Cape Caution here we come!

May 15-16

We anchored in Bull Harbor last night.    Up early and headed out by 7:3am to Cross the Queen Charlottes .... Cape Caution.  Expect it to be a long day, approx 5 hours.   We left in thick fog.  

The crossing was good, swells and fog but no really rough seas, and no need for the bucket.   I did hunker down and took about a 2 1/2 hour nap.  All six boats made the crossing without incident.  By mid afternoon the sun was out and it was a very pretty day.    Rendezvous and Magic went into ??? (will fill in later when I remember the name) to check it out, very nice and protected anchorage.   There is what we thought was a very large fishing camp in there.  The other boats headed to another harbor out closer to the open ocean, where Linda C. said we could walk on the beach; so we followed.  

Rendezvous, Magic, Panacea, Miner's Debt, Nelsea, and Reflections.

All six boats anchored and tied together with several stern ties to shore.  We could watch the breakers crashing on the rocks not all that far out from us.   Beautiful spot, but less protected than the other spot.  Everyone got in dinghies or smaller boats (Collier's and Miner's have 14-18 footers that they are towing this year for fishing etc...) and headed out to walk the beach.   Ha ha we ended up at the dock to that 'fishing lodge' which turned out to be the Hakai Beach Institute.   There are quite a few buildings - a large lodge, classroom and lab buildings, and Yurts for student housing.   

 

Apparently several Universities use this place for outreach teaching.  And according to a sign the facility can be used for a conference/retreat center.   We walked cross the grounds, behind the main lodge and dining hall to the trail to the beach.  A couple of the kitchen staff (aka chefs) were taking a break on the back porch.  Someone in our group asked what was for dinner ... Sockeye salmon with some kind of maple sauce that I can't member, and crab stuffed ravioli.  

About a 1/2 mile walk across the island and wow, you come out onto a very wide and long beach sandy beach.   Very beautiful.   We all walked the beach taking lots of photos and then back to the trailhead to head back across the island. 

 Glen in the surf

Resting or dejected and hiding in shame?         Pete and Linda Jung

Dinghy ride back to the boats.  sunny and warm.   Glen dropped off our riders and he took off to explore.  He found another spot that we could anchor in with a beach with board walks etc....   He took lots of photos of the water waves, etc...

During the evening Glen went over and disconnected the starboard rudder on Rendezvous so that Pete could run on one engine and have steering.  One rudder is appears to be frozen.