In this video, we haul up the anchor next to Leone/Berry Islands and head across the far eastern end of Queen Charlotte Strait to a new-to-us anchorage called Cullen Harbour. It was a beautiful, calm morning, and the forecast looked great. We meandered through the islands of the Broughton Archipelago, admiring the gorgeous views, spotting several deer along the way, including one swimming in the ocean to transit between islands!
Being so calm, we were able to stop for a while out in the strait, cut the engine, and float around for a while watching for whales and fishing for salmon. No luck hooking a salmon, but we did see and hear some killer whales off in the distance. Then, as we motored across the strait and towards Cullen harbour, we spotted sea lions hauled out on a pair of rocky islets. We slowly idled by at a respectable distance so as not to disturb, but I was able to zoom in with my camera for several closer looks. They made quite the ruckus as they jostled for space on the rocks.
Cullen Harbour is a well-protected anchorage that can comfortably accommodate at least a dozen boats. Holding was good, and the surrounding views are quite pretty, but at times small swells drifted in from the Strait, rocking our trawler a bit. There is also nearby Booker Lagoon to explore in a dinghy or take the big boat into and find a more secluded location on one of its many little finger bays. The Booker Lagoon has a narrow entrance best transited around slack tides, or you can run into strong current and whirlpools.
The night of July 29th will stick in our brains. Early in the evening, news came out that an 8.8 earthquake had happened off the coast of Russia, and a tsunami wave was possible for coastal BC. Luckily, we have Starlink satellite internet and a VHF radio for coast guard updates to keep tabs on things.
As more information came in, forecasts were for a reasonably small, less than 30cm (1 foot) tsunami wave, so we decided to stay put. Going up the inlets late in the day didn’t appeal to us, and floating in the dark on a foggy night in the exposed strait didn’t either.
Thankfully, things turned out fine, and we didn’t feel anything out of the norm. Overall, it was a calm night with just a few of the usual swells from the strait making their way into our anchorage. Morning arrived, and everything was misty and glassy calm. Stay tuned as on August 1st, we pull anchor and head to another new spot deeper into the inlets around Broughton Island.
Visit to Cullen Harbour Video
