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Hakai Pass from Port Hardy, July 2018

 
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rshuman531



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 51
City/Region: Seattle
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2004
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Raven
Photos: Raven
PostPosted: Mon Oct 29, 2018 11:25 pm    Post subject: Hakai Pass from Port Hardy, July 2018 Reply with quote

Our trip from Port Hardy to Calvert Island and Hakai Pass, July 3,4,5

The photos and maps are in our Raven CBrats photo folder, in a sub folder called Hakai Pass trip.

Our family has had a small cabin on Balaklava Island, an Island near the northern tip of Vancouver Island. We are about 12 miles northwest of Port Hardy. The cabin is completely off the grid, we use propane for light, cooking and refrigeration, wood for heat and solar panels to charge batteries. Drinking water is collected from the roof. We have visited every year for the past 40 years, the summer time on the island is important for us. We drive from our home in Seattle towing our 22’ Angler Raven, built in 1983. We keep the boat on a mooring in front of the cabin, it is not possible to build a dock that could survive the winter storms. A 16 aluminum skiff is used to bring people and supplies from the anchored Raven to the rocky beach. The only permanent residents of the island are the two lighthouse keepers at Scarlett Point light station.The tidal range can be as much as 17 feet. The fishing and scuba diving can be very good in the area, we have done much of both. We have had visits from several CBrats and other passing boaters and kayakers. If you are boating past please stop, if you see a CDory moored just south of Scarlett Point light we are home.

We routinely explore the islands along Gordon and Goletas Channels between Hope Island and Port Hardy. We have always seen pleasure and fishing boats headed past for Rivers Inlet and farther north to Alaska and wondered if we could venture farther north past Cape Caution. Travel up the Inside Passage between Seattle and Alaska is controlled by a series of gates where currents, fog, wind and waves often force smaller vessels to wait for better conditions. It often takes increasingly more time, preparation and knowledge to pass each gate. Some of these gates, going north, are Admiralty Inlet, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Georgia Strait, Seymour Narrows, Johnstone Strait and Cape Caution and more onto Hecate Strait. Travel through these gates can’t be set by a human schedule.

The Route
We wanted to go from our home bay up around Cape Caution and explore Rivers Inlet and visit the Hakai Institute on Calvert Island. This trip going north can be bookended by a protected anchorage at God’s Pocket on Christie Pass, leaving calmer waters at Scarlett Point light, passing Pine Island light and the Storm Islands into Queen Charlotte Strait that is exposed to the open Pacific. Then rounding Cape Caution and reaching protected water again at Cape Calvert or Rivers Inlet. The aptly named Safety Cove is on Fitzhugh Sound after Cape Calvert.
One danger to be avoided is passing the rough seas caused by the ebb tidal jet coming out of Slingsby Channel south of Cape Caution. The Nakwakto Rapids on Slingsby Channel has 14 knot flood tides and 16 knot ebb tides. When that jet meets a significant ocean swell steep and chaotic seas are common. Another common piece of advice for small vessels is to wait until the swell height reported at West Sea Otter offshore of Cape Caution is less than one meter.
Another important consideration is the availability of fuel, the one way distance from our last fuel stop in Port Hardy to the next fuel at Dawsons landing with our trip up and back to Hakai Institute was about 100 miles without any side trips or weather detours(which did occur). We could have stopped earlier for fuel at Dawsons but as you can see fuel stops are far apart.

Our trip

We left Balaklava Island on the morning of July 2. The forecast was for light wind especially in the mornings. These are typical summer coastal forecasts, as the inland areas heat in the sun, the air inland rises and marine air is in pulled in from the the cold ocean and the winds increase, with sunset the heating ends and the winds decrease, often until mid afternoon the next day. As we rounded Scarlett Point into Gordon Channel there was a small chop but we could maintain at least 15 knots. As we approached Pine Island (see the video in the album) the seas started to increase to 1-3 feet and were on our bow. This caused us to slow to 8-10 knots to reduce pounding. West Sea Otter was reporting 1.5 meter seas. Since we had an open schedule for the next week, we decided to detour to the area of Burnett Bay, an impressive wild long sandy beach that we had visited before. We knew that the seas were too big to allow us to go ashore, but wanted to see if we could see any wolves or bears on the open beach, as had been reported. Seeing none we turned south to spend the night in Allison Harbor, a long and very protected bay south of Slingsby Channel. We would see about the next day’s weather before deciding to continue or go back home. We explored in our dinghy and spent a very quiet night with many stars. The next morning brought calm winds, less than one meter seas at West Sea Otter but dense fog. Using our radar, chart plotter, AIS and horn we set a course for Cape Caution in varying amount of fog, we could travel at 15 knots in the better visibility but slowed to 5 knots as the fog and traffic increased. Having radar was crucial to being able to travel safely. After about two hours as we entered Rivers Inlet the fog began to dissipate and the beautiful scenery began to be revealed.

We had heard about the anchorage and white sand beaches of the Fury Cove area so we went through Schooner Retreat and around Fury Island. The cove was beautiful but it was early in the day and we were eager to get to the Hakai Institute. The Institute was set up at a previous luxury fishing resort and now allows scientists a base to study the mid BC coastal environment and culture. They publish a great online magazine on their work. We slid up Fitzhugh Sound at 18-20 knots and turned left into Kwakshua Channel, ending at Pruth Bay and the Institute dock. The bay has good holding ground for many boats.The Institute allows dinghy access to their dock and they maintain a network of good hiking trails to several outer ocean beaches. The laboratories are not open to the public. We hiked the trails, enjoyed the large white sand beaches on a calm sunny day, I even went swimming in the ocean.

The next day was calm and we left early, we needed to get fuel at Dawsons Landing and to explore that side of River’s Inlet, a famous sport and commercial fishing area for salmon. I was reading a book about a family that started a fishing resort in Rivers Inlet, so I wanted to see their bay, Sleepy Bay on the way to Dawsons Landing. Dawsons Landing was fascinating, a long standing general store and fuel dock. They are a key to the Rivers Inlet community, selling everything from groceries to diapers to boat parts to fishing gear to clothing to sewing supplies.

From Dawsons Landing we set a course for home on Balaklava Island, the distance was about 50 miles and we covered it in about 3 hours in sunshine and calm following seas.
A great trip.

Lessons and preparation

We were concerned as we planned for this trip that we needed to be safe in an area that could bring adverse weather and no nearby communities or support. A concern in northern waters are floating logs, we never travel at night for this reason and are concerned that if we hit a large log our engine may be damaged or we may even be holed and sink with no help nearby.
We took a spare 8 hp engine on a bracket that can move us at about 6 knots and we had our dinghy inflated for a life raft. We have a ditch bag at the helm including flares, a handheld VHF and a EPIRB. Our main safety planning was to not leave without a stable forecast of good weather. Radar was very helpful. Our 2 year old 90 hp Mercury 4 stroke was flawless, particularly helpful was its real time fuel flow and fuel efficiency monitoring.
On a non-safety note, we took too much gear! On a boat as small as a 22’ CDory with two people we think you need to have a backpacking mindset for multiday trips with no docks. In order to go to sleep in the bunks gear needed to be moved into the cockpit every night.
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Robert H. Wilkinson



Joined: 26 Jan 2011
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City/Region: Port Ryerse
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Vessel Name: Romakeme IV
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 30, 2018 8:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Randy & Chris, thanks for the excellent write up of your trip! I enjoyed the pics as well. Your cabin sounds like home to me as I have lived off grid since 1979.

Regards,

Rob

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Hunkydory



Joined: 28 Mar 2005
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City/Region: Cokeville, Wyoming
State or Province: WY
C-Dory Year: 2000
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Hunkydory
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 30, 2018 10:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Chris & Randy, I too enjoyed the photos & write up of your cruise. You provided enough names & details to your trip, so I could go to Google Earth & my I pad navionics charts to better understand your trip & location of cabin. Whether a book or a short write up like yours, I find added enjoyment getting a birds eye view with Google Earth.

Your angler style 22 limits cabin storage room & it does take a few trips to really sort out wants from necessities on a small boat for such a trip & even more when planning on 3 months or so with the backpacking mentality a good start, but I’ve found at least in the cruiser much more room for luxuries beyond my backpacking & horse trips.

Thanks for sharing,

Jay

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MikeR



Joined: 21 Apr 2013
Posts: 474
City/Region: Mill Creek
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2016
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 31, 2018 12:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Randy and Chris, thanks for sharing that detailed write-up. I saw your photos the other day and was hoping we'd get to hear the story behind them! Where do you launch at the north end of Vancouver Island? I hope to get up that way next summer or two. Also, I share your sentiments with the 2-yr old Merc 90. How many hours are you at now? I think mine is at 317, and loving it more with each hour. Hope to see you guys at Friday Harbor again next year, would love to hear more about your annual trips to the North end of the island, and beyond!

-Mike

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hardee



Joined: 30 Oct 2006
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 31, 2018 12:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Randy and Chris, Thanks for that nice writeup and the photos. And for sharing. For me it was one of my accomplishments to get up to the North end, and it was really nice to get to visit there. Glad you had a good trip up and back.

It looked like you took a longer route from your cabin to cross Cape Caution than what would appear to be shorter by going up and around under Hope Island. Any particular reason? When I was looking at that, I thought of over nighting at Bull Harbor and the leave from there, going around to the south and east of Hope. Just curious for future planning.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

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rshuman531



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
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City/Region: Seattle
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Vessel Name: Raven
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 31, 2018 12:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Harvey

Thanks for the note, it would be great to see you up north again.
We took the more easterly route going north because we wanted to have the options to explore the Burnett Bay and Allison Harbor area. It also gives us easier opportunities to get to shelter if the tide/waves/ fog are a problem. The negative of that course is that you must cross the Slingsby outflow or take a dogleg out to sea to avoid it, probably depending on the swell size and phase of the tide. We felt the bumps there but it was only for about 30 minutes.
Randy
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hardee



Joined: 30 Oct 2006
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 02, 2018 4:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Randy said,

Quote:
".... The negative of that course is that you must cross the Slingsby outflow or take a dogleg out to sea to avoid it, probably depending on the swell size and phase of the tide. We felt the bumps there but it was only for about 30 minutes."


Good info to know, and I should remember that for next time. Thank you, and maybe in another year or so. I loved it up on the north end and want to do more up there.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

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