Pissing rain all night. Now we know what those high ripply clouds meant: weather changing for the worse. Yesterday was the calm before the storm. There was a stiff breeze blowing from the south, and as we packed up our gear, disorganized and dishevelled and wet, I checked the forecast on the marine VHF. It was not looking good: multiple fronts coming in from the west, and gale force winds predicted. We agreed Goose was a bad prospect at this time. We decided to beat a retreat for Islet 48 and assess our options from there; an updated forecast was due in a couple of hours.
The ride back north from McMullin was a little hairy: following to beam-on sea and wind, causing significant weathercocking and much zig-zagging on our route, but which carried us along at a clip despite the confused water and challenging conditions.
Back at 48 we decided we'd stay there tonight and then head south tomorrow through calmer protected channels. The sun came out so we took the chance to dry the tent and gear out before setting it up. We ate lunch and marvelled at how calm it was to the north and east of us, while out in Queens Sound the wind and water was raging.
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| We'll be spending a bit of time between these two points |
We took a jaunt up Louise Channel, a pretty little waterway where we found conditions calm and mild. There was lots of active wildlife: kingfishers, ravens, eagles, herons, and a mama and baby otter.
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| Louise Channel |
We were paddling against the current, but it was nothing significant. We topped up our water supply at an excellent source not far up Louise
Channel from our camp, and continued in nearly ideal conditions all the
way to Quinoot Point.
Quinoot was sunny and warm, and there was nary a breath of wind. The Heiltsuk cabin here was by far the nicest one we'd encountered. It was tidy and well-kept.
The outhouse here was a bit dicey, but something beats nothing. Weird blond slugs and big droopy gobs of moss abound.
After a bit of an afternoon tramp and laze in the sun, Jonathon thought a shirt-off paddle back to 48 was in order, but then clouds over Joassa Channel said otherwise. Out of the protection of the little bay at Quinoot Point, we encountered a strong headwind, which thankfully lessened once inside Louise Channel again. I finally felt like I was getting the hang of my forward stroke — I felt like I nailed all necessary aspects of it a few times.
As we hit camp it started to rain. We set up the tarp, and the weather retaliated. Chaos and soaking driving rain. The tarp collected gallons of water, then dumped them on the ground, splashing sand everywhere. Rinse, repeat.
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| We are not amused. |
Then, a reprieve. The sun returned, and with it a double rainbow with eagle and krummholz tableau.
Out in Queens Sound the seas were still raging. It's amazing how the islands and the kelp absorb the wave energy so that the back channels aren't turbulent at all. The forecast was for rising wind and building seas for the next 24-48 hours and no real respite til Tuesday (it was currently Friday). We thought we might try to take Louise channel to south Joassa channel and wind our way south behind the protection of the Tribal Group... but it'll be a judgement call.
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| McMullin to Quinoot and back to Islet 48, Sept 7, 2018: 24 km |
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