Bedwell Harbour

The weather is changing. There is a chill in the air and clouds in the sky. No rain yet. We went over to Port Browning on North Pender Island. The marina and resort had been for sale and it looks like the new management has cleaned the place up nicely. It cost $1.15/foot to dock here and another $8/day for power. That’s why we anchor out so much. It is more peaceful…and cheap. We walked up to the little village and went to our favorite coffee shop for a latte and a sticky bun. Next door there is a new restaurant, Fish on Pender. They appear to be an expansion of Fish on 5th in Sidney. The one in Sidney makes excellent halibut fish n’ chips with yam fries if you want them (I love them). We may try this place some time. We have to decide our itinerary for the next 2 weeks. When do we re-enter the USA, when do we return to Anacortes and put Aquila to bed for the winter? Our completely selfish and wonderful summer has to end soon.

Bedwell Harbour

We went over to Poet’s Cove without Merlin today. I couldn’t take him in to the spa and Fred thought he might have brunch while he is waiting for me. I have been to this spa before. It is lovely and had one of the most unique features I have ever seen. The sauna is a steam cave. It is just outside of the building and appears to be made of huge rocks, except the door. Inside there is a water feature which makes the steam. They have towels and water bottle available outside the entrance. I like to get there a little early because if one has a treatment scheduled then the use of the steam cave and the hot tube are gratis. I had a lovely massage and then I threw in a facial. I came out of there feeling like a warm, pampered kitten. Fred had taken a long (about 4 miles) walk out to one end of the island and back while I was being pampered. We then had a delicious lunch on the outside deck before returning to Aquila. We then all took a nap. I am gradually using up all the frozen meat and perishables on the boat. I still have some frozen crab meat and we had that for dinner.

Fulford Harbour to Bedwell Harbour - 2 hours, 10 miles

It is a very short trip to our next (and probably last in Canada) stop. We love Bedwell Harbour on south Pender Island. We love the resort here, Poet’s Cove http://www.poetscove.com but also a dinghy ride the five miles to Port Browning on North Pender Harbour. After we anchored we went over to Poet’s cove to have a latte and let Merlin play on the beach. Fred usually goes up to the main lobby of the resort and sits out on a deck and reads the newspaper. Merlin and I had a fine time. He gets into the water just enough to get muddy. A fellow asked if his dogs could visit their cousin. He had a ruby and a black & tan Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. His dogs had a summer cut which I guess looks like a puppy cut on a poodle. Their tails we untouched but they had been clipped everywhere else. They sure looked easier to maintain but the beautiful flowing hair was gone as well as all the distinctive feathering on the chest and feet. I had considered this look once but decided to just keep up his maintenance. There had just been a wedding on the patio and the arch and chairs were still set up. The bride (young and lovely in a strapless gown) were wandering around for their photos. I even think I saw the photographer take one or two of Merlin. When Fred joined us he said he had made an appointment for me to get a massage tomorrow. Oh boy!

Ganges Harbour to Fulford Harbour - 2 hours, 10 miles

I was reading in the Island newsletter about the different towns. We didn’t remember going to Fulford Harbour on the other side of Saltspring Island. So, we decided to go and check it out. We were a little surprised that there were hardly any pleasure boats at anchor and the government dock looks like it will only hold 3-4 boats. We anchored out and took the dinghy over to “town” and found out that it consists of a ferry dock, grocery store, small restaurant, art gallery (closed) and thank God, a coffee shop. We had delicious lattes and sat at the outside table looking at overgrown yards and streets without sidewalks. The Gulf Islands are known for the artistic people who live here. We have found them to be “very Berkeley”. What I mean is most people wear Birkenstocks or sandals and wear tie dye or hemp clothing. Actually they look quite comfortable. No homeless people on the streets and the whole area has a welcoming and accepting feeling.

Nanaimo to Ganges - 5 hours, 34 miles

It is another big jump for us as we travel through Dodd Narrows today. We entered the narrows ½ hour before slack tide and had no difficulty. We spend most of the morning in Trincomali Channel. We are going to Ganges Harbour on Saltspring Island. There was plenty of room in the anchorage. The only problem we noted was that there is frequent float plane arrivals and departures all day long. Those things are noisy! It stopped a little after sundown. We remember Ganges as having lovely little art and jewelry galleries. Somehow it all seems bigger and busier. We thought coming on a week day would be peaceful. It’s not. The town is still charming and great to walk through. It does have an awesome hardware store which carries everything from nuts & bolts to kitchen & pet supplies. We didn’t go into the grocery store, but it is nice to know it is there.

Nanaimo

There are few pleasure boats on the docks here. I guess after Labor Day things quiet down everywhere. We took a long walk after breakfast and Merlin got to say hello to many Canadian dogs. Nanaimo has a lovely colonnade across the waterfront that connects to a large green area. By the quay there are many rocks down to the waterline. An artist has made stacks of these stones that defy gravity. We were admiring them when a fellow on the bench said he had made them this morning. He said they are transient because people throw rocks at them or the water and waves tumble the towers. We have seen similar “rock piles” along the water in Sausalito, CA.

Comox to Nanaimo - 8 hours, 57 miles

What a bright and sunny day! Not a cloud in the sky the whole trip today. The Straight of Georgia remains a giant pond. It is so clear that we could see Mt. Baker in the distance in Washington. We decided we would stay on the dock in Nanaimo. It is so convenient to walking paths and shops. We like to do a starboard tie because the helm seat is on that side of the boat and the skipper can open the pilot house door and see what is going on. In order to tie up on the starboard side Fred pulled into the way and rotated the boat 180 degrees. However, there were boats on the other side of the way. Fred made the turn and placed us on the dock and did it perfectly. I don’t think we had 2 feet of clearance on either side, but he did it! He really impressed the other boaters.

April Point Cove to Comox - 6 ½ hours, 37 miles

We were able to get internet this morning and found out the lack of activity on shore is because the resort closed on September 7th. Oh well, I guess we won’t get a restaurant meal or a massage today. As we head out of the cove we experienced a great deal of turbulence. When we finally make it out into Discovery Passage the current is running 4-5 knots against us! We didn’t check ahead and we certainly are the only fools out here going south in this current. At this rate we will arrive in Comox tomorrow… Well, things finally righted themselves and we will get into Comox a little before sunset. We decided to anchor outside of the breakwater for the marina. There are a lot of mooring buoys out here but we aren’t sure if the are public or private. We went for a dinghy ride. First we checked out of the lovely seals lying on top of the floating breakwater. There must have been a hundred! We went into the marina to tie up at a dinghy dock to go for a walk and maybe dinner. Well, we couldn’t find one. All of the floats went up to a locked gate. We finally found a tidal grid with steps all the way into the water. There was no one there so we tied up to the railing of the stairs. We thought the tide was falling so we tied up accordingly. You guessed it, the tide was still rising. When we returned to the dinghy (after a nice walk on land) the dinghy was wedged between the railing and the stairs. We had to stand of the tube to force us free. By this time we are tied in little knots. We went back to the boat for a small dinner and a spectacular sunset.

Port Neville to April Point Cove - 9½ hours, 52.4 miles

We were going to leave at 6 AM to catch Seymour Narrows at slack at 1 PM. However, the fog was so thick and it was still dark so we tried to wait out the fog. We saw two otters up on the dock. As soon as they saw us they were back in the water very quickly. We finally started engines about 11 AM. The tides run quite fast here and we had to fight an incoming tide to get off the dock without hitting anything. Fortunately Fred and the twin Perkins won. Fred really needed the radar this morning. The fog burned off to a spectacular sunny day. We have high mountain peaks to port (left) and green rolling hills to starboard (right). There is very little other traffic. We have a sailboat and two fishing back in the distance. Our plan is to anchor just before Seymour Narrows at Plumper Sound until slack tide at 7 PM. We arrived on schedule at 5 PM & anchored in a pretty bay. However, we are near resorts and larger communities now and there are small speed boats all over the place. We enjoyed the sun until time to start the engines again at 6:30 PM. We were right on time to enter the Narrows. However, a cruise ship (Coral Princess) was bigger and faster so we followed her through. We are heading to April Point Cove which has a small anchorage and an upscale fishing resort. As we are getting closer to our destination the sun finally set and there is no moon. Beautiful stars, but they weren’t any help to us. We were guided almost completely by the chart potter (GPS). As we neared the cove we had our spotlight on looking for the buoy marking the bar into the cove. The buoy was only visible by our spotlight hitting the reflective numbers. Yes, we were on the correct course and entered the cove with the red buoy to starboard. The dock is visible with several large vessels (75-100 feet). The anchorage is small and shallow but we slipped past the docks and saw there was one sailboat already anchored. We really couldn’t see the shore so we anchored with the dock, sailboat and GPS to guide us. We got a good hold in 20 feet. We are both exhausted. We haven’t traveled after dark since we were in San Francisco Bay.

Port McNeill to Port Neville - 6 hours, 43 miles

The morning started out very nicely. We walked up to get a latte then Fred went and paid for moorage while I filled the water tank. It was cloudy but looked like it was going to clear. We traveled south-east in Johnstone Straight all day. The water here can be anything but it was smooth as glass today. We had to use the radar for a short period of time and we are so pleased that it works well enough to pick out a group of kayakers and a log boom. Fortunately the fog cleared in time to dodge logs. This is a common problem in Johnstone Straight. Logs get loose from the booms and become a serious hazard if one isn’t paying attention. For a few hours the sun was shining and everything looked so beautiful after a few days of rain. When we pulled into Port Neville we had to doge the bull kelp patches as usual. It was better today because we are at high tide. We are aiming for the dock because it is simple and free. There is no one else there so we have our choice of 3-4 places depending upon the size of boat. We took the one right in front. Merlin had a little time of running on the docks before the rain started again. Because of our experience in June (6/10) with an over zealous deer, we did not venture up on the land.

Port McNeill

The wind howled and it rained sidewise for two days. We are in a good slip but the boat was rolling so badly at times I (Joan) had to lie down because I felt seasick. We had no leaks and were snug as bugs. On Thursday night we went out for Mexican food at Bo Banees in the mall. We eat there every time we are in town and it is always good.

Port Hardy to Port McNeill - 3 hours, 21 miles

We have a peaceful day and are heading to one of our favorite ports. We are experiencing some rollers coming off Queen Charlotte Sound, but otherwise the sears are smooth. About half way between the two ports we noticed some dorsal fins to starboard. They are orcas! We stopped the engines and drifted a bit as we watched them play. This is our first orca sighting of the season. When they moved off we continued our journey. We hate buying fuel in Canada because it is so much more expensive that the US. Of course both are better than in 2008. Prudence dictated that we fill up in Port McNeill because we still have a long way to go. We put in 224 gallons at about $3.59/gallon. There are two marinas right next to each other now. The government dock and now the Fuel Dock Marina. We decided to stay at the fuel dock marina for a change. The young man at the fuel dock said they provided many services and to check out their website. www.portmcneill.com This marina is closer to the Laundromat but the other one is closer to the coffee shop. Decisions, decisions…

Port Hardy

We were going to leave this morning but the winds came up during the night and there is Gale Warnings for Queen Charlotte Straight. We are seeing winds up to 29 knots here on the dock.

Fury Cove to Port Hardy - 6 ½ hours, 55 miles

We left the cove about 6:30 AM, as soon as it was light enough to see. Unfortunately it is so overcast we don’t have a pretty sunrise. This is a big day. We are passing around Cape Caution which is a large protuberance of British Columbia mainland north of Vancouver Island. We had 3-4 foot ocean swells for about 4 hours crossing Queen Charlotte Sound. This really wasn’t too bad. It would have been a nightmare (and we wouldn’t have left) if the wind was up. The wind was almost nothing as we entered Queen Charlotte Straight and headed to Port Hardy. Port Hardy has three dock areas. We have usually stayed at the Quarterdeck Marina which has water & power on the docks, but is about a mile from shopping. The two public wharfs are usually full of fishing boats. However, when we entered Port Hardy Bay we saw that there was room on the public dock downtown. We tied up and there was only a sailboat already there. No power or water, however. That’s OK. We have our generator and water maker. We took Merlin out for a walk (he was thrilled!) and to wander. Of course we found the latte place. I plan to grocery shop in Port McNeill. Later in the afternoon the fishing boats came but the dock was not full.

Shearwater to Fury Cove - 7 ½ hours, 52 miles

It is a beautiful, clear, sunny day. We are headed to our last stop in northern BC. The water is almost like a pond. We are traveling into Fitz Hugh Sound which is partially open to the ocean. We stopped at Fury Cove. This is one of the prettiest coves in BC. One passes into an outer cove and then into the anchorage. The cove is made up of several small islets. One can see right out to Fitz Hugh Sound-ocean. There are white beaches made up of crushed shells. It is sandy at the water’s edge and progresses to unbroken shells near the high water mark. We took the dinghy over to explore. It was lovely and I didn’t have to worry about letting Merlin run free.