VENTUROSA SUMMER 2025 FIRST MATE’S LOG
August 1, 2025
High partly overcast, sea surface easy, swells to 1 m, winds light from south. Air temperature 15 degrees C. Mizzen sail up in early morning to balance in swell while at anchor.
Anchor up with only one brief catch on rocky bottom.
Fish from Venturosa just south of the RCA - catch and release snapper, rock cod, china rock cod in abundance - large rockfish and snapper, huge skulpin. Ling cod surfaced while bringing in good sized snapper and made to take him in one  huge bite, but spit him out, suddenly wary!
Sign in with Prince Rupert Traffic on Channel 71, Bound for Goose Group
Mizzen and Staysail up out of the bay for close hauled to close reach. Water temperature constant at 17.3 degrees C. Sea surface liquid metal. Pass over Fitz Roy Reef. Fish dropoff, rockfish. Black whale shape seen briefly just out of the bay. Put up trolling lines.
Queen Charlotte Sound. Wind switch to 3 kt northwesterly at 11:10. Water temperature 18.1 at 12:01. Seas still 1 m, surface now showing 3 kt wind. Water temperature 18.2 12:25. No whales, dolphins, very few birds - water too warm? Fall off several times before taking in trolling lines and heading due north. Water temperature 18.3 at 12:43. Repair Swiss flag, small RVYC burgee. Seas lightly riffle. Water temperature 18.5 at 13:10. Empty hot tub, set up sea water pump to fill while underway. Turn off engines. Put up trolling lines. Water temperature 18.4 at 14.23. Goose Group in sight. Sea surface now highly riffled. Water temperature down to 18.1 at 14:48 about 9. nm south of Goose Group. Main sail up with 10 kts apparent, SOG 3.6. Yanke up for 4.7 SOG, 12 kts apparent. Water temperature 17.7 at 15:22. Few coho jumping. Yanke in at 15:40, engines on for approach to Goose Islands. Mainsail in, Staysail in. Mizzen still up to stabilize against rocking in the swell. Water temperature 18.0 @15:48. Water temperature 1 nm from Gosling Rocks 17.3 degrees. Wind to 16.2 kts apparent approach Gosling Rocks. Goose Island Anchorage 30’, sandy bottom, easy anchoring, hold on first set. 100’ rode. 18:09.
Ramsay oysters, Tree Island clams and rice with veggies for dinner.

July 31, 2025
Foggy, cool, seas still, tide dropping. Visibility 0.2nm
Sign in with Victoria Traffic on Channel 71, estimate call in point 37 (Doyle Island) at 10:15
Anchor up 08:36 - covered in kelp! Several minutes with anchor up and down to clear it, while drifting slowly in quiet, calm seas.
Depart through rock and fog, slipping out through rocks on the western edge of the Cove, under radar.
Labouchere Passage for Taylor Bank. Visibility down to 0.1nm at 09:50. Wind 1 kt NW
Bust out of fog at 10:20 abeam Deer Cove, visibility to 5.0 nm, then to 1 nm at 10:28, and dropping, patchy sun then visibility down to 0.1 nm by 10:49. Wind building now 9 kts on the nose. Richards Channel through Ripple passage - mind the 25’ rock in centre. Swell building. 11:05. All in fog by Rogers Islands, Emily Group. Fog lifted at Dominis Rocks. Radar on standby. Mizzen and Staysail up at south end of Burnett Bay, sunny skies, 1’ swell. Easy seas and sunny by Cape Caution, stop to fish a few moments. No bites. 12 ish degrees C. Passed two Dall porpoises shallow feeding south of Denny Rock. Put Mainsail up abeam Denny Rock. Cross South Passage. Water temperature 17.9 degrees C off Brown Bank. 18.7 degrees C water temp south of Sea Otter Group! To North Passage, take down sails as we turn more into the wind on the approach to Calvert Island. First Mainsail, then Staysail, then Mizzen. J hand crank Staysail and Mizzen at winches.
Anchored behind Blackney Island. Sailing Directions describes ‘foul bottom’ Small bay, with Blackney Island connected to Calvert Island by gravel bar. Dropped anchor at 30’, with 150’ rode. Anchor initially held fast, pulled out the rode, held on final set - called the final set, then it gave. Sounded and felt like rocky bottom as the anchor dragged. Set again soon after on reverse. Water temperature 17.3 degree C. 16:49. Fog banks and cloud starting to build 18:00. Mizzen up at anchor to balance in swell.
Take the dinghy to shore, walk the sandy beach - stunning with sand moulded by wind action, wolf prints. Take the dinghy south of the RCA line - snapper, boccacio, rockfish - incredible fishing, all catch and release, keep one small boccacio for dinner. Sea surface like flowing, writhing molten metal. Stunning anchorage.
Blackney Island boccacio breaded and rice for dinner.

July 30, 2025
Sunny, mild, seas light, winds light from west, tide dropping.
Lift Anchor 10:03, depart headed toward Cape Caution
Exit Bond Sound into Tribune Channel, - dolphin pod on the way out! Videoed. Pass Miller Point, Wahkana Bay, Kwatsi Point, Gormley Point, Rainy Point, Smith Rock; Down Hornet Passage south of Burdwood Group to Rees Island. Winds light. Radar out and tested for approaching fog, but ultimately we turn around at Rees Island due to fog pushed in from Queen Charlotte Strait, as though it filled the whole bottom of Tribune Channel. Pass Sandy Point. Spotted good sized Coho jumping shortly after. Slowed to 3 kts and lines out for trolling. No bites. Turn north around Broughton Island and sails up - Mizzen and Staysail. Through Pemphrase Passage to Pasley Passage, north around Stackhouse island to maintain tack. Caught off guard by shallow rocks twice - constant monitoring of the charts at multiple scales is key. On to Sutlej Channel. Water temp 19.6 degrees C! Wind getting on the nose, take sails down - J hand cranked staysail and mizzen. At Sullivan Point, winds to 12 kts on the nose. Patrick Passage to Wells Passage. Wind still to 13 kts. Pass Dixson and Percy Islands. Wind 11-13 kts, predicted to 25 kts this evening. Spot flock of seagulls feeding in Kenneth Bay, just before entering Queen Charlotte Strait, stop to fish. No bites. Carried on. Wind picked up to 22 kts. Water temp 11.9. Wind to 26 kts on the nose, seas 0.5 m and choppy heading into Lewis Cove. Drop anchor at ~40’, Excellent hold immediately. 175’ rode. Gravel? bottom. 17:31.
Reed Island Salmon for dinner. Hot tub in sunset with fog rolling in.

July 29, 2025
Sunny, warm, seas calm wind light tide dropping
08:00 dolphins!! Video etc
Take dinghy up river, a few small groups of pinks. Incredible number of flounder
Massive number of birds - huge collection of canada geese for 11:00 am conference!
Drift down river calm and lovely. No bears.
Dinghy to prawn trap and to fish bocaccio creek - only one fish! Nothing in prawn trap!
Go onshore to pick thimbleberries, small school of pinks at mouth of McAllister Creek
Depart 15:09 for Bond Sound - wind on the nose and tide rising against. Round London Point for Tribune Channel, pass Bond Point - Mizzen and staysail up into Bond Sound with 20 kts westerly. Pass Linden Point to end of sound. Drop anchor deep at 150’ in mud bottom. Good holding. 17:43. Water temp 17.6
Tsunami warning from Kamchatka undersea explosion- swells to 30 cm at midnight - (slept through it)
Visit nawalakw for dinner, visit with Ruby, Dallas, K’odi.

Discovered hydraulic leak and cracked instrument glass in engine room. Filled fluid.
Port engine start button contact needs maintenance


July 28, 2025
Sunny, warm, seas calm, wind light, tide slack.
Depart Blind Channel 07:25. Bow thruster not working. Differentially walked her off the dock - tricky - made dock by inches!!
Blind Channel - Mayne Passage - Race Passage (photo of s/y Eden), on the range to take Ripple Shoal through Current Passage - now 1.9 kts of current with us - up to 14.4 SOG at the end of  Current Passage - Johnstone Strait, flat and calm Water temp 10.9 degrees c. Check Amour de Cosmos - no pinks jumping. Up Johnstone Strait to Havana Channel water temp 12 degrees C to Chatham Channel on the range with 4.9 kts current with us. Cross Knight Inlet with mizzen and staysail up for beam reach in 15 kts apparent - enter Clapp Passage, lose the wind, to Tribune Channel and finally: Thompson Sound. Drop prawn trap at creek mouth. Bathymetric mapping of estuary edge before anchoring. 15:10
Dropped crab traps with old chx legs at 25’ and 60’ at 16:00. 19:30, ~20 legalish females at 25’! Nothing at 60’. 
Nawalakw folks onboaard - K’odi and staff and family 14 people!
Quatam prawns and Read Island salmon for dinner

Early on in trip - Left engine controller - uneven revving pattern? Also happened yesterday on way to Blind Channel
20:00 filled 
hydraulic fluid for thrusters, topped up hydraulic fluid for winches. Tested bow thruster; all functional.

July 27
Calm morning. Collect prawn traps - 30 prawn haul - nice plump prawns - BEST DEPTH 250 - 280’
Depart 08:51 for Blind Channel. Winds light from SW
Stop to jig by Church House 
Yuculta Rapids ~ kts. Gifford Rapids at 4.7 kts, Dent Rapids at 4.2 kts
DALL PORPOISES!!
Cordero Channel calm 
Arrive Blind Channel 13:01
Dock, provision, schnitzel dinner at cedar post inn. 
Meet Pamela from Strait Away.

Mid Coast, Broughtons, Johnstone Strait, Queen Charlotte Strait, to Blackney Island., Calvert

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