Travels of "Emma B" (JD powered Helmsman)

[Durant F]

The trip back is different as it requires about a 2 hour wait once through Whirlpool and Green Point rapids before entering Dent, Gillards and the Yuks.
Timing Whirlpool right meant a very early start to the day but it was a beautiful morning! Once through both, it was a quiet run down to Shoal Bay to tie up and kill some time. Shoal Bay is a beautiful spot with views directly up Fredericks Arm that continually change. Mark owns the property and has a small bar, beautiful gardens and a yearly folk festival.
I made quite the arrival! So used to docking alone, I made the perfect approach, nudged the dock sideways like a pro, was talking to a fellow boat who came t assist and when I went out back to grab a line, realized I was idling in reverse!
OOPS...
Oh well, no harm other than my ego. I joked “don’t try this at home, I’m a trained professional”.
I then mentioned that with boating, you’re either watching the show or you are the show. Guess it was my turn to be the show.
A short time later, another boater left the dock on his trawler. Just as his painter tightened up on his dingy, the knot came undone and his dingy was left behind.
Felt better as I was back watching the show

Pics
Just getting underway
Shoal Bay
View up Fredericks Arm

 

[dhays]

Beautiful shots! I keep showing them to my wife lobbying for a trip further North someday.

 

[Durant F]

Hopefully these next pics will help you get up here Dave

After waiting, it was a slow passage to time Dent. This one intimidates me the most.
The trip there from Shoal Bay takes you through the beautiful intersection of Cordero Channel and Fredericks Arm. I have had amazing dolphin and porpoise encounters here over the years! Once, over 200 dolphin, another time, about 12 porpoises stayed with the boat for over 45 minutes playing in the wake! Seldom do you not see any and I wasn’t disappointed this trip.
Note...I screwed up... the bay seen when looking out from Shoal bay is Philips Arm...Not Fredericks Arm.
This intersection is Fredericks Arm.
Simply beautiful and typically a extremely high chance of adolphin or porpoise encounter.
Next was Dent rapids. I timed it for about a 3 knot flow and a few twirlies did knock me around more than 4 knots did at Green Point, but I expected it.
Shortly after was Gillards rapid with the sea lion colony on Jimmy Judd Island... right at the narrows. Then...up through the twirlies at Yuks
It’s an adventure but the 3 can be taken with relative ease in a 3 knot flow.
From there things settled down and was relatively boring up to Gorge Harbour for the evening.
Gorge harbour is a beautiful place. Extremely well built docks, impeccable grounds...a super nice spot to be! The grounds truly are beautiful!
Fuel, propane, small restaurant and a funky store complete the picture.
Great winter rates too!

Pics
Fredericks Arm
Sea Lion colony at Gillards
Entrance to Gorge Harbour
The marina

 

[dhays]

Very nice Frank.

 

[Durant F]

Was thinking how truly blessed we are to have the ability to see these things that such an extremely small percentage of the population ever will. There are no roads. Cruise ships don’t explore the back waters of the Broughtons or Desolation Sound.
The only way to see these stunning landscapes is by boat or plane..... pretty hard to cook, entertain and sleep on a plane.
Yep...we are blessed.
Hope you’re getting out and using yours.

 

[Durant F]

From Gorge Harbour on Cortes I’m headed south to meet friends in Sechelt, from there we will cruise in tandem to Vancouver. I struck me that this truly is an amazing cruising area as you can be in the remote Broughtons and a short time later be anchored down town in a metropolitan city, walking around funky Granville Island with its huge international market and unique shops.
My first stop S was Powell River. They have a great municipal marina. It’s reasonable, has laundry, super clean washrooms, a great chandlery just up the street a couple of hundred yards, complete with an in-house rigger if you need a splice properly done etc and is basically almost “down town”.
Take bus “2 Grief Point” to get you up to the mall with a large grocery store, Walmart, well stocked liquor store, various shops and a “Canadian Tire” store across the parking lot. The best fuel prices around are right here too at Westview Harbour fuels. The marina is right on the Strait of Georgia and has a totally manmade Stone breakwater for protection. BC ferry’s come in right beside so you will see both small and massive ferry’s in/out through the day.
Just S is Grief Point and it’s well named. Seems winds either blow NW or SE here and if SE, once you round grief point you have wind and waves on the nose. There is currently a gale warning so I’m holed up enjoying some lazy time aboard. Laundry, changed engine zincs and generally took 3 times longer to do things than needed. Ive been putting some miles on and sometimes a few lazy days are the needed.

Pics are the harbour.
The fishing fleet is quite the mix of wooden, fibreglass and aluminium hulls.

 

[Nomad Willy]

We were on that same float about two weeks ago .. behind you so to speak.

 

[Durant F]

I would have loved to see your boat Eric.
They’re awesome

 

[dhays]

Westview is a great place. I was there in high season a couple years ago and was impressed by how helpful and professional the marina staff were. The whole town was really friendly. A great coffee shop a couple blocks up the street, I think they open up at 6:00am.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Re Westview I haven’t seen so much rafting since we left Alaska.

 

[Durant F]

Yes...
After labour day it thins out and dock space gets easy but both here and Lund can get hectic during hi season.
They always raft up the fishing boats to save space. They pay a lower rate as well.

 

[Durant F]

Whatever happened to boats with a “soul”?
You know what I mean.....
The Willard’s come close for a more modern day boat.
Even my Camano, with its “crew boat”, work boat styling isn’t too bad...
But truthfully, extremely few boats even come even that close...

There are still quite a few woody’s at Powell River.
Torshavn has always caught my eye. It has soul!!
Not sure the year or who built her, but the long, narrow, double end styling and small house is reminiscent of the earlier Japanese built fishing boats. These glide through the water with minimal power and barely leave a wake.
Speaking of power, she has a pristine, restored old Easthope engine. Freshly painted green block and head with all bronze pieces polished to a shine. It truly is a work of art.
I never walk by this boat with out a good once over, and look back.
Ever wonder if 50-60 years from now that generation will look at our boats (the ones still going) and take a second look, a look back....and say “man, that boat has soul”
I doubt it...

 

[Rebel112r]

Great freshwater at Westview also. Don’t like the hills!

 

[Durant F]

Yep.....everything is up hill here!
That’s how I know how I compare to the year before.....at what point uphill do I start puffing.
Funny....I was filling the water tanks as you posted that.
Looks like I’m stuck here another day. Getty dock fever and want to move but it was blowing a gale today, waves 5-6ft and a 5 second period. Tomorrow winds to 25 again... no fun on the Strait of Georgia so I’ll get busy at something.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Well you’re not stuck out someplace swing’in on the hook.
I took pics of the same boat as you in post 192.

 

[Durant F]

Killing time, bored, so I thought I’d give the floors, dash and anything else wood inside a really good cleaning and tackle the head compartment too.
Gotta love little boats for cleaning.
A hands and knees once through with a good wipe of things above floor level and a thorough head cleaning took all of 22 minutes! Now I feel lazy for not doing it more often.
Yep, small does have some advantages...
Speaking of that, being stuck here the last few days are costing lots less than the 42ft across from me,

 

[Durant F]

Finally underway again. Was fueled up and out by 9am heading to visit boating friends in Sechelt. Will go up and around Egmont, then time the Skookumchuck rapids. Slack is 3:45 today and I’ll catch the flood all the way to their dock, about 17 miles later. The Skooks can get crazy. YouTube videos of both surfing and tug boats sinking in whirlpools. I’m counting on close to slack.
Feels great to be underway.

 

[Durant F]

The “Back Eddie” bar and marina are about 1-1/2 miles before the Skooks.
I’m early so tied up and figure I’ll have a rum to calm my nerves and kill time.
Very handy spot here. Friendly folks, bar, restaurant and the funky marina. A little store too. They have the odd band and open mike nights too.

Emma B at their docks just now

 

[Rebel112r]

We went thru the Skooks a few years back for the first time. Checked the books, the electronics, we were a little anxious. Left a the dock, caught the slack, and there in the middle of the rapids, was a guy fishing in a small Lund boat, not a worry in the world. No more anxiety that day.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Durant,
Is post 198 in Egmont?
I want to go there.
Not many places to anchor.

 

[Durant F]

Yep, just around the corner from Egmont point.
Good staging for Princess Louisa

 

[Durant F]

Yes...too funny how calm with few twirlies they can be at slack.....and how absolutely crazy at full run!

 

[Durant F]

Pics of Salmon Inlet on the way down just now.
Gotta love the double rainbow!

 

[ghost]

Travels of "Emma B" (JD powered Helmsman)

Funny story about Egmont. We stopped there in 2010 on the way to Princess Louisa. I’m walking around, checking out the store and the pub, telling everyone it was my first time I’d ever visited Egmont. Then I walked out back of the restaurant and I see this doorway, when the hair stands up on the back of my neck and I immediately feel cold. I was alone at the time.

About 5 years prior I had been part of a field trip where we hauled a few vans worth of Helium and other mixed gas up to Egmont and took video of some giant sponges at around 250 feet in depth along Agamemnon. Sponges bigger than me, you could kind of crawl in one, just incredible. Not sure anybody had ever photographed them in their native environment before, other than pulling one up from the depths on a grapnel. But, It’s a long ways from help, you don’t want to get hurt there. My unlucky number of course came up that trip and I ended up collapsing in the doorway of the gas shop with an arterial gas embolism. Anyway, it eventually turned out alright and that’s where my diving days ended. For years I had told people that we were in Lund and that’s where my mind had patched my memory. When I saw that door, it all sort of flooded back. Really freaked me out. My mind had blanked out the whole thing.

So every time I go to Egmont, I take a fresh walk and photo of that stupid doorway. Still makes me shiver.

Egmont!

Go visit my door and pay it homage.

 

[koliver]

For those who have not passed through the Skookumchuk, a visit should be on your to do list. Before taking your boat through, stop at Egmont and walk down to view the rapids at full ebb or full flood. Best if you can time your visit for the biggest change, or the fastest current. Very cool, especially if there is small boat fishing or a couple of river kayaks playing in the rapids.
Viewing the video of the tug flipping a few years ago demonstrates the power of those big currents. You should also be aware of the deaths in 2012 of 2 of our RCMSAR volunteers on a training exercise in the rapids.
Don't ever get complacent while transiting the narrows, even at slack water.

Once through, the cruising is among the most scenic along the BC coast.

 

[Durant F]

Yes Kieth...you are so right.
Even timed at slack, we got turned and bumped about. Simply couldn’t imagine an hour before or after....

 

[Durant F]

ghost....
250 feet is a very deep specialty dive.
What were you using?
Must be very dark at that depth in these waters.
Glad it turned out ok in the end
Next stop there, I take a pic of your door.....

 

[Durant F]

Was able to raft up at the marina where my buddy John keeps his boat. We will be pairing up cruising for a week or so in a few days. Have had may good times with him on the old trawler, this will be the first time joining with his new Helmsman 43. Had forgotten how big the full width salon feels on the 43 but it’s the pilot house I like best. Will be a rare sight to see 2 Helmsman vessels cruising together in Canadian waters. Hope to be in Vancouver mid next week.


Raft up
Big John
Pilot house

 

[Fletcher500]

Frank, I need to retire so I can travel as much as you. Nice to see another 43 on the Forum.

 

[Durant F]

Yep.....retirement is good. Year 3 now for me.
John was showing me some of their earlier cruise pictures.
I just love this shot of him and Marian on the bench, looking up Narrows Inlet, their Helmsman 43 out front. Awesome pic!