Princess Louisa Inlet, the "Holy Grail"

All cruising books refer to the Princess Louisa Inlet as the "Holy Grail" of cruising. It is a must destination because it is so unique and spectacular. One must travel 50 miles up a blind fiord in waters over 2000 feet deep to get to it, and on entering it, you must pass through narrow rapids. This, of course, means waiting for slack tides which only occur 4 times per day. In a perfect world, you time the trip to arrive at exactly the right time.

But on the way up there, we stopped at Pender Harbor. Here is a picture of an Iris Christy saw and insisted that it was twice the size of normal.

And the harbor was truly a working harber, with crab, prawn, and fishing boats all around us.

Below is a boat that was just docking as we arrived.

The owner/operator is a kid who pulls up 300 crab-pots every day. They are clustered 50 to a line x 6 lines. His average haul is 1,000 pounds per day, and at times twice that amount. A broker buys his catch destined to be immediately frozen and shipped to Japan. He said he makes a good living and plans to do this forever. The market price of whole crabs is $9 per pound, so I can see his optimism. He was very engaging, intelligent, and spoke feely. The fishing industry has really died down in the past few years, and everyone has a different reason. Depending on who you talk to, it's either the Canadians, the Americans, the Japaneese, or the massive gill netting industry.
But then, on to Princess Louisa Inlet!! When we rounded the turn into "Malibu Rapids", which protect the final harbor, we saw waterfalls everywhere. They were on both sides and cannot be described.



















We launched the dingdy first thing, and cruised around the end of the fiord. There were about 8 boats already there tied up at a dock...






This is a view entering the "rapids" before seeing everything else.



There is a hike there called the "Trapper Cabin" hike. The elevation of the cabin is 2000 feet, so it takes about 2 hours to get up...this is the forest along the way...


But the most spectacular view is this one. The falls in the background are "Chatterbox Falls", as they can be heard from 4 miles away as you enter the inlet. The mist and spray keep those too close wet, but the docks are safe..



This is a view of the dock and the falls from the dinghy as we returned to the boat.






Here we are leaving the Inlet heading back to the main routes to once again, begin the trip to Alaska.


These are two hiking buddies for the climb to the cabin. Note the falls int he background.



And now it's off further north....

Day One to Alaska

Chuck and Linda Stafford were incredible guests, combining very quick learning about boats and boating with help and fun. We picked them up in Seattle, and drove to the boat in Anacortes. We spent the first night there, and then departed for Roche Harbor. The day was foggy and overcast, but we got underway expecting better weather at the destination. We were rewarded! A great day in Roche Harbor. The next day was to Victoria and Butchart Gardens, with pictures already posted. Then to Friday Harbor, where coincidentally there was a C-Dory rendevous. What a cute little boat. We had fun there before heading across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Waves were 3 to 4 feet, but not too bad. We arrived at Port Townsend and spent a good day before heading on to Seattle. 3 days in Bell Harbor was to be our 3rd visit at the Pike Street Market, and we loaded up, once again, with Halibut Cheeks, Dungeness Crab, and Scallops. What meals we prepared.....


Chuck pushing with Linda providing full and complete instructions...


But Chuck and Linda must return to Birmingham, and then Christy and I were officially off to Alaska. Our first stop was back to La Conner for a repair, then off to Poet's Cove on Pender Island in Canada....


Christy stroking a Ranger Tug, which was at the Trawler Fest in Anacortes before departing for Poet's Cove
This is a boat with great appeal for a couple

Much smaller, but easier to handle and maneuver. Downsides are all associated with the small size.
And a final sunset in Anacortes before our departure for Alaska...

And Christy eating for the camera on the flybridge before our departure..



After 4 hours underway, we arrived at Poet's Cove, seen above. Many Vancouveran's come here for Holiday and we can see why.


This is the Canadian Customs office at the marina in Bedwell Harbor, aka Poet's Cove


We first washed Undoc'd down, getting much salt off the skin...she looked mighty pretty sitting there so clean


The Anglican Church in Bedwell Harbor had an afternoon service in progress as we headed out for a 4 mile walk...


The yellow plant along the shore is Gorsy. A local told us that it was highjaced into Oregon and now is working it's way up the coast. He referred to it as a "hideous" and "noxious" plant that dominated other "good vegetation". They are working to get rid of it, but it sure is pretty from the sea...


And the Marina seen from the road leaving the dock...


This is why Poet's Cove is so popular. The Lodge overlooks the pool which overlooks the marina.
Seaplane activity was frequent, and most was from Vancouver...


Tomorrow we are off to Nanaimo along the east coast of Vancouver Island...

Chuck and Linda join....

Finally, underway again. The visit home was incredible, and more fun than we deserved. First of all, here is a picture of the William C. Wood's, numbers 2, 3 and 4:


And Tina has fully recovered. Here she is only 12 days post delivery:

And little Isla:


And the renunions with Pete, Louise, Jimmy Koikos, Tina, and Niki







The Butchart Gardens are something to behold. We have been in Victoria once before, but never made it out to "The Gardens". Here are pictures that make this one of the most visited sites in Canada....th.e areas are grouped into sections, and each one is more impressive than the last.











This may be our Christmas Picture, if we had such a thing.

























Below are floating houses in Victoria. The city "deeds" water property for the purpose of building homes, many of which are three stories tall. They all have a sewer system without tanks, full water and electricity, and truly float. The pillings allow for the movement with tides (as much as 14 feet) and keep them in place. The docks surround them, and there are boat slips on both sides. We are told that they are very expensive, just like the $3 and $4 million ones surrounding Lake Union in Seattle...











Little Linda and Christy in Roche Harbor

Chuck, Linda, and Chris on the dock in Roche..




The lowering of the flags ceremony begins every day at Roche Harbor at exactly 10 minutes before sunset...


Floating homes in Victoria


These are Kangaroo Paw around a home in Roche

Overlooking the harbor in Roche


This is Mosquito Pass departing Roche, heading toward Victoria


In Victoria , this is "Rico's" home, built on the Harbor next to a running path near the marina


Now we are heading back to Seattle to drop Chuck and Linda off. We now know that we must get to Vancouver for repair of a scratch on the venturi (company Diamond Glaze) and a look at the software recording capabilities of the Volvo Engine