Hartley Bay to Klemtu, August 7

It was an easy 29 mile run to Butedale.









Butedale is an abandoned 1908 to 1968 cannery town with a caretaker named Lou. He has a rickety old dock and sells moorage at reasonable rates. He also rents his personal shower out.











The cove is somewhat spectacular.






When you get close enough to see the condition of the town. And it just happens to be for sale.

http://www.landquest.com/detailmain.asp?prop=08001&curpage=6&search=newlist

Next to the town is this spectacular water fall.








The guest dock is shown below the partially collapsed building.








Teal sidled up to the dock.








One of the buildings still standing, temporarily.








George and our tour guide Gordon. Gordon took us up to the lake to go trout fishing.







This lake like most all the lakes in the north are log choked at their outlets. I think this trip was more for the guide than the tourists.
Gordon is not allowed to go to the lake alone, and Lou made him take bear spray. He told us that the hike up to the lake only took 5 to 15 minuets depending how fast you go. It took us closer to an hour to make it up the steep muddy undeveloped insect infested trail.



When we got back from the lake Gordon finished his tour showing us the herring oil rendering plant, the power house where they generated power from water falling from the lake and what was left of the domestic buildings.





We took showers in Lew's shower for $3.00 each, and dined aboard Teal. After dinner we were invited to join Lou and Gordon at their camp fire and visited and star gazed around the fire until after midnight. We could hear bats squeaking, but it was hard to pinpoint their whereabouts.

The next morning we headed for Klemtu.











It was a pleasant warm, sunny 38 mile cruise through Princes Royal Channel to the First Nation community of Klemtu.






We tied to the public dock, and paid our moorage fees.








We went to the band store, got our ice cream fix and took a walk through town to stretch our legs.







More to Come stay tuned,

George and JoAnne.

Prince Rupert to Hartley Bay, August 5

We got everything done in Prince Rupert we needed to do the day we arrived so we were able to get away the next morning.


In a fog!





And we stayed in a fog until we reached Arthur Passage at the head of Chatham Sound. Sometimes with as little as 100 yards visibility. We stayed out of the shipping and ferry lanes by staying close to the shoal area along the east side of Chatham Sound, but when we got to Aurthur Passage, I announced a security call asking for north and south bound traffic to advise, and that I was altering my course to follow close to the shore of Kennedy Island. The south bound sailing vessel "Osprey" came back and informed me that he had cleared the fog and that I should also be in clear air in a couple of miles. What a welcome message.




When the fog cleared a northwest breeze filled in,








and we had a great down wind sail all the way to Klewnuggit Inlet.











After a 56 mile run from Prince Rupert to Klewnuggit inlet,











we anchored in the beautiful inner cove of east inlet with three other boats. A small trimaran, the 40 foot sloop "Osprey", and a power boat.







We had a pleasant motor sail from Klewnuggit to Hartley Bay.

Grenville Channel has some spectacular scenery. Every few miles we passed another glacier valley, most with lakes behind a glacier moraine with waterfalls spilling into the channel.







The Nordic Tug "Weak Moment" passing a beautiful waterfall in Grenville Channel.







When we got to the first nation community of Hartley Bay, we docked Teal next to the Nordic Tug "Weak Moment".







The next morning was a little foggy so we walked around the town before we left. There are no conventional side walks in Hartley Bay, they are all beautiful board walks.


Next stop, the abandoned town of Butedale.

More to come stay tuned,

George and JoAnne.

Heading south, August 2

August 2, 2008 we left our home away from home the Ketchikan Yacht Club, and headed south.







On our way we encountered a great deal of red tide. The red tides I have been used to along the California coast were thin and burgundy in color. This stuff was like tomato soup and was persimmon in color. it was several days before we were completely out of it.




We had a very pleasant cruise to Foggy Bay spotting several Hump Back Wales.








At Foggy Bay we shared the anchorage with two other boats. One of the boats was a charter with several fishermen being guided on day trips in a smaller boat leaving the motor cruiser anchored in the cove. The other boat named Yacthette had been at the fuel dock in Ketchikan when we stopped for fuel.





The next morning in a light fog we headed for Lincoln Channel to anchor for the night. When we rounded Cape Fox I hung out the trolling gear and in no time at all we had four takes. I lost the first two and netted a small coho. And within a short time landed a very nice sized coho.







These beautiful fish filled our box and we headed for our anchorage at Lincoln Channel.







The anchorage at Lincoln Channel was difficult due to the irregular bottom and currents, but we made it work, and had a peaceful night.








The next morning we headed for Prince Rupert in a fog with about
a mile visibility across Chatham Sound until we reached the Canadian shore. We then went through the tricky, shoal Venn Passage, and on to Prince Rupert.









In Prince Rupert we were greeted by a great bird, and bright,warm sunny skies.







More to Come stay tuned,

George and JoAnne

Yes Bay to Ketchikan, July 28

After we left Yes Bay we headed for Brow Point at Gedney Pass to troll for coho along the shore from Brow to Chin Point. About half way between Brow and Nose Point we hooked and landed a very nice, bright coho. We then headed for Neets Bay to try for prawns.
The weather was deteriorating so we headed for an anchorage behind an unnamed island in the back half of Neets Bay. This bay was full of jumping coho, and several seine boats waiting for an opening of a catch period. There were also several charter boats sport fishing and cleaning up on the coho.

We went through the tricky entrance into the cove and set our anchor. The wind built and the rain came down in buckets. Toward evening the storm eased enough to allow us to go out and set the prawn trap and get back to our anchorage and reset the anchor.





By morning the storm had passed and we headed out for Ketchikan. We were disappointed with a similar catch in our prawn trap as we had at Black Island, crabby-l00king creatures.










On our way to Ketchikan, we went into Knudson Cove for fuel and lunch. We arrived at the Ketchikan Yacht Club late afternoon and after getting squared away, started laying plans for heading south for Bellingham Washington.






More to come stay tuned,

George and JoAnne