Ḵ̓wax̱wa̱lawadi | Echo Bay Marina & Lodge – Pierre’s Echo Bay Marina & Lodge (on the northwestern side of Gilford Island in the Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia, Canada) was sold to The Kwiḵwa̱sut’inux̱w Haxwa’mis First Nation (KHFN) on June 2, 2020, by longtime owners Pierre and Tove Landry. The First Nation acquired this legendary coastal marina to restore stewardship of the operations within their traditional territory. One of the very few marinas still open for cruisers exploring the Broughton Archipelago, Echo Bay is currently nothing like its former self. While the tribe has made several improvements to the marina, such…

East Of Eden Anchorage – Also Known As Lady Boot Cove – We are now cruising in the central part of the Broughton Archipelago Marine Provincial Park. I’d have to say that our anchorage in East of Eden, in the northeast corner of Eden Island and adjacent to Eden Pool, has been my favorite so far. We shared a three-day stay with a Meridan trawler and a sailboat. It is a very scenic spot and another one where, at low-tide, the rocks reflected themselves in the smooth, glassy waters below. We’ve had sun and fog on and off during our…

We Enjoyed Our Cruise to Monday Anchorage – The route to our next anchorage was exceptional, with thick fog, glassy water later in the morning, and partial sunlight illuminating the boulders on shore. We passed an area known as the White Cliff Islets. This is a popular area for kayakers, boaters, and campers.             The anchorage at Monday Cove, which sits between Tracey and Mars Islands, was exceptional! On the day we anchored in Monday Cove, a group of kayakers arrived in the afternoon, during low-tide. We watched as they pulled their kayaks ashore and…

Our Waddington Bay Anchorage Was Well-protected and Calm– Waddington Bay Anchorage is on the northeast shore of Bonwick Island within the Broughton Archipelago Marine Park in British Columbia. Kismet spent several days at anchor here because it was so beautiful. We remember the last time we were here: a black bear would come down to the beach every night at low tide and flip rocks while looking for food. No such luck this time. The rock formations reflected on the glassy water have fascinated me while cruising and anchoring, especially here at Waddington Bay. The images change as the light,…

Pearse Island Satisfied Most of Our Anchorage Needs– Most of our nights, while in the Broughton Archpegleo, will be at anchor. With only a few good marinas available and our affinity for anchoring, Jim’s research will most certainly take us to some scenic lagoons, coves, bays, islets, and inlets. Jim has an innate ability to plan our cruising days and nights to be as seamless as possible. We’ll throw the hook in the afternoon after a day of cruising and sightseeing. Some days we’ll only anchor one night, but if we really like a spot, we’ll anchor two or three…

Marina at Port McNeill For Supplies & Laundry – With a "Boil Water" Notice in Effect – If spending more than a few days or weeks in the Broughtons, most boaters, especially those with small boats, will need to visit Port McNeill at some point. Situated at the northern end of Vancouver Island, Port McNeill is a small town within reasonable reach for boaters cruising the Broughton Islands. We were running out of water and food, especially fresh produce, and since we had been cruising for about a month now from Anacortes, we had to do laundry. We needed to…

Spout Islet, overlooking Blackfish Sound, is located off the shore of Hanson Island in the Broughton Archipelago– The bay beyond Spout Islet is popular with boaters because of its good holding ground. It is also well-protected from westerly winds. An excellent spot to be on the lookout for whales and to watch passing cruise ships. As we do at most anchorages, we spent the afternoon watching the antics of the birds and fish jumping out of the water; occasionally, a seal will swim by while checking us out while we cook or play Mah Jongg. Sometimes it's just entertaining to…

Our First Humpback Sighting at Blackney Passage and Johnstone Strait, Off Cracroft Island— Thanks to the kind folks at Lagoon Cove, we knew just where to go to have a pretty good chance of having our first humpback sighting. Apparently, a lot of boaters have claimed to see whales consistently near this island and passage. As soon as we could see around the island, we first spotted a cruise ship slowing down. We weren’t sure why until we spotted the distinctive whale’s tail flap out of the water and disappear. It appeared to be fairly close to the cruise ship,…

It was a Foggy Morning at Our Goat Islet Anchorage Goat Islet Anchorage is a protected cove used by cruisers exploring Knight's Inlet and Johnstone Strait. By the time we left, the fog had lifted, but what beautiful scenery we enjoyed while anchored there. We just stayed one night, so much territory yet to cover in the Broughton Islands. Tomorrow we'll go looking for whales in Johnstone Strait and Blackney Passage. Kelley, from Lagoon Cove, gave us some info as to where people seem to always spot whales, Cracoft Island. We would love to get a glimpse of some humpback…

Potts Lagoon - West Cracroft Island was the perfect spot for our first anchorage while in the Broughton Islands – Potts Lagoon, named for Murray Clark Potts, the area’s first settler who staked a claim there, way back in 1908, is convenient for accessing the islands closest to Vancouver Island and Port McNeill, in the northern Johnstone Strait / Broughton Archipelago region of British Columbia, Canada. As we headed into the anchorage, we passed a logging business on shore and a few float homes. Not much to report on our stay there, as we were mostly alone in the anchorage…

Lagoon Cove is one of the more scenic small marinas in the Broughton Islands. We started planning this trip about a year ago. The excitement aboard Kismet is palpable. Today, we arrive in Lagoon Cove for the start of our Broughton Islands cruise. This is our first stop in the remote archipelago, after transiting the Johnstone Strait from Forward Harbour. It was appropriate that we picked Lagoon Cove as our first stop, since it was the last stop on our 2016 trip to the Broughtons. Kinda, picking up where we left off! When we were here ten years ago, it…

Our First Bear Sighting Was Certainly Unexpected– We pulled into Telegraph Cove just to get some fuel. Jim and I have never been in this harbour. We heard it had been in the news not too long ago because there had been a big fire there that did a lot of damage. We were there only to get fuel, so we didn’t get the full scoop. It looked like things were looking up with renovated buildings in progress. The bear sighting happened just outside the marina office when Jim ran into a big, black bear. He seemed to mind his…

    Beautiful Toba Wildernest Sits at the Mouth of Toba Inlet. The inlet is a deep fjord on the mainland of British Columbia. Directly adjacent to the northern boundary of Desolation Sound The first time we approached Toba Wildernest, (see how it looked the first time we came). I felt a special energy present as we crossed the still, foamy turquoise waters of Pryce Channel. What we found at the little rustic marina on the edge of a mountain (connected to the British Columbia mainland) was something special, away from the hustle and bustle of the busy world most…