The Broughton Archipelago

 

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. 

They were swimming, jumping, and speeding through the water. We were unsure if they were playing or herding a school of fish. Regardless, they were fascinating and fun to watch. 

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.

Family Get Together in Nanoose Bay

 Family Get Together in Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island

We spent 6 - 8 August visiting with family at Alan's sister's cottage. Unfortunately the weather did not co-operate this year so we spent a lot of time visiting and enjoying great food and adult beverages.

These photos were taken when we visited last year and the weather was more conducive to outdoor activities.

Below is evidence that although the weather was not great, a fun time was had by all and surprisingly, adult beverages were a contributor.

Clearly, some of us are not destined for a role in Saturday Night Fever or Flash Dance!  

 

Princess Louisa Inlet & Chatterbox Falls

Chatterbox Falls – Princess Louisa Inlet

Princess Louisa Inlet with Chatterbox Falls at the end is one of our absolute favorite boating stops of all time.

I would like to dedicate this particular post to our friend, Mike Moody, who was a sailor, adventurer, a kind and true gentle man. Mike departed this world all too soon. He and his wife Sally visited  Princess Louisa Inlet & Chatterbox Falls, and like so many places, enjoyed the majestic serenity and natural beauty here. Mike, this one is for you!

We departed Buccaneer Bay shortly after 8am and arrived at Malibu Rapids shortly after 2pm. The six-hour run up the Agamemnon Channel, Prince of Wales Reach, Princess Royal Reach and Queen’s Reach was pretty benign. These bodies of water are fjord like with towering rock cliffs and water depth up to 1800 feet. There are virtually no protected anchorages or communities along this picturesque route.

Slack tide was not until 3:30pm so we cruised past the entrance to Malibu Rapids and further up Queens Reach. Just past the Malibu Lodge were several beautiful, large buildings, which we assumed were an extension of the Lodge property. 

The Bunkhouse!

Ming, the Park Ranger later informed us that they were all privately owned by Bob Goff, an American. Apparently he even built a cathedral there for his daughter’s wedding. 

As we cruised by we spied a cabin under construction way up the mountainside. I have no idea how one would reach it or how they could get building supplies there or any other supplies. It too, is owned by the same American.

Now that is remote!

Approaching entrance to Malibu Rapids

We approached the rapids entrance leading through to Princess Louisa Inlet and Chatterbox Falls slightly before slack low tide. 

Looking back at the dog-leg

 We encountered a 4-5 knot current on the nose as we transited the narrow, dog-leg rapids. Being a power vessel, we were able to overcome the current with a successful entry into a part of paradise.

It was late afternoon on a Friday when we arrived at the Princess Louisa Park dock. Surprisingly, there were only four or five boats tied up, but by mid evening, the dock was full. Generally, boats raft up at the dock during high season but due to Covid, rafting was not permitted.

The weather during our three-day stay was spectacular. Cloudless blue skies with plenty of sunshine. The local folks from BC are pretty hardy and were all in swimming in 69 degree water. 

The afternoon heat on day two coerced these two Texas woosies to take the plunge. 

Once the body recovered from the initial shock, the water was pleasantly refreshing. The water was brackish due to the volume of water coming from the many waterfalls.

With no phone or internet service, this truly is a magical, mystical place of serenity where one forgets the realities of this crazy world and regains some perspective and sanity.

We enjoyed 72 hours of tranquility in paradise, taking the trail through the rain forest to visit the infamous Chatterbox Falls and exploring in the dinghy, discovering the numerous waterfalls that are fed by the glacier and lake high above.

I will let the photos below speak for themselves.

Chatterbox Falls from the dock

On day two, a small cabin cruiser docked across from us and we met Anne Marie and Graham, who it turns out, are Alan's sister's next door neighbors. It's a small world!

As always, all good things must end and we are ready to head out tomorrow and head south for a few days.