Tuffy Makes it “Inside”

Cruise reports from a trip up the Inside Passage

Article by John Hughes

My plan to write a Tuffy update only every few weeks has been thwarted by a strange mix of favorable opportunities and an ironic desire to slow down. I pen this on my tenth morning at sea, our two-boat raft swinging placidly around my buddy’s anchor, in a cove (misnamed if ever one was) called Fury Cove. Tucked behind Fury Island and surrounded by the Penrose Island Marine Provincial Park, it’s the antithesis of “fury” this morning. This marine park is a collection of small islands, rocks, coves, and beautiful beaches. There are several hundred-foot cedars and skinny little passages everywhere. It has multiple anchorages and is located just across Fitzhugh Sound from Calvert Island, itself across Queen Charlotte Strait from the tip of Vancouver Island.

Nine mornings ago I reported from Sucia Island that Tuffy had completed day one. Now, 270 nm later, she has crossed the bizarrely strong ebb current of Boundary Pass and, having cleared Canadian Customs at Pender Island, threaded her way through the Gulf Islands with but one overnight stop in Winter Cove. Tuffy tied to the dock of Newcastle Marine Park, having somehow timed Dodd’s push perfectly for a fun ride and some final assistance pushing into Nanaimo the very next night. From there the big waters of Georgia Strait were negotiated—its breaking waves chasing us down from the south one day and making a frontal attack from the north the next. And once again with just one layover in Deep Bay located at the bottom of Baynes Sound inside Denman Island. The “current” Gods, who’d been our salvation, got their payback and a good laugh as we entered into Discovery Passage right at full flood. It’s embarrassing to be making that much noise and throwing water in all directions , all while going absolutely nowhere. We were finally able to make some headway after crabbing ever so slowly over to the Campbell River shoreline and staying in 20-30 feet of water. Irony abounds on these trips, and I was burning lots of diesel trying to make Campbell River before the fuel dock closed for the night.

A forecast for wind and heavy rain all day meant a second night in CR, with a plan to simply position the boats closer to Seymour afterwards for an early morning passage at slack. But the weather was improving ahead of the forecast, so with little wind and a very favorable current, we altered the plan—passing by our layover bay at great speeds and taking Seymour right then, at midday, at about half ebb flow. Our boats reached speeds of more than 14 knots as we rode the whirlpools and avoided the upwellings in the narrow passage—we were still moving at 7 knots halfway through the ebb flow. We rode that river within a river north out of Discovery and a good ways up Johnstone Strait. These long days would allow ample time to make good progress and, after all, how long could these calm conditions persist on Johnstone Strait? Well, as it turns out… not long at all!

That light east wind soon turned into a brisk westerly, standing new waves straight up, and in rapid succession, for a good pounding. Eventually the wind did back off, but it did so just as the current switched against us, making for a long and tricky Ripple Shoals crossing. Tuffy and Snow Goose made our way into Billy Goat Cove on Helmcken Island (situated right between Current and Race Passages in the middle of Johnstone Strait). All that brouhaha going on just outside, and here Billy Goat Cove just sits serene as can be. This is where two years ago Banjo developed starter trouble, leading ultimately to my failed attempt to make this trip. I drifted off to sleep knowing Tuffy would start right up in the morning.

Up early to catch the tide change we motored into a day that was as good as it gets on Johnstone Strait. Two squalls did come through, causing some wave action for an hour and a half total, but the rest of our 50 nm leg was light winds across a favorable current. Seven hours later we were in Port McNeil, welcomed at the mouth of the harbor by a pod of Orcas feeding along the shore and then moving out to sea right in front of us. Wonderful graceful creatures.

Checking in at the harbor, and talking to some folks at dinner, we learned the extended forecast was for deteriorating conditions. The very next day wasn’t perfect, but it was a lot better than anything we’d get for at least a week. Up early again we cast off the docks at 7 AM, coffee in hand and PB&J’s at the ready, we headed out into a Queen Charlotte Strait that was as calm as a mill pond. Once past the Deserter Island Group swells generated from some distant storm started rolling in, ultimately building to 6 or 7 feet, but they had great separation so caused no worries. Without surface wave action on top of them it was just cowboy in the saddle time—trotting over the gentle terrain… until it wasn’t.

Did they name it Cape Caution for a reason? The westerly wind kicked up, the swells closed in tighter and new surface waves built upon them, occasionally doubling up with the underlying swell to make some really big peaks and troughs. The wrestling match we began in Georgia Strait and carried forth into Johnstone Strait was back. Around Radar Passage the rocks and tiny islands provided some relief, but it was not until we were turning into our Penrose Marine Park sanctuary that we were truly free of it.

There you have it—the past week has been a whirlwind of “heading out” and “heading in.” Tuffy crossed the Strait of Juan de Fuca defying Point Wilson, sidewinded across Boundary Pass like a confused crab, ran right by all our familiar old haunts in the Gulf Islands, navigated up Georgia Strait surfing breaking waves one day and punching through them the next, ran against (and then with) the flood and ebb tides of Discovery Passage, took on the schizophrenic personality of Johnstone Strait and finally crossed the exposed waters of Queen Charlotte Strait to round Cape Caution and get “Inside.” That’s a lot of miles to put under the keel in a little more than a week (for a 6 1/2 knot boat anyway)… and a lot of wheel wrestling for an old man. Darn good thing Tuffy is only half my age and, let it be said, she has been performing flawlessly. Along the way I have had several people come up and ask, “Is that Tuffy, do you write for Small Craft Advisor?” Yup, she’s already famous, and rightly so as she’s raring to go. However, we’re on this side now, and can take it all in a little slower… we hurried up with Neptune’s kind offerings, so that we can slow it down to enjoy and marvel at this Pacific Northwest wilderness. This morning we thought about just staying in beautiful Fury Cove, or maybe moving a cove or two over, but it’s a long way to Alaska so we compromised on a 19-mile run north to see another beautiful bay. If I ever find cell coverage again I’ll send this report along to Josh. •SCA•