Mission Accomplished




Blunden Harbour, Mainland B.C. Coast

 

From Jennis Bay on the western end of The Broughtons, we retraced our steps through Drury Inlet and Wells Passage, entering Queen Charlotte Strait and turned northwest.  Blunden Harbour was our destination for the day.  Well protected, Blunden Harbour is a popular stop for boaters who take refuge and wait for good weather before rounding Cape Caution.  We found only three other boats in the harbour since it was still fairly early in the season.  

Allison Harbour south of Cape Caution

The following morning the sea conditions were reported to be 4 feet at 10 second intervals, good news for rounding Cape Caution, but we wanted to see Allison Harbour and the inlets beyond Nakwakto Rapids, an area we hadn’t explored in previous years.  Allison Harbour is lovely and is another option for boaters looking for refuge or who want to round Cape Caution in shorter segments instead of in one long day.  A plan might be to anchor in Blunden Harbor, make the short run to Allison Harbour anchorage, round Cap Caution the next day and then anchor at Millbrook Cove in Smith Sound on the north side of Cape Caution, dividing the journey into three short segments.  We noticed two other boats arriving at Allison Harbour, one of which contacted us on the radio and mentioned that they planned to round Cape Caution early the following morning.  

Tug towing logs through Nakwakto Rapids

After visiting Allison Harbour, we turned up Schooner Channel towards Nakwakto Rapids.  We entered Schooner Channel 40 minutes before slack water at Nakwakto Rapids which allowed for the appropriate time of arrival.  Forested, narrow Schooner Channel had some current but was relatively tame.  Just before reaching Nakwakto Rapids, we encountered a tug towing a raft of logs.  With no room to squeeze by, we circled around a small islet allowing the tug to pass through the rapids as we came around and entered behind him.  Except for the tug, we found transiting the rapids to be a non-event.  Of course that’s the idea, you don’t want to go through when the firehose has been turned on!  

Nakwakto Rapids and Turret Rock (Trimble Island)

Nakwakto Rapids can attain speeds of 14.5 knots on large ebb tides and holds a record only second to Sechelt Rapids which can run at 16.5 knots.  One of the world’s fastest, Nakwakto Rapids should be transited only at slack.   Turret Rock lies in the middle of the small passage way and is known locally as Trimble Island.  The roar of the rapids gives the impression that Turret Rock is trembling.  As we passed by, we could see the names of boats that had been painted on boards and attached to trees on Trimble Island.  It’s a long-standing tradition, but getting to and from the island can pose a challenge.  We started laying plans as to how we might accomplish such a task when we came through again on the way back.  Once past Nakwakto Rapids, boaters have the choice of heading east into Nugent Sound or southeast into Seymour Inlet and Frederick Sound, or turn northeast into Belize Inlet with branches to Mereworth Sound and Alison Sound.  One thing is for sure, you will most likely be the only boat around, as this area is seldom visited by pleasure boaters and is extremely isolated and remote.  

Fjord-like Belize Inlet

We chose to traverse beautiful Belize Inlet, a fjord-like channel with steep mountains and numerous waterfalls.  

Pretty Falls in Belize Inlet

The roar of the waterfalls is the only sound in this remote area, we put the nose of Got d’ Fever up close to one of the falls and enjoyed the sights and sounds.  We marveled that this area was once home to the Nakwaktok people.  Two pictographs found in the area give evidence of their previous life here.  In the early 1800’s their main village was in Nugent Sound and by the late 1800’s had made the move to Blunden Harbour.  Thanks to the guidebook, “Cruising the Secret Coast” written by Jennifer and James Hamilton, a sister guidebook to the Waggoner Guide, we were able to find the first pictograph along Belize Inlet.  

Pictograph on Belize Inlet

The pictograph is located on the northern shore of Belize Inlet near the entrance into Alison Sound, this beautiful painting depicts a sailing ship and some canoes, men in the canoes appear to be holding rifles.  

Beautiful Alison Sound

Turning up Alison Sound, we followed the narrow, twisting channel lined with more mountain peaks and cascading waterfalls.  GPS coordinates led us to the second pictograph located on the north shore of Alison Sound, this pictograph shows a row of canoes and their leader.  What might this story be telling us?  

Pictograph on Alison Sound

Perhaps the Natives were coming to trade with the Europeans, or were they getting ready for a hunt?  Motoring to the end of Alison Sound, I couldn’t help but marvel over this large labyrinth of waterways behind and south of Cape Caution, hidden from view to the outside world.  Having reached the head of Alison Sound, a designated Indian Reserve, we backtracked a short distance to Summers Bay and anchored for the night.  The still quiet evening was interrupted only by the sound of a waterfall and the chirping of birds.  The following morning we made the long 30 nautical mile trek back to Nakwakto Rapids, leaving extra time to anchor nearby and attempt a dinghy landing at Turret Rock (Trimble Island).  We wanted to post our boat name on Trimble Island along with the others.  Temporary anchorage was found behind Harvell Islet on the northeast side of Seymour Inlet, within easy reach of the Rapids.  Harvell anchorage is tight and has a rocky bottom; and although the anchor was holding fairly well, we didn’t want to leave the boat unattended.  One of us stayed with the boat, while the other took the dinghy over to Turret Rock.  The dinghy was made ready with an extra-long painter line and a radio for communication was put aboard along with our boat sign, which we had prepared the night before.  Leonard departed for Nakwakto Rapids but returned within a few minutes reporting that the current was still too strong to safely go ashore, we would need to wait for another 30 minutes.  

Got d' Fever added to Turret Rock (Trimble Island)

After waiting for near slack water, he departed once again and radioed to tell me he had made it onto the island.  I continued to monitor the anchor watch on the mother ship, making sure we weren’t dragging anchor and drifting outside the circle of safety.  Within a few minutes, I saw Leonard returning with the dinghy and a big smile on his face; mission accomplished.  He was successful in attaching our boat sign to a tree.  “Getting onto the island was easy; it was walking on the island that was hard!”  Turret Rock is so overgrown that he nearly sank into a hole in the undergrowth.  Safely back aboard, we quickly drew up the dinghy and got underway arriving in time for perfect slack at Nakwakto Rapids; we proudly took photos of our boat name as we cruised past ‘Trimble Island.’  Heading west through Slingsby Channel on a 2-kott ebb current, we were spit out to sea and turned north to round Cape Caution.  Conditions around the Cape weren’t the best but were acceptable with 6 to 7 foot waves at 11 second intervals.  

Millbrook Cove in Smith Sound

We circled around the north end of Cape Caution, entering Smith Sound and anchored for the night at Millbrook Cove having accomplished our goal.