shoal harbor

Our guide book describes Shoal Harbour as a "well protected and pretty anchorage that provides shelter from west winds". It was just that passage I was contemplating as we were anchored in Shoal Harbour as our boat jerked around on the anchor in 18 knots of wind blowing out of the west and I stared across to the logging operation on shore, the delapidated floating home that was collapsing into the water and the boat that was abandoned and sunk in the mud just off the shore.

Pretty? Nope. Well protected? Uh-uh. Shelter from west winds? Scoff. I will say the shelter from west winds is probably better in the western portion of the anchorage but that was absolutely carpet bombed with crab traps. You could damn near walk from one end of the anchorage to the next on crab floats with out ever touching water. The only reason we anchored here in the first place is the promise of a trail that led from Shoal Harbour to Echo Bay and Billy Proctor's museum. We landed the dinghy on shore and bushwhacked into the woods for about 30 minutes before we decided that the next 30 minutes would probably end with us completely lost or eaten by a bear. So we reluctantly rowed back to the boat and spent the rest of the day down below out of the wind and away from the "scenery".

The Broughtons has been my favorite part of this trip so far. This area is littered with beautiful, quiet, remote anchorages. Shoal Harbour is not one of them.


Leaving Laura Bay headed for Shoal Harbor.


Hello World lying to anchor while we bushwhacked in search of a trail.


This was one of the nicer floating homes in Shoal Harbor.


Lots of places to park your boat in scenic Shoal Harbor!

50°44.195'N 126°20.268'W