June 29th - 30th Althorp Point to Dusky Cove

Johnstone Strait NOT good rules of the road!

June 29^{th – 30th} Althorp Point into Johnstone Strait        Johnstone Strait is known to be quite treacherous with high wind warnings often.  The weather report this morning says High Wind Warning, NW winds at 15 building to 20-30 so we have planned a course that takes us into the Strait for about 13 miles then up into a side channel for the rest of the day.  We start the engines at 0545 to beat the winds.  By 0930 the predicted winds do not occur and we decide to go with the current as the Strait is almost glass calm.  During our short boat confab Odile comes out of the cabin and tosses a small package to Pam.  Inside we find still warm crepes with a little sugar and lime!  Wonderful!  

Shortly after the decision to stay on the Strait Pam notices oil where it should not be.  We shut the motor off to see why oil is squirting out of the oil cap.  We spend 45 minutes trying to find what we think is a lost rubber gasket off of the oil cap.  Pam manufactures one from a piece of rubber from our ship’s projects box.  As she is putting it on the oil cap, to Carl’s chagrin, Pam finds that the cap does indeed still have its own gasket in place.  Carl tightens the cap, checks the oil, revs up the engine to see what happens at pressure and we are good to go.  We had changed the oil the night before and perhaps had filled the reservoir a tad too much.

Approaching Bonwick Island

Onward!  We continue to motor Johnstone Strait and turn into the current at Blackney Passage and wind our way through Swanson and Providence Passage.  We see one Orca and one Humpback whale!  What a treat!  By 2:45 we have made it to a delightful anchorage called Dusky Cove just off of Bonwick Island.  We feast again on oysters and clams, most likely our last for quite some time since most of the areas north of here are closed due to red tide or lack of personnel to test all the areas.

We spend two nights here and enjoy watching the eagles and seals nearby.  Odile sets a crab pot and nets the first keeper Dungeness of the trip.  The next day we dine on B Mondo for lunch.  One of the wonderful things about travelling with Walt and Odile are all of the things that Odile just “whips up” in her galley.  Today she has thrown the rest of the clams into a tasty clam chowder and oh by the way, just finished baking a nice loaf of bread.  To the bread we can add her homemade apple butter.  We are getting spoiled!

Sea salad and kelp on crab hotel

After lunch Carl and Pam head out in ET in search of rockfish.  We are anchored in a rockfish conservation area but about ½ mile away we can fish outside the rca and keep one rockfish a piece. 

We are also testing out Carl’s new toys.  We have downsized the dinghy but he has added a transducer and small chart plotter/fish finder like you often find on fishing kayaks.  We use this to make sure we are geographically outside the rca and at depths that we can catch and release the fish without damaging them. 

We fish along the edge of Arrow Channel.  Pam very quickly catches a nice sized rock sole (flounder).  What a fighter! Then she bags a good sized (18”) yellowtail rockfish.  Carl catches and releases numerous rockfish keeping a 14” copper rockfish keeper. 

Pam decides it is time to read her book for awhile.  We also enjoy watching a very small, old fashioned high sided sailboat sailing wing on wing to catch the light breeze.  They make their way in off the big water and glide slowly past us and our two anchored boats enjoying their day.

 

After a nice meal of 3 kinds of fish and salad we pour over the large chart to make our next day’s plan.  We decide to do a 40 mile run to Blunden Harbour, Morey’s Labyrinth or Skull to position ourselves for a move around Cape Caution the next day depending on the weather. 

Three more crabs are harvested, pots pulled, dinghies pulled as we prepare for a 0645 engines on tomorrow.

Dusky Cove at sunset