RIVER’S INLET TO SULLIVAN BAY (UPDATED)
Saturday,
July 25th
5AM Alarm,
5:15 Start Your Engines, and 5:30 Underway. The forecasts all
point to a smooth crossing but as we know, sometimes forecasts are wrong. Not
today! The forecasters were spot on and how thankful we were. We had probably
the best crossing of this trip, and perhaps the best crossing John and I have
had in recent memory. At times we had huge 6’ rollers but they were big and
lazy, no chop whatsoever. We took the inside route along the mainland coast, the only hazard of which is passing the Slingsby Channel. On an ebb tide, the water gushes out of Slingsby Channel at very high speeds dumping it into the Queen Charlotte Straits colliding with ocean swells coming from the opposite direction, along with any other wind and tide action going on. It can be super volatile and dangerous with stacked waves appearing out of nowhere. Luckily, Slingsby was on flood tide when we drove by which was no issue, we had researched the night before to make sure it would be a safe crossing. The last 4 hours of the trip were just glassy smooth
waters, couldn’t have been better. I did not sleep last night finally getting
up around 3AM so that John could rest without me flip flopping and keeping him
awake. Thus, I felt 1000 years old today, so exhausted. I was able to take a
cat nap while underway so that was a bit refreshing and helped but tonight will
be an early night for me. We are all secured at the dock at Sullivan Bay, where
it is currently pouring, and it appears that the weather will be rainy in the
coming days as well. Sullivan Bay makes the MOST delicious cinnamon buns on the
planet, and we have two on order for tomorrow morning. I don’t know how they
make them, but I wish I could be there to watch. No frosting or any topping,
just gooey with sugar and cinnamon that is caramelized throughout. So incredible.
John and I are heading out to see if we can catch some ling cod soon, even in
the rain. There’s a place nearby where we always catch them so hoping for a
repeat. The forecast for the next 5 days is pretty much rain. The Broughton's are our most
lucrative hunting grounds for fish and shellfish so we are going to “buck up buttercup”
and dress for the weather and hunt and gather anyway! Off we go! Will report back later. I love ling cod fishing....so fun (and it doesn't last for 5 hours at a time like salmon fishing, but don't tell John I said that).
AFTERNOON UPDATE: Lingcod fishing is bottom fishing, meaning you let your lure hit the bottom and quickly reel it up several feet so it doesn't get caught on the rocks. From there you jig your pole up and down to make your lure "swim" and look like a distressed herring. Well, I have clearly lost my touch as I lost 2 lures right off the bat. The first one got stuck as we drifted from 85' of water over a 25' shoal and I wasn't paying attention. John handed me his pole which was down, so he could try to dislodge the one I got stuck. As he was doing that, his pole also got stuck on the rocks and we lost that one too! Sheesh. From there on out I said "I will just watch from now on!!" John caught a couple undersized ling that we had to throw back, and then 3 beautiful spiny rockfish in a row, also released. Finally the third lure we had brought also got stuck so we packed up and left without our lings! First time ever we've been skunked there, but oh well, our fault, or should I say mostly my fault!! It was pouring the entire time as well, but was a warm rain at least so we didn't get cold, and we were all bundled up in our rain gear anyway. Whipped out some TJ Potstickers for dinner from the freezer, played a few rounds of Rummy then hit the sack.
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| One of the many charming buildings at Sullivan Bay |
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| The manager rides the docks on an electric bike and here we see him dragging a wheelbarrow full of tools and maintenance materials behind the bike |
Our trip video for today
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