From Waddington Bay we made a short trip of 12 nm to Cullen Harbour. We spent some extra time south of Broughton Island where we could receive a cell service and caught up on email and internet use.
The weather since leaving Campbell River has been OK, but we would have been pleased with it better. In twelve days, there have been four mostly sunny days, and the rest were overcast with intermittent rain. As Ginny heard at the grocery store, “if you don’t like rain, don’t come to a rain forest”.
Even with the marginal weather this is a gorgeous place to cruise. There are numerous anchorages, three or four “resorts” and two towns for provisioning.
The wildlife viewing was great. We’ve seen bald eagles, dolphins, porpoises, humpback whales, and sea otters. There are black and grizzly bears here, although we have yet to spot any.
The number of logs and trees in the water has been incredible. Hardly ten minutes will go by without altering course to dodge big and small chunks of wood. Especially fun in dense fog!
After eight days anchored out, we went into Port McNeill for provisions, fuel, water, laundry, restaurant food, and a haircut. The weather for the two days was great with partly sunny skies and temperature in the 70’s.
From Port McNeill we left early headed for Lagoon Cove, a small family run resort. There are a few trails for hiking and at five o’clock a potluck happy hour with all the prawns you can eat. Getting together is an enjoyable time meeting fellow boaters and talking about various adventures and experiences.
From Lagoon Cove we plan to head west about 15 nm to Mound Island anchorage. Mound Island is near Blackfish Sound where we hope to catch chinook salmon. After a couple of days, we will start working our way back to the San Juan Islands.
Sailing First Light 