Part 7, Princess Louisa Inlet



June 8-16, 2005. Torpedo practice and sonar testing by the Canadian Maritime Forces forced Safari to detour around the WG (“Whiskey Golf”) Test Range during our otherwise calm 25 mile crossing of the Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and mainland Canada. For a while we had beautiful and secluded Smuggler Cove all to ourselves, but later on a few other boats came in and anchored in other nooks behind small islets. I dropped a crab pot in Buccaneer Bay and fished a bit in Welcome Passage without success in either endeavor. The next day we tied to the town dock at Madeira Park in Pender Harbor where we met new friends, exchanged boat visits and had a lively dinner at Garden Bay.



Dick and Barbara McAuliffe landed with a splash courtesy of Tofino Air and stepped aboard Safari for an afternoon voyage to the Egmont town dock. From there we made the two-and-a-half hour round-trip hike to the Skookumchuck Rapids to view the largest salt water rapids in the hemisphere. The trail has been improved but it is definitely longer than before. On the way back we observed a tiny vole gathering moss for his bed. I bought two pounds of prawns from a commercial shrimper who explained that prawns from these waters are too valuable for the U.S. and Canadian markets. The prawns are packed whole and sent to Japan for sushi bars where they sell for $5 to $8 a piece. If a whisker or leg is missing he breaks off the head and freezes them for his own consumption.



The next morning a 5:30 departure allowed us to enter Malibu Rapids three hours later at slack water. And thus we entered Princess Louisa Inlet—the “holy grail” for cruising people from all over the world. Mother Nature must have created Princess Louisa Inlet with Chatterbox Fall at its head as a reward for boaters for putting up with all of her bad moods because the only way to experience this astonishing place is by boat. Dozens of waterfalls refreshed by recent rains and snow melt cascaded down sheer mile-high cliffs.



At the picturesque Harmony Islands we celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary with freshly picked oysters and champagne while hummingbirds sipped nectar from each flower in a bouquet on the cockpit table. An aggressive pair of Canada geese on welfare came to teach their half grown gosling how to beg and boarded the swim platform when we refused to contribute to his delinquency. Yummy fried oysters and eggs for breakfast.



Our normally accurate electronic charts showed that we anchored on dry land behind scenic Musket Island. And then as the tide dropped many uncharted rocks appeared. This area must be the source of the photos of fine yachts sitting high and dry atop a rock that greatly amuse the locals. Fortunately, we have no such photos of Safari to share. On our dinghy ride around Blind Bay questions arose regarding who might have carved ancient steps into stone leading to a bluff with a commanding view of the entrances to the bay.



We said goodbye to the McAuliffe’s at Westview and continued on to Desolation Sound where we anchored in pleasant Squirrel Cove, Cortes Island. The next morning our timing worked out so that we easily passed through the Yaculta, Gillard and Dent rapids and pulled into the dock at Blind Channel. The resort at Big Bay has been sold and the docks have been towed away. We hiked up to the 800 year old cedar tree with a diameter of 16 feet. The trail is pretty much the same as it was three years ago but they have moved the tree farther up the mountain. I swear, if you are going to see all of these natural wonders you’d better do it soon before they put them all out of reach.