We left our snug four-night anchorage in Malaspina Inlet by the Cochrane Islands on another sunny BC coast day. On a spectacular August 24th with light wind and long views of the mountains, we steamed into Desolation Sound and all the way up Pendrell Sound for the first time. It is supposed to have some … Read more
On August 20th, we left Lund after checking on our fifth wheel trailer and took the pickup truck for a much-needed drive to Powell River and back. After three months boating up to the Broughtons, we were back at our Lund home base. Coming down from the Blind Channel area, we had first stopped in … Read more
It’s mid-August, and we’ve been tucked into a quiet little anchorage called Crawford next to Erasmus Island near Blind Channel for about five days. The weather’s been sunny and warm, a nice change from up in the Broughtons, and we’ve mostly had the place to ourselves. We’ve seen sea otters, a couple of sea lions, … Read more
We left Eden Pool after a week of mostly foggy mornings that cleared to sun by noon, with a few dinghy trips and underwater shots. On a perfect blue sky day with almost no wind, we headed out into Queen Charlotte Strait and Blackfish Sound. Sea lions packed the rocks like sausages in the sun, … Read more
I’m back with an update on our boat’s off-grid solar charging setup for 2026. It’s always evolving, and this year I’m running two MPPT controllers: a 50-amp SRNE DC-DC Charger with MPPT that I’m using purely as a solar charger, and a BougeRV 60-amp solar controller. A pair of 195-watt Shadow Flux panels on the flybridge rails are … Read more
When last I left you, we were resupplying in Port McNeill. After that, we headed out around Malcolm Island, did a bit of fishing, and I caught a pink salmon, then crossed Queen Charlotte Strait to one of our favourite protected anchorages, Eden Pool, right by Insect Island. We spent a week there in that … Read more
I got this nifty little Garmin Bluetooth GPS device for Anne for Christmas this year. It comes with a built-in lithium battery that lasts about 13 hours and can be charged through a regular 12-volt socket or USB. I wanted it mainly because Anne’s rugged Tripltek tablet works great with her drone, but Navionics charts … Read more
I’m back showing another piece of my boat’s off-grid power setup. After covering the solar panels and one lithium house bank, this time I’m looking at the second bank made up of two Xantrex 240-amp-hour lithium batteries plus the main 2000-watt Xantrex marine inverter charger that handles shore power or generator charging at up to … Read more
We had a great little stay in the Muirhead Islands at the end of Drury Inlet, but with rain on the way we decided it was time to move on. The day started calm, and we made good time heading out, threading a really narrow passage at high tide to reach a quiet anchorage inside … Read more
I recently took on an interesting project to install a dedicated lithium battery to power our boat’s bow thruster and anchor windlass. I’m pleased to share the experience with you. Previously, these systems ran off the starter AGM batteries and alternator, but I wanted to experiment with a dedicated power source. I got my hands … Read more
The video starts out just after 7 in the morning; the fog is lifting, and the sun is starting to break through here at the end of Drury Inlet in the Muirhead Islands. We arrived yesterday and found a nice little cove to anchor in. It is calm and quiet, with a foghorn in the … Read more
We’ve had a nice time in Carriden Bay, and today we’re heading up Drury Inlet, which is just around the corner. The entrance through Stuart Narrows is narrow with strong tidal currents, so we timed it for slack around 12:30. Before that, we checked out a potential anchorage near Hopetown Passage on the other side … Read more
In this latest Boating 2026 season video, Anne navigates our boat from Hanson Island at the bottom end of Blackfish Sound up north across the Queen Charlotte Strait and up Wells Passage to an anchorage called Carriden Bay. The early morning crossing was quite foggy but calm, though Anne did have to dodge a great … Read more
We’ve just left Port McNeill after resupplying at the marina for a couple of nights and are heading back into the Broughtons. We’re coming into Blackfish Sound now with sunny weather forecast for the next week or so, which is a nice change after all the clouds and rain lately. The water is calm, clouds … Read more
In the last episode, we left Moore Bay and stopped at Sullivan Bay Marina before heading north toward Nimmo Bay. We checked out some anchorages along the way and found this beautiful, calm spot right by Blair Islet, tucked between the island and the mainland near Burly Bay. It was a picturesque anchorage with sheer … Read more