Sailing to Princess Louisa Inlet - Part III: The Arrival

Note:  For parts one and two of this trip log scroll down or click on the link you want to the left of this page.  A 30 minute HD video summary of the trip is below:

I awoke the next morning to the sounds of David going through the morning routine of putting coffee on and turning on the diesel heater to take the chill off the cabin.  Normally he waits for me to crawl out of my bunk and do this but due to the excesses of the previous night I was slow to wake up.  A bacon and egg breakfast seemed like a good idea but I couldn't contemplate such a complex task for a little while.  I sat in the cockpit with a cup of hot coffee and a bottle of water and watched the current race by the dock.

The dock at the Backeddy Marina, near Egmont

There were signs around advertising diving expeditions and it occurred to me that the drift diving must be very good here.  Drift diving is a way of scuba diving that involves descending and drifting with the current, usually along a steep wall and being picked up by a boat somewhere downstream.  In BC this type of diving is popular because narrow channels with significant current and tidal exchange tend to teem with marine flora, due to the rich nutrients regularly supplied by the fast running water.  I recall doing a drift dive in a place called Dodds Narrows near Nanaimo.  As we prepared to jump in the water a fishing boat captain stopped beside us and was incredulous that we would be diving in a place with such strong currents and high boat traffic.  Later, as I glided along in the murky depths and listened to the throb of tug boats above me, I had to agree.  All that to see a few anemones and nudibranchs.  But I digress...

At the fuel dock

After a time I wandered up to the showers with my kit bag and got myself cleaned up.  Emerging a while later with head and teeth feeling a little less fuzzy I was ready to get under way.  The marina offered wifi here so David and I sent some messages and made some FaceTime calls before we left, knowing we would be completely out of touch for a few days.  Before leaving we brought the boat to the other side of the dock to top up our water at the fuel dock.  I suggested we top off our fuel as well but David didn't want to.  He keeps detailed records of how many hours we log on the engine and prides himself on knowing exactly how long we have until we run out of diesel.  It is a personal affront to him to suggest that we "get gas" until he declares that his calculations deem it necessary.  I predict that one day this will bite us both in the arse.

Leaving the Backeddy.  We lingered off the dock for a few
moments to take final advantage of wifi from the marina.

After pulling away from the Backeddy and turning up Jervis Inlet we set the autopilot and settled in for a long motor.  I went below and prepared a hot breakfast which I was now very much looking forward to.  There is nothing quite so comforting while underway in the boat as a steaming plate of bacon and scrambled eggs with a large hot cup of coffee.  A gourmet meal could not have tasted any better.

Breakfast underway

We knew the weather for this trip would be a mixed bag and today the clouds hung low in the air.  In some cases they obscured the peaks of the mountains we were passing but they gave the scenery an otherworldly feel - something out of Game of Thrones.  The time passed more quickly than if we were motoring in the open ocean because much of the time we kept close to shore and occupied ourselves looking at the myriad waterfalls and other interesting land features.

As the day wore on the clouds began to lift and the mountain peaks grew higher and more impressive.      Soon we could see Malibu Lodge in our binoculars, marking the entrance to Malibu rapids - the gateway to Princess Louisa Inlet.  The lodge was quite literally dwarfed by the surrounding mountains.  The very narrow entrance to PLI that is Malibu rapids was enough to prevent Captain George Vancouver from entering the fjord and to this day it dictates when transit can be made.  As we approached we noticed another sailboat anchored nearby, clearly waiting for the slack.  As we passed, they left their anchorage and followed us toward the entrance.

Malibu lodge is dwarfed by the surrounding mountains. (center)

A quick sail across Jervis to visit a waterfall

With a bit of time to kill we decided to wander over to a large waterfall we had spotted on the opposite side of Jervis from Malibu Rapids.  A nice breeze was blowing and in crossing the inlet we could take it off our beam so we pulled out the headsail, shut off the motor and drifted pleasantly over to have a look.  Having done this and taken a few pictures we turned back toward PLI to see our sailboat friend entering the rapids.  A few moments later we followed him in.  There was still a bit of current left in the ebb but the entrance was otherwise calm and we enjoyed slowly motoring through and taking in the emerging scenery.  Words can't really do justice to the experience of entering PLI.  The mountains soar to thousands of feet on either side, their white snowy caps contrasting sharply with the now deep-blue sky.   Waterfalls are everywhere.  Eagles drift overhead.  The shoreline, exposed by low tide, is encrusted with thousands of purple sea stars.  Speaking later to someone at the dock he would comment that "It's hard to be an atheist when you come to this place."  However you understand and appreciate nature, you will definitely appreciate it here.

Princess Louisa Inlet is several miles long.  The primary destination for most boaters is the end of the fjord where Chatterbox falls comes thundering down from the mountains and frothing into the ocean. BC Parks maintains a long dock here and there are public structures ashore such as outhouses and a gazebo with fire pit.  There is another area set aside for boaters with several mooring buoys about halfway up the inlet adjacent to MacDonald Island.  We took note of this place on our way in but like everyone else, we had to experience the marquis view of Chatterbox falls.  As the falls and the dock came into view, we were slightly disappointed to see a couple of large powerboats tied up there.

It's hard to describe the relationship between sailors and power-boaters.  It can range from being cordial to downright adversarial.  Most would agree that beyond our mutual love of the water, there is a different ethos driving each.  Sailors tend towards minimalism, quietness and simplicity, at one with nature.  Power boaters lean toward comfort and dominance over nature, much like an RV in a remote campground.  Whereas most sailors will content themselves with whatever luxuries they can contrive with the power in their batteries or generate with solar panels,  powerboats typically use diesel generators.  Incredibly, many powerboats today actually shun propane power for stoves and fridges and use electric ranges that need generators to run.  I'm not saying this is wrong but it runs contrary to the sensibilities of most sailors.

And so we tied up at the dock, next to a couple of our sailing brethren, our view of Chatterbox effectively blocked by the large power yacht in front of us.  Later we traded polite smiles and nods with the power boat owners but it was the sailors with whom we fell into animated conversation.

Chatterbox falls with the public dock to the right

Later that evening we sat drinking wine and digesting our dinner, contemplating yet another sailing milestone reached.  This had seemed like such a daunting trip last year when we first bought the boat but now, here we were.  I could have sat for hours under the stars reflecting on this and many other things but the long day and fresh air dictated otherwise.  No sooner had darkness fallen than we were asleep in our bunks.  It had been quite a day.