Johnstone Strait

                                                       We were cruising with the Big Guys!

 

BACK TO DOUGLAS BAY

We are retracing a section of our previous route in order to make it back to Squirrel Cove to see Anita and Bruce, return Bruce’s charts, exchange more books and hopefully, take on some more of their well water. We will again be in Douglas Bay tonight and in the morning cruise through Greene Pt. Rapids anchoring once more near the Cordero Islands. Before reaching Squirrel Cove, we will need to time the Dent and Yucata Rapids. David tells me these rapids will be much easier to navigate because we will be moving with the tide this time instead of having to wait for slack tide.

Johnstone Strait was (as Lynne likes to say) “flat calm” for us.  We motored along enjoying the tunes on “The Bridge” which is an XM station. They play a lot of Van Morrison, Jackson Browne, and Jim Croce and of course, my favorite, James Taylor.  Our log and buoy watch was accompanied by our enthusiastic lip synching and if we were really moved by the music, we actually sang along.  We passed a cruise ship heading north, a few porpoises, and one lone black bear on the beach turning up rocks maybe in search of bugs. It is a cool 61 degrees and has started to rain…glorious rain.

                                            That really is a Black Bear on the shore...trust me.

Our trip today took about 4 hours. On long journeys, David loves to either bake or start something for dinner. I am feeling much more comfortable at the helm so I am sure David feels at ease leaving me alone at the wheel much more now than when we first started boating. That’s not to say that he isn’t keeping an eye on me for which I am grateful. He always leaves with, “Keep looking ahead. Watch for logs and crab pots.” In those early days, he would be gone just minutes, and I would be calling (more like screaming) his name…that’s if I let him leave at all! I figured out rather quickly that the best way to get David out of that noisy engine room was to pull back the throttle and slow the boat down. That got him back by my side in no time.

I am reading a book entitled Fishing with John which tells the true story of a New York journalist, Edith Iglauer, who joins John Daly on his BC fishing troller for the fishing season in the 1980s.  She is as green as it gets when it comes to boats and much of what she experiences physically and emotionally during this intense experience is somewhat how I felt when we first bought our boat. Even after more than 10 years of boat ownership, I am still learning the jargon, rules of the road and the mechanics of a world I knew nothing about. But “Fishing with David” has always been an adventure!

                                                         Bring on the rain!

 

We just dropped our crab pots. We caught 2 crabs here last time, and we have big hopes for our “Triple Threat” bait…frozen prawn heads, salmon and chicken. It has always come through for us.

Buckets of rain are pouring down on us and the other four boats in the bay. We feel quite cozy in our Belle. Our mighty diesel stove keeps us toasty warm…far too warm for David. He is usually sitting near an open window or door, and I have a blanket. I wish I could send some of this rain back home to California.

Alas, we are crabless in Douglas Bay. Caught only a female and undersized male. But we still have our bisque!