When
Namesakes Meet
By Jerry Todd
6/17-7:30 AM: Departed Meydenbauer Bay on Lake Washington aboard Glacier Bay #693 owned by Ronnie and Pandra Hubbell of Texas. They were later joined by Bill and Betty Jennings from Power Boating Canada magazine. We headed across the lake, through the University/ Montlake Cut into Portage Bay, Lake Union, down the ship canal, out through the Chritten Locks into Puget Sound, then west around West Point and into a solid wall of fog. I took a DR heading, slowed to 15 knots and arrived spot-on at the Elliott Bay Marina breakwater entrance. Sure looked forward to piloting a boat with radar and GPS aboard.
6 /17-3:00 PM: Frank O'Brien, his wife, Peg, from Annapolis, and crew Roy and Robyn Attaway from New York City, launched boats GB#685 and GB#690 in Lake Union, and then ran them through the Chritten Locks into Puget Sound, past Shilshole Bay Marina and out around West Point into Elliott Bay, arriving at the marina at 5:00 PM. Clear skies and flat seas held promise for a great trip. Elliott Bay Marina gave us use of three adjoining slips on A Dock. Their staff went out of their way to make our departure "First Class."
6/18-9:00 AM: We spent the day fine-tuning all three boats. Dave Greenwood from Suzuki tuned the engines ' King Canvas brought backdrop curtains for all three boats. Ronnie installed a VHF and a GPS on his #693. Larry Graf ran some fuel/speed calculations with G13 #685.
6/18-5:30 PM: We all gathered for a kick-off banquet at Palisades Restaurant to meet one another. Wonderful view of the city, Elliot Bay, Alki Beach and the Olympic Peninsula. Great evening, thanks to Suzuki for sponsoring it.
6/18-8:00 PM: Gathered all three boats for a photo shoot with the Seattle skyline as backdrop. Lighting was a bit low, but the pictures came out pretty good, anyway.
6/19-8:00 AM: Met at Maggies Bluffs Cafe for group breakfast. Best sourdough pancakes, ever. After breakfast Larry Graf wanted to try a propeller change from three blades to four blades. Went out and tried the props, but decided that the three blades were more fuel-efficient. Then we took all three boats over to Murdale Edwards Park for another "Leaving Seattle" photo shoot. Back to the Elliott Bay Marina fuel dock to top off the tanks. (This prop exercise put us two hours behind our schedule, so I took Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor lunch off the list).
6/19-11:05 AM: Departed Elliott Bay Marina en route to Roche Harbor at a speed of 26 knots at 4000 RPM. This route took us out Admiralty Inlet, past Port Ludlow and Port Townsend. Lots of drifting debris with logs. Had to keep two sets of eyes on the water at all times. Skies had broken clouds and the temperature was in the mid 60s. Entered the Straits of Juan de Fuca and took a DR to Cattle Pass on the south end of San Juan Island. There were numerous tide rips crossing the Straits, confused water and very few boats. Approaching Cattle Pass I got on the VHF to ask the crews if they would like to go west of San Juan Island and try to find a pod of killer whales. They confirmed and we headed up the west side of the island. Just southeast of Westscott Passage we spotted a pod of 15-20 Blackfish and stopped to photograph them. Frank's and Ronnie's boats were able to get good close-up shots. guest moorings for the night. Then Bill had set up an interview with the Canadian Boating Television Show. I did a quick "on air" inter-view and ran out for a quick photo shoot. We took a photo of the Glacier Bay cat under the bows of the new B.C. Ferry System's largest cat.
6/19 - 8:30 PM: Checked into the Coast Bastion Hotel and headed for dinner at Gina's Mexican Cafe. Great spot, great food and fun with the locals.
6/20 - 7:OOAM: It's raining. Frank, Ronnie and I installed the back-drop curtains on the boats.
6/20 - 9:30 AM: The crews started to arrive back at the Nanaimo YC docks. I can see that the schedule is to be thrown overboard. But that is the blessing of boating, it doesn't matter. Bill took the crews on a tour of New Castle Island. The winds were increasing.
6/20 - 10:40 AM: We departed New Castle Island and headed out into the Straits of Georgia. Winds 20-25 knots. Seas on the starboard aft quarter, running 6'-7'with an occasional 10-footcr. We crossed the 28-mile stretch of open water averaging 21-22 knots, without seeing another boat of any description. The GBs handled this water extremely well. Those who didn't have a true love for the Glacier Bay hull design - now do. Only one incident. Frank lost his Irish flag. It blew off the antenna in the gusty winds.
6/20 - 12:30 PM: Arrived inside Garden Bay at Pender Harbor. Checked into the Sunshine Coast Resort for the night. Motored the boats through the quiet waters of the bay to Dockside Pub for lunch. Fresh halibut, yum!
6/20 - 4:10 PM: Departed Pender Harbor for the 50-mile run up Queens Reach to Princess Louisa Inlet and Chatterbox Falls. Beautiful, magnificent, natural splendor along the way. Waterfalls cascading 1000's of feet into the quiet waters. Still snow on the walls of this fjord. Went through Malibu Rapids at slack tide. Watched all the campers at the lodge hanging out their wet clothing on the rail to dry. Ran up Princess Louisa Inlet to the Falls.
6/20 - 6:30 PM: The entire crew was inspired and in awe of these magnificent falls. We tied to the docks and strolled up to the base of the falls. Other cruisers, tied in for the evening at the docks, were impressed with our adventure and our ability to make such good time over the waters. I was impressed too, as I walked the docks in my rain slicker and saw the exhaust ducts of these "diesel furnaces" and the folks sitting around in their shorts and T-shirts inside these well-equipped long-range cruising yachts. I could not equal them on their luxury, but they were not going to be in Glacier Bay in six more days either.
6/20 - 9:25 PM: Back to the "Dockside Pub" for dinner of more halibut. Great fellowship. This was going to be one great group together.
6/20 - 11:30 PM: Bill Jennings wandered around to see who got the best room and why it isn't his. Too late to use the hot tub. Oh well, its raining anyway
6/21 - 8:40 AM: Arrived at the fuel dock. Across the dock from the pumps is Chattam, a 1946 vintage 42'Chris Craft. This boat was next to mine back at Portland Yacht Club in the 60's and 70's. It was good to see an old friend. Unfortunately, she was no longer the pristine show boat of the past. Still had the old 105 hp Hercules.
6/21 - 9:45 AM: Departed Garden Bay. Waters were flat, Intermittent light showers, broken but low ceiling, decent temperatures. Ran out into the Malaspina Strait, then turned northwest and ran up the east side of Texada Island, passing Powell River and headed to the government docks at Lund, BC.
6/21 - 11:30 AM: Lund, a late breakfast at the Dockside Bakery. This dragged on, as the goodies were so yummy that everyone was going back for more. Blueberry cinnamon rolls, huge Nanaimo bars, espresso, oh, and the cookies! We stocked up, and each boat had a good supply of calories for the day.
6/21 - 12:25 PM: Departed Lund, traveling northwest still. Passed on the east side of the Copeland Islands, past Sarah Point with Prideaux Haven a few miles to our right. Beautiful area that we did not have time to explore. Already another trip had to be planned because of the spots we were just passing by. Continued past our scheduled lunch stop at Refuge Cove, B.C., for we still had "plenty goodies" left from the brunch stop. We crossed Desolation Sound into Lewis Channel and up Calm Channel, passing Rendezvous Islands to port. Cruising up the west side of yet another Stuart Island, we went through Yuculta Rapids, and pulled into the Big Bay Resort for the gift shop and hot coffee.
6/21 - 1:45 PM: The water was really swirling in the bay, which created a 2-knot crosscurrent as we backed into the slips. Ronnie and Frank helped a float plane get off the dock in the crosscurrent and watched as the young family slipped off the water and into the air. This is another great spot and I could have relaxed for a number of days there with a good book and people watching. It seems that the more remote one finds oneself, the more fun the local characters become.
6/21 - 2:45 PM: Departed Big Bay. Have calculated the tide right and our run through Dent Rapids was a "piece of cake" as we closely hugged Sonora Island to port. Up Cordero Channel, we passed Cordero Lodge to our starboard. Then, down Mayne Passage and into Blind Channel.
6/21 - 3:00 PM: Arriving at Blind Channel Resort, we pumped marine fuel while the "BC taxis" pumped their aviation gas. Again, really nice people attending us. Good docks, great atmosphere and the farther north we get, the more wide-eyed the folks get about our adventure; since they are used to seeing only larger boats go where we are going.
6/21 - 3:40 PM: As we departed Blind Channel, a custom 115-footerwith family of four aboard came idling. Reversing our course for a few miles puts us back into Cordero Channel and we continued on into Chancellor Channel, past Loughborough Inlet, another great spot to explore the next time we are in the area. We cut up the east side of Hardwicke Island and then headed west into Johnstone Strait. It was a little lumpy for 15 miles, but these cats really handled it well. We turned north, up Havarmah Channel, around and up Chatham Channel. This area hasn't changed at all since before the first explorers saw it. Remote and awesome. Cruising up Chatham Channel, a black bear is on the beach turning rocks, looking for food. He/she pays little heed to us as we idle as close as we can to the kelp bed just offshore. So here we are: bears to the left, otters to the right, eagles overhead, seals as curious as we are; yes, we have found cruising heaven. Underway once again, we enter Knight Inlet and set our course west, cutting into the passage between Gilford and Midsummer islands. Then it is northeast into the Fox Island group, through Cramer Passage and into Echo Bay.
6/21 - 7:00 PM: The Echo Bay fuel dock and store is constructed on a piece of the "sunken" Lake Washington floating bridge from Seattle. I had been over it many times in my younger days, but never had the opportunity to stop, buy fuel, dinner, and a fishing license before. Here we are in the most remote reaches of British Columbia and, as I fuel the lead boat, this handsome man with a huge smile on his face comes walking down the dock. "Jerry is that you? I thought it might be, when I saw the GBs come around the point and into the bay." Jerome Rose, an old friend, (well not too old, he had his two-year-old daughter and wife with him) from Portland, is building a Yurt here to spend his summers fishing. It was great to hash over old times and future plans. We all cooked dinner for ourselves that evening and once again, Bill went around to make sure that he had the finest room. But, Roy and Robyn got the tree house. Yes, theirs was the best. Frank and Alan went salmon fishing, as earlier in the day guys were bringing in the "big ones," right off the rocks at the bays entrance. Frank and Alan had a few hits on the kelp, but that was all.
6/22 - 8:30 AM: Departed Echo Bay into a fog bank. Traversed Raleigh Passage with my eyes darting between the radarscope and the GPS plotter. As we came into Sutej Channel we left the fog behind, but exchanged it for a soft drizzle. Sullivan Bay came up and being our breakfast stop, we pulled in.
6/22 - 9:30 AM: Sullivan Bay can best be described as a floating city. Half- million- dollar floating homes, library, restaurant, store, Grange Hall, everything floating. They have signs pointing in every direction with mileage posted. The international airport has never seen a 747 on floats, yet is said to be prepared if one were to call for approach instructions. It is easy to see why everyone who has visited Sullivan Bay, holds this place so dear.
6/22- 10:20 AM: Departed Sullivan Bay, didn't get breakfast. The supply boat didn't shown up and because of the unusually wet summer, stores were still not open. Cruised out of Wells Passage into Queen Charlotte Strait. The large westerly swell was fun. It was up, up, and then down, down. This was fine until the 4- to 5-foot southerly cross chop came. We also had to turn and take a more northerly heading, so we had the westerly swell on the port beam and the southerly cross chop on our stern. The cats handled this water extremely well. Even my wife was relaxed as the boats were proving their worth. The Queen Charlottes are known for having lumpy seas and this day was normal. We cruised along, averaging 25 knots. The only other traffic we came across was a huge cruise ship coming out of Fitzhugh Sound as we approached, and a classic '30s something fantail yacht. Once behind Calvert Island (eastside) we pulled into Safety Cove, as I needed to add oil to my remote tanks. From there, up to Kwakshue Channel we cruised along at 27.5 knots and were chased by various pods of dolphin, seemingly with 100 plus in each pod. It is amazing to see how much "air" some of these mammals get in their 35-mph jumps. Into Kwakshue Channel, we turned west to the Hakai Beach Resort.
6/22 - 2:17 PM: The Hakai Beach Resort was the absolute resort highlight of the entire trip. Bill finally got the best room, but then again, we all got the best room. Owners Steve and Roy Corneau have built a five-star inn that offers a bit of everything. A short walk and you are on a remote beach of beautiful white sand, facing the mighty Pacific
Ocean (one of two white sandy beaches in all of Pacific Coast B.C.). It goes for miles. Stroll along with just the bald eagles for company. Enjoy the lookout points that Steve and Roy's crews have built. See the tracks from the midget deer and midget wolves, as they have become a sub-species all to themselves. The fishing is terrific. See them on the Internet http://www.yachtworld.com/leaving_yw.cgi?url=http://www.hakai.com. But you better make your reservations quickly. This place will soon be "discovered." We dined on fresh sea scallop appetizer/salad and a New York steak. The rooms... the deep beds made it hard to get up in the morning, but the breakfast buffet awaited.
6/23 - 8:45 AM: Hated to leave this piece of heaven, but today would be one of our longest runs and we needed to get some water under the tracking pads and behind the props. The dolphins were waiting for us as we returned into Fitzhugh Sound. The bows were pointed north again. We raced along in three-foot chop, passing another cruise ship going where we were. We turned into Luna Passage and met a number of commercial "boys" as we headed to Bella Bella for fuel.
6/23 - 11:48 AM: Departed Bella Bella, headed out Seaforth Channel and into Milbanke Sound. Again the Milbanke Sound Pacific swell came onto our beam and then onto our stern as we turned up into Finlayson Channel. We cut in west on the south end of Sarah Island and into the flat water of Tolmie Channel. We sped up the channel, waterfalls and gorgeous scenery on both sides. We stopped to investigate Butdale, an abandoned mill town, with a huge waterfall that powered the town. It is said that one throw of the generator switch and the town would be powered and going again. We then cruised up Fraser Reach at 26 knots and had to turn west into McKay Reach, passing by Bishop Hot Springs, a natural, low-sulfur spot with wooden boardwalk from the docks to the hot springs. We traveled down McKay Reach and across Whale Channel and Wright Sound, then turned behind Promise Island and into Hartley Bay.
6/23 - 5:20 PM: Departed Hartley Bay and negotiated Stewart Narrows into Greenville Channel. We traveled 60 miles up the Channel with a ceiling of about 250 feet, because of the height of the cliff walls on both sides and the thick clouds. A floatplane passed overhead at 100 feet as it headed north. Out of Greenville Channel, and passing the west side of Kennedy Island, we crossed the southeast end of Chatham Sound and up the Channel into Prince Rupert.
6/23 - 8:30 PM: Arriving into Prince Rupert, we rafted off the dock at Prince Rupert Yacht Club. There were many transients at the dock. The Prince Rupert Chamber of Commerce provided a very nice dinner at Steamer's Pub and we had a relaxing rest at the Prince Rupert Coast Hotel. Our contact in Prince Rupert was a lovable chap named Pucci. An immigrant from Italy, he said his father had been Mussolini's personal chef in the 40's. He had great stories.
6/24 -11:50 AM: Enjoyed a great walk around town and we each had a chance to take care of "must do's." I needed bulk oil for the boats. Jeff was sent on a donut run while the ladies checked out the mall. Roy needed a chart. Bill had a client to see. We all met at the docks and departed just before noon. Crossed at the north end of Digby Island, through Metlakatla Bay and back into Chatham Sound. We rounded the north end of Dunda Island and into Dixon Entrance. The skies were blue again and the VHF let us know when we passed back into US territory, Alaska. The seas were relatively flat and a gentle Pacific swell made for a great crossing. Once inside Revillagigedo Channel we rounded Mary Island, abeam of south entrance of Behm Canal, and as we passed Twin Islands we were greeted with the first of many pods of humpback whales. The whales, with their escort of seals frolicked around our boats. We shut down the engines and drifted as they came to us. The size, the grace, the immense beauty, the huge tail that they lift into the air as they sound. WOW! The skies were clear, and as we approached Ketchikan the temperature was in the 70s.
6/24 - 3:30 PM: Arrived in Ketchikan. Tied up for the night at the Yacht Club. The ladies immediately went shopping. Ketchikan is a beautiful town and, now that it is a major call for the cruise ships, the shopping goes from early in the morning until late in the evening. The hills and mountains behind city center glistened with the bleach-white snow in the sunshine. The snow level seemed to be only 600 feet or so above sea level. Our hotel was on a bluff overlooking the town. We had to take a tram from the city up to it. The West Coast Lodge was almost new and, again, I found myself thinking how nice it would be to stay a few days and enjoy this setting. Salmon waiting to go up the river in Ketchikan gathered under the bridge and folks were casting from the bridge trying to snag one. They were so thick, that when you looked over the bridge the water seemed to move around as the fish undulated en masse.
6/25 - 10:00 AM: Departed Ketchikan heading north in Tongass Narrows, crossed the north end of Behm Canal and headed up the west side of the Cleveland Peninsula. By this time dolphin, humpback whales and the balance of the wide variety of life was becoming almost common place. We did stop and have a "chat" with some enormous sea lions on the red bell buoy off McHenry Ledge, at the westernmost point off Cleveland Peninsula. How do they get their huge bodies that far out of the water and up on the buoy? We entered Ernest Sound and started beating into a 3- to 4-foot chop. Around Deer Island and into the Zimovia Strait, it was just us and a few commercial guys. The other pleasure boats out that day all opted for the east side of Wrangell Island. The passage through Zimovia Strait (on the west side of Wrangell Island) is one where you need to follow the marks very closely. A few sharp 90' corners keep your navigation skills keen.
6/25 - 1:45 PM: Arrived at Wrangell. Fueled and then moored at the public city ramp and went uptown to buy lunch. The winds built up while we were checking out the dining options and, by the time we got back to the boats, the surge in the harbor was really moving the boats up and around a lot.
6/25 - 3:15 PM: Departed Wrangell. Winds were howling up Stikine Strait and they buffeted us as we crossed to the west, beading towards Petersburg. We munched on lunch as we passed the top of Zarebo Island. The water was capping. We were taking it right on the port beam and the GB's windshield didn't even get wet. More whales, but no time to stop. We passed the bottom of Mitkof Island, heading west, and turned into Wrangell Narrows. Very pretty, but demands navigational awareness on the southern end. The rain came again and as we approached Petersburg it was really coming down.
6/25 - 6:00 PM: Arrived in Petersburg. Planned to visit the lucent Glacier, but locals told us that the bay is still frozen and we can't get up to the glacier. Refueled and found space in the public moorage. The marina officials were very polite; gave us slips and directed us over the VHF. The tide was out, so it was a really steep climb up the ramp out of the marina and into town. We stayed at the Tides Inn. Dinner was at the local caf6, The Homestead. Fresh whole crab, halibut, clams and such. And homemade peanut butter pie for desert.
6/26 - 9:05 AM: Departed Petersburg after a great breakfast and headed west across Fredrick Sound. Turning north at Cape Fanshaw, we approached The Five Fingers. More whales. We shut down while still about a mile away and the whales just keep coming. We become surrounded and they put on a special show for us of diving and tail walks, rolls, and came right up, rolled on their sides and looked right at us. A real "Kodak Moment." Traveling up Stephens Passage, the wind picked up and before we knew it, we had 6'-8'waves on our stern. Pulling into Tracy Arm we got out of the weather and were greeted with big, yes, really big icebergs - so blue it was etched into our memories. Ronnie took his GB and went up Tracy Arm to Sawyer Glacier. The other two GBs headed for Juneau. Back in the Stephens Passage, the winds and waves were still rolling. We pushed the throttles up to about 25 knots and punched our way through. After rounding Grand Island, the weather calmed down and the balance of the run up Gastineau Channel and into Juneau was glorious. As we approached, it looked as though every floatplane in the world was either landing or taking off from the waterfront.
6/26 - 4:00 PM: Arrived in Juneau. Again, the local port authority gave us great moorage assignments. We took taxis to the West Coast Baranoff Hotel, cleaned up and toured the town, then the Mendenhall Glacier outside of town. Later the ladies excitedly went shopping. We all met at the Red Dog Saloon for dinner. Laura Dailey from the Glacier Bay office came and joined us with her son, Leif.
6/27 - 9:45 AM: Departed Juneau as the tide began to flood. Heading north out of town, we followed the small boat passage. Idling along, the depth sounder read shallow water directly between the red and green buoys. In the middle of the navigation channel we softly grounded on the sand. Anchoring, we awaited more of the tide. We negotiated the small boat passage and turned our bows into Saginaw Channel, heading northwest. Around Mansfield Peninsula, re-entering Chatham Strait, we headed south towards Point Couverden. Winds were 12-15 and we softly beat into it at 26 knots, without hardly any ruffle inside the boat. More whales. They are everywhere. After another 18 miles we turned west into Icy Strait for the run past Icy Passage and into Glacier Bay. After turning west, we had milder seas on the stern and increased our speed to 27.5 knots.
6/27 - 3:30 PM: Arrived in Bartlett Cove and Glacier Bay Lodge where we attended the Glacier Bay skipper presentation, checked into the lodge and yes, the ladies went shopping. Glacier Bay National Park requires vessel permits. Only so many vessels are allowed into the park each day. We had permits for two days.
6/27 - 5:30 PM: Departed Bartlett Cove and headed up into Glacier Bay. We came upon more whales, stopped and watched them play. The fading sun on the snow-covered mountain peaks was many shades of purple and orange. Photographs cannot do the colors justice.
6/27 - 9:OO PM: Arrived back at Bartlett Cove. Dropped everyone off at the docks and took the boats out into the bay for overnight anchoring. Glacier Bay Park will not allow boats at the docks overnight because of the bears. Bears, in search for human food, will get onto the boats. However, they do not swim out to them. We experienced a lovely meal in the lodge's dining room. The young people from around the country, who work there during the season, are a delight.
6/28 - 8:45 AM: Prepared to leave for another run into Glacier Bay. As we pulled away from the docks, boat #685 lost its for-ward gear on the port engine. After some examination we decided that the problem can only be cured with a new lower unit. We carried spare props, so we put a right hand prop on the left-hand lower unit. We would have to run the port engine in reverse all the way back to Juneau.
6/28 - 11:30 AM: Departed Glacier Bay for the second time this morning. Because of the gear problem, we aborted the run farther into Glacier Bay and decided to go straight back to Juneau. We did that without incident, although the controls were opposite of each other, which made for interesting maneuvering.
6/28 - 3:15 PM: Arrived Juneau. Washed boats and unloaded them, as this was the completion of our trip. Enjoyed a wonderful last dinner with everyone. In the morning we all said our good-byes and headed for the airport to go back to our normal lives.
The trip was fantastic. New horizons were crossed, lasting new friendships were made. A trip up the inside passage, well planned, can be easily made in a small boat. We proved it and had a wonderful experience doing it. The boats remained in Juneau for a week. They were picked up by Larry Graf and his crews to continue the adventure across the Gulf of Alaska and into Prince William Sound. I was not aboard for this part of the trip, but I've seen the photos and talked with his crew. His part of the trip was just as fulfilling as ours.
