Princess Louisa Inlet Marine Park - June 22-26, 2014
Without a doubt Princess Louisa Inlet Marine Park should be on every boater's "Bucket List." Well, at least boaters in this neighbourhood. It is quite spectacular and humbling to be within the tall confines of the Inlet's mountains and to witness the power of the modest, but still impressive, Chatterbox Falls.
The Port Nut was accompanied by Red Ranger (from Washington State) crewed by John Knowlton and his dog, Sable. We left Vancouver's Vanier Park early afternoon, a late start, but the tides were unfavourable for launching any earlier. Our trip through English Bay was bumpy and the constant radio chatter was jarring to the ears on this Sunday afternoon. It was pleasant to finally leave it behind as we cruised up the Sunshine Coast. Just half a mile south of White Islets, there was a distress broadcast from Victoria Coast Guard and we let them know that we had diverted course and were 15 minutes away from the capsized canoeist. Within 10 minutes, we were stood down as the victim had been rescued.
We spent the night at Smuggler Cove Marine Park where we dined on a version of Portuguese cooking combined with some Chilean "Merlotte". The next day, waking up well rested, we cruised northwest past Pender Harbour and into Agamemnon Channel until finally docking at Egmont. Egmont is a very small community, but it comes alive in the summer with boaters heading to good fishing or to cozy cabins. Kayakers abound and they enjoy the thrill of playing in Sechelt Rapids at Skookumchuck Narrows. After lunch, we enjoyed a hike to see the rapids and to watch the kayakers perform. A new addition at the viewpoint there is a beautiful bench memorializing two Royal Canadian Marine Search And Rescue (RCM-SAR) volunteers who died in the rapids in June 2012 while conducting training activities. Returning to our boats, we felt the first drops of rain and the patter of it on the cabin roof lulled us to sleep that night.
The next morning, only sporadic showers remained of the modest system and the weather grew progressively better as we made the long run up Jervis Inlet to Princess Louisa. We took our time as we would arrive at Malibu Rapids before slack water. Enroute, we stopped to photograph a waterfall and to see a fish farm. The rain hadn't been heavy enough to make the waterfalls impressive, unfortunately.
On approach to Princess Louisa Inlet, we heard several boats announce their transit through Malibu Rapids and this encouraged us to think that there would be room to tie up at the dock. Contacting a sailboat that had exited, we were told that the flow was about 3 knots and so Red Ranger plunged into the stream. The passage is narrow but short. On approach to Camp Malibu, there is a turn to starboard and, after a straight stretch, a turn to port.
And here, at last, we were entering into Princess Louisa Inlet and the dramatic setting did not disappoint. Steep mountainsides on both shorelines have been likened to cathedral walls and the park itself, with Chatterbox Falls as the centre-piece, sits like an altar at the head of the inlet. Space remained for our two little boats at the end of the dock which was dominated by the large boats of a yacht club group. There is water at the dock but no power, which we don't tend to use at any rate. A short network of trails meanders through the sparse bit of lowland. The roar of the waterfall grows as one draws nearer and soon you are at it's foot getting bathed by the heavy mist that is thrown seaward by the cascade. Ferns and mosses dominate carpeting both the ground and the limbs of deciduous trees. The forest's under-story is lush and thriving, with wild berries offering a tangy treat to savour.
The next day, we retreated to the inlet's entrance with plenty of time to stop at Camp Malibu for a tour. It was built in 1940 by Thomas Hamilton who had made a fortune in aviation technology and sought to provide a refuge for the wealthy who wanted to get away. The retreat apparently didn't do well, so it was sold to Young Life, the non-denominational Christian organization that uses it as a youth camp. The buildings and grounds are lovingly kept and the organization is clearly a good steward of this lovely location.
The afternoon run down Jervis Inlet was uneventful except for one thing: a group of about 5 Orcas suddenly surfaced beside the Red Ranger which was a couple hundred metres ahead of me. They were gone as quickly as they came. A bit later, the Port Nut broke off to visit Vancouver Bay which contains a logging operation but nothing worthwhile seeing. The bay offers no protection from weather. Meanwhile, John was checking his emails which he reported to number 168! I recognize you have to express some sympathy for working people, but I know that I failed to hit the right level of pity with my response.
We spent another night at Egmont. This time at the Backeddy Marina which has a pub that is very capably managed by Haley. This woman was a delight and generous in her efforts to ensure our stay there was enjoyable. Unfortunately, their diesel delivery system was out of commission and so we had to refuel at Secret Cove the next day, the 26th. This was to be a marathon of a day, with departure from Egmont at 0600 hrs. After refueling at Secret Cove, we made another stop at Trail Islands for lunch. We then agreed to try to make it to Vancouver but half-way between Sechelt and Gibson's, we ran into a rough chop which made the last four hours of the trip quite uncomfortable. Much of that part of the run was made in 3 to 4 foot chop. It was a bit of an endurance test but by 1600 hours we were coming into Vanier Park once again. I hope that you enjoy these few photos.
The Port Nut was accompanied by Red Ranger (from Washington State) crewed by John Knowlton and his dog, Sable. We left Vancouver's Vanier Park early afternoon, a late start, but the tides were unfavourable for launching any earlier. Our trip through English Bay was bumpy and the constant radio chatter was jarring to the ears on this Sunday afternoon. It was pleasant to finally leave it behind as we cruised up the Sunshine Coast. Just half a mile south of White Islets, there was a distress broadcast from Victoria Coast Guard and we let them know that we had diverted course and were 15 minutes away from the capsized canoeist. Within 10 minutes, we were stood down as the victim had been rescued.
We spent the night at Smuggler Cove Marine Park where we dined on a version of Portuguese cooking combined with some Chilean "Merlotte". The next day, waking up well rested, we cruised northwest past Pender Harbour and into Agamemnon Channel until finally docking at Egmont. Egmont is a very small community, but it comes alive in the summer with boaters heading to good fishing or to cozy cabins. Kayakers abound and they enjoy the thrill of playing in Sechelt Rapids at Skookumchuck Narrows. After lunch, we enjoyed a hike to see the rapids and to watch the kayakers perform. A new addition at the viewpoint there is a beautiful bench memorializing two Royal Canadian Marine Search And Rescue (RCM-SAR) volunteers who died in the rapids in June 2012 while conducting training activities. Returning to our boats, we felt the first drops of rain and the patter of it on the cabin roof lulled us to sleep that night.
The next morning, only sporadic showers remained of the modest system and the weather grew progressively better as we made the long run up Jervis Inlet to Princess Louisa. We took our time as we would arrive at Malibu Rapids before slack water. Enroute, we stopped to photograph a waterfall and to see a fish farm. The rain hadn't been heavy enough to make the waterfalls impressive, unfortunately.
On approach to Princess Louisa Inlet, we heard several boats announce their transit through Malibu Rapids and this encouraged us to think that there would be room to tie up at the dock. Contacting a sailboat that had exited, we were told that the flow was about 3 knots and so Red Ranger plunged into the stream. The passage is narrow but short. On approach to Camp Malibu, there is a turn to starboard and, after a straight stretch, a turn to port.
And here, at last, we were entering into Princess Louisa Inlet and the dramatic setting did not disappoint. Steep mountainsides on both shorelines have been likened to cathedral walls and the park itself, with Chatterbox Falls as the centre-piece, sits like an altar at the head of the inlet. Space remained for our two little boats at the end of the dock which was dominated by the large boats of a yacht club group. There is water at the dock but no power, which we don't tend to use at any rate. A short network of trails meanders through the sparse bit of lowland. The roar of the waterfall grows as one draws nearer and soon you are at it's foot getting bathed by the heavy mist that is thrown seaward by the cascade. Ferns and mosses dominate carpeting both the ground and the limbs of deciduous trees. The forest's under-story is lush and thriving, with wild berries offering a tangy treat to savour.
The next day, we retreated to the inlet's entrance with plenty of time to stop at Camp Malibu for a tour. It was built in 1940 by Thomas Hamilton who had made a fortune in aviation technology and sought to provide a refuge for the wealthy who wanted to get away. The retreat apparently didn't do well, so it was sold to Young Life, the non-denominational Christian organization that uses it as a youth camp. The buildings and grounds are lovingly kept and the organization is clearly a good steward of this lovely location.
The afternoon run down Jervis Inlet was uneventful except for one thing: a group of about 5 Orcas suddenly surfaced beside the Red Ranger which was a couple hundred metres ahead of me. They were gone as quickly as they came. A bit later, the Port Nut broke off to visit Vancouver Bay which contains a logging operation but nothing worthwhile seeing. The bay offers no protection from weather. Meanwhile, John was checking his emails which he reported to number 168! I recognize you have to express some sympathy for working people, but I know that I failed to hit the right level of pity with my response.
We spent another night at Egmont. This time at the Backeddy Marina which has a pub that is very capably managed by Haley. This woman was a delight and generous in her efforts to ensure our stay there was enjoyable. Unfortunately, their diesel delivery system was out of commission and so we had to refuel at Secret Cove the next day, the 26th. This was to be a marathon of a day, with departure from Egmont at 0600 hrs. After refueling at Secret Cove, we made another stop at Trail Islands for lunch. We then agreed to try to make it to Vancouver but half-way between Sechelt and Gibson's, we ran into a rough chop which made the last four hours of the trip quite uncomfortable. Much of that part of the run was made in 3 to 4 foot chop. It was a bit of an endurance test but by 1600 hours we were coming into Vanier Park once again. I hope that you enjoy these few photos.