2016-10 Princess Royal Reach to Grenville Channel and Lowe Inlet.

Saturday, May 7, 2016

The high wind warnings persist so the crew is OK with early morning departures in hopes of minimizing exposure to the winds.  By 6am we've departed Work Bay.  It is a fine anchorage but there is room for just one boat near the head.  Currents seem to run around the Bay so our nightly anchor track shows lots of circles.

By 7 we are struggling with the "anti-current" in Heikish Narrows but eventually prevail into Princess Royal Channel.  It a long, long motor is gray skies with drizzle changing to rain, back and forth.

Four hours later after breakfast, naps, showers we're rounding Kingcome Point into McKay Reach when the winds blow.  Gusts over 25 knots work against us and the seas to again produce a saltwater boat bath.  Withing 40 minutes at Wright Sound, the winds moderate back to 8 knots and clam seas.  Gray skies and light rains continue.

Falls along Princess
Royal Channel.

After Wright Sound, we pass close to the Hartley Bay village and then into Grenville Channel.  There's a helicopter logging operation on the west side.  The chopper drops a clean tree log at about 1000 feet into the sea.  It makes a big splash while a logger's rodeo tug moves it into a corral.  Near Union Passage we see a large group of Kayakers, so far from anything.  They look to be crossing the channel to enter calm Union Passage at slack water.

Large group of "yakkers" (aka kayakers) near
Union Passage in Grenville Channel.

At 2:30 we pull off Grenville and into pretty Lowe Inlet.  We anchor front and center of the falls and it's strong fresh water outflow.  The boat will stay put without swinging side to side and the water flow pins our position.

Water is flowing but falls are short with +17 foot tide!

Rain stops, sun pops, rain starts = rainbow!

Delicious crab fresh caught enchilada with flour tortillas,
 our celebration of Cinco de Mayo