Day 27 - Sechelt Inlet

Sechelt inlet has been a home and source of bounty to the local First Nations for time immemorial, mostly populated by the Tuwanek nation but the protected nature of the inlet led to exploitation by logging operations, fish farms and fishing resorts  Over the years these commercial and industrial operations have decreased and the inlet has become a recreational haven for seasonal and full time retirees and Vancouver day trippers.  

The inlet is separated from the Salish Sea by a narrow spit of land between Trail Bay and Porpoise Bay which, if removed would make it an incredible shortcut to Jervis Inlet and parts north. saving boaters literally a days travel or more.  Local legends has it that the Sechelt people were the first to try and make a canal but we’re unsuccessful and no one had tried since.  I wonder if it would create two great rapids at the north and south with slightly different slack times and whether that would lead to huge nutrient upwelling and increased health for the water and creatures in the inlet overall or whether the unique features of this area stem from the single way in and out

Part of its mystique is the fact that the narrows at the North end create the most powerful tidal rapid on the planet and can reach 16 knots on an ebb tide, creating boat-swallowing whirlpools, making it a real barrier to entry being limited to 4 times on a 24 hour tide cycle where one can enter and leave the inlet safely. Kona Kai’s maximum speed is in the 17 knot range so even these rapids are not within our capabilities so they are not to be trifled with.  Accordingly we planned our passage through to meet the high slack at 12:30pm.  We entered the rapids at 12.15pm, 15 minutes before slack and we still encountered some good whirlpools that tossed the boat violently from side to side and threw items off the counters downstairs in the salon.  

Approaching the rapids near Egmont, Roman finally got to see a proper wreck of a boat vs the “disappointing  “wrecks” on the charts we had passed with some small bits of metal and wood sticking out of the water.  It appeared to serve as a warning for what was just around the next corner.  After transiting the rapids we made our way south down the inlet past the entrances to Narrows inlet and Salmon inlet with a strong Southeaster picking up as we cruised past Sandy Hook and down into the end of the inlet to the government dock where we we’re going to offload our large piece of styrofoam that we took off the beach yesterday.  We noticed some room on the government dock and managed to squeeze into a space where we could tie up. A local boat owner informed  us that we were parked in Jack the tugboat operators space and that we could call Les the wharfinger to see if we could get the space between the work shed at the back of the marina that no one wanted due to shallow depths.  Les showed up on a few minutes after our call and confirmed that if we could get the boat into the spot that we could stay for the night.  He warned us that a 37 footer had a tough time getting in there last week and we were 42….he said he didn’t think we could do it; just what I like, a challenge. 

After hauling the styrofoam off the boat (breaking our forward flag off the stanchion in the process), we struggled to get it up the ramp and up to the main dock before heading back to the boat to move it into the unwanted spot. Patti stayed on board and Roman waited on the dock to catch lines and get us in.

I was able to get out of our spot with little trouble and make my way around the corner in a stiff South wind, the depth wax under 6 feet as I turned the boat around and i churned the bottom with the props not managed to get the boat in with 6 inches on the aft and 12 inches in between the boat in front by using the wind to blow me into place.  Roman (and I to tell the truth) was impressed.  Safely docked I had to make a business call so Roman and Patti headed to the Lighthouse pub for lunch and I bought some spot prawns from a local fisherman on the dock and confirmed dinner plans with my aunt Deanna for that evening. Deanna picked us up at the wharf at 530 and we headed over to her house at Sandy Hook for dinner.  Leah, Deanna’s upstairs tenant joined us for a dinner of spot prawns and salad on Deanna’s porch with an amazing view of the inlet for a backdrop.  After a wonderful dinner of shared experiences and engaging conversation, books read and tales of our trip, Roman and Patti got a tour of the amazing gardens on the property and Deanna’s Fiber Art studio where she for does traditional weaving by loom. Leah makes these really cute little driftwood creatures out of flotsam she finds on local beaches so we all got to choose one for a parting gift and Deanna gifted me with a very special eagle feather which will remain on Kona Kai to keep us safe. 

A great way to end the trip and we’ll head through the rapids for 1230pm slack tommorrow and try and make it back to home port depending on how the Straight looks when we round the point










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