I captured the photo above as we were cruising along the north side of Pooley Island, after leaving BC’s fabled Fiordland on BC’s North coast, in the heart of the Great Bear Sea.
The deep greens and smooth curves of Pooley’s rainforest slopes and valley were less dramatic than Fiordland’s massive snowy peaks, but no less beautiful to my eye – not to mention soothing on a day with deteriorating weather. After a sunny morning, a brisk wind was now rising and the clouds were moving in, so it was time to find an overnight anchorage.
There are only two viable anchorages on Pooley Island: James Bay on its southeast and Windy Bay on its north. Both locations are close to Fiordland, so we’d stayed at James Bay (photo below) two nights earlier, on our way into Fiordland.
James Bay is pretty and ecologically rich, with a healthy estuary and creek that support diverse wildlife including black, spirit and grizzly bears along with wolves. But it falls short as an anchorage, at least if you value your sleep. It’s wide open to the south, so any winds or chop running up Mathieson Channel reach deep into the bay. We bounced for most of the night.
Coming back out of Fiordland two mornings later, we pulled into Windy Bay on Pooley’s north side. We crossed our fingers that the spot didn’t live up to its name, as by then we really needed a good night’s sleep. We were in luck: despite a considerable chop in the channel, it was calm in the anchorage. Windy Bay was the perfect place for two sleep-deprived seniors to drop their hook. Which might be why I didn’t get around to taking any photos while I was there.
I’m happy to announce the opening of my new exhibit on Gabriola Island, “Images from the Great Bear Sea” – my first solo show in four years. It features 16 new photographs which I’ve printed for the first time, all from our 2022 trip to this vast, remote and largely wilderness area. It also includes 10 prints from our earlier trips to the area. The exhibit is on now, and runs until April 25, downstairs at the Gabriola Medical Centre on Church St. (open Monday to Friday).
Eye on Environment 