Our destination for a good part of this trip is to explore the Broughton Archipelago, a group of numerous islands and islets east of the northern tip of Vancouver Island. As we work our way north from the familiar waters of Desolation Sound, we need to transit several rapids—narrow channels that are tidal gates of swift currents and boiling upwells. There is a short period of slack water between tidal changes we must time to slip through.

From Rebecca Spit on Quadra Island, we head northeast in Sutil Channel to Von Donop Inlet on Cortez Island. The wind direction is perfect, and we have a lively sail all the way to the mouth of the Inlet. We anchor in drizzle, taking one small excursion in our dingy to explore the mouth of an inland bay, but the tide is too low for us to enter and explore it. We ready to head north and transit our first rapids of the trip in the morning— Yuculta Rapids and Dent Rapids—heading into new territory for us.

We made it from our anchorage in Von Donop Inlet to the head of Yuculta rapids in good time, getting there a little too early to cross. By the time we headed in, it was completely benign. We’d originally planned to duck into Big Bay, which is between Yuculta and Dent Rapids, to spend the night after a stellar review from a friend who’d been there last year. But it was early in the day, and we were well positioned to enter Dent Rapids a little early and make the entire run. In the middle of Dent rapids is a nasty whirlpool called Devil’s Hole. We’d originally thought we’d avoid it by taking a longer route between two smaller islands, though that route has a few shallow rocks to dodge. Watching the sailboat ahead of us go by Devil’s Hole without a hitch convinced us we could do the same, and we did.

The real excitement came later with the boom of thunder and lightning flashing too close for comfort when you are sitting at the bottom of a 54-foot lightening rod. We were relieved to tie up at Blind Channel Resort on West Thurlow Island.

Blind Channel Resort is owned and operated by three generations of the Richter Family. The restaurant there is 5-star in our opinion, and we had an amazing three-course dinner. We’d planned to stay two nights, but a short window of calm weather enticed us to make headway north to Johnstone Strait.

Prevailing winds and current this time of year could work against us, kicking up dangerous seas and necessitating waiting days for a travel window to transit the Strait. We had several duck-in bays picked out, but as the flatwater calm continued, so did we, passing one potential safe harbor after another until we glided into the more protected waters of Havannah Channel and dropped anchor in a pretty nook in Port Harvey Bay. We’d traveled 37 miles and were now at the entrance of the Broughton Archipelago.

Yesterday, we traveled a short 6 miles to where we are now, anchored at Matilipi Indian Islands. We are readying to pass through another narrow channel of swift-moving currents, Chatham Channel into the Broughtons. I’ll let you know how that goes!

V.