August 17th Rebecca Spit to Gorge Harbour

August 17^th  Jessica’s birthday   Rebecca Spit to Gorge Harbour

Departed 9:00  63 degrees  sunny

It was a short hour and a half jaunt to Gorge Harbour today. David revved up the engine to 1300 rpms but he didn’t like the engine vibration he was hearing. At 1100 rpms, it cruises smoothly.

It was a tight rocky course through Uganda Passage before entering the secluded Gorge Harbour. We found a good holding spot and lowered the dinghy for our “look-see”.  The harbor, like Rebecca Spit, is filled with pleasure boats of all sizes. Not many looked like us. The Yellow Fin which we have seen moored on the Fraser River was docked at Taku Marina. It’s a beauty, and we were told it costs $85,000 a week to charter the entire boat.  The Far Niente from San Francisco has a crew of 7 and 10 staterooms for a mere $130,000 a week. 

                                                                The Yellow Fin

The Gorge Harbour Lodge was surrounded by beautiful landscaping connecting the cabins, pool and restaurant. When we returned that evening to take in some live music on the deck, families were sitting out on the lawn with children chasing each other all over the complex. The band entertained everyone with Irish jigs, Scottish waltzes and even a polka. To us it seemed like the perfect family vacation destination.

                                               The Belle from the restaurant window

While sitting in the wheelhouse, we heard a radio call to the Coast Guard from the boat to our starboard stating that there was a boat in Gorge Harbour dragging its anchor and drifting. The owners of the reporting boat had put out their fenders on their starboard side for collision protection.  A small older sailboat eventually drifted into our sight, but in a short time, it looked as if the anchor had finally grabbed hold of something.  The owner did return and made sure all was well.

There was another radio call from a boat which had gone aground and had a line wrapped around its propeller. Victoria Traffic put out the location and several boats in the area went to their aide. One boater reported that all passengers were on land and safe and that he would stay until the Coast Guard arrived. We are always impressed by the willingness of fellow boaters to step up and help those in need.

Winds reached 27 mph in the late afternoon. The Belle was really swinging.