Alaska 2016 | Day 17 | Lowe Inlet to Prince Rupert

Some days on the boat are boring. The clouds are low, the wind is calm, nothing breaks down. Today was one of those days. Somehow, I didn't even take any pictures.

Today we headed back into the "city." Prince Rupert, that is, population 12,500. After five nights at anchor, everyone was ready to be tied to a dock and go out for a meal.

Most of the day was spent cruising up Grenville Channel. We had a nice push from the current for the first few hours, then not much current at all. It's a long way from Lowe Inlet to Prince Rupert—about 60 nautical miles—and the current can run strongly in Grenville Channel. A few knots of current against you makes this long, boring day even worse.

We'd originally planned on stopping for the night at Kumealon Inlet, partway between Lowe Inlet and Prince Rupert. But the weather forecast made us move our schedule ahead one day. Here's the weather deal:

After Prince Rupert, we cross Dixon Entrance into Alaska. Dixon Entrance is the second spot on this trip when we go into the ocean, so it's critical that we go when the weather cooperates. Today the wind is blowing 15-25 knots. Tomorrow it's supposed to calm down to southerly 10-15 knots in the morning, before rising to 15-25, then 20-30, then, by Friday, 30-40. So either we go tomorrow, if the weather cooperates, or we don't go until Saturday.

Prince Rupert, by the way, has a new marina, and it's great. We used to stay at the Prince Rupert Rowing and Yacht Club. It was dated, had limited maneuvering room, and reservations weren't guaranteed. The new Cow Bay Marina is excellent: stable docks, more maneuvering room, power, water, Wi-Fi, garbage drop...basically everything a cruising boat needs. Marty, the harbormaster, is helpful and welcoming. Recommended.

58.25 nm today
645.36 nm total

Alaska 2016 | Day 16 | Coghlan Anchorage to Lowe Inlet

Boating is a small world. Boating on the northern BC coast is an even smaller world. When I pulled into Shearwater, I knew the people on three of the five non-flotilla boats. We'd crossed paths before, traded stories, and shared drinks. Today, in Hartley Bay, I ran into C-Dory friends Gene and Margaret on Reef Madness. They're also Alaska bound, although their Tomcat moves a whole lot more quickly than my Nordic Tug. Yep, small world.

Reef Madness overtaking Safe Harbour in Grenville Channel

We had a short run up to Lowe Inlet this morning. Lowe Inlet is one of my favorite anchorages on the coast. It's spacious, though a bit deep, and strategically located for transiting Grenville Channel. It's also beautiful—cliffs rise dramatically, a waterfall plunges into the head of the bay, bears roam around on shore (and catch fish in the waterfall later in the season).

The fleet at anchor

Gale and Guy on Stormy invited the whole fleet over for happy hour. I think we ended up with 20 people aboard and seven dinghies tied to the swim step. Thanks for hosting everyone!

Stormy anchored in front of the waterfall

The party has started!

The weather cooperated enough for a quick drone flight (meaning it wasn't raining). The light wasn't great, but it's neat to see the lake behind the waterfall.

Aerial of Lowe Inlet

Tomorrow we have another long day to Prince Rupert, then we'll try to sneak across Dixon Entrance in front of what's looking like a pretty serious weather system.

19.88 nm today
587.11 nm total

Alaska 2016 | Day 15 | Windy Bay to Coghlan Anchorage

Yesterday's mostly sunny weather gave way to low clouds and rain today. No less beautiful, just different.

We had a long day: 60 nm, mostly in Princess Royal Channel. Waterfalls lined the channel, and with the misty weather, their source was often obscured.

Waterfall from the clouds!

Unfortunately there's no good anchorage for a group of boats in Princess Royal Channel. In past years we've stayed at Butedale, an abandoned cannery. It's basically a "ghost village" in an even more advanced state of decay than Ocean Falls. Despite some recent improvements, Butedale is technically closed to visitors, and it's too "rough and ready" to take the flotilla to.

Passing Butedale. Scenic but primitive.

Last year we took the fleet into Bishop Bay Hot Springs. It's a fantastic stop—beautiful scenery and natural hot springs—but it's impossible to visit with this many boats. Anchorage is in 100+ feet of water (often more like 250 feet), the dock has a 30 foot size restriction, and the two mooring buoys are unreliable. Oh well, I'll stop on the way south.

Hills and trees, a common sight on the Inside Passage.

Instead we opted for Coghlan Anchorage, near the Hartley Bay native village. Easy anchoring, plenty of space.  Fun fact: Hartley Bay residents were among the first to respond when the BC Ferry Queen of the North ran aground and sunk on nearby Gil Island in 2006.

60.06 nm today
567.23 nm total