July 3, 2012
Shearwater, BC
So much in so few days!  Dixon Entrance was a walk in the park... a very long walk of 13 hours but still a walk across flat water with sunshine.  Life is good.  Into Prince Rupert to clear customs and have a lovely dinner in a RESTAURANT!!!! on the deck in the sun.  Mmmmm.
From PR south down Grenville....boring.... Channel.   We took the channel because they were predicting high winds along the outside in Hecate Strait.  But Grenville is narrow and steep to so there are many hours of views of water, granite, trees and sky.  That is it!  Sounds a bit whiney but the rest of this coast is so gorgeous that you tend to get a bit picky.
Spent the night a Lowe Inlet...there will be photos to follow but for now I need to get this all down while I can still remember it and load the photos later....very pretty place with a nice waterfall but not much in the way of crab or bears....getting pickier.
To Hartley Bay to try and get internet connection to pay a bill but it is SUNDAY,,,,and the office is closed.  On to Kiskosh up Douglas Channel.   A beautiful place of high granite ridges covered with huge snow cornices melting into plunging waterfalls of a couple thousand feet.  AND bears.  AND crab! 
The next day we cruised back to Hartley Bay, paid the bill on the internet and got some water and then moved onto Verney Passage...filled with more waterfalls.
Gary fished a bit but got nothing!  We moved on to Bishop Bay Hot Springs where we were lucky enough to get a place at the dock!!  That was a first.  There was only one other boat there and they had already had their long soak so we were good to go.  We both got relaxed and clean and then even Diesel got a nice soak.  He seemed to totally enjoy himself...actually just laid back and did a slow dog paddle in Gary's arms while he got a good wash down. 
Another boat came in from Port Angeles with some guys on board who are friends with Martin of Bar Harbor Restaurant fame in Ketchikan.  This is important because Martin...CIA trained chef gave me his recipe for his Calmari sauce.  I had to assure him that I would not be in competition with him. 
Left BBHS and made our way south to Squally Channel and the fishing grounds renowned for easy salmon.  NO THIS YEAR!  Nothing.  A nice night was spent at MacDonald Bay and then south to Emily Carr Cove on the west side of Princess Royal Island. What a gorgeous little, snug bombproof anchorage!!!  And close to good prawning in Holgate Pass.  We put the pots out and spent the night.
The wind was supposed to blow so we decided to stay another night in this gorgeous place.  We went out to check our prawn pots....saw EVIVA coming through the pass....and didn't get much so we left them to soad overnight and headed back into the cove.  The entrance is a tight little thing with a rock off the starboard side almost mid channel.  We'd been in and out 4 times already and just needed to go back in to fix dinner and WHAP!! WTH???   WHAR!~!!!  Which translates to WHAP!!  WTH????  We hit a rock!!!!  Well now we know what that feels like!!  And don''t need to ever repeat it again. 
We got through the entrance into safe water.  Gary flew down to the engine room and bilge area to see if we were taking on water.  We were dry.  When he came back to to try to put the engines in gear there was a terrible vibration from the starboard engine/prop...the side we hit. 
We spent a terrible night in a beautiful place.  Both of us guilt ridden thinking "if we'd only" about a bazillion times.  The next morning our bilge was still dry.  That is good.
Now the good news is we are a twin engine boat so we still have power but not a ton of it for many reasons.  They were still predicting 30 kt SE winds that morning in Laredo Channel which opens SE to Milbank Sound and the Pacific.  We decided to poke our heads out and check things out.  The water was flat so we decided to go for it.  There are a couple of anchorages along the west side of Princess Royal that we could duck into if the winds came up.  But the water stayed flat all the way to Meyer's Passage.  The next day we made Shearwater where there is a shipyard and mechanic and haulout but wouldn't you just know that it was Canada Day weekend and the shipyard took Friday off.
We headed to Discovery Cove just a few miles east of Shearwater on Troupe Passage.  Spent two nights there and pulled up a crab pot with 26 LEGAL crabs!  It was so heavy that Gary couldn't pull it into the dinghy.  We kept 6 and tossed the rest back.  We kept nothing under 7 inches!
Back to Shearwater Sunday night and spent it on the breakwater tied to a rotting "free" dock from which we watched the fire works that night in celebration of Canada Day.
Monday AM we were first in line for the haul out.  The starboard prop looled like a pretzel, the shaft was bent and the strut was bent and torqued.  They worked all day to get the strut off and then the shaft was no piece of cake either.  Finally it all came apart.
The good news is that we carry and extra set of props and a spare shaft.  They were able to straighten the strut and that is where we are now.  Still on the hard but it is 2 pm on Tues and they say we will float this afternoon!!  I hope.  Life on a boat is full of challenge and compromise at best when it is on the water.  On the hard is another story all together.  We were able to sleep aboard but the toilet is a salt water flush so that is not usable.  All gray water flows overboard so you can't really dump the contents of the show basin onto the ground below the boat AND the entry/exit up and down a 12 foot aluminum ladder is always a challenge.  And then there is the dog who has to be transported up and down the 12 foot ladder.  I hope we float today!!
But I have made many new friends.  The harbor master told us this morning that we have been added to the permanent role of island residents.  Yesterday  before we had power connected to the boat I thought it best if I just stayed out of the way so the dog and I went to the laundry with my book.  Warm and dry....it was raining....I spent so much of the day there that I am sure people were beginning to think that Diesel and I were homeless. 
I know almost everyone on the dock.....as they all came to do their laundry.  Many offered to have me come and sit it our on their boats.  Very hospitable strangers.  As I was walking down the dock yesterday afternoon someone yelled "Carol".  I turned around to see Scruples III with Larry and Jan Schnetsky.  They offered us their guest stateroom for the night.  Very nice and most appreciated.
I'm going to stop here for a bit.  I think I am about to lose power and maybe...just maybe ...the travel lift will be sliding slings under us shortly.