Bute Inlet

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I will put my offer in right away! Wow! What a beautiful place.
As for anchoring, isn't that what those automatic station keeping systems is for?
 
Looks like the mainland inlets north of Cape Caution, and you're right, it looks tricky for sure. The most obvious choices are at the top of the inlet, to the right of Homathko River, but you'd get smacked by both inflow and outflow winds. Also, so much muck & silt has probably come down the river since it was charted that charts wouldn't be trustworthy.

There might be an option to the left of the Homathko River where it get a little shallower along the shore, but looks like there are log booms in that area...loggers chuck big cables in the water like they never thought about getting an anchor tangled up in them. If there are booms and there's nobody around, tying to the boom might be a plan. We've tied to what I think was the anchor boom for a floating camp before and worked great, except for the resident mink who didn't like our dog.

From just a quick peek, I'd be inclined to snuggle up into the little nook to the north of Ward Point. At least the bottom isn't too steep there and you'd be protected by inflow winds, as well as outflow from the Southgate River and a wee bit protected from Homathko River outflow winds.

When we were sure there wouldn't be strong winds at night, we've dropped anchor and given it a mighty pull uphill to set the anchor really deep and trusted it not to get plucked out of the slope from an off shore wind. Had the depth sounder alarm set, just in case, and didn't sleep too well.

Stern tying is a good idea if there will be wind. When we've stern tied with gusty winds on the beam, we'd dinghy upwind with the spare anchor then tie it off to a midship cleat. That keeps the boat lined up between the anchor and the stern tie.

When are you thinking of going? That's one long run in with hardly any bailout spots, like Gardner Canal in our area.
 
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I'm not sure when I'm going, I think timing is about 90 % of the battle so obviously when we have the most benign weather something like mid-July, haven't made my mind up. I also thought I might just illegally tie up at that jetty if the place is still for sale. It's not like the Coast Guard is going to come from French Creek to the end of Bute Inlet to enforce a trespassing law, ditto the horsemen.

The other interesting thing is if I tie up illegally I might get to me Michelle Pfeiffer:

https://www.vancourier.com/news/mic...to-28-8m-b-c-luxury-estate-listing-1.23057468

PS: it's a crazy bad location for a resort luxury destination as we both know the weather won't be great there and it really is in the middle of nowhere.
 
I went in there in 2013, right up to the head of the inlet. Nowhere really to anchor.


There was a derelict logging camp (well, not being used and no-one onsite at least) at the NW corner of the inlet, near the Homathko River, and we tied to a float on the outside of the log pond, with a stern tie to an old cable onshore. The river flow would otherwise have swung us around. We took our RIB up the river for a bit, but either did no go far enough to reach Homathko Camp( Bute Inlet Accommodation & Camping – Homathko Camp ) or it had not been built at that time. Back then i would not have tried to take the big boat up to the camp, but one of the pics shows a sailboat at their jetty. The river must have changed, and deepened, quite a bit!

There were some buildings and other infrastructure on the other (east side) of the inlet. We did not notice anyone there, but did not go ashore so I've no idea whether there was a caretaker or not. The sat imagery shows some tracks in the area these days.
 
rsn48 and I have boats with lower anchor pulpits (less swing radius) less length (which becomes important with drying areas near estuaries) and less draft which allow us to sneak into spots too tight for larger boats. Less windage might also allow us to tighten up scope (when conditions are good) to push the envelope even more.
 
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When a discussion of forward looking sonar is brought up here in TF, the whoosies from the East say how stupid it is and how quickly you can come up on something at even reduced speeds of 8 knots. They don't appreciate how remote and difficult some areas along coast BC and Alaska, and how poorly charted (for example, northern end of Haida Gwaii) some locations are. Once I get to an area I hope looks mildly decent, I can guarantee you I'll be creeping in at 3 knots with the forward sonar on.

I can appreciate that forward sonar on the ICW may not really be needed but in a number of areas in the "North of 49" destinations, it can be useful.

I lived in a fjord in North Vancouver, Indian Arm, so I am quite familiar with the effects of katabatic winds and I know they can sneek up on you. I used to keep my Catalina 27 moored in Horseshoe Bay and the Squamish winds there were nasty. Every year I went through a set of mooring lines and fenders just from the high winds at this time of year in November through to February.
 
Can you imagine, back in the day (1930's) boating up Bute Inlet fro an attempt at Mount Waddington? Gnarly stuff!!
 
Can you imagine, back in the day (1930's) boating up Bute Inlet fro an attempt at Mount Waddington

And I'm wondering what type of boat in the 30's would they have used.
 
Interested and will be monitoring this thread...

We went to the head of Bute in the summer of 15. I wanted to stay, but we didn’t for the reasons mentioned here. Also, we had the dog aboard and the boss was not keen.

Would enjoy going back on the trawler, setting up a good anchor/stern tie, and enjoying a few days there. Please post any experiences if you actually go.
 
Haven’t been there. And see no reason to burn the fuel necessary to get there.

When I was in college my girlfriend’s father went up there thinking it would be an adventure or something to traverse just because it was there. Bert had a 36’ Chris*Craft w twin Buick V6’s. A family boat and very well maintained. He and a few of his friends went and had a good time based mostly on comradery. Being done in the late 60’s I don’t remember many details.
 
When I was in college my girlfriend’s father went up there thinking it would be an adventure or something to traverse just because it was there. Bert had a 36’ Chris*Craft w twin Buick V6’s. A family boat and very well maintained. He and a few of his friends went and had a good time based mostly on comradery. Being done in the late 60’s I don’t remember many details.
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Well since my boat is a 1969 production, I think it will fit right into the Bute Inlet scene....lol.
 
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