Our first adventure

Just back from our first cruising adventure on our new to us 30' Sundowner Tug on the north coast of British Columbia, Canada.

We've been working on the boat and going out on day trips since March, but spent the last 13 days traveling from our home port of Kitimat, up Grenville Channel to Prince Rupert, then to the top end of Kitkatla Inlet, then down Grenville again to Verney Passage to Bishop Bay Hot Springs, the to the Giltoyees, then home.

My wife and I share the dream 100%, our 11 year old daughter had a blast, and even our three dogs adapted to it! (I'm a lucky, lucky man )

Here's some photo's of our trip;

1) Stern tied in Lowe Inlet
2) Kxngeal Inlet
3) Kitkatla Inlet
4) Klewnugget Inlet
5) Sue Channel (Dog walk anchor)
6) Kitkatla Inlet
7) Verney Passage
8) Giltoyees
9) Yorkies
10) Zain (130 lbs) (new dinghy in order!!!)

Beautiful!! Don't you love it when it all starts to come together? Goodonya for making your dreams happen.

Awesome pictures and congrats!!

awesome pictures. we just returned from the sunshine coast as well. Please post more pictures of your boat. i love those sundowners. do you have teak decks or fiberglass decks? what engine do you have and how do you like it? does your boat sleep 4 people ok?
thanks
scott

Great pictures, love the dogs .what is zains weight? How do you get him in and out of the Sundowner and the livingston ? Thanks for sharing.

mike

Murray M,
Great pics. They look a lot like mine from the same area .. go figure. Your's of Giltoyees looks very much like mine of Kynoch Inlet.
The SD sure looks great. I can't believe it's not bigger than our Willard. And the fwd slanted wheelhouse windows are well integrated w the rest of the boat. When I was looking at boats to buy I looked (on-line) at several 36s but as I recall they all were overpowered twins. One had beautiful Sabre engines though. Too bad you and Anode aren't closer.

PS Is that the new Livingston w the 10' beam?

bligh said:

...do you have teak decks or fiberglass decks? what engine do you have and how do you like it? does your boat sleep 4 people ok?
thanks
scott

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Yes, teak decks, but they're getting pretty tired.

100hp Yanmar 4JH2-UTE. Seems overpowered, but runs great. I believe they came originally with a 65hp engine.

Sleeping 4 won't be a problem, but it depends on how much luggage they bring as storage is pretty slim.

We love ours

Stunning pictures! It is on "the" list now

yo said:

Great pictures, love the dogs .what is zains weight? How do you get him in and out of the Sundowner and the livingston ? Thanks for sharing.

mike

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Zain is 130 pounds and jumps with confidence into and out of the dinghy, which is on Weaver Snap Davits on the swim grid. It helps that he's such a cool Dude, doesn't get rattled, and only jumps when we say it's okay.

Like I said though, a bigger dinghy is definitely in our future!!

manyboats said:

Murray M,
Great pics. They look a lot like mine from the same area .. go figure. Your's of Giltoyees looks very much like mine of Kynoch Inlet.
The SD sure looks great. I can't believe it's not bigger than our Willard. And the fwd slanted wheelhouse windows are well integrated w the rest of the boat. When I was looking at boats to buy I looked (on-line) at several 36s but as I recall they all were overpowered twins. One had beautiful Sabre engines though. Too bad you and Anode aren't closer.

PS Is that the new Livingston w the 10' beam?

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Ooooo...I have dreams of Kynoch...

The Livingston is a decade or more old. Silly, almost pointless craft it is, especially while pulling crab traps in whitecaps

Oh, and thanks Eric for sharing your Alaskan anchoring stories. Having the stern tie line saved our bacon one day. The underwater slope was so steep that the depth sounder was reading 35 feet forward of the pilothouse, and a weighted line off the stern showed 25 feet. I slept really well that night knowing the stern line was going to keep us aligned with the anchor

I'm envious as hell but am heading to SE Alaska tomorrow for a PNW fix. Great pics and a wonderful crew!
Alaska Sport-Fishing Lodge Halibut King Salmon Humpback Whales Eco-Tourism Dolly Varden Fishing

Lovely photos! Dramatic scenes are most everywhere in SE Alaska and BC.

Outstanding!!

Enjoy and fair sky's to you

Thanks for all the backslapping positive replies

This trip was also big for me because after a 5 year draught caused by 'Life Interferences' I am once again using my 4X5 camera. The new darkroom isn't finished yet, so it'll be a while before the negatives can be developed.

Felt really good to "see" again!

Thanks for sharing!

Well done neighbour. I've also been to all those places and they are indeed beautiful. And you haven't seen anything yet. A slightly longer trip but plan on going to Anyox/Alice Arm some day. Or the white sand beaches to the south between Campania and the Estavan group. Definitely a must see with some great anchorages. The list goes on and on. Go for it Murray.

TedB_BC said:

Well done neighbour. I've also been to all those places and they are indeed beautiful. And you haven't seen anything yet. A slightly longer trip but plan on going to Anyox/Alice Arm some day. Or the white sand beaches to the south between Campania and the Estavan group. Definitely a must see with some great anchorages. The list goes on and on. Go for it Murray.

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Thanks Ted,

It's a straight shot down Douglas Channel to Campania's pure white sand beaches and the Estavan's rock gardens, but me-thinks we'll put some miles under the keel before venturing that far out. In the meantime there's Gardner Canal, the Kitlope, and all those deep fjords east of Butedale and Klemtu...

Two places I'd go back to from this trip is the very north part of Kitkatla Inlet and Klewnugget Inlet. We didn't see one boat of any description in two days at Kitkatla Inlet's top end. There are islets everywhere, and nice long beaches. We didn't find a trail, but Oval Bay on Porcher Island's Hecate Strait side was only 400 metres away through the trees...close enough to hear the surf. Would love to hike there next time.

At the head of Klewnugget's East Inlet there's a nice creek that goes back into a beautiful valley ringed in big mountains. That's going to make for a really good hike and will offer up a whole heap of photographic opportunities for sure.

Aren't we lucky to live perched on the edge of Paradise?

Aren't we lucky to live perched on the edge of Paradise?

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Absolutely. If you are in the Grenville channel don't miss the chance to anchor in Lowe's Inlet. There is a water fall right at the end of the channel. Anchor in the current (not too close or you will drag) and the boat will stay pointed at the falls with no swinging (my wife doesn't like swinging on the anchor much but tolerates it). This is a great trip for mid September and you can watch the eagles and bears fishing for the salmon trying to get up the falls.

We poked our nose in there and it was beautiful for sure. Our intention was to anchor and hike up to the lake, but the horsefly population was INSANE!!!!!!!!!!!! Will pencil it in for September...thanks for the tip

These five pictures were taken in Mockton Inlet at the bottom (east side) of Principe Channel. One of the places I'd love to go back to. We found this peaceful inlet the day after we rode out a gale over 50 knots so Mockton Inlet was even more delightful for us at the time. We were there on our trip south about a year ago.

Love your 4x5 Murray. Never managed to get one. I worked in the camera department at the sporting goods store in Juneau in about 73. We were the state Kodak Distributor at that time. I dealt w a lot of professional photographers working for the State Dept of Tourism. Learned a lot and the curve was steep. The photo manager quit and I was stuck in there. In Alaska one frequently gets in over their head job wise as often you're the only option.
I was a "First Aid Man" at a fish camp at False Pass (cannery) and had the medical responsibility for 180 people. I was "Doc". All because I had a first aid course from the Bureau of Mines. I think I actually saved a guys life though.

manyboats said:

These five pictures were taken in Mockton Inlet at the bottom (east side) of Principe Channel.

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That area is also on the agenda, but probably next year. I don't know its official name, but around here we call it the outside inside passage. About as wild and uninhabited as it gets on BC's coast.

When Kodak got into digital and stopped selling B&W products I disavowed myself from all things Kodak, switched to Ilford film and paper, and started making my own developers, fixers, and stop bath from scratch. (Selenium toner I still buy in a concentrate because it's nasty stuff in its raw form).

switched to Ilford film and paper, and started making my own developers, fixers, and stop bath from scratch

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Now I know where to send my 6X6 medium format film for processing.

Developing film is easy.

The rest of it does get involved though.

Love that last shot Eric, mirror reflections.

TedB_BC said:

Now I know where to send my 6X6 medium format film for processing.

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So, 6x6 eh? What ya got? Hassy? Mamiya rangefinder? Holga? Homemade pinhole? Antique folder?

(Keep this up and you'll have 30 posts before you know it!)

manyboats said:

Developing film is easy.

The rest of it does get involved though.

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The beauty of sheet film is that every image gets developed according to its specific needs...they aren't all compromised to an average like on roll film. They can be developed normally, longer if you want more snap & sizzle, or given reduced contrast development if the scenes were too contrasty for the final image in your head.

I use "selective latent image manipulation technique" (SLIMT) for minus development...works like a hot damn!

Zone System Contraction Part III

Older Bronica with various viewfinders, backs, dark slides, lenses etc. Unfortunately, I haven't used it in years. Might just have to dig it out again. Thanks for the inspiration.

You're going to think I live on this forum, but I just tuned in...honestly!

Bronica's are sweet. If you feel a need to get back in the game, check out APUG (Analogue Photography Users Group). It's a great resource for all things film, paper, processes, etc;

APUG English Forums

Murray - how are all of the LNG developments impacting your cruising around Kitimat?

txtig said:

Murray - how are all of the LNG developments impacting your cruising around Kitimat?

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Talk about a loaded question!

So far, minimally, as none have fully gone through the review process and haven't received approval from the Provincial Government. There has been right-of-way clearance for one pipeline, and ground preparation for one LNG plant, but that's it.

A bit of background BC history...for some unknown reason the British stopped signing Treaties with almost all the First Nations (Aboriginal communities) west of the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia. First Nations here have never given nor negotiated away title to the lands they occupied and/or were utilizing pre-contact. This means they may have a case for a cut of all the monies extracted from resources on those lands to date, and they certainly can tie up things all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada any new projects which may impact their inherent rights to use their lands for traditional purposes.

The Haisla, who elect their Band Council and Chief, have signed LNG agreements and it is on land they own that the site preparation is being done for the LNG plant.

The Gitxsan-Wet'suwet'en, who live on the other side of the Coast Mountains from us, have a very different view and political system. They have a House System, where hereditary Chiefs represent different geographical areas within their territory. Those Chiefs inform their House members of projects within their territory, then the community votes wether they will allow them or not. One of the Houses responsible for the Maurice and Clore River watersheds (of international Steelhead fame) has been steadfastly against any pipelines, natural gas or liquid petroleum, to cross their lands. They hold the trump card.

Recently, the Gitxsan-Wet'suwet'en sent an open letter to the Premier of BC saying that if she really wants to develop the export LNG potential here on the north coast of BC, she must deny the Enbridge Northern Gateway dual pipeline (850,000 barrels of diluted bitumen per day from Alberta's Tar Sands) with its 360+ 1,100' supertankers per year port proposal in Kitimat. So...kill the liquid petroleum project, and the LNG plans can go ahead.

I was with a group (Douglas Channel Watch) that had Intervenor status and opposed Enbridge's project for exporting unrefined diluted bitumen through Kitimat and down Douglas Channel with its zigzagging approaches, that is now in the hands of the Joint Review Panel. Their recommendation on that project will come in December, and the Federal Government's decision will be in January 2014.

The Haisla also oppose Enbridge's project.

So, for now, it's a wait and see who blinks first scenario.

That's about as simple an answer as I can squeeze in before work