Navigating Tidal Rapids in the Inside Passage

canoe pass slack

Canoe Pass is a narrow passage that flows alongside Dent Island Lodge. I took this photo at slack water from our boat shortly after we arrived. At slack water, the current is calm and the sea is flat. The side deck of the lodge is visible at the right in the photo, and offers a great place to watch the current ebb and flood.

The Inside Passage is famous for big tides and fast currents. As the water floods and ebbs from the Pacific Ocean, it is constricted when it forces its way through narrow passages, called tidal rapids. There are many tidal rapids all along the Inside Passage. When we were at Dent Island, we had a chance to watch the tidal rapids in Canoe Pass from the shoreline and see how the water changed throughout the day as the currents changed direction.

Continue reading

June 23 – Squirrel Cove to Dent Island

squirrel cove moon setting

At Squirrel Cove, when we got up, the moon was just setting behind the trees. It was calm and serene…a gorgeous morning.

What a change! It was clear when we woke up this morning at our Squirrel Cove anchorage on Cortes Island, Desolation Sound. The full moon was just setting above the trees to the west and it was flat calm. Soon the sun came up over the trees to the east and it was just an absolutely gorgeous morning. Reflections of nearby boats gleamed in the calm water, and it was so peaceful and quiet. Time to choose our next destination!

Continue reading