Oh Happy Day!

Monday August 29, 2011
Leave Miles Inlet
Arrive Port McNeill 50 35.99N, 127 05.27W

MY FIRST SALMON!! SWEET!!

You really have no idea how happy I was in this picture. Un-believeable! And not only one, but here is .......

FISH NUMBER TWO!!

Yes, now I know how to catch a salmon. My ego has gone up numerous notches. Fresh caught salmon on the BBQ for dinner, yumm.

Looking west in Johnstone Strait, heading into Port McNeill, at the setting sun. 

Taking pictures of whales.

This is what my "whale" pictures usually look like, or like......

this (at least there is some action!). But on this particular day......

I managed to get this! And.......

this and.......

 this one and ......

this one!

Mind you, I took close to 100 pictures over about 30 minutes and most of them were of just plain water. It was the most amazing whale encounter we have had. We sat quietly and this whale was up and down feeding on herring all around us. Most of the time we could predict where he would come up because we could see his "bubble net". In one picture, you can see him with his mouth open, catching the herring as he broke the surface.

This is one of the reasons I love getting out on the boat.... these types of experiences you cannot get anywhere else.

Miles Inlet

Sunday August 28, 2011
leave Millbrook Cove
arrive Miles Inlet 50 04.04N 127 47.44W

The rocks here are exposed to the waves in Queen Charlotte Sound.

This is at the entrance to Miles Inlet, a place we have always passed by. But this time we were a little ahead of schedule and we thought it looked like an interesting place to explore. Miles Inlet is almost shaped like a capital letter I, with a few extra nooks and crannies added for good measure. There is three reversing waterfalls inside the inlet and not a lot of places to anchor. But, with only one other sailboat in the inlet, we had lots of room.
We got settled in and then put the crab trap down to see what was available on the bottom. Thirty minutes later, we hauled in 2 very nice rock crab. All in all, we caught three keepers, and let the other 20 or so go.
After dinner, we kayaked over to the reversing falls for a closer look. On the way, we stopped to chat with the other boat, a couple from Seattle. They shared their method of catching salmon off a sailboat, said they pretty much have been living off the sea all summer long. Sounded promising, but anything does since I have not managed to catch even a single salmon, although I am not too bad catching rock cod. We will give it a try tomorrow.

Reversing waterfalls, always worth checking out.

Saturday August 27, 2011
leave Joe's Bay
arrive Millbrook Cove, Smith Inlet 51 19.67N, 127 44.16W

Jerry winding up his anchor trip line in a sea of foam in Joe's Bay.

Yesterday, in Joe's Bay, we went back to the reversing falls after dinner in the kayaks. It wasn't that big of a tidal change, but it was cool to see. Then early this morning, we could hear the roar of the falls picking up and by the time we were pulling the anchor, the little bay was full of foam from the action of the waterfalls.

The bay was super calm and you can see in the picture above our trail through the water as we left.
Onward!