August 23 Port Harvey to Elk Bay (Vancouver Island)

We left Port Harvey at 6:15 a.m. as we had to make it to an area of water called “Race Passage.”  There is 6 knots of current through this passage.  One does not want to go against the current.  We needed to get there by 11:00 a.m. and leaving at 6:15 gave us 5 hours to travel 18 nm against the tide.  We made it in perfect time.  We reached speeds between 7.5-8.6 knots (even higher at times).  This is pretty fast for our boat.  

Soaring through Race Passage.  The blue arrow is our boat.

Along the way, we saw a pod of 5 killer whales traveling north pretty fast.

Sugar found another place to hang out so Marty will have to be careful where he steps.

Thankfully, we were passing Kelsey Bay instead of docking there.  The last two times we ended up docking at Kelsey Bay as 25 knots winds slammed quickly into us, forcing us to dock there.  The waves from Race Passage beat into the docks, causing our boat to rock back and forth over 30 degrees.  This can rock you out of bed.

Anchored in Elk Bay on a windy evening but we were in a protected bay and we were well hooked as Marty worked hard the next morning to pull the anchor. 

August 22 Port McNeill to Port Harvey (East Cracroft Island)

Johnstone Strait was quite busy with a Seine boat opening.  Pictured here are several boats amongst many that were getting set up to fish. 

On this day, we traveled for over 30 nautical miles on the rising tide.  We were not in a rush to leave Port McNeill as the low slack was not until 12:00 pm.   We motor sailed until 19:00 as the closest anchorage protected from NW winds was Port Harvey.  When we first approached Port Harvey, we saw quite a logging operation and we did not think there would be room to anchor.  As we got closer, we discovered that there was quite a community of cabins and houses.  We were surprised by this Marine Resort to dock at for a dollar a foot.  This resort has been in business for six years.  

They had a cute general store, gift shop and a fully licensed restaurant on top called “The Red Shoe.”  After dinner, we tried to go for a walk on one of their trails but we quickly scooted home as the mosquitos were vicious!

When we docked Sugar tried to take a run down the docks with Rose.  Neither Rose nor Sugar were stopping.  Mae had to race down to catch Sugar.  We kept Sugar locked up in the boat but the resort’s hyperactive 11 month pup discovered Sugar on board and that helped to keep her on board. 

Pictured here is a cool postcard from Port Harvey.

August 21st Port Hardy to Port McNeill

To get from Port Hardy to Port McNeill, it took about 5 hours of motoring.  Sailing seems to be a novelty. 

During our short time in Port McNeill, we visited old friends that used to live in Prince Rupert, Greg and Michelle Fletcher.  We had a great dinner and the freshly picked blackberry pie for dessert was wonderful!

August 19 -20 Docked in Port Hardy at the Quarterdeck Marina

Rose was thrilled to see other dogs (Allie, the poodle & Dash, the smaller dog) but these ones were a bit too energetic for her.

August 19 was a day, we were vacuuming, sweeping, washing the boat and doing laundry.  We also had to replace our water pump.  While Marty was removing the old pump, he noticed a furry problem that didn’t help working in small tight places.  He didn’t need the extra paws.

Inside the Quarterdeck Marina, there were thousands of pinks swimming and jumping.  A lot of people came to the dock to fish.  The pinks are waiting to go up the creek; however, the water level has been too low for them to swim up.

After shopping and sight seeing, Mae used her trout rod while Marty played with his fly rod.  Marty was more successful and caught and released a few pinks.  We love pinks but had dinner plans already. 

August 20th  was a difficult day, as we could not find Sugar when we woke up.  Normally, she would stay close to the boat but that day she did not.  We spent the day looking and calling her.  The staff at the Quarterdeck Marina were very helpful, especially, Lisa, the manager, who made and posted posters around the marina.  She even called businesses on both sides of the marina.  Many people were keeping an eye out for Sugar.  Even our friend Lindsay from Nanaimo saw the poster when she was in town for work and she went looking. 

August 18 Bull Harbour to Port Hardy

 The route to Port Hardy was a quiet and mysterious trip.   Sometimes, the fog rolls in and keeping a watchful eye can be best done at the foredeck.  Mae just had to make sure she didn’t fall asleep.

When there was a breath of wind, we threw out the genoa.  

This was a great day to celebrate our 24th wedding anniversary, especially spending time on the water together.  We look forward to spending many more days out on the water and enjoying what nature provides us.  We finished the evening by having a great Chinese food dinner in Port Hardy.

Sugar Coated Moments #3. Good Places for Sugar to Hang Out!

Hanging out under the dodger, as Sugar never knows what will present itself in a bucket to lick.

Hanging out under the dodger is also a great place to sleep, even after Mae tries to swing mousie to keep her awake.  She snagged mousie and went back to sleep.

Hanging out and snuggling with Rose on the cushion is the best place to hang out.

Hanging out, inside the life ring is a good place for Sugar as she“meows” like crazy, while she watching Rose set off to shore without her.

Sugar Coated Moments #2 SUGAR is on TOP of the WORLD!

A cat’s life on board a sailboat requires some deep thinking.  One of Sugar’s missions on board is to find just the right place to perch in order to get the best view.  This is a tough decision for a cat.

On top of the dodger is a good place to watch the morning sunrise.

On top of the BQ (when it’s not on) is a good place to listen to the different bird sounds.

On top of Mae is a good place to get a view behind her but Mae had a difficult time seeing. 

On top of the dodger peering below and waiting to swipe at anyone coming up the companion way is a good place to hang out.

August 17 Dawson's Landing to Bull Harbour (Hope Islsn(

To take advantage of the tides, we got up early and set off at 6:30 am.   Our first plan was to travel 24 nm (1nautical mile=1.8 km) to Eliza Cove as the next possible anchorages were too far.  Also, planning this section of the trip involved going around Cape Caution, which can be quite dicey when the winds pick up and the water become choppy with 2-4 metres swells.  We were making such good time with the ebbing tide and forecast of winds up to 20 knots, that we changed our plans to head across to the top end of Vancouver Island.    We were able to sail for a bit out in the open water that stretches to Asia.  Motor sailing made us go faster.  The swells were around 2 metres.  Close attention on the wheel and maintaining course lookout was important.  What made our final approaches towards Bull Harbour challenging was dodging many gillnetters as they were setting their nets during12 hour opening.

Nothing but ocean for as far as your eyes

We had speeds up to 6 knots and we traveled 51 nm in 11 hours.  This was a very long day of travelling but a beautiful one with the blue skies.  We wore our survival suits and gloves as the ocean breeze was quite chilly.  

 As we approached Bull Harbour, our poor pets had such a tough day, that they took over our cockpit cushions, so there was no place for us to sit.

Mae is teaching Sugar to “stay.”  After a few minutes of placing Sugar in the same spot, she stayed for a few seconds for a photo with Rose at Bull Harbour.

With the salmon and halibut heads, Mae made a tasty fish stock used for the most delicious seafood chowder with salmon and halibut chunks.  

From one fillet of the 13 lb coho that Mae caught on August 14, we had BQ half of it.  Then one quarter went into the stew and the final quarter was enjoyed by a couple of American sailors.  Then Mae had to rescue Marty from eating the rest of the stew by giving the stew to another set of American sailors.  Both boats were thrilled!

We had a nice walk to check out the old Coast Guard base at Bull Harbour as well as their rocky beach.

August 16 Mantrap Inlet to Dawson's Landing in Rivers Inlet

On our way to Dawson’s Landing, we jigged for halibut and Marty caught one just the right size for the two of us; although, we think Sugar is having a taste test.

Approaching Dawson’s Landing.

Returning to Dawson’s Landing brings us memories when we first brought our boat up the coast with Jennifer.  They keep the place well maintained and  have a unique General Store that  has pretty much everything.

August 15 Pruth Harbour to Mantrap Inlet

Pruth Harbour is an amazing place.  We can see why our friends Gary & Jeanie  (SV Bluesky) return repeatedly.  They recalled the time the old fishing lodge was not as welcoming and tried to scare people away.

Time to catch our dinner(s)!  As we were leaving Pruth Harbour, we were only going 4.5 knots, which is perfect trolling speed for a bucktail on Marty’s fly rod.  Within 30 minutes, Mae caught a 13 lb Coho.

While we were idle and jigging for a halibut, there was humpback slowly blowing and swimming north.  The whale sounded so, we were able to photograph the back part of his tail, which helps the BC Cetacean Sighting Network identify him or her.

There is a reason why this inlet is called Mantrap Inlet.   One can take their boat a high tide deeper into the inlet; however, if one does not get out before the lowest tide, then they are surely TRAPPED until the rising tide.  We stayed on the outside for a beautiful sunny evening.

August 14 Hanging Out at Pruth Bay

Hakai Beach Institute is an amazing place which was once a fishing lodge.  The Hakai Beach Institute (www.hahai.com) is a teaching, research and conference facility that occupies approximately 215 acres.  The Conservancy on Calvert Island is beautifully maintained and landscaped.   They are very welcoming to visitors as they have a public dinghy dock, a Welcome Centre and free public wifi. There are several pathways leading to over ten beaches as you can see on the map.  Today we went to West Beach.  This is definitely a place to stop by again. 

The trail to West Beach was like walking in an enchanted forest. As we got closer to West Beach, we could hear the waves crashing against the shore. The view as we emerged from the path was like entering a forbidden paradise.  Just before entering the beach area, there were several beach toys for people to use (volleyball, a boccie set &. badminton).

We kicked off our sandles and walked to the crashing waves then along the sandy beach making many amazing observation:  jellyfish, sunstar, tide pools, variety of birds etc. 

Having a great evening dinghy ride and popped over to visit Kim & Scott on board SVNordri from Sidney, BC.  They know a lot of people we know from Rupert and Campbell River.