Nature’s Drama



Frederick Arm

Frederick Arm Scenery

We continued our journey southeast, departing Cordero Lodge around 11am and headed down Cordero Channel with a short side trip into Frederick Arm to take a peek.  We wanted to use up some time before reaching Dent Rapids in order to arrive near slack water.  Currents at Dent Rapids run 9 knots on floods and 8 knots on ebbs.  Devil’s Hole, a portion of Dent Rapids, forms violent eddies and whirlpools 2 hrs. after turn to flood and 1 hr. before turn to ebb. 

 Cordero Channel

We reached Dent Rapids on Cordero Channel just before slack, at the tail of a flood.  Current was still present but nothing significant, and the passage was easy.  

Cordero Channel

Big Bay Area, Stuart Island

After exiting the rapids we were now in the Big Bay area of Stuart Island.  This area is filled with high-end fishing lodges and an exclusive private golf course.  Fishing boats zip back and forth throughout the area and seaplanes are coming and going with fly-in guests.  Back in the 1980’s we had hiked a trail which brought us near the private golf course, looking down on it from above, we marveled that such a place could be located in the wilderness.  I think there were only a couple of fishing lodges at the time.  

Big Mountains behind Big Bay

Big Bay now seems to be the major hub for fishing resorts, centrally located between the Broughton’s and Desolation Sound.  We continued our modern day shoreline tour of Stuart Island and Big Bay.  Timing was on our side so we decided to head through Arran Rapids between Stuart Island and the B.C. mainland, a short neck leading into Bute Inlet.  Arran Rapids has two faces, one calm and unsuspecting, the other violent with huge upwellings at 13 plus knots!  We easily passed through its calm face, while imaging the torrent it produces outside of slack water.  

Bute Inlet

We were now on the east side of Stuart Island and headed south down Bute Inlet connecting up with Calm Channel, all the while enjoying the marvelous mountain scenery.  

Raza Passage

Next came our northeast turn into Raza Passage then east through Pryce Channel with more spectacular mountain scenery.  

Raza Passage

We were now officially in the Desolation Sound region, a group of islands and waterways located east, northeast of Campbell River off Vancouver Island. 

End of Raza Passage, beginning of Toba Inlet

Fabulous Views from Toba Wildernest Resort & Marina

Our path brought us to the northern reaches of Desolation Sound, stopping at Toba Wildernest Resort & Marina with outstanding views and purified water to fill up the tank.