British Columbia: The Inside Passage, Abbreviated

Raising the Canadian and quarantine flags prior to checking in at Prince Rupert

Due to COVID-19, our time in Canada was significantly different than planned. Since returning to our home port was considered essential travel, Canadian authorities told us last spring that after we completed a 2 week quarantine, we could proceed as normal down the coast of British Columbia. By September that policy had changed. We were not allowed to get off the boat at all, and were given a short amount of time to cover the entire distance--a challenge in a vessel that motors at 5 knots and frequently has to wait for  strong currents to subside. More problematic, we were only allowed to stop once for fuel. 

Though the restrictions were understandable, it was a shame to have to bypass many gorgeous anchorages. Our deepest disappointment was losing our only opportunity to visit cultural sites, particularly Haida Gwaii. After immersing in cultures around the South Pacific, it was ironic to be unable to see a significant culture in our own part of the world. That said, the pandemic has forced many people to give up much more than that, and we knew we were lucky to still be able to travel at all.

We weren't so lucky with the weather. Though we didn't have the nearly constant rain that we experienced in Alaska, it was often foggy. With limited time in British Columbia came limited visibility. In these photos, you will see just about everything we did!

Charlie's Charts says that Grenville Channel is one of the most unique parts of the Inside Passage. This was our view:

Visibility was better when we were in Fraser Reach, which we dubbed Waterfall Alley. We spent the day ogling countless cascades; here are just a few:

And then we were back to fog. 

Bottleneck Inlet as depicted in Charlie's Charts

Bottleneck Inlet as we saw it.
Let's say navigation was tricky.

No longer concerned about hitting ice, we were very concerned about hitting logs;
often we couldn't see them until the very last minute
(this photo was taken on a relatively clear day).
Fortunately the water was usually calm enough for our radar to pick up floating debris.

A very special treat on my birthday: the sun came out in the afternoon! On a clear day, tranquil Pacific NW anchorages are glorious.

Tired of motoring, we chose to leave the Inside Passage when we reached Vancouver Island and sail down the west side. Along the way we were joined by creatures large and small:

Barkley Sound was a favorite family destination in our gunkholing days. We were grateful to have one last chance to see Marble Cove, full of fun memories. We were blessed with sunshine that day as well; in fact, we were finally far enough south that we put shorts on and celebrated our first (and little did we know it, but last) taste of summer--in September.

From Marble Cove we sailed overnight to Port Townsend, through thick fog in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Early in the morning a US Coast Guard vessel emerged from the mist, and we were boarded for a safety inspection; later it took us three attempts before the US customs officials approved our entry. That was followed by the news that much of the Rogue Valley (where our house is located) was in flames. Welcome home?!