South from Prince Rupert--Klewnuggit, Butedale and Shearwater

We left Cow Bay Marina on Saturday and returned to Klewnuggit, the same anchorage we enjoyed on the way north.  Our next stop was Butedale which deserves quite a bit of press.   People either love it or hate it (the latter group often refers to it as buttdale).  We're in the former group and are so glad to have seen  and experienced it now, in its run down condition, before a major redevelopment transforms it into something extraordinary.       

Butedale is a ghost town that was founded on Princess  Royal Island in 1918 as a fishing, mining and logging camp. The salmon cannery was the mainstay and it ceased   operations in the 1950s,   The property has fallen into  decay ever since.  The good news for boaters is that the property was purchased by a new owner in 2013 and there   is a redevelopment plan in place.  Permitting has recently  been finalized and demolation of what's left of Butedale (seen in the photos below) could start as early as this year.  In the interim, the old linear dock was reinforced and a new ramp was added to make Butedale an overnight option for boaters heading up or down the inside passage via the Fraser and Graham Reaches.   A full time care taker, Corey Lindsay, lives on the property with his dog, Buddy, and cat, Tiger.  Both Buddy and Tiger come down to the dock to greet newly arriving boaters.   Corey receives supplies once every week or so from the new owners via boat, the only way to get to the remote location.    Butedale is a popular point of interest for cruise ship and ferry passengers sailing the Inside Passage of British Columbia.   We enjoyed our time there and are glad to have seen it as a ghost town before its transformation in the years ahead. 

 This beautiful waterfall is seen on approach to the Butedale dock which is just ahead.  

 

Corey, the caretaker, lives in this little cabin 

This flue brings water from the lake above Butedale and powers the alternator that enables Corey to have power.  

A BC Ferry heads north up the Fraser Reach as we watch from the dock.   

Main Attractio and Bowhaus are tied up,to the Butedale dock.

View from the dock looking up to the ruins 

From Butedale we came to a Shearwater Marina, planned to stay 2 nights and that turned into 4 because the winds and seas south of us have been to high to cross Cape Caution.  Today is Friday and we hope to head out in a couple of hours.