Grenville Channel to Bella Bella - We're blogging from Port McNeill, BC

We're in Port McNeill. Got in Friday August 15 after picking our way thru the fog from Beaver Bay.

This is an old Steam Donkey from the logging days. It's the center piece of Port McNeill Harbour.

George, blogging at the laundramat.... complimentary wireless. As many folks internet here as do laundry. At current count: 3 launderers, 5 interneters.... and there may be some computers fired up in the parking lot to boot.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Going back to where the last blog left off - August 5.

We anchored in East Inlet off Grenville Channel on Aug 5 and set our trap in neighboring Harriott Bay. We had no luck attracting crabs. George stowed the trap for the next try.

We had a beautiful sunny passage thru Grenville Channel.




First mate enjoying the sunshine.... still learning the art of self portraiture with camera. Daughter Jennie is a pro...





Waterfall in sunny Grenville Channel August 7.











We spent the night of August 6 at Hartley Bay. Quiet visit there. Not as much activity as we saw last year while visiting this First Nation village. Weather went from marine layer to fog to sun.


Leaving Hartley Bay morning Aug 7. Most mornings have been marine layer or just plain fog.

Our summer has been
June-uary
Jul-ember
Fog-gust

Most afternoons clear and give us sun.

August 7 afternoon we pulled up to Butedale, a former fish cannery. It operated from 1911 - 1966.

We got a great tour of the grounds from Gordon, a 12 year old spending the summer with his "uncle" Lou. He was a very precocious young man. Most adult in his narration and very well studied of the cannery and all the details. We really enjoyed the day with him, as well as the bonfire at night.

Teal tied "carefully" to some pilings under the planks on the dock. The surges coming in from the channel are quite healthy at times.

Note the budding forest on the roof..

Lou the caretaker has cabins for rent that are often used by kayakers. This one is not currently available, but we're sure it once was a lovely cottage by the sea.


Gordon was anxious to show us the lake. As it turns out taking "tourists" up is the only time he gets to fish there, cause there's too much for Lou to do around the place to go with him and he is not allowed to go alone. The fact he took the bear spray with us indicates why he doesn't go alone. No bears this trip, but we saw fresh wolf tracks and we stirred up a pair of wild grouse.

It was quite a trek. Took us 1/2 hour to get there thru the mud holes along the trail and the mosquitos.

A little side on the little varmits. These were the breed that doesn't take no for an answer. The dryer sheets, the water bag, the citrinella candles - nothing worked. (I found out the next morning from a former native who came to spend the day picking high bush currants, that these are NOT no-seeums, they are "long nose".) However I think I also got targeted by black flies and/or white socks.


back to the lake.....
The logs have caused quite a jam at the head of the lake.










It was fun to check out the lake as it is typical of so many high water lakes that produce the beautiful waterfalls we see as we sail through these northwestern waters.








Farewell Butedale.... and thanx for the souvenir skeeter bites!

We left Butedale and headed to Klemtu, the First Nation village where we

toured the big house (aka "long house" by some natives) last year with Doug Neeslas. He was out of town this time thru.

The same dog who laid in the road last year, I'm sure.

First mate enjoying another beautiful day... in Klemtu.

This boat was obviously parked in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Eagle perched high atop his outlook, search for the "dead and dying" below.

We arrived in Shearwater Saturday night August 9. Did laundry, got showers, bought a fishing license, did some blogging and we were otta there. Not the captain's favorite stop.

We left Shearwater Marina at 11:23 Sunday August 10 to get water and fuel at Bella Bella. The folks at the fuel dock go to lunch at 12 o’clock noon, no matter what. It’s a band-managed business…. (meaning First Nation people, ie, Native American in the US).

We arrived and rafted to a small work boat at the fuel dock at 11:55 am on the nose. They let us pump gas. We filled up, 79 liters totaling $127.74. We figured that’s $5.00 plus per gallon.

We loaded up with good water, the only non-tannin water in the area; headed up to the grocery band store (which is open at lunch time); and headed out to our next anchorage by 1 pm. We were movin’.

The sky as we were leaving Bella Bella.

We anchored in Codville Lagoon, setting our crab and prawn traps on the way in. George got a 3-day Canadian Fishing License before leaving Shearwater.