Lady Boot Cove to Seabreeze Cove

I slept in till 10:30 this morning. The low fog from last night has lifted but a low ceiling does remain. It is a bit colder and the pressure has risen some, so we’re hoping for clearing weather later.

Foggy morning

Our travels over to Seabreeze Cove only required an hour. It was an interesting route, through small passes and around rocks and small islands. Though not difficult, it was more interesting than some passages.

Seabreeze Cove is an interesting spot. Surrounded by little islands, you get views out from the anchorage, making the small cove seem much larger. There is plenty of room to anchor, but you must give the drying beach to the East respect as it shoals very quickly and far sooner than you might expect. We anchored in 20 feet of water on a plus 9 foot tide.

The holding was good and we settled into another lazy afternoon. Today’s temperature is hovering around 58 degrees F, making it one of the coldest days so far. Adding the overcast skies to the cooler temperatures, the afternoon looks like it will be spent tucked cozily inside Arctic Star.

Peaceful anchorage

We did spot a new bird on our approach to Seabreeze Cove. It was a Pelagic Cormorant, an all black tall bird that, according to the book we have on local birds, smells and “swims like a fish.” Fortunately, we were not close enough to confirm the odiferous traits of this species. The boat is equipped with XM Satellite Radio so I spent some time catching up on the political race as I did some minor boat-keeping chores.

Booker Lagoon to Lady Boot Cove

At the risk of sounding redundant, we awoke to cloudy but dry skies. The new news is that by the time we got ready to go Kayaking, the sun actually broke through. With sunglasses donned, we took to the water to see what we could see at low water.

The views from the Kayak are always the best

After exploring the little cove where we anchored, we headed across the Lagoon to see if the islet where we spotted seals yesterday still had them in residence. Alas, the seals were not there, but the birds we also saw yesterday were all present and accounted for.

Karen takes the lead

Karen looking for more critters

  

Lots of gulls

The aerial aerobatics are always fun to watch  

Mostly gulls inhabited the islets, but we did manage to spot some Sanderlings, small birds that are perfectly camouflaged for the drying rocks they forage upon. In fact, they are almost invisible in most of the photos I took.

Sanderlings line up on the rocks

Now you know why this area is so popular with Kayakers

Kayaks allow us to go places you could never explore otherwise

Karen enjoys the sun while we have it

"Home" again

After returning to the boat, we secured the Kayaks on board and enjoyed some lunch. We have a few hours to wait until we can go back through Booker Lagoon passage, so Karen dove into her books and I worked on my pictures. Of course there was also some napping mixed in for good measure.

About 5:15 we lift anchor and made our way to Booker Passage. Again at high slack water, the passage was uneventful and we quickly rounded the point marked by the stone man navigation aid or “inukshuk”.

As we made our way over to Lady Boot Cove, I spotted some water spouts off in the distance followed by a breaching humpback whale. He put on a show for a minute that included more breaching and many consecutive tail slaps. Then he was gone, and we proceeded on course, buoyed by the first Humpback sighting of the trip.

It was a short trip over to Lady Boot and an easy entrance. With no other boats in the Cove, we set our anchor in the center of the cove and enjoyed a beer while swinging gently to the current.

The fog continued to roll in from Queen Charlotte Strait and by the time we went to bed, we were encased in a cold mist.

Laura Cove to Booker Lagoon

Low clouds greeted us this morning. Not too cold and an occasional mist and light rain. We made the most of the morning by doing nothing. About 11AM we begin to muster for a Kayak around Laura Cove at low tide.  

While not the best Kayaking grounds, we nevertheless made the most of it by exploring the shallows and taking a few pictures. Karen made certain she got one photo of me in the Kayak to quench the cries of “where are the pictures of Bob?!?” that typically accompany our vacation photos. 

Bob poses for a picture  

Our neighbor returned from one of his fishing expeditions and was busying himself on the stern swim step of his Uniflite Cruiser named Rockfish. Karen and I paddled to his boat to investigate. He was busy cleaning a 25lb Ling Cod. An ugly fish for certain that hangs about on rocky ledges. What it lacks in looks it makes up for in taste. We hung around the stern of the boat getting a lesson in fish filleting – then low and behold, we were offered a filet of our own. Lacking any fresh seafood on board, we did not turn down the generous offer. 

What a big Ling Cod! 

Heading back to Arctic Star 

 Our departure to Booker Lagoon was dependent on the proper time to enter the lagoon through Booker Passage. This narrow passageway has currents that run strong and is best traversed at slack water. Therefore, we set the power low and had a leisurely cruise off to Booker Lagoon. As we departed, we radioed the vessel Rubenesque, offering up our just-vacated prime anchorage. 

As we approached close to Cullen Harbour and Booker Lagoon, we started to feel some swells from Queen Charlotte Strait. The Lagoon itself is massive, and a favorite spot to wait before crossing this oft-windy and swelly Strait. We waited for “slack”, and although the guidebooks told us to wait for 30 minutes after slack at Alert Bay, it was clear that we could enter sooner, which we did. The passage is narrow but fairly deep. As we moved into the passage, we saw a large group of porpoises chasing baitfish inside the Lagoon. 

Booker Lagoon is so massive that it took us a while to find a spot to anchor that was cozy enough for our taste. We poked our bow into a couple of coves but they were just too open and ordinary. Finally, we found the perfect spot in a cove on the North side. 

The views don't get any better than this 

Anchor set and beer in hand, I’m off to determine how I’m going to prepare that fresh Ling Cod. 

Greenway Sound to Laura Cove

Low ceilings greeted us again this morning. We are on our leisurely schedule timetable which means we’re not going anywhere till early afternoon. 

I walked the docks and took some photos of the marina. Karen continued to devour all matter of books. Originally we talked about going for a hike up the old logging road on Ick Mountain, but that plan fell victim to the desire to “rest a bit more”. We did a little provisioning in the marina store and spent some time with Tom and Ann. Today was the last day for the marina’s helper, so we talked with her as she waited for the floatplane to take her back home. 

The beautiful docks at Greenway Sound 

The main "highway" at the docks 

We way farewell to Tom and Ann and their summer helper  

Life on the Greenway docks  

As the morning turned to afternoon, the skies cleared and the sun made an appearance. That was our signal to bring in our lines and set the bow toward Laura Cove. 

Not much more than an hour later, we were snug in the little cove, stern tied to Broughton Island. There was one boat in the Cove when we arrived. It was an older cruisernamed Rockfish, made by Uniflite . It was anchored in the center of the cove. This presented no problem, as stern tying is the custom when it is crowded here and we had plenty of room to do so. 

The trick with this stern tie is that it was high tide. It is always preferable to stern tie at low water so you get a good look at the rocks, but that is not always possible. I poked the bow in close, taking note of water depths and comparing them to the amount of water we were going to lose at low tide. This computation gives me a target as to where I want the boat to end up and from that spot, I can calculate where to drop the anchor. 

Since it was not low tide, Karen did not have to do her usual “Mountain Goat” act of scampering up the rocks to find a suitable spot to tie to. Rather, she could reach our intended dead tree trunk from the comfort of the dinghy. 

We carefully watched the rocks as the water receded and later took up some anchor rode to move the boat 20 feet further from the rocks, giving us an extra margin of clearance. The nice thing about Laura Cove is that the rock ledge drops precipitously, giving you a nice line of demarcation between the obstructions and clear water. 

Dinner was followed by Karen reading and Bob working on photographs for the blog. All is well today and we look forward to exploring Laura Cove tomorrow.

Jennis Bay then to Greenway Sound

This morning was typical of the region, cloudy. However, the overcast quickly dissipated and we welcomed first, the sun, and then the blue skies. Also, the forecast predicted more clouds for the afternoon; we all embraced the warming rays and set about enjoying the day.

Karen grabbed a book and found a comfy place in the sun to read. I tagged along with Tom as we went to check his crab pots and shrimp and prawn pots. Gathering these sources of protein is a major pastime in these parts, whether you are a boater or a resident.

Tom is no exception. Every day, sometime twice a day, he checks his pots. Today's harvest was small, a couple of dozen prawns and two rock crabs.

Tom pulls in his first prawn trap

The crab trap, however, was empty. Empty of crab and of bait. Tom suspected that the bait bag was at fault, letting the tempting morsels of prawn heads drift off. So, a new bait bag was secured to the trap and back over the side it went to lure more of the tasty Dungeness crabs for the next day.

There was one casualty of the day. My “go-to” 18-200mm lens was rendered inoperative when I slipped and fell getting off the boat. My plan is to make do with my remaining lenses since getting a replacement out here would be a time consuming and somewhat expensive undertaking.

We loafed around Jennis Bay for the rest of the day, waiting for high slack tide so we could go back through Stuart Narrows. When the time came, we said our good-byes to the Allo family, promising to send them lots of pictures of the joyous time we spent in their company.

On the way toward Stuart Narrows, Karen spotted “spouting” near a small island. We were treated to the rare sighting of two Orcas feeding, a big male and his female companion. We had not seen Orca since 2005, so we were very excited and I got a decent picture of the male as he surfaced to take a closer look at us.

This is why we lug the "monster long telephoto" on these trips

Our destination was Greenway Sound to say hi to Tom and Ann, do a little laundry and take on water. Since Sullivan Bay was on the way and we had never stopped there, we took a very short detour and tied up at their docks to see what it is all about.

Kids will be kids

Sullivan Bay is unique because in addition to having a restaurant, store and fuel docks, they also have a number of floating homes.

Sullivan Bay Marina

These give the place the look of “Manhattan on the water” versus the more modest marinas in the region. I was craving chocolate, so a Snickers bar along with a bottle of wine and some garlic rounded out our purchases at the store.

As we tied up at Greenway Sound, we were greeted with the ever friendly smile of Tom. He and Ann created this marina many years back and built it into a respected and renowned landmark in the Broughtons. They are ready to retire and have had the marina for sale for a couple of years now. But with high fuel prices has come less traffic for every marina this year. Hence, the offers are not flooding in, and Tom and Ann continue to wait for the right offer.

Tom invited us to watch Sarah Palin’s acceptance speech with he and Ann, so Karen and I grabbed a couple of beers and joined them in front of the TV. By the time we got back to the boat, grilled cheese sandwiches were about all we could muster the energy to prepare for dinner. Of course, we followed the gooey sandwiches with a Nanaimo Bar from Greenway Sound’s store.

Muirhead Islands to Jennis Bay

We awoke to clouds and light rain. It had rained on and off all night. I wanted the rain overnight so that all the salt spray we had accumulated on the exterior of Arctic Star would be washed away.  

However, our plan was to Kayak around the islands, so rain was not welcomed once daylight arrived. Not to be deterred, we suited up in our foul weather gear and launched the Kayaks. It was low tide, the time we think ideal to explore in Kayaks as so much is revealed by the receding waters. As we paddled around, we found clams, orange sea stars (star fish to those who have not yet been told they are not fish), crabs and a variety of little bits of life that cling to the rocks.   

Karen kayaking in the rain   

Off in the distance was a small rock island that dries with the low tide. On this now dry rock was a colony of harbour seals. About 50 in all. Karen set a course for the aquatic mammals. They let us get within about 300 yards before abandoning their rocky outcropping and entering the water with a splash. 

Shortly thereafter, we were surrounded by seal heads just visible above the water. They kept their distance at about 100 yards, but they shadowed us as we continued our travels past their temporary home.  

 All in all, we explored for about an hour and a half before the rain and cold drove us back to the warmth of our boat. Once aboard, we stowed the Kayaks and dinghy and retreated inside for a warming shower and lunch.  

Our next stop was Jennis Bay. This marina is only a couple of years old. It was built by Tom and Allyson Allo. Allyson had spent many summers here as a child when her Dad was a logger in the area. It seems she gathered up Tom and their two children and, as she tells it, kidnapped them to this magical place. When they arrived it was a bit of a disaster. But they persevered and rebuilt and added to what they found. Now they and visiting boaters enjoy a beautiful bay with spectacular views and peaceful waters.  

Their son, Orion, aged 10 and daughter, Charlie Marie, 8 are a delight. They are ever full of energy and eager to share their world with guests.  

Charlie Marie....Charming! 

The Marina is famous for Gumbo Night on Tuesday. Although we arrived on Tuesday, this late in the season with only one boat on dock, Gumbo Night was not in the cards. However, we were in for an even better and more special treat. It was Orion’s 10^th birthday, and we were invited to help celebrate.  

Crabs were cooked, prawns were boiled, and Orion sautéed the shrimp using his secret recipe while Tom made spinach artichoke dip. Karen and I brought wine and tried to help as best we could.   

 

 Let the feast begin   

  

 

 We all toast Orion on his 10th birthday   

After our feast, Allyson suggested we all “have a Kayak”. So Karen and I launch our red kayaks and the family split between two double kayaks and off we went to explore the bay.   

Allyson leads the way  

   

Tom captins the #2 kayak 

Bravo, the pirate dog, also launched into the water (against his master’s wishes and commands) and proceeded to swim in trail. Bravo lost his eye to a wolf attack earlier this summer and now sports a permanent wink.  

Bravo takes the wet route 

It suits his personality, which is loving and warm. Bravo’s sidekick is Kitty, the cat. Kitty is a fearless all black male, who just wants to be loved. Of course, Karen was most accommodating to his affections.  

While Kitty stayed behind, we proceeded to a small island (Huckleberry Island) in the bay where Orion and Charlie disembarked to pick berries. Soon the power swimmer Bravo joined them onshore. The adults, in a brief moment of “adult time, continued on to explore the abandoned barge that lay just beneath the surface of the back bay. Allyson even found and retrieved an old kite of Orion’s that had broken its tether and was thought lost forever.  

Allyson finds the long lost, missing kite 

Called back to the island of abandoned children by cries of who knows what is wrong, we retrieved the kids and Bravo, now content to sit with Mom in the Kayak.    

We retrieve the kids from "Huckleberry Island"  

Orion tries to get Karen to tow them back home  

Bravo thanks Mom for coming to get him, no swimming back today!!   

Dad and Orion paddle home   

It was a perfect “Kayak”, no wind, glassy seas and a sun low in the sky.   

Karen enjoys the frolicking fun   

Upon our return, all turned their attention to more food.  

 The requested birthday dessert was homemade blueberry and huckleberry pie, made with fresh picked huckleberries from nearby Huckleberry Island.  See, I can use "huckleberry" three times in the same sentence.  

I can only imagine what the wish was   

 

Charlie makes us smile   

We followed the sweets with a few party games before the yawns won the night and we all bid adieu for a good nights’ sleep.   

 

Arctic Star snug for the night in beautiful Jennis Bay

Davis Bay to Muirhead Islands

What a beautiful morning; blue skies and sunny, relatively warm weather, meaning about 67 degrees F. The low tide in Davis Bay revealed lots of previously unseen rocks and ledges. Luckily, we knew they were there from the charts!

 

Karen enjoying the morning sun

 

Bob had to join in the sun bathing

Karen cleans the anchor rode as she brings it onboard

Our destination for today is a group of islands known as the Muirheads. Its draw is its reputation as a great place to Kayak. As we headed down Drury Inlet, it was absolutely smooth as a mill pond. I spent some time photographing the pattern the boat wake left in the flat surface of the water. This is something we seldom see, as there is almost always a ripple on the water’s surface due to the prevailing winds.

Drury Inlet...smooth as glass

 

 The approach to the Muirheads involves a bit of weaving between rocks and small islands, but the charts are well marked and our arrival at low tide means that many obstructions are in plain sight.

 

 Due to the small size of our chosen anchorage, a stern tie was in order. The first stern tie of a trip is always an event we do not look forward to. It takes a couple of these to get back into the swing of things and this one was no exception.

 

 The stern tie is an art, which involves precise judgment of distance. You want to be as close to shore as possible to keep the amount of line you need to pay out to a minimum, but, at the same time, not so close that you find yourself on the rocks come low tide.

 It took me three times to get the distance just right. The hard part is judging how far out to drop your anchor in anticipation of how much forward the anchor rode will pull you away from shore. We had the added challenge of a cross current. We have faced these before. What typically happens is you get the boat just where you want it, but by the time you try to tie the stern line, the current has swung the boat out of position. We have used the dinghy as a tugboat in the past to reposition the stern of the boat long enough to set the stern line.

This time I decided on a different approach. As I backed the boat to shore, I maneuvered such that we were well up into the current. Then, I dashed down to the stern and threw over a stern anchor. As the current began to swing us back to the position I wanted as a final location, I set the anchor. It worked! The Stern anchor held the boat in postition until we could set the stern line ashore via the dinghy. Once the stern line was secure, I retrieved the stern anchor, it’s mission a complete success.

Later in the day, we took a dinghy ride around to check out the locale. The trusty portable GPS was with us to ensure we missed all the rocks. We took the dingy up to Sutherland Bay, checking out the logging operation, the supply boat “Sir James Douglass” and the Interfor floating barge camp and cookhouse, the Cypress Mist.

 

Dinghy Captain Bob

Sure was a pretty day

We continued on and saw the marked entrance to Actaeton Sound, but decided against it. We checked out some interesting anchorages on the north side before we headed back to Arctic Star to relax. There were tons of seals nearby as night began to fall, barking and grunting so loudly it seemed as if they were fighting well into the evening.

Arctic Star stern tied in the Muirheads

Napier Bay to Davis Bay

I awoke early to a fog filled bay. After a clear night, all the heat had escaped and the cooling brought a thick but short-lived fog.

Foggy morning Napier Bay

The Sun is starting to break through the mist

By 10:30am, the sun had conquered the fog and a beautiful day was revealed in Napier Bay. It did not take long for everyone else in the bay to lift anchor and go their way.

Our plan was to make it a lazy morning since slack tide at Stuart Narrows was at 2:41PM and it was less than an hours cruise from where we sat.

I continued to unpack and organize all “the stuff”. The morning calm was broken up by a handful of harbour seals that had taken refuge on a neighboring log. Apparently breakfast was not yet being served, so they hauled onto the logs and awaited the dinner bell. I took the opportunity to try my longest lens and see if I could take some foggy morning pictures. The critters are certainly camouflaged for their environment. With their dark spotted fur, they look just like wet logs that are spotted with seagull poop.

See if you can pick out the seals for the logs.

Seal haul out

Gulls hung out on the other end of the log

Between the extra time we had and the push of the changing tide we idled most of the way to the narrows. Even so we still had a little time to kill before slack tide, so we pulled into Helen Bay and did a slow once-around. One the shore is a memorial to two tugboat captains who lost their lives at Stuart Narrows. A reminder that these natural funnels can create currents that can best even the most experienced mariner.

Two boats joined us in Helen Bay: another Grand Banks and a Fleming 55 named Couverden. The Fleming was drift fishing and they would get out into the strong current and drift toward the narrows, fishing all the way. When they got close enough, they would power away from the narrows, go up-current, cut their engines and do it all over again. One thing I have learned is that fishermen can find a way to turn any circumstance into a reason to drop a line.

Our transit through Stuart Narrows was uneventful, as planned. It never ceases to amaze how these turbulent parcels of water transform themselves into a millpond for a brief few minutes during slack water.

Stuart Narrows

Karen had made a last minute call and changed our destination from Richmond Bay to Davis Bay. It was a very good call. Lying at the end of a little passage, this small bay is as pretty as they come. Perfect for one boat, you anchor near to the shore and face West in anticipation of a beautiful sunset. It provides reasonable protection, and what you give up in 360 degree protection, you get back in beautiful views back out into Drury Inlet.

Port McNeill to Napier Bay

Today we will cast off on our trip through the Broughton Islands. However, there is still a long list of “must do’s” before we can leave. Provisioning was first on the list. Today was the day we are going to get our fresh meats and other perishables. There are two grocery stores in Port McNeill and we shopped at both in order to try to get the best each had to offer. Once done, supplies were stowed on board Arctic Star and we then greeted the fellow from Comox Valley Kayaks who rented us our Kayaks for the next three weeks. They delivered them to the docks some two hours from their base of operation in Comox. The three of us took the two kayaks in hand and marched down the long docks toward the boat, looking like a train made up of two bright red Kayaks.

Next, we had to return the rental car. That was a 20-kilometer drive to the Budget rental car facility at the Port Hardy airport. Steve Jackman, our harbour master host at Port McNeill, was kind enough to loan us his van as chase vehicle for the rental car return mission.

After returning the car, we went into Port Hardy to the Overwaitea grocery for some even more last minute shopping. What a great store. Pricier than the one in Port McNeill but they have some of the best produce we have seen in all our provisioning on Vancouver Island.

Next we stopped at IV’s at the Quarterdeck for some halibut fish and chips accompanied by sweet potato fries with curry. “Yummy” said Karen.

By the time we returned to Port McNeill, offloaded the last of the provisions and retuned Steve’s van, it was 3:45pm before we left the dock at Port McNeill. The seas were two to four feet in swells. Arctic Star handled them with aplomb.

We were headed to Napier Bay, just a two hour drive across Queen Charlotte Strait from Port McNeill. When we arrived, there were 5 other boats at anchor. We picked our spot and set anchor.

Port McNeill

We were up and at ‘em Friday morning, making sure to hit the breakfast buffet at the Black Bear Lodge before starting our crazy day. It was good, especially Karen’s waffle. I think I’ll have one of those tomorrow. We decided to head for the docks and find Arctic Star and Steve Jackman, our “host” at the docks who was responsible for cleaning and doing some quick boat maintenance. We found both right away. Steve is a great guy who runs multiple businesses in Port McNeill, and he had lots of information to share.

Because he had things well in hand and we couldn’t get aboard till later, we decided to spend our day in Alert Bay. It's the location of an Indian reservation with the renowned U’mista Cultural Center that showcases many Indian artifacts.

The ferry ride was an easy one – it took about 45 minutes from Port McNeill to Alert Bay.

The ferry to Alert Bay

This forty year old ferry looked almost new

The ferry carries about 30 cars or so, this one wasn’t quite full. When we disembarked, we headed right to the Visitors Information Center to get the lay of the land. After a quick lunch, we headed out to see some old totem poles and then to the U’mista Cultural Center.

Karen awaits lunch at Alert Bay

The Center was amazing. Built in the 80’s to house a just-returned collection of Potlatch items (especially masks), the Center is a source of great pride to the tribe. There was a great introductory video that explained history behind the Center and the impetus for the Canadian Government to return the “stolen” collection of items to the Indians.

Just part of the amazing collection of masks

A visit to the Big House is not to be missed

Karen shows the inspiration for the art on the canoe

Bob's new friend

After that, we drove up to the Ecological Reserve to walk through the rainforest a bit before heading back to Port McNeill. If we had it to do again, we’d arrange it so we had more time…but we had to return to get the keys to Arctic Star and start provisioning. After a long day, we had a quick bite at the Harbour Lights restaurant, which was really good, before doing a load of laundry and turning in for the evening.

Nanaimo to Port McNeill

We’re off. First we begin the process of provisioning for the three-week trip. Our goal is to get as much as possible in the more heavily populated area surrounding Nanaimo in order to maximize selection and minimize costs. Beer, wine, soda, paper towels, spices, and other staples that do not require refrigeration or freezing are on the list for today. After visiting a couple of stores for alcohol and a great grocery store with a great Asian specialty section, we pointed the rental car north on Route 19A. About an hour North, we diverted West on Route 4A to visited the Country Store, better known as the place with the “Goats on the Roof”. (The roof is steeply pitched with grass on it and lots of goats.)

This place is a strange mixture of gourmet food, homemade breads and baked goods and a restaurant. Lunch was first on the agenda, followed by trying to find unique food items we could find nowhere else, and a few perishables that would fit in the small refrigerator we’ll have in our hotel room in Port McNeill. After leaving The Country Store, it’s a long drive through logging country on North Vancouver Island. Karen worked on a presentation that had to be completed before we hopped on the boat.

On schedule, we pulled into Port McNeill and checked in to Black Bear Lodge. This is our second stay here and we can highly recommend it if you find yourself in Port McNeill.

Philadelphia to Nanaimo

Today is a travel day. We awoke at 3:15AM in order to catch a 6:30 flight from Philadelphia to Toronto. There we cleared customs, and waited for our next Air Canada flight to Vancouver. Our third and last flight is from Vancouver to Nanaimo. Karen waits for our ride to Nanaimo at the Vancouver airport

Our ride to Nananaimo

Fortunately, the weather and airline equipment cooperated and everything ran on time.

By 1:30PM Pacific Daylight Savings Time, we gathered our 200 pounds of gear and piled into a Budget rental car. Our plan is to spend the night in Nanaimo, reset our body clocks and then start out tomorrow on our four-hour drive to Port McNeill.

Dinner was at our favorite spot, Penny’s Palapas. This floating restaurant is located in the Nanaimo harbour. It serves the freshest food and the halibut tacos are not to be missed.

Bob at Penny's

We discovered a great bookstore a few steps from our hotel. They specialize in Canadian and especially British Columbia local and nautical books and charts.

Sidney Harbour

Day two of our exile in mechanical trouble land. Although I awoke early in anticipation of the mechanics being at the boat early, answer in hand, it did not transpire according to my optimistic timetable. I held my ground until 10AM when I called Frank, the boss, to see what the plan was. They were in the process of constructing some special hoses to allow them to try a couple of bypass workarounds. Also, they had sent the computer print outs to those who can decipher them. They hoped that the mechanics would be down later in the morning once the hoses were complete. Since they encouraged us to entertain ourselves by enjoying Sidney, (not an encouraging sign from our perspective) we acquiesced given that we were sick of looking at the inside of Arctic Star. Sidney is a town of ten bookstores, all within a few blocks of the docks. So off to browse the bookshelves we went. Sidney is indeed a great town of bookstores with anything you can imagine available within a ten minute walk. After buying some new reading material we stopped at Fish on 5th for lunch.

Turns out that this little, unimposing restaurant, knows its fish. I had halibut and chips (yam fries instead of white potatoes) and Karen enjoyed a fish taco. We both left satisfied.

Fish on the 5th...Yummy

As we walked back to the boat, we ran into Nigel pushing his wheelbarrow full of tools, diesel fuel soaked rags and the offending part. Today’s trouble shooting was fruitful and the offending part was a stuck check valve in the primer pump. Nigel was heading back to the shop to see if he had a replacement part. It was about 1PM now so we strolled back to Arctic Star via a circuitous route up and down the finger piers checking out the myriad of boats docked in Sidney harbor. Big, small, old, new and everything in between was laid out for our perusal. We often talk about the size of the tides in this part of the world. In Sidney harbour the impact of the wide tidal range is driven home at the back of the harbour. The tidal mud flats cover and uncover with dramatic effect.

High Tide

Low Tide

Around 2:30 Nigel returned with a brand new primer pump in hand. About a half hour later Nigel had the engine running and happy.

It was too late to cast off, especially given our destination and the forecast winds. So a celebration dinner was the plan, and we walked a few blocks to the Thai restaurant. Nothing fancy, but very popular and some say the best restaurant in Sidney. We enjoyed our dinner, followed by some ice cream aboard Arctic Star and early to bed. Tomorrow, we bid fond farewell to Sidney and return to our vacation.

Sidney Harbour Marina

Well, what can I say? Today we’re in Sidney to have the mechanics try to get the port engine back up and running. Nigel, from Vector Marine Services, came on board this morning to work his magic. He methodically worked though all the fuel related trouble shooting procedures: Changed fuel filters, changed fuel sources, blew out all the fuel lines. All efforts were to no avail.

Nigel in the engine room tending to the reluctant engine

Mid-afternoon Nigel went back to the shop to fetch “the computer”. These engines have a moderate degree of computer control. Not as much as the current crop of engines, but they do have the ability to have a computer attached to them to run diagnostics.

Nigel returned with the computer and “the Boss”, Frank. They hooked up the cables and the laptop and began a series of tests. At the end of the day they left with the computer and a promise to come back in the morning after they had analyzed the information they gathered.

Frank "listening" to the engine with the laptop

Having spent all day on the boat with the mechanics, we decided to get out for dinner and found a Greek restaurant, Pier One, just up the street. Not bad. We watched Chris Matthews’ tribute to Tim Russert and went to bed, fingers crossed that tomorrow will see the port engine running again.

Princess Bay to Sidney Harbour

This is a day without a schedule until we have to leave for Sidney Harbour to meet up with the engine mechanic tomorrow morning.

Princess Bay panorama

Our big event for the day was to walk around the island. Of course, we did not determine in advance just how long a journey it might be.

Karen waiting for Bob to start our hike

So off we went. The trail was very nice; well worn and recently cut back. We walked about one third of the way around the island until we came to the “Kayakers beach”. This is an idyllic location for Kayakers to overnight and set up a base camp. There were at least three tents pitched but no sign of any Kayakers

After a brief rest we continued on, but could not find the continuation of the trail. We walked up and down a few promising looking paths, but none gave us the confidence to continue on.

We found our way back to the picnic benches on “Kayakers beach” and enjoyed three cookies each.

Cookie break

After our snack, we retraced our steps and made our way back to the boat. We unstuck the anchor to make our five mile passage to Sidney Harbour.

Arctic Star at Anchor in Princess Bay

The marina staff was very nice to fill our request for an end T-dock that would be easier for us to approach given our reduced maneuverability.

The areas adjacent the Harbour itself have undergone a fair amount of building and is much nicer than we remember it, some five years hence.

We walked the docks to do some boat snooping and finished up with a beer at the new Georgia hotel near the docks.

Ganges Harbour to Princess Bay, Portland Island

The first mission of the day was to go to the famous “Saturday Market” in Ganges. In fact, this was the only “hard date” we had in our itinerary because we had never been able to time a visit to this famous event.  

  

 A very small part of the Saturday Market at Ganges

The city’s park is overtaken with vendors selling their art, crafts, food and most anything else. Karen was able to find some very unique earrings and we a great “walking breakfast” as we worked our way along the rows of tents. We started out in a group with Anne, Doug, Bart and Jan, but we all dispersed to look at various items of interest. There was an amazing array of fresh cheeses, breads, rolls and organic produce. Too bad we didn’t really need anything!

 

Ganges Harbour panorama

Bart and Jan's dog, Bear, says goodbye

Back at the docks we took on some water and shoved off for Princess Bay. I know this name may seem familiar to readers of this blog, but Princess Bay is a very popular name with this version being found on Portland Island.

En route to Princess Bay

Our typical view as we travel to the Gulf Islands

As we were about three quarters of the way to our destination, the port engine lost RPM’s and eventually shut down. I went into the engine room and finding nothing obviously wrong, I called Northwest Explorations for advice. We, along with added advice from their engine expert, ran through a series of trouble shooting procedures. However, success was not to be had. Therefore, our plan is to arrive at Sidney Sunday night and have the Caterpillar dealer look at the problem first thing Monday.

So, on we went on one engine to Princess Bay. A small but very popular spot, we tucked in along with about another ten boats. We may spend most of the day here tomorrow, exploring the water at low tide in our kayaks and enjoying some of the hiking trails on the island. It’s a nice place, though very shallow at the head, and apparently quite popular with the Sidney crowd, being a scant five miles away.

Karen sat at the bow on a deck chair for hours, snooping with her binoculars, scoring anchoring attempts, and following eagles as they swooped and soared. It was a lovely and clear afternoon, and we took advantage of it!

Karen cannot resist a good snoop

Princess Bay to Ganges Harbour via Montague Harbour

As we were getting ready to pull anchor, the Canadian goose family from last night made another appearance to see what the breakfast offering was from Arctic Star. This time we told them they had better start teaching the young ones what life should really be like when it comes to foraging for food.

The little guy in the foreground always seened to be marching to his own tune

Dad was always on the lookout!

On our way to Ganges, we took a small detour to visit Montague Harbour, a large and very popular anchorage. Because of its popularity, it's not a place we ever visit for more than a hour or so. But since it was on the way, we decided to stop and see if anything was new. Overall, it appears to have not changed at all.

The docks at Montague Harbour

It’s a short journey to Ganges. As we rounded the next to last turn, we decided to follow the ferry into Long Harbour, the harbor right next to Ganges, just to check it out. As the name suggests, it’s long and pleasantly wide. There are many beautiful homes with long piers ending in deep water docks. A couple of the yacht clubs have out stations in Long Harbour so it turned out to be a happening place.

Our diversion complete, we made our way to Ganges Harbour. Our stop here was planned so we could accomplish many things. First a visit to the Saturday Market; second, we needed to provision; and third, we hoped to meet up with Anne and Doug, friends we made a few years before at Dent Island.

Doug and Anne were scheduled to be traveling on the outside of Vancouver Island. However, the weather has been relentless with high winds and large seas. So they had to abandon those plans and make their way back to Ganges Harbour. It was great to look up after we had docked Arctic Star to see Anne and Doug’s boat docked a few slips over.

We enjoyed a delicious dinner on board their boat along with Bart and Jan who were traveling in their own boat along with Dong and Anne. Bart grilled some killer salmon and Anne was a consummate hostess as always. We had a great time, a late night and consumed far too much wine, but we had a wonderful time with our old friends and enjoyed the company of our new ones.

Telegraph Harbour to Vesuvius Bay then to Princess Bay

We awoke to a sunny start to the day in Telegraph Harbour. As we have internet access, the first order of business is to check email, the stock market and some blogs I follow. Not much going on so we prepare to cast off from this always welcoming spot. 

 

View from the head of the ramp tp the Telegraph Harbour Marina 

Our destination is Vesuvius Bay. A locale we have never visited. It’s on Salt Spring Island, across the channel from Crofton on Vancouver Island. Karen calls Crofton  “the blight” because of the rather large paper mill that spews forth lots of industrial “smoke” into the otherwise pristine views. Vesuvius has ferry service every hour, so it’s a popular destination for the non-mariner wanting to visit Salt Spring Island. 

 

The welcome sign at Vesuvius Bay 

Beyond the fact that we have never been there, we wanted to check out the Village Store, but most importantly the Seaside Restaurant for their famous Halibut and Chips. Their reputation is well deserved. We enjoyed some of the best Fish & Chips ever while overlooking a small bay. 

 

Arctic Star dock on the outside of the Vesuvius Bay dock 

Along the way we visited the shop of Mark and Jacqueline Meredith. He is a retired PR/Ad guy who now creates pottery. And she is a very talented watercolor artist. She is one of the best artists we have found that truly captures the look and feel of this area. We spent a lot of time “talking shop” with Mark and our plan is to meet up with him again on Saturday at the Ganges market so we can meet his wife. 

 

Karen talks to Mark 

The wind picked up but the sunshine remained as we crossed the short distance to Princess Bay on Wallace Island. We visited this popular spot in 2005. When we arrived, we thought ourselves lucky, as there was no one else in the Bay. By the time we launched the dinghy and traversed to the park dock, a couple of powerboats arrived and proceeded to stern tie and raft up. Their dance of the stern tie was nothing if not entertaining. We watched for 25 minutes as they fought the wind and current to make fast their boats. It was a good lesson in learning to work with the wind and current rather than fighting it. Mother Nature always wins out, so it’s best to enlist her aid whenever possible. (Karen’s Note: These guys were hysterical. Dropping anchor while at full speed, dropping anchor on one side of the bay, trying to stern tie, running out of anchor rode while backing up – quite amusing.) 

Our destination on the land was to visit one of the Conover houses where people leave plaques commemorating their visit. We had done so in 2005 and wanted to see if we could find our plaque. Alas, we could not, although that was not unexpected. There is a steady exchange of old and new driftwood plaques every year. 

 

The cabin with all the signs 

 

The inside of the "sign cabin" 

So after a few more pictures of Conover Cove, Wallace Island and the like, we headed back to Princess Bay. Even more boats had arrived. This is a very popular spot and apparently in summer it’s rammed, jammed and packed.  

Due to our early arrival, we nestled at the head of the bay away from the crowd so we’re anticipating a quiet night. 

 

Sunset in Princess Bay 

While I was taking some sunset photos, two Canadian Geese and their four goslings came up and started asking for food. Even though we knew better, we figured the imprinting was already done, so we indulged them in a small snack. 

While the little ones and Mom had their treat, Dad watched over them and chased off the sea gulls that were looking to join in the evening festivities. Needless to say, they were turned away, at every attempt, by the watchful patriarch. 

 

Those pesky Seagulls at sunset 

Glenthorne Passage To Telegraph Harbour

Glenthorne was a millpond for all of the evening and the morning. The calm always makes for a good night’s sleep. Our neighbor hoisted sail a little before our departure. A single-handed sailor, he lifted the main, pulled the anchor and hoisted the jib. And he sat. The wind was calm and after about five minutes, he surrendered to the obvious and turned on his engine.

Our Neighbor Gets Under Way

He made his way out through the little cut and having picked up a few knots of breeze from Swanson Channel, he turned off his engine and returned to the life of a true sailor.

We, on the other hand, fired up both engines, the generator, our vast array of electronic navigation, radar and communications equipment and made our way out the long cut that is Glenthorne Passage. Having started life on the water as sailors, this mode of nautical travel, sitting in shirt sleeves in a heated cabin, coffee in one hand and the auto pilot making good the course, dims the fond memories of sailing while cold, wet and wondering when, if at all, the wind would pick up.

Karen Sits on the Foredeck as we leave Glenthorne Passage

The trip over to Telegraph Harbour was uneventful. This was one of the places we visited when we first came to British Columbia in 2004. It’s still owned by the same couple, very nice and friendly Canadians.

Karen at the gateway to the Telegraph Harbour Marina

After a walk to Marilyn’s Kutsina, Howling Wolf Farm Market, and the Golden Pot coffee roaster we launched the dinghy for a trip through “the Cut”. The Cut is a dredged ditch that bisects the island and terminates in Clam Bay. It’s just for very small boats with minimal draft. Not much to see, but something we always wanted to say we had done.

After our return passage through the Cut, we visited the local Thetis Marina Pub for an Okanagan Pale Ale on draft.

The regulars at the Thetis Marina Pub solve the World's problems

Very delightful. Those who live in the Northwest know good beer.

Karen wants me to finish my beer and get going

One of the local residents at the docks

One of our dock neighbors goes aloft to do some work

This is another reason we left the world of sailing.

Our next task is to do some laundry, followed by refilling the water tanks, making dinner and planning what we’re going to do tomorrow. Rough life, eh?

Winter Cove to Glenthorne Passage via Breezy Beach, Saturna Island

It was a calm night, most welcomed after the big, but brief, blow of yesterday evening. The two large phalanxes of Canadian Geese were swimming in formation around Winter Cove. It seemed nothing more than a practice drill in learning to follow the leader and fly in a “V” formation. I never did see them take to the air.

The Canadian Geese patrol Winter Cove

Bob's self portrait in the "barbie"

Karen was cocooned in her blanket and reading on the settee, so it was almost 1PM before we hoisted anchor and bid Winter Cove adieu.

Karen lifts part of Winter Cove with the anchor

The entrance is guarded by the Minx Reefs. The entrance is well marked and charted, nevertheless a wooden sailing vessel managed to find the reef one night. Unable to make a salvage, the hull remains as a reminder to all mariners. To read more about the event, follow this link.

http://beautifulbritishcolumbia.blogspot.com/2007/07/ppp.html

The wreck on Minx Reef

Karen has always wanted to visit Saturna Island. I had just read in one of the local nautical magazines about the Saturna Island Winery and the fact that they have a dock at Breezy Bay that visitors can use. To add to the attraction, they have a bistro at the winery. Decision made. Let’s go find that dock.

The dock was a nice one, shared with the neighbors who own lots along the water. There was no one there – so plenty of room for Arctic Star.

Arctic Star on the dock at Saturna

It’s almost a mile walk from the dock to the winery. The vines were almost yellow in their new growth. The setting was idyllic with vines in the foreground and Plumper Sound stretching out in the distance. It’s a young winery, with the first planting starting in 2000.

The view to the sound across the vines

The vines of Saturna

As luck would have it, the chef was new this year. And he was a gem, serving up some of the best offerings we’ve ever had in the Gulf Islands. Karen enjoyed a pulled Andulsian pork sandwich and I devoured a Shepherd’s Pie made with lamb. Neither of those descriptions, do the food justice. As I said, it ranks among the best.

The bistro and gift shop

From Breezy Bay we traveled to Glenthorne Passage, one of the anchorages we visited when we first came to this area in 2005. In fact we dropped anchor about 250 yards from where we had done so three years ago. While we love new places and seek them out with a passion, it is also nice to snuggle into familiar waters where the bottom and the effect of the winds and tides are predictable with confidence. There were only two other boats there – a real surprise.