Chronicle 13 Metropolitan Life and Remote Marinas

Leaving Allison Harbor on August 14,

we visited Port Mc Neill

only to discover that there is another way to get there than a 5-knot sailboat.

Continuing our metropolitan theme, we motored for an hour to that thriving community of Sointula, a “former Finnish utopian community” on Malcolm Island. You don’t see those every day. Utopian is the “former” part of the descriptor; Finnish remains. Other former parts of Sointula are fishing and logging.

Innovative hand-rail at the co-op; meets Sointula building regulations. The neighboring rooster was uncommonly curious and friendly. (Yes, I know he looks like he is scowling….)

If you think you already saw this picture, you are not far off. We are nearAlert Bay. The islands share the same waters and the same economy; nationalities differ, but the fish don’t know about such things.

The fleet was in. The fish were not. Canadian gravity is different. It occasionally grabs the corner of my camera. Those are the mountains of northern Vancouver Island tilting in the background.

The last time we were here, there apparently was a building code in effect requiring that every fifth housed have at least 50% of the exterior surface covered in Tyvek. No Tyvek in sight this year. However, now every fifth house is for sale.

We enjoyed the fences.

….and, the old-standby

Shaman is at the end on the left. ‘Not many yachties in Sointula.

We left Sointula in the fog ....

…and crossed Queen Charlotte Straits to the Broughton Archipelago. We had to check out five bays until we found one without another boat. Where did all of these people come from??? We are Inside-Passage-spoiled.

See the squiggly pink line? Shaman spent some time going in circles at “less than two knots” as per instructions while her skipper and crew attempted to align Mr. Auto Pilot’s compass with Shaman’s steering compass. It is one of those chores we intended to do “along the way” but it since it required a large body of calm water with little tidal current, we hadn’t done it. So we followed directions to “turn boat” for the longest time until Mr. Auto Pilot got dizzy and told us he was full. The compasses are now in complete agreement….when we are heading on a course of 260. Everything else is still off. We’ll try again another day.

Although Kenny and Bruce, our anchor duo, are trying not to be too hard on Mr. Maxwell Windless, we’re not sure how many more pulls Max has left, so after two nights at Owen Bay…..

….we wandered over to Sullivan Bay where the gentleman on the VHF directed us to go to “dock number two, and pull up as close to downtown as you can”.

Gateway to “downtown” Sullivan Bay.

Sullivan Bay is a community of float homes anchored to the bay and connected by cables to the rocks. In addition to the dozen or so homes, they have something resembling a store, a fuel dock, a small restaurant, showers, laundry, and many whimsical signs. The homeowners formed an association last year and bought the “town”. It will be interesting to see over the next few years what services they continue to offer to yachties.

We’ll play in the Broughtons for a few days before heading out into the Johnston Straits, back through the sets of rapids leading to Desolation Sound.