Aug. 1st - Prideaux Haven

This morning I got up around 7am & it was 57'.  3 boats left about that time so we're down to 7.  We left Cortez at 8:55 to head for Prideaux Haven & will raft up with our friends, Jon & Lois Kipper.  Rod went from elementary school through college with Jon.

We got to Prideaux at 11:00 & ended up anchoring near Jon & Harvey as they already had 3 boats rafted.  Jon took a stern tie up to shore for us.   We put our dinghy in the water for the 1st time on this trip.  Shadow has been walking all around the boat & just went down the ladder to the swim step & jumped into our dinghy - he's been down there twice but can't get back up the ladder.  I'm trying not to watch & Rod is taking pictures 🙀🙀🙀.  He figures this is a good spot for him to experience the outdoors & figure out what happens if he goes in the water. 

Well, my worst fear - Shadow went from the swim step onto the spray rail & couldn't turn around to come back.  He ended up in the water & Rod finally found him swimming on the other side of the boat.    Shadow grabbed the salmon net with his claws & teeth & that's how he got back on the boat.  He was soaking wet & ran all around the inside of the boat getting everything soaked.  He finally let me pick him up with a beach towel & hold him so I could dry him off a little.  Now he's trying to clean his fur.    We provided entertainment for Maggie & Harv (our Canadian friends).  

We went over to visit Maggie & Jon & Lois for awhile & will go back at 5pm for oysters, clams & pizza.  When we got back to the boat Shadow was dry.

A friend who belongs to SYC, Stan Stewart on Top Gun, came over because he heard that Shadow had fallen in the water.  He told us that it was important to wash him off with sink water as he would end up eating the salt & would get sick.  So we did that - wet again!  

Then we went over to the raft for dinner: we had Desolation Sound Oysters with tequila on them, clams, prawns, 2 salads, 2 types of pizza, chicken skewers & lemon pudding cake with whipping cream.  We haven't eaten so well since we were with the Morris's & Ihrigs...except this time we had lots of fish!!!  When we got back to the boat, Shadow was dry again.  Maggie told us he might have diarrhea or throw up but so far he seems ok.

July 31st - SYC Cortez

Didn't get up until 8am this morning & it was 60'.  Lots of boats have already left as the wind has died down.  A lot of people are headed to the Garden Bay Outstation, then hoping to cross the Georgia Straits when it calms down.  By 9:30 there were only 7 boats left here.  By 10am the wind was up to 15 knots so it will be interesting to see if things continue to calm down.

We were down to 4 boats by 10:30 & then 2 smaller boats came in with lots of laundry.  Fortunately I got up to do our sheets before the rush😻 & then did our towels this afternoon.  There are just 12 boats here tonight.  4 boats came & left during the day - mainly to do laundry, get rid of garbage & get ice.

Tonight we had cocktails on the flybridge - no wind & 77'.  A great day!

July 30th - SYC Cortez

This morning I got up at 7am & Rod was up at 6am.  It was 59', bright blue sky & not so windy so far.

Last night the outstation was full again.  A sailboat came in later in the evening & rafted with another sailboat.  

Several boats left again today & the docks have already filled up again before noon.  There are several sailboats rafted together (4 total).  2 came in across from us - it took the first sailboat quite awhile to get in because the wind really picked up again.  They had to have a lot of help with lines & 1 gal even jumped on their boat to help.  Their stern kept coming into the dock - they finally got in with lots of help.  Then another sailboat came in to raft with them & that also took a lot of assistance with guys jumping on their boat to help.  It was quite the show to watch from our boat.  Captain Rod even got in their boat to help with the rafting.

The wind got up to 20 knots - still too windy to sit on the flybridge!  When Barbara came down today (yesterday I told her to come to our dock 1st!), we got 6 raisin scones & 2 brownies.  I put 4 of the scones in the freezer.

July 29th - SYC Cortez Outstation

Today I got up just after 6am & it was already 62'.  Last night the boat we rafted to said they were going to leave at 8am rather than 9am.  It turned out we left a little earlier & back on the dock by 8am, tied up with help from 3 guys on the dock.  

Today I did 3 loads of laundry in the laundry room here - sheets, towels & cat towels (they cover our sofa in the salon).  People were lined up behind me as they only have 3 washers & 3 dryers.  After lunch I showered on the boat & Rod the same later.  He has been trying to fix his steering on the boat which has been an ongoing problem on this trip.  

It has been very windy again today - up to 21 knots so far.  Several boats left this morning & more came in later today.  A large steel boat came in this afternoon - a 62' Steel Motor Trawler.  Rod's going to take a picture for Jerry Morris as he "wants" a steel boat.

The SYC caretakers started a garden a couple of years ago that the yacht club members can pick from.  It was pretty picked over when we went up there but I got some chives for baked potatoes, various types of lettuce, lots of herbs & various other things.  

Tonight we had lamb chops & hash browns for dinner & delicious cookies that Barbara makes & brings to the docks every day.  She also goes to Royal Vancouver Yacht Club docks which are not far from us.  We've gotten focaccia bread, brownies & assorted cookies from her in the past.  She also makes delicious pies & jams.  This year we're trying to be better 😉.

July 25 - 28 Port Harvey and Blind Channel

Port Harvey barge rebuild (barge sunk last winter) 

Temporary office and party tent

Port Harvey has lots of room for socializing

Book Exchange and a few of the Red Shoes from the sunken restaurant

Oven for cooking the pizzas

Lady Lynn at the Port Harvey Dock

130' Hatteras "Sinbad"

Lady Lynn and a 50' Fleming Hull No. 1

Welcoming Sign at guess where?

Drone flying over Blind Channel Marina

Drone landing on a boat near us in the moorage (gotta get me one)

Boats at the Blind Channel Marina

More boats at Blind Channel

Full house

Resturant and store at Blind Channel

July 28th - SYC Cortez Outstation

This morning I didn't get up until 7:45am.  Rod got up at 6am.  It was 61' & looks like it's going to be another nice day.

The Crail left at 6am this morning.  They are heading north.  We left Blind Channel at 10:40 & it was already 65'.

We got to the SYC outstation at 3:15 & ended up rafting to another boat.  The outstation is full, with a number of other boats rafting.  It's 80' here, bright blue sky!  It is really windy here - gusts up to 15 knots.  I think we're pretty protected as we're rafted to a larger boat than ours.

The boat we're tied to is leaving at 9am tomorrow so we'll get his spot on the dock.  There was a "green box" here at 6pm (happy hour) but we decided to pass as we had a long ride over.

July 27th - Blind Channel

I didn't get up until after 7:30am & it was 57'.  There is a lot of current here & the boat was making lots of noise last night with the fenders rubbing against the dock.  

Today was really nice - got up to 72', blue skies & sun.  We had lunch up on the patio - Rod had a blue cheese burger & I had a portobello mushroom with brie burger.  Both really good!  Both were specials.  

Tonight we had martinis on the flybridge.  It has been very windy & the boat & the docks have been rocking all day.  But it was nice up there for awhile & then got too windy.  There was a boat flying a drone last night when we were up above.  He's one slip away from us.  It's the second one we've seen on this trip.  

There is a couple next to us on a 42' Grand Banks, named Crail, who we've met at the Grand Banks Rhondevouxs. They live in Anacortes - Molly & Forrie McIntosh.  The marina was full last night.  

Tomorrow we head to SYC Cortez Outstation for a few days, will probably leave about 10:30

Final pictures from Nikki Eco Adventure

Nikki getting ready to light the fire 

Nikki's 17' Runabout

Nikki creating ember with bow and spindle

Cedar bird's nest to catch the ember

Ember starts burning in the cedar nest

Where there's smoke there's fire

Twigs surround the cedar nest

Final fire heats the stir fry and herbal tea

Final moments before serving

Lynn has her stir fry lunch

River at the head of Viner Sound

Meadow at the mouth of the river in Viner Sound (Bear Country)

July 26th - Blind Channel

We left at 6:20 & it was 56'.  We heard on the BC Boaters net last night that was 88' at the SYC Cortez outstation.  We may be heading for warmer weather 😻😻😻.

We got through Johnstone Straits at 8:30 - we didn't go all the way down as we're headed to Blind Channel for 2 days so next are the 2 Rapids - Whirlpool & Green Rapids.  It got up to 21 knots after we went through the first set of Rapids.  We got to Blind Channel at 10:45am.  

We checked into the store to register the boat, bought another bottle of vodka & made reservations for dinner at 6:30.  Our lunch was leftover pizza from last night.  We had 4 slices & were told to heat it up in a frying pan which was a great suggestion.

We ran into Ray Marty at the store - he's from SYC on the Interim V.  He was a radiologist & a good friend of Rod's neighbor in Bridle Trails, Glenn Hamilton.  Glenn used to work for Ray before he became a stock broker (he was a doc too).  

It got up to 72' today.  We had dinner at the restaurant at 6:30pm.  I had mussels & clams from Desolation Sound in coconut milk for an appetizer & halibut for dinner.  Rod had corn chowder & snitzel for dinner.  We shared a blueberry crumble with ice cream for dessert.  All very good.

There were 22 boats here tonight.

July 25th - Pt. Harvey Marina

I got up around 6am & it was 61'.  Rod started pulling the anchor up at 7:15 & we left by 7:20.  There was no mud on the anchor, which is unusual.  We arrived at Pt. Harvey at 9:40 & it was  57'.  Very cold.  

Some friends from SYC were here when we arrived - they are John & Marcia Walther on the Desert Sun.  We spent a lot of time with them last year.  Even went to Nimmo Bay with them.  They are heading north so we won't see them again on this trip.  There is another SYC boat here called Sinbad - it's a 130' Hatteras boat owned by Joel Diamond.  There are only 2 of those boats in the world.

George Cambridge, the owner of Pt Harvey Marina is making pizzas this year so that will be our dinner:  salami, pepperoni, onions, mushrooms & olives.  This last winter his barge (which had a restaurant called the Red Shoe) sank.  He's in the process of building a new building where it sat.  

It got up to 68' this afternoon, blue sky but windy - up to 13 knots.  They have a 5pm happy hour too so we did that.  Only 5 boats here & there were 3 couples who came & we all had pizzas.  They have a medium size tent that they got from Pierre to sit in.

Nikki Aventure 2nd set of photos

Inside the cave under the midden 

Scramble up the trail to a clearing

Lynn at the midden site

  

Lynn watching Nikki prepare lunch

Nikki chops greens we collected for stir fry

July 24th - Potts Lagoon

I was up at 7am & the Captain was up at 6am.  It was 61'.  

I forgot to mention yesterday that they had a rubber ducky race yesterday at 4pm.  Pierre & Tova had asked people to wear yellow &/or dress up.  We watched from the boat - there were a lot of ducks in the water & lots of people participating.  A fellow that we met at Sullivan Bay (we sat with them at dinner there) flew a drone from his boat with an iPad & it took lots of pictures.  His boat is named Djeneba & has an elephant painted on it - it's 63' long & they have lots of people flying in & out to visit them.  His grandson won the race & got $370 as his prize!  He's going to give copies of the pictures to Tova so hopefully there will be some pictures on their website.  There was no current going in the back where they did the race so Pierre took his fishing boat back there trying to create some waves.  Before that the ducks really weren't moving much.  It was fun to watch.

We left Echo Bay at 9:40.  It was very foggy part of the way, but finally cleared up. We hit a log that thumped the boat twice & Rod saw it in our wake.  At that point it was too foggy to see it.  We're seeing lots of traps - the Captain thinks they are probably for prawns as the water is pretty deep, but could be for crab as well.

We got to Potts Lagoon about noon & it was already 70'.  Some friends of ours from SYC are here too - Gary & Judy Ball on Voyageur - also a Grand Banks, 36'.  Gary does the BC Boaters net (ham radio) too.  We've run into them a number of times on this trip & heard last night that they were coming here as well.   We've invited them to come to our boat for cocktails.  We thought we might be able to sit on the flybridge (we've only been able to do that once so far) but the temperature is down to 66' & the wind has picked up so we'll be inside.

Eventually it started raining & rained most of the night.

July 23rd - Pierre's Echo Bay

I didn't get up until almost 8am - Rod got up at 5:30.  It was 60' when I got up.  It got up to 74' today with mostly blue skies.  

Today Nikki came by drop off her book for the couple who went out with us yesterday.  They had already left by the time she got here but they are going to Sullivan Bay which Nikki is to so we told her to take her book with her.  She is also brought us snap peas from her garden.

I forgot to mention that Carolyn Morris gave us some Amish butter that she buys at the La Conner market - it comes in a large roll & doesn't have to be refrigerated.  It is excellent & we've been using it on English Muffins which we are about to run out of.  The woman that gave the provisioning speech at our Grand Banks rhondevoux had recommended bringing them on the boat as they last a long time.  I'm going to buy some here before we leave.  

She also gave us pretzels, pecans & Rolos to make a special treat for the grandchildren when they come aboard later in August (& maybe the adults will have some too)!  You bake them in the oven so they slightly melt.  Heather & the girls fly into Ganges & then come back home with us.

Tonight was the pig roast - Echo provides the pig & everyone brings side dishes.  We took baked beans & ham.  There were a lot of side dishes, all excellent.  

July 22nd First pictures of the Nikki Adventure from Echo Bay

Lady Lynn at Pierre's Echo Bay 

Seagull feather in the grass at a small islet where we were gathering greens for lunch

Our excursion boat. Nikki's Cadillac Fish

Nikki gathering greens

Tug and tow moving equipment to a logging camp

Skipper of the tug a friend of Nikki's

Lynn inside a cave looking at a midden 

View from inside the midden looking out

July 22nd - Pierre's Echo Bay

It was 58' when I got up around 7am.  

Nikki came to get us a little after 11am.  The couple across from us with the Burmese kitten emailed her after we told them about her & said they could come with us.  We decided to look for bears & went to 2 different places - 1 before lunch & Viner Sound (where we tied to a buoy).  We didn't see any unfortunately.  Then we went to 2 different islands to gather food for our stir fry lunch.  

We ended up going to a clam shell beach (they're called a midden beach) to have lunch.  It used to be a First Nations island.  There was an amazing cave that had layers & layers of shells.  It represented 1000 years per foot of clam shells.  It was quite something.  We got back about 5:30.  

Cocktails then dinner.

July 20th - Sullivan Bay Marina

I got up about 7am & Rod was up at 6am.  It was 60'.  It got up to 71' today.  No bears this morning or deer.

We tried several times to get internet but couldn't until this afternoon.  

Tonight we went to the restaurant for dinner.  We hadn't planned to do that but when Rod checked out this afternoon they said they had a cancellation for 2 so he decided we should go.  We had chicken, potato salad & corn for dinner & a dessert.  We sat with 2 other couples who were on the same boat - one was a couple visiting on the boat from Burlington, Vermont - he is the president of the university there.  The other couple had invited them to fly in & spend 8 days up here.  The other couple has a 63' foot boat & spends the summer up here.

There was a couple at dinner that we met on a SYC Gourmet cruise a long time ago.  They just bought a float home at Sullivan Bay.  We talked to them for a little while after dinner.  

Shadow managed to get outside several times on the boat yesterday.  Whenever anyone comes over to chat, the Captain stands outside the door & doesn't always pay attention to where the cat is.  Fortunately, so far, he's easy to scoop up & put back inside.  I think he just wants to be were we are & he definitely loves the outdoors🙀🙀🙀.

July 21st - Pierre's Echo Bay

I didn't get up until 7:30 this morning & it was 57' & kept getting more foggy.  We delayed our leaving a little - originally we were going to leave at 8:30, left around 9am.  

Our departure from the dock was a little hairy (actually mild understatement).  The boat got away from the dock, Captain on the dock.  He ended up climbing up over the bow rail to get back on the boat.  Would like to not repeat that...he had his bow thruster around his neck but it moved away too quickly.  I tried to throw him the stern line but it moved away too quickly too.  

Prime rib tonight & pig roast on Saturday.  Both dinners are sold out & the marina will be full.  Tomorrow we are going out with Nikki for our eco-adventure.  She'll pick us up at 11am at Pierre's.

There is a boat across the dock from us with a 7 month old Burmese kitten.  He's been walking around outside on the boat & is a beautiful cat.  He was trying to figure out how to get down the ladder on the boat & finally figured it out.  He is an indoor cat at home & this is his first time boating.  Their boat is smaller than ours & they wanted him to get some exercise.  I went over & talked to them & told them about Shadow (who so far has not noticed the kitty).  They said they have a salmon net to get him out of the water.  They had another Burmese & threw him into the water & said he swam around but never went in the water again.  Maybe a lesson to learn here 🙀🙀🙀.

We sat with an interesting group of people tonight, as usual - another good meal.

July 19th - Sullivan Bay Marina

This morning Rod woke me up at 7am because there were 2 black bears on the shore by our boat - a baby & the mom.  Our SYC friends, Judy & Gary Ball on the Voyageur, told us last night to look for them because they saw 1 last year when they were in our spot.  It was low tide & they come out to eat.  It was 58' this morning.

Around 8:30 I saw 2 deer on shore - 1 with antlers & the other without.  Rod left to try to upload his pictures as we don't have Internet access on the boat so he didn't see them...no pics!  Maybe tomorrow.

It got up to 71' today with mostly overcast skies in the afternoon.  A lot of people have been fishing off the docks for halibut & some are catching them.  We had heard that people were catching them before we came here.  

Our happy hour tonight is martinis (our first on the boat) - Rod is gin & mine is vodka, with double stuffed jalapeño & garlic green olives from Costco.  I'm sure I've said before that the Captain makes the best martinis!!!  Rod's eating peanuts with his & I'm having unsalted mixed nuts, also both from Costco.  

Shadow has spent most of the day on our bed.  I think he went there because I was doing 3 laundries on the boat. I also did a wash at Sullivan in the laundry - sheets & a few towels.  

When we were out talking to Cindy & Ellen from SYC ( they came in last night), Shadow was hanging from our stateroom window batting his paw out the window.  That's where we were talking to them.  Now he's in his kennel where he really doesn't spend a lot of time.  

Tonight we saw a seal in our bay - we have a resident seal in Shelter Bay too by the marina near us.  Dinner was some more flank steak & salad.

There are a lot of SYC boats here - Cindy said she counted close to 20 yesterday.

July 18, 2016 Kwatsi to Sullivan Bay

Entrance to Simoon Sound 

Whale of a tale 

Great whale show off Simoon Sound

More of the whale show 

Bear cub at Sullivan Bay

Mama bear

Mother and bear cub