JUNE 17, 2016 PENROSE BAY, MALASPINA INLET

                                                 Do you see what I see?

JUNE 17,2016  PENROSE BAY, MALASPINA INLET

From anchor up to anchor down today it was 8 hours. It was a glorious day for cruising…sun, blue skies and those wonderful puffy white clouds that shape your imagination.  We motored along calm waters passing Powell River and Lund while gazing at the white peaks on Vancouver Island to the west of us. I believe this is the first time we have actually seen snow on those island mountain tops.

A tug with a triple load!

We decided to try a new destination today so headed to Penrose Bay.  Dave was aware of the rocky bottom warning of the inlet and studied his chart and radar carefully. Our friend, Dennis, we thought had advised us to pass a small island along the way on our starboard side which we did smoothly (we later found out we had that all wrong). Soon after passing the island, we noticed the depths were dropping rapidly. At a 14 ft reading on our depth finder, we heard an incredible crash and then loud scraping. Our 7 ft. keel had hit rock…the Rosetta Rock to be specific.

We threw on our life jackets and surveyed the situation…thankfully; no water was rushing in below, but we found ourselves balancing on the edge of the rock. Our hull and propeller were clear but we were definitely listing to the starboard side.  I pulled the dinghy in and tied it to the side in case we needed it. For some silly reason, I began grabbing the laundry from the clothes lines on the stern…go figure!

David was so upset for showing what he termed “such poor seamanship”, but I believe that he showed amazing seamanship and skill getting us off the rock’s edge. The tide was coming in and in time it would have pushed us on to the top of the rock which would have made the situation even worse.

David used the power of the current and our mighty engine to set us free from our rocky perch. After three attempts, huge sighs of relief rang out. We slowly moved forward while all operations were checked.  There was a bit of picking up to do, as well, since during impact, several items found their way to the floor. A jar of salsa burst open all over the carpet below in one of the staterooms. I will definitely find another spot to store my pill box…I am sure to be finding pills on our floor for several days to come!

I am impressed how calm we remained, and even with the adrenalin rush and excitement, I managed to have the presence of mind to save our laundry!  We did plan to take our dinghy over to The Laughing Oyster restaurant that evening but we stayed put. We had good anchorage, the boat had escaped major damage, and we were safe. Why push our luck? 

                 A quieter and calmer moment during our day. Vancouver Island in the background.

A less substantial boat may not have survived it. If our prop had been damaged, we were cooked. Once again, the Lillian Belle proved herself well. We know how lucky we are and have gained even more respect for our mighty vessel.

After such an exhausting day, the calm peaceful bay soothed and rejuvenated us. We sat out on the bow reading for longer than any evening…the temperatures were pleasant and we had no wind to blow us back inside. We needed the serenity more than ever.

                                                   

The next morning our sunshine gave way to the liquid form. Patches of blue would materialize only to be quickly blanketed with gray clouds. Shades of gray are a unique beauty as it stretches from water to sky.  I am growing fonder of it.  

Before the day ended we took our dinghy over to The Laughing Oyster for lunch. If you can make it up the steep hill, you've earned lunch! We didn’t expect it to be so “fancy”…white tablecloths and all. We were in our boat gear but were welcomed warmly by our waitress and left more than satisfied. I was hankering for some greens so ordered The Big Salad which didn’t disappoint. David loved his linguini with pesto and mushroom sauce. The owner, David, seemed like quite the character…immensely personable. We would love to return sometime with our friends, Dennis and Pam, who recommended it.

                                                              Driftwood Art

                                                                  We get the best tables!

                                         Here's one way to protect an outlet from the rain!

                                    Returned to the boat in the rain, and once we entered, the wonderful smell of crab bisque hit us. Even though we were filled to the gills, it smelled amazingly appetizing. This morning we were channeling Forrest Gump and his “shrimp dishes” substituting shrimp for crab…cracked crab with butter, crab sandwiches, crab on corn tortillas as a breakfast wrap, crab cocktail, crab bisque….we have enjoyed all of them this trip. We are going to grow crab claws!

It was a restless night of sleep for David and me. I think we were still a bit “shell-shocked” and were thinking about the trip through M, alaspina Inlet planned for early morning. We hauled anchor before 6:00 a.m. catching high tide and zigzagged through  the inlet expertly avoiding any underwater obstructions.

We had a short two hour cruise to Squirrel Cove. Our friends, Bruce and Anita, are away for a few days but generously invited us to raft next to their boat on their dock which we have done twice before. We smoothly slid up next to the WestBerg, and I even lassoed a cleat to tie up to…cowgirl style!

                                                             Happy Skipper