The sense of entrapment in urban living has haunted me ever since leaving my childhood Africa. Thus a few summers ago I decided to take 'Wild Thing', my 21' bayliner, and run for ten days up the inside passge to get a real sense of the immense wild spaces that exist not too far from where I live. |
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Heading up Johnstone Strait at Northern tip of Vancouver Island, at times I could almost lean out and touch the orcas passing by. |
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'Wild Thing' - Moored for the night to refuel and restock, Northern Vancouver Island. |
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Nature's canvas - Seaweed festooned rocks at low tide. |
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At an easy 3800 rpm on calm early morning seas, heading out of Johnstone straights onto Queen Charlotte straight and next refueling at Port Hardy |
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Wild rugged country above Port Hardy, Northern Vancouver Island
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Near the open ocean of Queen Charlotte Straits Stopping to fish for supper . |
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| It does not take more than 5 minutes to collect |  |
Nice rock fish for dinner |
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| After very rough 6 hour crossing of Queen Charlotte straight, pulled into small cove near Rivers Inlet for the night. Getting ready to cook dinner |
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All alone in the cove and docked next to a floating net repair raft - one of the most protected and beautiful coves I have ever been in |
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| Studying the charts for the next leg of the journey |  |
| Heading in to refuel at the floating outpost of Dawsons Landing |  |
| Talking to the proprietor. In summer it is OK, but in winter it must be very lonely out here |
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Oops, I guess I will have to put one of these on. |
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| Dock side ropes the colors of a sea faded rainbow |  |
| Doing minor repairs to 'Wild Thing' after the very rough crossing of the Queen Charlotte Straits the day before |  |
| Using fantastic marine 'Goop' to glue the gunnel strip back in after it was knocked out by hours of going airborne running into 15', very long amplitude, fast running seas capped by a 3' chop. |  |
| Heading north into Hecate passage towards Bella Bella. Time to set up the radar and GPS - seems we are in for fog for a while |
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| Very wild and forboding country off the main channel of the Inside Passage, north of Klemtu towards Prince Rupert. If you get into trouble here the coast guard will only come out to validate your demise. |
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| On the edge of the open Pacific Ocean. The beach of Calvert Island |
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| Anchor out to over night in 'Rescue bay' - Hecate Strait |  |
| Enjoying a 'Blue' at 10pm at anchor on a beautiful mid summer eve. |  |
| After 10 days, back into northern reaches of Johnstone Straits and docked at marina to have a shower. |  |
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