Day 16 & Day 17:
Waking up this morning at the end of Princess Louisa Inlet and listening to the rushing water of Chatterbox Falls is a delight to the senses. The sheer walls of the nearby cliffs remind me of Yosemite but they are closer. It is 9:00am and the sun is still over two hours from coming up behind the huge expanse of granite. There is a dock placed within 100 yards of the falls for boats to use while visiting. It was placed here because the water is very deep and anchoring is difficult due to the amount of chain & rope necessary for enough scope. Being this late in the season there are only four other boats on the dock besides our group of five. One of the boats is a huge aluminum catamaran that was built by the owner that we talked with last night. It is a massive shiny craft that looks a bit imposing. We were going to take a picture but wanted to wait until this morning for better light. When we got up, it was gone. There are restrictions about noise before 9:00am, so we waited to turn on the heat, but now it is getting warm in our salon, to the delight of Dianna. Earlier I put the kettle on to boil water for coffee and the warmth from that was welcome, but did not last long.
Yesterday was day 16 and we made our way up the long winding Jervis Inlet, through the Prince of Wales Inlet, then up Queen’s Reach to the Malibu Rapids, and finally into Princess Louisa Inlet where our dock is located. The day began with us leaving at 7:00am so we would time the slack tide at Malibu Rapids that was to occur at 1:00pm. We arrived at 1:20pm and easily made it through the narrow passage. We took pictures, but internet access has been down since noon yesterday. At the opening of Princess Louisa Inlet is a stunning group of buildings that began in the 1920’s as a resort for well healed guests, including Hollywood stars. They arrive for a few days and watch the tides rise and fall, while enjoying the rapids. The facility fell into disrepair for a few years and was finally purchased by The Young Life Church to be used as a summer camp for children. They have put a lot of time and work into the grounds and buildings, and it is beautiful. After going through the rapids we docked our boat and walked around for more than an hour. We couldn’t help think how amazing it would be to come there for a week or two as a child. It would be an experience they would never forget. From there to the end of the inlet was another 45 minutes but what a sight as we arrived! Here is a quote from one of the books on board our boat, “The powerful beauty of Chatterbox Falls at the head of the inlet, with it’s magnificent backdrop of lush green forest and sheer granite cliffs stretching skyward surely make this spot the eighth wonder of the world”.
We dined on steak & lamb chops on our boat outdoor grill, with mashed potatoes & gravy, and leaves of romaine with, you guessed it, a mustard vinaigrette dressing. The wine was red and a treasure that we found in Campbell River. We “splurged” on this selection, but the artistic label was more than we could stand (see picture). It is an elephant with a man riding on top next to his house with smoke coming out of the chimney on the house. Behind the elephant are a series of empty wine bottles running across the bottom of the label. It is a very enchanting and creative label on a short fat bottle. We hope to bring it home somehow. Oh, and the wine was really good.
I am sitting here looking out the window and watching the sun reflect of the granite wall beside me. The reflection is slowly moving down the face, where it will eventually reach us and our boat. Today we plan to hike up to the falls for views of the surrounding area. More later on that. We will be at this location all day today, and won’t leave until tomorrow (Tuesday) morning to again time the tide at the rapids.
Just a bit about hot water and showering……….we have a hot water heater on board that is heated when the engines are running, so shortly after arriving at any destination, it is smart to use the shower on board before the hot water turns cold. Yesterday we discovered another option, as we were motoring up the various inlets in very calm waters, we took turns showering and being at the helm. The engines are running so the supply of hot water is constant, allowing for a much longer time. The only limitation is our water supply but that is 160 gallons, so not a real issue. Whenever we stop at a marina we top off the tanks, and have yet to use the 80 gallons in the port tank. Shower while underway is especially nice because our starboard suite includes a stall shower that is 6’7” tall, so all is well for me. Most other boats on our trip have showers that use the bathroom (head) faucet that extends out for showering, but the downside is, you are spraying water all over the sink, commode, and everything else.
A little more about the history of Princess Louisa Inlet (read or skip): “Without the passion and determination of James F. Macdonald who took possession of the 115 hectare (292 acres) property at the head of Princess Louisa Inlet from British Columbia government in 1927, a very different sight might welcome visitors today. Macdonald turned down generous re-sale opportunities and offers from large hotel chains to purchase “The Princess”. His only dream was to preserve her natural beauty for himself and future generations, as he believed that “this beautiful peaceful haven should never belong to one individual.”
“In 1964 his dream came true when his treasured home was deemed a Class A Marine park. The non-profit Princess Louisa International Society passed the administration of the property to the government of British Columbia and the property was named Princess Louisa Provincial Marine Park.”
“Macdonald died in a Seattle rest home in 1978. His ashes are planted inside a boulder at the head of Princess Louisa, beneath an inscription that reads: “Laird of the inlet, Gentleman, friend to all who came here.”
Later in the evening………
What a relaxing day we had: slept till 8:00am, read for awhile, worked on the blog, made a huge breakfast of bacon, cinnamon toast, scrambled eggs with sharp cheddar cheese, and went for a walk by the waterfall. Dianna and I spent some time together on a very lovely bench overlooking the waterfall, and it was truly relaxing. Just looking up at the great granite expanse and hearing the waterfall is entrancing. It reminds me of so many majestic places that I have been fortunate to have seen in my life. Jaw dropping moments when you really can’t believe how beautiful the world can be and how words like beautiful, amazing, wonderful just don’t seem to be strong enough to describe the feeling of the moment. I love when that happens to me, and I miss the space between those times.
Today is the first day it has felt like fall, with the leaves turning and the air getting colder. We saw some huge leaves that I took a picture of with Dianna’s hand/foot as a comparison. The Canadian Maple tree species… fun to see all the gold leaves on the trees, and soon to be finding their way to the ground. This evening the group gathered for cocktails and appetizers around a fire pit (see picture) before coming to our boat for a spaghetti dinner (cooked by Mike, our flotilla leader). We had 14 tonight and everyone seemed to have fun. The appetizers were our responsibility and included: deviled eggs, garlic stuffed olives, chips and salsa, and tooth picks with tomato, basil, & mozzarella cheese marinated in a mustard vinaigrette. Being way out here in a remote camping like setting, people were amused at the level of work we put into our offering, but to us this is just what we do. I know that sounds fancy etc, but we have a lot of fun creating stuff to share. We both like doing it……..Oh, and I made home made brownies with walnuts that I baked this afternoon. Okay, but I cheated and used a mix, but still…….really good……
We are off tomorrow morning at 7:00am so we can get through the Malibu Rapids at slack tide. The plan is to go to Pender Harbor for the night where we will probably dock and eat at the local pub for dinner. I can’t believe our trip is coming to an end on Friday, but we have had a blast and we have three full days remaining!
More tomorrow! Cheers and goodnight.
Sales to Sails 