Roaringhole Rapids, shown here on an ebbing tide, is a short dinghy ride from Turnbull Cove.
out this time in hopes of having a popular anchorage all to ourselves. I love it when a plan comes together. After lunch we launched the dinghy, motored over to Roaringhole Rapids, which was ebbing at full force, and captured a few pictures. The water from 6-mile-long Nepah Lagoon flushes through the shallow, narrow rapids and creates quite the sight. Late in the afternoon, we pulled the prawn pots and had modest success, just short of a limit. We spent the following day tending the prawn pots and were rewarded with two limits. After dinner, thunderheads formed and treated us to a lightning storm that was followed by a brilliant sunset. It was our own July 4 fireworks show. SULLIVAN BAY MARINA On the morning we headed to Sullivan Bay — we had to take on water and provisions, purchase dinghy and generator fuel, top off the propane tanks, offload burnable garbage and check email — the clouds hung heavy on the surrounding hillsides once again. Sullivan Bay Marina is a quaint floating village and marina on the north side of North Broughton Island, whose shoreline plunges sharply into the deep water and leaves no space for roads or buildings. An hour after our arrival, a powerboat named Beach House appeared from around the point. Arlene and I were happy to see the boat, because aboard it were our Anacortes-based friends Wally and Brenda.
home across the harbor, but that was all. By morning the fog had dissipated but a marine layer persisted. After breakfast, we weighed anchor and headed to Bootleg Cove — where we discovered three lines of crab traps that made it uncomfortable to anchor.
We enjoyed happy hour aboard Easy Goin’ and shared tales of our respective trips thus far and then went to the restaurant to enjoy the Friday night prime rib. The following morning Wally and I set the prawn pots and did a little fishing. We caught several rockfish but nothing worth keeping. Later in the day we enjoyed happy hour at the community center with the other visiting boaters, and then Wally and I participated in the hole-in-one contest, which Wally won with his first shot. He received one night of free moorage and had to wear the colorful hole-in-one blazer for a day. We decided to wait until morning to pull the prawn pots. SHOAL HARBOUR Our plan for the following day was to do some exploring on the way to Shoal Harbour, another new anchorage for us. No other boats were anchored in the harbor when we arrived, and as we roamed the harbor looking for a spot to set the hook, Arlene spotted a black bear on the beach. He was rolling over rocks and eating crustaceans, so we moved Easy Goin’ in close to capture some pictures. The bear didn’t appear to be bothered by our presence, and once the photo session was over we set the hook north of the small unnamed island. During a peaceful night of sleep in the calm and quiet of Shoal Harbour, I awoke at 2 a.m. to check on things. The harbor was engulfed in a light fog. I could see the anchor lights on the other two boats and the float
CULTURE & HISTORY Because of our interest in the history of the First Nation people, we decided to move on to the ancestral village of Mamalilaculla to see the remains of middens and totems from the lost native culture that thrived in these islands well before the first European settlers arrived. We guided Easy Goin’ around the reef that protects the one-boat anchorage and placed the hook in 14 and a half feet over a good-holding bottom. About an hour later we received a hail on the VHF from Beach House. After a short discussion, they decided to join us and raft up. Wally and I took the dinghy into Knight Inlet to get cell service and called the Band Office to ask for permission to go ashore. As we stood on the dock, a boat pulled up to it. Two First Nation individuals had come to clear brush that had overtaken the village; they were preparing the village for a threeyear archeological survey to learn more about the people who once lived here. In the morning we weighed anchor and the two boats made the short cruise to the village of New Vancouver, where we would learn more about the area’s First Nation history and culture. In the afternoon Amy and Alex, two granddaughters of the founder and chief of the village, gave us a tour of the small settlement. TURN FOR HOME Easy Goin’ and Beach House departed New Vancouver in a stiff northwest wind and headed for Lagoon Cove, then to Port Harvey the following morning. On our final night with Wally and Brenda, we enjoyed happy hour aboard Easy Goin’, knowing that in the morning we would be parting ways, they headed for Desolation Sound and we the Discovery Passage area.
To the Web
LagoonCoveMarina.com PierresBay.com SullivanBayMarina.com SEAMAGAZINE.COM MARCH 2019 35
+ Sea feature Cruising9.indd 35
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