Goodbye Haida Gwaii

 

 




Sandspit Harbour, Haida Gwaii

We said goodbye to the enchanting islands of Haida Gwaii, the peaceful beauty, haunting past, and untamed wilderness will long be remembered. 

Shingle Bay, Sandspit Harbour far left

Our journey across Hecate Strait also should have been a peaceful experience but the weather was not as predicted, another one of those “not as advertised” forecasts.  As we departed Sandspit Harbour at 5:30 in the morning, the journey looked promising with calm seas and no wind.  

Looking towards the Sandspit on Haida Gwaii

By 7:30am we had choppy 1ft seas and by 8am 3ft rollers quartering abeam.  Around 10:30am 4ft swells occasionally rolled by. We passed over the shallow seas of Dogfish Banks into deeper water at noon where we hoped the swell would become smaller.  

An Eagle's Giant Nest

The weather report for Hecate Strait still called for 3 foot seas and light wind.  As time went on, however, the seas continued to build 5, 6, and 7 feet along with gusty winds of 23-25 knots.  Periods between swells were 8 seconds or less and we had to tack several times to manage the swell making slow progress towards the eastern shore of Hecate Strait.  

Old Wharf on Sandspit, Haida Gwaii

There were areas of shallows, rocks, and reefs to be avoided while at the same time navigating towards an alternate anchorage for shelter. 

After several tacking maneuvers, we found our way through a group of rocks and islets following Bell Passage in the lee of Stephens Island.  Circling the northern point of the Island, we took shelter from the southeast winds in Qlawdzeet Anchorage at 5pm.  

Sunset at Sandspit Harbour, Haida Gwaii

Trustworthy Got d’ Fever had seen us through and as Leonard likes to say, “we cheated death yet again.”