As we pulled the anchor and cruised out of the bay the sun was breaking out and it looked like our sunny summer weather was returning.  We only moved a few miles to the North to Tenedos Bay .  On the way into the bay we stopped at a very deep area and put our shrimp pot baited with gourmet cat food down in about 430’ of water.  The bay had several boats in it all ready so we had to anchor in about 75’ of water, a little deeper then we would have liked but ok in such a protected harbor.  Once we had tied back to the beach and settled in the kids all wanted to walk up to the lake for a look around. As we walked on the trail up to the lake we could hear several groups of people enjoying the many pools in the stream that comes out of the lake.  The Lake has a large log jam that you either need to go over or around to go swimming in the lake.  The kids decided to just play on the logs for a while and then hike back down the trail.  Once back on the boat I got Peter to help me shuck a few Oysters and we cooked up Oysters and Steamer Clams for an appetizer during our happy hour.  After dinner Karla and I took a ride all around the harbor, it was fun to explorer all the little nooks and protected areas that were available for boaters to anchor in.  After a big breakfast in the morning it was time to go gather up the Shrimp pot.  The water is very deep so we took both of our tenders out and I installed a small pulley on a line at the bow of my Whaler, we ran the line through the pulley and tied it off to the Nelsons tender.  As they pulled away from us the pot was pulled from the bottom and up to the bow of my Whaler.  As the pot broke the surface the kids were squealing, the pot was just crawling with Jumbo Shrimp!  We lifted the pot aboard and as I carefully coiled our line to keep it from getting tangled the kids moved the shrimp from the pot to the bucket. 

Squirrel Cove

     When we got back to the boats the kids reported that we had caught 64 Jumbo Shrimp!  Today’s trip to Squirrel Cove would be just over 10 miles, the sun was out and it was a beautiful afternoon cruise past Mink Island and Refuge Cove to the very popular anchorage at Squirrel Cove.  As soon as we got the anchor down the kids started to get out the air mattresses and rafts to inflate with the compressor.  As the kids paddled away toward the rapids with their fleet of inflatable toys we gathered up some refreshments and followed in the Whaler.  The Rapids at Squirrel Cove are a result of the water flowing in and out of a large saltwater lagoon.  In that the tide was high the water was swiftly flowing into the lagoon.  The kids catch the current and ride the flow through the rapids and end up in the lagoon.  They then paddle over to the beach and walk back to the bay over the rocks to do it all again.  This is the kind of enchanted place where memories are made that last a lifetime.   Allen took the tender over to the floating bakery and placed our order for fresh cinnamon rolls to be picked up in the morning.  Karla and I prepared a Seafood Feast of Shrimp, Oysters and Steamer Clams; Joke cooked up a couple of pizzas on the Barbecue for the kids. 

     Our plan for the next day was to head North up the East side of Cortes Island to the Teakeren Arm where there is a wonderful waterfall and a Lake to swim in.  The only problem with this site is that there is very little shallow water that one can anchor in, the water is deep and the bottom is rock.  We pulled up right in front of the waterfall and anchored in 90’ of water.  With 200’ of chain out we settled in about 50’ off the rock wall.  The wind was steady at about 5 knots out of the South. I took everyone over to the little park access dock in the Whaler so that they could hike up to the Lake and then I returned to the boat to keep an eye on the boats. 

     After about an hour of peace and quite on the boat by myself I heard my name, the kids were calling from the rock wall at the top of the waterfall.  It was so quite I could hear them as clear as if they were with me on the boat.  I picked everyone up at the dock and we returned to the boats to continue our trip up and around Cortes Island .  At the North end of Cortes Island we turned South down the channel between Read Island and Cortes.  Our destination was Heriot Bay on Quadra Island .  We were picking up my parents at the Heriot Bay Marina, they had driven their car up from Seattle WA by taking two rides on the BC ferries.  We got some laundry done at the Heriot Inn and picked up some fresh groceries at the Island Market just a short walk up the hill.  The Island Market has a small truck that will deliver you and your groceries back down to your boat in the marina.  As long as it was handy we moved over to the fuel dock and topped off our tanks before moving down into Drew harbor behind Rebecca Spit Provincial Park to anchor for the night.  We spent another comfortable night on the anchor and departed mid morning for a 12.5 mile run North up the East side of Quadra Island to the Octopus Islands Marine Park .  In order to get there we had to go through the Surge Narrows at slack water.  This is a tight little area among a group of islands called the Settlers Group, the channel is deep and well charted but should be transited at or near slack water by vessels with limited maneuverability.  The Octopus Islands Marine Park is a group of about 12 islands that form many little bays and nooks that boats can anchor in.  Since you have to transit an area of rapids no matter witch way you approach this area there are fewer boats then you might expect.  What we like most about this area is the sense of isolation and the plentiful seafood and wildlife.  There are Eagles, Deer, Seals as well as Oysters, Clams, Crab and Shrimp.  It is a area where it is very easy to see that their has been very little change in the last several hundred years. 

     After two wonderful days at the Octopus Island Marine Park we returned to Heriot Bay to drop off my parents and my oldest daughter Elizabeth so that they could return to Seattle .  We spent another night on the anchor behind Rebecca Spit and did some clam digging along the channel side of the Spit.  We decided that we were ready to go to a marina for a night so we called and got reservations at Gorge  Marina on Cortes Island .  Our trip to Gorge Marina took us East across the Sutil Channel toward Whale Town on Cortes Island .  Just South of Whale Town we passed through a tiny little channel called Uganda Passage at the North tip of Marina Island .  The passage is will marked but has several turns in it that you need to pay attention to.  After passing several small islets we turned North into the dramatic entrance of Gorge Harbor , the high rock walls rise straight up from the sides of the channel that is about 200’ wide as you pass into the harbor.  The harbor has several aquaculture operations as well as the Marina and plenty of area for anchorage.  We got our boats secured at the Gorge Marina and connected to shorepower for the first time in two weeks. 

Roscoe Bay

     It was really nice to step off onto the dock and walk around the resort grounds whenever you felt like it.  The facility is very well kept and has a good store and laundry room.  We made reservations at the Float House Restaurant for dinner and were treated to one of the best prepared and presented meals we have ever had.  It was truly a great meal in an exquisite setting.  At mid-morning the following day we left Gorge Harbor and headed over to one of our all time favorite spots Roscoe Bay .  This bay is on the East side of West Redonda just North of Homfray Channel.  Roscoe bay has a drying sandbar at its entrance that requires you to pay attention to the tide in order to assure that there is adequate water to enter or exit the bay.  We waited just outside the entrance for about a half-hour before we passed over the sandbar and into the anchorage.  Their were quite a few boats in the bay so we went way back into the bay and anchored in 20’ of water and tied back to the bank.  This bay is sorunded by high wooded banks and often is so still that the surface is smooth as a mirror.  At the head of the bay are a couple of improved campsites with fire pits and an outhouse.  Up a short trail is Black Lake with easy access off of the rock bank to swim in the fresh clear water.  We stayed on for two nights at Roscoe bay and then moved just 7 miles up the channel to Walsh Cove Marine Park . 

     When we arrived the wind was blowing out of the North so it was a bit of a challenge to anchor and then run a line to the beach.  We ended up using the Whaler to help push the Lady Karla up wind as the all hands pulled on the shoreline to get the boat into position.  Once we were secured and settled in we all went exploring around the reefs and protection islands of this great little cove.  The wind settled down in the evening and we had a very comfortable night.

     In the morning we continued North up the channel to Dean Point and then West in Pryce Channel past Raza Island to Big Bay Resort on Stuart Island.  We were making this little side trip to Big Bay to pick up our 17’ Whaler that had broken down there a week earlier during a morning fishing trip.  In order to get into Big Bay from the South you need to go through the Yuculat Rapids and pass Whirlpool point. The currents in this area can run in excess of 10 knots and often create large whirlpools during the maximum stage of the tide.  We had to go in to the bay on slack water and then wait for 5 hours to catch the next slack water to exit the bay traveling South.  We then turned East through the “Hole in the Wall” a very narrow channel between Senora Island and Maurelle Island .  This channel has very high rock walls on both sides as we traveled West through and channel the wind increased to about 40 miles per hour.  Again we needed to catch the slack water at the narrow West end of the Hole in the Wall.  Their was minimal current as we passed through the narrows and turned North toward our destination Owen Bay .  We had one more rapids to pass through to get to Owen Bay , as we approached the Upper Rapids our fourth area of rapids for the day our luck was running out.  The current here was building and we could see whirlpools developing in the channel ahead of us.

"It's Been A Lovely Cruise..."

     We were traveling at close to 10 knots through the water and only 4 knots over the ground.  We kept pushing North toward Grant Island on the East side of the channel and turned into the protection of Owen bay, As we pulled into the bay an checked out the recommended anchorage on the North side of the bay I realized that we were going to spend our last night in the Desolation Sound area anchored all alone with only our  traveling partners along tied side.  We all gathered after dinner in the pilothouse of the Lady Karla to see the slide show of all of our digital pictures from the three weeks we had spent cruising together.  The next morning we again headed East along Quadra Island to Granite Point and the intersection with the Discovery Channel.  Here we turned South and traveled through the Semore Narrows to the town of Campbell River where we had a moorage reservation at the Discovery Harbor Marina.  This was where we would end our Summer trip aboard the Lady Karla and drive home to Kent Washington.  We turned the boat over to our long time friends Thom and Debbie Davis.  They would spend a mini vacation together bringing the boat back into the United States and then down the Sound to Seattle.  

     For Karla and I this was a trip of a lifetime with our good friends the Nelsons and our teenage children.  We knew from the beginning that this may well be the last trip of this length that we would get to take with our daughters as they get busy with jobs and their college education’s.

Smooth Sailing!

Rob, Karla, Elizabeth and Emily----Thanks a million for the article! It is outstanding...

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