Little Nimmo Bay to Greenway Sound

We awoke in Little Nimmo Bay to big gusty SE winds and intermittent rain. Our nice calm bay now had some wavelets and even a few mini-white caps. The weather was about a 180 from the day before, something to be expected up here.

We had breakfast and waited for the helicopters from the resort to depart. One even flew low by the boat and the passengers waved.

As previously planned, we weighed anchor (and BOY was it dirty – by the time I got it washed down I was covered in mud) and then headed to the small dock in front of the lodge. It was really blowing and I wondered how we would get in there safely. Fenders out and lines at the ready, Bob greased the boat into the dock perfectly, and Nimmo Bay Resort’s owner (Craig Murphy) and another man were there to take our lines. As soon as we were secure, we were handed a hose with precious clean water to fill our tanks.

Once done, Craig boarded, took a look around and chatted with us a while. He offered the dock to us for the night, given the winds, but we decided it was time to head on to Greenway Sound. We backtracked through the narrow and rock strewn entrance to the bay and headed off, having some chili for lunch along the way. 

We had winds and some rain, but nothing penetrated our snug little boat and on we went.  We were surprised when Sullivan Bay Marina appeared – it looked like Manhattan in this wilderness area. We did a quick “drive by” in the rain but kept on going. We had been having a challenge with pumping our holding tanks – and so we called the charter operator to get some trouble shooting advice. Told us to put some liquid laundry detergent down the head with the hope being that if the pump was working we’d see bubbles next time we tried to pump it out. The thought was that the holding tank warning lights were stuck “on” and that the macerator pump had been working per usual.

We had planned to anchor in the east end of Carter Passage in Greenway Sound, but when we went in to look around, the winds were howling and there was no protection from the SE. So we decided the better part of valor was to head for Greenway Sound Marina (a large, U-shaped totally floating marina – not connected to land at all) and tie up for the night.

Once again, Bob made a perfect docking approach and Tom Taylor, the owner of the marina, grabbed our lines and told us the winds had really been howling all day. We were one of 5 boats in total, as the season was well winding down.  Tom and his wife Ann were really welcoming, and though their restaurant had closed for the season, we were able to snag some leftover desserts (cheesecake for Bob and a Nanaimo bar for me). There was also great internet service and some goodies in their store. We had tested the “bubbles” only to know that the head was still not working, so it was time to call Brian at Northwest Explorations again.

He had Bob do some trouble shooting (to no avail), so a mechanic was to arrive here on Monday afternoon to fix the issue. We had delicious pork tenderloin and rice pilaf for dinner and took some time to relax. Greenway Sound Marina is up for sale, and we surely hope the new owners are as nice as Tom and his wife Ann. This is a truly lovely spot.

Monday dawned without the SE winds – the area became so calm vs. the day before! After doing laundry, dumping garbage, and buying some provisions, we launched the dinghy and went over to the dinghy dock at the base of the trail to Broughton Lake. This trail is managed by the BC parks service, and Tom had told us it was a great hike up to the lake. Bob had all his photo gear in his backpack, grabbed a walking stick and off we went. The trail was lovely and well-marked, but narrow and slippery in many places. We saw one super-huge Pacific slug, a tree frog and a snake, but no bears. That was fine with me. We took some nice photos at the lake, and started to walk to the next lake along “corduroy” logging roads, but they were so slick we were afraid of injury and turned back. We were gone about 3 hours total. The rainforest is so dense, it’s like you are in a cathedral of trees. The moss formations are amazing.  

Karen and Bob at the Head of the Logging Trail (The nice bear took the picture)

  

Nice Rainforest Trail

The mechanic wasn’t able to make it (long story), so Brian, our charter company owner, arranged to be here Tuesday morning via float plane from Campbell River to address the head issue. We decided to just relax and have a peaceful night.

Tuesday dawns to…FOG. We knew Brian’s plane would likely be late, so we took it easy and got a tour of another boat docked at Greenway, a 54’ Bracewell Pacesetter. Very nice boat, with a “dinghy garage” so the dinghy is actually stored inside what would normally be the lazarette area in the stern of the boat. Three staterooms and even an exercise bike on the flybridge. What fun!!

We saw the resident blue heron as well as a very inquisitive seal that kept eyeing us as we sat on the bench at the end of the U-shaped dock and looked out over the water, awaiting the sound of a seaplane’s engine.

11:15 – Brian’s plane arrives!! Apparently they had to work hard to find a way into Greenway due to the fog, they actually touched down on the water near Minstrel Island and waited an hour for the fog to dissipate. Boy, were we happy to see him!

 To the Rescue

While Bob and Brian worked on the (smelly) head, I sat outside in the sun a while reading and then went over to chat with Ann at the marina office. We had a nice chat, but then the boys arrived looking glum and using Tom’s phone to call for more “head” advice.

Brian (a.k.a. Dr. Poop hard at work)

To make a long story short, about 2pm they found the issue – the “culprit” was the brass thru-fitting on the standpipe and vent pipe – it was corroded. There were several holes in each pipe. So the pump sucked in air instead of drawing from the holding tank. Bob and Brian gingerly cleaned it (it was fragile) and sealed the holes with sealant and self-fusing repair tape…and after cleaning out the bilge areas to clear out any remaining detritus, we were up and running again. Yea!

Tom helped Brian get a flight out, and Ken Smith, the owner of the 54’ Pacesetter we had toured earlier in the morning, asked us if we wanted to go fishing. He had been awaiting guests from Seattle via floatplane but the fog kept them away. We had planned to leave for Laura Cove, but the idea of going out fishing (in his 22’ fishing boat) was too good to pass up. We left around 5pm and had a blast, setting crab pots and fishing, though we only caught four small rockfish that we tossed back. We returned to Greenway Sound Marina about 8:30 as it was getting dark, and I bought another yummy Nanaimo Bar from Tom before heading to Discovery for the night.

Our Travels Begin

After two days in route, we have arrived at the gateway to the Broughton Archipelago, Port McNeill. Our trip started with a 13-hour marathon from Washington’s Reagan Airport through Toronto on to Vancouver an then a jump over to Nanaimo. Air Canada, with the help of Mother Nature, did a great job. No delays, courteous service, no lost bags and comfortable seats. Still 13 hours and crossing three time zones makes for an exhausting day.

Nanaimo Harbor (Make that Harbour)

We spent the night in Nanaimo, before beginning our trek up the East coast of Vancouver Island to Port McNeill. Our travels North began with a provisioning mission. First, to the Chandlery to pick up some deodorizer for the boat’s head, then to local grocery store stock up on non-perishables and finally the mandatory visit to the liquor store. Our reasoning was that we would have the best selection and lower prices if we did most of our shopping in the “big city”, leaving the perishables and frozen purchases to just before we board the boat at Port McNeill.

 There is one road north and it’s a four hour drive. We broke it up with a lunch stop at the Laughing Gul pub at Schooner Cove located at Nanoose Bay. And two more hours up the road we did a slight sojourn over to The Old Country Market in Coombs. Best known for the “Goats on the Roof”, they also have the most remarkable selections of gourmet and specialty foods from all over the world. So we stocked up some more. However, we were heart broken that we could not take advantage of the awesome selection of cheeses, fresh baked breads, and one-of-a-kind meats.

Now back to those “Goats on the Roof”. Yes the store is covered with a green grass roof populated by a small family of goats. Why, I have no idea, but it is certainly memorable and all the signs by the side of the road direct you to the “Goats on the Roof” with no mention of the store’s “real” name. If you ever find yourself in the area, it’s a must do. For more information visit: http://www.oldcountrymarket.com/history.html.

All the guidebooks talk about our route as being a road that gets smaller and “more rugged” as you go north. They also remind you to look for deer and bear along the way. Well, having spent some time in the area, we did not expect to see either. The animals tend to stay away from man, and highways are not their favorite. There were signs for deer crossing and lots of signs for elk crossing. But none of the named critters made an appearance. Imagine our surprise when traveling along the four lane, divided highway portion of route 19, a very large black bear bounded across our two lanes, jumped over the concrete-divided median like an Olympic hurdler, and continued with great speed across the oncoming two lanes. Fortunately for all, we and the trucker in the right lane saw him in time to slow down and the opposing traffic also had time to slow and let the bear pass. And that’s pretty much what you can expect up here whether on land or water. You always find the unexpected, the delightful surprise and that’s why we like it so much.

Karen at Port McNeil

 We’re staying at the Black Bear “resort” in Port McNeill. It is by no means a resort, but it is a new 2 story motel that has clean rooms and a comfy king size bed for us, which is all we need. After checking in around 6:30pm, we drove to the harbor, which is really more of a walk (the town is small). We saw some interesting boats and had fun walking the docks. Karen’s eyes lit up and, spying a red tabby cat on a sailboat, she yelled “KITTY!”  The cat sprang to life, leaving the cozy cockpit to run out of the boat, jump on the dock, and demand serious petting by us both. The cat’s owner, who lives on the boat in Port McNeill year-round, told us the cat was 9 years old and named Rusty.

Then, off to dinner at the Sportsman’s Steak House, overlooking the harbor. We saw a nice sunset through breaks in the clouds and had a great meal.

2007 British Columbia

The Broughtons are our target for this year.

Hang'em High

Or how I spent my New Years Holiday.

What do you do when you have the head of a very large animal to hang "in the house"? Spousal distress is high, but the team of Bob and Larry was not to be distracted from the mission at hand. With ladders under us, and a determination to welcome the newest member of the family into the household, we tried all cardinal points of the compass to find the optimal location for the trophy. East wall, then West, then North and South; each was a candidate. We would climb, head in hand, and hold the proud mount while the females would stand back and move about studying the proposal from all angles before pronouncing their verdict. A decision was made and now when you enter the home of Pris and Larry. The prize of the mighty hunter greets you, its welcoming message left to the imagination of the guest.

Nanaimo to Pirate's Cove

Nanaimo to Pirate’s Cove: 11.9NM

Bob sacked in on Sunday and didn’t get moving til around 9am. Can’t say that I blame him!

 Our agenda for the day was to check out the large chandlery in Nanaimo and then to scout out Newcastle Marine Park directly across from Nanaimo before heading south. It was a worthwhile decision to spend this extra time in Nanaimo. Usually we are simply heading north or south and had not taken the time to explore the area.

 The Chandlery was heaven for Bob, well stocked with all things marine and a wonderful place to find whatever is needed. What was needed for us was “head deodorizer”, the important chemicals you put into the holding tanks to avoid the nauseous sewage gasses that can arise when the toilets are flushed. What a difference that stuff makes to happy boat living!

 We went to lunch on the dock right near our boat, at a place called Penny’s Palapas. We had smelled the Mexican food from there all afternoon on Saturday, and finally caved in, expecting very little. It’s an open-air café on the dock, open sunrise to dusk, with a tiny kitchen. You order up at the “kitchen” and wait for the food to be delivered. How good could it be?

 It was superb. I had halibut tacos that were out of this world, and Bob had a chicken burrito that had him sighing with pleasure.

 Well fortified, I convinced Captain Bob to lower the dinghy so that we could go explore Newcastle Island Marine Park. This is a 750-acre marine park that we had heard was lovely. It was just a quick dinghy ride from Nanaimo across the harbor to the park.

Karen says "Hi" to the concierge at Newcastle Park.

Needless to say, Newcastle lived up to its billing. There were wonderful campsites and picnic sites, and well maintained paths throughout the island. We “hiked” the shoreline trail that kept us in view of the water and views out across the Strait of Georgia. It was sunny and warm, and I had on my shorts for the first time all season.

Karen hunting for the perfect shell at Newcastle.

 We spent a pleasant 90 minutes or so walking around this island. While we didn’t see any, the island is also famous for champagne colored raccoons. We saw a picture of them and they are really cool looking.

 

Loooking back to Nanaimo from Newcastle Park.

The term "beach" in B.C. most often refers to solid granite.

Many of the granite "beaches" are lovely.

Karen points to the last visable sign of a sailboat that tried to take a shortcut into Nanaimo.

 Back across the bay and time to depart for the south, catching the slack tide at Dodd Narrows again.

 As we depart the harbor of Nanaimo, we spotted a Dockwise yacht transport vessel preparing to load its cargo. Yachts that is.

Trawler waits its turn to "sail" into the Dockwise transport ship.

 The ship will flood its tanks, lowering itself about 16 feet. Then the "cargo" can float in.

Come on in, the water's fine!

Once there, a cradle is placed under each vessel and the Dockwise ship pumps out its ballast tanks lifting the cargo out of the water, safe and secure for a long passage to another continent. It saves a long and possibly dangerous ocean passage for the smaller boats and is a popular way to reposition your boat for another season.

Now, on to Dodd Narrows. It amazes us that so few boats take the time to announce their intentions at this narrow dogleg passage. It serves them all right if they meet a large boat head on in there.

 We, of course, followed proper protocol and soon were headed to Pirate’s Cove Marine Park on DeCourcy Island. We had planned to stop there on the way north, but the flood from the water tanks led us to overnight in Ganges instead. So we wanted to check this place out.

 It has a tricky reef-strewn entrance that, while well marked, gets your attention. You have to follow a range into the cove, and then hang a hard left to stay between two marks to avoid other shoals.

Narrow entrance into Pirate’s Cove.

A good look at the rocks that are marked by the channel buoys and why you must be careful and follow the course defined by the published entrance.

 We did that without a problem, but the cove was much smaller than we thought and it was crowded. We had to drop anchor before our stern tie equipment was ready, and we suffered for it. I think we entertained the entire cove with our shenanigans. I lost the will to explore and simply hung out in the boat for the evening. Bob made killer food, salmon marinated in honey and balsamic and sherry and Dijon…it was wonderful. A good night after all!