(Read more about Prideaux Haven & view the photos.)
Record high temperatures and clear blue skies have most of us realizing that we failed to pack enough shorts, T-shirts and sunscreen. But who's complaining? We have the anchorage at Prideaux Haven practically to ourselves! Time to untie the dinghies and fire up the grills...
Here's an interesting fact we learned yesterday:
Should you find yourself atop a herring ball in the middle of the Inside Passage, experience says to get the heck out of dodge. This is particularly true should you be out alone in your dinghy (although the Zodiac CZ 7 brought on Tour by Ron Mauselle could likely see you through to safety)
This bit of sage advise was provided by naturalist and Grand Tour guest speaker Chris Moreno during his presentation, "What to Watch for: Wildlife of BC and Alaska." Tour participants gathered at the Garden Bay Hotel & Pub in Pender Harbour last night to hear Chris speak about the many animals - on land, in the skies and under the seas - we can expect to see on our way to Alaska.
Chris is an experienced naturalist, wildlife guide and marine life authority who spent years with the Vancouver Aquarium in BC. His talk was very well attended by the Grand Tour group, who filled the pub to get a better idea of the whales, dolphins, orcas, seabirds, bears, and many other species that populate the Inside Passage.
Indeed, the Tour had a glimpse of things to come early in the day's crossing to Pender Harbour, when 40 or so dolls porpoises trailed a group of boaters as they neared the eastern side of the passage. Later, hawks and falcons were seen overhead, with huge bald eagles diving down off our beam on occasion to scoop up a passing salmon.
This morning's voyage was much like the last. Seas were a little heaver at first, still quite easy for our fleet of GBs to handle in comfort. But after a short while only small ripples disturbed the surface of the water, and as we neared Desolation Sound the rugged character of this area came into full view.
As the first GBs passed Sarah Point, the radios began to chatter: "Have your cameras ready!" they called, and as others followed we were all treated to the dramatic sight of craggy snow-capped mountains that seemed to jump out from hiding behind the coastal hillsides. Up around the bend is Prideaux Haven, right in the heart of Desolation Sound.
(A side trip to Refuge Cove to fuel up the tender put in perspective the isolation of what lies ahead. This "popular spot to stock up" was home to a store not much bigger than our first apartment. The selection of fishing tackle equaled, if not surpassed, the collection of food and beverages on the shelves, and the lights flickered with the surge of the dockside diesel generator. We're not holding our breath for a Starbucks or Jamba Juice any time soon - but hey, isn't that the kind of thing we're here to get away from?)
On to Prideaux Haven: In 1973, the government of British Columbia established Desolation Sound Marine Park. This park consists of more than 14,000 acres of high land and 6,350 acres of shoreline an water and is the largest Marine Park in BC, as well a the only major park of any kind on the Pacific mainland coast of Canada.
The topography of the park varies from relatively low rolling hills of Gifford Peninsula to the Unwin Range rising over 4,500 feet directly behind Prideaux Haven. There are many safe anchorage locations, most of which are either totally or partly enclosed by low shoreline or high cliffs, islands or mountainsides.
This area is known as one of the most scenically outstanding anchorages anywhere. This well protected Harbour has enough arms and interconnecting coves and passageways to safely accommodate hundreds of boats. From July to August, Prideaux Haven has the reputation of being one for the most crowded anchorages on the BC coast. The warm waters of this area make it a perfect spot for swimming and water skiing.
Oh, and in case you were wondering: a herring ball is a tightly-packed group of fish, chased down by a group of grey whales and captured in a net of millions of bubbles that they blow to surround the herring. The whales push up from below, rushing to the surface to gobble the herring. Above the waterline, the sea becomes a nearly solid mass of herring, and birds seem to drop from the sky en masse to grab their share. Seals and sea lions also flop across the top of the herring ball, gorging on as much as they can. At the final frenzied moment, the 100-plus-ton whales break the surface with their mouths wide open and swallow the whole mass of fish, retreating below the surface and leaving just a foam of white behind.
Not necessarily where the place you want to be when your dinghy runs out of gas.
|
 |
> GRAND TOUR HOME
> ROUTE MAP
> LOG BLOG
- Day 1: Nanaimo
- Day 2: Pender Harbour
- Day 3: Prideaux Haven
- Day 4: Shoal Bay
- Day 5: Lagoon Cove
- Day 6: Sullivan Bay
- Day 7: Sullivan Bay
- Day 8: Sullivan Bay
- Day 9: Duncanby Landing
- Day 10: Shearwater
- Day 11: Khutze Inlet
- Day 12: Klewnuggit Inlet
- Day 13: Prince Rupert
- Day 14: Foggy Bay
- Day 15: Ketchikan
- Day 16: Ketchikan
- Day 17: Meyers Chuck
- Day 18: Santa Anna Inlet
- Day 19: Wrangell
- Day 20: Wrangell
> DESTINATIONS
> SPONSORS
Special Thanks to
our Top Sponsor 
Remote posting to the Log Blog powered by 
|
