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Subject: Canada…oh Canada! ‘Grey Pearl’ Update
Ahoy!
A brief flash on what the Grey Pearl is up to –
At the last update the Pearl was in Golfito, Costa Rica (Pacific side) after departing from Annapolis, Md., visiting Central America and transiting the Panama Canal. The water temperature was 85 degrees.
Now she is cruising the scenic NW Pacific, with the water temp. at 56!
Remember – water and air temp. are directly related, so its chilly up here in July, with lots of daylight.
The Marie Rickmers freighter carrying our boat from Costa Rica was delayed getting to British Columbia, Canada by two months. This caused us to miss our opportunity to sail to Alaska this summer but while waiting for the boat we enjoyed quality time with friends and family during the beautiful spring season, in Washington DC.
Many of our cruising buddies have praised the NW Pacific as the finest cruising grounds in the world. They were right on. The Inside Passage through British Columbia to Alaska is a boater’s paradise with hundreds of pristine islands and inlets. B.C. is clearly a wondrous world apart. This sprawling Province includes some of the last true wilderness in North America…and the chance to enjoy it from a kayak, boat, float plane or hiking. So far, we’ve been meandering along the archipelago of islands stopping in at some of the Mom & Pop marinas along the way. Recently one in particular stands out…Dent Island. We enjoyed the 4th of July weekend there with good friends, Annie & Steve Kellenberger of the S.F. Bay area on board. Dent is owned by the Nordstrom family (isn’t any wonder why we (I) like it so much!?), the secluded and intimate Lodge is a famous angling destination and wilderness retreat. Navigating to such hidden treasures involves monitoring the tides and currents encountered in the many passes, channel and straits common to this area. It is imperative to transit any tidal pass at or near slack water. Missing slack water means strong tidal current with over falls and violent whirlpool eddies, that can spin a boat around and dash her on the rocks. As the locals tell it happens all too frequently.
From what I can tell in the three weeks we’ve been cruising in these waters
– it’s about fishing, crabbing, fishing, prawning (shrimp) and, yep, more fishing. The fishing manual that accompanied our fishing licenses reads like a book. First off, there are five kinds of salmon to catch! Almost every boat is rigged with fishing rods, crab pots and prawn traps. And where there is fishing…there’s voluminous tips on fishing and ‘fish stories’. Believe me, Braun is collecting plenty of material for his story telling repertoire.
Presently, we have grandson Will(10 1/2yrs old) on board. He flew in with Pop-Pop (Braun) by seaplane to Blind Channel, BC to join us for a few weeks.
Less than two hours after his arrival, he caught a tasty lingcod and rockfish. We are now in Lagoon Cove south of The Broughton’s. Happy hour is at 5pm on the patio and the owners have offered up to share their “big catch” – a boat load of fresh steamed prawns, followed by a bonfire by the burn barrel to roast marshmallows and hear stories from owner Bill Barber.
Mostly he talks about the bears and Indians. It’s not the culture-rich Mediterranean however…it is rich in awe-inspiring landscape, wildlife and a host of friendly boaters!
Hope your summer is going well, eh?
All the best,
Tina & Braun & Will
p.s. To date – we’ve seen seals, deer, bald eagles, huge colored starfish, many different fish and maybe whales…yet to see and on the hunt for bears, whales, orcas and the unexpected.