June 1 – Campbell River

We are tied up in Discovery Harbour Marina in Campbell River after a short passage from Gorge Harbour. 

Our next challenge is Seymour Narrows about 9 miles upstream from Campbell River. Typical max ebb or flood current is 10 to 15 knots. By a slow boat like ours it can only be transited at slack current (the interval between tidal currents changing direction). While slack current typically occurs four times a day, we want the slack before the ebb (i.e., the slack between the change from flood current to ebb current). Seymour ebbs north so transiting then will allow us to ride the ebb current through Johnstone Strait. When you have a slow 7 knot boat like ours, picking up 1 to 3 knots makes a huge difference. Likewise, fighting a 1 to 3 knot adverse current can add hours over the course of a day. 

Since we don’t like to travel in the dark, we are waiting in Campbell River for Friday, June 3, when the slack before the ebb at Seymour Narrows occurs at 6:20 AM.  After the transit, we hope to make a long run to the Broughton Islands at the south end of Queen Charlotte Strait. When we are able to make the rounding of Cape Caution (one of the two crossings open to ocean swells), we will continue to make long days in order to get to Alaska quickly.

Campbell River works out well as our major Canadian provisioning stop. It is a major community for both the locals and has a thriving tourist economy(salmon fishing and whale watching). Pretty much anything we might need is available locally or could be flown in if not available.

Today’s Mileage – 15.6

Cumulative Mileage – 214.9

Current Position