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Forward Harbour

Staging at Forward Harbour

Forward Harbour is the spot we staged ourselves for the trip up the Johnstone Strait. Last time we took that trip, it was very choppy the whole way up the Strait, a very uncomfortable ride I won’t forget. When we checked the weather first thing the next morning, we were pleased to see we would have a relatively calm ride through the strait, with Lagoon Cove as our destination for a three-day stay. It rained the whole time we were in Forward Harbour, nothing nasty, just a constant drizzle. I think the humidity in our boat was about 95%. What…

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Shoal Bay

Return to Shoal Bay, Thurlow Island, Discovery Islands, British Columbia

Our Return to Shoal Bay – One of my all-time favorite places on Earth! I tried to capture in photos the magnificence of Shoal Bay, to give our readers an idea of how the atmosphere naturally swallows you up and holds you captive to its charms. One perspective, as we try to describe the character of the bay, is from the government dock, or from the shore looking out towards the mountains. We secured a spot at the end of the Government Dock, with our bow facing shore, putting the snowcapped mountains off our back deck. The enormous mountain range…

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Francis Bay

Francis Bay Anchorage

Francis Bay was our stop for one night. After leaving Toba Wilderness, Francis Bay was our stop for one night. The dockmaster at Toba had suggested it as a great anchorage to spend the night before heading through the Discovery Islands and onto Shoal Bay, our next day’s destination. When we set the anchor in Francis Bay, there was only one other boat there. Later in the afternoon, we watched the sunlight play across the mountains as the day progressed. A few more boats showed up. Just before we cooked dinner on the grill, the bay filled up with lion’s…

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Toba Wildernest

Beautiful Toba Wildernest Sits at the Mouth of Toba Inlet

    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…

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Pendrell Sound

Surprise at Pendrell Sound

    We were in for a surprise at Pendrell Sound – There was a huge forest fire at the northernmost end of Pendrell Sound, to the northwest a ways, right where we like to anchor. It looks as though it had been a while since it happened, as regrowth was already happening. Before, the woods were so thick that you could not even discern the shape of the big rock behind our boat. Now the bottoms of the tree trunks are black. Scorching has removed the needles and leaves from the trees. Even though the backdrop of our stay…

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Roscoe Bay

Not Much Activity at Roscoe Bay–Desolation Sound

Activity at Roscoe Bay–Desolation Sound – We wanted to go back to Roscoe Bay–Desolation Sound again. The anchorage provides a short walk into the woods that leads to a beautiful freshwater lake. It would be an opportunity to take a swim and freshen up from our sometimes multiple days without a shower. With six five-gallon jugs on the back deck, water has been plentiful and not an issue at all during this trip. We’ll certainly need all of them while we are in the Broughton Islands, even at some marinas that just have cedar water to share. However, both days…

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Squirrel Cove Dock

Squirrel Cove Dock – Just for a visit!

As luck would have it, we lost the tree trunk on the way. So, we went right into the small town of Squirrel Cove for a short walk and a trip to their grocery store. Most of these grocery stores are the same; some have more, some have less. It’s interesting and makes me wonder about the selections they have and who they cater to, boaters for sure, and local townspeople. Most of them have the absolute essentials, along with some questionable items, and usually a very limited supply of fresh fruit and vegetables. I picked up some white cooking…

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Squirrel Cove

Squirrel Cove Is On Cortez Island

Squirrel Cove is on the East Side of Cortez Island – The anchorage is a mile or two past the little town of Squirrel Cove. We went right to the anchorage; we decided we’d visit the town on the way out. We stayed for two days. Traveling every day is very tiring, especially when the days are long. We’ve had a couple of days on fairly open water, and it was very choppy. I told Jim after a couple of hours of banging around that I felt like I had spent the day on a horse. So, arriving in a…

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Lund

Lund for a Fuel Stop!

Lund for a Fuel Stop – Time to refuel while we can, and we stopped in Lund. Lund is at Mile 0 (often called the northern starting or ending point) of Highway 101, which stretches over 15,000 kilometers to Chile. On the Sunshine Coast. As we were tying up to the fuel dock, we noticed a sign on the fuel pump, Sorry, power is out. No FUEL! Jim went to investigate, and I still needed a few items from a grocery store. So, after tying up to the fuel dock, I jumped off the boat and headed to the grocery…

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Newcastle Island

Saysutshun Newcastle Island Marine Park – A Short Hop Across from Nanaimo

Saysutshun Marine Park – Newcastle Island is just a short mile or two across from Nanaimo – We have anchored just outside the mooring field in Mark Bay many times when traversing the Newcastle Island Passage. Before anchoring, though, we pulled up to the day-dock so we could stretch our legs by hiking through the island’s woods. Saysutshun is a beautiful Newcastle Island Marine Park. Lots of campers and boaters are taking advantage of the beautiful day. After leaving Newcastle Island Passage, we headed into Departure Bay, then the Strait of Georgia.                

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Wallace Island

Wallace Island’s Conover Cove – A Hub of Activity

Wallace Island's  Conover Cove – Seems like our stay at Wallace Island was the first chance we got to relax and take a breath. The last month has been a flurry of preparation and packing for our trip, along with a grinding 8-day road trip from Michigan to the Pacific Northwest (PNW). Lots of things to remember and take care of before leaving home. We were exhausted! It takes a long time to relax your brain and your body from that kind of stress. No one had to twist our arms to get us to sit back and smell the…

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The Long Goodbye

The Long Goodbye!

The Long Goodbye! – Last summer, Jim and I were brainstorming future travel plans, an exercise we engage in once or twice a year as we look forward to new adventures. After ruling out foreign travel, because we had different ideas about where that might be, or the logistics did not feel right, Jim offered up an idea we both immediately liked. As happens occasionally during this process, our picks usually veer back toward where we can “cruise” next. Jim’s suggestion was for us to tow the boat out to the Pacific Northwest to cruise the Broughton Islands, British Columbia,…

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Covid-19

Trailering Kismet Across Country During Covid-19

Jim is driving, and I am writing this blog post, the first one in quite a while. We are in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, taking Route 2 west as we begin our trek to Washington State. We hope the Canadian border will open while we are out there so we can cruise up to British Columbia. Ideally, we’d like to explore more of the Broughton Islands. We missed going to Florida this year, as we were helping our son, Ross’ family move to Michigan from Portland, OR. Well worth staying home to spend five months with our daughter-in-law, Sarah, and our two…

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Jim and Lisa Favors

In Case You Missed It – As The Prop Turns

 Ranger Tugs' live webinar series, As the Prop Turns, is featuring special guest hosts, Jim and Lisa Favors. In this episode, Jim and Lisa will detail their top 5 cruising destinations in the U.S. and Canada. Stay tuned for the second in a two-part series (later this year) in which the Favors will talk about how and why they trailer their boat all over the country.

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Lagoon Cove

Lagoon Cove Marina – Last Stop On Our Broughton Island Adventure

Lagoon Cove Marina – A Must-See When Cruising the Broughton Islands – This day was somewhat bittersweet! Although we were still in the Broughton Islands, we were heading south to our last stop, Lagoon Cove Marina, before high-tailing it 254 miles back to the USA. It was windy and the water was rough when we departed Pierre’s Echo Bay for our 25-mile cruise into Knight Inlet and finally, our last stop in the Broughton Islands... Lagoon Cove Marina. This is a full-service marina located at the north end of E. Cracroft Island, just southeast of the Broughton Archipelago. The setting is well-protected…

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Pig Roast

Famous Pig Roast at Pierre’s Echo Bay Lodge & Marina

It's All About the Pig Roast! – We first heard about Pierre's Echo Bay while we were researching the Broughton Islands for our 2016 summer cruise. We made a point of visiting their booth at the Seattle Boat Show earlier that year while we were collecting information for our upcoming cruise. Owners Pierre and Tove Landry were at the booth when we stopped by to see what they were all about. Their reputation proceeded them, as we already knew about their famous feasts from other boaters. In talking to them and others at the show, we gained a little glimpse…

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Billy Proctor

Visiting Billy Proctor – A Living Legend in the Broughton Islands

Visiting the Billy Proctor Museum – The next morning, after arriving at Pierre's Echo Bay, we took a short walk. We made our way over a bumpy well-worn path starting at the marina, over a bridge,  through the woods, and finally a big open field, to Billy's Museum. Billy Proctor, fisherman, logger, and beachcomber, is a living legend in these parts. Billy was born and raised in the Broughton Islands. Over the years he has gained a vast personal knowledge of what it was like to live in this remote area. Billy started collecting the impressive memorabilia found in his…

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Echo Bay

Pierre’s Echo Bay – A Distinct Nordic Jewel in the Broughton Islands

Pierre's Echo Bay Lodge and Marina is Famous for Their Nordic Themed Feasts – Less than 2 miles away from the previous night's anchorage in Shoal Bay sits Pierre’s Echo Bay Lodge and Marina. We arrived early morning for a 2-day stay. Before making our way to our assigned slip, we stopped at the fuel dock to top off our tank. This is a chore we prefer to do on the way into a marina. That way, when we leave early morning, we don't have to wait in line at the fuel dock. After coming out of the wild, with several days spent watching for bears, whales,…

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Shoal Harbour

Shoal Harbour, A Great Hidey-Hole for Bad Weather

Shoal Harbour is Located Close to Pierre's Echo Bay at the North side of Gilford Island – After lunch, we stayed a couple of hours relaxing in the Burwood Group, it was that spectacular. Our plan was to anchor for the night in Shoal Harbour. En route there, we explored while cruising in and out of Scott Cove and eventually Pierre's Echo Bay, taking a quick spin around the famous floating marina (we had reservations secured for the next day). After our exploration cruise, we arrived on the north arm of Shoal Harbour as planned – late afternoon. The harbour is a well-protected, shallow-watered, anchorage. Navigating Shoal Harbour…

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Burdwood Group

Lunch Stop – Burdwood Group – Broughton Islands, BC

Burdwood Group – A cluster of low-lying islands – One of the interesting features of the Burdwood Group Islands is the white-shell beaches. This grouping includes Denham Island, Walker Islet, and a few other unnamed islands and islets. We stopped for lunch during our day-long exploration on our way to Shoal Harbour. The surroundings were amazing, almost dreamlike with pointy islands all around. It helped that it was an extremely calm day with glassy water below us reflecting the mounds of islands nearby. Above us, the sky was intensely blue at the height of the day, we felt saturated in warm color and dreaminess. It felt…

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Simoon Sound

Peace and Quiet in Simoon Sound – Broughton Islands, Canada

Simoon Sound – A Sure Thing for a Bear Sighting We left Kwatsi Bay late morning to head back west into Tribune Channel and eventually Simoon Sound. First, we wanted to explore the length of Tribune Channel while also looking out for a spot to anchor for the night. Our preferred choice was Macintosh Bay, but the best spot was taken. We proceeded further back into O’Brien Bay and found a nice spot in the north corner of the bay with a good view of the level shoreline and a wide open beach area where we hoped to have a black bear sighting…

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return visit Kwatsi Bay Marina

Can’t Get Enough of These Floating Marinas – Return Visit Kwatsi Bay Marina, Broughton Islands, BC Canada

Return Visit Kwatsi Bay Marina More fog greeted us this morning. We watched it slowly roll into Viner Sound the night before. Never have seen this much fog in our lives! So, today was another exploration cruising day. We enjoy poking into little coves, around islands, up bays, rivers, or sounds, just to see what's there. It must be the inquisitive nature and wanderlust in our blood and our ongoing desire to see as much of the Broughtons as we can this summer. Our end goal today is a return visit to Kwatsi Bay Marina. Soon after we departed Viner Sound, we…

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Cruising to Viner Sound

Cruising to Cover More Territory – Broughton Islands, BC Canada

Cruising Along a Fluid Highway Around the Islands – When exploring new cruising territory, like we are right now in the Broughtons, we will often spend the whole day traveling in and out of bays, coves, and sounds. We’ll skirt around islands and stick our bow into a shallow inlet to investigate the setting. Our day will be spent watching for wildlife, especially bears foraging for food along the beaches. With limited time in the Broughtons and with so much territory to cover, it just makes sense to maximize our exposure this way. We usually have a trip planned out ahead of…

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Joe Cove

Dreaming and Conspiring at Joe Cove – Eden Island, Broughton Islands, BC

Joe Cove – Located on the South Side of Eden Island – Today we moved a whopping 12 miles. It was a foggy, damp and still day, everything looked grey and green, even the water. We were determined to head back out into Queen Charlotte Straight in our quest to find those elusive whales. Again no luck on that front, but the fog made our cruise through Arrow Passage, Sunday Harbour and Misty Passage that much more remarkable, from a visual perspective. We can only imagine what it would have been like on a sunny day. We entered Joe Cove on Eden Island…

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Waddington Bay

Settling Into Waddington Bay for the Night – Broughton Islands, BC Canada

Waddington Bay – Located Off Bonwick Island – After waking up to thick fog, we departed Goat Island and cruised up Knight Inlet for seven miles in search of whales. Having no luck finding any, we retraced our path through extremely calm water, moving in and out of the dense fog to make our way to the mouth of Knight Inlet. We skirted into a channel by Midsummer Island and out into the base of Queen Charlotte Strait. Still idling through heavy fog, not seeing much past the bow of Kismet we went up Arrow Passage, still looking for whales. With none yet to…

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