The Broughton Express

The Broughton Express

Saturday, July 18, 2015

                We are not the only ones up and leaving at 5 A.M.  It looks like we will have company for the jump from Forward Harbour out into Johnstone Strait for 13 miles and then into the Broughtons to find a nice cozy place for the night.  There is a bit of chop going out Sunderland Channel.   It gets rougher as we approach the Strait.  The wind is still light compared to what is predicted for later.  We make the decision to bypass Gilford Island for now and wind our way through the smaller outside islands.  This strategy will put us in new territory in just a few days.  By 10:00 the fog is lifting and the weather looks promising.  We turn in from Johnstone Strait at Havannah Channel.  We have been following the same tug since Forward Hbr.  Running with the channel markers at Chatham Channel we hit 10.9 knots.  Turning port around Minstrel Island to follow Clio Channel, our destination is Potts Lagoon, tucked inside West Cracroft Island.  This is a small nook, not too deep.  The wind picks up inside, but there is no room for fetch.  Wildlife seen today include a pilot whale and dolphins in Johnstone Strait and an eagle and king fisher in Potts Lagoon.  Engine hours 6.8, Nautical miles 42.6.  Our GPS coordinates:  50°33.599 N, 126°27.124 W.

Sunday, July 19, 2015

                The wind has picked up here in our little cove.  The clear blue sky is turning overcast.  We get a later start today as we are waiting for low tide.  Yes, low tide.  The cruising guide recommends traversing Beware Passage at low tide so that more of the rocks are visible.  Needless to say it is a little slow going as we pick our way through the rocks and islets.  Here is the chronology of our navigation.  West in Clio Passage, and Beware Passage, north across Knight Inlet, west in Spring Passage, north in Retreat Passage, east in Cramer Passage, north up Raleigh and then Penphrase Passages, west through Sharp Passage by passing the planned stop at Cypress harbor, continuing in Sutlej Channel to Sullivan Bay.  As the day goes, we have more sunshine.  There are distant views of snowcapped mountains.  A couple pods of dolphins race by.  At Sullivan Bay there is an adorable marina/resort all built on the water.   The staff is friendly and easily identifiable by their bright tennis ball yellow/green shirts.  We top off the fuel, 76 liters at $1.50 per liter, then head over to the linear dock at $1.35 per foot for the night.  Engine hours 5.8, Nautical miles 37.4.  Our GPS coordinates:  50°53.051 N, 126°49.719 W.  We do a bit of grocery shopping picking up extra loaves of bread, apples, eggs, and order fresh baked cinnamon rolls for the morning.