Fire-Drake Does BC’s Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

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  • AJZimm
    Seasoned
    • Sep 2008
    • 2122

    Fire-Drake Does BC’s Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

    "We were not pioneers ourselves, but we journeyed over old trails that were new to us, and with hearts open. Who shall distinguish?"
    J. Monroe Thorington, The Glittering Mountains of Canada

    In the pre-dawn darkness, I listened to the weather forecast and lighthouse and ocean buoy reports on the VHF as I packed my gear and got ready to get underway as soon as it got even a little bit light. I was the only boat in tiny Jones Cove, north of Cape Caution, the nearest protected cove to the Cape to wait in readiness for rounding it. Cape Caution! For the small boat sailor traversing British Columbia’s Inside Passage, it’s the equivalent of rounding the Horn, and frankly, I was nervous about getting round it safely in Fire-Drake, my 18’ sail and oar lug yawl.

    It had been hard work to get this far. Last year, Yeadon and I had a go at the Inside Passage from south to north, but we got held up by a week of high winds at the north end of Vancouver Island, which scuppered our schedule and caused us to bail out at Telegraph Harbour. The Inside Passage was unfinished business for me and this year I resolved to complete the journey.
    Alex

    “No matter how bad things may seem, you can always make them worse.” - Robert "Hoot" Gibson, Astronaut

    http://www.alexzimmerman.ca
  • gilberj
    Senior Member
    • Aug 2010
    • 4157

    #2
    Re: Fire-Drake Does BC’s Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

    watching....................

    Comment

    • WI-Tom
      Seaside Expat
      • Jan 2009
      • 15901

      #3
      Re: Fire-Drake Does BC’s Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

      Nice in medias res beginning, Alex. Don't make us wait too long for the story and photos!

      Tom
      Ponoszenie konsekwencji!

      www.tompamperin.com

      Comment

      • AJZimm
        Seasoned
        • Sep 2008
        • 2122

        #4
        Re: Fire-Drake Does BC’s Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

        For the beginning of the trip, I faced a logistics dilemma. How to get the boat to Ketchikan if I wanted to there and go south, or how to get the boat back from there if I wanted to end the trip there. I decided to cheat, by cutting out the Dixon Entrance part of the Passage, and start the trip in Prince Rupert, the northernmost part of the Passage easily accessible by road. I persuaded my brother to come out and make the 2 day road trip to Prince Rupert with me, where he dropped me and Fire-Drake off and drove the car and trailer back to Victoria.

        On the Road somewhere along the highway


        We rolled into Prince Rupert late on the second last day of June, checked in to the hotel and went in search of dinner. We found Dolly’s Fish Market, where we not only had an excellent meal, I also picked up a couple of packages of smoked Salmon jerky to take with me. Next morning we were up early, but by the time we got the gear from the car stowed in the boat, stopped at the marine supply store to pick up a couple of charts I was missing, got to the launch ramp, waited our turn and got the boat in the water, it was nearly 9 o’clock. The weather was overcast but nearly calm, so I set off rowing while my brother stood at the end of the dock watching me until I was out of sight. I think he was questioning my sanity and perhaps wondering if I would change my mind at the last minute.
        Prince Rupert is a fishing and forestry town and the terminus of CN’s northern railway line, which makes it the nearest rail port in North America to Asia, so there is a lot of industrial waterfront to pass by before you get to uninhabited countryside.

        Leaving the dock


        Ferry to Haida Gwaii


        I rowed past the commercial docks, the BC Ferries terminal, the container ship terminal and, after about 3 hours of rowing, got to the Ridley Coal Terminal. There, a light wind came up from the WNW. I raised sail and set off south, but I was faced with a choice. The late morning forecast called for strong southeast winds later in the day and even stronger for the next day, and once past Port Edward, there were limited bailout options for the next 10-12 miles. I decided to make it a relatively easy day and head into Port Edward for the night.

        Light outside Port Edward


        The wind dropped away at the entrance so it was back to the oars for the mile and half to the dock. I stopped at the first dock I came to, which was the public fisherman’s dock. The wharfinger came by and told me normally he would chase me farther along to the yacht dock, but since the fisherman’s dock wasn’t busy, I could stay there.

        I was content to have called it a day, as it began to rain on and off. I talked to a few of the fishermen, who were getting their gill nets ready for an opening the next day. They all told me fishing had been bad so far this year.

        Alex

        “No matter how bad things may seem, you can always make them worse.” - Robert "Hoot" Gibson, Astronaut

        http://www.alexzimmerman.ca

        Comment

        • AJZimm
          Seasoned
          • Sep 2008
          • 2122

          #5
          Re: Fire-Drake Does BC’s Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

          The wind came up in the evening and it rained on and off overnight but in the morning the forecast was still for strong SE winds during the day, associated with a trough moving in from offshore. I decided to stay put for the day so went in search of the shower and got cleaned up. Around lunchtime the rain stopped so I caught the bus from Port Edward back to Prince Rupert to take in the festivities for Canada Day 150, this year being the 150th anniversary of the country’s founding. I walked around, visited museums, listened to the music in the park and did some people watching.

          Prince Rupert street scene


          After supper at the pub, I went over to the bus stop to catch the bus back to Port Edward, but after waiting 20 minutes past the time I thought it should have come, it dawned on me that the buses might in fact be operating on a holiday schedule, not a Saturday. Checked the website and sure enough, that was the case. I bit the bullet and got a taxi back to the boat. I turned in to the sound of yet another interminably long train rumbling by the port, carrying containers away from the ship at the terminal. As with the night before, these trains run continuously until the ship is unloaded, which works out to a train every 3-4 hours.

          I tried for an early start next morning, but my routine is always rusty at the beginning of a trip, so it was past 7 o’clock before I got going. The forecast was for 5-15 kts SW and it was shaping up to be an RDF (rain, drizzle, fog as they say in Newfoundland) kind of day, so I put on my drysuit. The harbour is narrow and there was both a headwind and a flood current against me so I rowed slowly to the entrance, where I found the wind had just enough south in it I could raise sail. Today’s challenge was to get across Chatham Sound safely and some distance down the east side of Porcher Island, heading towards Grenville Channel.

          I was able to sail, in a kind of lumpy chop, to about a mile past Holland Rock, when the wind began to die. There followed a number transitions between sail and oar for the next couple of hours as a puff of wind would come up, suckering me into putting up the rig, only to die away again. The rowing was hard due to the lumpy chop, making it difficult to get into any kind of rhythm, and so I wasn’t making good progress. After one such lull, at about 1300, the wind came up from the WNW! Never look a gift breeze in the mouth, so I put up the sails again and set off directly for Arthur Passage.

          As I got further south, the wind strengthened and it began to rain. I’d taken off the drysuit earlier and was now getting somewhat chilled. What looked like a possible anchorage in Bloxton Passage turned out not to be so I blew right past it and carried on down Kelp Passage, coming to anchor on the south side of Lewis Island in the channel there. It took a while to get water inside the boat mopped up after the tent went up, but after hot soup and a hot supper I began to feel warmer. It had been such a gloomy day I hadn’t taken any pictures at all.
          The rain stopped overnight and next morning there was both wind and tide against me as I rowed out of the anchorage into Ogden Channel. It took me 1 ½ hours to go 1 ½ miles, but I found a little wind once in the channel and so was able to sail south for a mile or so before having to resort to the oars for another mile. Then wind then came up from the south, as predicted this time, so I set off across the channel on a reach, heading for Gibson Island, where I pulled in and dropped the hook for lunch.

          Reaching across to Gibson Island




          The wind came up while I was eating lunch so I put in a reef before heading out, tacking directly upwind toward the head of Grenville Channel. It was the right call, at least for an hour, when the wind dropped to where I could shake out the reef. I got in the groove and was able to make it across to Pitt Pt, when the wind rose again and I had to put in another reef. This time the sea state increased along with it and it became a wet ride, with spray in the face on every second wave.

          The head of Grenville Channel


          I had hoped to make to Kumealon Inlet, but with wind and sea both increasing, I opted instead for Stuart Anchorage on Pitt Island side. Although the wind swept in over the point that forms the bay, it had no strength, and it proved to be a quiet anchorage. A grizzly bear came out in the evening and foraged at the tideline at the head of the bay and later a couple of wolves patrolled the western shore.

          Stuart Anchorage, Grenville Channel
          Alex

          “No matter how bad things may seem, you can always make them worse.” - Robert "Hoot" Gibson, Astronaut

          http://www.alexzimmerman.ca

          Comment

          • Rich Jones
            What boat to build next?
            • Apr 2009
            • 19642

            #6
            Re: Fire-Drake Does BC’s Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

            It's fun following your journey. You PNW guys are tough. Although beautiful, it seems like an absolutely dismal place to stay dry and comfortable.
            I was born on a wooden boat that I built myself.
            Skiing is the next best thing to having wings.

            Comment

            • Bruce Bateau
              Shallow Water Wanderer
              • Sep 2016
              • 545

              #7
              Re: Fire-Drake Does BC’s Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

              Alex makes this stuff look pretty easy. There's a lot of water moving around between these islands. I'm impressed. Can't wait for the next installment.
              Tales from the land and sea: http://terrapintales.wordpress.com/

              Comment

              • John Meachen
                Senior Member
                • Jan 2004
                • 10479

                #8
                Re: Fire-Drake Does BC’s Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

                A great adventure,looking forward to the next installment.

                Comment

                • Eric Hvalsoe
                  HV 16
                  • Dec 2005
                  • 2443

                  #9
                  Re: Fire-Drake Does BC’s Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

                  Alex,
                  I had a very busy spring and was kicking myself for not following your live track. Thanks for posting this. Hope to get a good look at your route. PR has always been in the back of my mind for a put in. Had relatives there years ago.
                  Eric

                  Comment

                  • AJZimm
                    Seasoned
                    • Sep 2008
                    • 2122

                    #10
                    Re: Fire-Drake Does BC’s Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

                    Originally posted by Eric Hvalsoe
                    Alex,
                    I had a very busy spring and was kicking myself for not following your live track. Thanks for posting this. Hope to get a good look at your route. PR has always been in the back of my mind for a put in. Had relatives there years ago.
                    Eric
                    Thanks for checking in, Eric. I'll put up some maps of my route shortly.
                    Alex

                    “No matter how bad things may seem, you can always make them worse.” - Robert "Hoot" Gibson, Astronaut

                    http://www.alexzimmerman.ca

                    Comment

                    • AJZimm
                      Seasoned
                      • Sep 2008
                      • 2122

                      #11
                      Re: Fire-Drake Does BC’s Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

                      The task before me now was to negotiate “The Ditch”, as Grenville Channel is known locally. It’s a 45 nm long channel bordered by steep-sided mountains, with limited anchorages for a small unpowered boat. Different story if you are powered by internal combustion engines fueled with 100-million-year-old dead-dinosaur swamps. Then you just crank up the throttle and 5 or 10 miles to the next anchorage is only an hour away. If your human-powered speed is 2 ½ - 2 ¾ kts in flat water, and a contrary current sets in against you, then it can be 5 hours away. So, Grenville Channel was all about the currents, in the absence of useable winds, how to take advantage of them when they were in my favour and how to get around them when they were not.

                      I got an early start, away at 6 in cloud and low fog, but no rain, hoping to take advantage of the flood current.

                      BC Ferry heading south in Grenville Channel


                      It worked for the first 3 hours or so, when I was making good time, but around 930, I noticed the scenery wasn’t moving by as fast, and when I checked with the GPS, sure enough I was down to less than 2 kts. This reversal of current was a surprise, since it was well before high tide. I was to encounter this significant disconnect between tide height and current in these channels for the rest of the trip. This day, it slowed me right down once I got past Watts Narrows, so I moved over to the shore to try to find a back eddy or at least slack water.



                      There was a light south wind, not enough to sail with (I tried) against the current, but enough to cut my speed. Progress was very slow and I crawled along the shore at less than a knot for the last 3 miles. I arrived at the mouth of Kxngeal Inlet at about 1250, and after a brief stop for some lunch, I rowed another half hour to the head of the bay. I had been rowing for 7 hours, covering about 13 miles, and, since the next anchorage was a ways away, I called it a day. The anchorage was somewhat exposed to south wind but it was welcome as it kept the biting black flies at bay. The sun came out, partly, and I was able to get things mostly dried out after several wettish days. In the bay on the bottom below the boat I saw the first sea stars of the trip, sun stars and regular sea stars. They seem to be slowly making a comeback after the mass die-off caused by sea star wasting disease a couple of years ago.

                      Head of Kxngeal Inlet anchorage


                      View from Kxngeal Inlet anchorage, late afternoon
                      Alex

                      “No matter how bad things may seem, you can always make them worse.” - Robert "Hoot" Gibson, Astronaut

                      http://www.alexzimmerman.ca

                      Comment

                      • Yeadon
                        𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝
                        • May 2006
                        • 10490

                        #12
                        Re: Fire-Drake Does BC’s Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

                        See any bears casually flipping over giant rocks on the beach?
                        Originally posted by James McMullen
                        Yeadon is right, of course.

                        Comment

                        • Daniel Noyes
                          Banned
                          • Jan 2007
                          • 8532

                          #13
                          Re: Fire-Drake Does BC’s Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

                          oh dear, this is good, thanks!
                          Last edited by Daniel Noyes; 08-14-2017, 12:14 PM.

                          Comment

                          • amish rob
                            Emperor For Life
                            • Mar 2010
                            • 24272

                            #14
                            Re: Fire-Drake Does BC’s Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

                            Originally posted by AJZimm
                            The task before me now was to negotiate “The Ditch”, as Grenville Channel is known locally. It’s a 45 nm long channel bordered by steep-sided mountains, with limited anchorages for a small unpowered boat. Different story if you are powered by internal combustion engines fueled with 100-million-year-old dead-dinosaur swamps. Then you just crank up the throttle and 5 or 10 miles to the next anchorage is only an hour away. If your human-powered speed is 2 ½ - 2 ¾ kts in flat water, and a contrary current sets in against you, then it can be 5 hours away. So, Grenville Channel was all about the currents, in the absence of useable winds, how to take advantage of them when they were in my favour and how to get around them when they were not.

                            I got an early start, away at 6 in cloud and low fog, but no rain, hoping to take advantage of the flood current.

                            BC Ferry heading south in Grenville Channel


                            It worked for the first 3 hours or so, when I was making good time, but around 930, I noticed the scenery wasn’t moving by as fast, and when I checked with the GPS, sure enough I was down to less than 2 kts. This reversal of current was a surprise, since it was well before high tide. I was to encounter this significant disconnect between tide height and current in these channels for the rest of the trip. This day, it slowed me right down once I got past Watts Narrows, so I moved over to the shore to try to find a back eddy or at least slack water.



                            There was a light south wind, not enough to sail with (I tried) against the current, but enough to cut my speed. Progress was very slow and I crawled along the shore at less than a knot for the last 3 miles. I arrived at the mouth of Kxngeal Inlet at about 1250, and after a brief stop for some lunch, I rowed another half hour to the head of the bay. I had been rowing for 7 hours, covering about 13 miles, and, since the next anchorage was a ways away, I called it a day. The anchorage was somewhat exposed to south wind but it was welcome as it kept the biting black flies at bay. The sun came out, partly, and I was able to get things mostly dried out after several wettish days. In the bay on the bottom below the boat I saw the first sea stars of the trip, sun stars and regular sea stars. They seem to be slowly making a comeback after the mass die-off caused by sea star wasting disease a couple of years ago.

                            Head of Kxngeal Inlet anchorage


                            View from Kxngeal Inlet anchorage, late afternoon
                            Man, these are nice pictures. No matter what I do, when I take pictures, they look terrible. These are great. They convey the size of the place well, and the tranquility. Of the scenery. What a lovely trip.

                            I think your brother was watching you for so long because he was debating chasing after you, eh.

                            Peace,
                            Robert

                            Comment

                            • AJZimm
                              Seasoned
                              • Sep 2008
                              • 2122

                              #15
                              Re: Fire-Drake Does BC’s Inside Passage, north section (mostly)

                              Originally posted by Yeadon
                              See any bears casually flipping over giant rocks on the beach?
                              Not this trip. In fact the only bear I saw on the trip was in Stuart Anchorage. How many saw me is another question.
                              Alex

                              “No matter how bad things may seem, you can always make them worse.” - Robert "Hoot" Gibson, Astronaut

                              http://www.alexzimmerman.ca

                              Comment

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