We left Port McNeill for Booker Lagoon which involved crossing Queen Charlotte Straight. The guide books all suggest it is no place to be with high winds opposing big tides and that is precisely what we had so it was interesting to see just how bad it got and how Iron Lady would deal with it. We crossed on an outgoing tide at mid tide (highest current flow) with 25 to 30 knots of breeze opposing the tide. While we could see how it would be uncomfortable in many of the boats we have seen up here, Iron Lady made light work of it. We even slowed her way down to make a pass at Booker on slack water – still no bother.
Booker Lagoon is our new favorite anchorage in the Broughtons – and there are some great anchorages in this area. The entrance is a bit daunting the first time you go in. Our guides suggest that the current can race here up to 7 knots and this entrance is no place to be in that kind of current.
You enter through Cullen Harbour which is a nice anchorage in its own right.
This is the entrance to the pass which begins with a hairpin turn to starboard followed by a hairpin turn to port.
As you exit the port turn, this is what you see.
WHile the tight section is short, it is extremely narrow with no room to turn around so no place for a mistake.
Once thru, it opens up into a beautiful lagoon with four or five natural arms that are impervious to any wind – just pick up and move to the best.
We actually toured all the arms and stayed at anchor in two of them. In the first, we saw this beautiful baby dear – you have to look closely.
Steve and I put our some berries and dead fish in the hopes of tempting a bear but with no luck. Another lagoon in the bay said they had seen one.
This is a shot of a meadow above our first anchorage which was full of wild flowers.
Another shot of our first anchorage as dusk settled in.
Overnight, the rains came – and boy did it rain. Nonstop for 36 hours. Judging by the water in the bucket on the back deck, we had over 6 inches of rain. The dink was a bathtub. The rain did make for some spectacular pictures however.
The sky the following morning.
And a nice rainbow to wish us on our way.
And by the way – pawning. We filled half of a 2.5 gallon the first night and got a coupe of dozen the second (thanks to a prawn eating star fish that gorged on the rest).
We hope to get back to Booker with our guests late in July and August. We are beginning to wend our way back to Campbell River to meet our first set of guests but we will spend a few nights in Lagoon Cove before transiting down Johnstone Straight and on thru Seymour Narrows.
On the way to Lagoon, we did manage to spot a few humpback whales in the distance.
Cheers