Culpepper Lagoon 6/17-6/20/2015

Culpepper Lagoon       6/17-6/20/15     

Continuing north Culpepper Lagoon is a “NOT TO MISS” according to the guide books and Active Captain recommendations.    This arm is surrounded by vertical peaks near 3000 ft tall, covered in tress growing at impossible angles.  Waterfalls along with shear rock walls too numerous to count.  The lagoon is located at the head of Kynoch Inlet.  All part of the Fjordland Recreational Reserve. 

Words won’t do justice to the scenery and the solitude.  We arrived to find Indigo, a fellow trawler traveler on a Selene 48 anchored.   Last saw them at Tribune Bay.   They reported good crabbing and we found the same.  Caught about a dozen over the next two days, several large enough for a meal each.   No luck on Salmon yet but will keep trying.

 It rained, sunshine, rained, sunshine several times each day.  Often just a drizzle but then a steady stream for half an hour or so.   Very little wind so it was comfortable to be in the rain with good raingear. 

The lagoon is separated from the inlet by a narrow area that can have currents as high as 12 kts.  We entered an hour before low water slack in the dinghy on an estimated 4 kts.  A few small whirlpools and lots of turbulence.  The entrance narrows to about 60’ wide and many take larger boats inside.  I’m to conservative to risk it.  The area is so remote we have heard no radio traffic since we got here and often loose GPS due to the steepness of the surrounding peaks.   Exiting the same area 45 minutes later it was as still as a mill pond.   We met a Canadian Coast Guard small boat dispatched from a larger (100 ft) patrol boat.   Friendly as ever the Guardsmen wished us well and inquired on the crabbing status. 

Just don’t have the writing skills to do justice to the scenery so will let these pictures tell the story.  

Mary and Keela found a good way to stay warm on the dinghy ride.

BOX SCORE 7 Hours 21 Gallons 53 Miles