Sail Chandelle

June 22-26, 2023

Escaping the gale the previous week had brought us farther north than we’d anticipated and we were anxious to get back towards the Broughtons and Port McNeill area in hopes of catching up with some friends.  It was grey and overcast leaving out of Wells Passage, and more boat traffic moved about that morning than we’d seen the whole time we’d been in Grappler Sound.  A couple Humpbacks blew up spouts from far off in the various winding channels while we dodged large and numerous floating driftwood.  As we approached Queen Charlotte Strait the sun began to appear from behind the clouds, patches of blue sky grew to fill the horizon, and rows of mountains sprung up from the north.  The winds were light that day, just enough to fill the sails and we crept downwind into Blackfish Sound, enjoying the mild weather and the chance to run the water maker for a few hours.

We joined two other sailboats in a small harbor on the north side of Hanson Island, where we caught a brief glimpse of a pod of Orcas swimming by towards Johnstone Strait.  Later that evening our friends on SV Karma joined us for the night and we caught up on their whirlwind adventures of the past month after experiencing an engine issue and then having to leave their boat and travel out of state for a wedding.  We were pleasantly rocked to sleep that night in the rolling water entering the small cove which was not fully protected by Spout Islet.  In the morning before we left we saw a Humpback cruise through Blackfish Sound out near Swanson Island, heading out towards Queen Charlotte Sound. 

Pulling up our anchors about the same time, we and Karma both made our way back into the Broughton Archipelago to meet up with some other friends of ours on SV Tangent.  On the way, Alex and I noticed a small boat wiz by and then suddenly stop near an alcove on the north shore of Berry Island just ahead.  We speculated it could be a petroglyph or pictograph, and veered a bit closer to that shore of the channel when we approached the spot.  Sure enough we spotted a very faded pictograph, so faint I was unable to capture it in the camera.  It appears to be a rough face or mask with large eyes and mouth in a reddish color just above a sloping crevasse in the side of a cliff.  On our Navionics app we found it pinned and learned it’s known as “The Chief’s Bath.”  Supposedly the depression in the ledge would fill with water at higher tides and be used as a ceremonial bath.  This area of Berry Island is also a sacred native burial ground and off limits to visitors.  I later mentioned the pictograph to the proprietor of a shop in Alert Bay, an indigenous person, who kindly shared about their family trips up Knight Inlet and showed us a couple pictures of the pictograph they’d been able to manipulate with filters to make it visible.  He also told us the name of the pictograph on Berry Island, unfortunately I failed to get the native translation and spelling written down, but it translates to, “The Cannibal at the North End of the World.”

Reaching the cove created by Crease & Goat Islands we circled to scope our options and Tangent came out in their dinghy to greet us and help guide us to a good spot.  The shallow bay was easy to set the hook in and Karma rafted to us – a practice we’ve done often with other friends – but it was novel and exciting for Karma’s first raft up!  After settling in we went for a paddle around the cove and caught up with Tangent – their friends on SV Manna were also anchored in the harbor and we made plans for an afternoon gathering.  Everyone came over to the raft up and piled into our cockpit.  We passed around some snacks and enjoyed getting to know one another or catching up on each others travels of the last month.  The crew of SV Manna, with the most miles and sailing experience of the group, fielded all our pressing questions about cruising, weather, fishing, customs, living on the cheap, and all their favorite spots in the South Pacific.  

Having my boat full of people brings me such great joy.  Growing up, both my grandmothers and my mom seemed to frequently attract a living room full of visitors.  My memories of being surrounded by extended family, a group of my parents friends or a handful of kids or people that simply needed a place to be loved, are a source of comfort for me.  I hope to continue carrying on this tradition of making my home feel like a welcome and inclusive gathering place wherever we go.  

The crew of Manna returned to their own boat for the evening and the rest of us whipped up a cruisers potluck dinner.  We chatted about each of our upcoming plans and Karma had decided to take off the next morning.  Their plans involved travel farther north to Alaska and they were anxious to get on their way towards Cape Caution where the weather would be good for a crossing in the next few days.  As we tend to do, especially after a few weeks of little company, we lingered long into the night, laughing together, and discussing weather and boat projects and all the deep existential minutia of life.  In the morning we had coffee with Karma as they figured out which island or anchorage they were headed for that day.  We wished them well on their next adventure of this trip and reluctantly said our goodbyes before casting them off.  

Crease Island and it’s well protected cove formed by Goat Island and a handful of other tiny islets was the perfect place to idle away a couple more days, basking in sun and blue skies and relishing more time in the company of friends.  We spent hours with the crew of Tangent on our boat or theirs swapping life stories, movie collections, snacking, drinking tea, sharing our mandolin and their ukulele, and playing with Alice, their cat.  Getting to know each other and becoming closer friends, not yet realizing how frequently our paths would cross in the coming months.