Laura Cove to Booker Lagoon

Low clouds greeted us this morning. Not too cold and an occasional mist and light rain. We made the most of the morning by doing nothing. About 11AM we begin to muster for a Kayak around Laura Cove at low tide.  

While not the best Kayaking grounds, we nevertheless made the most of it by exploring the shallows and taking a few pictures. Karen made certain she got one photo of me in the Kayak to quench the cries of “where are the pictures of Bob?!?” that typically accompany our vacation photos. 

Bob poses for a picture  

Our neighbor returned from one of his fishing expeditions and was busying himself on the stern swim step of his Uniflite Cruiser named Rockfish. Karen and I paddled to his boat to investigate. He was busy cleaning a 25lb Ling Cod. An ugly fish for certain that hangs about on rocky ledges. What it lacks in looks it makes up for in taste. We hung around the stern of the boat getting a lesson in fish filleting – then low and behold, we were offered a filet of our own. Lacking any fresh seafood on board, we did not turn down the generous offer. 

What a big Ling Cod! 

Heading back to Arctic Star 

 Our departure to Booker Lagoon was dependent on the proper time to enter the lagoon through Booker Passage. This narrow passageway has currents that run strong and is best traversed at slack water. Therefore, we set the power low and had a leisurely cruise off to Booker Lagoon. As we departed, we radioed the vessel Rubenesque, offering up our just-vacated prime anchorage. 

As we approached close to Cullen Harbour and Booker Lagoon, we started to feel some swells from Queen Charlotte Strait. The Lagoon itself is massive, and a favorite spot to wait before crossing this oft-windy and swelly Strait. We waited for “slack”, and although the guidebooks told us to wait for 30 minutes after slack at Alert Bay, it was clear that we could enter sooner, which we did. The passage is narrow but fairly deep. As we moved into the passage, we saw a large group of porpoises chasing baitfish inside the Lagoon. 

Booker Lagoon is so massive that it took us a while to find a spot to anchor that was cozy enough for our taste. We poked our bow into a couple of coves but they were just too open and ordinary. Finally, we found the perfect spot in a cove on the North side. 

The views don't get any better than this 

Anchor set and beer in hand, I’m off to determine how I’m going to prepare that fresh Ling Cod. 

Greenway Sound to Laura Cove

Low ceilings greeted us again this morning. We are on our leisurely schedule timetable which means we’re not going anywhere till early afternoon. 

I walked the docks and took some photos of the marina. Karen continued to devour all matter of books. Originally we talked about going for a hike up the old logging road on Ick Mountain, but that plan fell victim to the desire to “rest a bit more”. We did a little provisioning in the marina store and spent some time with Tom and Ann. Today was the last day for the marina’s helper, so we talked with her as she waited for the floatplane to take her back home. 

The beautiful docks at Greenway Sound 

The main "highway" at the docks 

We way farewell to Tom and Ann and their summer helper  

Life on the Greenway docks  

As the morning turned to afternoon, the skies cleared and the sun made an appearance. That was our signal to bring in our lines and set the bow toward Laura Cove. 

Not much more than an hour later, we were snug in the little cove, stern tied to Broughton Island. There was one boat in the Cove when we arrived. It was an older cruisernamed Rockfish, made by Uniflite . It was anchored in the center of the cove. This presented no problem, as stern tying is the custom when it is crowded here and we had plenty of room to do so. 

The trick with this stern tie is that it was high tide. It is always preferable to stern tie at low water so you get a good look at the rocks, but that is not always possible. I poked the bow in close, taking note of water depths and comparing them to the amount of water we were going to lose at low tide. This computation gives me a target as to where I want the boat to end up and from that spot, I can calculate where to drop the anchor. 

Since it was not low tide, Karen did not have to do her usual “Mountain Goat” act of scampering up the rocks to find a suitable spot to tie to. Rather, she could reach our intended dead tree trunk from the comfort of the dinghy. 

We carefully watched the rocks as the water receded and later took up some anchor rode to move the boat 20 feet further from the rocks, giving us an extra margin of clearance. The nice thing about Laura Cove is that the rock ledge drops precipitously, giving you a nice line of demarcation between the obstructions and clear water. 

Dinner was followed by Karen reading and Bob working on photographs for the blog. All is well today and we look forward to exploring Laura Cove tomorrow.

Jennis Bay then to Greenway Sound

This morning was typical of the region, cloudy. However, the overcast quickly dissipated and we welcomed first, the sun, and then the blue skies. Also, the forecast predicted more clouds for the afternoon; we all embraced the warming rays and set about enjoying the day.

Karen grabbed a book and found a comfy place in the sun to read. I tagged along with Tom as we went to check his crab pots and shrimp and prawn pots. Gathering these sources of protein is a major pastime in these parts, whether you are a boater or a resident.

Tom is no exception. Every day, sometime twice a day, he checks his pots. Today's harvest was small, a couple of dozen prawns and two rock crabs.

Tom pulls in his first prawn trap

The crab trap, however, was empty. Empty of crab and of bait. Tom suspected that the bait bag was at fault, letting the tempting morsels of prawn heads drift off. So, a new bait bag was secured to the trap and back over the side it went to lure more of the tasty Dungeness crabs for the next day.

There was one casualty of the day. My “go-to” 18-200mm lens was rendered inoperative when I slipped and fell getting off the boat. My plan is to make do with my remaining lenses since getting a replacement out here would be a time consuming and somewhat expensive undertaking.

We loafed around Jennis Bay for the rest of the day, waiting for high slack tide so we could go back through Stuart Narrows. When the time came, we said our good-byes to the Allo family, promising to send them lots of pictures of the joyous time we spent in their company.

On the way toward Stuart Narrows, Karen spotted “spouting” near a small island. We were treated to the rare sighting of two Orcas feeding, a big male and his female companion. We had not seen Orca since 2005, so we were very excited and I got a decent picture of the male as he surfaced to take a closer look at us.

This is why we lug the "monster long telephoto" on these trips

Our destination was Greenway Sound to say hi to Tom and Ann, do a little laundry and take on water. Since Sullivan Bay was on the way and we had never stopped there, we took a very short detour and tied up at their docks to see what it is all about.

Kids will be kids

Sullivan Bay is unique because in addition to having a restaurant, store and fuel docks, they also have a number of floating homes.

Sullivan Bay Marina

These give the place the look of “Manhattan on the water” versus the more modest marinas in the region. I was craving chocolate, so a Snickers bar along with a bottle of wine and some garlic rounded out our purchases at the store.

As we tied up at Greenway Sound, we were greeted with the ever friendly smile of Tom. He and Ann created this marina many years back and built it into a respected and renowned landmark in the Broughtons. They are ready to retire and have had the marina for sale for a couple of years now. But with high fuel prices has come less traffic for every marina this year. Hence, the offers are not flooding in, and Tom and Ann continue to wait for the right offer.

Tom invited us to watch Sarah Palin’s acceptance speech with he and Ann, so Karen and I grabbed a couple of beers and joined them in front of the TV. By the time we got back to the boat, grilled cheese sandwiches were about all we could muster the energy to prepare for dinner. Of course, we followed the gooey sandwiches with a Nanaimo Bar from Greenway Sound’s store.

Muirhead Islands to Jennis Bay

We awoke to clouds and light rain. It had rained on and off all night. I wanted the rain overnight so that all the salt spray we had accumulated on the exterior of Arctic Star would be washed away.  

However, our plan was to Kayak around the islands, so rain was not welcomed once daylight arrived. Not to be deterred, we suited up in our foul weather gear and launched the Kayaks. It was low tide, the time we think ideal to explore in Kayaks as so much is revealed by the receding waters. As we paddled around, we found clams, orange sea stars (star fish to those who have not yet been told they are not fish), crabs and a variety of little bits of life that cling to the rocks.   

Karen kayaking in the rain   

Off in the distance was a small rock island that dries with the low tide. On this now dry rock was a colony of harbour seals. About 50 in all. Karen set a course for the aquatic mammals. They let us get within about 300 yards before abandoning their rocky outcropping and entering the water with a splash. 

Shortly thereafter, we were surrounded by seal heads just visible above the water. They kept their distance at about 100 yards, but they shadowed us as we continued our travels past their temporary home.  

 All in all, we explored for about an hour and a half before the rain and cold drove us back to the warmth of our boat. Once aboard, we stowed the Kayaks and dinghy and retreated inside for a warming shower and lunch.  

Our next stop was Jennis Bay. This marina is only a couple of years old. It was built by Tom and Allyson Allo. Allyson had spent many summers here as a child when her Dad was a logger in the area. It seems she gathered up Tom and their two children and, as she tells it, kidnapped them to this magical place. When they arrived it was a bit of a disaster. But they persevered and rebuilt and added to what they found. Now they and visiting boaters enjoy a beautiful bay with spectacular views and peaceful waters.  

Their son, Orion, aged 10 and daughter, Charlie Marie, 8 are a delight. They are ever full of energy and eager to share their world with guests.  

Charlie Marie....Charming! 

The Marina is famous for Gumbo Night on Tuesday. Although we arrived on Tuesday, this late in the season with only one boat on dock, Gumbo Night was not in the cards. However, we were in for an even better and more special treat. It was Orion’s 10^th birthday, and we were invited to help celebrate.  

Crabs were cooked, prawns were boiled, and Orion sautéed the shrimp using his secret recipe while Tom made spinach artichoke dip. Karen and I brought wine and tried to help as best we could.   

 

 Let the feast begin   

  

 

 We all toast Orion on his 10th birthday   

After our feast, Allyson suggested we all “have a Kayak”. So Karen and I launch our red kayaks and the family split between two double kayaks and off we went to explore the bay.   

Allyson leads the way  

   

Tom captins the #2 kayak 

Bravo, the pirate dog, also launched into the water (against his master’s wishes and commands) and proceeded to swim in trail. Bravo lost his eye to a wolf attack earlier this summer and now sports a permanent wink.  

Bravo takes the wet route 

It suits his personality, which is loving and warm. Bravo’s sidekick is Kitty, the cat. Kitty is a fearless all black male, who just wants to be loved. Of course, Karen was most accommodating to his affections.  

While Kitty stayed behind, we proceeded to a small island (Huckleberry Island) in the bay where Orion and Charlie disembarked to pick berries. Soon the power swimmer Bravo joined them onshore. The adults, in a brief moment of “adult time, continued on to explore the abandoned barge that lay just beneath the surface of the back bay. Allyson even found and retrieved an old kite of Orion’s that had broken its tether and was thought lost forever.  

Allyson finds the long lost, missing kite 

Called back to the island of abandoned children by cries of who knows what is wrong, we retrieved the kids and Bravo, now content to sit with Mom in the Kayak.    

We retrieve the kids from "Huckleberry Island"  

Orion tries to get Karen to tow them back home  

Bravo thanks Mom for coming to get him, no swimming back today!!   

Dad and Orion paddle home   

It was a perfect “Kayak”, no wind, glassy seas and a sun low in the sky.   

Karen enjoys the frolicking fun   

Upon our return, all turned their attention to more food.  

 The requested birthday dessert was homemade blueberry and huckleberry pie, made with fresh picked huckleberries from nearby Huckleberry Island.  See, I can use "huckleberry" three times in the same sentence.  

I can only imagine what the wish was   

 

Charlie makes us smile   

We followed the sweets with a few party games before the yawns won the night and we all bid adieu for a good nights’ sleep.   

 

Arctic Star snug for the night in beautiful Jennis Bay