Onward to Waddington Bay
On May 20th, (Monday) we wanted to catch an ebb tide, so we got up at 04:45 and headed out of Forward Harbour. Our journey down Sunderland Channel and through Johnstone Strait was uneventful this time. The forecast had been for SE winds and we had been hoping to do some sailing, but the winds never materialized, and we had calm weather the whole trip. There were a LOT of logs in Johnstone Strait, so we had to keep a very good lookout, and we were happy it was calm for spotting them.
We saw a whale along the shore, which we think was either a Minke or Fin whale. It came up to breathe a couple of times, and then did a nice big dive showing us its tail fin before disappearing.
When we were coming through the currents of Blackney Passage we saw splashing in the distance. With camera and binoculars in hand, I went up on the foredeck and could tell that it was dolphins. Next thing we knew they were headed our way and then playing at our bow. Up, splash, down, across to the other side, zigzag underwater, up, splash, down... so beautiful! It was hard to tell how many there were, two or four or six. Not sure.
We pulled into our anchorage at Hanson Island and had the place to ourselves with beautiful, clean, clear water. A perfect place to make water. Since making water is a somewhat noisy process we always try to do it when we are alone in an anchorage.
On May 21st (Tuesday) we saw a marten on one of the islands, and noticed a new type of diving bird. Using our guide books we figured out that they were Pigeon Guillemots. They have a funny little dive, not really graceful at all, they open their wings, tuck and splash. Cute little guys.
The winds in the strait picked up over the day, and we had fun watching the cat's paws from the gusts hit the water and go in different directions. We were nice and sheltered except for when the swells started to build in Queen Charlotte Strait; then it got a little rolly.
On May 22nd (Wednesday) we did our shortest anchorage move yet. Only about 8 nautical miles. We went through White Beach Passage and then around to anchor on the inside of Mound island.
We went out for a kayak paddle along the shoreline in the afternoon. We noticed some really interesting creatures that we had never seen before. They looked like they were a similar composition to a jelly fish, but they were more cylindrical or even oval shaped. They had evenly spaced ribs or fins that ran vertically, and every so often the ribs pulsed with colour. Very interesting.
We also saw a different type of starfish, and watched a couple of eagles fishing. They swooped down to the water twice, but never got anything, and then later we saw a couple of eagles eating a fish, so they must have caught one eventually. Watching one of them in the tree was neat. He was so intent on watching one area of the water -- the way he moved his body and his head, he looked so focused.
We saw a deer on one of the islands. He had little horns that looked so fuzzy and soft, and with the sunlight behind him we could almost make out the hairs. He was feeding on a beautiful green grassy area, and then settled down in the grass and watched us paddle by.
The number of areas here of beautiful white shell beaches is amazing. Many of them are old midden piles created over many, many, many years of the first nations people eating clams and other shellfish, and leaving the shells in an area. Now we are left with beautiful idyllic beaches that look almost tropical. The banks above the beach are layer, upon layer of old shells mixed in with the century's of dirt.
I found, and tried a new bread recipe. It is a very simple recipe, and compared to the breads I am used to making it is unusual. I was somewhat skeptical, but wanted to give it a try. It is super simple, makes very few dishes to have to wash afterwards, and it gets cooked in a cast iron pot with a lid, so I am hoping we will be able to cook it on top of our wood fire place in the future.
I started it in the evening to allow it to rise overnight. Here's the recipe: combine 3 cups of flour, 1 3/4" tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp dry active yeast. Then add 1 1/2 cups water, and stir it together. It should be sticky. Then let it sit in a bowl, covered for 12-18 hours, although mine sat for more like 20 hours. Preheat the cast iron pot to 450 degrees in the oven, sprinkle a bit of flour into the bottom of the pot to help it not stick, form the sticky dough into a ball and drop it in. Put the lid on the pot, and cook for 30 minutes, then take the lid off and cook for another 15-20 so that the top of the bread can get golden brown.
On May 23rd (Thursday) the wind was about 10-15 knots NW, and in our anchorage it was not much less. All of the reference books we have had said that the Mound Island anchorage was well protected, but we found that the wind just funnelled in through the gap at the western end of Mound Island. When we woke up to a gale warning and a forecast of 35 knots NW we decided to move anchorages.
The question was where best to go since trusting the same three books that told us Mound Island was protected seemed somewhat unwise. We headed out through the many islands and islets up through the Broughton Archipelago. We were making the trip close to the time of low tide and it was amazing to see all of the rocks that would have been covered at high tide, and also to see all of the rocks on the chart that we still could not see. Thank goodness for charts.
It was a lovely trip past many beautiful areas that would have made great places to kayak and explore. We went into a small bay on the northwest corner of Gilford Island. It was a lovely small bay, but not very big or very deep, which meant we couldn't tuck in all the way. We watched the existing wind and decided it was too hard to predict what it would be like later on.
We then moved across to Waddington Bay on Bonwick Island. There were already three boats there and three more came in within an hour after us. It was our busiest anchorage of the trip so far. We watched the gusts on the water as we were coming in, and picked an area off of the island that was in the bay. We anchored in the small V that was the clear lee section. Gusts would whip around from both sides, but for the most part inside that V it was settled. We were very happy that we anchored where we did. Watching the wind, and the other boats in the evening and the next day, we definitely seemed to have the most protected spot. We had many strong gusts hit us, sometimes from either side, and sometimes it seemed like they would jump over the island and come straight down on top of us, but gusts was all we got. Other parts of the anchorage had sustained winds, as well as many more gusts, and one strip had small white caps. It is quite interesting to watch the wind on the water and see how it moves.
We went out in the tender in the early evening to drop our crab trap and do some fishing. Although we caught three, none were of keeping size.
On May 24 (Friday) the wind blew and blew all day. It was a nice day however, as we were not worried about our boat, and we had a nice fire going to keep us warm and dry. :) We even cooked up a fresh loaf of bread. I had started the dough the night before in preparation for a windy day and so we tried cooking it on top of the wood stove. We used a cookie rack to raise the pot off the top of the stove, and then used some aluminum foil to create an enclosure around the top of the cast iron pot to create an oven-like area. We used our temperature gun to try to keep track of the temperature and regulate it with the damper.
On May 25th (Saturday) the wind was way, way, way calmer. We had a bonfire on shore, and then when the winds calmed off even more, we went out fishing. We found a good area, and we caught our first flat fish. Identifying them is really hard however, and since we were catching small ones, we were letting them go and trying with each fish to narrow the possibilities down. From the drawings and pictures in the fish identification book it looked like it would be easy, but it wasn't, and looking back on the pictures now it looks like we were either catching Rock Sole or Dover Sole.
Eventually we caught a male Kelp Greenling and also a Sea Cucumber. We had never tried eating Sea Cucumber, but some people said it is good, so we thought we would give it a try. The Kelp Greenling is a very beautiful fish. Unfortunately I did not remember to take a picture with my phone to send along to you with this post until after it was filleted, but you can still see some of its beautiful colouring. When we pulled up our crab trap we had five, and we kept the two biggest, which we hoped would make for a very good dinner.
Dinner was amazing!!! One of our two best dinners so far on the trip, and that's saying something. The fish was perfect, the crab was as sweet and delicious as always, and the sea cucumber was the star of the meal and fantastically scrumptious! It was kind of a cross between calamari and clams. Jason dipped the fish and sea cucumber in egg and then a spiced flour concoction, and then fried it to perfection. Wow what a meal! We had it with some mashed potatoes which was a delicious complement. For dessert we had a couple of chocolate haystacks that were left from when I made them last week. Not a bad meal for the end of our fourth week! Haha. In fact I would say it was much better than how we used to eat.
We ended up having the anchorage to ourselves that evening, the wind was calm, and the sun was shining on us and glistening on the water all around us. We could hear the eagles talking in the distance and dinner fantastic. Life couldn't be much better!!
On May 26th (Sunday) we awoke to a peaceful calm, and the water was like mirror glass. It was beautiful!! We headed over to Echo Bay Marina in our tender, and the whole trip was glassy calm, not a puff of wind. It was incredible how calm and still it was. We got some gas and some diesel and checked the place out before skimming our way back. It was the perfect time to make the trip. After we got back we went out fishing and enjoyed the continued calmness and heat from the sun. It was a beautiful day!! We saw porpoises several different times while being out there. We caught a bunch of fish that we let go including a small lingcod, but we kept three. One was a Copper Rockfish, one was a female Kelp Greenling, and one was a Right Eye Flounder although we are still a little unsure as to which type specifically it was. Yesterday we caught a male Kelp Greenling and today a female, it was neat because they look very, very different, but both are incredibly beautiful. Apparently people used to think that they were two different types of fish, but we now know that they are just male and female.
As the evening settled in, a gentle breeze picked up, and we enjoyed the lazing in our cockpit watching the eagles and herons fly by. Dinner was set to be delicious again as we looked forward to getting to try two new types of fish. It is pretty awesome that with just a few hours of enjoyable work we can eat like royalty!
We saw a whale along the shore, which we think was either a Minke or Fin whale. It came up to breathe a couple of times, and then did a nice big dive showing us its tail fin before disappearing.
When we were coming through the currents of Blackney Passage we saw splashing in the distance. With camera and binoculars in hand, I went up on the foredeck and could tell that it was dolphins. Next thing we knew they were headed our way and then playing at our bow. Up, splash, down, across to the other side, zigzag underwater, up, splash, down... so beautiful! It was hard to tell how many there were, two or four or six. Not sure.
We pulled into our anchorage at Hanson Island and had the place to ourselves with beautiful, clean, clear water. A perfect place to make water. Since making water is a somewhat noisy process we always try to do it when we are alone in an anchorage.
On May 21st (Tuesday) we saw a marten on one of the islands, and noticed a new type of diving bird. Using our guide books we figured out that they were Pigeon Guillemots. They have a funny little dive, not really graceful at all, they open their wings, tuck and splash. Cute little guys.
The winds in the strait picked up over the day, and we had fun watching the cat's paws from the gusts hit the water and go in different directions. We were nice and sheltered except for when the swells started to build in Queen Charlotte Strait; then it got a little rolly.
On May 22nd (Wednesday) we did our shortest anchorage move yet. Only about 8 nautical miles. We went through White Beach Passage and then around to anchor on the inside of Mound island.
We went out for a kayak paddle along the shoreline in the afternoon. We noticed some really interesting creatures that we had never seen before. They looked like they were a similar composition to a jelly fish, but they were more cylindrical or even oval shaped. They had evenly spaced ribs or fins that ran vertically, and every so often the ribs pulsed with colour. Very interesting.
We also saw a different type of starfish, and watched a couple of eagles fishing. They swooped down to the water twice, but never got anything, and then later we saw a couple of eagles eating a fish, so they must have caught one eventually. Watching one of them in the tree was neat. He was so intent on watching one area of the water -- the way he moved his body and his head, he looked so focused.
We saw a deer on one of the islands. He had little horns that looked so fuzzy and soft, and with the sunlight behind him we could almost make out the hairs. He was feeding on a beautiful green grassy area, and then settled down in the grass and watched us paddle by.
The number of areas here of beautiful white shell beaches is amazing. Many of them are old midden piles created over many, many, many years of the first nations people eating clams and other shellfish, and leaving the shells in an area. Now we are left with beautiful idyllic beaches that look almost tropical. The banks above the beach are layer, upon layer of old shells mixed in with the century's of dirt.
I found, and tried a new bread recipe. It is a very simple recipe, and compared to the breads I am used to making it is unusual. I was somewhat skeptical, but wanted to give it a try. It is super simple, makes very few dishes to have to wash afterwards, and it gets cooked in a cast iron pot with a lid, so I am hoping we will be able to cook it on top of our wood fire place in the future.
I started it in the evening to allow it to rise overnight. Here's the recipe: combine 3 cups of flour, 1 3/4" tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp dry active yeast. Then add 1 1/2 cups water, and stir it together. It should be sticky. Then let it sit in a bowl, covered for 12-18 hours, although mine sat for more like 20 hours. Preheat the cast iron pot to 450 degrees in the oven, sprinkle a bit of flour into the bottom of the pot to help it not stick, form the sticky dough into a ball and drop it in. Put the lid on the pot, and cook for 30 minutes, then take the lid off and cook for another 15-20 so that the top of the bread can get golden brown.
My first try of the new bread recipe baked in the cast iron pot in the oven.
I was surprised at how easily it just popped out of the pot. It was fluffy and delicious! We had fresh baked bread with rock crab for dinner. Yum yum!! We have found that when the bread is cold it is a little dense, but still tastes good.On May 23rd (Thursday) the wind was about 10-15 knots NW, and in our anchorage it was not much less. All of the reference books we have had said that the Mound Island anchorage was well protected, but we found that the wind just funnelled in through the gap at the western end of Mound Island. When we woke up to a gale warning and a forecast of 35 knots NW we decided to move anchorages.
The question was where best to go since trusting the same three books that told us Mound Island was protected seemed somewhat unwise. We headed out through the many islands and islets up through the Broughton Archipelago. We were making the trip close to the time of low tide and it was amazing to see all of the rocks that would have been covered at high tide, and also to see all of the rocks on the chart that we still could not see. Thank goodness for charts.
It was a lovely trip past many beautiful areas that would have made great places to kayak and explore. We went into a small bay on the northwest corner of Gilford Island. It was a lovely small bay, but not very big or very deep, which meant we couldn't tuck in all the way. We watched the existing wind and decided it was too hard to predict what it would be like later on.
We then moved across to Waddington Bay on Bonwick Island. There were already three boats there and three more came in within an hour after us. It was our busiest anchorage of the trip so far. We watched the gusts on the water as we were coming in, and picked an area off of the island that was in the bay. We anchored in the small V that was the clear lee section. Gusts would whip around from both sides, but for the most part inside that V it was settled. We were very happy that we anchored where we did. Watching the wind, and the other boats in the evening and the next day, we definitely seemed to have the most protected spot. We had many strong gusts hit us, sometimes from either side, and sometimes it seemed like they would jump over the island and come straight down on top of us, but gusts was all we got. Other parts of the anchorage had sustained winds, as well as many more gusts, and one strip had small white caps. It is quite interesting to watch the wind on the water and see how it moves.
We went out in the tender in the early evening to drop our crab trap and do some fishing. Although we caught three, none were of keeping size.
On May 24 (Friday) the wind blew and blew all day. It was a nice day however, as we were not worried about our boat, and we had a nice fire going to keep us warm and dry. :) We even cooked up a fresh loaf of bread. I had started the dough the night before in preparation for a windy day and so we tried cooking it on top of the wood stove. We used a cookie rack to raise the pot off the top of the stove, and then used some aluminum foil to create an enclosure around the top of the cast iron pot to create an oven-like area. We used our temperature gun to try to keep track of the temperature and regulate it with the damper.
Our wood fireplace made ready for baking bread.
It was a fun experiment and after the first half hour when I went to take off the lid to cook it for longer, it was done! The top of the bread was even golden brown already. I guess the temperature might have been a little hot. The bottom of the bread was a little burnt, but other than that it was perfect. :)
Golden brown and delicious.
On May 25th (Saturday) the wind was way, way, way calmer. We had a bonfire on shore, and then when the winds calmed off even more, we went out fishing. We found a good area, and we caught our first flat fish. Identifying them is really hard however, and since we were catching small ones, we were letting them go and trying with each fish to narrow the possibilities down. From the drawings and pictures in the fish identification book it looked like it would be easy, but it wasn't, and looking back on the pictures now it looks like we were either catching Rock Sole or Dover Sole.
Eventually we caught a male Kelp Greenling and also a Sea Cucumber. We had never tried eating Sea Cucumber, but some people said it is good, so we thought we would give it a try. The Kelp Greenling is a very beautiful fish. Unfortunately I did not remember to take a picture with my phone to send along to you with this post until after it was filleted, but you can still see some of its beautiful colouring. When we pulled up our crab trap we had five, and we kept the two biggest, which we hoped would make for a very good dinner.
Male Kelp Greenling after being filleted.
When we were on shore earlier for our bonfire we heard a squeaking noise coming from the bushes, then a rustling and more squeaking, and all of a sudden a marten raced out of the bush line and onto the rocks at full tilt and right behind him came another. The squeaking continued, seemingly coming from the lead marten who appeared to be being chased. They came running along the rocks right toward us until about 15' away when the lead marten eventually saw us and came to a full stop before making a hard left turn and the chase continued along the shore around us :) so neat! Dinner was amazing!!! One of our two best dinners so far on the trip, and that's saying something. The fish was perfect, the crab was as sweet and delicious as always, and the sea cucumber was the star of the meal and fantastically scrumptious! It was kind of a cross between calamari and clams. Jason dipped the fish and sea cucumber in egg and then a spiced flour concoction, and then fried it to perfection. Wow what a meal! We had it with some mashed potatoes which was a delicious complement. For dessert we had a couple of chocolate haystacks that were left from when I made them last week. Not a bad meal for the end of our fourth week! Haha. In fact I would say it was much better than how we used to eat.
We ended up having the anchorage to ourselves that evening, the wind was calm, and the sun was shining on us and glistening on the water all around us. We could hear the eagles talking in the distance and dinner fantastic. Life couldn't be much better!!
Red Witch at anchor in Waddington Bay
On May 26th (Sunday) we awoke to a peaceful calm, and the water was like mirror glass. It was beautiful!! We headed over to Echo Bay Marina in our tender, and the whole trip was glassy calm, not a puff of wind. It was incredible how calm and still it was. We got some gas and some diesel and checked the place out before skimming our way back. It was the perfect time to make the trip. After we got back we went out fishing and enjoyed the continued calmness and heat from the sun. It was a beautiful day!! We saw porpoises several different times while being out there. We caught a bunch of fish that we let go including a small lingcod, but we kept three. One was a Copper Rockfish, one was a female Kelp Greenling, and one was a Right Eye Flounder although we are still a little unsure as to which type specifically it was. Yesterday we caught a male Kelp Greenling and today a female, it was neat because they look very, very different, but both are incredibly beautiful. Apparently people used to think that they were two different types of fish, but we now know that they are just male and female.
Female Kelp Greenling
When we pulled up our crab trap we had five males and three females. This is interesting because we hardly ever catch females, also interesting is that all three of the females were roughly the same size and quite a bit smaller than even the smallest male. In addition, the females were all a much darker colour than the males. Interesting! We of course let all of the females go, and just kept the two biggest males. Another curious fact about rock crab, which we have learned since starting this trip, is that they can re-grow any of their legs including their front claws. It is not uncommon for us to catch one that is missing one or even both front claws and or a leg. At first we thought that one without both front claws would be doomed, but we have now seen a crab that was in the shallows and that was missing both front claws feeding by using its next-in-line legs to push food to its mouth. With that in mind we also see crabs that are in the process of growing back their missing limb. Today we caught one guy who had one full size claw and one little miniature one. I should have taken a picture of him for you as it is really quite neat. We have seen limbs in all stages of re-growth from tiny little nubs all the way up to almost full size. As the evening settled in, a gentle breeze picked up, and we enjoyed the lazing in our cockpit watching the eagles and herons fly by. Dinner was set to be delicious again as we looked forward to getting to try two new types of fish. It is pretty awesome that with just a few hours of enjoyable work we can eat like royalty!
I want to come and eat at your house! It is nice to share in your travels. Thank for sharing. Cheers Jan
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Jan! It is nice that you are enjoying our adventures too :)
Delete