Princess Louisa to Jericho Beach (return trip)

We completed the return trip home with only our starboard side engine and the pull of the wind in our sails.  We left Princess Louisa Inlet in the early morning so that we could ride the lowering tide out, and made it all the way to Green Bay on Nelson Island after about a 10 hour day.  

Putting the anchor down was not a problem; however the next morning when we tried to leave, Cap’n Adam was once again forced to dig deep.   Here we were in a small bay, in a catamaran with only 1 functional motor, and an increasing wind blowing us in exactly the wrong direction.  Add to that our batteries were run down and weren’t able to start our functioning motor until the solar panels charged them back up, we had a generator that refused to start, and we realized that our batteries may be too spent to raise the anchor.  Plus, it was now low tide and rocks were poking out of the water that weren’t there when we put the anchor down.

Thankfully it was a sunny day and we got the starboard side engine started after some time to solar charge.  Shannon and Shawn stayed at the bow and slowly, incrementally raised the anchor as battery power and boat alignment allowed.  Cap’n Adam directed everyone’s activities, negotiated boat alignment as best he could, and monitored battery function.  My duty was to hop into the dinghy and help direct the catamaran as needed by ramming into the hull.  My job was definitely the most fun.

Once the anchor was off the bottom, Cap’n Adam had no choice but to give’r and without incident we cruised right out of the bay as if we planned it that way.  I followed behind in the dingy for a while, but once we were all clear I joined the crew onboard and settled in for the day’s journey to Pender Harbour.

At Pender Harbour, we were really hoping to get onto the dock so we could plug into shore power.  Shawn and I were sent ahead in the dinghy to do reconnaissance.  Amazingly there was a spot on the end of the dock with enough room for us, so I stayed on dock to catch the line while Shawn headed back to help direct the boat with ramming power.  Once again, looking like we actually had things under control, we were able to dock and enjoy the rest of the day playing in the sun and water.

The next morning we dropped Shannon and Shawn off at the bus (Thanks for coming, guys!), stocked up on a few more provisions, got the boat cleaned up, and headed back out.  Knowing that our friends Mike & Jeanette were kayaking over to Thormanby Island, we decided to make that our destination for the night.  We visited them at Buccaneer Bay Provincial Marine Park.

From there we headed to Plumper Cove, and the next day we headed back to Vancity.  On a beam reach we hoisted the mainsail up for the first time this trip, and with the power of the jib we got into Vancouver in good time.  She’s anchored down at Jericho Beach, and a mechanic is coming Monday morning to see what needs to be done.

Princess Louisa Inlet

We arrived in the legendary Princess Louisa Inlet after we passed through Malibu Rapids.  The approach to the end of the inlet is similar to what we had seen passing through the rest of Jervis Inlet – high, steep mountainous rock faces with towering cedars and firs clinging to what little root space they can dig themselves into.  We passed waterfall after high, tumbling waterfall, but once we cornered that last point and finally beheld the wonder that is Chatterbox Falls, only then did we know that we had most certainly arrived.  Couple that with the steep and towering cliff face directly above our anchorage and the crew was a bit gobsmacked as we entered the marine park.

After checking out the Provincial Park dock and finding no room, and after also finding no good anchor spots near the mouth of the falls, we tucked ourselves into a nice little corner of the inlet with a little waterfall of our own.  Our anchor went down in the dusky light of the evening.  We spent the whole next day floating and dingying around, hiking around the base of the waterfalls, and just soaking up the amazingness of the the British Columbia coastline.  What a truly special corner of the province.