Chebacco Wanderings: On the Lazy River

I have been recently storing Bluster at a tidy little marina on the Pitt River. What is really great is that I can leave her rigged and ready in the secured lot and then use the adjacent launch ramp to access the river. The Pitt River is actually fairly short (connecting Pitt Lake to the Fraser River) and does not have much of a current. What makes both Pitt River and Pitt Lake unique is that, being so close to the sea, they are both affected by the tides.

This past weekend we launched around 0800 hrs and spent a very leisurely cruise up the river to its confluence at the lake. This is a voyage of about 15 km, the water was flat and the air windless. We were also experiencing a bit of a heat wave in southwest BC with temperatures into the low 30 degrees. For the most part the Pitt River is contained by dikes that have turned much of the 'polder' land from swamp to agricultural land. There is still a great deal of wet lands and we were impressed by the bird life - herons, eagles, ospreys, geese and more. A prominent little hill along the way is being systematically eroded away by a gravel mine.

On the chart I noticed a little basin connected to the main river by a tight canal. With Lisa on the bow we were able to negotiate the weeds to explore its deepest corners.

At the entrance to the lake proper (Grant Narrows) we finally felt a bit of a northerly wind. This was our planned turn around for the day so we raised the mainsail and enjoyed a good run down the river. We used this time to give Bluster a good wipe down of the accumulated storage grim and dust.

Eventually the expected afternoon southerly winds made their appearance so we furled the mainsail and motored back to the ramp, arriving there around 1400 hrs. It was getting very hot by this time and the river was getting busy with all the power boats and jet skis. A nice outing and an opportunity to visit an area I have never explored before even though it is almost in my back yard.

Some photos...