Nomad Willy
Guru
I lived in Masset for a while but it was time to leave. I shipped my car and other things to Rupert on the barge and it was a fine day to follow on my boat. This boat is the one I designed in college and built at Masset that winter. It was a very light plywood boat that was somewhere between a catamaran and a cathedral hull, 9 X 28'. It was just a hull w fuel tanks, floor boards, helm and small ( tempoary ) doghouse cabin with no windows. I tried to tow a 12' alum skiff but it wouldn't go straight so I sold it hollering at some guys on the dock for $25. I went north accross the Masset Bar ( small version of the Columbia ) and headded NE out into Dixon Entrance away from shoals and several miles further. It was 25mi to Rose Spit and since I wanted to clear Rose Spit by 5 to 10 mi I went NE for at least 30 mi. It says on the charts " large breakers and overfalls ". Hecate Strait is very shallow and Dixon Entrance is deep so when the tide goes out its like water running off a table. They say the overfall at Rose Spit is 10'. When a large ebb tide collides with a NW wind ( a typical summer afternoon ) I think I'd rather be on a 1" boat in a washing machine. That day of mine was a calm summer day so I have no horror story to relate. Even 5 ( or so ) miles away there were large gentle swirls of watter. The boat needed a helmsman. Soon I was to be 20 mi from land in all directions. Land was visible but very skinny on the horizon and hazy. I stopped the engine to intensify the experience. I saw no other boats on the crossing. Since I had no instruments for navigation I had a bit of a time finding Brown Is light. After passing Brown Is my 100 mile run was made and I proabably sang at the top of my lungs as I usually do in an open boat on high adventure.
Eric Henning
30 Willard
Thorne Bay AK
Eric Henning
30 Willard
Thorne Bay AK