Day 20 - Broughton Lagoon to Shawl Bay

It felt like we had spent the night in a washing machine. There were even suds in the water all around us in the morning. The very strong tidal currents flowing in and out of Broughton Lagoon created plenty of eddies and back currents. This made the boat swing on her anchor in a complete circle. Turning clockwise, we would watch the trees pass by. Then counter-clockwise, the same trees moving in the other direction. It was kind of like the teacup ride at Disneyland; not strong enough to make you puke, just enough to make you dizzy and maybe upset your stomach a bit.

Under cloudy skies we left our anchorage and headed up Kingcome Inlet. Towering mountains rose around us and plunged to great depths in the middle of the waterway. That kind of environment can make you feel very, very small. We made it to where Kingcome Inlet branches off to Wakeman Sound, then turned around and headed back.

We made it to Shawl Bay, a marina frequented by cruisers. Seemingly thrilled to see some “young blood”, we were invited repeatedly to attend a memorial service, Happy Hour, and a Potluck dinner that night. This is the first time we have made the cultural leap to get to know some of the other cruisers. This is a friendly and dedicated group of people. Most that we met have been exploring these waters for decades and have known each other for the same amount of time. They are absolute treasure troves of information about the area. One thing we did learn – we have so, so much exploring left to do. We are merely scratching the surface on this trip, there are many more summers of uncharted adventure ahead of us.

Day 19 - Drury Inlet to Broughton Lagoon

Up at the crack of dawn – we knew if we wanted to get through Stuart Narrows we had to go when the tide was ebbing. With no morning fog just some clouds and light showers, we hoisted the anchor just after 7:30 am, and headed back out into the islands.

We got through the narrows with no problem, then headed north through Grappler Sound, around Kinnaird Island, and into Sullivan Bay.

We’ve seen 3 different “cultures” so far during this trip. The modern “British Columbia” culture (which those of us who live here are used to) prevails at most marinas and towns along the coast. We’ve also visited the First Nations culture – evidence of their thousands of years of history in the south Broughton Islands, and a current reflection of modern life at Alert Bay. We also saw a small piece of Finnish culture – Sointula being built around communal ideals, a sense of harmony & balance, and mutual respect of each other’s property.

And then, we visited our fourth culture – Americans in British Columbia. Sullivan Bay has an international airport with daily float plane service from Seattle. There is a huge dock which proudly accommodates boats of all sizes. And it seemed – the bigger, then better. Walking up to the main buildings, it is the Stars and Stripes greeting visitors, the Maple Leaf inconspicuously tucked around the other side of the entrance. This community of long docks, float homes, loud booming conversations, and giant fuel burning power boats had a kitchy feel to it which I don’t think was intentional. We did enjoy the one-hole golf course built at the very end of the “road”, but the old guy cruising around the docks on his segway pretty much summed it up for us. Add some very expensive provisions, and an hour here was all we needed.

Leaving Sullivan Bay we headed east along Sutlej Channel and into Greenway Sound until we arrived just outside of Broughton Lagoon on Broughton Island. Once settled, we took the dingy for an exploration. As we entered the very narrow channel leading to the lagoon, we realized this was going to be no easy task, as white water and extremely strong current almost overpowered the dingy. We headed back to the catamaran to figure out the tide’s schedule.

Two hours later we tried again. On much calmer waters (which we knew would only be calm while the tide was slack) we coasted into the lagoon, letting the current carry us over the frothy water. We entered an absolutely HUGE lagoon, and were shocked and awed to realize that as we were shot into the protected waters we were completely surrounded by a pod of Pacific White Water Dolphins. They were probably happily eating dinner when a silent dinghy with 2 humans suddenly floated in. We bobbed up and down and soaked in our surroundings, letting the swirly waters take the dingy where it wanted. Soon, a seal we had seen on the outside of the lagoon joined us, also seemingly surprised to see us there.

Although we wanted to stay in the lagoon, we knew we had to get going while the going was still good. By the time we were pushed back out, the ebbing current was getting very strong again. Early dinner and early sleeps after another big day at sea.