[quote=Edchris177]I think it is doable, & no you are not nuts. My sister used an ocean kayak & spent nearly two months going around the Queen Charlotte's some years ago. I used to sail on a Rafiki 38 with a friend through the Gulf Islands & have done a few float plane trips up to Hakai & Rivers Inlet moving salmon fisherman. B.C. as you know has a wonderful system of marine parks for over nighters.
You seem to have the cold water figured out, & you already know how to sail. If you are spartan enough to camp from a bike or sea kayak, you can carry that amount of gear on a 20-21 Cat. Short of putting large hatches (much bigger than the little ports made for Cats, more like the hatches on seaplane floats)I don't know of anything else but dry bags on the tramp for gear. I have a 19' Nacra, & though I have not overnighted, we have done day trips carrying a lot of crap, including lawn chairs! ( My wife does not like going Native) Having a clean uncluttered tramp was a bonus.
Beaching on an exposed shore could be problematic, but you're not on the rough shores like Bamfield or Ucluelet. The rocky steep shores would be really tough, you would need to plan for the small beaches that frequent that area. A Cat can be easily slid if some driftwood is laid out.
I have not done any sailing North of Desolation Sound, I know the chuck narrows way down north of there. I don't know if the winds would be pretty fluky through there from Port Hardy to Campbell River.
I have never used one, but some sailors have a little mount (Cheta) that hold a 2 h.p. kicker. That might be a really good thing for when you need/want to move somewhere & the wind isn't working. You are obviously aware of the tidal range out there, & the speeds that some of them rip through the narrows. I remember once coming through Active Pass & jockeying for space with BC Ferries. ( We were close enough to notice that the ferry had removed all the safeties from the anchors, & had a man with a sledge hammer standing beside the wedge, ready to let it go. That was back in the '80s after they ran over some fool fishing right in the channel at max tide!)
You also are familiar with the wide range of winds. We once had the big rags up on a fairly calm day, when the outflow winds (katabatic) came suddenly pouring out of Howe Sound, resulting in rough seas & the toe rail in the water.
Personally I would define the mission. If I wanted to spend 10 days, & travel south to Salt Spring , Friday Harbour or Washington return, I would go with one of the Tri's that give you a little more comfort, & a way to motor in case you ended up with 5 days of calm. Of course if you are willing to bike or live out of a kayak for several weeks, why not a Cat? There are a few people on here who load up & sail to an Island, then camp & do day sails from that base. The Inside Passage should be doable, & I've seen crab pots that fold flat!
I'll look for the link, I know there is a group of Cat sailors out there who do some skookum trips. I think they did 1000 miles around the Island one year. I believe they utilize a chase boat for hauling gear. There are a bunch of Cats off Jericho Beach in Van. You could spend a few days there & see if you could sail on some of the 21s.
I say go for it, take some photos & post 'em here. Think of the fresh salmon & crab dinners you could enjoy, while camped on a beach with no one else around. You have the required skills & some modern technology helps with the weather intel.<!-- editby --><em>Edited by Edchris177 on Oct 25, 2011 - 07:12 AM.</em><!-- end editby --> [/quote]
