Misery Bay

After a few days at the village of Sechelt, we moved on to explore Salmon Inlet.  Most of the way in, there is an anchorage called Misery Bay.  There has been another boat heading in that direction, way ahead of us, and Al worries that they will be anchored right where he wants to go.  Sure enough!  We round the point and there they are.

We set our anchor further in -- the chart shows a dotted line that we guess demarks the area for logging activities.  Then Al takes a closer look at the other boat and says, 'I wonder if that's a Monk.'  They got down their dinghy, loaded their dog, and head straight for us.  And their first question is, 'Is this a Monk?'

An impromptu gathering of Monks!  This is Jim and Alison, and their boat, Lily D in the background.

Ben is anxious to head to shore.  We invite them back for a visit.

Viking Star's little sister!

If I remember right, she was built in 1967, in Everett, Washington.  A Monk owned by Canadians, built in America.  Viking Star was built in 1961 at McQueen Boatworks in the Vancouver, British Columbia area. A Monk owned by Americans, built in Canada.  

The next morning they are on their way.  They turn left out of the anchorage, going to the head of the inlet.  We decided the night before that we would pull anchor when they left, and move to their spot.  But, since we are pulling anchor, we will head down to the head of the inlet for a look around too.  Lily D is back before we are done pulling anchor and reports there is some logging activity going on, and it gets quite shallow at the powerhouse.

A log truck approaches the slide...

...and drops its load to splash into the inlet.

The powerhouse

Just before 7 AM Monday morning, the crew boats begin to arrive in Misery Bay.

Three nearly identical boats are now tied to the dock, and all but one of the white pickups are gone from the yard.

Two hours later, we can hear something heavy approaching, and a loaded truck comes to the slide in OUR bay!

Another follows, and alternate -- white truck, yellow truck -- about every two hours.

Misery Bay is far from city lights, and we love to look at the stars.  They are ALL so bright that it is hard to identify constellations!

Skookumchuck

In an effort to become more current on the blog, here are photos from our pass through Skookumchuck Narrows and the Sechelt (pronounced SEE-shelt) Rapids last Tuesday.

I usually get quite anxious going through any area that is 'notorious' for the first time.  Add to this, there was a tug and gravel barge doing circles on Jervis Inlet, and we were not certain what his plans were, and he did not answer calls on three different VHF channels.

But we must have had the timing right, because he, we, and three sailboats milling around at Egmont all made moves toward the rapids simultaneously.  Turns out the barge was NOT going through the rapids, but heading for the operation just above the rapids.

Boom Islet is ahead.  Sailing Directions say the best way is to the right of it.  The main channel is to the left, and this is the area where the most whirlpools develope.  Yeah, let's avoid that.

The sailboats fall in behind us.

It's official now!

Lunch break at slack tide.  Kayakers come to surf the Sechelt Rapids. 

Through without incident, and Sechelt Inlet opens up!

5 Days of Chatterbox Falls

Okay.  This is the last post about Princess Louisa.  I thought it would be interesting to take a photo of the falls from every day we were there, and compare how it had changed in our short visit.

Thursday morning, and a day of rain begins.

Friday morning, after 24 hours of rainfall, including an overnight cloudburst.

Saturday morning, already calming down.

Sunday morning, in the sunshine.

Monday morning, a last shot from the dock before we pull away.

Are You Tired of Princess Louisa Yet?

A few more pictures then.  Still not done with the five days of lusciousness we spent there.

We would walk to the falls more than once every day we were at the dock.  There wasn't a whole lot of hiking to be done -- you'll see the warnings in a moment.  But Sunday we went at low tide and got up close and personal with 'The Rock'.

Today's photo finally shows how 'thin' and 'see-through' the falls have become.

You can only get to Princess Louisa Inlet by boat or float plane.  One day we saw a plane that must have taken off from the camp at Malibu Rapids, and take a turn around the bowl of the inlet, rising all the way, before turning away over a ridge.  On Sunday, a plane arrived and the five people on board had a picnic at the falls.

Sunrise .... Sunset

And the sun came up on  Princess Louisa Inlet!

Saturday morning.  It is fun to watch the shadow slowly fall as the sun rises, though the bright light makes the granite 'glarey'.  The overcast light of the past days was SO much better for photography.

Opposite wall, Saturday evening.  I like the balance of thirds in this one:  sky, vegetation, and shadow.

Finally a dry sunset we can enjoy with our books on the deck!

A still Saturday evening

Sunday morning.  Sailboat Skana II heads out through the fog.  This is just one in a series of photos I took and LOVE.  

The Difference 'A Little Rain' Can Make

The first evening we were at Chatterbox Falls, I shot this video and thought how cool it would to be out there in that boat.  We had discussed as we entered the inlet whether we should try to get a spot on the dock, or look for a place to anchor.  We knew it was possible to anchor AT the falls, and the flow of water would keep us oriented away from the falls.  But there was room on the dock, and there was a boat already at anchor at the falls, so we took the dock.

On the second day, we WERE the boat out there.  But it rained all day, so we just stayed on the boat soaking up the atmosphere.

Then we were woken at midnight by wind, lightening, and thunder!  Al nervously scanned the shoreline with the searchlight because the wind was overpowering the current and turning us sideways to the falls.  It was just a quick squall, though, and we were able to get back to sleep.

In the morning, the rain let up so we could take a dinghy tour.  I was so excited to go shoot another video, this time with Viking Star at the end!  But first, Al had to pump about 4 inches of water from the dinghy.

We first moved toward the falls for a 'selfie' and a couple of individual photos, which you saw on the previous post.  Then we went to shore.  The mist kept me from getting to the very same spot.  I got as close as I was comfortable, with a non-waterproof camera.  And here it is:

Could you see Viking Star??!!  She's there, VERY faintly through the mist.  Look carefully.

My! How You've Grown!

Our first full day in Princess Louisa Inlet was spent at anchor in front of Chatterbox Falls.  It rained aaalllllllll day.  Clouds and fog came and went, and all the falls grew.

Chatterbox began to ROAR!  And strangely, I kept thinking I heard music.  Slow, deep orchestra music.  When it would have been impossible to hear ANYthing from any other boat, so far away, when we were so close to a roaring waterfall.  It was a very 'other-worldly' -- heavenly -- experience for me.

Waterfalls we didn't notice the day before pop out all over the bowl of Princess Louisa.

The ONE spot of blue sky we saw all day.

The next day, the rain has stopped, or taken a break, and we set out in the dinghy for a tour and photo ops.

'Chatterbox' is ROARING!  She is twice as wide as the day before, and is throwing mist in billows.

We feel closer to the falls than it appears in the photos.

My 'wild woman' hairdo.  Directions for this look?  Wash and go, out into high humidity and mist, with a light breeze to fluff it even more.

A falls across the inlet, with a matching slide area adjacent.

Close-up of the lower portion.

See that tiny white dot?  That's Viking Star from the falls in the above picture.  Just to give some perspective.  The granite walls of Princess Louise rise 7000 feet above the water, and 1000 feet BELOW the water.

Viking Star at anchor before Chatterbox Falls.