Were headed to theBroughtons this summer. Anybody have any favorite anchorages/experiences to share?
Going to the Broughtons
- Thread starter Mark Maulden
- Start date
Broughtons ................. terrible place. Boring. Nothing to see. Don't go there.
This is what we usually tell people just to keep the place secret. In truth .............. absolutely incredible. Thousands of islands, incredible scenery, and an chance to put your navigational skills to use. Watch the timing of the narrows as they really roar at full ebb and flood. Also, you'll often be alone, all alone. When anchoring in a secluded spot, check out EVERYTHING before packing it in for the night. There's no one to help you and VHF is very limited in this mountainous area. Survival in these cold waters is minimal at best in you jammies. If that worries you, there are always a few marinas to stay in.
Below is a grab bag of shots taken in the Broughtons.
PS Please don't let this get around
.
This is what we usually tell people just to keep the place secret. In truth .............. absolutely incredible. Thousands of islands, incredible scenery, and an chance to put your navigational skills to use. Watch the timing of the narrows as they really roar at full ebb and flood. Also, you'll often be alone, all alone. When anchoring in a secluded spot, check out EVERYTHING before packing it in for the night. There's no one to help you and VHF is very limited in this mountainous area. Survival in these cold waters is minimal at best in you jammies. If that worries you, there are always a few marinas to stay in.
Below is a grab bag of shots taken in the Broughtons.
PS Please don't let this get around
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What a beautiful area! You'll have a great trip.
Must-See's:
And you will love seeing all the whales.
Must-See's:
- Mamalilaculla (VERY cool!)
- Pierre's Marina at Echo Bay (for fun with fellow cruisers)
- Sullivan Bay (for re-provisioning, etc)
- Turnbull Cove (on the north end of Broughtons)
- Claydon Bay
- Cullen Harbour
- Port McNeill
- Telegraph Cove
- Port Neville
And you will love seeing all the whales.
Oh, and please don't skip Alert Bay. The totems and museum are simply awesome. You can take the ferry over from Port McNeill for the day, just to mix it up a little....
Alert Bay is a must. You will see our First Nation's history and also some of Canada's blackest history in the residential schools.
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Are stern ties useful? Broughtons or elsewhere - what length do folks carry in these areas for over and back 300, 500, 600?
Charles
Charles
The only place we've stern tied is in crowded anchorages and we carry 400' of braided poly for flotation. One other thing about anchoring in the Broughtons is that it's often deep and with a hard bottom. Our Danforth went straight into the garbage after our first trip to the Broughtons.
I have 300' of 7/16 dinghytow line. Its yellow and floats. I dont have way to reel it so Im probably working with one way....I can also add a few hundred of other line....
How did you handle fuel/water? Jugs on deck? Especially water since alot of it is full of cedar tannins....
How did you handle fuel/water? Jugs on deck? Especially water since alot of it is full of cedar tannins....
We've anchored all over the Broughtons with our Danforth and never had a problem. Also never had a need to stern tie as all of our anchorages were quite spacious.
Potable water is a problem. Echo Bay and Sullivan Bay, for example, have posted warnings by Environment Canada that the water is unfit for human consumption unless boiled for at least five or ten minutes. So plan accordingly. Fuel was expensive, too.
Our previous trips have included most of the places already mentioned. Pierre's at Echo Bay is okay if you like expensive and noisy marina life; we do not. I like Shoal Harbor just a short distance from Echo. Billy Proctor's museum between the two is worth a tour stop. Just dinghy over from Shoal Harbor. If you enter at low tide you can see the remains of a First Nation clam garden. Billy can fill you in on how it was used to harvest smelt.
Here is a link to our Broughton Cruise Log article:
http://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/broughton-archipelago-cruise-log.167397/
Potable water is a problem. Echo Bay and Sullivan Bay, for example, have posted warnings by Environment Canada that the water is unfit for human consumption unless boiled for at least five or ten minutes. So plan accordingly. Fuel was expensive, too.
Our previous trips have included most of the places already mentioned. Pierre's at Echo Bay is okay if you like expensive and noisy marina life; we do not. I like Shoal Harbor just a short distance from Echo. Billy Proctor's museum between the two is worth a tour stop. Just dinghy over from Shoal Harbor. If you enter at low tide you can see the remains of a First Nation clam garden. Billy can fill you in on how it was used to harvest smelt.
Here is a link to our Broughton Cruise Log article:
http://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/broughton-archipelago-cruise-log.167397/
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Believe it or don't, the easiest way I've found to deal with stern tie line is to feed it into a five gallon bucket (cleaned out paint bucket). It never tangles as it all goes in and comes out in order (last in is first out). All you then need is somewhere to store the can.
FWIW, here is what I did for our stern tie:
http://hunter.sailboatowners.com/mods.php?task=article&mid=45&aid=7559&mn=42
http://hunter.sailboatowners.com/mods.php?task=article&mid=45&aid=7559&mn=42
These are some terrible places to go. In fact the whole area is dangerous and unsightly. Everybody stay away.
Dusty Cove
Turnbull Cove
Blunden Harbour
Booker Lagoon
... and about a quadrillion others.
Dusty Cove
Turnbull Cove
Blunden Harbour
Booker Lagoon
... and about a quadrillion others.
Adult Humpback whales are huge, much larger than our 42+ Hunter Passage. I'll never forget while we were sailing across the bottom end of Queen Charlotte Strait towards Double Bay, a Humpback came out of the water right next to our boat, so close I could have reached out and touched him. I almost messed my pants in the shock of it all. He was probably just curious, but at least he could have given us a warning. Sheesh! Quite the experience.
There is a lake behind Turnbull Cove with some equipment remnants from the old logging days. We hiked over the saddle past this equipment to the lake where there is a small dock. Quite a picturesque location. It appears they used the lake to raft logs from around the lake to this saddle. They then donkey skidded the logs over the saddle to the Cove below and then to market.
An article in Waggoners also writes about a very large landslide that occurred during the middle of the night several years ago that caused a mini tsunami to the boats in the cove that fateful night. Worth a read.
There is a lake behind Turnbull Cove with some equipment remnants from the old logging days. We hiked over the saddle past this equipment to the lake where there is a small dock. Quite a picturesque location. It appears they used the lake to raft logs from around the lake to this saddle. They then donkey skidded the logs over the saddle to the Cove below and then to market.
An article in Waggoners also writes about a very large landslide that occurred during the middle of the night several years ago that caused a mini tsunami to the boats in the cove that fateful night. Worth a read.
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Another cruise log through the Broughtons several years ago. Never made it to Ocean Falls that year largely due to stinky weather. Well my cry baby boating buddy's furnace stopped working so he was cold and decided to head back south to warmer climes. It was pretty cold as I had our furnace on at the time.
http://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/ocean-falls-bc-ca-cruise.103093/
http://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/ocean-falls-bc-ca-cruise.103093/
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Adult Humpback whales are huge, much larger than our 42+ Hunter Passage. I'll never forget while we were sailing across the bottom end of Queen Charlotte Strait towards Double Bay, a Humpback came out of the water right next to our boat, so close I could have reached out and touched him. I almost messed my pants in the shock of it all. He was probably just curious, but at least he could have given us a warning. Sheesh! Quite the experience.
Try going through Dodd Narrows with 7 humpbacks off both beams! At least thats what I thought I counted....and camera was stashed below.
Try going through Dodd Narrows with 7 humpbacks off both beams! At least thats what I thought I counted....and camera was stashed below.
Ohhh.....I just remembered!! BE READY FOR MOSQUITOES! Terry's note about the hike up the hill at Turnbull Cove reminded me. I lost at least a pint there.
That lake and dock remind me of Chevy Chase in Vacation -
"Clarke - Don't you want to see the Grand Canyon?"
"OKletsgo"
That lake and dock remind me of Chevy Chase in Vacation -
"Clarke - Don't you want to see the Grand Canyon?"
"OKletsgo"
Wow, how beautiful....I'm not sure I would leave to come back to Wichita.....(only kidding; or maybe not)....I am envious.
Have a wonderful time...! Patrick
Have a wonderful time...! Patrick
