July 5th - SYC Garden Bay Outstation (Pender Harbour)

This morning it was very smokey, hazy & it was only 69' at 7am.  There were 7 boats here this morning, so another 1 must have come in later last night.  There are ash droppings on our boat probably from the fires around here.  Yesterday we got an email from SYC that no water can be used at the marinas on Saltspring Island, which is where Ganges is, as they are having a severe draught.  Our boat & all the others at Ovens Island are covered with soot from the fires around here.

Our plan is to leave around 11:30, go thru Gabriola Passage at slack & go as far as Silva Bay to anchor out if we can't get across the straits.  That was a tip that Rod got from the Bo Peep II boaters yesterday.  Apparently there is a RVYC (Royal Van) outstation there & good anchorage.  Most of the boats here are planning to try the straits too - 2 have left so far & another came in to take their place.

They also had a great tip for Shadow.  They have a cat aboard & said when it was young they picked him up by the railing & dropped some ice cubes (3 melted together for a bigger splash into the water) so he would see that the cubes sink.  The cat never tried to jump in after that...hopefully that will work with Shadow as he loves to get on the railings & definitely looks like he's going to jump off the boat to the dock here.  Therefore...he does not get to go outside very often cuz it makes me too nervous.  Rod thinks I'm way too cautious but, oh well, I'm the Admiral 😉 😻.

Well, we made it across the Georgia Straits, leaving at 11:30 & arriving about 5pm.  We are at the SYC outstation at Garden Bay/Pender Harbour.  The boats that have been here are also covered with soot from fires around here from yesterday.  Unfortunately I think this will be a very dry summer with much concern about wildfires.

This is where we provision for all the food & liquor we can't bring into Canada.  A number of people are here that we know so we've been visiting with various boats & had the Duffys over to watch the end of the women's soccer game which they won!!!  Tomorrow we'll go to the food & liquor store.