Inside Passage
Introduction
Rick, a long time friend and sailing buddy, called and said he was thinking of buying his dad's boat and would I be interested in a sailing trip from Puget Sound, WA to San Diego, CA. The general plan was to finish outfitting the boat for about 2 weeks, sea trial the boat for about 2 weeks in the San Juan Islands, and head south in the Pacific Ocean. This is Swan Song at Lacy Falls about 200nm North of the San Juan Islands. At the last minute, Rick and I decided to take the Inside Passage north towards Alaska and have the boat shipped via truck, just before winter, from Seattle to San Diego. It turned out to be a great decision!
Swan Song's crew in the floating city at Sullivan Bay, North Broughton Island. Rick's girlfriend Ellen joined us in Campbell River on Vancouver Island and flew back to Tucson, AZ, where they live, from Sullivan Bay. Just think about the climate change Ellen went through going from the Pacific NW to Tucson, AZ during the summer. It was in the low 50s in the above photo and probably over 100 degrees in Tucson.
The Inside Passage allows vessels to travel between Seattle to just south of Alaska in the protected waters of Vancouver Island, BC. Between Vancouver Island and the mainland of Canada is a maze of island groups which include the San Juan Islands, Gulf Islands, Discovery Islands, and Broughton Islands. Hotham Sound, Desolation Sound, and Bond Sound provide access to remote back country areas far into the mainland.
Preparing For The Trip
Rick's dad, Bob built Swan Song near his home on Bainbridge Island over several years with almost no help. The hull shape was based on the Islander 30 which he designed in the seventies. Bob also did design work for Catalina Yachts and owned a boat building company in California. The craftsmanship in Swan Song is 2nd to none and she turned heads everywhere we sailed. Shortly after Bob launched the boat, he had some major health issues and the boat sat unused for over a year before he decided to sell her to Rick.
Just after Rick purchased Swan Song, Bob helped with a minor rudder modification and new bottom paint. Rick did all the sanding under careful supervision!
Bob, being an old salt, didn't care much about electronics, so a big part of outfitting the boat was installing a chart plotter, auto pilot, VHF radio, pedestal guard to hold the electronics, etc, etc. Rick and I both retired from computer programming and like all that electronic junk. Access to the wiring under the cockpit was limited to reaching thru an access panel in the sole. We finally decided to cut off a non structural board for better access and open the area up to storage.
It should be noted, Bob installed all the rudder cables, engine control cables, and other wiring without cutting the board. Rick and I are both a couple of Wimps!
Rick didn't fit, so I did all the wiring and other work under the cockpit. Bob came down to the boat one afternoon to check on us and was wondering what happened to me. I surprised him from the new aft cabin!
All the lockers and storage bins were completely filled with beer and food, but Rick kept handing down more supplies. Rick did the final push and shove to make everything fit. We were just barely floating when he started off on the trip!
Heading North
Our first overnight stop was at the town of Langley on Whidbey Island. The marina is protected by tall logs which forms a wall and gives you a weird feeling while sitting at the docks. We are in a slip in the middle of the photo and just barely squeaked by all the big power boats at the end of the dock. The town of Langley is just a short walk up a hill from the marina.
One of the main attractions in Langley is a life sized bronze statue of a 'Boy and His Dog'. The statue is on a cliff looking out over the Saratoga Passage. It is reported that all who rubs the boy's shoulder and dog's head will have good luck. You can just see the two shiny places. We both took no chances and the legend proved to be true!
Heading towards Deception Pass in the Saratoga Passage the clouds have some funny shapes! Deception Pass was named by Vancouver, who first explored the Inside Passage, because at first he believed it to be an isthmus, but later found a narrow pass. Saratoga Passage and Deception Pass allows vessels to sail between Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands without entering the exposed waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca . We came back through the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which completed a circle around Whidbey Island.
Crossing the channel between the San Juan and Gulf Islands we saw a pod of Orcas Whales. It was a little hard to catch one in a photo, but you can just see a fin above a splash from a second one. The San Juan Islands are part of the United States and Gulf Islands are part of Canada.
We checked into Canadian customs at Bedwell Harbor on South Pender Island . Swan Song is on a mooring ball just to the left of center. The resort in the background was a fancy place with lots of tourists. Rick and I did a nice hike around the island on trails that were used mostly by the other boaters.
The entrance to Winter Harbor on Saturna Island (Gulf islands) has no aid to navigation because some poor sailor found the reef. At high tide, all of the reef is under water and only part of the topsides of the yacht and mast are exposed. All boats, including us, give this reef a wide berth due to the ship wreck.. In fact, it is lucky some yachts are not grounded on the opposite shoreline trying to be too careful!
We took a series of channels, also called reaches into the back country of the British Columbia mainland heading toward the Princess Louisa Inlet. Waterfalls were a common sight all along the route. The above photo was taken in the Prince of Wales Reach. The water was over 200' deep 50' from the shore, so we went right to the base of the falls.
The weather was turning bad and the timing was off for the rapids at the head of the reach, so we changed coarse for the Harmony Island Marine Park. The waterfall and gorge at Princess Louisa Inlet was one of the few places we wished we could have seen, but missed on the trip.
Swan Song anchored in the distance at the Harmony Island Marine Park, British Columbia mainland. May times we took the dinghy to a nearby island to fish and explore. The fishing didn't work out here, but we had a great time one afternoon.
The following day we left the Hotham Sound area through the north channel above Nelson Island and headed towards the Desolation Sound Marine Park. Desolation Sound is another maze of islands bordering the British Columbia mainland and is as far north as most boaters go.
In Desolation Sound, we made a day stop in Grace Harbor on Josephine Island to hike up to a mountain lake. All of the forests in this area have been logged. This is an old bulldozes left behind. Rick found the tracks and other parts a short distance away.
It was really a nice hike through the forest to the mountain top lake.
Anchoring in this area is challenging with 15' tides and dropping the hook in 50 plus feet of water right next to shore. Most of the time it is best to stern tie to a tree on shore. When we anchored in Isabel Cove (Desolation Sound), the water level was just below the pine tree. Many other boats loop the stern line around the trees to make retrieval easier. I personally like rock climbing in the morning and it saves lots of line!
One of the real treats of the Pacific NW is seeing all the seals. Everyday we saw them swimming, sun bathing, and playing around. Many were watching us as much as we were watching them. Who knows what they were thinking about us floating in their world. I can promise you many a beer was consumed discussing the seals around the boat.
Beer in Canada is expensive! This little guy sitting on shore near where we were anchored at Billy Goat Cove on Helmecken Island (Discovery Islands) cost us some money! Billy Goat Cove was our 2nd favorite place with hiking on old logging roads and the wildlife.
And there was lots of other wildlife at Billy Goat Cove. This is just one of the many eagles around the cove and we were the only boat within many miles!
My favorite place of the trip was Bond Sound in the back country of the British Columbia mainland. We really just happened on it by chance looking for a safe anchorage. On the left side of the white beach in the center of the photo was a creek/lagoon leading to a valley with a beautiful meadow. On the right was river draining down from some mountain lakes. We anchored just off the picture to the right and stayed several days.
Our first salmon! Early in the day, I had been gold panning in the river that feeds into Bond Sound, but had no luck and left the pan in the dinghy. I guess the pan was used for a good purpose in the end.
Crop Circle in the Bond Sound valley from Aliens in a UFO? This crushed grass was actually formed from bears lying down while eating berries in the meadow. It is a little hard to see, but most of the grass in the meadow is about 3' deep and ankle deep in the circle. It was really a beautiful place!
In the Maltipi Indian Islands and many other places, we wanted to go hiking, but there are no trails in these remote areas. Stream beds provide the best access to the forest, but all the green moss growing on the rocks is very slippery. Many times we were down on all fours trying to avoid a bad fall.
Ellen decided to wait for us at the stream head to avoid all the slippery rocks. It was very comforting having a Bear Alarm at the head of the stream!
Ellen didn't mind hiking on slippery logs. The trail from Greenway Sound to Beaver Dam Lake was made with thousands of logs to keep back the forest. It was hard to believe just how many logs were used in this 2 mile trail, but there are lots of old logs in this area. The only bad thing about the logs are they were almost as slippery as the stream bed rocks. I fell 3 times on my butt! Rick and Ellen both laughed !
Beaver Dam Lake just above the dam. The trail at the lake was flooded, so we could only continue on for a short distance by walking on half floating logs. Lucky I didn't fall in the water or they would have had a real big laugh!
We anchored off Watson Island in an area that had just been logged. It was incredible to see all the waste left behind from the logging operation. I guess death and destruction is part of the price we have to pay for toilet paper. It was easy hiking in this area with no slippery rocks or logs.
Lots of the logging waste also makes it into the water and there is no one to clean it up. At the end of the trip, we hit a submerged log in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and damaged the boat.
The floating city at Sullivan Bay, North Broughton Island. The only thing on the shore was two fuel tanks. The international airport (seaplanes only) is just off the photo to the left. The gray buildings on the left are the gas station/repair shop, followed by the grocery/post office/liquor store, laundry, restaurant, fire station, and residential houses.
All the piers had names like a normal city, but maybe the helicopter sitting on residential roof is a little unusual. Ellen flew back home from Sullivan Bay. Rick and I made one final push to the northern end of the Broughton Islands.
Heading from the northern Broughton Islands towards Vancouver Island in the Queen Charlotte Sound we finally saw a school of salmon. We caught one salmon and stopped fishing because it was going to be enough to eat for several days. This was only the second salmon we caught on the trip. We fished a lot on the trip and the salmon fishing turned out to be a big disappointment. There are just too many people fishing for salmon. I think the only reason we saw this school, was due to the remote area.
Exploring the overgrown Mamaliliculla (Mk’mk’wamli) Indian village on Village Island we came across an old totem pole. It is very unusual to see totem poles in the wild, as most all have been moved to museums. You can just make out the tiger carved in the bottom of this one.
We had a safe protected anchorage near the village and rode out a gale for two days. It was so cold and windy, we didn't even open the companionway hatch to look out for 36 hours!
At Potts Lagoon on West Craycroft Island it was high tide and we were able to dinghy into an inter lagoon thru a rapids area and to another old Indian village. On one side of the village was a channel and we decided to follow it not knowing what it was. The photo above was taken from inside the fish trap. Just after high tide, the channel is blocked which allows the water to still drain, but the fish are trapped slowly and are on dry land at low tide.
We messed around the area for sometime and had a very fast ride through the rapids area in the dinghy. In the morning at low tide, the rapids area was nothing but a dry channel with a lot of big rocks. We were very lucky not to have messed around for too long.
The Potts Lagoon dragon that feeds on all unlucky boaters that get caught in the inter lagoon at low tide. I guess the 'Boy and His Dog' at Langley saved us!
With all the dragons, strong currents, and whirlpools in this area, there are lots of hazards for boaters. Many of the areas we sailed through have rapids and required carefully timing at high or low tide for Swan Song's safe passage. It was very common to have several boats waiting at the head of the rapids for high or low tide before continuing through.
On Rum Island (Gulf Islands) we found a note on an old piece of wood from a little girl.
We couldn't resist! There was another note from another little girl, but the writing was a little faded. If you are ever on Rum Island, please leave Annika a note on the chance that she might return.
Rum Island is just across the Canadian border and was used by bootlegger to store liquor during prohibition in the US. We hiked all over the island, but found none of the goodies!
Port Townsend, Washington from the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It had been very foggy all day and we crossed several shipping lanes in the straits with no radar and only several hundred feet of visibility. It was a welcome sight to see Port Townsend when the fog lifted.
Swan Song in Seattle, WA with her mast down getting ready to be shipped. Rick and I got everything ready to be shipped and then I flew back home. Rick stayed with his brother on Bainbridge Island until the transport truck and trailer showed up.
Crossing the Strait of Juan de Fuca, on the last leg of the trip, we hit a submerged log which caused a lot of vibrations. It wasn't until Swan Song was loaded on the trailer that the problem was discovered. Rick's dad met him in San Diego to help fix the problem.
Swan Song heading south for San Diego, the fast way! Rick drove down to meet the boat in San Diego. With the help of his dad, the shaft log was repaired and the boat was put back together in about a week.
Swan Song in her slip in San Diego, CA. The end to another great sailing trip! Thanks for the call Rick!