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 of the warmest water around, so we hoped to find a good stern tie and get in the water.
We made it to the head, dropped about 50 meters of anchor rode in deep water that shallows fast, backed in and tied to a fallen log that already had a rope on it. The water was 24 Celsius, so Anne jumped straight in. Air temp hit 27C the next day, and we swam again in 25C water. Side wind and current started playing havoc with the stern tie, so we moved to a better spot, pointed straight down the sound.
10 meters under the boat, 60 meters of anchor scope and 300 feet of stern line around a big rock with my own ring and carabiners. Full-moon tides swung nearly five meters; we sat through rain, enjoyed fog plumes rising off East Redonda, a thunderstorm, and a rainbow. On August 30th, with a big southeasterly wind storm on the horizon, we pulled the lines and headed toward Campbell River to be secure on the dock, and so Anne could see the dentist. Pendrell was a great spot! We will be back.
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