Lagoon Cove to Johnstone Strait to Blind Channel Resort

Stately giant in the forest on West Thurlow Island

We left Lagoon Cove Marina after one night, but not before we had a pot luck dinner and some sweet prawns taken from the local waters. No scary bullfrog to cause Dusty to take off at a gallop and cause an accidental discharge of bear spray. No bear encouter as we had a Dawsons Landing. The weather cooperated as we entered Johnstone Strait and then into Chandler Channel toward Blind Channel Resort.

Lagoon Cove at low tide, this mamma deer and her fawn started to cross the channel and turned back to the rocks. At first we thought there was a porpoise in the area but the fin turned out to be the ears fo the doe as she swam back to the rocks.

Johnstone Strait was slightly rolly and I ended up in bed with the dogs, as usual. Once we turned into and had been in Chandler Channel for a few minutes, the ride smoothed out but then the whirl pools and rips started. The insignificant appearing whirlpool on the surface belies the strenght below the surface. Once or twice we found ourselves being turned 90 degrees from our intended course of travel.

These pictures don't do justice to the whirlpools and rips after we left Johnstone Strait headed toward Blind Channel

Soon we turned the corner from Chandler Channel to Blind Channel and its formidable current, rips and whirl pools. Ed expertly navigated us to the Blind Channel resort where we first went to the fuel dock, in a river of current, and then he moved the boat to the assigned finger pier while I was ashore.

This rock is at the mid chanel of the entrance to Blind Channel, not the white water caused by the water flowing rapidly around the rock.

I came back to the boat to find her in the slip and in need of being moved towrd the head of the finger pier so that we could connect to 50 amp power. This time around, we actually used the shore power as it was at a usable voltage. We did not have to use the AC in port, the temperature was warm in the sun and the breeze was mild.

Blind Channel Resort taken the night we arrived.

The next day we all did our thing, Vick and Kari hung out on the boat or took a hike through the forest. I walked the dogs, spent some loot in the store and hung out on the boat. Ed and Stever both went on hikes on the well kept and marked trails.

Blind Channel Resort Marina as viewed from the wooden bridge. An ancient fir tree. On a neighboring boat a dog and bird share the view, one through a hawes and the other from the rail of the gunnel.

We dined at the local restaurant where we were informed that there would be a delay in getting meals to the table as the chef was on his way to hospital in Campbell River emergently and the kitchen was now short staffed also the late reservations had filled the restaurant. For all the turmoil having the chef be gone from the kitchen at the last minute, the kitchen put our delicious meals and the delay was minimal, unlike the Breakers Pub in Prince Rupert..

Blind Channel Resort at sunset.

Tomorrow we will head down Blind Channel back to Johnstone Strait and then through Seymour Narrows where the currents can run upto 12 knots if you miss slack you may find yourself standing still while motoring throught a stiff current. We hope to catch the flood tide through the narrows so our goal is to be there before slack tide and catch the tide as it begins to flow through the narrows. We hope to secure an additional night of moorage in Campbell River, keeping our fingers crossed.