After a few quiet nights in Boughey Bay waiting out the welcome, wildfire-dampening rain, it was time for a change of scenery. My goal was Cutter Inlet, which includes the cove at the far end. This requires timing a trip through Chatham Channel around slack tide. I motored out a bit early and slowly, as the distance wasn't far, and took a lap around Matilpi Island to see what it was like. It's in Waggoner's as a possible anchorage. I figure it would work for Kinetics, but it would leave no room for anyone else, as the only spot with decent anchor depths is fairly tight.
Matilpi Island anchorage
The run through Chatham Channel was easy and uneventful. I wanted to take my time but ended up at full speed to keep from forcing a smaller sailboat trailing me from having to pass in the narrow channel. I guess they had somewhere to be. Eventually the other 3 boats that made the run through the channel headed off towards Lagoon Cove via the Blow Hole. At first I thought they were headed to the free docks on Minstrel Island but they all passed them by. I continued a bit and turned to starboard into Cutter Inlet to the East. At over a mile long with a steep cliff to the North it's a nice place. I had the entire mile long Inlet to myself and anchored close to shore under the steep cliffs.
Cutter Inlet looking West
Cutter Inlet cliff
Cutter Inlet looking back into the Cove
In settled weather I think this is a nice anchorage and probably never crowded given the comments in the cruising guide. There is one mooring buoy in the middle of the Inlet but I have no idea who it belongs to and it is not in the location shown on Navionics.