And Willie Said: Hole in the Wall and Waiatt Bay

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Hole in the Wall and Waiatt Bay - 8/6/2012

On Herb's bucket list is traversing Hole in the Wall Channel and the rapids. So we leave Squirrel Cove, seeing our backyard at high tide, and head north in Lewis Channel.

Passing the Rendezvous Islands and into Calm Channel, we encounter confused waters and a log with a large root ball.

Herb cautions me to move a little farther away from the root ball.

As we go into the Hole in the Wall channel we get a push, using half a gallon per hour, at 1100 rpm, and show speed at 6.1 knots. Fuel economy is 13 mpg.

A sailing vessel, c s CAPE, is approaching and we visit about our expected experience. She plans to go about 20 minutes before slack, in order to catch the Upper Rapids at slack en route to The Broughtons.

We see the narrow part of the channel and the rapids, where currents could run as much as 12 knots on flood. We time our arrival to 15 minutes before slack.

c s CAPE radios shortly thereafter that she is going through at 7 knots and it is a piece of cake. We follow at 8.2 knots and indeed it is a piece of cake!

As we exit, we see kayakers going through in the opposite direction.

Now we turn south into Okisollo Channel and anchor in Waiatt Bay. There is room for lots more boats here, and we choose a central location with sights on the trailhead for Jake's exercise.

When Jake and Herb get on shore, they walk up the trail a bit and hear voices of a couple coming back from a hike.

The couple are surprised to find their dinghy at high tide is floating, still tied to a tree where they had left it at lower tide.

Herb offers to drive them over, so they don't have to swim.

He takes one person, and leaves one with Jake, as it would be a bit crowded in the dinghy with all three. As he drives off, Jake decides to go, as well, and swims the mile along side Herb's dinghy.

As the man gets into his dinghy, Jake jumps in with him. The guy is saying, "Wrong boat! Don't shake!"

Jake shakes.