Through Yuculta Rapids to Shoal Bay

June 11, 2013

Our departure was scheduled for right after the morning boaters net. When cruising it’s rare to be on a timetable but today we had three rapids to navigate before we’d be able to pull into some anchorage and as the old saying goes, “time and tide (well currents) wait for no man.”

A fleet of boats approached the rapids with us.

The first was Yuculta Rapids, about 20 miles from Cortes Bay. Fortunately for us, the cycle of tides is at a neap or less extreme period. We expected currents of no more than 5.5 knots. Still, due to slopes and shoals of the bottom, eddies and whirlpools exist in these passes. We wanted to time our arrival for the end of the ebb, just before slack tide, while a favoring current was still carrying us through the narrowest places.

We hit the narrows where Yuculta Rapids starts just before noon and found ourselves accelerated to 10.1 knots over the bottom. The water was moving fast, but not too swirly. Next was Gillard Rapids where at the spring tide currents can run to 13 knots. It turned out to be just about at slack as did Dent Rapids, the third in line. We zipped along and arrived at the long government pier at Shoal Bay by 1:30. Another day with plenty of time for playing ashore.

 

Shoal Bay from the lookout to the east. Gratitude is on the end of the outer dock.

Other cruisers at the dock told us about climbing to an outlook on the neighboring mountain for a great view. We thought that would be fun, but after getting lost on a logging road and circling back around to the wharfinger’s house, Charlie decided to give up on hiking. However I really wanted the exercise. Finding the trail entrance, really a stream bed, was a struggle. The trail is muddy and rough below, rocky and steep higher up but the view was great. This is beautiful country, unspoiled by ivy climbing up trees or laurel and blackberries choking out the native plants as in Seattle.  It’s empty too, no one else on the trails but us.