July 16, 2020. Bacchante Bay to West Whitepine Cove. 16 NM.
After a beautiful couple of days, the rain came back last night and today. I guess nature is reminding me not to get too comfortable. I woke up early with the rain on the cabin top, and I couldn’t get back to sleep. After I anchored yesterday, I read in one of the guidebooks how one boat had reported getting their anchor fouled, somewhere in the same area that I had dropped. It occurred to me that if I got my anchor fouled this far away from civilization, with no cell phone or other contact, it might turn in to a bit of an ordeal, so I was eager to make sure I could get the anchor off the bottom.
As it turned out, it was no problem, and I had the anchor up, covered with stinky mud, by 0730. I motored quietly out of the bay. There were no signs of life from Last Dance, but they seemed to be on a later schedule than I’ve been keeping, so I guess they were sleeping in.
Leaving Last Dance in a rainy Bacchante Bay
The rain kept coming down lightly, and the wind was right on my nose as I motored down Shelter Inlet, retracing my track from the day before. I resisted the temptation to take a shortcut around Obstruction Island down Sulphur Passage. It looked like it might save me a mile or two, but it was narrow and twisty, requiring lots of navigating around rocks and other shallow hazards. With the low clouds and potential for fog, I wasn’t really feeling that adventurous. Instead, I went around the other side of Obstruction Island, down the slightly wider Hayden Passage. It still was tight enough that I had to keep a close eye on my course especially when a couple of fishing boats when flying by, one in either direction.
I came out into Millar Channel, and I wasn’t sure exactly what my destination was going to be. I had gotten off early, and could put a long day in, positioning myself for a short jump to Tofino to meet Sara in a couple of days. On the other hand, I wasn’t in a big rush, and had enough time to spend another night in the wilderness before I descended back into civilization.
The weather made my mind up for me. As I reached the southern end of Mckay Island, the swell from the ocean started to be perceivable, and the wind blew steadily right on my bow. The deciding factor, though, was the wall of gray fog that had reached in from the ocean, completely obstructing my view. As I turned past the south end of McKay Island, it enveloped the boat, and my visibility dropped to a couple of hundred feet. I turned on the radar, and saw it’s reassuring shadow overlay the chart plotter. I watched closely for any radar targets that might be fishing boats zipping towards me through the foggy curtain, but none showed up.
Fog Bank off McKay Island
As I turned away from the ocean, it wasn’t long before I had escaped the wall of mist, and I could see again. I turned into West Whitepine cove, and after nosing around for a bit, looking for a shallower spot to anchor, I eventually dropped the hook in 50 feet of water, as close to the shore as I felt confident. The rain had started again, and I quickly put the cover up over the cockpit, and took refuge inside.
I thought a nice toasted bagel would pick up my spirits, but as I opened the first package, I could see they were well beyond their best days, with bits of green here and there growing on all the bagels. The second package was no better, so I threw them both out. I then had a good look around the fridge, and was struck once again that it was long overdue for a good cleaning. Seeing as how I wasn’t going anywhere, I took everything out, and gave it a good wash with some lysol. I pitched a few older eggs overboard as part of the effort. 45 minutes later, I was finally cleaning up the last of the egg that had smashed on the bimini on its way to the ocean. I had a flashback to an identical experience we had on our catamaran many years ago, and made a mental note to always be careful when tossing eggs off the boat in the future.
With the fridge cleaned out, and no bagels available, I went back to my old standby, and cooked up another quesadilla. The one thing about having Sara on board is that we are never short of cheese. When I cleaned out the fridge, I must have come across seven different cheeses, including bricks, slices and creams. That’s one thing we won’t have to buy when we hit the grocery store in the next couple of days. But we probably will buy it anyway.
The rest of the afternoon was spent on various boat cleaning projects. With the rain still falling, and the wind blowing pretty hard, there was really no where to go. I took the opportunity to watch a movie and have a nap. When the movie was done, I sat in the cockpit and watched another bear grazing on the grassy foreshore.
Another anchorage, another bear grazing on shore
Eventually, dinner time rolled around. I barbecued the salmon I had taken out of the freezer last night, and despite wind trying to blow the barbecue out, it turned out pretty well. It was accompanied by the remainder of the mushy canned peas that I opened yesterday.
A small waterfall could be heard from the boat
Finally, around 7 p.m., the rain settled, and the wind calmed a bit. I hadn’t been off the boat all day, so I threw the paddleboard in the water, and went to check out the small waterfall I could hear from the boat. I then paddled around the small island that borders the cove I’m in. Coming back toward the boat, I decided to step up on the grassy ledge near the creek, which made an easy way off the paddleboard, and gave me the opportunity for a short walk on land. Unfortunately, the remains of some creature had been consumed right where I stepped off the paddleboard. Mindful of the bear I had seen earlier, I made sure not to wander too far. I climbed up on a log in the field for a better view, and was startled by a snake slithering into the recesses of the wood.
Something had eaten dinner right near the spot I chose to get off the paddleboard
At that point, I was all out of adventuresome spirit, and beat a hasty retreat back to the boat. Now, the dishes are done, and it is starting to rain again, so I’m finishing this entry in the cozy cabin, with a reading light on, and the stereo playing “Underneath it All”, by No Doubt.
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