Our cruising guide states that Princess Louisa Inlet is the “‘holy grail’ for cruising people all over the world”. It did not disappoint. After a 40-mile trek up beautiful Jarvis Inlet, we arrived at the entrance to Princess Louisa: The Malibu Rapids, which can run up to 9 miles an hour. We arrived a few hours before slack tide and took a look at the pass. Here is a video of when probably not to enter the inlet in a slow boat.
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When the tide turned, our transit was smooth sailing.
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Overlooking Malibu Rapids is a beautiful lodge built for the rich and famous in the 1930s, now used as a youth camp.
We cruised another four miles up the inlet, surrounded by 6,000-foot fjord walls and waterfalls, to arrive at Chatterbox Falls and the free dock. Note the size of the boats in the center of the photo compared to the surroundings.
And looking back towards the exit.
Kayaking in my inflatable.
Donations are accepted for the free dock. To our surprise, the dock had water! Not that we needed it. The boat had a good rinse from all the rain that fell.
Mike and Chatterbox Falls
Dinner on the bow.
We also spent a couple of nights at the other anchorage in Princess Louisa Inlet: McDonald Island.
There was an abundance of oysters and mussels for us to enjoy. We made it just in time before the season closed on May 31.
Breakfast on the flybridge with this view.
Right now we are in a marina for the night, stocking up on food, defrosting the fridge, cleaning the boat, doing laundry, and catching up on internet. Oh, and taking showers – in Mexico we could just jump in the ocean and then have a quick rinse, but the water here is very cold – a water-maker is definitely on our upgrade list!
For more photos, visit our photo albums.
Love all of the pictures, thanks for sharing. You guys are living the dream.
Thanks Ruthie! I love taking them! Hope you guys are all doing well!