Sointula, Finnish Heritage




Sunset at Sullivan Bay Marina

Queen Charlotte Strait, Numas Islands mid way

Port McNeill

 

We left Sullivan Bay, rounding Atkinson Island then turning south down Wells Passage and out across Queen Charlotte Strait, a four-hour motoring to Port McNeill on the north end of Vancouver Island.  The seas were flat calm across the Strait, an easy crossing to get supplies including groceries, water, diesel, and gas for the dinghy.  We found North Island Marina (formerly known as Port McNeill Fuel Dock and Marina) to be very busy; the docks were full so we anchored in the bay after getting supplies.  Although it was a brief stop, we were pleased to see our friend Bruce, owner of the marina, and reminisced about good times during our encounter three years ago.  

Finnish Fishing Village, Sointula

While anchored at Port McNeill, we took the dinghy over to Malcolm Island and visited the village of Sointula, homesteaded in the 1800’s by Finish pioneers.  A group of Finns wanted to create a society where property was communal and everyone would be equal and participate.  

Our ride into Sointula

 



Finnish looking Home

The community developed a foundry, a brickyard, sawmill, and blacksmith shop.  Their newspaper called AIKA (Times) was the first Finnish newspaper in Canada and encouraged immigrants to come to Sointula.  Unfortunately, the leadership proved to be more idealistic than practical; the assets were sold and the island was eventually returned to the Government of British Columbia.  

Garage with Finnish Influence 

The people who remained, purchased land and began a commercial fishing industry and logging businesses.  While riding through the village on our bicycles, we could find evidence of the Finnish influence in several structures and homes.  

Co-operative Store, Sointula

The focal point in town is the Sointua Co-operative Store which was formed in 1909 and is the oldest running cooperative in British Columbia.  

Bicycles with Potted Flowers, a common sight in Sointula

We also visited the Sointula Museum, where numerous photographs and artifacts from the period are displayed. 

Sointula Cemetary

We recognized many of the pioneer names we had seen at the cemetery located on the edge of town.         

A Floating Community




Views while departing Kingcome Sound

 

This morning we woke up to blue sky and hardly a cloud to be found.  The views were wonderful as we made our way back out Kingcome Inlet.  We continued west, entering Sutlej Channel, bound for Sullivan Bay Marina on North Broughton Island.  

Pictograph at Boyer Point, Sutlej Channel 

We stopped at Boyer Point to see another pictograph which quickly caught our attention.  Smarty-pants Leonard said it was probably an advertisement saying “eat at Joe’s.”  I said it was probably the name of the tribe, indicating that the land belonged to them.  We both agreed that might be what happened, the white man failed to read all the “no trespassing” signs.  

Sullivan Bay Marina

We continued on to Sullivan Bay, site of a lovely marina and a beautiful community of floating homes connected by a system of docks. 


Welcome Gate and Fish Cleaning Station

 

 

No doubt the community has certain rules and conditions as all the homes are very well kept and each dock has its own street name, a cute touch - names like Market Street, Halibut Heights, and Coho Culdesac.  

Dock Street Names at Sullivan Bay Marina

Par 1 at Sullivan Bay Marina

The one-hole golf course is also unique to Sullivan Bay Marina, golfers can try their luck driving a golf ball to the flagged hole positioned just off the docks.  Of course the distance to the hole depends on the tide and wind, the target can vary from 100 to 140 yards out.  

Par 1 Target

Happy Hour Tent at Sullivan Bay Marina

Sullivan Bay Marina has all the basic amenities that boaters appreciate, including showers, laundry, and a grocery store as well as a nice restaurant.  

Folks come from every direction to Sullivan Bay

Our friends Roger and Chris arrived during our second day at Sullivan Marina so we all went "out on the town" and enjoyed a delicious salmon dinner served with roasted peppers and zucchini with spaetzle. 

Nice Restaurant at Sullivan Bay

We certainly aren’t going hungry in the Broughton Islands!  The following afternoon we took the dinghy across Sutlej Channel into Dunsany Passage to explore the area and look for some more pictographs.  We were unable to locate these faded, or perhaps covered in moss pictographs, but we enjoyed our scenic outing just the same.

Majestic Kingcome Inlet



Kingcome Inlet

Kingcome Inlet is a seventeen mile long waterway carved by glaciers thousands of years ago; majestic mountains rise nearly vertical from the ocean bottom, some mountain tops are still covered in snow even in late July.  

Huge Granite Bowls, Kingcome Inlet

Kingcome Inlet

As we motored along Kingcome, we were awestruck by the enormous mountains, unable to capture it all by a camera lens. 

Pictograph at Philadelphia Point, Kingcome Inlet 

Huge granite rock cliffs and forested mountains, spilling their waterfalls are among some of the spectacular scenery.  One of the hidden gems in Kingcome are the ancient pictographs.  After scouring the shore, we were able to find several pictographs reported to be at various locations, including one at Philadelphia Point and another off Petley Point. 

Majestic Mountains & Waterfalls

Waterfalls, Kingcome Inlet

A modern pictograph created by a local artist can also be found near Petley Point but we prefer seeing the ancient pictographs. 

More Scenic Waterfalls, Kingcome Inlet

On the way back down Kingcome Inlet, we took a detour to explore Belleisle Sound, an offshoot of Kingcome, accessed through a narrow necked waterway.  By this time it was late afternoon, time to head for Moore Bay, one of the very few anchorage spots among the deep waters of Kingcome Inlet.  

Pictograph at Petley Point, Kingcome Inlet

Views from Moore Bay

Mooring buoys reported to be in the eastern corner of Moore Bay were no longer there and the anchorage spot behind the little island charted as No. 55 turned out to have such a rocky bottom that the anchor didn’t set well.  We motored to the western side of Moore Bay and found a little cove or byte, setting the anchor and taking a stern tie to shore.  

Taking Stern Line to Shore, Moore Bay

After installing the spool of line on the swim step, replacing the “staple” that’s normally attached, we got the dinghy down to take the line ashore.  This was our first attempt to shore tie, a good place to learn without providing entertainment in front of an audience.  On our first attempt, we found ourselves too far from shore – after securing the line to a tree, the remaining line wasn’t long enough to reach back to the boat.  While Leonard was in the dinghy managing the stern line, I slowly backed the boat closer to shore.  

Successful Shore Tie

Success!  We made it in our second attempt – the right distance from shore with the stern line around a big boulder brought back to a hause on the boat, taking up the slack.  Shore ties take a lot of time and patience but are very helpful in deep water situations, keeping the boat perpendicular to shore with an additional anchor point.  Shore or stern ties are also used in areas or marinas where space is at a premium so it’s a good idea to practice – no one wants to look like a complete idiot in front of an audience.

The Colorful Side



Shawl Bay Marina

We made our way to Shawl Bay with plans to depart the next morning for a scenic cruise through Kingcome Inlet.   Shawl Bay Marina is the nearest marina to Kingcome Inlet but some people may be put off by the marina’s rustic appearance.  I have to admit that we bypassed Shawl Bay on a previous trip.  

Happy Hour Tent, Shawl Bay Marina

This time we decided to give it a try, perhaps it will prove to be fun and the complimentary pancake breakfast sounded appealing.  We arrived around noon, greeted with smiles by Rob, son of this family run marina.  He helped us with our lines and told us about happy hour, the pancake breakfast, and about the marina facilities. 


Cute, White-washed Bungalows

The marina docks are lined with cute, white-washed bungalows and numerous potted flowers add charm.  Located on the remote B.C. Coast, there are no roads or hiking trails at Shawl Bay or additional amenities on shore, but Shawl Bay Marina has a distinctive character, frequented by some colorful people.

 

We met one older gentleman who is a friend of legendary Billy Proctor of Echo Bay and he shared some interesting stories.  Owner Rob talked about the process of getting supplies for the marina; his parents and wife were off buying groceries and other supplies, including new machines for the laundry room.  Rob explained that they pick up the supplies with a van and then drive their load to Port McNeill where the supplies are transported by a delivery barge.  

Rustic Floating Homes in Shawl Bay

Guests of the marina also had some interesting stories to share and came from different walks of life.  We met one gentleman who was a retired stock broker from Merrill Lynch, met a family from California, and a marine biologist from Oregon who had also been a pilot in the Navy; of course that kept Leonard talking for hours.  And yes, the “all you can eat” pancake breakfast was very tasty.  The old adage seems to hold true, “you can’t judge a book by its cover.”  Sometimes these rustic places are where you meet the most colorful and interesting people.

Surprise Rendezvous



Dahl Porpoise off our Mid-ships

After a lovely night at Simoom, we motored across Raleigh Passage and headed south for Echo Bay located on the north end of Gilford Island.  As we motored through Raleigh Passage, we were met by several groups of Dahl Porpoise who rode our wake along the bow and mid-ships of Got d' Fever.  It’s always fun to peer over the side and watch their playful antics, they seem so swift and daring.  

Dahl Porpoise

Pierre's Echo Bay Marina

We arrived at Echo Bay around noon and pulled into our slip at Pierre’s Marina, perhaps the most popular marina in the Broughton’s.  Pierre’s Echo Bay Marina is best known for its buffet-style dinners which draw hundreds of boaters every summer, the BBQ Prime Rib Roasts and the Pig Roasts seem to be the most popular.  

Echo Bay Marina

Floating Homes at Echo Bay

As it turned out, we discovered that our friends Roger and Chris were here at the marina with their sailboat, White Squall; they had arrived earlier and spotted us right away.  It was such a pleasant surprise!  Leonard and Roger had known each other from college days, and Roger’s brother Bruce is Leonard’s former business partner.  The connection was made many years ago through their mutual interest in the computer field and snow skiing trips; now here we are again sharing the boating scene.  

Trail from Echo Bay Marina

While at Echo Bay the four of us went on a hike to visit Bill Proctor’s Museum which is located in a small bay nearby.  Visitors can reach the museum by dinghy or take the trail starting from Pierre’s Marina; the trail is steep in some places with ropes attached to trees for assistance up the slope.

The Rope Climb

Chris brought along her dogs who scrambled up the hillside, while we humans grabbed the ropes and pulled ourselves up the steep incline.  It was great fun, making the trip all that more memorable.  We soon arrived at the property of Billy Proctor, who has logged, trapped, and fished on the coast all of his 75 plus years.  

Bill Proctor's Museum

His museum is a collection of Native artifacts, Chinese artifacts, and memorabilia from logging and trapping days collected over his lifetime, all relating to the area’s past.   

With Friends Roger and Chris

After spending an hour at the museum, we made our way back to the marina; we were all looking forward to that Prime Rib dinner!  The indoor dining hall filled quickly with guests, thank goodness we had made reservations.   The prime rib was excellent, roasted in a large commercial grade barbeque.  Serving sizes were more than ample and included garden fresh string beans, carrots, and corn, along with a tossed green salad and baked potato.  It was a real treat and so nice that our friends were there to help share in the fun!

Following George Vancouver



Among the Marsden Island Group

We departed “Monday Anchorage” on Tracey Island heading west passing by the Marsden group of islands then through Trainer Passage between Crib Island and Eden Island.  At this point we could see the expanse of Queen Charlotte Strait with Foster Island in the far distance.  Making a sweeping turn around Eden Island, we traveled east up Fife Sound. 

Approaching Pearse Peninsula

As we approached Pearse Peninsula on the southeast end of Broughton Island, we stopped along the shore to see if we could spot the pictograph reported to be at this site.  There are a number of known pictographs in the Broughton Island region, most of which were first discovered in 1792 by Archibald Menzios, the botanist on Captain George Vancouver’s voyage of exploration to the Northwest.  

The Pictograph

We finally spotted the faded orange pictograph, the image of a face.  Natives obtained the orange coloring from ochre, a natural earth pigment.   We continued up Fife Sound, passing Benjamin Islands and then beautiful Burwood Islands located at the east end of the Sound.  From here we turned northward following Raleigh Passage heading toward our night’s anchorage at Simoom Sound.  

Burwood Islands (foreground)

Port Turn to Simoom Sound

Simoom Sound

Simoom Sound, a long finger-like bay, is tucked behind Wishart Peninsula on the mainland of northern British Columbia.  Beautiful Simoom Sound was one of the extended anchorages used by Captain Vancouver in HMS Discovery and HMS Chatham during his voyages of exploration in the summer of 1792. 

Simoom Sound

Most of the Sound or bay is deep, requiring a stern-tie to shore in many places.  We were able to find a more suitable 50-foot spot to anchor at O’Brien Bay located at the end of the Sound.  

Simoom Sound

I have to admire Vancouver’s choice in selecting this beautiful spot;

Simoom Sound

but as Leonard pointed out George didn’t take into consideration the poor cell phone reception due to the high mountains.