Broughton Archipelago
The Broughton Archipelago is situated to the east of Queen Charlotte Strait, just south of Broughton Island and northwest of Gilford Island. Much of this archipelago is now a marine park.
One cruising editor wrote “our journal, written at anchor
after a day of exploring, reads, “a marvelous group of islands and passages,
but few good anchorages.” This trip is
an exploration trip for us to check out places we might visit and spend more
time on subsequent visit. We shall see if we concur with the above quote from a
cruising editor.
Booker Lagoon – 22 August
After 3 days of steady to heavy rain, we upped anchor and departed Nimmo Bay, heading southwest to Booker Lagoon. Our travels took us down Mackenzie Sound, where we saw many seals lazing on an exposed rock, even though it was cool and no sunshine.
We continued through Kenneth Passage just before slack, low tide. It was benign, but we did encounter some swirls and current on the far side, where we saw the Roaring Rapids frothing and spilling out behind us.
Continuing down Grappler Sound and Wells Passage, we entered Queen Charlotte Strait and on into Cullen Harbour, another safe anchorage and respite from Queen Charlotte Strait. Continuing through Cullen Harbour, we entered the narrow channel leading us into the land locked, expansive Booker Lagoon.
The lagoon provides safe
anchorage for a huge number of boats in its many bights and coves and one could
easily spend a week here, exploring the many coves.
The day was
mostly cloudy, and the west wind was cold for us Texans. The sun made a brief
appearance later in the day, so we enjoyed happy hour on our back deck. Alan
described this photo as brrrr Broughtons!
Next
morning, we awoke to low tide and watched a bear forage along the shoreline in
our anchorage. He/she turned over large rocks, looking for mussels, crabs and anything edible beneath.
After upping
anchor, we cruised around some of the coves whilst waiting for slack tide and a
smooth passage through the narrow channel and out into Cullen Harbour. Prior to
exiting Booker Lagoon, we saw four more separate bear sightings in different coves.
Monday Anchorage & Joe Cove - 23
August
We anchored in Monday Anchorage and explored the area by dinghy, including nearby Joe Cove. Both were very picturesque, but we were not confident that the holding would be good in Joe Cove, so opted for the picturesque Monday Anchorage, even though it was more exposed to winds from the west. The west wind blows off Queen Charlotte Strait and is noticeably colder than farther east, which was the case during our cool but enjoyable stay.
Prior to anchoring in Monday Anchorage, we checked out Joe Cove and were greeted by a school of porpoises as we departed the cove.
The old float in Joe Cove is past its best before date and no longer safe or useable.
We later returned by dinghy and found at least 30 porpoises performing at the head of Joe Cove.
During our decades of boating and numerous dolphin encounters, we have not witnessed so many in such proximity.
Today was a
wildlife bonanza with four bear sightings in Booker Lagoon this morning and the
dolphin experience in Joe Cove!
The holding here was good with a mud/sand bottom and we spent a calm, peaceful night.
Potts Lagoon – 24 & 25 August
We headed
into Potts Lagoon to check out anchorage possibilities. The actual lagoon lies
beyond the anchorage. It is shallow but great for kayaks. There are several
suitable anchorages, and depending on wind direction, some offer better protection
than others. Holding is good with a mud bottom. There is room for many boats to
swing on anchor, although we did not see another soul during our stay. It was a
peaceful anchorage.
There used
to be a log boom operation here and all except the loading dock has been
removed. The ramp and dock are in good condition and provide cruisers with an
opportunity to get ashore and stretch their legs along the logging roads, some
of which are becoming overgrown.
The anchorage at the far southwest end offers the most protection and is lined with rustic float cabins, some of which are available for rent and ideal for fishermen. These just add character to the area.
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