April 10.   Sidney B.C.  Depart 1:15    6002.1 hours   32,676 miles

                  Bedwell Harbor, South Pender Island  Arrive 3:45  

                 48 45.11’ N, 123 14.05’W         Cloudy & breezy      12.6 nm

We have a great breakfast in town, do a little more shopping and laundry and then prepare to head out.  Frank comes down to the dock to see us off.  It is always a good feeling to have someone see you off and wave goodby.  We really should have left early this morning because of the tides but I really wanted to have that great breakfast in town.  That was a mistake and one we won’t make again.  The current is against us the whole way.  Good thing it was only 12.6 nautical miles.  At one point we had a 3 knot current against us.  That was not fun.  The further north we go the worse the currents will get so we need to plan on going with the currents even if it means staying a day longer or leaving sooner than we originally planned.  We were safe and under control the whole time it was just not fun fighting the currents.   We are anchored in a marine park just north of Poet’s Cove.  Poet’s Cove is an exclusive looking resort complete with swimming pool, spa, a couple of restaurants, and a large marina.  We will go explore tomorrow.  Also we are looking at Mt. Norman – what do you think about that!  I wonder which of Jerry’s relatives it was named after?!?  We plan to climb to the top (800 feet) on Saturday to see what we can see.  But for the rest of today we are simply enjoying the solitude and sun.  THIS is what we were preparing for the whole time.  Places like this to enjoy.  And of course the crab pot is already in the water.  Perhaps we will have crab for breakfast in the morning.

 

 

April 11.  At Anchor in Bedwell Harbor and we are ready to explore and climb to the top of Mount Norman.  Our first stop is to see what we can see at Poet’s Cove.  Since it is early in the season the store is not yet opened.  But the resort is gorgeous.  The sea plane lands a few times a day to bring in and take out their guests who have not arrived by car and ferry.  The marina is quite nice too and if you are a guest at the marina you can use the facilities as well.  But we are on to bigger, or at least higher, places today.  We have a mountain (800 feet elevation) to climb.   

It is a bit more strenuous than I thought it was going to be but the effort was well worth it.  The view from the top is breathtaking!   You can see the bridge connecting North and South Pender Islands, Medicine Beach, and while we were there a huge ship was going up Haro Strait. 

 

 

When we get back to the beach and the dinghy (which has been left high and dry by the tides) we are amazed at the oysters that are thick on the rocky beach.  I have never seen that many oysters growing like that before.  Makes me hungry.  The geology on the beach is quite interesting as well.  If only I had paid attention in geology class I might have an idea of what I am looking at.  It is a little hard getting the dinghy back to the water.  We didn’t really expect the tide to go out that much while we were gone, but then we didn’t think it would take so long to hike to the top of the mountain.  But we make it and the dinghy is ready to go and we are off to check the crab pot.  Yippee—crab for dinner!!!!  As we sit on the back of the boat enjoying our crab, the late afternoon sun, the beauty and peacefulness of this little harbor we feel like this is the start of a great adventure.  And to top off the day a pretty sunset.

 

 

 

April 12.  Another gorgeous day.  Jerry got the dinghy all set with the fish finder/depth sounder installed and the rod holder.  So he is ready to catch some fish now.  He also got the oil changed in the genset which is not an easy job.  Then we just enjoyed the sun and watched all the boats come into the harbor.  There was quite a parade of them, summertime must be pretty hectic here. 

 

 

 

April 13.  We decide to go explore the Port Browning harbor by dinghy today.  We were going to go around the island and anchor there but figure we will just leave Knot Dreamin’ behind and check things out with the little boat.  So off we go.  It is another nice day, a bit cloudy but not too cold.  We are able to take the shortcut with the dinghy.  The landowners of Pender Island several years ago created a canal between North and South Pender Islands and built a bridge over the canal.  It is too low of a bridge for Knot Dreamin’ to make it through but the dingy has no problem.  Glad we decided to check things out before moving our anchorage.  There really isn’t much over here.  The “Port” area is just a very small dock.  Lots of locals have their boats anchored in the harbor.  We take a walk into town, about ½ mile.  The town is just a little shopping area called Driftwood Center.  There is a grocery store, bookstore, clothing store, some businesses and best of all a bakery.  So we decide to have lunch at the bakery and what a good decision that was.  Really good homemade soup.  On the way back to the dinghy we see a sign pointing to the local winery saying that it is open for tasting today, only 3 km (kilometers, we are in Canada now) away.  That equates to about 1.5 miles so we decide to see what is there.  Well it is further away than 3km but we continue on.  It is a really nice winery started in 2002.  They recently won an award for their Merlot.  We did the tasting thing and kind of enjoyed their product.  It seemed lighter than lots of the wines we have had.  So we bought a bottle and walked back to the dinghy.  There is still lots of things we want to see on this island but we are ready to head out tomorrow to the next spot.  It is always good to leave something for next time. 

 

April 15.  On the hook in Lyall Harbour.  Took the dinghy to the Government Dock and walked to the Post Office to check for our mail.  Not there yet.   So back down the hill we hiked and decided to have lunch at the Pub while getting on the internet on their wifi.  Had a delicious grilled cod sandwich, got caught up on the emails, then headed back to the boat.  A nice quiet day.

 

April 17. Still on the hook, still no mail.  But this time we brought our bikes to shore with us.  So after purchasing some homemade goodies at the store/Post Office/hardware store/feed store we take off for Winter Cove.  The roads on this island are very steep and hilly and narrow but we make it to the park.  This cove is very shallow but gorgeous.  We met Robert who lives in Winter Cove.  He says in the winter it is so calm that you can see the reflection of the stars in the water.  He moved here for the winter 12 years ago and hasn’t left yet.  We eat our lunch overlooking Boat Pass.  It is a very narrow passage between Saturna Island and Samuel Island.  

The water flows through like a river sometimes at a speed of 7.5 knots.  It flows into the bay on ebb tide and out of the bay on flood tide.  It is really something to watch.  While we were there we say otters and seals playing in the eddies and currents and a local fisherman shot through the rapids with total confidence. 

The wildflowers are beginning to bloom and at this spot there were some pretty, delicate wild lilies.  The view out to Georgia Strait is spectacular.  You can see Vancouver B.C. on the horizon.  A wonderful clear, calm day.  Back at the boat we make plans for tomorrow.  We are going to move tomorrow mail or no mail.  If no mail we will go to nearby Mayne Island for the weekend and come back on Monday to get our packages.  If we actually get our mail tomorrow we will head up to Montague Harbour.  So we set the courses for either scenario and now only the Post Office (and perhaps the weather) will determine where we go next.

 

April 19.  Jerry is awakened at 3:45 this morning by lights flashing through the portholes.   So being the good Captain that he is he gets up to check things out.  What he sees is a tug with a huge log boom coming into the Harbour.  He is shining his lights on the shore looking for a good place to put the log boom and hunker down for the impending storm.  At no fault of our own we are right in his way.  If we were not here he could have easily slid next to the shore but now he has to maneuver around us.  He came very close to our boat but did an excellent job of situating himself and the log boom in the dark with the winds starting to blow.  Just as the crew was finished securing the boom to the bank the storm started.  Snow flying and winds blowing.  We must have chosen the right spot to weather the storm since it seems to be the spot the professionals have chosen.  We have gotten gusts of up to 30mph but inside Knot Dreamin’ is very cozy.  This boat takes the wind very well and that is a good thing because I don’t take the wind very well.  It’s the coldness that is so amazing at this time of year.   Hopefully this will be the end of the cold weather and we will start to experience some summer type weather soon.  

 

By early afternoon there is a break in the weather enough to get the dinghy down and go ashore.  We take a walk and then go to the Pub for lunch and use of the wifi.   When we get back to the boat we expect to see the tug preparing to leave at high tide.  But there is no sign of that happening.  He is here for the night, so we have company in our little harbor.

 

 

 

April 20.  Still very cold but we went for a walk anyway.  By afternoon the sun came out and while in the sun it was pretty warm.  The winds have died down and we are about to have a show.    Another boat has entered the harbor, a 49 foot Grand Banks named Sea Gypsy II.  They are anchored where we were before and there is also a sailboat anchored at the end of the bay.  And now the tub, Vulcan, is preparing to leave the harbor with his log boom.  It is going to be quite interesting to see how he maneuvers around these boats.  We are wondering if we will have to move.  And then we see that Vulcan is going to the other boats and talking to them.  The sailboat really isn’t an issue because he is way out of the way.  But Sea Gypsy II is really an obstacle for the tug.  After talking with Sea Gypsy II he starts to head towards us.  We really don’t want to have to move but we really don’t want to be in the way of all those logs.  The captain is really very nice.  After admiring our boat he talks with Jerry for a while.  He is from LaConner.  He has been on the water for 40 years but hasn’t been north of Nanaimo.  He is taking these logs to LaConner, some to Seattle, Tacoma and even Olympia.  He says he has about 1 ½ million dollars worth of logs in that boom.  He doesn’t think we will have to move, he has it figured out how he can swing the boom around and miss the boats, the buoy and the crab pots.  It is quite an interesting operation to watch.  It takes him about an hour to finally get the entire log boom out of the harbor.  And he tugs away into the sunset. 

Tomorrow we will leave Lyall Harbour even if the mail isn’t here.  There is just too many other places we want to see.  But it has been a pleasant week here on Saturna Island, except for the very cold weather – snow in April!  We have seen some huge cedars and madrona trees.  The Islanders are very friendly, they even stop and chat with us at the grocery store.  I guess if you stay a week you start to become one of them!

April 20.  Still very cold but we went for a walk anyway.  By afternoon the sun came out and while in the sun it was pretty warm.  The winds have died down and we are about to have a show.    Another boat has entered the harbor, a 49 foot Grand Banks named Sea Gypsy II.  They are anchored where we were before and there is also a sailboat anchored at the end of the bay.  And now the tub, Vulcan, is preparing to leave the harbor with his log boom.  It is going to be quite interesting to see how he maneuvers around these boats.  We are wondering if we will have to move.  And then we see that Vulcan is going to the other boats and talking to them.  The sailboat really isn’t an issue because he is way out of the way.  But Sea Gypsy II is really an obstacle for the tug.  After talking with Sea Gypsy II he starts to head towards us.  We really don’t want to have to move but we really don’t want to be in the way of all those logs.  The captain is really very nice.  After admiring our boat he talks with Jerry for a while.  He is from LaConner.  He has been on the water for 40 years but hasn’t been north of Nanaimo.  He is taking these logs to LaConner, some to Seattle, Tacoma and even Olympia.  He says he has about 1 ½ million dollars worth of logs in that boom.  He doesn’t think we will have to move, he has it figured out how he can swing the boom around and miss the boats, the buoy and the crab pots.  It is quite an interesting operation to watch.  It takes him about an hour to finally get the entire log boom out of the harbor.  And he tugs away into the sunset.  Tomorrow we will leave Lyall Harbour even if the mail isn’t here.  There is just too many other places we want to see.  But it has been a pleasant week here on Saturna Island, except for the very cold weather – snow in April!  We have seen some huge cedars and madrona trees.  The Islanders are very friendly, they even stop and chat with us at the grocery store.  I guess if you stay a week you start to become one of them!

April 21   Lyall Harbour, Saturna Island   Depart 11:06  sun, clouds and wind

                 6010.4 hours  32705 miles

                 Montague Harbour, Gabriola Island   Arrive 1:18    10.41 nm

                 Lat/Long:  48 53.75’   123 23.56’

We get up early so we can dinghy to shore and be at the Post Office when they open at 9.  Trouble is, it takes her another 45 minutes to sort through all the mail and of course, ours still isn’t there.  That’s it – enough hanging around for the mail.  We are ready to head out of here.  So we get back to the boat,  raise the dinghy onto the boat (which takes 20 to 30 minutes), pull the anchor and get the mud washed off (another 20+ minutes) and off we go.  We feel good about finally seeing some new territory.  We have heard a lot about Montague Harbour so we are going to see what it is all about.  We have a good voyage, the winds are not too bad and Jerry has timed the tide and currents just right again so that the trip is short and easy.  The harbor is very protected and feels more like a lake than a part of the Sound.  This is a marine park and also a marina.  In the summertime it is packed but today there are only 4 other boats besides ours at the park.  And one of those boats is Sea Gypsy II (from Lyall Harbour).  They pull in about 30 minutes after us.  After lunch we head to shore to explore this island, Gabriola.  The Marina, Gift Shop, Grill, Moped Rentals and Kayak Rentals are all closed until May.  So not much going on there.  So we start up the road towards the grocery store.  Some locals are just getting out of their car and we ask them about the island.  They tell us which direction to head but that we should just hitchhike and someone will be sure to pick us up.  Well I can just hear my Dad now telling me never to hitchhike.  Jerry looks at me and asks me if I plan on hitching a ride.  He knew that it was unlikely that would happen!  But we get a little ways up the road and here comes those same people.  They stop and take us to the store and tell us we will surely be picked up on the way back to the marina.  Well we get a few things at the store and go to the Hummingbird Pub.  Other than seeing several different kinds of hummingbirds outside the windows the Pub was, in the words of our friend Candice, “less than remarkable”.   So we quickly head back to the marina.  Sure enough, about half way back a car pulls up beside us.  The driver, a man of about 80 years old, rolls down his window and says, “I just couldn’t see passing you by when you are walking and going in the same direction I am going.  So you might as well get in.”  He has lived on this island for 25 years.  He says the winters are great here because it is so quiet and peaceful.  So after we get back to the boat and have dinner, Jerry rows the dinghy over to Sea Gypsy II to say hi to the people aboard.  They invited us to come back in the morning so he can tell us where all the good fishing spots are from here to Alaska. 

April 22.  After breakfast we go calling on our neighbors aboard Sea Gypsy II.  Their names are Tom and Susan.  They have been to Alaska three times and here in the Gulf Islands many times.  So they had lots of interesting advice for us.   After a nice visit we head back and they take off for Saltspring Island.  We will have to go there another time.  We go to shore and take a nice hike around the peninsula.  Saw some pretty colored sea stars and the route we are going to take when we leave here.  And it is time to head out so back to the boat we go

    Montague Harbour, Galiano Island.   Depart  14:45 

          6013.1 hours   32,715 miles    cloudy, breezy, and rippled seas

          Telegraph Harbour, Thetis Island  Arrive  17:55      15.1 nm

          Lat/Long:  48 58.93  123 40.23      

We have heard a lot about this island but until mid-May there is nothing open on a Tuesday evening.  So after a quick bowl of soup we take a walk around the harbor.  There is a Bible Camp near the ferry landing with a gorgeous campus and their view is outstanding.  We have discovered that these islands all have different personalities.  Saturna is a very laid back atmosphere of we’ll do it whenever we get around to it.  Galiano seemed to be full of people who never grew out of the 1960’s and the younger ones believe they too are part of the 60’s generation.  Thetis has a very comfortable feeling to it.  There seems to be a lot of pride of ownership on this island.  But since it isn’t May there just isn’t much to do here so we will head out in the morning.

April 23.   Telegraph Harbour, Thetis Island    Depart 9:06

                  6016.4 hours  32,730 miles  cloudy, rain showers, some wind

                  Nanaimo, Vancouver Island.  Arrived 13:30

Nanaimo is the sixth largest city in British Columbia and it is also the jump off point to Desolation Sound, the Broughton Islands, and the Inside Passage.  The Captain is very happy today because at 10:04 we crossed the 49^th parallel!  Yippee!!  He has been waiting for that to happen and now he feels like we are getting somewhere.  In order to get here you must go through the Dodd Narrows.  It is a very narrow passage where there is really fast currents at high flood and high ebb tides.  So  you need to go through that pass at slack tide.  Boats congregate on either side of the pass waiting for the slack to occur from the south and from the north.  There isn’t room for two boats to pass each other so local protocol is important when going through the Narrows.  We have been told by all of the experienced boaters just how to achieve this passage.  So Jerry studied the tides and currents and we have timed our trip just right.  We go through with no trouble.  But you can see how someone could really get themselves in trouble if they don’t know what they are doing.  We have several things we want to get done while we are in Nanaimo as it will be the last city of any size we will be in until our return in the Fall.  First and foremost is getting some internet service.  We get signed up for BBX which is what all the boaters use.  But it is only good near marinas so we are a bit skeptical of how it will work.  But at least we have something part of the time.  The guys in the boat ahead of us here at the docks have invited us over for a beer so we will go meet them.  Mike is the owner of the 44 foot DeFever, a really nice boat named Seeker.  He and his friend are doing a shake down cruise before Mike and his wife head out for the Broughton Islands in July.  So we might meet up with them there.  When we got to the boat there was a boat card left on the back deck.  Some owners of another 40 foot Nordhavn had stopped by.  They live here in Nanaimo so I called them and thanked them for leaving the card and perhaps we would see them tomorrow.

April 24.  Today is a work day.  Grocery shoppin, laundry, and cleaning the boat interior for me.  Jerry has to get the internet service on track and replace the boom winch.  Whenever we bring the dinghy back up to the boat, the winch is lugging down and causing the breakers to switch off.  So that must be fixed.  It would be a huge problem if it went out while the boat was being brought up and just hanging over the edge.  That would not be a good thing.  But once he gets working on the problem he discovers that the cable pulleys are bad.  So he replaces both of those and hopefully that will solve the problem.   When we are both finished working we head off for pizza New York style.  This is one of the best pizzas we have had because the crust is so light.  It is thick but not chewy.  We really enjoyed it.  Shortly after we get back to the boat we have company.  Ian and Mary, the people who had left their card last night, came by to visit with us.  They have recently purchased their boat also.  In fact they had considered buying this boat!  So we had a lot to talk about.  We compared stories about learning about all the systems on the boats.  They were a little overwhelmed like we were.  And it was good to share different things that we have discovered about the boats to help each other out.  They were very helpful with travel tips to various areas in Desolation Sound and The Broughton Island.  So it was a great visit and hopefully we will meet up with them while cruising this summer.

April 25.  Another work day.  Jerry fixes the heat pump system, cleans the genset and watermaker sea strainers and replaces one of the filters for the watermaker.  We are still trying to figure out what we should do about a freezer but find that Sears doesn’t have any that will work for us.  At the Chandlery shop we get some charts that we need and talk to a guy about getting a part for the portable freezer we have.  We think that might be the way to go.  Jerry gets part of the boat washed.  We are waiting for the BBX (internet service) hardware to arrive and then we will wait out the weather before crossing the Strait of Georgia to our next destination.   We end the evening with a nice walk on the waterfront.  There is a 4km walkway edging the water, marinas and several parks.  It is a great walk and always lots of people out enjoying it.  Many of the towns we have visited since we left home in December have walking trails or paved paths.  Makes walking or biking so much nicer than having to worry about traffic. 

April 26.  Jerry spends the whole days washing the boat and still not quite finished.  Once the washing is finished then we can work on waxing but that can be done a portion at a time.  So after a quiet dinner on board the boat we force ourselves to go out for a walk – never sorry always glad that we took that walk.   We walked to the Casino to check it out.  They have poker tables but they are run electronically – no casino dealer.  It was kind of fun to watch that for a while.  Then we headed up a street we hadn’t been on and discovered that we were just in time for a band playing at the Blues Underground Club.  We didn’t even know it was there but one of the organizers convinced us to go on it and listen.  The performer, Tat, a First Nations fellow, who had been playing the blues for 50 years (he was probably 75 years old).  He reminded us a lot of Jerry’s college roommate, Bob.  The backup band was SlyDog Blues Band.  Their harmonica player was really great.   It was a fun way to spend the evening.  You never know what will happen when you force yourself to go for that walk!

April 27.  What started out to be a really uneventful day turned into a surprising encounter – a blast from the past so to speak.   Here’s what happened.  After Jerry finished, almost, washing the boat we decided to go to the casino for a while.  While I quickly lost at black jack Jerry played Heads Up No Limit Texas Hold’em.  At first the other guy was winning but Jerry came from behind and took all the guys money.  After all that excitement we returned to the boat.  And that is when the surprise meeting occurred.  A sailboat had come in while we were gone and tied stern to stern with our boat which is very common.  The owner of that boat named Kansei was out on the deck and so of course we said hello.  They are from Everett and are heading to Sitka and have been traveling these waters for 25 years.  We told him we thought we would be going to the Broughton Islands.  He then got off and came over to take a closer look at our boat.  He looked so familiar to me but I have become cautious about that because I am forever waving at someone or saying hi to someone and then discovering they aren’t even a close resemblance to who I thought they were.  But this guy, looked and talked just like a guy who went to high school with us.  Jerry was thinking the same thing and was about to say something when I piped up, “Is your name Chuck?”  Well you could have knocked the guy over with a feather.  He couldn ‘t figure out how in the world I knew his name.  So I said, “We all went to school together.” (which by the way was almost 40 years ago)  So we told him are names and he then remembered us quite well.  He gave me a big hug and then out comes his wife, Sara,who did not go to school with us, wondering who in the world is this boat person hugging her husband!   What a great treat it was to spend the evening with Chuck and Sara Cooney reminiscing a little but mostly talking over some of their favorite places up here and learning some great tips.   I just can’t get over how in all the places either of us could have been we end up stern to stern in Nanaimo.  Who ever would have thought!

April 28. Well we thought we were going to leave the Nanaimo docks today and anchor out at Newcastle Island which is just a few hundred yards away.  But the forecast is for some winds and rather than move we decided to stay here and have a potluck dinner with Chuck and Sara.  We did laundry and waited for UPS to deliver our BBX hardware.  It arrived before noon and laundry and shopping is all finished.  So the four of us decided to take Chuck’s dinghy and go to Newcastle Island to do some exploring. 

It is a great little island, all owned by the Canadian Government.  In the summer this place is really hopping but today we were the only ones on the island which made it easier to see the wildlife.  We say a mother goose and her babies, a squirrel, a couple of deer and a bald eagle – the first one so far.  By the time we are finished with the hike around the island it is pouring rain and we still have to ride the dinghy back to our boats.  We all looked and felt like a bunch of drowned rats.   We make it back safely though and have a nice dinner and call it a day because the plan is to leave early in the morning to cross the Georgia Strait.

 

 

April 30.  Garden Bay, Pender Harbour, B.C.  Depart 9:17

                  6026.7 hours  32,784 engine miles .  Sunny, windy, cloudy. 

                  Westview/Powell River, B.C.  Arrive 13:54

                  Lat/Long:  49 49’  / 124 32’                         

               Seas are 2-3 feet wind waves with a northwest wind for half of the trip

               Flattening to 1 to 2 feet by the end of the day

Kind of a pitching ride today.  Because of the winds hitting us directly at the bow we did a lot of pitching (up and down over the waves kind of like a roller coaster).  But by the middle of the trip the waters calmed down.  We got to the marina at Westview about ½ hour behind Charley and Sara.  Jerry docked the boat perfectly and with the help of our friends we were tied up pretty quickly.  Jerry gets the boat rinsed off from all the salt water splashing on us throughout the trip while I get the inside cleaned up a bit.  Then we went off to try to find an internet café, do a bit of shopping, and scout out a place for dinner.  The town of Westview is about 10,000 people and reminds us a lot of Brookings.  It is a prawn fishing town and the commercial season starts tomorrow.   The docks are full of boats heavily laden with shrimp/prawn pots.  One boat had 500 pots on it. They will be out in the morning ready to set their traps at noon.  The four of us have dinner together in town and share our destination plans for tomorrow.  It looks like this is where we will part company because they are going to be in Juneau by mid June.  We are going to do some serious exploring in Desolation Sound.  It has been a great time together.   Unexpectedly meeting up with Chuck and Sara will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of this trip.  Their experience and boating wisdom has helped to increase our confidence.  They are two very thoughtful and caring individuals who were kind enough to show us some of the ropes and encouraged us to follow along with them.  We had a lot of fun together in these last three days and hope to meet up in September to compare our summer adventures with each other.