Shoal Bay, BC to Melanie Cove in Desolation Sound, BC
We left Shoal Bay at 6am this morning so we could be at Dent Rapids by slack tide (7:15am). It looked like this:
See those little lights up ahead? That's not a line of several boats waiting for slack at Dent Rapids. It's two tugboats pulling and pushing a GIGANTIC island of logs.
Getting lighter out, finally:
There were no other boats at Dent when we got there. We binoc'd it and it looked smooth so we headed through…first Dent Rapids, then Gillard Rapids, then Yuculta Rapids, all in a row. By the time we got to Yuculta we could see some swirly bits and feel the ebb against us, but no issues. That makes five sets of rapids in two days (yesterday was Whirlpool and Greene Point). And now, we're done with rapids!
We had a nice cruise down to Desolation Sound. We headed for Prideaux Haven thinking we'd check it out, as well as Melanie Cove.
It's rainy and a bit gray so our view isn't as spectacular as it could be, but it seems to be clearing up a bit (it's only 2pm) so maybe the view will change.
We took the dinghy out exploring…went the back route over to Laura Cove and just meandered around the islands. It's gorgeous here.
Here we are at anchor. There were maybe six boats over in the Prideaux Haven and no one in Melanie Cove when we got here. (Now there are two other boats.)
There's a squadron of otters swimming around catching fish, but other than that it's pretty quiet in here.
Today's route from Shoal Bay to Melanie Cove (38 nautical miles):
Here's a map of our dinghy exploration over to Laura Cove, around Prideaux Haven, and Melanie Cove (3.7 nautical miles):
This satellite image must have been during the summer. check out how many boats are here!!! :)
Tomorrow we'll head on to Lund and decide whether we stay there for the night or go all the way across the strait to the Vancouver Island side.
Welcome back to ‘sheltered’ waters of East Vancouver Island. 😉
Glad to hear you’re back in the Gulf Islands where it should be much more sheltered & pleasant. We were wondering if you might be nearby.
We spent the night in Chemainus & will be on a parallel course with you as we head back to Sidney. We plan to be West of Saltspring though.
Bon Voyage.
– evan
Thanks Evan! We ventured out again today just to come down to Ganges to meet up with some friends. Back to Anacortes tomorrow (when the wind is supposed to have calmed considerably). Have a great rest of your trip!
Thank you Laura.
We’re just rookies at this and felt a little challenged today with all the squally wind as we were leaving Chemainus and later while arriving in Sidney . We managed both tasks without hitting anything. (phew!)
We saw the same Rainbow that you did on the way (from Stuart Channel). Beautiful it was, contrasting with the dark stormy sea. Despite the lumpy water, it was beautiful out there.
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Have a great last run home. You’ve certainly had quite the adventure. We
appreciate the chance to share it with you; however vicariously, through your great story telling, images and detail. Thank you.
-evan
Thank you for your very kind comments, Evan. I wish we’d gotten the chance to meet up, but I assume you’re based in Sidney or Victoria…we’ll be back up this way (probably soon) so when that happens, let’s make a point to meet.
We always appreciate your thoughtful feedback on the posts…it’s so nice to have people who enjoy following along with what we’re doing. It really adds to the experience, having others to share it with.
We’re all rookies at the start. It’s amazing to me that we bought this Nordic Tug one year ago…we’ve come pretty far in that year!
How are you finding the boating life? Where all did you go on this last trip?
Not to hijack your thread…but, to fill you in a bit…
I came across your blog 3-4 months ago as we were contemplating moving from our Airstream to a powerboat. (Like you we kept seeking out waterfront campsites and wondered why we didn’t just start “camping” on the water instead. We had talked about getting a boat for years but never acted on that as it was always a ‘someday’ dream.) We had pretty much settled on a Nordic Tug when we stumbled across your blog and couldn’t help being drawn into your adventures.
My wife and I have been the happy owners of a 2006 NT 37 for a little over a month now. We have been out every weekend since taking possession and are really enjoying the privilege of exploring the Gulf Islands close to home. (We keep pinching ourselves but we don’t wake up so I think this is real.) So far we haven’t strayed that far from Victoria but hope in time to go much further afield.
This last weekend, we anchored out in the North Cove of Thetis Island for Friday Night and moved to Chemainus Public Wharf for Saturday Night. Dinner and theatre in town felt much more exotic arriving by boat.
I made the mistake of using the BuoyWeather app for the Marine forecast instead of my usual official Government-issued marine forecasts or listening to the VHF broadcasts. Light and variable winds was NOT an accurate forecast it seems! I guess you get what you pay for. It’s off the phone now.
Sunday AM saw us being buffeted in the marina by some very enthusiastic and gusty South-Easterlies. We extracted ourselves from the marina without incident but thank goodness for bow thrusters. (Our chartered sailboats in the past never had such luxuries – how did we ever cope without one?)
The boat was fine and inspired a lot of confidence in the open water chop and larger swells but leaving and arriving to docks in squally wind is still a sphincter test for us. We are still learning a lot of basic operational things as we get our sea legs but we are definitely enjoying our new adventures. Even the dog is settling into his new nautical digs. (He’s finally stopped shaking when we get underway… 😉
Sorry if that’s too much information…
Thanks for the inspiration and all the helpful insights and details you have posted. We look forward to reading along with your next adventures.
-evan
It’s not hijacking a thread at all! I asked the questions. 🙂 It’s nice to hear about your experiences too!
What’s the name of your Nordic Tug? We’ll keep an eye out for you guys when we’re up that way next (and let you know ahead of time, too, so maybe we can plan to meet…or come down to the San Juans sometime!)
The NT37 is such a nice size. We’re definitely going to be in the market for a little bit larger boat pretty soon. We really love the boat we have, but some extra room would be very welcome when we have guests.
We just got into Anacortes and will do a few things here tomorrow and then head to Portland for a bit. I already miss the boat and I’m still in it!! 🙂
Thanks Laura.
We kind of thought the NT 37 was just right size for us. It’s a lot of boat to handle in close quarters but the extra stateroom opens all kinds of options for long voyage provisioning and hosting guests.
Our boat was named “TUGAWAY” when we bought it. We thought of changing the name but it’s been growing on us & we’ve decided to keep that name. (We understand it’s named for a circa 1930’s tug that used to work the booms on the Fraser river. That boat had a big 38 HP motor!)
It would be quite fun to meet up with you sometime.
Thanks.
-evan