Hollis to Cholmondeley Sound

August 31, 2007

Jim dropped us off at the Hollis dock about midday, and we headed out though Kasaan Bay and into Skowl Arm. It was raining and the water got rough on our passage. The wind settled down, but the rain continued until we went into the Skowl Arm. We went into Saltery Cove to check out the Sportsman Cove Lodge and their fisherman “sculpture”; A stuffed character sitting in an overstuffed easy chair holding a fishing rod, sitting on top of a mid-channel rock. Quite whimsical.

We didn’t find an anchorage that suited us and went around the corner into McKenzie Inlet.

We found good anchorage in a notch along the shore at the end of Peacock Island (55° 19.930’ N / 132° 21.645’ W) and anchored for the night.

September 1, 2007

We left McKenzie Inlet in a light rain and headed for Dora Bay in Cholmondeley Sound. The rain cleared and as we motored along in an overcast sky and gray seas, along the way we rode up on top of a large 2x12 plank, a 16 footer, which was hidden in the trough of a wave. The boat slowed dramatically as the plank was pushed through the water. After the throttle was shut the plank slowly washed out and passed along side.

It was a nasty looking thing that had several large nails sticking out. We immediately checked the bilge for water and fortunately all was good, we continued without any problems.

When we arrived at Dora Bay we went into the un-named cove (55° 12.920’ N / 132° 16.319’ W) on the west side of the bay and carefully sounded our anchorage before going back out into the bay. We baited the shrimp trap with “canned tuna” per Jim & Zeke’s recommendation. Our depth sounder was not getting a good signal from the bottom and we had a hard time finding a spot for the trap. We left it in about 280 feet – we think.

We spent a little time bottom fishing the last of the flood tide before going back into the anchorage for the night. George caught some rockfish and a Yellow Eye before the bite went off.

September 2, 2007

Mid Morning we pulled anchor and headed for the shrimp trap. We got 1 prawn and 2 rockfish, another disappointment in our quest for shrimp.

After motoring back into Cholmondeley Sound (pronounced Shawmlee by the locals). We set the shrimp trap in a likely spot at the narrows in West Arm.

We selected a nice anchorage behind an island and a peninsula near the mouth of an unnamed stream (55° 15.085” N / 132° 23.936’ W). There was one other boat anchored on the other side of the cove.

After getting settled in we spotted eagles soaring over the water, and a bear on the shore of the peninsula.

Later George rowed the skiff out into the cove to set the crab trap.








This was our picturesque sun down.








More to come, George & JoAnne