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Tuesday 30 July 1996

GMC 391.6 ONAN 1001.9

Another busy day today. Back to FH in the morning, and up to the house for a few things we forgot yesterday. Then a little more shopping and we declared ourselves ready to go. While Lois was stowing the last of the stuff I ran Henry home, stopping at the post office to have them hold our mail. Virgil picked me up there, saving me a walk back to the dock.

12:00 Hauling anchor, we're on our way on a pretty summer afternoon. It's sunny but not as warm as it's been the past week. Just right. I put out the poles as we ran across Griffin Bay. They are predicting 20-30 knot winds in the Strait. Might as well be ready.

13:20 Cattle Point. We're not making very good time because we're fighting the incoming current. At times the GPS is showing 2.5 knots over the ground. Oh well, we're not in a hurry, and it's a nice day to be on the water.

14:45 Things getting a bit rolly, so I put the port foil in the water. That does the job. It's not wind that's making the waves, it's the currents. Pretty strong today. We're making good less than six knots.

15:45 Discovery Island. Nice and flat now but we're still fighting the current. A tug pulling a huge log barge passes us and heads down the Strait. Some wind now, also right on the nose.

17:30 Victoria Harbour. Once in past the breakwater I go topside and pull in the starboard pole; but, when I try to retract the one in the water, no dice. I had Lois turn the boat around and point into the wind. Still I was unable to get an inch on the line even by hanging on it with my whole weight. Finally I called for Lois to come up and help. No sweat. With her on the end of the line, in came the pole. Wow!

17:45 Tied to a red painted area of the city dock which I thought was customs. It wasn't, but no problem. I walked up to the phone, called 800-222-4919, and a nice voice checked us into Canada. Entry number V969017J01.

Went out to dinner at a restaurant called Siam Thai a couple of blocks from the docks. Pretty good, but not as good as the Khu Larb Thai in Port Townsend. Got $300 Canadian at the bank and bought Lois a pair of fuzzy slippers on the way back to the boat. Nice day.

Wednesday 31 July 1996

GMC 397.6 ONAN 1003.0

06:30 Off and running on a bright sunny morning, competing with the Black Ball ferry COHO to get out of the harbour. She was backing out just as we left the dock and you don't argue with a boat that size. Totally different story on speed this morning. The GPS was showing 10-11 knots as we ran toward Race Passage and it stayed that way most of the run.

07:30 Race Passage. Quite a few sportfishing boats from here to Sooke and we see an occasional Coho jumping. I was wishing I'd thought to buy a licence in town last evening. Couldn't ask for a nicer day for running, though. They are predicting winds again in the PM, but it's glassy smooth this morning.

09:00 Shearingham Point. We're averaging over nine knots. Nice to have the current behind you.

10:00 Running past River Jordon. Swell building now, but the waves are smooth and long. SEA RAVEN rides up and over them without a splash. Our poles are out but no need for them today.

11:15 We drop our hook in Thresher Cove of Port San Juan. Nice and flat in here this morning. The water taxi from Port Renfrew is picking up hikers from the Pacific Rim trail and more are appearing out of the woods. Several of them strip down to bathing suits and dive into the water. I imagine it feels good after the long hike from Bamfield.

We had a little lunch, then I went to work on my list of squawks. I fixed Lois watch band, re-rigged our courtesy flags, then went hunting for why our horn wouldn't work. That was easy. One of us had hit the breaker and turned it off. Same story on why I'd had such low flow for my shower this morning...in my messing with the water system I'd turned off the hot water valve in the engine room and forgotten to turn it back on. Getting old Raider, the Seascan radar, going was almost as easy. I pulled all the connectors and put them back on and he started working. Nice clean returns on the screen.

By the time I'd finished my list Lois was taking a nap, the wind was building, and we'd started a good bit of rolling. It didn't take long to realize that Thresher wasn't going to be very comfortable unless we set a stern anchor. That's a bit of trouble, so we decided to move. We hauled up and ran across the bay to a place called Mill Cove behind Wood's Nose, a group of small islets on the east side of the bay. It's a pretty neat little nook where we could anchor in front of a curved beach, protected from the swell by the reef and kelp. There's what looks like a small RV park up on the hillside and some men are building a ramp to a float where several small fishing boats are moored. While the men worked, several kids were casting for fish from the float. We spent a quiet afternoon and evening, well protected from the wind and waves just outside our little nook.

Thursday 1 August 1996

GMC 403.4 ONAN 1003.3

06:20 Anchor up and heading out on a quiet but not so pretty morning. We've been spoiled by all the blue skies lately. This morning dawned with the more usual low marine layer hanging over the sea. No problem on visibility, though, four or five miles at least. As we clean the entrance and turn north the swells are much the same as they were when we came in yesterday, four to five feet, long and glassy smooth. No need for the stabilizers.

07:30 We spot a pod of Orcas feeding off to the south. Two of them are showing tall fins. Several ships heading out but we hug the north shore far from the shipping traffic lanes. We can't see the tops of the trees on the shore for the low clouds, but there's Cape Flattery twelve miles off in the distance. Making good time again this morning...the GPS is showing 8.8 or 9.0 knots most of the time.

10:00 We get a call from a power cruiser who just passed us headed south. CELEBRATION wants to know what the weather's like where we came from. Another boat is fussing about fog off Cape Beale. We've still got good visibility at Pachina Point but it looks thicker up ahead. Seas are getting rougher now so I pop in the port fish to make our ride more comfortable.

11:00 Rounding Cape Beale in fog which cuts visibility to under a mile. No problem, both radars are working and crashing waves make the cape's rocks very apparent. Things all smooth out as we turn into Trvor Channel and put the swell to stern. As we near the entrance to Bamfield inlet, we stop and pull up the flopper-stopper foil. Again I have to have Lois help me. I may have to replace the lines on the poles...they don't want to run through the blocks anymore.

11:30 We stop at Kingfisher's Marina fuel dock and I buy one fishing licence for $114.49 Canadian...and, no Chinook this year. Last year two licences cost us $81.32. The Canadians are taking this fishing war seriously.

12:00 It's starting to rain and we need a nice place to hole up so we decide to run out to the Pinkertons. Tomorrow morning will have a good low tide and we can stock up on clams and oysters there.

12:45 Just beyond Swale Rock I spot a fin sticking out of the water and going around in circles. It's a big Sunfish, to me one of the oddest of sea creatures with its bulbous body and little winglike fins. This one must have been three or four feet long and more than a foot in diameter.

13:20 Anchored in the bay just north of Sechart, the old whaling station where we've had such good luck harvesting clams and oysters. It's high tide now, and raining, so we spent the afternoon reading and doing little jobs. In the morning we'll pick a few oysters and dig a few clams, illegal of course because of PSP "concerns". I'll run my own test by eating a couple and seeing if my fingernails turn blue and tingle.

Friday 2 August 1996

GMC 410.1 ONAN 1003.5

Our front seemed to pass during the night and this morning dawned with large patches of blue showing in the sky. A pair of eagles on the islet protecting our anchorage started screeching at each other as the morning sun broke through the clouds. We ate a lazy breakfast of bacon, fried potatoes and eggs, then launched Stormy and headed for our favorite clam and oyster bar. It didn't disappoint us. In about ten minutes we picked half a bucket of perfectly sized and shaped oysters and enough clams for a meal. No recent sign of habitation of the old buildings, although, across the way there was smoke coming from the chimney of one of the float houses. We were at extreme low tide and had fun poking our way among the rocks, peering at the intertidal sea life. Thousands of bat stars line the sandy spots on the bottom and sea snails, the source of the decorative opercula used by the indians, are all over the rocks. On the flats the birds...eagles, gulls, ravens and herons...were feeding. Pretty morning.

Back at the boat we cleaned the soot off SEA RAVEN's stern and scrubbed her waterline. There didn't seem to be much more soot now than there was when we left Friday Harbor. Old Gimmy seems to like running faster.

10:35 Hauled up and ran out through the Broken Group to the sea mount off Dempster Island where I hoped to get a rockfish or two. Amazingly few people in the park for this time of year. No sign of life on Hand Island, usually a favorite spot for kayakers, one sailboat over in the Turtle Island anchorage, and one each in the Nettle Island coves. There was a large group of kayakers on Gibralter at the old dropoff point. That was it. Not many boats fishing either; although, we had just found our hump and dropped in a line when a fast moving fisheries patrol boat came roaring up to us and asked how fishing was going. When I told them that we'd just started, they asked how much we wanted for the boat, wished us good luck, and roared off. We didn't have much luck jigging for rockfish. There was a brisk breeze which blew us across the kelp which kept catching the hooks on my buzz bomb. When I lost it we gave up and ran over to Effingham Island to troll for salmon. No luck there either. There were five small boats fishing around Effingham, Austin, and Cree and we saw one small Coho boated, but we never got a nibble. We fished until about 2:00 o'clock before giving up and looking for a spot to park.

There was a small cruiser anchored in our spot between Austin and Effingham, and Lois wouldn't let me try to run him out. The bight to the east of Bauke looks pretty secure but it's open to the south. The wind from the west was getting pretty strong making most of the places we've anchored before look uncomfortable. We dropped our hook between Wouver and Howell where we've anchored several times, but immediately thought better of it. So, why not go to the lee side? That's what we did...ran around Effingham and anchored in front of the old village site, a perfect spot to watch the clouds whizzing by over our heads and the whitecapped waves dancing by on either side of the island while we sat on the deck in the sun and jigged for bottom fish. Gusts painted cat's paws on the water around us but the hundred foot high forest behind the village broke the force of the wind. We could imagine rows of canoes lined up on the sandy beach at the peak of the village's power.

Lois caught one small sculpin, not big enough for eating, but it will make bait for tomorrow. I ate five clams before dinner as a test for PSP. No ill effects. We watched a movie after a dinner of leftover pot roast: On Golden Pond, one of Lois' favorites.

Saturday 3 August 1996

GMC 414.3 ONAN 1004.9

The shaft stuffing box was leaking quite a bit of water last evening. I tightened the packing nuts and this morning I did a better than usual check of the engine mounts. That was our problem two years ago. Glad I did. TWO of them are not only loose but broken! Gimmy's been running on two point suspension. That probably explains the vibration we've been having. Also, Gennie had water all around her base. She's sprung a leak somewhere. So, no fishing today. It was off to Uclulet for repairs. We had a cold breakfast then hauled up about 8:00 and were there just after nine. There was a little lump on the water as we came across Louden Channel but as soon as we got behind the reefs again it all smoothed out. We went directly to the small boat basin at the far end of town, found a spot on the dock where we could have power, and I went to work in the engine room. I figured that, if we were going to get any help today, I'd better have one of my broken bolts as a sample; so I went to work on that first. Not an easy job getting the pieces out without moving the engine; but, with a lot of grunting and groaning, I managed to get the easy one loose. Then, with the pieces in my pocket, I headed for town to find replacements. That wasn't easy either. The Pioneer Boat Works was open but had no four inch by five eighths fine thread bolts. The nice lady there called around town for me. Nobody open today had any either. It will be Tuesday before Larsen Diesel, the place that might have them will be open. Monday is a holiday, BC Day. I was also getting the feeling that ordinary bolts might not do the job. The broken ones are threaded all the way to the head and those threads are necessary. I might have to have some made.

As I was walking back to the boat I chanced upon a guy playing with kids along the street and asked him if he knew of a machinist who might help us. He sure did. Dave Christianson, owner of a fish processing "camp", invited me in to his house where he called Rudy, an old country machinist who said he had some bolts and would bring them down. Great! But when Rudy arrived, about half an hour later, the bolts he had were only threaded to within an inch of the head, not usable for my purpose. Rudy was helpful though, he allowed as how he could make me some threaded 5/8 rods that would do the job, and promised to bring them to the dock for me. I told him where we were and he said he find us.

Back at the boat, I went to work on Gennie's problem. It wasn't a new one. The piece of hose which connects the exhaust manifold to the muffler had sprung a leak. This one lasted longer than some earlier ones. I last replaced it somewhere in Mexico. It's not too hard to replace and I had a spare which I'd purchased the last time this happened. It's a 16" by 2" radiator flex hose. Took me about an hour to get the old one out and the new one in. It was four o'clock by then, so I quit for the day. Took a shower and waited for Rudy to show up with my bolts. He never did. Either he had a problem making them or he couldn't find us. Disappointing. He seemed like a reliable guy. Tomorrow I'll go back to Dave's house and get Rudy's phone number, something I didn't do yesterday.

Had our clams for dinner. Uhm, good! It's been quite a while since we've had a pot of steamed Littlenecks and Manilas.

Sunday 4 August 1996

GMC 416.3 ONAN 1005.0

After breakfast this morning we walked down to Dave's place, found him at work at the fish camp, and learned that Rudy had called there twice yesterday looking for me. Dave called his house and was told that Rudy was at the Peninsula Cafe, so we walked up there and found him having a cup of coffee. He acted a little pissed at first...I guess he had spent quite a while walking the docks looking for us... but warmed up after while. He's originally from Hungary, but said he has been here in Uclulet for 34 years. He made three bolts with nuts for us. Charged us $60.00, a very fair price for the work he did.

So, it was back to the boat, change clothes, and back to work in the engine room. First I installed, or tried to install, the starboard forward bolt which I had taken out yesterday. No soap, the holes were almost an inch out of alignment. All I could do was put the boat in and adjust it to take part of the engine weight. Then I went to work on the aft port bolt. I should have worked on it yesterday...what I thought was a broken bolt was only loose. It is very hard to see; and, when I felt it with my fingers, I thought sure it had parted. When I tried to remove it, though, I found that was not true. So, all my fussing was for nought. Today I managed to get wrenches on it, readjust it to what I thought might be the original position, and tighten all the bolts up again. I'm beginning to believe that the one broken bolt may never have been installed correctly. There is no way that the other three could have moved that much. Anyway, Gimmy is now held down at three points, and rests firmly on a fourth. When I raised the two aft mounts water started flowing through the stuffing box but stopped when I tightened the nuts a little. I'll watch closely for any sign of heating.

It was a mixed sort of day...rain in the morning, then fog, then windy in the PM. When I finished in the engine room we walked up town again and got some money at the cash machine. Then we wiped down the rail with oil again. It's holding up pretty well, but salt water standing on the surface seems to etch little marks in the oil. We filled the water tank...they've run a water line half way out each finger float since last year. That makes it easier. Lois voted to stay on the dock another night, so we had fried oysters for dinner and listened to Sunday CBC radio for evening entertainment. We'll try fishing again tomorrow.

Monday 5 August 1996

GMC 416.3 ONAN 1005.0

The wind blew most of the night but this morning dawned bright, sunny and calm. The party boats from the Canadian Princess went roaring out as usual at six but it was almost eight before we cast off the lines and headed out. It was still sunny in the basin then; but, as soon as we cleared the entrance and could see down the inlet, we could see the fog rolling in. What's more, there were heavy seas rolling in from the wind last night. It's not much fun fishing in fog, especiallyt if you are rolling and pitching; so at the mouth of the inlet we turned left and headed up toward the inner sound where I was hoping the fog wouldn't reach. That worked out pretty well. As we approached the upper end of the Broken Group the fog lifted and thinned, letting the sun through now and then. We ran over to Swale Rock and started trolling with half a dozen other hopeful fishers. I was down in the engine room adjusting Gimmy's idle when Lois hollared, "Fish on your line!" Not very good news; it was a mackerel. Good crab bait, though.

The good news is that Gimmy's back to his old self. With the engine mounts doing their job, I was able to slow his idle down to the smooth 250 rpm we like for fishing without a bit of the annoying vibration. That sure makes things more pleasant. We fished for an hour around Swale. Lois brought in another mackerel. We saw a guy on another boat clean two Coho's but don't know where he caught them. About eleven we ran on out to Effingham, planning on fishing there, but the wind and wave were wrong so instead we fished through Coaster Channel. No luck there either. On the way out to Effingham we heard a call from SAINT JUDE to ALLONS Y!. Virgil was off Cape Beale just coming in after a rough ride from Port San Juan. He headed straight for the dock in Bamfield where he could get Pearl off the boat to go potty. ALLONS Y! headed over to meet him there.

We went the other way, out to one of our favorite anchorages between Brabant and Mence Islands. There, we baited the crab ring with one of our mackerel and sat on the deck enjoying the afternoon sun while a huge eagle watched us from his perch on the top of a tree overlooking the anchorage. The only things we got in our crab ring were starfish and rock crabs so small they almost slipped through the mesh. Our fishing luck sure needs to change!

Tuesday 6 August 1996

GMC 423.1 ONAN 1005.2

Well, our luck sure changed today. First off, no fog this morning; a thin, high cloud layer kept it from forming. And no wind. When, after breakfast, we ran out to Imperial Eagle it was flat calm. We decided to try our sea mount off Dempster Island again. This time we dropped the lunch hook in about thirty feet of water and let out enough line to drift back to fifty. Lois started jigging with a Buzz Bomb baited with the eyeball of a mackerel and almost immediately pulled in a two pound rockfish. Then I got one. That got the day started right. We figured that we had enough for dinner and could afford to have another try for salmon, so we pulled the hook and ran on over to Effington. Dropped our lines in at the east point and in a couple of minutes Lois had a fish on: a little two or three pound Chinook, not legal to keep, but hooked so well through the jaw and eye that it wasn't going to live. Rather than throw it back to die, I cleaned it, wrapped it in a bag, and put it in the frige. In a couple of hours of fishing we hooked three more small blackmouth which we released, then Lois brought in a nice five pound Coho, a beautiful fish, and I caught one more rockfish. Looks like we are in business again.
Virgil called while we were fishing and asked us to pick an anchorage for the night. He and the Lees weren't going to get away from Bamfield until about four, so we opted for Marble Cove. We got there about three and anchored on the edge of the 70 foot hole. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon, so we sat on the deck soaking up the sun until he arrived about 5:30. We had dinner on the SEA RAVEN. I barbecued oysters and the little Chinook and the Lees brought shrimp that they'd bought from one of the shrimp boats in Bamfield. Then we all watched the sun set over the tree covered rock that guards the west entrance to the cove. I took a bunch of pictures. Hope they turn out good.
Sunset from Marble Cove

Wednesday 7 August 1996

GMC 428.3 ONAN 1006.3

Well, our luck didn't hold today. Virgil and Harry got off halibut fishing about 8:30 in the SAINT JUDE. We followed them out heading for Bamfield, leaving Barbara to herself on ALLONS Y!. Our prime purpose in going to town was to mail some letters and, wouldn't you know, the post office is closed on Wednesdays. No problem though, the nice lady at the store helped me put the letters in a bag with the right change for postage and promised that Mary, the postmistress would take care of them tomorrow. We bought a few groceries, I called the credit union and transferred some money... the 800 number now works in Canada, tried to call Nan but couldn't reach her, then we went fishing. The lady who sold me my license last week told me that they were catching Coho off Kirby Point, so that's where we went. No luck there so we ran on out to Folger Island. Fished for a couple of hours without a hookup, so we gave up and ran back to Marble Cove to pick up Barbara. She followed us across Imperial Eagle to the Sechart anchorage. On the way we got a call from Harry on SAINT JUDE saying that they'd been successful with a 16 pound halibut. Great! We anchored and settled down to enjoy the sun and wait for the fishermen. We all had dinner on the ALLONS Y!. Harry did a great job of barbecuing the halibut. Nice day even if Lois and I didn't catch a fish.

Thursday 8 August 1996

GMC 434.0 ONAN 1006.8

Beautiful, bright, blue sky morning. As I stepped in the dingh to go pick up a few oysters and clams, a family of seven otters scooted out of the water and up into the woods on the island, and a pair of eagles watched from the tops of two trees. I got my oysters and clams alright; and, as I was taking care of them, a black bear came ambling up Equis Beach. Virgil had taken Pearl to the beach but was on the far end. Lois and I were wondering if the two would meet, but the bear wasn't in any hurry so Virg and Pearl escaped an adventure. Later, when I took Virg on a tour of the old whaling station, the bear was there, still slowly working his way up the shoreling, turning over rocks as he went...the breakfast patrol.

We hauled up about ten and headed out for another go at fishing, Virgil in the SAINT JUDE right behind us. We lost him somewhere on the way to Effingham, but didn't realize he's had a problem until we'd caught our first fish. We started fishing in front of the old village site and Lois had a nice Chinook before I could even get my line in. Sure a shame to have to throw it back. I called Virgil then to report our luck and found that his engine had overheated due to a leaking water pump and he was back in the Sechart anchorage. There, the Lees cellular phone came in handy; Harry called Larson Diesel in Uclulet (726-7011) and found that Virg could go there for repairs. We went on fishing. Lois caught another little blackmouth which had to go back, then a mackerel. Then my line tripped and I pulled in a plastic garbage bag full of water and a small rockfish. There were quite a few small boats fishing along the rocks south of Austin Island and the Fisheries Patrol boat came by, checking everyone's luck. That seemed to change ours. A few minutes later Lois pulled in a nice Coho and then I got one too. The wind was rising and with two fish in the bag we decided to quit.

The anchorage between Effingham and Austin was open, so we parked there. I cleaned the fish and we settled down for a breezy but pretty afternoon. ALLONS Y! called about three. They were fishing over near Clark Island; said it was windy and they'd caught nothing but Kings. They came in and anchored behind us about five. Invited us for cocktails, but I had sort of a belly ache and begged off for tonight. Don't know what got to my innerds. I'm sure it wasn't the halibut. Virgil called and said a pump rebuild kit would be in in the morning, so he should be back in business before the weekend.

Friday 9 August 1996

GMC 437.1 ONAN 1007.3

Boy, we sure have our on-days and off-days. Foggy this morning; but, after breakfast, we went fishing again. Out of the anchorage, south past Austin Island, out to Cree, then back along the rocks all the way to the village on Effingham. Lois got two mackerel which we threw back. I hooked nothing but a bed of kelp which kept my flasher and hoochie. Not a good fishing day. We gave up about noon and, to get out of the fog, ran back up to Jaques Island near the north end of the Broken Group where the sun was shining. We dropped out hook in the most westerly of the coves and spent a lazy afternoon soaking up the sun and fishing for crab. Didn't do great at that either, just one good sized rock crab. Barbecued some of yesterday's salmon for dinner. That was great.

Virgil got his water pump problem worked today and got back to fishing this afternoon. When we talked to him on the radio he was planning on joining ALLONS Y! in the Austin Island anchorage. They spent the day there, most of it in the fog.

Saturday 10 August 1996

GMC 439.8 ONAN 1008.2

We took a day off from fishing today and went sightseeing. It had been several years since we'd gone up Pipestem Inlet and I remembered it as a pretty place. So that's what we did. Left the anchorage about 9:00 and ran across to check out a sailboat in another nook over on the west side of Mullins Island where we've never stayed. Looked like he had plenty of swinging room, a nice view, and pretty good protection. We'll have to try that some day. We then poked our way up through the islands, enjoying the lovely morning. Swung through Mayne Bay where the Navy buoys are. One ship there today, a tender of some kind, anchored. Pipestem is prettier than I remembered. When we were last there in 1992 there were lots of buoys and floats from large oyster operations in the inlet. All that is gone now and there is no sign them left. The water in Pipestem is amazingly clear and green with steep granite walls rising almost vertically on both sides for most of the six mile length. The water is also warm, showing 67.7oF on our sounder. We tooled our way the length of the inlet, Lois running the washing machine as we went. About half way up there's a waterfall pouring down from a lake far above; and, at the end a stream, small at this time of year, runs out onto a drying flat. On the way back we anchored behind the islands at Cataract Creek and took Stormy in to explore the nearby lagoon. Not much to see except loads of oysters and eagles in the trees.

Back in the islands and planning on fishing again tomorrow, we headed for the anchorage on Turret Island which is close to Coaster Channel. It's another pretty spot with more little beaches and places to explore than most of the islands. We got in, anchored, and had just told Virgil, who planned to join us, where we were, when the wind picked up and a fog bank, which had been hanging offshore all day, came rolling in. We made a quick decision to move. Without even stowing the crab ring, we hauled anchor and headed out, meeting the fog at the entrance and running on radar until we managed to outrun it as we neared Onion Island. Virgil, who isn't as familiar with the islands as we are, chose to run out into Imperial Eagle where he didn't have to dodge rocks. We met him in Island Harbor and led him on into the west anchorage on Nettle Island. It was bright and sunny there, and stayed that way until dark. Virgil rafted to our port side and we settled down for a barbecued oyster and steamed clam dinner. Another lovely day in paradise.

Sunday 11 August 1996

GMC 445.4 ONAN 1009.1

Well, if yesterday was a lovely day in paradise, today was a sloppy one. It rained during the night and most of the day with fog mixed in. We poked around on the boat until almost noon and then, when it looked like it might be breaking up, headed out to go fishing. No sooner got out in the channel than we ran into fog and rain again, so we gave it up. Virgil wasn't any more interested in fishing in the rain than we were, so he came with us back over to Sechart. One other boat there, a small sailboat tucked into the corner. Lots of room though, for three boats. Rain on and off all afternoon. Lois did another wash; I read and napped. Virg came for dinner again bringing oysters he'd picked from the beach. Lois fixed rockfish this time, frying them in her special cracker crumb coating. Watched a movie later: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. We need to go to town for supplies and Virgil wants to see Alberni Inlet, so we'll take a sightseeing tour to Port Alberni tomorrow.

Monday 12 August 1996

GMC 446.4 ONAN 1012.9

Back to beautiful weather today. It was clear when I got up at five, but the fog rolled in a few minutes later. It didn't last long though. We left the anchorage at 8:00 and were in the clear by the time we got to Swale Rock, Virgil hot on our trail. It's sure a pretty ride up the inlet. Not much traffic this morning...we met the FRANCIS BARKLEY just beyond San Mateo Bay and a dozen or so small boats coming down. Almost no fishermen though. Got to Port Alberni about 12:30. There was a handy spot at the end of the breakwater where we tied with SAINT JUDE alongside. Checked in with Chris Towers...$16.00 Canadian for moorage and power. That's like the old days. Helen was off with four of her grandkids at a socker match. Chris says this is their last winter as Harbour Manager. Then we walked up town. It was hot in Port Alberni this afternoon, over 80 degrees, but a nice breeze made it very comfortable. Lois and Virgil got haircuts at Le Cut while I made reservations for dinner at Little Bavaria, went to the post office for stamps, and walked down to Dunbar Computers for an ink cartridge for my printer. The two I brought along had been refilled too many times and both had dried up. Then to IGA for groceries and to the liquor store for beer and wine...Chris lent me his van for that. By the time I got back to the boat it was time to go to dinner. As usual, Little Bavaria was great. The three of us split a Bavarian Plate for two, served by a pretty young lady named Heide. It was all we could eat.

Tuesday 13 August 1996

GMC 451.4 ONAN 10013.2

Bright, beautiful, sunny morning in Port Alberni. Breakfast on the boat, then Lois did another wash while Virgil and I went shopping for hoochies. Couldn't find exactly the ones he was looking for, but he got the chart he needed copied and bought a dinghe anchor and washdown punp. I bought a Broken Islands T-shirt for Lois; then, after she'd finished the wash, went shopping with her and bought another T-shirt. Called Nan and found that Chuck and Bernie aren't coming but Nan and John are; on the 5th of September. Left a few letters with Chris to mail, filled the water tank, and we were ready to go. The day was getting hot and it was time to be back on the water.

11:30 On our way. Another pretty ride down Alberni Inlet with just enough breeze to ripple the water and keep things cool. All the vegetation is green at this time of year, green on green on green. It's amazing how the trees can grow on the steep rock walls of the inlet. At Chup Point we stopped running and started fishing, Again, I'd not finished getting my line in the water when Lois had a fish on, a nice little blackmouth. Sure was tempted to keep it, but shook it off. That was the last of our action though. We trolled across Rainy Bay to Pill Point and then past Useless Inlet to Allen Point without another fish. While I was shucking oysters I got one on but by the time I got to the pole it was off. Virgil said he caught one mackerel.
15:30 Gave it up and went hunting for a place to park. Ran into Frank's Cove in Vernon Bay. It's a spectacular basin with granite walls surrounding it, but awfully deep for anchoring. We checked out one bight that the book says you can anchor in; the least depth I could find was 90 feet. There was already a boat in the only other recommended spot. So, we gave up on that place and ran on to one I remembered near the entrance to Effingham Inlet, a little nook between some tiny islands where we stayed when Sis and Paul were with us four years ago. There we anchored in about fifty feet of water and settled down to enjoy another sunny evening. Lois fried oysters for dinner. She's sure good at that.
M/V Saint Jude V

Wednesday 14 August 1996

GMC 457.2 ONAN 1013.6

Lois' Birthday, her day to pick what to do, and she says she wants to catch a big fish. Well, it just wasn't in the cards for today. We hauled up about eight and ran down the channel to Swale Rock where several other boats were fishing. No luck there, so ran on out to Effingham. There was a good swell and chop coming out of the west, so we stayed on the east side and fished back and forth from the village site to Meares Bluff. We saw other boats net two nice cohos but the only thing our hooks caught was one baby, kokanai sized Silver. At 11:30 we gave it up.

Low clouds and wind were keeping things cool out there on the beach and Lois wanted to go somewhere where there would be sunshine for the rest of the day. We found it in a neat little nook on the west side of Jarvis Island where we'd never anchored before. There we dropped our pick in 30 feet of water behind a tiny island with rocks all around and just enough swinging room for one boat. I got out a package of frozen salmon...part of one Lois caught the other day, we had lunch, and then went exploring the lagoon between Jarvis and Jaques. It was high tide so we could poke around in a lot of places which are dry at other times. Lots of oysters in the two entrances to the lagoon. And the Kingfishers seem to like the area. Must be food for them there. A small sailboat was anchored in the deep spot. I don't think I'd like being in there where you have to wait for high tide to get out. It's a great place for kayaks though, we passed several paddlers enjoying the afternoon sun.

Steamed clams, broiled salmon, and salad for dinner, with ice cream topped with Snicker Bars for desert. Not a bad birthday dinner. We're going to have to do better, though, if we want to fill our freezer at home with salmon this year. That may not be possible with the Chinook rule.

Virgil and the Lees ran up to Tofino today. We could hear them on the radio all the way to the entrance of Clayoquot Sound. They said it was a very lumpy ride. Virg plans to be back here on Sunday and head back to Friday Harbor soon after that. We may go with him.

Thursday 15 August 1996

GMC 461.4 ONAN 1015.5

There was a low tide this morning which uncovered a promising looking gravel beach up in the corner of our cove. I moved a pair of raccoons off of it as I approached but could find no clams. Instead, this was my day for fish. We moved out of our little hidy-hole about 8:30 on a flat calm, cloudy morning, ran down Peacock Channel to Loudoun, pointed our nose toward Mara Rock where we'd heard fish were caught yesterday and started fishing at Allen Rock. Lois put in at her usual 60 turns (20-30 feet deep) and immediately had a mackerel on. The bottom out there is flat at 120-130 feet so I decided to try something different and dropped the downrigger down to 100 feet. Wow! In 45 minutes I'd pulled in four salmon and a pretty, red Yellow Eye. That went a long way toward filling our larder again.

It was foggy out on the reefs and the weather forecast was for a front to be coming through this afternoon, so at 10:30 we quit fishing and headed up the channel toward. I'd planned on going back to the warm, clear water of Pipestem to take a look at the bottom; but, as we neared Sechart Channel, the sky to the north looked so threatening decided to stop at the whaling station instead. Glad we did. In less than an hour it was raining and the fog was closing in, not at all a nice day for a swim. We spent the PM reading and napping while listening to rain on the roof. Had a combination seafood dinner: salmon, yellow eye, and oysters, then watched the movie Cat Ballou for the evening entertainment.

Friday 16 August 1996

GMC 465.1 ONAN 1017.2

Replentished our clam and oyster supply this morning from our favorite bed at the whaling station while an eagle watched from the top of a tree. It kept an eye on me from the time I approached in the ding until I had paddled past its perch on the way back to the boat. It was a big one, with a showy white and bright yellow beak. One it made that wavering cry that is the eagle's poor excuse for a song. Seagulls are more melodious.

It was a beautiful, well washed morning as the sun came out from behind the mountain; so, after breakfast, we took a sightseeing boat ride. We ran slowly along the shoreline out to Lyle Point then across through the Stopper Islands to the RV and logging camp in Toquart Bay. On the beach near the log dump, which was busy with trucks and a tug this morning, a black bear was on patrol. We watched as he ambled down the beach almost to the dump before he slipped back into the woods and out of sight. He sure didn't seem worried about all the human activity.

From Toquart we ran on into the mouth of Pipestem Inlet again. I've been fussing about a click from the propeller area when we go into reverse that has developed recently and thought I'd go for a swim in Pipestem's warmer, clearer water to see what's happening. This time we anchored behind Refuge Island, a neat spot, pretty well protected but with a nice view in almost every direction. Got there about noon, had lunch, then started sorting out my dive gear. I found my wet suit alright, but it seems my mask, snorkle and fins are still in the van. That's not a serious problem because I have another set on the boat. The mask leaks a little but I can handle that. However, by the time I'd dug out the long hose regulator and tank and gotten everything organized, the wind had come up and afternoon cumulous clouds had covered the sun. So, we put things on hold and went for a nature ride around Hillier Island, hoping that the sun would come back out in the late afternoon. No luck, it never did and the wind didn't die down until almost dark. I'll do my diving in the morning.

The dinghy ride around Hillier was interesting. The channel behind the island is narrow and winding and dries at a not very low tide. We were on an outgoing tide and there was once, as I slid across a drop in the outgoing stream, that I wondered if I'd be trapped in the lagoon. No problem. The tidal stream led out with no more extreme shallows. It's sure quiet back behind the island, and the birds there seemed almost tame. In one spot on the bank the vegetation was newly trampled down so heavily that there was a strong, crushed leaves odor in the air. Bear????

I barbecued a game hen for dinner tonight, the first non-seafood dinner we've had since we got here. Beautiful sunset this evening. I took a few pictures. Hope they are good.

Saturday 17 August 1996

GMC 467.7 ONAN 1018.3

Got my swim in this morning. It was another lovely one with lots of sunshine. After breakfast I put on my gear and, while Lois handled the air hose, went down to see what the clicking in reverse is about. I'm not sure I found out. I think it may be the Spur line cutter doing it. The wire between it and the zinc is broken and that may let the cutter ride up as the shaft turns and then click as it falls down. The sound is right. In any case, it's not something to worry about. The prop zinc was loose and about half gone. I spun it at least a half inch onto the threaded rod and then had to use the wrench to tighten the lock nuts. I doubt that it came loose during the past three weeks. I think it was a waste of money to have Kurt check it. That seems to be the case almost every time I hire somebody to do something for me. If I want the job done right I've got to do it myself. I used a small stiff paint brush to clean the sounder paddlewheel, but it didn't make any difference. The prop and bottom look pretty clean except for a brown scum. No sign of barnacles, although I didn't spend a lot of time looking. The water was sure nice, more than 65 degrees. It didn't feel cold at all after the first chill. I really wouldn't have needed the wet suit.

By the time I got showered and we got the gear rinsed and drying it was 10:30, time to go fishing. We'd seen quite a few fish on the sounder yesterday as we came up David Channel, so this morning we tried fishing there. Not bad. We picked up four salmon there and then another salmon and a rockfish over near Swale Rock Pretty productive morning. When the wind started to come up we picked up and ran across Imperial Eagle to Marble Cove. Dropped our hook there but didn't stay long. An algae bloom had made the water so brown and ugly that we didn't even feel like cleaning the fish in it, let alone putting it on our clams and oysters. Instead, we ran on down the Deer Group to Dodger Channel where the water, while not as pretty and clear as Pipestem's, is a normal northcoast green. This time instead of anchoring behind the reefs at the west end of the passage, we went on through to where it opens up into a wider shallow bay. It's a pretty spot. There's a nice beach on the Haines Island side where someone has a small cabin. On the Diana side, at the remains of an old homestead, there's something that reminds me of the "shrine" at San Juanico in the Sea of Cortez. All kinds of junk are piled and hung on a rock: shells, driftwood, rocks, fish skeletons, fish nets and floats, flags, fishing flashers, ribbons, streamers, pieces of blue tarp...all topped by a wind sock which looks like part of a totem. Someone with a sense of humor. Salmon on the barbecue tonight. My, that's tasty!

Sunday 18 August 1996

GMC 472.1 ONAN 1019.5

Cloudy but no fog this morning. We idled out of the anchorage about 8:30 and trolled for a little while out toward Folger Island. There were a few small boats out there fishing but it was pretty rolly and we got no action, so we picked up and headed for town. Parked at the inner government floats and walked the boardwalk to the store. All the flower boxes along the walk are in full bloom now. Bamfield does a nice job of maintaining its appearance. We've been told that the boardwalk is part of the BC Highway system and gets funding from that source. We bought a few groceries at the store and strolled back, enjoying the exercise. It's hard to get much wandering around these islands.

We'd gotten a call from Virgil on the way into Bamfield. He was nearing Uclulet on the way back from Tofino and planned on doing some fishing. So we decided to go back to the Broken Group and try our luck in our favorite spot off Effingham. We started trolling at Meares Bluff and spent an hour trolling out past Pinacle Rock to the end of the rocks. We turned around there and came back in close where we'd caught three Coho earlier this year. Sure enough, Lois got one on, a ten pounder, big for a Coho. I turned around and made another pass and damned if she didn't hook another, a five pounder this time. I never got a strike. Don't know what I'd do without my fisherlady.

We gave it up then and ran around into Effingham Bay to clean the fish and get ready to move out tomorrow. The weather forecast sounds iffy, but we'll give it a try in the morning. We can always abort to Bamfield if it doesn't look right by the time we get to Cape Beale. Virgil also had some luck fishing and insisted on bringing a salmon for dinner. Lois steamed some clams and made a salad and I did the fish on the barbecue. Another fine feast. We sure eat good.

Monday 19 August 1996

GMC 476.8 ONAN 1020.9

Up at four thirty, muddy hook up at six on a rainy but calm morning. Ran around the inside of the island and pointed our nose to Cape Beale. The calm weather yesterday had let the sea lie down and there was just a ripple on the low swell coming from the west. An easy ride, especially after I drop in one stabilizer foil.

07:20 Cleared Cape Beale and can now head directly for Neah Bay, thirty miles on a magnetic heading of 114 degrees. A little wind as we pass close to the cape but it goes calm again once we're a mile off shore. The radar shows a bunch of targets around the cape and off several miles, most sportfishing vessels. It may be drizzling but it's a good morning for fishing. I finally raise SAINT JUDE on the radio. We thought he was right behind us coming out ot the anchorage, but he had trouble with his windless and had just then gotten his anchor up. He's about ten miles behind us.

09:00 I call Tofino Traffic as we near the traffic lanes and tell them we're heading across. There's not much moving out here this morning, nothing that would worry us, and the visibility is quite good.

10:30 We pass a big Russian factory ship anchored eight miles off shore with a bunch of sportfishing boats scattered around it. I doubt that one is related to the other. Lots of fish showing on the sounder though, but we keep on running. Lois says we've done enough fishing for a while.

11:30 We're racing a container ship called the Elita to point "Juliet", the Strait of Juan de Fuca entrance buoy and racon beacon. He might have beaten us to it but his agent called and told him that his pilot boarding time in Victoria had been delayed so he slowed down to 11 knots. We were across the lanes by the time he got to the buoy.

12:00 Off Tatoosh Island and Cape Flattery. Lots of Puffins out here. They are sure pretty little guys with their red beaks and LA Rams helmets. And a Kingfisher hitched a short ride on our lifeline, not a common bird out here a mile off shore. We're running behind my ETA; been fighting the outgoing tide and only doing five or six knots.

13:10 Anchored in Neah Bay. Virgil stopped to fish for a while, so we had a couple of hours to clean up and nap. He came in about three and, after a battle with his little 1 ½ horse motor, came over with Pearl and we went to the beach to check in with customs. That's pretty easy these days. I called the 800 number, gave the guy my PIN, and he gave me our entrance number, 992716B.

On and off rain all evening. Virg came over for a dinner of fried oysters. He and Lois want to go to Sooke tomorrow. That's okay with me. We've never been there.

Tuesday 20 August 1996

GMC 484.0 ONAN 1021.5

06:00 Pick up and running on a foggy morning. It was crystal clear when I got up at five but as dawn broke it didn't take long for the fog to form. No problem, both radars are working beautifully. We dodge a few sport fishermen in the entrance, turn right and follow a pair of blips that outran us heading up the strait. We never did see the boat or boats...visibility was 100 yards or less. Out on the strait the sea was glassy with nothing but a long, three-to-four foot swell disturbing the flat water. No need to put in the stabies today.

09:15 We are starting to notice a little list to port, so I change to the port tank. The meter reads 487.3. Fog getting a little thinner now. We might be able to see a quarter mile. Not much traffic. One inbound blip has passed us, and two outbound. No big ships on the screen as our track crosses the inbound traffic lane.

12:00 Race Rocks. We'd started out heading for Sooke; but, after discovering we had no detailed chart of the inlet and reading about all the drying mudflats in the busy bay, we decided to press on to Friday Harbor. Nothing we read or heard about Sooke sounded attractive and today was a great day for traveling. Fog gone now from this side of the strait and the only bumps on the water are those made by the tidal streams.

13:30 A warship and submarine are playing games in Haro Strait as we approach.

15:15 Cattle Pass. Several seiners just outside and dozens of small boats fishing in the pass. Not a bunch of fish showing on the sounder, but these folks think they are here to be caught. We're ready to quit though, so we keep on for home.

16:30 Anchored in Park Bay. Saint Elias is still here. No sign of Cara, but Tony is painting away on her topsides. He's got the port side finished...that was the bad one...and a third of the starboard. We have a drink, then Lois fries rockfish for dinner. We'll go in and walk up to the house in the morning.


Sunset in Park Bay