Eric,
My rule; When the seas are flat, go like hell!! I have experienced some lumpy crossings of the Queen Charlotte Sound, so when the forecast came up mild, we went. Now that I am across that possibly bad piece of water, we can relax and putt about. Lots of other boats had the same idea, when we arrived at Fury Island anchorage at 4 PM, there were three boats already there. By nightfall there were 11 (!) boats anchored. I thought I was back in Desolation Sound in August! The boats were way too close for comfort, but the bottom is sticky mud, and the winds calm. About 5 of those boats were in Blunden the next night.
It has been many years since we were in Pt McNeill. The town has grown from a logging and fish camp to a decent size place. The Port McNeill Fuel Dock, now has a marina which is 80% full, as is the town dock. The Fuel Dock marina accepts reservations, and meets you at the dock to help tie up, nice place.
Diesel is $1.29CDN/litre, tax included. Wi-Fi is free with moorage. Moorage is $1.00CDN/ft/nite. It was a quiet night, and the first float plane just took off. No cruise ships either.