Monday Anchorage to Pearl Pass

We had a good night in Monday Anchorage. There is some fetch that can be felt, but it was minimal and did not bother us.

Today we are off to anchor in Pearl Pass and visit Mimkwamlis , an abandoned First Nations site on Village Island.

Pearl Pass is an unusual “anchorage”.  We have visited often, first learning about it in the Dreamspeaker guide. We have never found another boat in this anchorage. It simply does not look like your typical place to set the hook. With Crease Island and Mound Island anchorages close by, it’s easily overlooked. Pearl Pass became a favorite before Starlink because it had reliable cell service. We would anchor here and catch up on work, back in the day.

the view to the west from pearl pass

The obstructions are well marked and if you enter at low tide, you get a better look at the kelp patches. Anchor in 15-20 feet with good holding, although set your anchor with a soft tug.

The biggest problem with the anchorage is finding a spot amongst the crab pots. We’ve always made it work, but it takes a moment to scope out all the parameters. So be patient, and you’ll find your spot.

The views in all quadrants can be spectacular on a clear day like today.

loooking east into pearl pass

Pearl Pass is also a great base to visit Mimkwamlis [“village with rock and island out front”], most often referred to as Mamalilikulla, which is really the name of the First Nation tribe associated with the uninhabited village. It’s their ancestral home. It’s only about a mile away from Pearl Pass by dinghy. You could also anchor the big boat in the bay off the docks.

very nice dock at Mimkwamlis

Visiting Mimkwamlis requires permission, as the uplands are protected Indian Reserve land. You can get permission via an online request to the Mamalilikulla First Nation Band office. There is a fee to tie up your dinghy ($1/foot) and a $20 fee per person to visit. Most of the remains are from the early twenty century when the village was abandoned. So, no ancient relics, but we nevertheless always find it interesting to visit historical places.

it an easy process to gain permission to the site

As you walk along the path with the falling structures  and longhouse remains on your left and the drying bay on your right you can use your imagination to see what this settlement must have been like. Like many settlements,  they have a defense against raiding parties making a surprise attack. In this case it is a large drying bay that helps protect vessels from landing on the near shore in all but the highest tides.

mother nature is winning the battle on the man made structures

loooking back toward the bay in front of Mimkwamlis

counld not find out if this is a modern structure or has an older history

Our one disappointment was that there was no information about the the history of Mimkwamlis on-site. We hope this is added so visitors understand more about where they are.

large beach reveals as the tide goes out. eventually the whole bay dries

abanoned engine is becomming part of the beach

a guided kayak tour visits Mimkwamlis

the drying bay in from of the settlement

As we were leaving, the Band’s guardian boat docked. We spent a while chatting with the lead guardian who is running the program. He lived in Mimkwamlis as a child and has some great insight about life there. We enjoyed speaking with him, as it added much needed history to our visit.

We took the dinghy in a narrow rocky passage in an attempt to approach the beach in front of the village. Like Haida raiders in the past, we were kept away by rocks and very shallow water!