A name like that HAS to get your attention. Beware Passage. Hmmm. A look at the chart gives one pause. Lots of rocks and shoals at the entrance from Clio Channel which is where we were at Lagoon Cove.
The sailing guide for the area (Waggoner Guide) suggests a torturous route through the rocks, shoals and kelp called Towboat Pass. Not having any other option other than taking a 20-mile detour through Johnstone Straight, we decided to follow the recommended route.
In the mean time, just looking at some of the names of the landmarks in the area continued to provoke anxiety. Beware Pass, Care Rock, Caution Cove, Dead Point. I think you get the point. Be very, very careful.
We left Lagoon Cove this morning at about 1000 and proceeded down Clio Channel for about 6 miles to Beware Passage. As we approached the passage, there were so many shoals, islands and rocks you could hardly see beyond into the clear part. OK, this was going to take some concentration. The course called to take Nicholas Point close to starboard, then as Karlukwees came to our beam we turned to go through a narrow slot between Kamano Island and an unnamed rock (I almost just closed my eyes it was so narrow, just hoping we wouldn’t hit a submerged rock), then 250 degrees mag across the passage to the other side just behind a small island, where – we were told – we wouldn’t see the small pass we could go through until we were almost in it. Yipes! We did as told and voila! the pass magically appeared. But, it was very, very narrow. About the width of a community swimming pool and…as it turned out not much deeper. Not a lot of room for a 13 ton sailboat to squeeze through. Going “dead slow” with Ann on the bow watching for rocks and kelp we inched forward. 24 feet deep – no problem. 18 feet, ummm…. 15 feet, oooh, I don’t like this. We went through the narrowest part of the pass with a depth of 11 feet. As we used to say in Mexico, “No bueno!” At the narrowest part Ann shouted a warning of kelp beds in front and to the starboard side, so a little to port, then a hard turn to starboard and we were out! Phew!
All in a day’s work in the Broughton Archipelago.