Last Days

                          This is our Anchor Alarm/Plotter tracking the movement of our anchor chain.

We had a very restless night near the Cordero Islands. Our original anchor spot was not available so we had to seek out another. During the early hours of the morning, we could hear a thumping and groaning. David figured it was our chain that was being dragged on the rocky bottom. He stayed in the wheelhouse watching our radar screen closely. We left in the morning a lot earlier than we had planned.

                                                           Morning Person

                                                                  NOT!

                                                                     Morning Skies

We were anxious to get to Anita and Bruce's dock so that we could tie up to the Westberg. They were definitely a sight for sore eyes. They invited us to join them for a "block party" with most of the property owners on Boulder Point. It was a fun evening of meeting new people and hearing their stories. Four of the owners were from Alberta, another couple was from Oregon and a third was from South Africa. They also have neighbors who live in France. All felt they had found paradise.

The next day while David helped Bruce with a few projects, Anita, her friend, Sarah, and I went for a hike around the point visiting many of her neighbors. We walked about two hours through groves of Canadian Maples, pines, cedars and madrones (they call them arbutus). I was awed by the views each property had and the resourcefulness of the homesteaders. Each property's projects were in all different stages of development and very unique to each individual's vision.

.                                                     One of the ten-ten acre properties

                                      An avid fisherman, Murray has his own fish cleaning station.

On one of the properties, they had posted wooden fish...one for each fish over 10 pounds which had been caught. Each post recorded the fisherman, the type of fish and the weight. I thought this was really a fun idea for family and friends.

After our walk, David and I needed to move our boat so that Anita and Bruce could take theirs across the bay to the Public Dock to pick up more lumber. We moved to the anchoring bay very near to them and were surrounded by vacationing boaters. So unlike our first visit.

 We are the orange circle with the white center spot All the other red in the blue water are other boats.

When we got to the dock to help load lumber, there were 8 of their friends and neighbors there to lend a hand. Loading and unloading back at their dock went rather smoothly with all the helping hands. The Boulder Point neighbors really seem to have a wonderful sense of community. Anita and Bruce are very lucky.

                                           I can see the profile of a sleeping man...can you?

We left Squirrel Cove and spent a night in Hospital Bay in Pender Harbour, a frequent destination. We are in the last few days of our trip and anxious to get back to our marina and regroup. Our second night was in Haklett Bay on Gambier Island in the Howe Sound just north of Vancouver. We plan to anchor in English Bay enjoying the Festival of Lights..an annual .fireworks competition.

                                                           Point Atkinson Lighthouse

                                     Boats arriving to anchor and wait for the big show.

                         The spectators lined the beaches. We were told they were half a million strong.

The entrance into English Bay was far too rough for my liking. We are low on fuel and water so not as much ballast plus our 2500 pound dinghy and outboard makes us mighty top heavy. We were rolling quite a bit and in spite of our efforts to secure everything, we could hear crashes and thumps as we made our way in. It was not pleasant.  We continued to roll even after anchoring so we looked like drunks moving around the boat.

                                                            Vancouver Sunset

There were lots of party boats and crates of beer. One large boat cruised by with a wedding taking place on board. Another yacht was hosting a formal party with everyone wearing suits or cocktail dresses and the  music was blasting. We sat up on our boat deck sipping wine and sampling cheeses as we waited for the fireworks. It was Canada's night to show off their giant sparklers, and it was a great show. Canada even won first place (fancy that!)

 The waves never stopped rolling all night long. We might have had 3 hours of sleep. Both of us were even feeling a bit nauseous in the morning. We couldn't wait to get out of there so lifted the anchor at 6:00 a.m. It was rough going out but after about an hour, we were in the river and found relief.

 Just before we arrive at our marina, there is a railroad bridge that needs to swing for us. David was calling on our radios but got no response. We were idling near the bridge and a fisherman came by and asked if we needed help. We asked him to call the bridge which he did and got a response right away. Then David got on the radio and he was told he could be heard "loud and clear". The operator may have been having a siesta!

Our docking was aided by Ron and a marine neighbor, Steve, so all went quite smoothly. No gazelle leaps to the dock were necessary.

We are celebrating a wonderful trip and the fact that we came full circle in one piece. We have lots of debriefing to do and inventories to take but catching up on sleep is our number one priority. We are both looking forward to cruising further north next spring. The Lillian Belle has served us well once again!


Boating Stats

Miles.............................730

Hours on engine.............129

Fuel...............................495 gallons

Days................................58

Destinations (marinas and anchorages)......30
    San Juan Islands
    Gulf Islands
    Desolation Sound
    The Broughtons

Crabs trapped and eaten..........................37

Whales.......................................................3 humpbacks  3 orcas

Bears.........................................................4

Mosquitos and Horse Flies........................annoying amount

Waterfalls ................................................ 0   (low snow pack)

Bald Eagles and seals...............................plentiful


GO FIND YOURSELF AN ADVENTURE!!!