Pruth Bay to Ocean Falls

West Beach

July 11 - 16:  Pruth Bay to Shearwater

We awoke to sunny skies and cast off in the dinghy for the institute docks in order to make the short hike to West Beach.  The tide was out, exposing a vast expanse of white sand about a mile long.  If you ignore the piles of drift wood, testimony to the big storms here, and squint a little you can convince yourself that the cedars are palm trees and that you are in Hawaii.  After an hour or so we walked back to the boat, pulled anchor and made way through Hakai Passage for Codville Lagoon - about 3 hours north.

Codville Lagoon is a provincial marine park located at the east side of the union of Fitz Hugh Sound and Fisher Channel.  It has a skinny entrance but opens up into a large anchorage with an island in the middle.  We dropped the shrimp pot in a 270' hole and continued on to the anchorage at the east end.  It was a warm, sunny afternoon and evening.  We heard the loons calling for each other.

We had planned to stay for two nights but had heard a weather forecast on the way up Fitz Hugh calling for big wind starting Friday PM.  A high pressure ridge is setting up west of here over Haida

Red Sky at Night...

Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands) while a low pressure trough has developed over the BC interior due to the heat there.  We can not hear the weather inside Codville so we decided to move closer to Shearwater and anchor in a nice spot with no chart name that some call Wizard Cove.  After pulling up the shrimp pot (110 but below average in size) we headed across Fitz Hugh toward Lama Passage.  EC was now calling for winds starting this afternoon (Thursday) - NW 30 Kn on the west side of the islands rising to 45 Kn Saturday PM and continuing into Monday.  If it blows 45 on the outside it could be a good 30 in many of the interior waters.  If we anchor in Wizard we might have a tough time getting to Shearwater and a rougher time tying up in the wind.  We could head farther into the interior passages, away from the coast, but Rolynn needs the internet in Shearwater to conduct some scheduled business.  So, we decided to head straight for Shearwater Marina (http://shearwater.ca/site/marina/moorage.html) instead of waiting for Friday.  We arrived with full water tanks and were tied up by 14:00 in the bright sun. If the wind materializes as advertised we might be here until Tuesday AM.

If you look at a chart of this area you would initially think that there are many ways north from here.  But, a closer look tells you that all traffic on the Inside Passage must go through this choke point - all else is a dead end.  That's why the Canadian Navy built a float plane base here during WWII from which to patrol the central BC coast.  The airplane hanger is now the marina workshop.  Many of the islands near here were named by those pilots for aircraft used during the Battle of Britain - Spitfire, Hurricane, Spider, etc.  There are still ruins of gun placements, etc. out there. Gunboat Passage is nearby.  We plan to explore the warren of low lying islands south and west of here but it requires settled weather due to the exposure to the Pacific.  Plus, it's not very well charted and it's a real rock pile.  We were out there in 2005 - it's beautiful so we want to go again.  Often, a big wind is followed by an extended period of calm, sunny weather.  That's what we're hoping for.

July 16 - 20:  Shearwater to Ocean Falls

July 16 - After celebrating Rolynn's ??th birthday we left Shearwater in the early PM and moved in beautiful sunny weather less than two hours north to Troup Narrows.  There is an unnamed inlet there called "Discovery Anchorage" by some.  Its very roomy and we anchored along with 7 other boats.

Roscoe Inlet Anchorage

The next morning we moved through Troup Narrows and Return Passage to the head of Roscoe Inlet for two nights.  After five nights in Shearwater we needed to make water along the way.  There is so much fresh water from the many streams in the fjords (fresh water floats on salt water) that we were able to make in excess on 30 gal/hr.   Roscoe is a very scenic fjord and it takes

Roscoe Inlet Vista

about three hours to get to the end but it.s worth it.  High snow capped mountains rise on all sides. At one spot there is a cliff that you can approach close enough to touch with your hand.  It rises 3600' and the depth sounder says 500'.  At the end is a basin with mountains all around.  It's a little tricky to anchor because it is deep except close to the shore where streams have filled in the bottom with some mud.  It's OK, though, because the current from the streams keeps the boat oriented the right way.  There was one other boat the first night but we were alone the second.




On Thursday we moved back down to Troup Narrows for some crabbing - 10 nice keepers over night.

July 19 - Ocean Falls

Friday, we drove three hours to Ocean Falls which lies at the end of Cousins Inlet, off Dean and Fisher Channels.  Fisher is deep water - almost 2000 feet in places.

A pulp mill was built here beginning in 1906 along with a sawmill to provide wood for the mill's steam plant.  Later came a dam to provide water and power.  Most of the first workers were Japanese,

Hudson's Bay Co - For All Your Shopping Needs

Chinese and Hindus who lived in separate dormitories.  As whites came the mill owners built a "company" town - with wooden streets.  At the peak there were almost 5000 people living here.  There was the Martin Inn, a 369 room hotel - the largest on the west coast north of San Francisco, a bank, churches, restaurants, a six story apartment complex, school, hospital, courthouse, fire station, Hudson Bay "department" store, and an olympic sized swimming pool.  More than one Canadian olympic swimmer came from here.  It rains 200" per year so you might as well be in the pool. There is a book about this place called "The Rain People".  The password for the WiFi is "rainydaze.  We have met people who grew up here and they say it was the best place ever to be a kid - there were a bazillion clubs and activities. 

Apartments for Rent - No Damage Deposit Required

Martin Inn

During the War, the Japanese were "relocated" inland.  Later, the church was operated as a restaurant for a few years.  It was called "Eva's Holy Grill".  After changing hands several times the mill was closed in 1980. The province attempted to flatten the town but

Drinks Anyone?

the remaining residents blocked the bulldozers.  So, the town was "saved" but the buildings slowly decayed.  You can walk into the rotting Martin Inn and still see faded posters on the wall behind the lobby bar.  Weeds grow through cracks in the school's tennis courts.  Trees sprout from within the dormitory rooms.  There are about 20 full time residents now including "Nearly Normal" Norman who may greet you at the docks if the previous night wasn't too tough on him.


The Norwegians built a salmon rearing facility here a few years ago because of the abundant fresh water from Link Lake behind the dam.  Most of the salmon "farms" you see along the BC coast are Norwegian companies.

The Courts are Available

Dress Code Strictly Enforced

The mill stood abandoned for about 30 years.  You could wander about and look at the machinery still in place.  There were attempts to sell it for salvage but bidders were afraid of environmental liability from the asbestos and PCBs.  A couple of years ago the province finally decided that the liability of a crumbling complex was even greater so they bit the bullet and removed it all.

The province ended up with the dam and power house but wanted to get out of the electricity business so they auctioned them off a number of years ago.  The only bidder was the long time facilities manager.  He bought it all for $1.00 under the proviso that he string lines and provide power to Bella Bella, about 20 miles as the crow flies.  The three turbines are still spinning but are controlled remotely from Victoria.  The owner lives in Aruba - maybe.

It was raining last night, our first since July 2.  Today we cleaned crab and will go explore the town this PM to see what else has fallen down.  We plan to go back to Shearwater Sunday and Monday then SW into Queens Sound and explore the islands for a couple of weeks, weather permitting.