We rode the tide from Port Neville to Blind Channel sometimes reaching over 10 knots.
Blind Channel Marina is one of our favorites. We arrived early enough to enjoy the afternoon on the patio overlooking the channel talking with the owner and staff.
The next day we departed at 10:30 AM carefully calculating our passage through the infamous Seymour Narrows. We mis-calculated 2 years ago and went through at MAX tide which was one of the most terrifying experiences of our lives. We were being pushed through at speeds of over 18 knots and being thrown around by the treacherous whirlpools. Captain George Vancouver described in the late 1700s as "one of the vilest stretches of water in the world." It earned a reputation as the fiercest, and arguably, the most dangerous area for nautical navigation in North America.
Ripple Rock resided in the middle of the narrows and had pierced the hulls and sank over 120 vessels and took at least 114 lives. In 1958 it was decided to explode the obstruction. It was the largest non-nuclear explosion ever. The blast pulverized 370,000 tons of rock and displaced 320,000 tons of water. Rock and debris rocketed 1,000 feet into the air. The explosion also created a 25-foot tidal wave which quickly dissipated and caused no damage.
We made it through safely at slack tide and docked at Discovery marina in Campbell River.
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