Tom Sewid in traditional dress for tours of Mamalilaculla. Wide docks and cute float homes at Sullivan Bay Marine Resort. The end of the Rainbow on Namu. Bob Hale takes photos of Francis Robinson in front of Klemtu's bighouse. Looking up from the head of Khutze Inlet. Bob Hale tests the water temperature at Bishop Bay Hot Springs. The wreck of the Ohio sticks up at the head of Carter Bay, Sheep Passage. Marilynn Hale keeps a lookout while Bob Hale brings Surprise up for a better look at the old powerhouse at the head of Surf Inlet. A beautiful sunset from the Prince Rupert Rowing and Yacht Club docks.

UPDATES FOR CENTRAL & NORTHERN B.C. COAST Water Report from Shearwater June 14, 2010. Hi Bob, We are off to an early start this year and hope to get up to SE Alaska. Right now the weather is not cooperating. We are currently at Shearwater and just thought that you would like to know that "potable water" on the docks at Shearwater isn't! And we have been told that it will not happen this season. You and Marilynn have a good summer and we will see you in the Fall. Doug & Barb Crim MV Seaclusion Hakai Resort Update June 1, 2010. Longtime boating friend Bob Lane sent this note. Many of our readers will recognize Bob Lane as a prominent and regular contributor to PassageMaker Magazine. Bob, The new owners of the facilities at Pruth Bay do welcome visitors, warmly. We were invited to park the dinghy inside their dock and were directed to the beach trail. They have changed the approach to the main trail, but it has been marked with signs so the way is clear. The only problem was with the biting bugs in the woods. They dined well on the three of us. Bob Lane GB 42 Quadra Namu Caretaker Suffers Stroke, Recovering Well March 2, 2010. Pete Darwin, at Namu, suffered a stroke while shopping for groceries in Port Hardy. He was taken to the hospital in Port Hardy, then transferred to the hospital in Campbell River. Now he’s back home at Namu. Pete has been ordered to stop smoking, which if you’ve seen Pete and his cigarettes, is asking a lot. Pete’s wife Rene (pronounced “Reenie”) says that she is quitting too, to make it easier for Pete. Their longtime friend Theresa, who has been helping out at Namu for the past few years, also is quitting smoking. That’s the entire Namu population. For those who don’t know (which is most people), Namu is a once-great fish cannery, now abandoned, located about 50 miles north of Vancouver Island. You get there by boat, float plane or helicopter. There are no roads. Electric power is by diesel generator. One at a time, the houses and other buildings are falling down. It’s grizzly bear country. Pete and Rene Darwin have been caretakers at Namu since 2005, living in the elaborate floating camp they have towed from place to place, and welcoming visitors who don’t mind tying to low, rustic floats and enjoying a step back into coastal history. It’s one of our favorite stops each summer. The doctor says Pete shouldn’t be living so far from medical help, so they are looking for a caretaking job closer to civilization. The trick is finding one that will accommodate their camp. The camp has grown at Namu, to include their cozy float home, the greenhouse, the workshop, the separate two-story float house for guests, the covered party barge, and the string of floats for boats to tie to. Pete’s sawmill is in one of the buildings that hasn’t fallen down yet, along with the electrical shop and machine shop. Rene and Theresa have their own workshop in another Namu building, where they make items for the gift shop. Many toys will be left behind. Until they find something, Pete, Rene and Theresa invite visitors to stop in. Our guess is that this summer will be the last opportunity. Butedale Snowed Under April 13, 2009. Our friend Bob Lane, retired Seattle Times reporter and regular contributor to PassageMaker Magazine, helped deliver an 81-foot yacht to Ketchikan in March, and stopped at the abandoned fish packing site of Butedale. Bob forwarded a picture of “Butedale Lou” Simoneau, the caretaker, working on some art for summer visitors, and a shot of the ramp leading to the power house. “Don’t tell OSHA!” was Bob’s comment. If you’re cruising up the B.C. coast this year, stop at Butedale and tell Lou you saw the pictures. --Bob Hale We Must Pay Attention, Always March 18, 2009. Our friend Tom Liebert forwarded these photos of the Crowley tug Sea Voyager on the rocks near Bella Bella, B.C. Even the big guys make mistakes. The first job of the navigator is to know the vessel’s location at all times. One little slip and this is what can happen. Cape Caution in Some Wind December 5, 2008.We do NOT recommend rounding Cape Caution in these conditions, regardless of Pat Freeny's modest-sounding report. The seas at Cape Caution had to be much higher than the picture suggests. The rainbow in Blunden Harbour is fabulous. Hi Bob, Just another update on the West Sea Otter Buoy. We left Kwakume Inlet at 0740 and came around Cape Caution heading south on Sept 27 this summer. West Sea Otter reported 2.6m. We had a 25-knot SSE wind with gales in the forecast. I guess seas were about 12 feet off Cape Caution, but Nirvana handled it quite well with a full main up. We sailed into Blunden Harbour at 1755. Quiet night at anchor (no wind in Blunden). We awoke to a brilliant red sunrise to the east and a full rainbow to the west! See attached photos: Cape Caution at 1200 and sunrises at Blunden the next morning. Cheers Pat Freeny Computer Geek in Prince Rupert September 29, 2008. Bob, These days, it's not just a marine store that cruisers need when they hit port. Sometimes you need a good geek to help resolve an electronic problem. I had a chartplotter problem that defied resolution, and resulted in our buying paper charts up the north coast of B.C.. I walked the streets of Prince Rupert looking for a computer store and wandered into GoodTimes Games and Electronics, where Chris listened to my problem, patiently checked out the computer, and came up with a fix that allowed me to singlehand back down the coast and navigate my way securely around Cape Caution in the fog. I highly recommend them at 250-622-2655. Mary Campbell S/V Sirena Charlotte Bay, Seymour Inlet, No Longer a Prime Anchorage August 6, 2008. This is an update for our sister publication, Cruising the Secret Coast. Bob, Charlotte Bay in Seymour Inlet is occupied by a floating logging camp, and signs at the entry warn of nearby blasting. Water supply for the camp runs through a floating pipe that runs across the bay about two-thirds of the way in. Regards, George and Julie Selfridge, M/Y Danny Boy Stormbound in Bay of Plenty, Sudden Storm at Ganges, and Other Anchoring Tales August 4, 2008. Stormbound in Laredo Sound's Bay of Plenty, Sudden Storm at Ganges, and Other Anchoring Tales Northbound at Shearwater this summer, we met Eric (Rick) and Sharl Heller, who live on the east coast but keep their beautiful Sabre 40 sailboat out here for summer vacations. Rick told me about a surprise storm they experienced at Ganges, in the southern Gulf Islands, and promised to send a report. The report begins, however, with the storm they rode out in Bay of Plenty in Laredo Sound, on the west side of Princess Royal Island. Bob and Marilynn, It was really great to meet you; we hope our trails cross again. My apologies for taking so long to send this in. After seeing you, we took off for Dean Channel (Elcho Harbour all to ourselves for two days, Eucott Bay with one other boat and a delightful hot springs session, Ocean Falls, Fiordland (superb weather again), and now Laredo (midsummer storm -- I mean the formal type, as defined by the weather service). Bay of Plenty was a delight at first; we explored more than a mile up the river. We set the hook well for the coming weather but then got pretty nervous in a pitch-black night of anchor watch: ESE winds of 30 knots, gusting to 40, blowing up the anchorage -- whitecaps, chop, horizontal rain, 6" of it in one night, etc. We anchored right where we were supposed to, as the only boat in what we now call Bay of Plenty Wind. The good news was the good holding; no dragging on a 33-lb Bruce with 220' of chain out at the height of the excitement. (The bottom mud was like gelatin, though, when we finally raised anchor.) Admittedly it was doing 50-55 in Hecate Strait, but sustained winds reaching 40 hours on end with a one-foot whitecapped chop seemed a little extreme for an all-weather anchorage. I must admit the risks of being exposed crossed my mind as we entered, as I saw there was no place to really tuck in anywhere in the bay, and it is, after all, open to the SE. We checked in with the Prince Rupert Coast Guard on 83a in the middle of the night and the the reception was great -- very comforting. During the worst of the storm I had the motor idling and every instrument up and running, ready to go. It didn't calm down until about 4 a.m., but picked up again to 20-25 knots all the next day. In all, we were pinned there for three days. As for crab, we got two total in three tries. But it was worth it for the trip upriver. So this is our second wild anchorage this summer; the first we told you about happened in Ganges in June with five or so boats dragging and two that hit the shore. That description follows. June 22, the longest day of the year, we spent enjoying drinks and appetizers in the cockpit. We watched a beautiful sunset during our leisurely dinner. Music and laughter could be heard from town. About 9:30 we noticed a man in a dinghy trying to board a sailboat anchored very near our own. A strong gust of wind was spinning his boat and our boat began to horse around as well. The man had barely got aboard when his boat started drifting backwards towards ours. I yelled to him that he was dragging, and he yelled back that we were drifting toward him. That is a natural reaction but unfortunately impossible; boats do not drag upwind. I grabbed the boat hook and fended him off. He ran for his anchor and tried to pull it up by hand. Before he could manage it his boat was aimed at ours again. This time his bow was heading toward our side. I yelled, "Back your boat!" The man ran back to his cockpit, and I fended off his bow with the boat hook for a second time. Finally he got away and re-anchored far downwind. The wind kept increasing, now blowing 35 to 40 knots. By dark we had white caps and a chop in the harbor. I saw another sailboat that had broken loose. It was heading towards us and a powerboat anchored on our starboard side. I grabbed the air-horn and blasted, hoping to wake a sleeping crew. Somehow the sailboat slid between our boat and the power boat, missing us both by a few feet, but now heading towards a rocky cliff. Before it hit the shore, it swung stern to the wind and held fast! We thought he had caught our anchor chain but somehow, he had managed to get his prop wound around a mooring buoy. By now the wind was howling and several boats seemed to be moving in the dark upwind of us. Sure enough, a huge, spanking-new blue steel hulled powerboat had broken free and was heading downwind towards us. We had seen the boat come in earlier in the evening, steaming through the harbor much too fast. The skipper ignored my hand signals to slow down, and Sharl and I had said to one another, "I guess they can't wait to get to dinner." (We later learned from another couple that the skipper of the blue boat just came to a stop when he arrived, dumped out his anchor without setting it, and headed to town in the dinghy). The blue boat careened through the harbor, and was doing a good three knots at one point. Unfortunately, it snagged another sailboat (it too had no one aboard) and the two entangled boats headed towards a small power boat that blasted its horn. The entangled boats missed the small power boat but then threatened the larger power boat anchored next to us. It was very dark, and we could hardly see what was happening. I sounded the air horn again. Then I called the Coast Guard, just as the big blue boat and its captive sailboat crashed stern-to on the lee shore. I kept the Coast Guard informed, but their vessel, only a half-mile away, was snugly at harbor with the crew probably scattered on Saltspring. In the howling wind and building waves we saw two dinghies arrive at the boats aground. Lights went on but the boats didn't move. Saving the boats would be difficult because the tide was going out. About an hour later the Coast Guard arrived and managed to untangle the sailboat, drag it off the rocks and haul it away. The Coast Guard boat returned an hour later, passed a line to the big blue powerboat and pulled it off the rocks, towing it to the dock too. We heard later that it was banged up visibly. By then it was well after midnight and we thought the worst must be over. However, I noticed that we were closer to the boat behind us. I watched for a while and figured we were dragging steadily at about one foot per minute. I imagine a furrow in the mud. We re-anchored farther out. This pandemonium could have been avoided if all boats had actually set their anchors. The wind that night seemed fairly isolated; the phenomenon seemed a little Qualicum-like: there is a low pass over Saltspring Island from Booth Bay to Ganges Village and onto the anchorage. You couldn't predict the problem by listening to the weather on VHF. Five years ago we rode out a 40-knot night with perhaps 50 other boats anchored at Newcastle Island, across from Nanaimo. Nobody dragged that I know of, but the wind was up most of the day and no one was lulled into complacency. Once, in Gorge Harbour, we had to fend off a sailboat at anchor when it began to blow. The owner had put out 300' of rode in a fairly crowded 5-fathom anchorage -- a 10:1 scope when boats in the Northwest anchor on 3:1 to 5:1 at the most. I do not claim to be infallible. Here is a picture of our boat, Resonance, aground at anchor in Leask Cove in Bute Inlet the result of a stern tie that went too slack at low tide, plus a seche pushing us over to the side. Luckily, no damage at all. Leask Cove is now impossible to anchor in because Michelle Pfeiffer has filled it with concrete docks and rocks at the bottom for her log mansion complex there. Cape Caution and West Sea Otter Buoy July 29, 2008. Since 2003 the Waggoner has published a recommendation that West Sea Otter buoy reports be monitored before rounding Cape Caution. If seas at West Sea Otter are one meter or less, a raft of logs could be towed across. The Waggoner cautions that seas of 1.5 meters or more might warrant careful consideration before setting out. The Waggoner also cautions that West Sea Otter is just one element in the crossing decision, and this year we learned that even a low reading can be offset completely by the afternoon westerly. Correspondent Bruce Evertz just wrote with some further thoughts. Here they are. Bob In our last e-mail to you we were in Fury Cove, planning to round Cape Caution the next day, which we did. It was not nearly as nice as the trip north but went OK. We had a choice to make between heading out early into the ebb against the swells, or waiting for good currents and dealing with the predicted strong wind in the afternoon. We went at first light. BTW, West Sea Otter was 1.1 meters and as we were abeam the cape it reported 0.9 meters. We encountered confused seas for the first hour or so and steered a course for Japan until we got past the Rivers Inlet and Fitz Hugh Sound ebb. There was almost a distinct line there and then the swells were much more uniform. We turned for Queen Charlotte Strait, and had a decent ride to Blunden Harbour. We will never know if we should have gone in the afternoon. There was a fresh breeze from the west late that day in Blunden Harbour. Thought you might like to add our Cape Caution experience to your vast data base. Bruce & Margaret Evertz M/V Tapawingo Reader-Reported Rock in Fish Egg Inlet Really is a New Rock June 3, 2008. The following correspondence tells only part of the story. CHS’s first response was that reader Granston’s reported Joe’s Bay rock probably was the end of a reef already shown on the chart. As you can see, however, the matter didn’t end there. CHS looked further, and by golly our reader had found a rock the earlier surveys had missed. Make a note on Chart 3921. Hi Gentlemen, looks like we have to eat some crow on this one. We had one of our surveyors take a look at this and sourced some new aerial photos. There is a rock pretty much as reported (slightly north of the position supplied) and we will shortly be issuing a Notice to Mariners. Thanks very much for the information and please keep in touch. Cheers, Dave Jackson, CHS – – – Hi, Dave [at CHS], Could you hand this along to the appropriate people at CHS for review? I checked my electronic charts last night and this might or might not be a new rock. It might simply be part of the reef that extends from the north shore. Mr. Cranston’s GPS probably was off by a boat length, which could be misleading. Please let me know what your chart people think. Thanks. Bob Hale Editor/Publisher Waggoner Cruising Guide – – – Bob, We cruised to Alaska last year and on our return we stayed in Joe's Bay and saw a rock that did not appear to be plotted. It is located approximately at 51 38.994N and 127 45.567W. It is covered at high tide. Gordon Granston Art from Butedale December 4, 2007. Lou Simoneau has amazed us again. Last summer he showed us some of the paintings, inlays and carvings he works on during the dark days of winter at Butedale, far up on the northern B.C. coast. We set aside his offer to send an example after the summer rush was over, but in today’s mail came an envelope from Butedale, and in it were the two small paintings shown here. The paintings are on thin pieces of wood, probably salvaged from one of the buildings that had collapsed. They are compact, measuring 4 inches high by 6 inches wide. The style, I suppose, could be called Rustic or even Primitive. The colors are rich and confident, and the forms are sure. The wood grain adds texture. What must be a lacquer coating creates a shine that makes the colors even more intense. Art is in the mind of the beholder, but I think they are marvelous. Especially since they come from Lou Simoneau, who lives alone year-round at Butedale, an abandoned north coast cannery that is doing its best to fall into the sea. Lou, still rock-hard in his 60s, is the caretaker there. He’s a handsome man, with what could be called a rubber face. Below that face is a powerful body, the result of a lifetime of hard work. He has a low voice, almost gravelly, and he speaks slowly, with a French accent. We heard him once on the radio, chastising a BC Ferries skipper who had gone past Butedale too fast. “You need to slow down a little,” he said. “Your wake is tearing up our floats.” “Lou, we were down to ten knots,” came the reply. “Well, it’s not enough.” Lou can do darned near anything. For electricity, he brought water to the old powerhouse via a flume that leads to a waterfall back in the forest. He built the flume from lumber salvaged from the now-gone warehouse building, and installed it down the mountainside along a treacherous stream bed. He did this alone, in the winter. The water from the flume slowly turns a long-unused turbine in the powerhouse. The turbine drives an alternator. The alternator sends 12-volt electricity through wire Lou found and spliced together, ending at his cabin near the dock. The electricity is stored in batteries and run through an inverter to make 120-volt AC power for the cabin’s lights and refrigerator. You can see it when you visit. Like his art, Lou Simoneau is a north coast original. He’s not the only original up there. Most of the people we meet in the wilderness are imaginative and capable, and able to do what is needed to survive a long way from the city. If you haven’t already done so, perhaps this is the year to discover the coast yourself. Don’t hurry through. Stop all along the way. Stop at Butedale. Stop before it’s gone. --Bob Hale Electronic Chart for Milbanke Sound Faulty August 13, 2007. We found this item in Notices to Shipping: Activated:1118 08 Aug 2007 HECATE STRAIT TO PORTLAND CANAL BSB RASTER CHART CD - 3728 MILBANKE SOUND AND APPROACHES ET LES APPROCHES Some copies of this product have been found to be offset from the correct position by 2.59 km along a grid or true bearing of 188 degrees. It is recommended that this BSB chart "not be used" until a corrected copy can be obtained. The Canadian Hydrographic Service will contact all registered owners to arrange for a replacement. So Much for Bomb-proof Anchorages September 19, 2005. Even the most protected-appearing anchorages can have a surprise or two. Moncton Inlet is just off Principe Channel, on the west side of Pitt Island, near the south end of the island. This particular anchorage in Moncton Inlet is a tiny 4-fathom hole surrounded by high, steep hills. The entrance to the hole is quite shallow—we backed away rather than risk our props and rudders at low tide. —Bob Hale Bob, We are very impressed with the 2005 Cruising Guide that we purchased this year. With information from yours and other cruising guides we have felt comfortable going into small places that most other cruising boaters bypass. One of our favourites has been the inner cove at Moncton Inlet. After spending the night there many times and sometimes waiting for a low tide to rise considerably in order to leave (our 35 foot trawler had a 5 1/2 foot draft), we considered it to be a very safe anchorage. One day a few years ago, upon notice of expected storm force winds from the northwest, we chose to anchor there in the most bomb-proof shelter we could think of. In the night we were hit with winds from every which direction. Thank goodness for our Bruce anchor which we credit for keeping us in the middle of that small cove. It took us the better part of an hour to pull that anchor out of the mud as it was dug in so deep. This taught us that you may still get surprised in what are considered to be the most sheltered spots. Phyllis and George Davidson Less Space at Prince Rupert Rowing and Yacht Club May 16, 2005. Reader Linda Lewis wrote from Prince Rupert there will be less space at Prince Rupert Rowing and Yacht Club (Cow Bay) for visiting yachties. More locals are tying up at PRRYC so space will be limited. The harbormaster strongly suggests calling ahead (even several days) for reservations. She also notes there there is good WiFi access and internet access at the office for a minimal charge. New Rock in Fish Egg Inlet February 23, 2005. Notice to Mariners advises of an uncharted rock in Fish Egg Inlet, on the Central B.C. Coast. The rock is located at 51°37'00.7"N / 127°41'25.2"W, with a depth of 0.3 meters at zero tide. The rock should be marked on your Chart 3921 with the legend R, and legend Rep(2004). In general terms, the rock is located at the east end of Fish Egg Inlet, between the south tip of the 74-meter island and the mainland. New Rock on Northern B.C. Coast January 7, 2005. Notices to Mariners has this change: On Chart 3747, Browning Entrance, at 53°45'45.0"N/130°25'30.0"W, change the depth of 3 fathoms 4 feet to Rock that covers and uncovers with a drying height of 3 feet. This is in Totem Inlet on Dolphin Island. Important Correction for Emily Carr Cove April 4, 2003. Emily Carr Inlet lies at the mouth of Surf Inlet, on the northwest corner of Princess Royal Island, on the northern B.C. coast. We were running late when we explored the inlet, so we didn't go into what Douglass, in his excellent guide, Exploring the North Coast of British Columbia, 2nd Ed., calls "Emily Carr Cove." If you're thinking about exploring those waters yourself, by all means go to the Douglass web site www.fineedge.com and read an important update about the entrance to the cove. A large, drying rock lies exactly where you are tempted to go, and the path around it isn't obvious. Waggoner (and Douglass) reader David Stapells found that rock with his keel last summer, and has forwarded complete instructions, with photos of the rock, to Douglass. Once at the fineedge.com web site, click on "Errata Sheets," then on the updates for the northern B.C. coast book. Many thanks to David Stapells for providing the cruising community with such thorough research, and the obvious good will in his update. -- Bob Hale It's a Rock! November 1, 2002. Canadian Notices to Mariners dated Sept. 27 (just arrived) locates a new rock in Rivers Inlet, Chart 3934. Replace the 5.5 meter sounding at 51°31.40'N/127°40.50'W with the asterisk symbol for rock which covers and covers, with a drying height of 0.4 meters. This rock is in the mouth of the little bay directly east of Welch Island, near the west entrance to Darby Channel. New Rock Charted at Pierce Bay, Fitz Hugh Sound March 26, 1999. New Rock. Canadian Notices to Mariners reports a previously uncharted rock. It affects chart 3934 (NAD 83). Add to chart 3934: Rock which covers and uncovers with a drying height of 1 metre 5 decimetres and legend Rep (1998) The location is 51° 31´ 47´´N  127° 45´ 40´´W. For more updates: • U.S. Customs Updates • Canada Customs Updates • General Updates • Puget Sound & San Juan Islands • Strait of Juan de Fuca and Strait of Georgia, including B.C.'s Gulf Islands • Desolation Sound to top of Vancouver Island • Central & Northern B.C. Coast • West Coast of Vancouver Island

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