s/v hello world: octopus islands

We motored up from Rebecca Spit up Hoskyn Channel on our way to Octopus Islands - a group of small islands turned into a marine park. To get there, we had to transit the dreaded Beazley Passage and Surge Narrows. Beazley Passage is not one of those friendly rapids that just whisks you on your way. It's one of those rapids that's narrow and turns and on ebb tides, wants to shove you straight into Tusko Rock. We got there early and ate lunch bobbing outside the entrance until slack. At slack, there was still some piloting to do to avoid Tusko Rock (one of our rules: if a rock on the charts has a name, it's because enough boats have sunk on it that they've bothered to name it so pay attention to it).

Once past Beazely Passage and Surge Narrows, we were feeling cocky about our piloting skills and decided to enter Octopus Islands from the south just after low water. The north entrance into Octopus Islands is a narrow pass but plenty of depth and a straight shot. The southern entrance is picking your way through scrapy, bony little gaps in drying reefs. Our boat sticks down in the water 6 feet so when I saw 8 feet on the depth sounder, I puckered up tighter than a snare drum. But we made it through fine and anchored in a beautiful cozy little anchorage, stern tied to one of the many Octopus Islands. We shared the anchorage with only one other boat.

As it turns out, we didn't see any octopus in the Octopus Islands. I know, I was disappointed too. We did, however, find this crazy art cabin on one of the private islands. The other boat in the anchorage mapped the way for us - yes, it's on a "private island", but apparently the signs, which indicate no camping and no fires, do not say "no tresspassing", so you're allowed to walk around. Who would have thunk?! The cabin is chock-a-block full of sea art from cruisers. People seriously must spend the winter widdling away at driftwood knowing that they're stopping at this place the next summer. Some of it was amazing - and some junk of course.