Miles Inlet to Fly Basin

We awoke to sun and not a cloud in the sky. Today is the day we round the infamous Cape Caution. Renowned for its crappy seas, Karen has read everything she can about making the passage. From the Hamiltons to Waggoner, to an account of a tug boat skipper, she has gleaned all there is to know about the do’s and dont’s. As it turns out, the weather and forecast were almost perfect. Low westerly swells and seas rippled at Pine and Egg Islands were just what we wanted to hear from the VHF radio weather report.

A good hearty breakfast before rounding Cape Caution

Entrance to the north lagoon at full outflow

The channels in some locations are narrow but deep. Here we are in 50 feet of water with the shore only 15 feet to starboard. It feels strange at first, but you get used to it.

Here are the buoy reports at 4am. Many say to not round the Cape if the seas at West Sea Otter are greater than 1.5 meters. However West Sea Otter is out to sea and the other two islands are on the route. With that report of seas rippled, that was the deciding factor.

Buoy Reports:

 West Sea Otter: SE4 Seas 1.7 meters, low westerly swell

Pine Island: Calm, Seas rippled

Egg Island: SE4 Seas rippled

The reports were spot on and though the seas were a bit confused at Slingsby, we had timed avoiding the ebb correctly and we made our way around the Cape in comfort. The outside air temperature was only 52.2F, but the combination of sun and light winds almost made you want to sit outside on the bow.

Again, there is not much traffic to be seen. We did see a large tug towing a monstrous barge of logs, going the opposite direction. The barge sported two cranes for loading and unloading. The only other traffic we saw in Queen Charlotte Sound was on the AIS. The cruise ship Island Princess was in range of the AIS but out of sight as she headed north for our ultimate destination of Ketchikan, Alaska.

The light at Cape Caution. Somehow I expected something more given the reputation of the Cape

It was only as we approached our destination that we saw a couple of fishermen tending their crab pots in Browning Channel.

The entrance to Fly Basin in Takush Harbour is spotted with rocks, but they are well charted and the channel you see on the charts provides a fair passage although it does have a couple of doglegs to contend with. You are rewarded as you arrive in Fly Basin, a large but well protected anchorage with good holding. We dropped in the hook in the east end in 33 feet, expecting to lose about 8 more feet at low tide.

We were happy to have amended our earlier plan to go all the way to Ahclakerho Channel, we were ready to drop the hook and bask in the sun.  We did a couple loads of laundry and about 5pm, a small boat with two kayaks aboard joined us in the anchorage.  We had  curry chicken salad for dinner, Karen’s all time favorite, and then watched via Satellite TV some Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert before heading to bed.

Tags: Cape+Caution

Port McNeill to Miles Inlet

We’re off. To be precise, we cast off the Port McNeill docks at 7:57am, three minutes ahead of schedule; schedule is a very loose term when you’re on vacation and cruising the Pacific Northwest. Fortunately, the weather is cooperating with a high overcast and a fresh breeze out of the northwest.

We were pretty much alone in our travels, only seeing three small boats and one seal. There was not much sightseeing to be had as we made our way to Miles Inlet. Most of our time was spent watching for, and then dodging, debris in the water. It’s a full moon, and the 18 foot tides have been washing logs and all manner of flotsam into our path. The day before, a call came into Port McNeill from a boat requesting a diver to inspect his running gear because he hit a deadhead and one prop was making a lot of vibration. He eventually continued on to Port Hardy where they have a haul out. Mariners beware; these waters can surprise with floating obstacles and during large tides, the risks increase.

The ride was nice; the seas were rippled to one to two foot chop with 1 to 1.5 foot swells. The sun made a couple of valiant attempts to make an appearance, but was too shy to do more than tease.

Miles Inlet is a great place to stop before making the trip around Cape Caution. I checked our tracks from 2009 when we last anchored in Miles Inlet and it said we anchored in the South arm opposite the entrance to the South lagoon. However, when you check the charts it shows the area has only 3 to 4 feet of water at mean low tide. We could not remember if last time the low tide was high and that why we were able to anchor there. So, not confident we could ignore the published soundings, we did what most people do and anchored in the “T” junction. We later checked out the depth in the dinghy and we calculated the depth and low mean water to be more in the 9 to 10 foot range. Karen thinks the Vipond and Kelly book, Best Anchorages of the Inside Passage, is where we found that anchoring in the South arm is a possibility depending on the tides.

Karen enjoying her dinghy ride in Miles Inlet as the sun shines

While out in the dinghy, we went to inspect the entrances to both the North and South Lagoons. The tides were just starting to flow out and there was already an impressive display of white water. Every time we are here, we say we should stay an extra day and go into the lagoon at high slack and explore until high slack again. However, it always seems the urge to move on overwhelms our urge to explore. Next time!!

South Lagoon Entrance with a good outflow. So inviting; so scary if you get the timing wrong.

We were the only boat in Miles Inlet that night, and it was really peaceful. Dinner was delicious pork tenderloin with Mustard Glaze and jasmine rice with crasins, accompanied by a lovely glass of wine.

Port McNeill to Miles Inlet

We’re off. To be precise, we cast off the Port McNeill docks at 7:57am, three minutes ahead of schedule; schedule is a very loose term when you’re on vacation and cruising the Pacific Northwest. Fortunately, the weather is cooperating with a high overcast and a fresh breeze out of the northwest.

We were pretty much alone in our travels, only seeing three small boats and one seal. There was not much sightseeing to be had as we made our way to Miles Inlet. Most of our time was spent watching for, and then dodging, debris in the water. It’s a full moon, and the 18 foot tides have been washing logs and all manner of flotsam into our path. The day before, a call came into Port McNeill from a boat requesting a diver to inspect his running gear because he hit a deadhead and one prop was making a lot of vibration. He eventually continued on to Port Hardy where they have a haul out. Mariners beware; these waters can surprise with floating obstacles and during large tides, the risks increase.

The ride was nice; the seas were rippled to one to two foot chop with 1 to 1.5 foot swells. The sun made a couple of valiant attempts to make an appearance, but was too shy to do more than tease.

Miles Inlet is a great place to stop before making the trip around Cape Caution. I checked our tracks from 2009 when we last anchored in Miles Inlet and it said we anchored in the South arm opposite the entrance to the South lagoon. However, when you check the charts it shows the area has only 3 to 4 feet of water at mean low tide. We could not remember if last time the low tide was high and that why we were able to anchor there. So, not confident we could ignore the published soundings, we did what most people do and anchored in the “T” junction. We later checked out the depth in the dinghy and we calculated the depth and low mean water to be more in the 9 to 10 foot range. Karen thinks the Vipond and Kelly book, Best Anchorages of the Inside Passage, is where we found that anchoring in the South arm is a possibility depending on the tides.

Karen enjoying her dinghy ride in Miles Inlet as the sun shines

While out in the dinghy, we went to inspect the entrances to both the North and South Lagoons. The tides were just starting to flow out and there was already an impressive display of white water. Every time we are here, we say we should stay an extra day and go into the lagoon at high slack and explore until high slack again. However, it always seems the urge to move on overwhelms our urge to explore. Next time!!

South Lagoon Entrance with a good outflow. So inviting; so scary if you get the timing wrong.

We were the only boat in Miles Inlet that night, and it was really peaceful. Dinner was delicious pork tenderloin with Mustard Glaze and jasmine rice with crasins, accompanied by a lovely glass of wine.