Walks on Gabriola

Fun on Gabriola with Bruce, Hillary, and Family

September 12 - 14, 2008: We spent two great days with Bruce and Hillary Reid and their two boys Ian and Tim at their vacation home on Gabriola Island.
Bruce is Donna's cousin. Lorna and Norman, also cousins, were able to join us, too.

The view from our bedroom which overlooks Plyades Channel and Gabriola Pass was stunning. Donna got up before sunrise to enjoy the view.

We had a great family reunion as well as some very enjoyable seaside walks. Thank you Bruce and Hillary for your gracious hospitality!!

Telegraph Harbor, Thetis Island

September 11: A warm, windless day so we motored 2.5 hr. to Thetis Island's Telegraph Harbor. The approach to Thetis and the harbor has many treacherous shallow areas. All of a sudden, our depth sounder was indicating 5 feet in an area the chart said should be at least 25 feet deep. Also, there were some pretty threatening rocks in the area, too. We tried to anchor out, but there were so many bouys and other boats around that I was afraid we would swing into if the wind shifted. It was also very shallow. We ended up in Thetis Island Marina.

Princess Cove, Wallace Island

September 10, Sailed to Wallace Island and anchored in tiny Princess Cove, which is part of a British Columbia Marine Park. Because of limited swinging room (believe me, this boat is a real swinger), we tied the stern of the boat to shore. That's me in the dinghy tying our stern line to a shore chain that had been installed by the park service.

Wallace island is about 3 miles long and very narrow. It is almost entirely in its natural state, except for a small private in-holding, and a few primitive campsites for kayakers. The place abounds with bird life, as we saw several blue herons, and heard exotic bird calls that sounded like steam whistles. We watched an otter dive for its crab breakfast this morning and then return to its burrow just above the high tide line.

Donna and I hiked about 5 miles on Wallace. Along the way, we came across a cabin that had been part of a long-gone resort. The place was festooned with pieces of decorated driftwood that boaters had left - an interesting tradition.

We now have a new camera, thanks to Norman, who bought one for us! It is now residing permanently in a waterproof case, just in case.

September 9, 2008: Here are some pictures of the Ganges Harbor area on Salt Spring Island. (Thanks to Norman, Donna's cousin who has loaned us his camera until we can get a new one.) That's Norman on our hike this afternoon. Had lunch at a local bakery that had superb breads and pastries. We cooked a great Salmon dinner on the boat with fish caught today and sold in a market operated by fisherman. A sign in the market said "wild salmon don't do drugs." Most of the produce you can buy here is local and organic.

Tomorrow we head for Princess Bay on Wallace Island, and then to Thetis Island on Thursday.

To Otter Bay and Ganges Harbor

Sunday, Sept. 8. Left Poet's Cove this morning - very windy. Once outside the Bedwell Harbor inlet, wind gusted to 42 kts. No way to sail, especially as our next destination was directly to windward. The boat motored through the chop very well, most likely owing to the weight of all the extra water and supplies we are carrying in the boat's bow area.

Arrived at Otter Bay on Pender Island and found a sheltered place to anchor for the night. We dinghied to a nearby marina were we rented bikes for a couple of hours and toured the island. There were many steep hills, which turned into quite a workout. The island is very rural and the residents quite trusting as they sell their produce on the "honor system" from small stands. We visited a small market and found the locals to be very friendly.

Monday, Sept 9. Excellent sailing into very small Annette Inlet on Prevost Island to visit with Marjorie Bergenstein who lives off the grid in an idyllic sylvan setting next to the ocean. We navigated past some dangerous appearing rocks and tied up at Marjorie's pier. Marjorie is a friend of a woman we met at Rosario. We were told that she loves to have visitors. She is a charming, independent 72 year old woman who has a definite taste for adventure and truly lives in a piece of paradise! She gets to and from Vancouver Island in her fast runabout boat.

We sailed to Ganges Harbor and met up with Donna's cousin, Norman, who lives in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. Norman graciously loaned us his excellent digital camera until we can replace the one that drowned!

To Reid Harbor and on to Poet's Cove

Here is the first of the narrative only blog entries. More pictures will follow after we solve our camera problem.

Friday, September 5: Sailed to Reid Harbor on Stuart Island. Stuart is a place where time has been frozen since the beginning of the 20th century. The island has no ferry service, but an intrepid population of 30 lives there year-round without electricity, and in many instances, without modern plumbing. The school house serves a population of 2 students, who are siblings. The school, one room of course, is an archetectural joy with open beams, a wooden floor, a woodstove for heat. The "teacherage" - a 15 foot square cottage was once the teacher's living quarters, but is now a museum. The original 19th century school house now serves as the library.

We hiked 5 miles round trip to a lighthouse, and walked through verdant, heavily forested and meadowed countryside that reminded me of Norway. Along the way, there was a "treasure chest" filled with t-shirts, postcards, etc. that could be purchased by taking an item home, and then sending the absentee shopkeeper a check in the mail from home. Talk about trust!!

Saturday, September 6: After a peaceful night and an indescribably beautiful sunrise, we sailed for Poets Cove Marina in Bedwell Harbor on South Pender Island. We cleared Canada customs by phone - no inspections or boardings. Poets Cove is part of a very fancy resort with a hotel, spa, etc. that appears to cater to the rich. We are again docked next to enormous boats that can consume 160 gallons of fuel an hour traveling at 30 kts. Not exactly green! Tonight we witnessed something really unique - A large sailboat with its sail up was docked next to a 3 story tall motor boat in the marina. The sail served as a projection screen for the audience that had gathered on the third floor of the motor yacht. A movie was being shown. Ahh, inovation!

We are seeing many varieties of birds, and seals often swim near our moving boat, seemingly oblivious to our presence.