We are now docked at the
Fisherman’s Resort and Marina in Pender Harbour.
We have been here before and love it. Last time we were here, we connected with
friends of Jessica’s, Kusum and Tom, who own and operate the Sundowner Inn. The
building used to be the old hospital. We got a tour last time and they have
created a very inviting and lovely get-a-way. Hopefully, we will get to see
them again this trip. We try to stick to a minimum of two nights at a
destination. It will be a welcomed relief to have some down time after the long
cruise we had (and early morning!). I
might even catch up with my blog.
Whiskey Gulf was actively
testing explosives starting at 7 a.m. this morning, so David figured a way to
skirt along the no-boating zone up around the west end of Lasquiti and Texada
Islands. We saw one pleasure boat in the restricted area and he was courteously
warned by the Winchelsea Island Look-out Station and asked to vacate the area
(thankfully, he was not used for target practice!)
It was a five hour trek
across to Pender Harbour where we were met by Steve at
the marina and given a helping hand with docking. Phew!
We had a windy night in Nanaimo but this morning
the waters were calm. David brought a cup of coffee to me around 6:00 a.m. and
said, “You know, the earlier we leave, the smoother the waters.” We hauled out of there at 7:00.
Our temporary home at Fisherman's Marina
In Nanaimo, a boat similar to ours cruised by
and the owner yelled out, “How old is she?”
David yelled back that our boat was built in 1946. She responded, “Ours
is 1945…we beat you by a year!” We
wooden boat people are competitive.
I am enjoying a cocktail as I
write…a dark and stormy, to be exact. It’s good to have a bartender aboard.
Early evening we walked to
the Green Bay Pub to hear a blues singer. He was wonderfully entertaining. We
plan to head up again tonight to enjoy his music. I had almost 11 hours of sleep last
night! I even slept through the noise of
the bow thrusters on the yacht docked behind us early this morning. Wait until
our neighbors hear our engine start up tomorrow morning!
Path to the Green Bay Pub
Docking is so different from
anchoring. We have very close neighbors and we aren’t used to hearing whole
conversations from nearby boats. We are docked next to a very nice man who owns
a home on Dodds Narrows. He is quite entertained
watching boats navigate through that pass especially when there is a tug and
barge going through and other boats are in panic mode.
The sun rises around 5:30 and
it is still light at 10:00. We’re in bed
usually around 9:00…not quite the party animals. Last night, we could hear the conversation of
our neighbors outside our opened stateroom windows...felt like we were guests
at the party. We tend to leave our stateroom windows open
as well as our stern door at night to let in the cool air. We might rethink the
door, however, since we had an unexpected visitor last night.
Around midnight, David woke
up hearing the sound of an animal leaving our stateroom. He jumped up and
closed the door and then went to investigate. He found one of our plastic food
containers which we store under the stove abandoned in the middle of the galley
floor. He could hear a crinkling sound outside so he figured that what he
discovered to be a raccoon, had indeed found something to eat. That morning we
realized it was an energy bar stored in an open box under the sink in our
stateroom. The raccoon had been right beside our bed…lucky for me, it was
David’s side!
The potted plants all along the docks are a nice touch.
David discovered that the
seagulls that followed us out of Nanaimo
looking for food, were indeed angry. They left a major poop mess on our boat
deck! A wash down is in order.
Early morning relaxation with our mascot basil plant
Fun boat name: Exit Plan
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!
I stand corrected…the sun
starts to peek out around 4:00 in the morning not 5:00. I know this because we
were up at that ungodly hour in order to depart Hospital Bay
and head north. We have a long voyage today so in spite of my sleepy protests,
it makes sense to get an early start. Holding on to my third cup of coffee, I
just wished I was more of a morning person.
We are cruising down Malaspina Strait
at 7:30 a.m. with Texada
Island on our port side.
We are farther north than we have ever ventured. On to new adventures!
Yesterday we rejuvenated
ourselves… no major chores. I am on my third book and David just started his
fifth one. It seems that the only time I
have to read now is when we are boating. Filled our water tank, disposed of our
garbage and got caught up on my blog while docked. We did return to the Green
Bay Pub to enjoy the music last night. The local Slo-Cat operator (tours and
taxi boat) got up and sang a couple of tunes. One of the chefs even accompanied
the guitarist/singer with his flute. Is everyone in Pender Harbour
musical? They do hold a Blues Festival and Jazz Festival each year. Would be
fun to attend.
On our way to the pub we
stopped in at the Sundowner Inn hoping to see Kusum and Tom. Unfortunately,
they were not in so just left a card with some guests to give to them.
Disappointing. They are such nice people. Their reviews on Yelp attest to their
great hospitality at the Inn.
On the recommendation of our
dock neighbors, we dropped a couple of crab pots last night and came up with
one colossal crab! We’ll have yummy
appies tonight!
We had hoped to cruise up through
the Princess Louisa
Inlet to Chatterbox
Falls while in the Pender Harbour
area, but you have to pass through Malibu Rapids to get there. We are such a slow moving vessel that timing
the slack tide for us to be able to cross the Rapids within our “comfort zone”
wasn’t going to happen. Perhaps on our way south we can try again.
Our goal today is to reach
the entrance to Desolation Sound and anchor at Galley Bay. We decided not to stop at Powell River
or Lund on our
way mainly because we did not want to deal with populated vacation destinations
with little or no anchorage. More research needs to be done on these areas…we
know that friends have really enjoyed their time in both spots so we’re sure
they are worth exploring…maybe we’ll venture in on our way back after quizzing
our friends about them.
We plan to attend a Pig Roast
at Echo Bay in The Broughtons on July 17th
so have lots of time to mosey through the inlets of the Sound which promise to
be breathtakingly beautiful. We hope to
connect with friends from the Fraser
River, Dennis and Pam,
before enjoying the pig roast together. Other than that, no plans at all…just
taking it day by day.
About 7 hours later, we
arrived at Galley Bay on the Gifford
Peninsula part of the Desolation Sound Marine
Park and Predeaux Haven. We
have a small cove all to ourselves, an excellent spot to practice our kayaking
skills.
Not sure what Captain Vancouver was thinking
when he named this area “Desolation”…there’s no despair or misery about this
place…absolutely serene and gorgeous…maybe he was just having a bad day.
I let David win at
Cribbage…after all, it is Father’s Day!
PAT'S GALLERY
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