The Big One!
This was it! The big one. For two weeks, from late August to early September 2025, the four of us (Raymond, Paul, Alex, and myself, Khurram) took on the Broughton Archipelago. We sailed Tyra, the Viking’s 34-foot Bavaria, from Lund all the way up to Port McNeil, navigating famous rapids, dodging rocks, asking a black bear on the beach for directions, harvesting and eating sea asparagus and seeing some truly wild parts of the BC coast.
It was a trip of firsts for me: my first time in Desolation Sound, first time through tidal rapids on a sailboat, first time (successfully) crabbing, first time motoring a dinghy, and my first time witnessing a stern-tie.
But let’s be real, here are the real highlights:
- 🦀Crab-phobia, Cured! I finally got over my fear of holding and touching crabs. Turns out, they’re only scary until you realize they’re delicious.
- 🚤Dinghy Adventures: I got to zip around in the dinghy for the first time as we (unsuccessfully) trolled for fish. I felt very official.
- 🪢Stern-Tie Spectating: Watching Alex and the crew wrangle a stern line to shore using a paddleboard in Kwatsi Bay was high-stakes entertainment.
- ⚓Perfect Timing: The windlass (the electric thingy that pulls up the anchor) decided to stop working on our very last day. Just in time for us to hand the boat over to the next crew in Port McNeil. Thanks, Tyra!
- 🧑🌾Sea Asparagus: Yup, that’s a thing. and it’s delicious. Especially when you pick it yourself while watching out for bears.
- 🪦RIP Khurram’s Back: Note to self: sleeping in the main salon (aka, without a cabin) for 14 nights straight is… a choice. A painful choice. It took me a few weeks to fully recover, I admit.
The Timeline: Lund to Port McNeil
August 22: The Preamble
The trip technically started with a ferry from Vancouver to Pender Harbour. We spent the night at Raymond’s friends’ place and kicked things off right with some amazing fish and chips at the Pender Harbour Hotel (at the Grasshopper Pub).
August 23: We Have a Boat!
We drove over to Lund and officially took over Tyra from Mel, Pete, Rose, and their gang. This was my first time even seeing Desolation Sound. We didn’t go deep into the park, but what we saw was incredible. I’m already planning a trip back.
The adventure started immediately. We hit our first set of rapids, the Yuculta, at slack tide. “Slack” means the water is calmest, and thank goodness it was. It was still a wild feeling going through such a notorious passage. We zipped through Gillard Passage right after.
Our first stop was Stuart Island, where we anchored for the night in Big Bay. From the water, we could see the very fancy Senora Resort. My wife is a huge fan of Relais & Chateaux hotels, so seeing this in the wild was a big deal. It’s a dream destination for sure. Dinner was a classic: Paul cracked open a carton of Apothic Red, and we made pasta.
August 24: Crabs and “The Devil’s Hole”
We moved to Charles Bay and tried our hand at crabbing. The first pull was… interesting. We caught a bunch of Red Rock Crabs that were just big enough. Red Rocks are known for having much harder shells and less meat than Dungeness, but hey, it was a start.
Then, it was time for the main event: Dent Rapids, famously known as “Devil’s Hole.” This passage is notorious for its whirlpools and wild currents. We hit it at slack (again, thank goodness) and lived to tell the tale.
August 25-26: History Lessons and… Crab Tamales?
We stopped at Blind Channel on the 25th. This place has a wild history! It got its name because Captain Vancouver supposedly “missed” the channel opening. In the early 1900s, it was a booming hub with a sawmill, cannery, and a population of 120. We’re told it even had two dance halls and, during the 1930s, nine competing bootleggers. Today, the resort is a crucial stop for boaters, all built by the Richter family starting in 1970.
On the 26th, we had a quick stop at historic Port Neville. This place is a true time capsule. It’s the beloved homestead of the Hansen family, settled by Hans Hansen in 1891. The story goes that Hans, a Norwegian settler, jumped ship, lost his hand in a gun accident, and had a blacksmith build him an iron hook so he could keep rowing. He became the first postmaster in 1895. Incredibly, that post office became the oldest continually operating one in B.C., run by his granddaughter until it finally closed in 2010.
The big news: we finally caught crab we could actually eat! To celebrate, I tried my hand at making a crab tamale. The verdict? It’s… an acquired taste. The rest of the crew politely declined.
August 27: The Famous Shrimp Potluck
We pulled into Lagoon Cove Marina to get fuel and water. This place is legendary among boaters for one reason: the 5 PM potluck on the docks, where the marina provides buckets of free, freshly caught shrimp for everyone. It did not disappoint.
August 28: Discovering paddleboard stern-ties!
Next up: Kwatsi Bay. This bay is a stunning, narrow fjord with towering cliffs. Because it’s so deep, we had to do a stern-tie (dropping the anchor at the front, and tying the back of the boat to a tree on shore). Alex volunteered for the mission, taking the line to shore using nothing but a paddleboard. It was a bit touch and go at first, but to my surprise Alex did not end up in the water while hauling and tugging the stern line.
August 29: Shakshuka and Sailboat Love
We sailed to Echo Bay, which was once a major village for the Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis First Nation. Alex made an amazing Shakshuka for breakfast. While we were there, we saw a sailboat docked with a “JUST MARRIED” sign. A young couple from Vancouver was on their honeymoon right next to our boat. Cuteness overload, and it was one of the only other sailboats we’d seen on the north side of the rapids!
August 31 – Sept 1: Fish and Whales!
We caught a couple of good-sized rock bass near Sullivan Bay Marina. This marina is a whole “floating village,” with the store and houses all on floats. Super quirky.
On September 1st, the whale sightings began. We saw multiple humpbacks near Atkinson Island, and pretty much every day after that, we saw more humpbacks and even a Minke whale. It never gets old.
Sept 4-5: The Final Leg
Our last major stop was Alert Bay on Cormorant Island. We spent the 4th exploring. This is an incredibly important place for Kwakwaka’waka First Nations culture and home to the U’mista Cultural Centre. The story behind it is powerful. “U’mista” means “the return of something important.” The centre’s main “Potlatch Collection” consists of sacred masks and regalia. These items were confiscated by the Canadian government after a famous “illegal” potlatch in 1921 (the ceremony was banned from 1885 to 1951). After the ban was lifted, the Kwakwaka’waka people fought for decades to get their treasures back from museums worldwide. This centre is the result.
On September 5th, we pulled into Port McNeil. It was handoff day. And, as I mentioned, the exact day the windlass decided to retire. We passed Tyra and her new problem over to Mark and the next crew and made our way home to Vancouver on the 6th.
Closing Remarks
What a trip. There’s a lot more photos and videos to share, but I’ll leave it here for now. All to say, two weeks of rapids, wildlife, and great company made for a rewarding trip. I did expect to learn more sailing or boating fundamentals than I actually did by the end, but nonetheless the trip was very worthwhile! The Broughtons felt like an expedition, and they are absolutely incredible. 💯would recommend!