Princess Louisa Inlet and what a journey to and from

Princess Louisa is one of those places every NW boater has on their list. We had managed to go many years without making the visit, because if we had enough time we wanted to go further north, and if we had less time we stayed further south. Louisa is such a journey unto itself that you must be somewhat determined to get there.

And we were this time.

James Bay, Prevost Island

We took a week of vacation and had a hard time getting over our disappointment of not having time to go up to Desolation Sound, or to reprise our journey around Vancouver Island from last summer. We've set the bar pretty high for Aeolus adventures and we have insatiable desires for such trips to begin with. Faced with the prospect of a week in the Gulf Islands would make most people giddy, and yet we were wrestling with feeling disappointed at the idea of being in such familiar waters.

We left on a Saturday and headed up and across the border to James Bay on Prevost. That is an easy day from Friday Harbor. It was there that we decided to head on to Princess Louisa.



The next day we went to DeCourcy to swim and enjoy the favorite spot of the boys. We had sweltering hot weather on this day and so swam like fish.

DeCourcy pirates

We then passed through Dodd Narrows at the 6am slack and crossed the Straits of Georgia uneventfully. That night we stayed at Smuggler Cove and once again swam like fish. It was still crazy hot. Smuggle Cove is a lovely spot. There was a large block of granite perched at the opening of the anchorage and the tide was perfect for it being a jumping rock. Elliott and I did so, and even Amy! It was maybe 15 feet, so not too high. Owen and I took the inflatable kayak out for a fairly long paddle and that was heavenly too. Just a great day.

Elliott mid-jump Smuggler Cove

Our journey to Louisa was next and we passed through Pender Harbor the next day on our way up Agamnenon Channel. Pender Harbor holds special memories for me as that was one of my food resupply places on my solo kayak trip north in 1999. We went to Madeira Park and bought some supplies and enjoyed the village. Heading up Agamnenon is pleasant, and a good introduction to the points further East.

We stopped at Harmony Islands up Hotham Sound that day, and grabbed a tenuous anchorage. The current RIPS through this anchorage and our stern tie line pulled so tight that it was impossible to make any adjustments to it. All my strength wouldn't so much as budge the boat or the line. It's a beautiful place, and worth visiting. Friel Falls is nearby and we could hear it loudly even from the anchorage. We all swam a lot and enjoyed the 78 degree ocean water! I went out for a dusk swim by myself and enjoyed a few moments of being lost in deep time and cosmic awareness.

Heading up Jervis Inlet. Stunning Peaks. 

Our next day was the journey to Louisa and we had the most beautiful sail up most of the Reaches. Just perfect, and under crystal blue skies. So we sailed our way blissfully up to Malibu Rapids for the slack, and was one of the first boats to pass despite the ebb still flowing. It slowed us down to maybe 3 knots but we are quite familiar with how Aeolus responds to high currents. This was not a tough one.

Princess Louisa deserves the reputation for beauty that it has garnered. It is a stunning place for sure. Waterfalls all around, and granite. As a Sierra veteran, I can say that it does bear fair comparison to some of the High Sierra. Not the best of the High Sierra, but some comparison. We grabbed a stern tie right near Chatterbox Falls and were soon swimming. We stayed another day and did the hike to the old Trappers Cabin. It is about the most gnarly 4th class scramble you can imagine. Only took 75 minutes up, but my gosh you are hand over hand up roots and rocks for much of it. The falls at the end are lovely, but the growth has filled in the once mighty views down the Inlet so don't head there for views anymore. If someone hiked up with a bow saw you could restore incredible views and do no damage to the overall health or biodiversity of the area!

Owen jumping off in Louisa

So we enjoyed our stay in Louisa and are glad we went. Having done so though, I think we would all say that we would prefer to be up in Desolation Sound for the greater diversity of views and lakes and swimming. Not to mention the West Side.

Our return journey was lovely too. We stayed a Buccanner Bay at North Thormanby for one night, and enjoyed that beach. That night a strong wind came up that was not forecast. Blew 25 knots SE. We crossed the Straights of Georgia the next day in 15-20 knots and 3-4 foot waves. A beautiful sail all the way across. Close reaching the entire trip. Did 5.5 to 6 knots. We went through Dodd that day and pushed all the way down to Prevost and Glenthorne Passage. It was two 50 mile days in a row, which is much longer than we prefer, but had to be done. The next day we were home to Friday Harbor and then back to Bainbridge.

The falls near the Trapper Cabin. Lovely. 

Overall this trip from Friday Harbor was 260 miles, and we followed about the most direct route. We only got one day of not moving, and that was in Princess Louisa. A push, and some long days back to back, but it let us see this famous place.

Amy at the wheel near Nanaimo after crossing Straits