Note: Brian and Jenny had the yacht "Finnekrug" built in Hong Kong.
It was brought from there to Prince Rupert, B.C. by a professional
crew, where Brian, Jenny, daughter Temily, and son Lindsay took over
for the trip down the B.C coast to lower B.C.

This is Jenny's journal.



>From: "Brian McCutcheon"
>Subject: Jenny's Journal of the High Seas
>Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2002 04:17:29 +0800
>
>Hi Everyone,
>
>Following is the start of my journal!! This is our second attempt at
>sending it, so please let us know if you have received it.
>I hope you find it informative and entertaining!!!
>We will send more if you want....just let me know!!
>We are presently at a quiant little village on an island and about
>to go for a hike.
>Very blustery coming in and was our hardest docking job to date!!
>Still no scratches though!!
>Love to you all,
>
>Jen, Capt Brian, Tem and Lindsay
>
>
>
>Day One.....................Prince Rupert, British Columbia, CANADA
>
>Well, we arrived up here on the Friday, expecting the boat to be
>arriving with the crew on the Saturday morning.
>Great anticipation as we walked down to "Cow Bay Yacht Club" twice a
>day until Tuesday when they finally arrived!!
>The crew had hit bad weather coming over from Dutch Harbour and it
>had slowed them down. Thirty foot waves breaking over the boat!!
>Water managed to find it's way into the boat so our first priority
>was to haul out the mattresses and wash and dry them!!
>We were lucky to have three straight days of sun and a brisk wind to help
out.
>The crew stayed on the boat until Saturday morning when they flew
>down to Vancouver to catch their connecting flight to Hong Kong.
>We moved all our belongings onto the boat on the Friday and had our
>first "sleepover" on the boat. Excitement plus!! The kids had a ball
>exploring everything and getting their rooms ready.
>We had hoped to pull out on the Saturday morning but had a string of
>bad luck with things going wrong. Throughout the week Brian had
>found things not working and it became a game of waiting for
>something else to go wrong!
>We had to order a new alternator up from Vancouver, the fuel pump
>wasn't working (to pump fuel from one tank to another), the
>mascerator pump in the mid head wasn't working, the water tank had a
>leak, the steering wasn't working at all, nor the windlass!!!!
>What a fun week!!
>We would wake up every morning with an apprehensive feeling of "what
>was going to go wrong today?"
>We managed to squeeze one day of school in between spring cleaning
>the boat, fixing it, buying provisions and getting organized.
>On our last day in Prince Rupert  Brian and I (with the kids acting
>as messengers) replaced the oil in the steering and got it working
>again, then fixed the windlass so we could get the anchor up and
>down!
>
>We were ready to go!!
>Other boats on the dock had come and gone all week.......all rather
>curious about us and our boat.....and now it was our turn.
>I was nervous......this was a big leap for both of us. But we felt
>confident that all the bad luck was behind us and we were ready for
>our adventure!!
>We had bought our charts and plotted our first day of 54nm south.
>We cast off at 7am and with two purring engines we were away.
>We headed to the middle of the harbour and less than five minutes
>later Brian yells "I've lost the port engine!!!". All I hear are
>warning bells going off.
>A few seconds later he yells "I've lost both engines". OH FUCK!!!
>We  looked at each other in panic. I didn't know whether to faint or
>vomit. Think, think!! What could it be?
>Brian scrambled downstairs to the engine room muttering "what is it,
>what is it?" He then decided we had better put out the anchor.
>(smart man I thought. I wanted to call the coast guard to come and
>rescue us and tow us back to the safety of the dock!!)
>Okay, not so bad, we can stop drifting into all those fishing boats
>moving around us. Brian stayed down in the engine room fiddling
>around while I had to make sure we weren't drifting (I was sure we
>were!)
>Brian bled the port engine and finally got it going again. HOORAY!!
>We would haul up the anchor and get the boat back to the dock.
>Oh no!! The windlass  wouldn't work!! We couldn't get the anchor up!!
>Were we having fun yet?
>Brian began hand winching the bloody thing up, then discovered the
>breaker switch had tripped (after 20 minutes of heavy exercise).
>So, we were able to get the anchor up and we headed straight back to
>the dock!!
>Everyone had their binoculars focused on us and I'm sure  we were a
>great source of amusement and curiosity.
>We tied up (what know was I supposed to use again?) and Brian bled
>the starboard engine as well so we then had them both going.
>So, we were ready to leave again.
>It was 9am.We left the dock and Prince Rupert with people stepping
>out of their boats to wave us off.
>
>Charts ready, we all stood in the pilothouse anxious to get on the
>move. Our overnight destination was Lowe Inlet, off Grenville
>Channel.
>The water was pretty calm as we headed out. We had gone about 8nm
>when we approached some islands and rocky reefs. I was at the helm,
>travelling at 8knots and checking our progress against the chart.
>Their were many points, rocks and islands and I called for Brian to
>come and check my direction as was a little confused!! Were we
>heading the right way?
>The depth sounder showed the water getting shallower than the chart
>said it would be!!
>We realized I was heading into shallow water and should be heading
>east of where I was going, so we quickly turned to port!!
>Phew!! We probably would have gone aground on my heading. A good
>start for my career as a mariner.
>Brian then steered us directly into a kelp bed (not a good idea darling)
>He quickly thrust us into reverse. Oh shit!! He then yells 'I've
>lost our steering!"
>I didn't know if I should succumb to the hot flashes raging through
>me and just collapse, but decided that wasn't good for the kids to
>see.
>We pulled out of the kelp bed and headed away with the steering intact.
>I think the nearby fishing boat must have had a chuckle over the
>frantic movements of our boat!!
>I'm pleased to report that this was the last scary event to happen that
day!
>We kept a close eye on our charts and proceeded along with wonderful
>sunshine and incredible scenery.
>We sat on the for'd deck in various stages of undress. Lindsay
>rigged up his fishing rod, anxious to catch something tonight while
>anchored.
>Brian and I relaxed  with a coffee and were able to finally look at
>each other and say "this is what we've come for......this makes it
>all worthwhile"
>A glorious day, following Grenville Channel down. At 4:30pm we
>entered Lowe Inlet and anchored in 22m at the head of the inlet.
>No other boats in sight which surprised us as we had read it was  a
>very popular overnight anchorage. We winched down the dinghy (a
>first) and were thrilled the davit actually worked!
>The kids had seen salmon jumping near the waterfall at the head of
>the inlet and were keen to explore (a spawning creek).
>Brian rowed them all around but they had no luck fishing. A Japanese
>kayaker came into the bay, looking for a refuge hut (called "Lowe
>Budget Hotel") He had kayaked down from Juneau, Alaska and was
>heading to Vancouver.
>Tem and I went for a row to the waterfall to try to spot a bear. No luck.
>We cooked up some yummy hamburgers on the bar-b-q, then collapsed
>into bed exhausted!!
>
>                                 DAY TWO
>
>
>Up at 7am with a calm night behind us. Lindsay was up early ready to
>fish.He kept trolling behind as we headed out of the inlet and back
>into Grenville Channel.
>We soon crossed over Wright Sound and entered McKay Reach (Princess
>Royal Channel).
>Brian went down to have a nice hot shower (wonderful hot water with
>the engines going!). I was on auto pilot and going down the centre
>of the channel when we looked starboard and saw a huge B.C. ferry
>passing us! I hadn't picked it up on the radar so was quite
>surprised to see it!. We waved to everyone and were soon surfing
>their wake! The kids thought they were back in Disneyland. I took us
>of auto pilot and bounced over 5 foot waves. I looked down and saw
>all our systems had gone off!  Brian came up with a towel wrapped
>around him at my request (the coming up, not the towel!)
>The switches had just tripped off in the excitement, but we were
>soon up and running again. The kids got a day of school in.
>We heard over the radio a mayday call from some people in a boat who
>had had to jump into their liferaft only to discover that it was
>sinking!!
>They obviously weren't sure of their bearings and the coast guard
>had trouble getting a concise area from them. About 1/2 hour later
>the search was cancelled as nothing further had been heard.
>Mayday calls are not uncommon to hear, and they certainly are a
>sobering thing to hear. Another one today was a man had fallen
>overboard and people were on the search for him.
>Later on today we heard a fishing boat had headed straight into the
>rocks (he fallen asleep).
>Shortly after lunch we decided to pop into Butedale, which is the
>site of a deserted fish cannery. We were greeted by Lou, the
>resident caretaker, who helped us tie up at he dock (lovely man that
>he was!!).
>Once we were safely tied up we chatted to Lou and Brenda (they love
>in Kitimat in the winter months)
>The kids started to fish off the dock, supervised by 2 dogs and a cat.
>Brian was taken on a 2 hour tour of the old cannery site and the
>Indian village that housed 500 people who worked here.
>The buildings had all been let go and some built on the pilings had
>collapsed due to a heavy snow load one year. They were slowly
>falling into the sea. I handwashed clothes and hung them up on  a
>makeshift line.
>We all went for a hike to a lake up behind the settlement. Knowing
>their were bears in the area, I had us all singing loudly all the
>way!!
>We passed bear tracks and poop but no bear!
>The lake was quite large with a slew of logs at our end. We started
>walking over the logs when I slipped and fell in!! Bloody freezing
>water! I managed to keep the camera above the water though and
>escaped with a cold and wet body.
>We got back to our boat to discover that the yacht that was at Lowe
>Inlet the night before was tied up at he dock behind us!! A lovely
>couple from Idaho.
>After dinner we went over the charts and plotted our course for tomorrow.
>
>
>                                        DAY THREE
>
>
>We woke to rain and fog! Brian took the kids to the old warehouse
>where Lou had set up a ten pin bowling alley!! I could hear the pins
>being knocked down from  the boat!
>We pulled out of Butedale and into pea soup. The water was glassy
>calm but visibility was poor.
>The kids did school today as we meandered along Princess Royal
>Channel and then through Hienkish Narrows. We had to make sure we
>went through at slack tide. The currents in the channel pushed us up
>to 10knots for awhile.It rained most of the afternoon, but the fog
>lifted by noon. We hugged the shore of Roderick Island to catch the
>entrance to Bottleneck Inlet.......only 50 metres wide at the
>entrance and 6foot at low tide. We were going through at high tide
>so were able to idle at the entrance and go fishing. Brian caught a
>good size rock cod that we ended up having for dinner. Yummo.
>Lindsay caught 3 fish but let them go (he's on a catch and release
>program!)
>We anchored easily at the head of the inlet, but due to rain we
>didn't put the dinghy down. We all watched a video tonight
>("Castaway").
>Luxury!!
>
>                           DAY FOUR
>
>I woke up at 6am, conscious of the high tide at 5:40am. I wakened
>Brian and had us moving by 6:30am. We had to wash the anchor chain
>as it came up as it was very muddy!!
>We eased our way out of the inlet and straight into zero visibility!!
>We could make out the bow of the boat and nothing beyond!!
>I guess it was a good test of our faith in the gps and radar alone.
>It did feel eerie though, and the fog didn't lift until 6 hours
>later and very slowly!
>We continued down Finlayson Channel, then turned into Oscar Passage
>(a "highway" through to Matheison Channel)
>Toward the end of Matheison, we had to dodge islands going through
>narrow channels. We opted to go on the outside of Lady Douglas
>island as the channels were getting narrower and the tide was
>against us and there was a curvilinear leg involved.
>This meant a bit of open ocean on Millbanke Sound which had some
>swells (enough to make the kids queasy and stop school)
>We turned east into Seaforth Channel and were pleased to see the
>skies open up and give us some warmer weather.
>We opened the hatches and I went on deck to practice my knots!
>Brian went downstairs to "experiment" with the fuel line (I think!!)
>and I suddenly heard 2 warning bells going and both engines went
>down!!
>Was I ever mad!
>So, we had to drift around (I was glad the channel was quite wide
>here) while Brian tried to bleed the engines again, and again and
>again!!
>He was finally able to get us going again but informed me (very
>casually) that we had water spewing out of our port engine and  we
>may lose it before  we got to Shearwater. A loose seal. Oh Great!!
>Lindsay took advantage of our drifting and had gone fishing and
>caught a perch.
>We managed to get into Shearwater and there was only one spot left
>between 2 fancy boats of 60 feet!! Brian squeezed us in very well
>and we had the advantage of a cluster of men on the dock waiting for
>us to throw them our lines. We were tied up securely in no time!!
>The people here were very friendly and ready for a chat. Brian got a
>marine mechanic down and organized for the needed part to be flown
>up from Vancouver. Hopefully by tomorrow.
>A skipper from a 100 foot boat came by and starting chatting to
>Brian and tried to help getting us hooked up. (we hadn't tried this
>before) After mucking around in the boat for 2 hours they tried to
>plug us in but the chord wouldn't reach. They decided that Brian
>should turn the boat around, despite having only one engine.
>With an audience of about 10, we turned the boat around in minimal
>space without hitting anyone!! Well done Brian!!
>So, we managed to plug in for once and got the heaters cranked up to
>keep the boat nice and dry!!
>Brian and Dave kept mucking around with the electricity until 10pm.
>Kids went to bed and Brian and stayed up for a last coffee and
>talked about how we were really stretching our comfort zones!!
>
>____________________________________________________________


From: "Brian McCutcheon" <finnekrug@hotmail.com>
Subject: Finnekrug Update
Date: Sat, 07 Sep 2002 04:26:45 +0800
X-OriginalArrivalTime: 06 Sep 2002 20:26:51.0643 (UTC)

DAY SEVEN

Brian and I were up at 6:30am. Picked the dinghy up and were pulling
out of the lagoon by 7am.
Our aim was to get down to Fury Cove early to allow for a good
anchorage and leave early the next morning to make the crossing to
Vancouver Island.
We let the kids sleep in and enjoyed being on the water with clear
skies and a hot coffee!!
We came straight down Fitz Hugh Sound. Mid morning we heard over the
radio that "Nor'Quest" had sighted whales off Secret Cove (one of
Capt. Vancouver's bases)
We continued on there and saw a couple of Humpback whales. A huge
one (about 40 feet)  slowly swam in front of the boat. Very
exciting!!
A couple further off were slapping their tales against the water.
Fantastic sight!!
We also heard a front may be coming through tomorrow, so decided to
keep on going and cross the open ocean section today. We thought we
would aim for the Nodales Channel where there were some protected
islands north of Port Hardy.
This turned our day into a 12 hour cruising day, but it was clear
and would get the crossing behind us.
Tem and I took "Kwells" for sea sickness and spent a lot of the
crossing on the front deck watching the horizon!! No school today!!
The swells rocked the boat around a bit, but generally no big deal.
The boat handled it all very well (about 2 metre swells)
We passed Cape Caution and had less rocking and rolling and went on
to Pine Island and through to Christie Channel, between Baklava
Island and Hurst Island. We had 6 Dall Porpoises greet us and play
around the bow of the boat. Neat to watch!
A tiny little bay had been recommended on Hurst Island called "God's
Pocket", so we found it and turned in. It was a private fishing and
diving retreat but there were 2 moorings placed there for fishermen
if needed. One was taken already but we were pleased to see the
other was waiting for us! I hung out over the side of the boat and
wrapped a rope around. Easier than anchoring!!
Who should the other boat be, but Pete and Mary-Lou.....our couple
from Idaho with their dog "Teddy" a little white terrier.
We decided we had to share a meal!! They brought over beer and a
salad and I made a big pot of spaghetti on the barbeque on deck.
We ate out on the aft deck and were very pleased to be in such a
lovely spot. Mary-Lou has just retired from teaching and is a
professional photographer. Pete retired a few years ago. They have
been spending the last 3 years sailing up to Alaska and back. They
keep their 32foot sailboat in Bellingham (Idaho being landlocked!!)
Mary-Lou keeps a printer on board and was able to take some photo's
of us and the boat and print them out for us.
Lovely night.

DAY EIGHT

Brian and I were up early and enjoyed a quiet coffee on deck
watching the sun come up behind God's Pocket fishing retreat. Waved
goodbye to Pete and Mary-Lou and "Midstov", as they are off to Port
Hardy earlier than us.
Brian fiddled with Nobeltec and I caught up with my journal. We both
went for a lovely row around the little islands before everyone was
up and about.
After breakfast we all got in the dinghy and rowed into the retreat
and tied up at their dock. One of the owners, Annie, came down to
meet us and gave us directions on where the trails were. She asked
if the dogs could come with us (dogs keep bears away don't
they?...no problem having them along!!)
We first did the hike across the island to Harlequin Bay which is an
alternative anchoring spot. Great hike.
Returned to the retreat and then went on another hike up and up and
up the hill to the lookout. We could see the lighthouse at the point
on Baklava Island and a cruise ship came passed as we were looking
out. Could see the snow capped mountains on the mainland. Was
beautiful.
We went back to the boat and had a late lunch. There was a group of
15 divers at the retreat, who all shouted out to us that they loved
the boat!!
We finally pulled out at 4pm and headed over to Port Hardy to
replenish our fresh produce!
One of our shortest trips to date!! Only an hour to get to the harbour.
Dall porpoises greeted us as we came in. We were approaching the
harbour (a very wide one) when Brian glanced at the depth sounder
and saw we were in only 3 metres of water. As our draft is 2 metres,
this is not good!! We glanced around and saw a bouy marking the
channel coming in!!!  We were on the wrong side of it!!
We quickly altered course to port and were reassured by the numbers
showing on the depth sounder. A lesson learned!!
Who should be there to greet us but Mary-Lou and Pete. The kids cast
them the lines and we were soon tied up alongside a  live fish
packer.
Brian rushed off to the internet caf to pay some bills and the kids
and I went to the grocery store and the liquor store ( I figured we
needed some wine at this point!!)
I was glad of the extra hands walking back to the boat as we had
quite a distance to cover with quite a few shopping bags!!
The fish packer crew were very friendly and chatted to Lindsay as he
fished off the dock.
Brian again tried to get Nobeltec happening properly and by 7pm was
pleased.(had emailed them with quieries)
By this time it was  too late to go over to Malcolm Island so we
decided to stay here for the night and send some emails in the
morning.

DAY NINE

I got up early and spent until 10am typing my journal from the paper one!!
We selected some of our photo's and headed up town to get some
emails off before everyone thought we had forgotten them!
I took the kids to a book store and bought them some novels as the
ones we had on the boat had been stolen in China. Archie comics only
cut it for so long!
We got back to the boat  around noon and prepared to leave, only to
find the port engine wouldn't start!!
Brian finally traced it to the battery connections which had
corroded with the salt. So, the next try with them had them purring!!
We left Port Hardy at 2pm with our Nobeltec charts all ready on the
computer screen!!
We skipped over to Sointula on Malcolm Island. The wind had picked
up and it was quite choppy and foggy getting across.
As we entered beyond the breakwater we saw Mary-Lou gesturing toward
a vacant spot on one of the docks.
Brian had a bit of trouble getting the boat in as the wind kept
pushing us around. We had 2 impatient fishing boats cut in front of
us as he was manouvering into the dock. Brian had to heap on the
coals to get us alongside the dock and we were pleased to have an
extra pair of hands with the lines. What a relief to get in safely!
We decided to walk into the village which is about 2 klm away to
have a look around.
Sointula was established in 1901 by a group of Finnish people as a
commune!! Sointula means "place of harmony". We checked our email
and were pleased to get some feedback on our photo's. No-one
received the journal so will have to re-send.
We decided to stay 2 nights so that we could do some hiking
tomorrow. Mary-Lou and Pete came over for wine and a platter dinner.

DAY TEN

Up early. Tried to get Lindsay's bike up and going but we couldn't
get the tires pumped up with these silly Chinese parts on them.
The kids ended up taking turns on Tem's bike into town.

Jenny



                        DAY 19

Our 17th wedding anniversary. The kids were up early making us wonderful
cards which took them 2 hours to do!!
I raced up to pay our moorage fees (ouch) and pick up some milk before we
eased out of Campbell River. We were careful not to scrape past "The Life of
Riley" docked opposite us which was a $6m pleasure boat with at least 3 crew
on board from Dallas, Texas.
I'm sure we were having more fun on our boat than they were on theirs.
We headed straight out against the currents and were only able to do 2knots
until we cleared Mudge Point!! A very slow start.
It was a beautiful sunny day as we made our way to Lund.
Crossed above Savary Island and came into Lund Harbour, glad to have found a
spot on the inner dock as there isn't much room in here for big boats.
David and Nonie were there to greet us which was nice. He kids threw Gramps
the lines, so there was no rush for me to jump off.
Brian discovered the heat exchanger for the transmission had a hole and was
leaking. We will have to get that fixed before we leave here.
David and Nonie treated us to lunch at the Lund Hotel. They had brought the
kids their marked school work and reports which was exciting. They were both
positive reports with lots of stickers so they were thrilled. Even the home
tutors got a good report!!

Brian and David found a jack of all trades in Mike Saunders who took the
heat exchanger away and promised to fix it overnight.
The kids took off to explore the banks at low tide and create some rock
sculptures. We had fried rice cooked on the deck along with all the
mosquitos.

                      DAY 20

Woke up to rain, fog and choppy weather. Spent a bit of time in the
pilothouse listening to the marine forecast. Hoping to leave tomorrow with
David and Nonie but will see what happens with this weather!!
Boats are coming in out of the weather left, right and centre. Not much room
left and a fair bit of rafting going on. No-one seems too keen to raft
beside us!!
Mike came with our fixed heat exchanger and also looked at the heater/ac
units to figure out how they would best work over here.
Mike also offered to drop off his rastor charts  for us to copy later!!
Brian was most pleased!
The weather isn't going to settle....another front coming through. We have
delayed our departure due to this. We spent the day fiddling on the boat
while the kids explored. Tem and I picked some wild blackberries.

                   DAY  21


Up fairly early. The kids  and I lined up for a shower. David arrived for
breakfast (French toast) before taking us all back to Powell River to get
some errands done.
The kids fell in love with a puppy at Marine Traders (which started the
debate about WHEN we were going to get  a dog!!)
We bought a 20amp plug ($100) and a filter coffee machine so I can make more
than 1 cup at a time. $19 at Walmart!!!
Oh the joys of civilization!!
We went back to the condo for a visit and then David drove us all back to
Lund.
Brian and I cleaned out the storage area downstairs (after we wiped all the
spilt POOP from the black water tank that had exploded some time back!!! Oh,
the joys of owning a boat!!!)
Listening to the marine forecast informed us that it would clear up
tomorrow, so we let David and Nonie know to be ready on deck by 9am!!
Most of the other boats here are heading south as they finish up their
holidays....we are the only ones going back up to Desolation Sound. The
couple across from us came over to have a look at the boat. They have
restored their 40 foot DeFever on their own for the past 2 years!!
They thought our boat would be great for them to live on!

                                    DAY  22

Dave and Nonie arrived, all packed and ready to go. They were given Tem's
room and Tem has bunked in with Lindsay. The marine forecast predicted the
strong winds and rain would ease by the afternoon, so that was good enough
for us!
We had untied and pulled out by 10am.
Our plan was to get up to Peter and Martha Hollenbecks for the night to see
if we could tie up at their dock, but to go at "gunkhole" pace
We came up the inside of the Ragged Islands, past Bliss Landing with some
very fancy homes along the water. We went up and into Refuge Cove and tied
up here, hoping for a coffee from the "Upcoast Summer" caf that sells
Starbucks coffee. This was not to be, as the owner had decided she had had
enough for the summer and had closed it the weekend before. The general
store was still open for another week, so we bought a few things and hung
out at the front door like locals!!
We had lunch on the aft deck  before heading off again. David and Nonie have
found their sea legs and don't seem to have any trouble moving around the
boat.
We cruised up Lewis Channel and did a detour up Teakerne Arm. What a
wonderful spot! We decided to anchor here for awhile and check it out. The
holding ground wasn't the greatest, so we left Dave and Nonie on board with
a walkie talkie while we took the row boat and went exploring on shore.
Cassell Lake waterfalls drops into the sea here and it was  surrounded by
steep cliffs. A trail went by here so we could get a good look ( a bit too
close to the edge I thought!). We walked on into Cassell Lake which was warm
enough for the kids to strip down and have a swim. The lake was lined with
steep rock, so to get out they had to haul up on some ropes left tied up to
the rocks. Great fun!
When we got back to the row boat, Lindsay decided to swim back to the boat
on a $2 dare. He jumped right in and swam back with us cheering him on
alongside. (plus Gram and Gramps from the big boat!)
Both the kids then decided to swim around the boat and jump from the bow
into the water then clung onto the back of the row boat for a free ride.
We finally pulled up the anchor and kept on going north passed Rendezvous
Islands and Raza Island. In order to go through the Yuculta Rapids at slack
tide (where Hollenbecks place is) we had to wait it out for awhile
somewhere. So we pulled into an abandoned Indian village which is now mainly
populated with large grizzley's (I've seen the poop!!). The current was very
strong so we ended up hanging from a rope thrown over an abandoned boat and
attached to our bow.
Started to barbeque some chicken but had to leave before this was finished
as we didn't have a very large window for getting through Yuculta in our
boat. We headed for Stuart Island at 7:30pm. As soon as we entered the
passage we were greeted by thick soupy fog and approaching darkness.!!! We
could see a small tug on our radar, but he obviously didn't have any radar
as we suddenly saw his starboard light and he was coming straight into our
path!! Stupid bloody idiot!! We had to suddenly stop to avoid a collision
and he saw us at the last minute and probably still shudders when he thinks
about it!
Our antennaes were on full alert now!! We couldn't see anything and were
wondering how in hell we were going to pick out Hollenbecks!
Having been here last year, we tried to remember some landmarks and although
the fog was low in the water we could make out some roofs.
Aha!! There it was!! Brian eases the boat in carefully alongside the dock
and there were a few tense moments ( and perhaps a few swear words by the
captain!) as I quickly tied us up!! Oh, what  a relief it is to be nicely
tied up for the night!!
I continued cooking the chicken and we decided that this two stage method of
cooling worked very well!!
We checked the tides before crawling into bed to make sure that at 3am we
weren't high and dry. There wouldn't be much clearance but enough!! We hung
off the end of the dock a bit (must complain to Peter about that!) but felt
secure for the night.

                                         DAY  23


We were up early, mindful of having to leave at slack tide again. We opened
up Peter and Martha's cottage to leave them a thank you note.
We said "thanks for the moorage....would like power hook up next time!!"
David had not been here before so had a look around. The net loft was a good
place to get some photo's from.
The sun was shining on the mountain opposite the rapids as we eased out and
headed out and further up Stuart Island to Big Bay.
We came in too close to the shallow and had to back up and come around again
(with some advice from a friendly local on the wharf!)
We docked easily and decided that we should stay here the night!
David went up and booked us into the marina restaurant!
David and Nonie stayed wandering around the resort while we took to the
trails. There was a trail to a lake nearby with a casual warning about the
local black bear!! So, it was a noisy walk to the lake with Tem and I
singing the whole way! We saw a deer and baby on the way which was cool.
At the lake there was a row boat full of water. We had been told it was for
anyone's use, so Brian spent half an hour bailing all the water out!! We
then all jumped in and rowed to a float in the middle of the lake.
The kids had packed a little picnic for us so we sat in the sun for a little
relaxation!!
We found we had to bail again before we got back into the boat as it was
leaking!
When we got back to shore we continued our hike and our singing! We were
rewarded with a lovely view of Dent Rapids from our viewpoint. As we trudged
back we discussed renaming the boat and decided we all liked "Walkabout".
Then we thought the motored boat should be called "Runabout" and the row
boat "Skippy". (not officially as it's too much hassle but for our sakes)
There wasn't much of the afternoon left when we returned. Brian went for a
bike ride. The kids spent the remainder of daylight collecting kelp and
measuring the length along the dock. The record was 18 metres. ( a good
maths activity!) I also played skippy with the kelp with them and won!!!
David and Nonie watched the boats come and go.....a few fishing charters
with some nice salmon coming in.
We had a lovely meal at the restaurant. Tem and Lindsay took off when they
saw a deer on the lawn outside. Their ice cream sundaes were a bit lower in
the bowl when they returned!
We put on a James Bond dvd but most of us fell asleep before it was
finished!!

                              DAY  24

We woke up early to get out of here at slack tide but were greeted with a
blanket of fog!!
Our 8am departure was changed to 9am as we wanted to wait until we could see
ahead of us!
We went north along the shore and pointed out Washington's lodge and 9 hole
golf course to David and Nonie. Quite a spread he has complete with totem
poles and tee-pees.
We turned into the Aaron Rapids and came down them with no problem. At the
end of the rapids Brian and kids went fishing while I  kept the boat going
in circles for them. This was the spot we had caught our two salmon last
year!! Lindsay caught a trout, but that was all after an hour of casting.
We had chosen a course going down the inside of Rendezvous Islands then
along the west coast of Cortez Island. David steered the boat for much of
this while we all sat on the front deck and pretended we had our own crew!
It was another beautiful sunny day!
We headed west and went over to Quadra Island, pulling into Heriot Bay and
docking at some very dilapidated docks!!
The kids and I got on our bikes and went in search of the general store and
ice-creams! Brian got the run- about down and we took off for Rebecca Spit
(a marine park) across the bay. This is probably one of our favourite spots
to visit so far.... A beautiful spit that sticks out from the island with a
trail that goes to the end. It has wonderful anchorage here as well and a
few boats were enjoying it.
We walked the length of the spit and back again along the beach. There had
been a hut here long ago but after an earthquake in 1946 that end of the
spit had disappeared!!
We returned to the boat and cooked up Lindsay's fish and some halibut for
dinner. Yummo!


                                DAY  25

Up early as John and Lee Dolmage were coming over for an early visit!
John and Brian discussed boats and engines for 2 hours!! Was nice to catch
up with them.
We pulled out as soon as they left and headed toward Lund as this was David
and Nonie's last day with us.
We scooted over to Gorge Harbour (through narrow Uganda Passage) and slowly
went around the harbour. We passed the B&B we had stayed at last year. Not
much has changed. We motored over to Manson's Landing and had to raft up
alongside an old steel freighter as there was no where else to dock. The
freighter was there permanently and a  family was living on it. The engines
didn't work!
Unfortunately it was difficult for David and Nonie to scramble over the
other boat ( a bit higher than ours), so we gave them the walkie talkie and
went off for Hague Lake. It was quite warm when we got there, so we stripped
off most of our clothes and enjoyed the warm water. Lindsay got thrown in as
he was appearing a bit too sluggish!!
Truck loads of white sand had been left here and lined this section of the
lake. After drying off we walked back to the boat via the lagoon and spit.
Found a dead seal buried in the sand. His skull was bleached white.
Back at the boat David and Nonie were chatting to a chap who had sailed down
from Sointula. His poor dog fell trying to jump from the freighter to the
dock but swam safely to shore.
We pulled out and headed for Lund which took 2 hours. On the way over we saw
a pod of dolphins, so we detoured and idled beside them. They must have been
feeding as they went back and forth in the same spot, oblivious to us. Great
to see......lots of photo's taken!
We finally got to Lund and had to temporarily dock at the fuel dock as there
was no space. David and Nonie jumped ship. It was great to have them on the
boat and they seemed to have enjoyed themselves!!
Brian raced over to ask a few boats to move so we could squeeze in at the
main dock. We moved over there, but it was a very tight squeeze. I had to
stand on the boat behind us with our stern line so we wouldn't hit it.
Another good docking job....everyone watching thought we must have had bow
thrusters!
We decided it was time for a restaurant meal as we hadn't had to fork out
any money in repair bills for  a few days!!!

                                      DAY  26

Up early to organize laundry and clean the boat. Brian put the washing
machine timer part in our machine so we can now use it while the genset is
on!! Yahoo!
The kids and I went to the general store (quite well stocked) and bought
some provisions. Not very fresh fruit though!!
By noon we had our chores out of the way and it was time to head off again.
The kids got some school work done on the way to Squirrel Cove. We anchored
here and took the boat ashore to take a hike through to Von Donup Inlet on
the other side of Cortez Island. It was a lovely trail that meanders through
ferns and birch trees. At the other side we saw a 62' Nordhaven anchored.
Nice boat, but too big for me.
The inlet was larger than we expected but the shore was slippery with mud at
low tide.
We bumped into a rather strange man on the trail who had lost his cat while
walking him along the trail. Had we seen it?
We walked back to our little boat and back out to the boat. We weighed
anchor and headed across to Galley Bay, east of Sarah Point.
There used to be a commune here but was now dotted with summer cottages. All
were empty now. There was one other boat anchored here so we had no trouble
fitting in. We anchored 10 metres off shore and  decided to stern tie. Brian
rowed ashore and looped it around a big log. Coming back he didn't have
quite enough rope coiled in the boat, so I had to alternate between letting
out more rope and pulling him in. Well, we got mixed signals and in between
fits of giggles managed to get both him and the rope back to the swimgrid!!
Success! At least we didn't have an audience!
Brian and Tem went to check out the bay while I organized dinner. We had
hamburgers on deck. The kids went to bed and Bri and I read up on where we
could go tomorrow.

                                     DAY  27

Slept in until 7:30!! Woke to a cloudy sky, a very low tide and glass calm
water. Brian and I enjoyed our ritual coffee on deck with absolute peace and
solitude until the kids woke up!!
The wind picked up and our stern line was very taut out of the water. I made
pancakes for breakfast then waved my family off for an explore of the beach
while I stayed on the boat as "anchor guard". We are finding the walkie
talkies very handy!! They came back with clams for dinner!!
We eventually weighed anchor around noon. Had a short jaunt over to Minke
Island before ducking into Tenedos Bay. We anchored in the NE corner near
the creek and put out a stern line. After lunch on deck we jumped into
runabout and went ashore.
There was a great little spot for kayakers here with a campfire and a
section of the creek dammed up for taking baths!
There was a group of 4 kayakers using it. We hiked along the creek and came
to Unwin Lake. It is a large lake and the wind was howling across it. The
trail was great under the huge trees...very springy.
We met a nice couple from Sidney (Van Isle) who who sailing with their two
blue heeler dogs.
Back at the boat we discovered our anchor was dragging and we were moving
closer and closer to shore!
With the wind blowing strongly, we decided to try another anchorage across
the bay which might be calmer.
It was getting fairly busy now (about 8 boats), but we finally found a
little indent between two cliffs we thought would do nicely!
I let go the anchor in about 25 metre depth. We felt the anchor hold and set
about putting out the stern line to keep from swinging.
Brian paddled with the rope to a tree and  then proceeded to come back.
"Brian, we are swinging closer to the cliffs"
"No we aren't. The boats stopped swinging"
"Oh, okay".     Ten seconds pass as I continue to send out more stern line.
"Brian, I'm worried about how close we are getting to the cliffs. I think
our anchor may be dragging"
"You always worry.It's just the swing!"
He (the captain), proceeds to tie the stern line then looks up.
"Oh FUCK!! The anchors dragged!!"
He runs to the pilothouse yelling and swearing. I jumped on the swimgrid and
tried to push us off the rocks with my feet. (We were now about 8 inches
from the rocks).
"Untie the stern line NOW" I hear above the noise of my heart pounding. Oh
yeah right!! Trying to untie a very taut stern line that Brian has tied? God
knows how I did it. I then ran out to the front deck to deal with the
anchor. I pulled it up while Brian kept us off the rocks.
He had to run back to haul in the  rest of the stern line so it wouldn't get
caught up in the prop.
We eased out of there, deciding to go back to where we were in the
beginning!!!
We dropped the anchor further out in the bay and successfully tied a stern
line to shore. We felt much better now, but I quickly went in search of that
bottle of red wine we had somewhere on board!!
The steamed clams were yummo served with garlic butter and red wine!!

                                       DAY 28

I was awake at 6:30 to check our anchorage!! There had been a 10 foot tide
overnight. We were still okay!
After breakfast the kids took off in the row boat and went exploring. They
hiked up "Moss Rock" and saw squirrels, telling us all about it on the
walkie talkie!!
We got into runabout and inched our way around the port side of the boat
while I scrubbed and Brian held us to the boat. My arms were aching by the
time I finished. The work the First Mate has to do!!
We decided to weigh anchor and move on to Prideaux Haven. We crept around
Otter Island which was a very narrow passage on the way.
We arrived within an hour. We crept into Melanie Cove and were surprised to
see only one other boat anchored. We anchored in 7 metre depth with a mud
bottom. I think we deserved this good and easy anchorage!!
What a fantastic spot! So calm and peaceful!! The kids went off in the row
boat exploring again and found a trail. They had 2 squirrels scurry right in
front of them!
When they returned we all went ashore and found a trail that lead around to
Laura Cove. Another beautiful trail with ferns and old growth cedar trees
covered with moss. There used to be two homesteads here around 1930, but no
sign of them now (mentioned in "The Curve of Time". When we got to Laura
Cove, Tem says
"Shouldn't there be a tearoom here?" Just goes to show what the focus of our
walks usually are!
We barbecued our dinner and Brian and I ate on the front deck watching the
other boats (now 7 anchored). We banished the kids to eat inside as they
were too noisy!!

                                     DAY  29

Up early, sitting on the deck with a coffee, waiting for the sun to come up
and warm us.
We weighed anchor and mosied out of here at low tide, watching for bottom.
The com port wasn't behaving so we didn't have the GPS and Nobeltec working
together. I slowly drove the boat in the right direction while Brian cursed
modern technology and fixed it up. (he still doesn't know how he did this!)
We came along the inside of Ragged Islands heading south (3rd time) and
passed Lund, heading down to Powell River.
It felt quite strange coming into familiar waters in this boat!
The kids got some school work done until we docked. David had phoned and was
there ready to take our lines!
We were able to plug into 30 amp here which is nice. Very friendly
wharfinger.
We had a late lunch and walked up to Rocky Mountain to have a mocha and
check our emails. The kids palyed charades in the shop!
We walked up to Gram and Gramps for a visit and ended up staying for dinner!

                                    DAY 30 and 31

Don't ask me where the days go when we are docked!! More boat chores and
making contact with Dan, the boat broker. We phoned Vancouver trying to
organize where we could leave the boat for the winter. We had the use of
David's truck which was great. We went to Lang Bay and got a large piece of
fir from Bill and Rory to make new chaulks for the row boat. (washed off by
a wave coming over )
We had a lovely roast beef dinner at David and Nonie's. Had a few people
over to check out the boat.
Started to sort out a few things and took on board stuff we'd left at Lang
Bay. Took the 6 foot Christmas tree off and left it at Lang Bay!
A nice stop! Now onward we go!!




