A Single Step. Part 11. Venture visits Haida Gwaii and British Columbia

[Music] [Music] every summer since 2005 we have taken motor yacht venture to a different destination naturally we have a general idea of where that might be but when it comes to specifics in the words of that venerable song from world war ii we don't know where we're going [Music] which pretty well sums it up as we depart the fleming service center at delta marine on vancouver island it is impossible to know what adventures lie ahead so the air on board is one of excitement and anticipation we also plan to make a second and longer visit to the offshore islands of haidagui previously known as the queen charlotte islands our route takes us up the east coast of vancouver island there is still snow on the mainland mountain tops timber resources line both sides of discovery passage and johnson strait do [Music] we stop at lagoon cove one of the delightful family-run marinas catering for cruising [Music] yachts our next stop is north island marina at port mcneil [Music] we visit nearby telegraph cove here a whale museum displays skeletons which allow us to grasp the size of the giants who inhabit these waters [Music] north of vancouver island the inside passage is open to the pacific ocean at queen charlotte strait the chart shows complicated bottom contours resulting in shallows and submerged rocks on a foggy day in 1792 vancouver's ships hms discovery and chatham ran aground here we pass cape caution into the lee of calvert island where karma waters return we anchor off the hakkai institute a scientific research center engaged in carrying out long-term research into such subjects as to how climate change is affecting our ecosystems this whole coast is vulnerable to toon armies due to the cascadia subduction zone which runs offshore all the way from just north of vancouver island to northern california a well-maintained trail through the forest leads to one of the rare sandy beaches to be found in this part of the world the next significant piece of land is japan like every shoreline this is encumbered with a tumble tangle of bleached and battered logs logs and trees in the water are a fact of life when navigating these waters and require constant vigilance that precludes traveling at speed or in the dark rain is to be expected and can result in wonderful waterfalls such as this one in chatham strait we anchored for the night including nuggets we arrive at our most northerly destination prince rupert around 20 small cruise ships call here each season each carrying between 500 and 1000 passengers prince rupert is an excellent place to refuel and re-provision and also has a good range of restaurants unlike towns north of here prince rupert is connected to the rest of the continent by road and rail and has become an important shipping terminal after refueling and provisioning we take our leave of the mainland heading for offshore islands we spend one night anchored in welcome harbour on porcha island the welcome being provided by a bald eagle from here we make the seventy mile crossing of treacherous hecate strait to sand spit on the islands of heidegger we tie up at sanspit marina it rains a lot here and if you don't pay attention the forest can begin to take over your boat haidaguai comprises two main islands graham in the north and mosby in the south the southern portion of morsby is given over to a nature reserve called guay hanas it is shown in dark green on this map anyone wishing to visit must attend a mandatory orientation at the hyder heritage center at skiticate on graham island which means taking the ferry [Music] okay [Music] [Music] the center is also a museum high-ranking woman would get piercings at a very young age right here as their status went up it would get bigger and bigger you'll see a few photos in the museum so this is what the dogfish woman has and her lip is a labret again with the slits on the side of her [Music] face we rent a car to drive all the surface roads which are shown here in red rental vehicles are not permitted on logging roads of which there are many as shown by the dotted lines on this map of graham island where logging continues a pace but is forbidden in guay hanas on morsby island we drive to the top of graham island passing balance rock we visit the hamlets of masset and old maced and continue to the end of the road leading to rose spit seen here in the distance beyond the expanse of sand revealed at low tide tidal range in heidegguy can be as much as 24 feet so you need to pay attention the two main islands of graham and morsby are divided by skidding at narrows the tidal range on the eastern entrance is almost double that on the west no authority seems to have an accurate handle on the behavior of the tides in the narrows this photo shows the entrance as seen from the east we arranged to follow a sailboat who has taken the precaution of first navigating the channel at low tide in a small tender equipped with a depth sounder and a plotter the channel is now well defined by day markers westbound the green square top markers are left to port and red triangles to starboard initially the current is behind us as can be seen here the depth sounder shows less than eight feet looks like we have some range markers down there here we are approaching the narrowest section range markers are two marks which when lined up indicate that you are on the correct course we meet other small craft now the current has reversed and turned against us there is much less drama at the western narrows where kelp is the major hazard [Music] we have now reached the west coast with its intimidating reputation we decide to circumnavigate marble island the seas are boisterous but nothing compared to their reputation basalt columns form cliffs in tanoo bay and graham island [Music] we spend the night in our monteir channel on moresby island before returning to queen charlotte through the narrows [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] back in queen charlotte the tide is low and the angle of the marina ramp intimidating the tidal range is 17 feet float planes come and go the weather is misty but the following morning opens with the rainbow wash of the surrounding hills after reprovisioning we set off on our planned cruise down the east coast [Music] we do not stop at the village watchmen sites where we called during our previous visit [Music] for the first couple of days we have not yet reached the boundaries of the park evidence of logging remains the hillsides are scarred with landslides so in crescent inlet we come across a sunfish it is hard to see details but these strange fish vary in size from 550 to 2200 pounds in the grass at the head of the bay we see as many as six deer and six black bears grazing alongside each other sadly for us they are too far away to photograph in la sac inlet a very vocal seal loudly and persistently objects to our [Music] presence continuing south we anchor in bagh harbour and make a couple of tender expeditions into dolomite channel also known as burnaby narrows unfortunately it does not live up to its billing of being a cornucopia of sea life instead we find it to be more of a graveyard of clams apparently overwhelmed by moon snails which have the nasty ability to drill holes in clam shells and suck out the unfortunate inhabitants we see no sea stars but mainly kelp and jellyfish moving in the swift current [Music] [Music] taking advantage of calm weather we move into hecate strait where we pass many stellar sea lions hauled out on joyce rocks we stay well away as they are very skittish and their populations have crashed in recent years the charter schooner passing cloud looks magnificent given our luck with the weather we decide to alter our plans and continue on to the rarely visited keraward islands at the extreme tip of haida gwaii few people get to come here these remote rocks are inhabited by sea lions puffins and seabirds plus the bald eagles who prey on them hmm okay [Music] so strong currents flow between the islands returning to the more sheltered waters of kungit island two rusted boilers are all that remain of an abandoned whaling station at rhodes harbour it is the only privately owned property within the confines of waihanas park we proceed next to skangwai previously known as an instance on anthony island we anchor off in gray's cove and contact the watchman by vhf we go ashore by tender this was designated a unesco world heritage site in 1981 we are met and given a tour of the remains of the village site by a personable young hyder woman the main surviving features are totems of a type described as mortuary poles some were removed many years ago to reserve them but in the hyder culture such poles are left to decay naturally the haida people have inhabited these islands for at least twelve thousand five hundred years at the time of colonial contact the population of haida guay was roughly thirty thousand during the eighteen hundreds it is estimated that ninety percent of the population died from smallpox alone by 1900 only 350 people remained survivors gathered here in this remote spot during the previous winter of 2018 violent winds caused a massive blowdown of mature trees near the landing site [Music] here we can see a tree whose roots have been peeled off bare rock with virtually no soil beneath them again taking advantage of the continuing spell of rare calm weather we decide to proceed up the notorious west coast the douglas cruising guide has some ominous advice this entire distance is unsurveyed vessels that venture into this uninhabited and remote area must be able to rely on their own observations and resources where risk to vessel and life can become extreme after a bumpy passage we pass through tassu narrows into extensive tatsu sound and proceed to its innermost anchorage of botany inlet we pass by hunger harbour where the remains of a huge mining operation scar the mountainside the mine was operated between 1918 and the 1960s in the grassy area at the head of botany inlet we spot a pair of sand hill cranes several sid cadir including a doe with a nursing thorn and several bears all grazing peacefully together the next day we head once more into the open pacific through tassu narrows it is foggy the windswept trees clearly show the direction of the prevailing winds even though there is little wind the seas are lumpy and uncomfortable due to current against tide we decide against continuing north over the top of chatham island and head for engelfield bay we anchor in thetis anchorage at the head of mitchell inlet mindful of the depth and the tide even so it is a surprise in the morning to see the proximity of dry land even though we are still afloat in 34 feet of water a sitker black-tailed deer sets off on a shortcut but reverses course when he sees us in the way [Music] [Music] the lumpy seas reinforce our decision to return to queen charlotte through skidding at narrows [Music] so [Music] as we make our third transit of the channel we do not wait for slack tide and encounter strong currents which are no problem for venture with her reserve power we even see a bear raising along the [Music] shore [Music] we are now back in familiar territory having completed our circumnavigation of morsby island and seen much of haida gwaii it is time for us to return to mainland british columbia happily the weather is calm for our crossing we make landfall on the british columbia coast in the rock strewn entrance to griffith harbour spaghetti is a popular dish at the end of a long day underway the sauce simmers in the invaluable crockpot without running the generator [Music] [Music] the following morning dawns foggy we fly the drone for an overview of our surroundings [Music] kayaks are ideal for exploring this maze of rocks and islands with tides exceeding 20 feet inlets dry out alarmingly fast right now there is ample water but these branches show how much the tide has already fallen this funky lichen is aptly named methuselah's beard here is the same area a few hours later in late afternoon the mist fertility returns from the ocean chris finds a cluster of sea urchins feeding on this piece of kelp kelp forest provides shelter food and protection for thousands of marine species urchins devastate kelp forests but are normally preyed on and kept in check by sea otters sadly these animals were virtually eliminated from the coast of north america by the fur trade in the late 1800s and kelp forests have paid the price a delicate sunset paints the skies over this remote and enchanting pattern of islands [Music] the following morning we thread our way between the rocks and head for other offshore islands on our way to prince rupert [Music] we encounter another swimming deer this time about to go ashore smack in the middle of the center of the first nation village of kitkatla after crossing a channel two and a half miles wide we anchor among the crab pots in the ses islands where the crew of a crab boat comes alongside and makes us a spontaneous and generous gift of some of their catch [Music] thanks again we spend the following day at anchor in the spicer islands and tour the shoreline [Music] following a massive and unexplained die off up and down the west coast this sea star is the only one we see during our entire trip we have become used to seeing trees growing in minimal soil but this one has found a way to spread its roots over none at all especially along the coast up to 50 percent of the trees are dead or dying whether by bark beetle or stress from the lack of rain their bleach skeletons line the shore [Music] we catch only glimpses of whales but sufficiently often that we know they are bound in these waters we encounter a pilot boat as we approach prince rupert being so far north the port is only 11 days from shanghai by ship and six days to chicago by rail in this tight spot only marginally longer than venture chris uses the remote control to bring us alongside built in 1912 this converted tug uses its tenders as thrusters to overcome a stiff offshore [Music] breeze [Music] at the fuel dock we take on 3 600 liters of fuel our first since departing here for haida gwaii five weeks ago leaving prince rupert we passed the busy container dock in the channel we meet a post panamax container ship inbound from asia we anchor in ire inlet on anger island somebody must have been feeling very out of sorts when dreaming up those names the entrance into the anchorage is tight christine mounts a lookout for rocks so the following morning reversing our course with the dawn sun in our eyes we cautiously thread our way back towards placid principle channel [Music] so [Music] [Music] logs are an ever-present hazard in these waters requiring constant vigilance precluding travel at speed or at night bianca in langley west cove on bernard island steve and christine go ashore for an expedition through the dense forest red the rest of us scout the shoreline for items of interest spooky weed lies draped like a green shroud over stranded [Music] branches [Music] um monstrous moss and strange shapes hugs the tree limbs silver ripples dance across the surface of miniature inlets evidence of shells of tiny fish numbering in their [Music] thousands [Music] [Music] so [Music] jellyfish of all shapes and sizes pulse aimlessly vulnerable to being sucked into the generator cooling inlet is it our imagination or is that the cry of a wolf as the sun's orb descends into the blackness of the forest fluorescent green weed glows along the shore when we come to leave a blanket of mist obscures the constricted entrance channel jagged rocks slide past just inches from the hull this one resembles a lurking crocodile lying in weight with rocky jaws ready to ensnare vengeance hull [Music] [Music] logs provide an additional and unwanted [Music] hazard [Music] the exposed shoreline is piled high with trees and logs waiting for spring tides to float free and resume their peregrinations in campagian sound we catch a glimpse of humpback whales and two pods of orca their activities are monitored by the whale citations research center at whale point on gill island here hermann muteer and jamie wright assisted by volunteers monitor a network of hydrophones we call the center on the vhf to report our whale sightings and tell them we have photographs hermann comes out to venture on his boat and within a few minutes identifies the orcas rain starts to fall as steve takes the tender along the shore of cameron cove [Music] [Music] we hear a vessel named hawke bay calling the whale center on the vhf this is a boat we have been advised to look out for so we make contact and speak to stan hutchings stan is the last remaining creek walker who is featured in an excellent film made by rose coch and roland gawkett stan is nearby and agrees to meet us in cameron cove one support venture he tells us he has seen very few salmon this year we asked stan which of many fields we should visit and he says we would not be sorry if we visit gardner canal we revise our plans to take advantage of his suggestion heavy rain starts to fall our initial disappointment turns to excitement as we enter gardiner canal and a world of magnificent waterfalls fed by the downpour so [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] we anchor for the night in chief matthews inlet here we catch glimpses of permanent blue ice fields high above it is tricky to get the anchor to hold in the steeply sloped bottom at the end of the channel we let out almost all our 400 feet of chain the following morning the rain has stopped skeins of mist cling to the slopes of the surrounding mountains [Music] smaller rivulets have ceased major falls continue to flow but at a reduced [Music] rate [Music] [Music] we backtrack to owakumish bay where we anchor opposite the waterfall [Music] [Music] [Music] we take the tender up the prim river [Music] [Music] rapids [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] rock walls bear the scars from the glacier that gave birth to this natural [Music] wonder doll dolphins briefly join us on our journey south [Music] oh here it goes on the eve of crossing queen charlotte sound we anchor in schooner cove and go ashore [Music] here fallen trees provide nurseries for new generations fireweed heralds the approach of the end of summer [Music] the day of the crossing dawn's calm [Music] we cross the strait to port mcneil where steve leaves us on a direct float plane flight to seattle [Music] [Music] [Music] for ourselves we follow the coast of vancouver island to our home base from where we started two months and 1 800 nautical miles ago venture has once again brought us safely [Music] home

Channel: Fleming Yachts

Views: 436,462

Keywords: Venture, Fleming, Haida Gwaii, Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, Canada, Adventure, Cruising

Id: NqyJTROIlZI

Length: 59min 2sec (3542 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 15 2020