We left Crawford Anchorage, planning a long day to reach our next destination of Boughey Bay, about a 6-hour trip, but Mother Nature had other plans. The first stop was the nearby Blind Channel Marina. We were instructed to dock in a relatively tight spot, and Anne handled it like a pro despite the tricky maneuver around a large boat and a dock obstruction. We grabbed some fresh supplies at the marina’s grocery store before continuing back into Cordero Channel, passing through Greene Point Rapids at slack tide, then down Chancellor Channel.
Things were going as planned, and it looked suitable for the long day of boating ahead. However, as we approached Whirlpool Rapids, the current slowed us to a crawl, and pouring rain and wind hit at the worst possible moment, forcing us to rethink our plans.
Rather than pushing through the worsening weather and fog in Sunderland Channel, we doubled back to Forward Harbour’s Douglas Bay, a familiar spot from last year.
Initially, we planned to stay just one night, but strong winds in Johnstone Strait kept us anchored there for three or four nights. The anchorage was calm and sheltered, and though we missed our weather window, the scenery was beautiful, with other boats trickling in to escape the gale.
Blind Channel to Forward Harbour Video Highlights
On July 15th, we left Douglas Bay in Forward Harbor, where we’d been anchored for several days waiting out gusty winds and gale warnings in Johnstone Strait. When a weather window finally opened, we and almost all other boats set off down Sunderland Channel into Johnstone Strait.
The conditions weren’t ideal, with low clouds and some wind against us, but they were manageable. Most of the scenes were quite pretty as the sun poked through now and then through the low cloud and fog banks. As we passed Port Neville and then entered Havannah Channel, the skies cleared, and the sun came out, making the journey much more pleasant temperature-wise.
We made good time to Boughey Bay thanks to an extra push from the Johnstone Strait tidal current in our direction. We were the first to anchor, though six or seven other boats joined us later. The afternoon was pleasant, but the winds were forecast to kick up again for a few days. Even though all the boats left the next morning, we decided to bide our time here.
The anchorage has excellent holding and is no longer crowded with boats. Except this morning, a huge yacht is anchored on the other side of the bay. WOW!
Forward Harbour to Boughey Bay Video Highlights
Stay tuned, as the next leg in the journey will put us squarely in the Broughtons!
