Anchor at

N 61° 52’

W 112° 40’

Blanchet Island

the last possible refuge before open water at the end of Wilson Island, so we gave it a try.  What a relief: a secure and calm little nook, the first we’d seen since leaving Seton!  We stayed there all that day, August 7, 2007, and the next, waiting it out peacefully.  

Why “Moose Nose”?

Early on the morning of the 8th we heard loud splashing from shore.  A moose jumping, cavorting at the water’s edge, hopping, leaping, tossing its head wildly from side to side, sending  streams of water into the air... poor thing was fighting a nose bot, Cephenemyia ulrichii, one of those terrible itches you can’t scratch.

Nothing special really, other than good all-around protection and interesting passage in and out.  For Janet and I the main attraction is location, location, location:  Moose Nose happens to lie at the end or the beginning of a long day’s sail and is a good alternative to Waterfall Bay on Blanchet Island if wind and wave call for one.  We’ve returned several times and have always enjoyed it in a glad-to-be-back way.

Shore access?  Nothing to shout about, it’s mostly climb-up-for-the-view on nearby rock outcrops.

Anchoring?  Good, in ± 20‘ in the northwest end, closer to shore than to the middle.  Otherwise deep.

Approaches to Moosenose are easy, good depths with good options:  from the east via the islands and the channels between them (stay mostly in mid-channels); from the west follow the dashed line on the inset, above; from the north and the main channel through the large gap between the islands to the east and north (i.e., go down the yellow brick road from the waypoint bubble on the map and hang a right when the time comes.  How’s that for pinpoint nav instructions?)

Fish?  Naah, forget it, we’ve never trouted here, just jackfish.  Incidentally, jackfish is excellent if boney eating, firm and flavourful.  We catch it as jack and eat it as Great Northern Pike ...

What’s it like?

We left Seton Fiord to the east in the morning and were instantly caught in a terrific 25+ knot easterly, no going back.  Running westward at 7-7.5+ kn through the islands, barely in control and desperately looking for a hiding place,   w   we tried to turn and tack to Waterfall Bay but no go, the seas were too steep and the wind overwhelming.  On the chart it looked like Moose Nose was