Good point James. We'd have to look into these things. Bri and I have a friend that spent a few years on the south Charlottes (Bri's coworker). She'd have potential contacts. We (not too long ago) listened to her talking about an area that has hot springs very close to the ocean's edge.
We definitely wouldn't go hungry
I've heard that the ferry is totally dependent on weather, and is therefore hit and miss. Sounds like people have had to wait for extended periods before crossing (ie couple of days).