What a week. We’ve been exploring ghost towns, soaking in hot springs, and keeping Tangaroa in one piece along the way.
At Swanson Bay, what was meant to be a simple overnight stop turned into one of our most memorable anchorages. Bushwhacking through the forest, we stumbled onto towering concrete ruins and massive steel cauldrons rusting in place. Walking among the moss-covered walls felt like stepping back a hundred years. Our drone revealed twin waterfalls pouring side by side through the forest, a sight we’ll never forget.
Butedale greeted us next with its roaring falls and the remains of one of the last northern BC canneries. We wandered through bunkhouses, machinery sheds, and even found a forgotten bowling setup inside an old building—Blaine bowled a strike on the uneven planks! We hiked to the lake and dam that once powered the community, imagining what it must have been like for the 400+ people who lived here, self-reliant and isolated.
At Bishop Bay Hot Springs, the whales stole the show. We were surrounded by humpbacks breaching, tail-slapping, and floating around us like they owned the bay. One whale breached so many times it sounded like cannon fire echoing off the cliffs. Between whale-watching, soaking in the pools, and sharing meals with our friend Paul from MV Rebecca, it was pure magic.
Of course, Tangaroa reminded us she still needs attention. Blaine welded a cracked generator bracket back to health, then installed slam brackets on our forward lockers. Next up—the aft lockers get their hardware so we don’t have doors flying open underway. These aren’t glamorous fixes, but they’re the ones that make life aboard smoother and safer.
✨ BIG NEWS: our blog is now LIVE at onboardtangaroa.com! You can dive into the full Swanson Bay, Butedale, and Bishop Bay stories with all the details we couldn’t fit here. Even better—our live tracking map is up, so you can follow Tangaroa’s path north in real time.
And don’t forget—we now have five merch collections, including Great Siberian Sushi Run gear. Plus, our membership program gets you extra updates, behind-the-scenes content, and discounts. Both are fantastic ways to support what we do and keep Tangaroa exploring.
This past week had a little bit of everything—wildlife, ghost towns, rough weather, and more boat life surprises than we bargained for.
We started out at Eucott Hot Springs. On the way in, we spotted something that made us both stop and stare: a poor sailboat keeled right over at low tide, lying on her side. Not exactly the greeting you expect when entering an anchorage.
Once we were settled, the sun finally came out—probably our one truly sunny day so far. But being at a hot spring on a sunny day made it almost too hot to sit in, so instead we all jumped off Tangaroa for a family swim. As we dried off on deck, a mama black bear with three cubs wandered the shoreline, giving us a show we won’t soon forget.
After a night at Eucott, we headed to Ocean Falls. Some people call it haunted, others just abandoned, and these days it’s also home to a crypto mining operation. Walking through the empty streets and crumbling buildings felt like stepping into the set of The Last of Us. We spent two full days exploring, and even then didn’t see it all. One fun bit of trivia: in the 50s and 60s, this little town produced seven Olympic swimmers—and one even brought home a medal.
After three nights of laundry and wandering, we left with full batteries, full water tanks, and the weather starting to turn. Rather than spend the night adjusting fenders at the dock, we wanted an anchorage—so we tucked into a little cove on Cunningham Island. It looked good on the chart, but the valley turned into a wind funnel. That first night we got hammered with 40–50 knots, dragged twice, and finally felt secure with 350 feet of chain on the bottom. Not the most restful night, but Tangaroa held in the end.
Now we’re pointing north again, maybe toward Swanson Bay. We’ll see where we end up.
Before I wrap this up, a quick reminder—our clothing line is live, with five full collections including Great Siberian Sushi Run logo gear.
If you’d like to wear a piece of this adventure, it’s a great way to support the channel and keep Tangaroa exploring. You can get your own GSSR gear at www.onboardtangaroa.com and for those of you that are online crew - a discount (depending on your tier) will be added automatically at check out!
Thanks, as always, for being here with us.
We can't do this without you!
Blaine, Janis, Izzie and Maggie
This week has been a mix of adventure, wildlife, and boat tinkering. We started off in Namu, and honestly, it was like stepping into a time capsule. Tools left on benches, papers still scattered on desks, furniture sitting where someone last used it—it’s as if people just walked away one day. It was eerie, fascinating, and impossible not to explore.
From there, we headed into Kwatna Inlet on the hunt for bears. We were lucky—one coastal brown bear made an appearance. Same species as a grizzly, but the name changes depending on where they live and what they eat.
Next came Tallheo Hot Springs, and let me tell you—they earn their reputation. At 69°C (156°F), they’re allegedly the hottest springs in BC. We couldn’t soak long before we were cooked enough.
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When we reached Bella Coola, it was time to try out our Honda Ruckuses, Ruby and Roxy. They handled the grocery run with ease and gave us a fun ride around town. You’ll have to wait for the video to see where else we went. Meanwhile, Blaine was in full tinkering mode. First, he dialed in the autopilot—now it’s steering like a dream. Then it was Roxy’s turn. She was loud and over-modified by some previous owner, but Blaine scavenged scraps onboard, built a baffle, and to my surprise, it worked. She’s finally got her inside voice.
He also added foot pegs for Izzie’s comfort, a rack for Ruby, and is now planning a custom box for Maggie—because she’s made it pretty clear she doesn’t enjoy riding in my jacket.
Right now, we’re sitting in Eucott Hot Springs, slowly making our way toward Prince Rupert. I’ve dropped the crab traps, we’re still on bear watch, and we’re hoping these springs aren’t quite as scorching as Tallheo’s. Yesterday’s Sea Trial video was a big one—we finally started the engines after months of work.
And this Sunday? The Never-Ending Sea Trial literally begins.
Spoiler: it doesn’t end.
Cheers
Blaine, Janis, Izzie and Maggie