Up the Johnstone Strait

Below are some various blogs I wrote while going up to the Broughtons. Sorry but I cannot download pictures from here (we are in a small marina on a small island) as the inter net is not much better than dial up...


July 8th
We are sitting at anchor in Charles Bay, across from Blind Bay Marina. Our route to hear is as follows:
Roche Harbor, check in a Bedwell Harbor, Canada. We head north to Nanaimo. Along the way we try to sail but the winds are light so we test our some different sails and our whisker pole. We arrive at Nanimo at about 8:30 p.m. Leave Nanaimo with the 12pm tide and head for Ford Cove on Hornby Isl. This is a pretty and quiet anchor. Our next destination is the town of Campbell River. The current is with us so we make good time to our anchor spot in Gowland Harbor, another pretty and quiet anchor, where we have a relaxing afternoon to rest up for the early start to Seymour Narrows.

Seymour Narrows can be quit treacherous if not arriving at the correct time. We time our passage to go through at a neap slack tide, so our trip through is uneventful. We head up Johnstone Strait but turn up Mayne Passage to get out of the winds that can easily get to gale force in the afternoon. And that is how we got to beautiful Charles Bay.
The picture is of Mazu taken from our dingy, Jenny (Spencer named it).




July 9, 2008 Johnstone Strait to Port Neville


We leave Charles Bay very early to catch the favorable tide/currents going up Johnstone Strait (JS). Every thing starts off nice a quiet. But the winds and sea start to pick up just after Race Passage. The boat is actually quite comfortable in the cockpit, the bow and deck got a nice “bath”. At one point we measure gale force winds on our instruments.(for about 2 seconds). We decide to tuck in at Port Neville. Our anchor is secure but we are swinging like crazy in 16 knot SE winds.
Here is picture looking out over the stern of the boat, very pretty!