#14 Penn Bay, Klemtu, Rescue Bay, Wigham Bay, Beales Bay and Shearwater

Sunday, August 14, 2011: Penn Bay, Meyers Narrows, Klemtu, Jackson Passage, Jackson Narrows to Rescue Bay.

We left pretty Penn Bay at 9AM to insure we arrived at Meyers Narrows at high slack tide.  The narrows is only 4 foot deep at low water.  Today the prediction is a plus 14-foot tide so we should see around 18 feet minimum depth at 2:30PM.  We putt south westward down Surf Inlet and merge into Laredo Channel.  It's raining with about 3-mile visibility.  The AIS shows 4 commercial tug and cargo ships within range as well as the Voldendam, a 900-foot Holland-America cruise ship.  This year we've noticed these ships cruising the interior waters of the Inside Passage. Passengers get a “close up and personal” view of the passage and are guaranteed flat calm waters while inside. The BIG ship glides past us within ¼ mile doing 23 knots. We activate the stabilizers to keep the dishes in their cupboards.

The Voldendam

Route from Penn Bay to Rescue Bay

Then we cross rocky Laredo Sound to Meyers Passage, and things level out again.  We switch off the stabilizers and prepare for skinny Meyers Narrows.  All is well and make a U-Turn over the top of Spit Head and turn south into Tolmie Channel.  After a couple miles we stop in front of the Boat Bluff lighthouse.  The Boat Bluff lightkeepers usually leave their wifi open for passing boaters.  In 2009 we shaw 20 boats or so stopped here and thought it was a big salmon run.  It turned out to be a big wifi run!  Today their wifi is off, so we head down a few more miles to Klemtu, the Indian tribal council village.  The Klemtu dock is full but McKnight's wifi is open, so we loiter in the harbor downloading our emails.  After checking Google News we motor on down through Jackson Passage and find the fish farm wifi open.  Again we loiter while answering our emails.  Finally we squish out east through Jackson Narrows and anchor in nearby Rescue Bay.  What a day!

Navigating Meyers Narrows

Cruising by the Boat Bluff Light Station

Rainbow waiting for us in Rescue Bay

Monday, August 15, 2011:  Rescue Bay to Wigham Bay

It's a short run to Wigham near Bella Bella, another Indian village town. We want to be near Bella Bella for cell service as Pat wants to check on her mom.  We hope Wigham is close enough.

Wigham is another pretty spot.  We anchor in a private little bay inside.  There are two other boats, each in their private bay inside Wigham Bay.  It's cool!  Wild Blue becomes the center of a huge bait ball, with thousands of herring circling around her.  But no bigger fish came around, perhaps scared away by the large underwater profile of the looming hull.

Pat makes her calls and all is well.

This is NOT the logo for Canadian Target Stores.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011:  Wigham to Beales Bay

Beales is another bay close to Bella Bella's cell service.  By the way, no AT&T service here, just Verizon. We anchor again under the threat of yet more high wind forecast.  I'm sure there's big winds somewhere, just not here.

Peering into Beales Bay Lagoon

Tomorrow we will take to the dock at nearby Shearwater Resort to gather crew arriving Thursday at the local airport.  Then its off to that ghost town of Ocean Falls yet again for their tasty super-soft water.  We'll be out of touch for several days as we move down the BC Coast crossing Queen Charlotte Sound into the protected waters inside Vancouver Island, arriving there around August 26th or so. Chow!