The Broughtons

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After a great visit with family in Comox we headed north up Disovery Passage by Campbell River. This channel is where the ebb tides start to flow north and flood tides south - opposite of the Vancouver area. Just north of Campbell River is Seymour Narrows, one of the fastest flowing tidal rapid areas in BC with currents of up to 13 kts and big whirlpools. The only way through is at slack tide - when the current changes from ebb to flood - or the other way around. We decided the wait overnight for slack in Gowlland Bay, just south of the narrows and then ride the ebb north the next morning. Our next stop was Blind Channel which was amazingly quiet. We enjoyed looking at the intricate shell artwork montages that adorn the dock, building walls and event the restaurant. These were created by the former owner. With free wi fi we took our laptops to the marina deck and got caught up on things at home but being on a budget, we left the marina and anchored for free at Charles Bay across the channel.

The next day we left at the crack of dawn to get the right timing through the Green Rapids and Whirpool Rapids as we headed north for Lagoon Cove. This charming family marina is famous for its hospitality, especially happy hour on the dock with Bill, the resort owner. Boaters bring their drinks and apppetizers and Bill provides all the prawns you can eat. On this occasion Bill entertained the group by walking onto the deck with the leg bone of a bear and then spun a yarn about the bone that kept everyone in stitches!

From Lagoon Cove we headed across Knight Inlet and up Tribune Channel towards Kwatsi Bay. We had a nice breeze behind us and decided to set the spinnaker. There was some drama when the whole thing came crashing down on the deck just as Norm was raising it - the heavy furler narrowly missing his head. The halyard was stuck at the top of the mast so Beth sent Norm aloft in the bosun's chair to recover it. The seas were calm and the view from the masthead was amazing - even had the camera! This done we rounded the next point to find big wind coming up the channel. We raised the sails and beat up the channel into 20 + knots having our first good hard sail of the trip. During our sail we were passed by a couple of schools of dolphins! We kept going until we got to Lacey Falls, a spectacluar cascade of pulsing water that spills down a huge granite slope in veil after veil of white water - hence the name. After taking photos from all angles we turned around and had a fast, downwind sail to Kwatsi Bay.

Kwatsi is a tiny family marina owned by a fellow named Max who now lives there alone. His wife and kids moved to the Vancouver Island this year so the kids could attend high school. He was anxiously awaiting their return for summer holidays.

The bay is surrounded by high mounttains and granite cliffs, similar to Princess Louisa. The next morning we went for a short hike to view the waterfall we had been listening to all night! After that Beth hit the little gift shop which was stocked with sorts of great stuff including fireweed honey - perfect for tea. We did our best to support the one man Kwatsi economy!

From Kwatsi we headed west down Tribune Channel to Echo Bay, the heart of The Broughtons with its picturesque red roofed marina village set against a west facing cliff. And yes - it really does echo in Echo Bay! We stocked up, mailed a few postcards and then headed for Laura Cove, a quiet little anchorage nearby. The wind sprung up - so with 15 nots our beam we made tracks for the Cove at 8 + knots and kept our fuel tanks full!

Our final stop was Sullivan Bay on North Broughton Island, another essential stop in the area. The entire village is floating - there are only docks and float houses snd float stores and float laundry. It is like a mini Venice of the west coast. The coolest thing is the beautiful artwork on many of the fuel tanks and propane tanks. These tanks were essential but ugly until someone had the clever idea to make each one into a little creative masterpiece. Sullivan Bay has a restaurant so we enjoyed dinner out with a couple from Chilliwack who were docked next to us. And then it started to rain - what a shock after 2 weeks of sun!

Our plan is now to head further north up Queen Charlotte Strait around Cape Caution. This is a little bit more in the open ocean so a careful watch on the weather is required. The forecast is for 15-20 knots from the south east which should push us in the right direction!