Off from Bishop Bay, refreshed by our hot tub soak we had short day ahead. The wind picked up as we entered Grenville Channel for the last straight run toward Prince Rupert. A little breezey for fishing at Lowe inlet so we continued up the channel toward Klunugget. The back bay provided some welcome relief from the wind and we settled in for dinner. First Aunty Betty and the Captain went off to do some bird watching. Sadly our last night on the hook before Prince Rupert, where did the time go!!
We slip out of Work Bay under another sunny sky, feeling a little guilty as no work was done in Work Bay, only a nice relaxing evening with my Aunts, Uncle and their close friend Norma. Today takes us up the narrow reaches of the inside passage, first stop is visit to Swanson Bay. A short lived mill town at the turn of the century only some rotting pilings and a brick chimney poking through the trees gives hints of it’s existance. Some of the crew went to shore for some exploring and beach glass collecting while the Captain, Uncle Gerry and Aunt Pat went prowling the corner for some dinner. And dinner we hooked, 4 lings and a couple of rock fish, nice job. The last 10 lb ling almost became dinner for about a 50 lb ling who reluctantly let go at the boat, thank goodness. We finished the day with a visit from a humpback whale and then a relaxing soak in the hot springs at Bishop Bay. About as good as it gets!!
06:40 and the anchor was up and we were away for Shearwater and then on to Ocean Falls. Once again the sun shone and we crossed Hakai Pass and into Fitz Hugh Channel. Out first wildlife encounter for the day was a little unexpected as we spotted a small buck swimming from the mouth of Hakai Pass to the Mainland. A long swim and we wondered if the wolves had chased him into the water. In any event as we passed in front of him he changed his mind and set a course for the nearest island. We hoped he didn’t get a hungry reception on his return. Into Lama Passage and a stop for lunch at Shearwater. Everyone got to stretch their legs, some provisioning by the crew and we were on our way to Ocean Falls. Nice day to squeeze through Gun Boat Passage and into Cousins Inlet. Never know what to expect in Ocean Falls however things remain unchanged fro our last visit. The dock was in great shape and the town was it’s ghostly self. Hard to believe the it was the home of the rain people as the sun shone brightly on us. Everyone had a good walk and the crab traps were set.
We awoke to a clear sky and a great forecast. Although the ship was tied down tight the crossing promised to be a smooth one. Seas of less than a meter, light winds and good tides, perfect planning by the skipper ( some luck added) as we were abeam Cape Caution at 07:30. At 9:45 we were abeam Cape Calvert and we left the open water behind with barely a ripple on our morning coffee. Our destination was Pruth Harbour with a walk to the beach for a hot dog roast. 13:00 and our anchored splashed in to the bay. I delivered out guests to the shore to walk to the beach and Deb and I cleaned up and prepared the evening hot dog roast for the beach. What a night, warm breezes, a nice fire and a hot dog roasted on a stick while we watched the waves on the white sand beach. Always our favorite evening in nice weather and this one did not disappoint. Back to the boat with a happy crew and a thank you to mother nature for providing such a nice evening.
Another beautiful day and we left Lagoon Cove and headed into Knights Inlet and the calm waters of Tribune Channel. For the second time we were treated to an escort of white sided dolphins. This time they put on a spectacular show while they played in the wake, rode the bow and jumped and splashed all around us for about 30 minutes. A great start to the day. We decide to make a short lunch stop at Echo Bay and have a quick visit with Pierre if he was in. We caught him busy preparing for the summer with a new gathering place being built for his famous pig roasts and the docks and buildings looking great. We hope he has an outstanding summer with lots of visitors. From Echo Bay we made the leisurely back water cruise to Sullivan Bay. Not too hard to find on spot on their expansive docks but it was early and they are also anticipating a busy year. The sun came out for our dock party and we were treated to a great evening with a lovely sunset walk on the dock.
Away early to make the best of the tides we left Shoal Bay and headed for one of our favorite stops in Lagoon Cove. Sunny again as we pushed through Green Point Rapids and into Johnston Strait. A little westerly kicked up but it did not deter our guests from assuming their position on the top deck. Determined not to miss a thing they weathered the wind and the odd shower while they watched and recorded the birds and wildlife along the way. The westerly winds subsided and we motored past Port Harvey and into the narrow Chatham Channel on our way into Lagoon Cove. Arriving at 4 pm we were just in time for a short walk and a visit before gathering on the Dock for the traditional Pot Luck. The highlight is always Bill’s catch of prawns and we were not disappointed. Good to see Bill and Jean looking well and their place was immaculate as always. I know they are trying to sell but it will be a sad day indeed when they are no longer there to greet us. Best of luck to them both.
Monday morning broke under clear skies and calm winds as we fired up the big Volvo and slipped our lines in Campbell River for the trip to Prince Rupert. Our guests were my aunt Pat, my Uncle Gerry and his wife Betty, and their good friend Norma. We were thrilled to have them aboard and looked forward to a great trip and a chance to catch up with family as we traversed the beautiful inlets and coastline of the west coast. First destination was Shoal Bay where Mark Macdonald hosts guest at his dock and cabins in a beautiful setting. We rounded Cape Mudge and as we came abeam Cortes Island we were greeted by a huge school of white sided dolphins, awesome to watch as they rushed by us in pursuit of their dinner. Sliding through the slack tide waters of Dent Island Rapids it was hard to believe that these waters are some of the most turbulent salt water rapids in the world with giant whirlpools and speeds of up to 14 kts on a bit tide. Once through we entered Shoal Bay for our first evening of exploring. Out went the crab pots and then off to visit with Mark. A great first day and evening!!
April 19th saw us leaving Genoa Bay after much painting and sprucing up on the Thunder. She looked great despite the ability for me to create a rain shower everytime I picked up a paint brush. Off to Nanaimo for our annual Transport Canada Coast Guard Inspection. Once again the Thunder passed the rigorous inspection required by the Coast Guard for a vessel of our size to carry and berth overnight guests. From Nanaimo we motored under sunny skies to Comox for a short visit with friends and family before preceeding on to Campbell River where we would depart with our guests for the cruise north. One small detail to complete before we headed north and that was the marriage of Deb’s son Mike to his beautiful Bride Kelly. The wedding took place on Quadra Island at the beautiful Taku Resort. A short cruise from Campbell had us on the dock at the resort and Deb hosted the wedding guests on the Friday evening with a halibut BBQ on the beach. What a treat. Although the weather was typical cool west coast the ceremony was beautiful and the odd rain drop did nothing to deter from an wonderful day. It was all over to soon and we headed back to Campbell River to begin our season.
2012
The winter of 2011 and 2012 was spent once more by the Thunder 1 in the beautiful Victoria Inner Harbour. It is hard to know where the time goes but it certainly flies by and the 2012 Fishing and Cruising season is upon us once again. The winter was good to us both with lots of visits with family and friends. Sadly I lost my father Bruce Emery on March 14th , 2012. He passed quietly in the night after a full and rich life of 83 years. I had the chance to visit with him often this winter and had the rare opportunity to say to him all the things we want to, but often do not get the chance. I will miss him. Deb kept busy with her culinary pursuits and took cooking courses and used me as the food tester, what a great job for me. I am sure our guests aboard the Thunder will be thrilled with the food once more. We left Victoria on 6th under sunny skies and calm winds as we proceeded toward Genoa Bay and our usual tune up for the year.
Away at 0730 we left Port Hardy under a high overcast and calm winds. Good tides helped us along as we slid by the colorful village of Sointula and Alert Bay into Johnstone Straight. Lots of fish boats on the move as the Gillnet fleet worked their nets for late season Chums. Planning on Port Neville for the night we made good time and dicided to push on to Forward harbour. Arriving with a stiff NW wind on our stern we entered the placid waters of Forward Harbour at 1800 and dropped the hook for a quiet night on the hook.
October 1st, definetly fall on the north coast as we left for a date with slack tide at Seymour Narrows. Once the most dangerous reef on the coast Ripple Rock is not the hazard it was however big tides meant currents in excess of 13 kts and lots of whirlpools so the Thuneder with it’s 8 kt max needs slack water to navigate through. At least 30 sport fishing boats hugged the point just north of the narrows as we slid by on a changing tide and made our way into Discovery Marina for the night.
0800 and the weather report was a go for crossing Queen Charlotte Sound. Light winds forecast but a good lump, 2.5 meter seas left over from the previous blow meant a sunny day but some good swells to contend with. Making our 15th crossing we have found our best routes to mitigate the roll and taking a long SW course after Cape Calvert we bobbed our way under sunny skies towards Cape Caution. At 1330 we passed the Cape and made a slight course change for Port Hardy. A good day the swell continued to fall throughout the day and we reached the calm waters of Port Hardy Harbour with nary a glass broken. Alongside the Quarter Deck marina for the night and a layover day the next day as the SE winds were forecast to kick up again. Nice to be back on the south coast!!
The next day proved windy but mostly sunny and warm. We took the time for provisioning, an oil change on the main and hooked up a new sounder on the bridge. Nice to be tied up for the day and catch up on a few loose ends. The following day looked good and we would shove off early for a trip down Johnstone Str.
Our first night on the hook in the upper Dean Channel proved to be a long night. Although it looked well protected Carlson inlet with its towering peaks and narrow channel proved a windy and sleepless night for the Captain. The anchor held but it daylight was a welcome site so that we could get on our way. What a minefield the Dean and Bourke Channels proved to be. A week of heavey rain had washed tons of trees big and small into our path and the day was filled with lots of dodging, dekeing and sneaking around all the debris. A little hard on the eyes we managed to miss most of debris and pushed our way into Fitz Hugh Sound with our eye on Fish Egg inlet for the night. 1800 saw us drop the hook in the still waters of Fish Egg and the crew was happy to call it a day and enjoy a glass of wine before turning our thoughts to the next days crossing. A window was open but not for long so a quick listen to the weather in the morning would determine our course of action for the day.
Sept 20th.
Awoke to sunshine and light winds. Left the Thunder on the hook in the Bay and stayed in Deb’s brothers cabin at the Dean. No roughing it here as the gen provides lots of juice for the big screen TV, internet and hot tub. We donned our waders and headed to the river. Beautiful morning, sockey, pinks and coho all spawning in the crystal clear waters of the Lower Dean River. Up to the cedar hole with a few whistles to let the Grizzly Bears know we were here to fish also. A magic morning with no one in sight we hooked up a few Northern Coho and some Sockeye as well. As the day drew to a close the rain started and a quick look at the forecast did not bode well for the next few days. The forecast proved to be correct as the next week brought rain, rain, wind, more rain and wind. Relatively protected from the wind we were not spared from the rain and the river washed out the following morning and the crystal clear waters of the first day turned into a milky torrent of trees and boulders bouncing down the canyon. With a watchful eye on the Thunder every day we spent the time visiting, playing cards, and eating, no lack of fresh crab , prawns and salmon at the Dean. We kept wathcing the long range forecast for a window to continue our journey south but day after day the wind raged on the outside with winds reaching hurricane force one day and seas of up to 12 meters forecast. Happy to be far from that we still were getting a little anxious to get on our way. Finally a break showed a couple of days off and with a hurried departure we bid quick goodbye to family and friends and set course down the milky upper Dean channel for our date with the open water and Cape Caution.
Sept 18th.
Not always sunny in Ocean Falls we remained on the Dock as the wind and rain revealed what the inlet is more known for. Wow what a rain fall. Little did we know that this was the begining a pattern that would follow us for the next 10 days.
Sept 19th.
Our last nice day for awhile we set course for the upper Dean Channel and Kimsquit Bay to visit Deb’s Brother and wife at our property on the Dean River. A first for the Thunder we enjoyed a beautiful day as we wound our way up the inlet deep into the coastal mountains and out of radio communication with just about everyone. Our voyage took us by the historic landmark and cairn that marks where Alexander Mckenzie made the first overland crossing of Canada, July 22nd, 1793. As we reached Kimsquit Bay and hailed our family at the camp the sun was warm and we were excited about a day of fishing for northern Coho on the fabled Dean River.
