At peace in Potts Lagoon

Potts Lagoon is a peaceful anchorage hidden away near a major intersection in the Broughton Archipelago. Major, of course, is a relative word in the Broughtons and means perhaps one boat an hour puttering through during the height of summer in non-Covid times.

And maybe this crossroads, where Clio Channel converges with Beware and Baronet passages and a snarl of islands, is only as busy as it is because crabbing in the waters near the entrance to the lagoon is famously good.

In fact, on our last visit we had only just dropped our anchor when a boat from Anacortes stopped by to offer us crabs. They had their limit and worried some of their catch might go to waste. We happily accepted their generous offer and put off setting our own traps until the next day.

Potts Lagoon, named for Murray Potts who originally homesteaded here in the early 1900s, refers to several bays carved into West Cracroft Island. Few cruising boats will enter the actual “lagoon” which is a long, shallow bay that dries in places, but it is easily explored by dinghy or kayak.

The entrance channel turns to rapids at low tide, up to five knots at springs, and the width of your transit window close to low water depends on your means of propulsion. Know the state of tide if planning to explore deep into the southern lagoon.

The main anchorage is populated by a community of float homes, at least one available as a holiday rental.

The anchorage offers excellent shelter from most winds, though we have been buffeted while a full-blown northwesterly gale howled in Johnstone Strait on the other side of West Cracroft Island. However, holding is good and there is swing room for half a dozen vessels on adequate scope.

While the south bay is more popular, the northern bay also offers good anchorage. It is open to certain westerlies, but is a mill pond in most other winds or settled conditions, and you will often have the bay to yourself, even in non-Covid times.

We had our best crabbing luck in the channel outside the lagoon, in the reefy waters around Klaoitsis Island. Most traps, including commercial ones, seemed to focus on the east end of the island, but we set a trap near the islets northwest of the island group and were pleased with the result.

Approaching Potts Lagoon from the east, an eight-nautical-mile jaunt down Clio Channel from the friendly and quaint Lagoon Cove Marina, can turn surprisingly nasty when a brisk westerly collides with eastward current. It can be a raucous ride, and after an hour or two of pounding into oncoming seas, it will be a relief when you arrive at Potts.

If coming from Johnstone Strait via Baronet Passage, remember that the tidal flows can be confusing for those unfamiliar with these waters. Johnstone Strait floods west to east, while Baronet Passage floods east to west. You wouldn’t be the first boater to enter Baronet Passage, expecting uneventful progress, to find your vessel stopped in its tracks.

Stay safe.