Fog Art




Fog at Blind Channel Resort

Even fog can be artistic, it’s all in the eye of the beholder.  In the morning we found Blind Channel shrouded in fog.  But what the heck, we have radar.  We departed around 9:30am with banks of fog and patches of clearing.  

Fog at Blind Channel Resort

We headed out Mayne Passage (commonly called Blind Channel), connecting up with Johnston Strait. 

Johnston Strait

Here too, the Strait had intriguing layers of fog hiding boats and brushing mountain tops.  Around noon we stopped at Yorke Island hoping to see the WWII gun emplacements located on the island’s western edge.  Construction on this military outpost began in 1937 when Yorke Island was placed under the Canada’s Department of National Defense reserve.  It was a perfect location, any enemy ships approaching Vancouver from the north would have to pass this island sentinel where two turret guns and a searchlight were waiting.  

Johnston Strait

The 6-inch guns were on swivels and could fire seven 100-lb rounds per minute.  By 1945, there were 62 buildings on the island, including the officers’ quarters, barracks, and drill hall overlooking the wharf.  Unfortunately, the old wharf has since been removed so access is by dinghy only.  We attempted to anchor in the small cove off the island but it was covered in kelp with rock hazards nearby; afternoon wind and current was picking up.  Too bad there’s not a wharf for convenient access to this historic island.  Volunteers are apparently trying to keep the trails and emplacements from becoming overgrown, but I fear the ruins like the old wharf will become lost in time.  No formal tours to the Island have yet been sponsored or organized by any group or government agency.  We continued motoring west along Johnstone Strait, winds had picked up between 20 and 27 knots with 2-4 foot chop at max Ebb Tide.  We had planned to stop at Port Neville to anchor for the night but decided to continue, we would soon have slack water and the seas would be relatively calm.  

We turned off Johnston Strait about 2pm and motored up Havannah Channel to Port Harvey (not to be confused with Port Hardy) and anchored for the night.  Port Harvey, although rustic, is much improved from our last visit with new docks and a better location for the store float. 

Port Harvey

Boaters appreciate this protected bay off Johnstone Strait and many enjoy its remote lumberjack character situated on West Cracroft Island.