Monday July 21, 2008 Jervis Inlet on our way to Princess Louisa Inlet

We are listening to our “Christian Mix” as we cruise up this breathtaking inlet. The music enhances the experience of the beauty of this land: Jervis Inlet.

I am not sure I have EVER seen such majesty. I am swept with emotion and feel very small. I am surrounded by mile-high mountains that drop almost vertically into 1000 foot depths below. It is so fitting that Young Life operates a camp right here. Jim and I took a tour of the camp. They were between staff changes so the camp was very quiet. Jim is seen here driving us in the "family sedan" to the camp. The new dinghy is really nice.This Young Life Camp is called Malibu Club. This is their private Ferry taking the staff out to the camp:Dozens of waterfalls are streaming down the mountain sides. Can you see them in the background? Probably not...

We had ourselves quite the adventure getting through the rapids. There is a narrow “Z” shaped cut in these mountains where the Malibu Rapids belong. The tidal currents here are fierce, creating about four opportunities each day; two low tide and two high tide periods of about an hour where the boats must rush through before the tidal currents of 9.0 knots are too much for most boats to over power. The tidal flow can create a situation where a boat is going backwards completely out of control.

As a result, the boats queue up outside waiting for the conditions to become “slack”. We got there early and were the first boat in the line up. There was quite a bit of radio chatter as the boats wondered if the “spring current” would be stronger than the tide table predictions. Some experienced Captains (with smaller boats) were pressing to go. There was pressure for us to either get out of the way or to get going. There are a limited number of spots at the end of inlet – it’s a first come, first serve accommodation and a limited amount of time to get through the rapids before it is impassable for another 6 hours. Our 55' boat would not be easy to "fit in". The radio chatter indicated that "it would probably be fine".

Less than half way through, with no opportunity to turn around; things did not look so fine. The water was very turbulent and control elusive. Jim frantically and with great focus manually steered the boat. The wheel was flying to the left and to the right with a click, click, click of Jim’s wedding ring as he anticipated the movement of the boat and the currents impact. The radio was silent during this maneuver as the others in line (behind us waiting to get through the rapids) watched with rapt attention. Finally, the radio silence broke with “Jade Sea” saying, “I think I will wait another 30 minutes”. Not another boat attempted the crossing for at least a half an hour. We arrived (shaken) at the dock with our pick of spots!

I am now listening to the waterfall; it sounds like white noise. This is a very large waterfall. The windows and doors are all open. Water temperature is a balmy 68º F (air temperature reported to be close to 80º F) and people are jumping off their boats into the water. Look carefully in the second picture and see the teenie, tiny people at the bottom. This waterfall is huge!
This evening, we were delighted to join the partiers on the dock (about 20 boats tightly positioned; average age 55). With drinks in hand (Apple Martini for Lara; Corona for Jim) and BBQs blazing we had a great time. Cruisers are a really fun bunch. Our boat, being the largest, and obviously not a “day tripper” was the subject of several tours. The men “oh and ah” over the stand up engine room while the women marvel over the nice bathrooms and the amenities of the kitchen.