July 30th - Pierre's Echo Bay Marina

TWe arrived at Pierre's at 11:30.  Hobbit was already there - they came in yesterday.  We went to say hello to Morris's & Ihrigs & Rod checked in.  They were just getting back from catching 4 Chinook.  Rod went to get Carolyn a roll of vacuum pack bags.  Tonight there is a prime rib dinner & cocktails at Morris's before.  You don't have to bring anything.  Tomorrow night there is no planned dinner so we'll get together & barbeque steaks & eat on our flybridge.  Then Sat. night is the pig roast which you bring sides for & Sun. Hobbit is leaving.  We'll be here until Mon. & will then go to Kwatsi Bay for 2 nights.

When we eventually went back to the boat, Rod had left the door open & Shadow was outside under the dinghy & then started wandering around the boat.  I couldn't watch so I went up to the store to see if I could get emails & post the blog.  Interestingly, the blog went immediately & my emails were not downloading so I went back to the boat.  The door was closed when I arrived & apparently Shadow was inside being disciplined because he'd jumped off the boat on to the dock.  Prior to that he'd been racing around the deck.  Rod saw him jump off & picked him up & put him inside.  What can I say - good thing I left.  He's been trying to figure out how to escape ever since but now is sleeping.

Carolyn & Dee came by for a visit after they walked to Billy Proctor's "museum."  After they left I put our sheets in the laundry & will do our towels in the next couple of days.  There was a lineup waiting to use the washers.  Several women were advising me on how to deal with Shadow being outside.  One of them definitely thought that if he went into the water he would not do that more than once but thought that should be while we're at anchor.  

July 29th - Simoom Sound

This morning it was already 66' at 8am.  We had some of our whole wheat sourdough bread from Nimmo, toasted this morning - it's delicious.  We got a very long loaf so I cut it into 3 sections last night & put 2 in the freezer.

We left Turnbull at 10:35 & arrived at Simoom at 1:30.  There were no other boats here & no more came in.  Rod thinks it's because it's a challenging place to anchor.  This is a breathtaking view but the water is very deep so not a lot of places to drop the hook.  We're in O'Brien Bay.

It got up to almost 78' today.  We had cocktails on the flybridge - it was beautiful.  Just a little breeze, about 3 knots.  The tide is going out & I keep hoping we'll see some bears - there's a spot in front of us that definitely looks like bear territory!  Unfortunately...no bears.  We haven't seen any on this trip so that's one of the things we're asking Nikki, the Eco adventurer/survivalist by Pierre's, to find for us when we go out with her on Sat. - the other is whales.

Tomorrow we go to Pierre's Echo Bay & we'll be there through Sunday.  We'll meet up with 4 of our Shelter Bay neighbors there tomorrow - Ihrigs & Morris's who are traveling on Hobbit (Jerry & Carolyn's boat).  Looking forward to seeing them & hearing about their travels.

We've been very limited in our ability to get internet in the Broughtons.  That's why our blog postings have been delayed & Rod hasn't been able to post pictures.  Today we kept going in & out of range with our hot spot.  I was able to get the blog up but none of our emails downloaded.  I'm not sure Pierre's will be much better - it usually isn't.

Rod woke me up this morning at 6:30 because he saw a black bear on the beach where we were hoping we might see one.  He was walking along by the water & eventually went back into the forest.  Rod got pictures & at one point the bear looked over at us because he heard the camera clicking!  We have diurnal tides here so there was low tide last night & again this morning & the lowest this am will be at 7:49.  The bear came back at 7:50 (low tide) to forage a little more.

We left Simoom at 10:05 & there were hundreds of Dolphins swimming all around the boat!  Rod saw some fish jumping so they might have been eating.  It was an amazing sight & Rod thinks he got some good pics of them swimming under the bow.  What a great morning for wildlife!  

July 28th - Turnbull Cove

Some more info on Nimmo.  They have 9 guest cabins & 2 bunk houses for staff.  There are also 2 small homes for the owners & their son & his family who now runs this.  Last night one of the guides talked about the daily activities.  Each guest decides what they want to do while they're here - some are here for 4 days & some for 7 days.  They are mostly international travelers & they just had a group from Malaysia who found out about Nimmo via U-Tube. You might be able to find that video.  They choose from helicopter rides to see whatever they want - bears, whales, glaciers, etc - to fishing expeditions in streams or in the ocean.  They had 2 helicopters here on this trip but rent as many as they need.  They actually have helipads situated around the grounds.  Everything is tailored to the individuals' wishes.  There were quite a few teenagers here last night from various groups - all http://friendsofshelterbay.cominternational travelers.

Rod has been taking lots of pics & will post some when we have better internet coverage.  There are lots of different types of birds here & a hummingbird actually sat on Rod's shoulder last night.

There are 3 dogs here that run loose & follow the visitors around.  They are very friendly but the woman who gave us a tour yesterday said to make sure we didn't let Shadow out as she wasn't sure what the dogs would do.  Not a problem!  Shadow has been very intrigued with watching the dogs though & runs along the windows to watch them until he runs out of windows to look out of - good entertainment!

Had a great massage (1 hour) at 10am & then picked up the bread & 2 packages of the smoked salmon which was frozen so I just put it in our freezer.  Rod took some pics while I was gone, bought a Nimmo hoodie & filled the boat with water.  

We left about noon & arrived at Turnbull Cove at 1pm.  It was 71' when we arrived & got up to 75'.  There were 8 boats in here this evening.  We barbequed steak & had hash browns with it for dinner.  

  

July 27th - Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort

Later today we are going to Nimmo for what is said to be an amazing dinner.  Our reservation on the dock is for 4pm which Rod had to negotiate since they didn't want us there until 5:00.  It sounds like they don't have much room on the dock so most boats have to anchor out.  Our friend, Jan Harper, told us about it last year but we couldn't get reservations.  This year Rod made reservations before we left for our summer cruising.  Jan was supposed to fly up & go with us but her plans unfortunately changed.  Well - here's to you, Jan, for telling us about this experience!  (Apparently there were pictures of Nimmo on the TV show Boston Legal).

We arrived at 4pm & after we got settled one of the staff took us on a tour.  This place is amazing - beautiful, rustic cabins for guests, a lovely dining room (maximum of 25 guests - most of whom are here for cabin stays & fishing), a little shop & a place for massages (1 scheduled in the morning for me!) with a beautiful waterfall & hot tub area.  The waterfall is the source of water here & we can top our water tank off in the morning.  We have Internet connection here on Nimmo so I could post our blog from yesterday & get email.  I ordered some whole wheat sourdough bread to pick up in the am & will get some Nimmo smoked salmon as well.

It started raining again around 5pm & stopped before the 6:30 get together.  Dinner was at 8pm.  Cocktails was as much alcohol as you wanted - appetizers were cheeses, crackers & smoked salmon.  Dinner was a wonderful white bean soup with albacore tuna and halibut with crab, apple & risotto.  Dessert was ice cream with expresso & peanut butter creme brûlée.  All served with whatever beverage you wanted.  It was an excellent meal. We didn't stay for the campfire with s'mores and that was probably a good decision because it started to rain again.

Guests were from everywhere in the world - Switzerland, Germany, UK, Belguim, Wash. DC, etc.  - very, very interesting!  There were only 3 of us from boats & the rest came on float planes & helicopters.

July 26th - Turnbull Cove

We left Sullivan at 11:15 to head for Turnbull Cove.  We detoured a little bit to get internet coverage by James Point which another boater had told us about.  We were able to get mail & I posted the blog from yesterday.  Before we left I went over to visit with Marsha.  When she came by earlier I was showering & then vacuuming so I could use the power.  We'll see them again tomorrow night.

We arrived in Turnbull at 1:30pm.  Thîs is a beautiful spot.  There were 4 other boats when we arrived & we saw 2 leaving on our way in.  There were 2 other SYC boats anchored - one is called Good Fortune who are people we know  - Judy & Lloyd Wiebe.  We usually run into them in several places during the summer.

There ended up being 7 boats here tonight.  Lloyd came over in his dinghy to visit for a little while - he'd just picked up his shrimp pot & had lots sitting in his dinghy.  Our dinner was some of the halibut (panko crusted) that our friends caught, with rice. It got up to 70' here today.

Shadow has taken to stalking flies that get into the boat & has been eating them???  I guess he likes them...maybe it's his appetizer of choice.

July 25th - Sullivan Bay Marina

The last 2 days I misposted the dates - somehow I got a day ahead.  Rod will fix that once we have a better internet connection.  Rod's at the pancake breakfast again this am & I'm not as usual.  It started raining again this morning around breakfast time - 8am.  We left Shawl at 11:30 with pouring rain & arrived at Sullivan at 1:05, still pouring. Bit didn't get much over 60' today.  

We bought a few things at the grocery store when we checked in - romaine, blueberries & salad dressing.  On our way back we saw that our new SYC friends, Marsha & John, were coming in so Rod went to help them tie up.  They're on the same dock that we're on & came in with another boat.  Turns out that they are going to Nimmo for dinner on Mon. night too with their friends.  I told Marsha about it somewhere along the way & they ended up getting a reservation the same night without realizing it.

It poured  most of the evening.

Shadow's handy work

July 25th - Shawl Bay

I forgot to mention that during happy hour last night it started to drizzle & then turned into a downpour but eventually stopped while we were still visiting.  I woke up in the middle of the night & heard drops on the boat so knew it was raining again.  

Rod went to the pancake breakfast which they do every morning.  I'm not a big pancake person so I stayed on the boat & had my typical yoghurt, granola & blueberries breakfast.

We decided to stay here another day since it was pouring.  It rained pretty much all day until late afternoon.  Happy hour tonight we brought meatballs with barbeque sauce.  There are 11 boats here tonight so more people to bring appetizers.  We sat with a Canadian couple from Maple Bay who have been out since April & will go home in Sept.  Tomorrow our plan is to go Sullivan Bay Marina.  

July 24th - Shawl Bay Marina

Last night Diane & Joe came over with a bottle of port (Douuro Valley LBV Late 2009 - Carvalhas Winery from Portugal) & Oreo cookies to once again thank Rod for filleting the halibut.  The port was excellent & I'm really not a port lover.  Needless to say, both the cookies & port disappeared!  Rod was just finishing cracking our crab for dinner so that went into the frig & we started with dessert!   I think we've made some new friends - they keep their boat in Anacortes & have another friend in SB so they'll come visit us.

We found out last night via the BC Boaters net that Jennis Bay Marina is no longer open.  A logging operation is leasing it - you can still tie up there & pay them, but nothing else is going on.  That was good info as we were planning to go there - it was a favorite spot for us last year.  Instead we'll go to Sullivan Bay which wasn't on our list this year.  

We left Crease Island at 9:15, heading for Shawl Bay & arrived at 12:10.  It was overcast & 66'.  It got up to 72'.  There were 5 boats when we got here.  I washed our sheets while we were here.  There were 8 by the end of the day (3 sailboats).

Shaw does a 5pm happy hour which we went to - everyone brings an appetizer & their own drinks. There were 2 other SYC boats here so we sat with them.  One group had just come down from Alaska (Wavelet) & the other we've seen before (Enya) at other outstations.  

Crease Island

Goat Islet off of Crease Island

Joe & Diane's Wilidi III anchored next to us

Joe & Diane are off on a fishing expedition

Netting a 25 pound halibut 

This is the 2nd halibut Joe caught today.  The first one was too big to deal with.

July 22nd - Crease Island

I didn't get up until almost 7:30 this morning - Rod was up at 6am.  Shadow slept most of the night curled up by my feet - I think because it was cooler last night.  That's unusual for him.  When Rod got up he'd knocked my coaster & mat off the table & destroyed my napkin.  His mat from the couch was on the floor too - he loves to tug & toss it around.

Rod topped off the water tank while the generator was on.  The washing machine uses a lot of water & when he ran the watermaker yesterday it didn't quite fill up.  We pulled anchor at 9:45 to head to our new location.  We arrived at Crease Island at 11:00.  No other boats were there when we arrived but our new friends, Joe & Diane, came as well.

Eventually 2 other boats came in that were rafted together in Potts Lagoon.  They came in as we were going out in the dinghy to explore.  We ended up at Farewell Harbor & visited with a friend from SYC who owns a boat that Rod used to run for a friend of his from Alaska.  

We then ran into Joe & Diane who were out fishing & had caught a big halibut which got away - they think it was 50-60 lbs.  We were visiting with them when Joe got another halibut which was smaller (25 lbs when they weighed it) & Rod told them what to do to kill him (with a bat) & drag it back in a net tied to their dinghy until they got back to their boat - they're  too big & if not totally dead will thrash around so not a good idea to put in the dinghy.  Joe picked Rod up to have him help fillet it as they'd never caught one before.  It was a lot of fish & we got (4) 2 people bags which we vacuum packed & put in the freezer as we still have crab to eat & chicken we took out for yesterday.  Freezer is full again!

July 21st - Potts Lagoon

It was 59' at 7am but looks like it's going to be another beautiful day here.  Today is laundry day for my clothes & Rod's (2 loads).  Thank goodness for the watermaker.  The water tank is full & I'm sure will get topped off again.  The generator will be on for a few hours too so we can use the dryer.  It takes forever so usually things get hung all over the boat to finish drying.  Also changed the sheets on our bed.

Joe & Diane came by to invite us over for drinks tonight on their boat.  They'll pick us up after Rod's BC boaters net which he does every night at 5pm.  It's interesting to here where people are & what the weather has been like in different parts of BC (this is a ham radio group).  Rod also talks to his ham group at home every morning at 7:30.  They've been following our blog & are always interested in hearing Shadow stories since they all have dogs.

There are 8 boats here tonight - several left this morning & have been replaced (only 1 sail).  We ended up having dinner with Joe & Diane , in addition to drinks.  And, it looks like we are headed to the same place tomorrow - Crease Island.  We are really enjoying our time with them.  They have a blended family & have 18 grandchildren - hard to imagine as we only have 4!  Their boat is beautiful - 48', made in Brisbane, Australia.  The hull is made of eucalyptus wood (blue gum) & they have a beautiful wood interior that is multi grained.  They bought it from a U.S. owner 3 years ago.  It was built in 1971. 

Potts Lagoon

Potts Lagoon early in the morning

One of our neighbors in the anchorage

Big Toot and Little Toot, sort of

Shadow got mad at a roll of paper towels

July 20th - Potts Lagoon

We left Pt Harvey at 9:20 & arrived at Potts Lagoon at 11:45.  Our new friends, Joe & Diane Rheaume from Everett on the Wilidi III, followed right behind us.  The lagoon is by West Cracroft Island.  There's a logging camp in the north basin & we anchored in the south basin which has some float homes in it.  It's a beautiful location & is supposed to be a good bear sighting area. There were 2 boats each in the north & south basins when we arrived & it was 71'.

I misspoke about our meeting up with Morris's & Ihrigs - I was a week off.  We're meeting them next week on Thurs.  We had Pierre's on the calendar twice in error.  

I told you to stay tuned on Shadow being outside.  This is a "good" place to let him explore the boat (or so the Captain tells me).  He's been up on the flybridge, lies underneath the dinghy, been on the front of the boat over the staterooms jumping at the windows, went out by the anchor line & was a little intimidated by the wind depending on which side of the boat he was on.  I'm mainly inside, trying not to watch!!!  The salmon net is ready in case he goes overboard.  When Rod brought him back in the boat he had been chasing flies outside which was even making Rod nervous & then he did the same thing inside the boat.  Actually caught a couple.  I think he wore himself out once he figured out that he couldn't escape outside again & took a long nap.  As did we.

Joe & Diane came over for happy hour.  They put a crab pot out & brought some over with a bottle of wine.  We had nuts & goat cheese covered with a peach whiskey jam.  The guys had gin with olives & the girls drank a bottle of Chardonnay.  There were 9 boats anchored in our bay by the end of the day. It started to drizzle about 7:30 which is when our guests left.  Dinner was salad.

July 19th - Port Harvey

The Captain decided we are spending 1 more night here & then we'll move on.  We're getting together with 1 of the couples whom we had dinner with last night to look at various options later today.  Turns out he (Joe & Diane on the Wilidi III from Everett - an Australian built boat) banked at Peoples/US Bank where I worked for 30+ years.  His banker was a woman whom I knew well & we're trying to reunite them via email through another friend.  

It was a very nice day here - got up to 70'.  There are 18 boats here tonight.  We're having dinner at the restaurant again with John & Marsha.  Tonight Rod had a cheeseburger & I had a wild salmon burger.  We shared a pineapple cheesecake for dessert.  

Tomorrow we are headed to Potts Lagoon to anchor out.  Joe & Diane are going with us.  It was on Jerry Morris's (another SB neighbor) itinerary for up here & we thought we would check it out.  We'll meet up with Morris's & Ihrigs at Pierre's Echo Bay on Thursday.  

Day 2 at Port Harvey

Port Harvey Marina, Store & Restaurant

View from the patio of the restaurant

The owner George talks to a visitor.  Lady Lynn to the left against the trees.

Lady Lynn at the dock.

Shadow playing with a Peacock feather.

Cruise to Port Harvey through Johnstone Strait

Shadow knows how to relax

Rainbow in Johnstone Straits

Our new friends John and Marsha's Desert Sun

Group dinner at the Red Shoe Restaurant (kids are the owners grandchildren)  

The sign says it all

Long dock at Port Harvey

July 18th - Port Harvey Marina

We left the dock at 5:45am, with 2 sets of Rapids to go through - Green Point which is very close to Blind Channel & Whirlpool Rapids which is about an hour further north.  Then we headed to Johnstone Straits.  There were 2 other boats that left when we did & several more to leave.  Apparently everyone agreed that early Sat. morning was the time to cross.  The Captain got a call from a boater who had helped us untie to see how the water was.  Then Rod called another boat that was already out in the straits several times (he could see him on our AIS system) to see how the water was & got the go ahead to cross. Wind got up to 25 knots in Wellbore Channel & made the Captain think about anchoring out.  But he checked with another boater in the straits & decided to go ahead - winds got up to 18 knots in the straits.  We arrived at Pt Harvey at 10:20, as we had to wait for some boats to leave.

Poor Shadow definitely does not like it when the boat is moving.  He has his hiding places in our stateroom - his kennel (which he never uses at home), my side of the bed on the floor & under the covers on top of the sleeping bag on the bed.  He's very much like our Pino cat was - she never came out until the engines were off for at least 30 minutes.  

After lunch (corned beef hash from our favorite corned beef market in Seattle with eggs), Rod washed the boat with our water to get the salt spray from our trip off.  The marina ran out of water this morning, so no boat washing allowed.  You can fill your tank though.  It's been a beautiful day, with temp getting up to 70', but it's been windy this afternoon with the wind getting up to 15 knots at times.  Several boats came in during the day & there are now 8 of us here.  The boats are pretty big so there is not a lot of room for more.  

The Marina has a restaurant called The Red Shoe.  If you bring a red shoe to donate to them (they hang them on the wall) you get a free dessert.  We're going with a group at 6:30.  You order by 3:30 so they know what to prepare & tell them what time you want to eat.  I had ribs with fries & Rod had fish & chips.  We shared a chocolate cream pie with a thick Oreo crust.  They make cinnamon rolls in the am so we ordered a couple of those too - not a place to diet!

July 17th - Blind Channel

It's sunny & light wind this morning & 68' at 8:30.  This afternoon it got up to 77'.

Our neighbor Vanessa commented on our blog, wanting to know how "Shadow's containment strategy" was going.  I thought others would want to know as well.  Well, my position has been that Shadow does not get to go outside any more AT ALL.  Rod's position has been that he needs to learn what happens if he falls into the water (Rod bought a big salmon net to scoop him out if he falls in).  When I was kayaking in Prideaux Haven, Rod let him go outside but when I came back I made him put him back in the boat.  The plan was for Rod to let him out when I was gone & see what happened.  However the Captain got sidetracked on neighbor, Dale's, water pump problem & that was never done.  So, for now, he's an indoor cat just like at home.  I did bring his 2 harnesses & a leash with the hope I could walk him but he's having nothing to do with that strategy.  Stay tuned...I'm sure this is not the end of the story!

Well plans can always change.  Marsha came by around 5:30 to say that they changed their plans.  John looked at the weather & it looks like tomorrow will be the best day to get across Johnstone.  So we're changing our plans as well.  We cancelled our dinner plans for tomorrow & will leave by 6am to time 2 rapids.  It was nice of her to come by.  She called Port Harvey & we both have reservations there.  Another friend of theirs might come as well.  Otherwise it looked like we'd be looking at Tues or Wed before we'd get across.

Blind Channel

Waiting for lunch

July 16th - Blind Channel

It is 57' at 7:30 but lots of blue sky.  It's very rocky rolly here even though we're tied to the dock.  There's lots of current running through here & we're in the back eddy so we get surge.  Many boats are leaving today - we're not sure if they're going north or south.  It got up to 71' & was quite windy most if the afternoon.

Today is an inside boat cleaning day - vacuuming, cleaning heads & the salon area.  Easy to do when we're hooked to shore power.  Shadow still doesn't like the vacuum - he stands off & watches and tries to bat at the big vacuum too.

I'm having a lot of trouble getting on the internet here - I can't get on Blind Channel's net at all.  They say it doesn't like Apple products & I have an iPad.  I also have not been able to get on the Lady Lynn Telus hotspot most of the time.  Last night I tried to post our blog & it wouldn't go so I just left it on all night & eventually it worked.  Fortunately Rod has a little more connectivity on his laptop.

We talked to some SYC boaters (Marsha & John from the Desert Sun) who came in yesterday & have been in several of the locations we've been at recently.  They're going to be here until Sunday & told us there is a blues night with a seafood dinner on Sat.  Rod had been looking at the weather for the next couple of days & decided to see if we could stay here until then too as crossing Johnstone doesn't look promising so we'll join them for Sat. dinner.  We had lunch with them today at a little outside lunch place by the store & restaurant.  A cook makes 4-5 great options there - fish tacos, a bratworst, a pulled pork sandwich & a cheeseburger.  They came with a great potato salad.  

Tonight Rod barbecued steak & we had leftover baked beans.  The marina was not as full as last night.

We are living the slow lane of Internet service

I have been trying up upload pictures without success, so you will have to wait until we have left Blind Channel.  We are staying here longer than we had planned.  The winds in Johnstone Strait are more than we like for comfortable travel. (35 knots)  We will leave Blind Channel on Sunday morning and head north again.  Stay tuned.  Captain Rod

July 15th - Blind Channel Marina

We pulled anchor at 6:45 - temp was 62' & water temp was 70'.  Dale & Nancy left around 6am.  I think we were the second boat out.  It's about a 5-1/2 hr run to Blind Channel & the Captain was timing the Yuculta, Arran & Dent Rapids to go through at slack.  These are all close together.

We arrived at noon.  We checked in at the store & bought some lettuce & a couple other things. The marina was pretty full & by early evening all the spots were taken.  It got up to 67' here & we had a little drizzle during the day & when we went to dinner.

The Aurora Explorer barge (that Rod & Mike Ackley went on in Oct.) came in this afternoon for people to explore & walk up to the giant cedar tree that is here.

We had dinner reservations at 6:30 - we each had ling cod and a yellow & red beet salad.  Rod had strawberry rhubarb shortcake & I had a liquor creme brûlée for dessert.  

Trip to Blind Channel

The Aurora Explorer landing at Blind Channel

Memories of traveling with 12  passengers on a work boat to the Broughtons

Another one of Jerry Morris's previous boats.  The Pacific Yellowfin.

Booze Cruz in Prideaux Haven

Colorful sailboat in Melanie Cove

We spotted Jerry Morris's first Hobit while out on our 3 dingy cruise

July 14th - Prideaux Haven

This morning Nancy, Carol & I went kayaking from 9-10:30.  There are lots of kayaks (Hobies & regular) & paddle boards.  Lots of dogs on both.  Rod went to Dale's boat to try to fix the fresh water pump.  He spent most of the morning & part of the afternoon working on the problem, but could not get it to work.  He went back after our cocktail cruise but still couldn't get it to work.

I think there were at least 55-60 boats in here last night.  But once again a lot of boats left today & more came in.  We probably ended up with the same number of boats tonight - a combination of sail & power and U.S. & Canadian boats.  It got up to 78' today (87' inside) but much cooler in our stateroom.

Today at 5:30, the 3 of us all took our dinghies on a cocktail cruise around the coves (dinghies rated together & Dale drove).  Rod took our music with us (a great find from China - about $12 including shipping)!  After we got back Rod put the air conditioning on as it was very hot in the salon.  We ended up having salad for dinner as it was about 7:45 when we got finished.

Tomorrow we are heading to Blind Channel where we'll spend a couple of nights & see what's going on in Johnstone Straits.  Rod made reservations at the restaurant for tomorrow night.

Prideaux Haven Marine Park

Lady Lynn cruising through Desolation Sound

Sunshine and beautiful clouds

Nice wake

This is the water right behind the swim step while underway

Steadfast our neighbor in Shelter Bay is our neighbor here

The Captain with the most toys wins

Mike Silhan gets ready to anchor in Prideaux Haven

Nice sailboat from Orcas Island with lots of kids onboard

The bay is filling up as the day goes on

It's a beautiful day!

July 13th - Prideaux Haven

It's a beautiful day already at 6:00 am.  We left Cortez at 9am, heading for Prideaux Haven for a few days.  By the time the anchor was down it was 11:00.  Steadfast (Dale & Nancy's boat) had been there for a couple of days.  Then the Silhans came a little later.  Carol, Nancy & I went kayaking after lunch & explored Laura Cove & Scobel Island where we used to raft with Harv & Maggie and Kippers.  There were 3 boats in their spot.  

We're going to Nancy & Dale's boat tonight for a salmon dinner.  She invited the Silhans to come as well.  There a lot of SYC boats here - at least 7. And Prideaux has been filling up all day.  I guess everyone was ready for some nice weather after 2 days of rain.  It got up to 74 today.

July 12th - SYC Cortez outstation

Today it didn't start raining until mid morning, about the time we decided to put my kayak back on the boat...of course.  We put it up on the dock earlier so I could wash it & then brought the dinghy back to the swim step.  We forgot that was how the kayak gets pulled up so Rod extended the lines by adding another rope on both sides so I could get it around the bow of the boat & back to the hoist.  

Decided to do 1 more load of laundry as we won't come back here before we head north.  It rained on & off all day.  Thís afternoon we went by dinghy to say goodbye to Harv & Maggie.  Turned out Harv was walking over to SYC to give us some salmon he caught this morning.  We saw him coming back & turned out he didn't make it over as it was further than he thought walking from RVYC.  We visited for awhile & will see them again in Prideaux Haven in August on our way back south. 

  

July 11th - SYC Cortez outstation

This morning we woke up to grey skies & rain that hasn't stopped all morning.  I think this was predicted.  Most of the night my kayak was banging against the swim step & Rod finally got up around 3am & put a fender down to stop the banging.  It had rained some by then but had stopped while he was out there.  Our dinghy was side tied to the boat as I thought I would kayak this am with Nancy before they leave but that's not happening.

Rod ran the water-maker this morning for an hour to make sure it's running well.  We've heard there is little or no water available at the marinas in the Broughtons due to the draught this year.  Rod also used our pull to let some water out of our dinghy as it was getting a little too full from all the rain.

Yesterday Rod was cleaning up his area by the steering wheel in the cabin.  He had our Dyson hand vacuum out (which we got at Costco & love, love, love).  I've been using it on the boat to keep Shadow's room clean & been using it for the cabin rather than our vacuum system so far.  Shadow does not like the sound of vacuums - he watches me but stays out of the way.  Well, yesterday he was repeatedly batting at the nose of it (which you vacuum from) with his paw.  He obviously has decided to punish that noisy thing!

The rain has not stopped all day.  Rod's run the bilge pump in the dinghy several times to empty out the water.  We may end up here another day if the rain doesn't stop tomorrow.  Our plan is to go to Prideaux  Haven next & then work our way up to the Broughtons (north end of Vancouver Island).  

Cortes Bay Happenings

Our dining room last night aboard the First Edition at the RVYC Outstation 

Heating unit located behind false drawer front in the galley

Shadow emerging after exploring behind the cabinets.  Lynn was concerned we would never see him again.

Lynn, Nancy and Cricket returning after a paddle/peddle outing.

July 10th - SYC Cortez

We're here for at least 2 more days.  There are 13 boats here from last night & another anchored out in the bay (2 sail, the rest power).

Went out this morning for a short kayak ride with Nancy & another friend that she made who has a home here that her grandfather bought years ago.  I also met her mother who wanted to take pics of all of us.  It was very windy so we just stayed in the area between SYC & RVYC.  Nancy & I went a second time this afternoon.  

Rod spent some time helping our neighbor, Dale, diagnose & repair some electrical problems on his dinghy.  

Barbara, the baker, came by & we ordered a focaccia bread for tomorrow as she was out of them.  We also got 1 brownie & 1 more scone.  Very dangerous having her visit every day!!!  

Tonight there are 13 boats here again at 5pm (some coming & going during the day), with 1 more still anchored out.  And we'll see if any more come tonight.  It was in the mid 70's today & more wind than we've had the past few days so things stayed cooler which was nice.

 

July 9th - SYC Cortez Outstation

It looks like it's going to be hot again today - already 73 at 8am.  Last night we had a really nice breeze on the flybridge for our cocktail hour but by the time we had dinner up there the breeze was gone.  This morning I went kayaking with Nancy (SB neighbor) & Cricket, her poodle.  We were out for 1-1/2 hrs & it felt great.  My back was a little sore in the Hobie but I think that's a seat adjustment issue.  Most of the boats here left while we were out - there are only 5 of us left.

We've been using our air conditioning in the salon every night & today put it on at 2pm.  The cabin gets up over 90 if we don't use it.  

Tonight we went to our friends, Harv & Maggie's, for dinner at RVYC outstation.  We had salmon that Harv caught yesterday.  We brought a salad & an appetizer.  They were 1 of 2 boats that were always on our raft in Desolation Sound/Scobel Island.  Another couple from RVYC joined us for dinner too & brought shrimp.  So our dinner was a pink & a red salmon, prepared 2 different ways, cole slaw, shrimp & a wonderful pie with ice cream that the baker that comes to SYC & RVYC made.

July 8th - SYC Cortez Outstation

We left this morning a little before 7am to head up to Cortez.  It's still pretty hazy from the BC wildfires so will be interesting to see if & when that disappears.  It was 65' by 10:00 - both water & air.  We aren't seeing many boats on our way north & understand there aren't many in Desolation so far.  August is when Desolation usually fills up.  We got to Cortez at noon.  The docks are not full - about 14 boats so far.

Visited with our neighbors, Nancy & Dale, & went for a walk with Nancy & Cricket (her white poodle).  Tomorrow morning we're going kayaking & Cricket goes with her.  

Around 4:00 Barbara, the baker, comes down to the dock to sell her baked goods.  Today we bought 2 scones & 4 cookies.  She does wonderful pies, assorted cookies, brownies, pies & breads (whole wheat & faccacia).  I also got some strawberry marmalade jam that she made.  It will be great on our goat cheese logs.  Tonight's dinner will be cheeseburgers, after our cocktails.  I've been drinking vodka with cranberry juice & lime & Rod's usual is scotch.  Not enuf room in the frig for wine yet.

It got up to 80' today & we actually saw blue sky for the first time in days.  The caretaker here said the weather has been wonderful all summer.  They did get some haze & a little bit of ash but just for a day.

Views from the Seattle Yacht Club Cortes Bay Outstation on Cortes Island

Lady Lynn is 2nd boat out on the dock

Entrance to SYC Cortes Outstation from the road

View to south of the Straits of Georgia

The lovely Lady Lynn

Outdoor decks at head of the dock

Fresh vegetables

Pea Patch with protection from the deer