on going. There really is no way to pivot an 18 foot sea kayak very quickly so I just paddled the 30 feet or so through the bumpy “rapids” to get into the tranquil lagoon. Sea kayaks are designed to power through 6 to 10 foot ocean swell, and they do that very well. They are not designed to do rapids. Well… the rapids weren’t much and it certainly wasn’t unsafe. On the other hand… it was exciting. Once through to the lagoon, I turned around and signaled to Les that it was OK to come through. She paddled through without incident. We are both fairly experienced paddlers after all…
We spent about an hour circumnavigating the lagoon. When we got back to the inlet we found that the water was still flowing in with a bit of vigor. More vigor than we could paddle against. So… we paddled around the lagoon again. On our second return to the inlet… the flow was still too strong to paddle against… so we kept paddling in the lagoon. What a lovely place to be “trapped”.
Well… we went back to the inlet and tried to paddle out again. It was still a bit too strong so we played in the incoming current and the eddies swirling at the sides of the incoming current. We tried to paddle out a few times and were summarily repulsed. No problem. Kayaks paddle backwards just fine. After a bit more time… it was clear that the incoming current was weakening.
Les put on her determined face. That look is something to behold. I’d seen it so many times while she was competing in dressage, or training a 1500 pound, 17 hand Dutch warmblood. The look clearly signals determination and inner strength. She started paddling against the current, testing the eddies, slowly making her way up to the the crux move where the smooth water still pouring in from Squirrel Cove started tipping into the lagoon. The current against was greatest there. I was slowly paddling the eddies about 15 feet behind her. Her bow started slewing to the left. I shouted out for her to steer to the right. She did, and really put the power on. I shouted out: “Paddle or die”! She laughed, got through the crux and kept paddling. I followed right behind her back into Squirrel Cove.
I have to explain. Les and I did quite a bit of paddling together out of San Diego and she did one trip down into Baja with me. I did a lot more Baja paddling than she did. Dressage took up most of her time. Our paddling teacher was a paddling master, a guy named Ed Gillette. He taught us how to do a proper beach landing and how to launch into surf. The surf can be anywhere from 1 foot to 10 feet. It really doesn’t matter. The process is the same. Launch your boat in the shallows, attach your spray skirt and paddle into the “zone” where the waves are just starting to break. It is important to develop a bit of speed so you can punch through the first wave with momentum to get through the second. There comes a point when you have to paddle through that second breaking wave. You paddle like hell, lean forward over your kayak, hold your paddle tight, parallel with the hull, and punch through. Then you paddle like hell to meet the next wave. It is at that point Ed shouted out “paddle or die!” for all of us neophytes to understand that by going too slow and flipping over backwards when an incoming wave is met with too slow a speed. That can be a very bad thing. Particularly with a boat fully loaded with camping gear. I’ve seen that happen. It can get ugly. The first wave is easy, the second, not so much, but by paddling hard you break through the surf zone to the relative tranquility of ocean swell.
Anyway… it was great fun to shout out “paddle or die” to spur a paddling mate forward to safety. Les’s paddling was fabulous to watch. What a great partner she is… to be so happy and fulfilled with the boating life that we have chosen. I am a lucky man…
Next up: Prideaux Haven and environs.
Salish Sea Cruising With Blair, Les, Leo, and Bliss 
Fabulous adventure!
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