Octopus Islands

September 14, 2010

Octopus Islands Provincial Marine Park, Quadra Island, British Columbia, Canada

Even though it rained (again) on our visit to the Octopus Islands, it was fantastic (we must be Washingtonians!!).  We just hunkered down our first evening and Austin beat us at all Scrabble with “JADE” for 60 points!!!

    

The boys dove into their schoolwork the next morning as we all waited for some clearing.  Mid-morning, Brad and I took a little kayak tour that included going through a slot that is probably high and dry at low tide but had cool currents surging one way and then the other when we transited it.  In the afternoon, it dried off enough for a trip to visit the “Cruiser’s Cabin” and do a little reconnaissance for the next day’s hike.  There was a kayak group from Toronto camped on the beach where the trail begins and we chatted with them a bit before heading back to our nice, warm, cozy boat!

Clearing Fog – Waiatt Bay

Hiking to Small Inlet and Newton Lake

   

                      

The next morning dawned still with fog here and there.  As it started to clear, we cut homework short and headed off for our hike.  We crossed a small isthmus from Waiatt Bay to Small Inlet and then continued up to Newton Lake.  We are all very excited to be back in our native evergreen forests (second growth or not).  In the afternoon, schoolwork was finished, naps were taken, islets were explored, and plans were made for our Cruiser’s Cabin artwork and the rest of our week.

The priority for our final morning in the Octopus Islands was to complete and hang our new art in the Cruiser’s Cabin.  It was decided that we would add to our previous contribution from 2005 when we visited with the Voodoo Child and had part of the Toland family aboard.  Upon arrival, there was a kayak tour group having a fabulous picnic lunch on the newly rebuilt deck.  We hung our newest attempt at driftwood art (power tools are a definite plus).  Back at CAPAZ, we had a quick lunch before we needed to pull anchor and head for Osikollo Channel’s slack tide.

A Plan Coalesces

September 11, 2010

En route between Cortes Bay and the Octopus Islands, Approaching Surge Narrows

A “Dead Head” encountered entering Desolation Sound

We may have finally figured out what our plan is for the next few days.  We were toying with the idea of making a run to the Broughton Islands, but with 3 days to get there and another 3 to return, we would not have more than 3 or 4 days to explore before needing to turn south for a couple of rendez-vouses that we have set. 

Our alternative plan is to do some exploring around here and visit a couple of our favorite places along the way.  With that said, today’s goal is the Octopus Islands Marine Park.  In 2005, we spent a rainy night in Waiatt Bay which dawned into a beautiful morning that was cut short by time constraints.  Even with our short time, we were able to fashion a work of art to leave at the “Cruiser’s Cabin”.  With our return, we are anxious to see if the old art project has survived 5 years and we have plans for a new one.

Brad passes on from father to sons: The all-important skill of making hamburger patties

        

For the last couple of days, we have been relaxing at Cortes Bay.  The kids have been playing on the beach and doing puzzles in the clubhouse.  We also found an old board game called “Regatta”.  A quick on-line search gave a set of rules to print out and Bryce and I “out-sailed” Brad in our first game.  Austin and I took the bikes to the store (lots of hills between us and the store) in search of a few food items and shoes.  We got the couple of things on our grocery list, didn’t find shoes, but did locate a great little book store.  The guys set the prawn traps and got two prawns yesterday, not really enough to share at last night’s “green box” gathering.  They decided to leave the trap out over night to pick up on our way around the south end of Cortes this morning.

We are really having good luck as not only did the boys pull up almost 30 prawns, but also we got to see some transient orca whales.  One of the boats that also saw them, said on the VHF that the group had been in the area for about a week.  We think we saw a mom and baby, what a treat!!!!

 Mom and Baby, maybe???

Going the Right Way

Garden Bay, BC, Canada

September 8, 2010

Leaving Plumper Cove

On Monday, when we left our friends in Howe Sound, the weather was anything but great.  We were having our doubts about our decision to head north (although, not so much after looking at the longer range weather forecasts).  So northward we pressed.  We were much happier than the steady stream of vessels making their way home into the southeasterly seas and winds that we had at our backs.  We could have sailed north, but as we pondered raising the sails, Brad’s exact words were, “It is wet and cold out there.”  

We arrived in Garden Bay (in Pender Harbor) a little after noon.  The boats that came in all afternoon mainly from Cortes were a little ragged.  We let Adios in the laundry line ahead of us as they took a wave over their bow that opened their forward hatch and doused the forepeak.

I took Austin with me on our foraging expedition to Madiera Park on the other side of Pender Harbor because we are looking for some shoes for him.  He left his crocs on Blackdragon and so we won’t be seeing them til the middle of next month.  Until then, he needs some water shoes or boots that he can use for walking around rocky beaches.  He does have a pair of running shoes, but after a year of crocs or no shoes at all, they seem to be an unacceptable choice.   There was a thrift store, but it was only open Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and the drug store was already closed (on Labor Day hours) by the time we got there.  So, Austin just helped with a big stock up.

On Tuesday, boat school was back in full session after a brief hiatus during which only reading and writing were required of the boys on any kind of regular basis.  New math books and new spelling programs have been added back into the mix.  Luckily, it was a little drizzly and we got through the morning with only a 40 minute break at low tide to harass the starfish on the beach.  We were missing our private marine biologist, Mike from Io so that we really could count it as science time.  The introduction to Bryce’s first chapter of math called for a group of four people to gather data for him from a jumping jack exercise.  So, I guess you could say that we all had a little PE, too.

   

Austin and I took another swing back through Madiera Park for shoes to no avail.   We did pick up a few forgotten and additional items at the supermarket.  The liquor store was open and we found a good all purpose British Columbia specific animal and plant identification book for our upcoming hikes and other land-based exploring.  On the way back to the boat, we discovered that Pender Harbor goes much deeper into the heart of the Sechelt Peninsula than I had thought.  The inner-most bay had a fairly narrow entrance that we must have hit pretty close to max flood.  We really had to ignore the “watch your wake” signs as we tried to head back to Garden Bay because otherwise we would not have been able to make any progress against the current.  We were glad that Juanny (our outboard engine) was in a good mood, because though rowing it would have been a great workout, it would not been fun.

Before a sunset dinner of steaks and baked potatoes on the outstation patio, I finished the first big chunk of my quilt.  One down, 5 or 6 more to go.  I prepped the next section while we were staying at my parents house last month.  I get lots of help on big projects like this, usually from Brad.  However, with Brad sailing CAPAZ to the mainland, I was lucky that my dad willingly stepped in and turned all the pieces right side out, thus eliminating one whole step for me.  Bryce’s love of aesthetics is a perfect fit for helping me organize the “window” pieces for the next step and he has said he will give me a hand with that when we get to Cortes (we will see if I will be able to lure him away from Crab Beach to help me).

Leaving sunny, clear Pender Harbor this morning, we were preparing ourselves for a foggy Malaspina Strait.  Magically, as we rounded the corner, the fog began to dissipate into patchy low clouds clinging here and there.  It looks like it will be a smooth and sunny trip (albeit a little chilly) up to Cortes Island.

 Fog ahead in the Malaspina Strait Patchy fog behind in the outer islands of Pender Harbor

Blackdragon Rendez-Vous

September 6, 2010

We left Ovens Island relatively early to make Pollier Pass on a decent tide.  the morning was beautiful and the Straits of Georgia turned out to be calm enough for breakfast making and warm enough for a bathing suit (behind the dogder, of course).  We entered Howe Sound around noon, ahead of our friends on Blackdragon.  A quick cell phone call verified the location of the nice little cove where they liked to anchor.  We christened our new “Home Depot Special” stern tie set up and were ready for a little raft-up as Blackdragaon approached.

 

We are not really sure where the afternoon went.  For sure there was a lot of catching up and maybe a Steve-a-rita or two.  We are sure of what the boys did: fish.  They also set the crab traps (not in deep enough water evidently because they only got a couple of smallish-but legal- rock crabs) and rehabbed an abandoned prawns trap.  I sauteed up 7 little prawns that boys gobbled down and gave a big thumbs up.  While the kids had boy night on Capaz, Steve and Tracey taught us a new game called Wizard.  I think there will be the purchase of a Wizard deck of cards in our future.

 

True to the forecast the wind piped up a bit and we moved to Plumper Cove Marine Park on Keats Island at the bottom of Howe Sound.  Our steering lubricants are having as hard of a time adapting to the cooler weather as the humans aboard Capaz.  While Brad stayed on Capaz to figure out the above mentioned stiff steering problem, the boys and I joined the crew of Blackdragon ashore for a nice little hike around the island.  In the afternoon, there was another round of Wizard during which I blew a big hole in Steve’s theory that the dealer always wins.  After dinner, the Dolling’s neighbors arrived in their runabout and joined us for a round of Mexican Train aboard Capaz while the kids watched a movie back in the media room.

There was supposed to be rain on Sunday, but we lucked out.  After a good sleep-in on Capaz, Brad got some boat work done (an oil change) and the boys got some more fishing in.   Gas, alcohol and salmon lures (along with a gelato) were procured across the way in Gibson’s by the ladies.  We could not, however, talk the menfolk into moving the boats over to Gibson’s harbor so that we could take in the outdoor movie set-up of an old sitcom that was filmed in the area called the Beachcombers.  We ended up having another great dinner back in Plumper Cove with the whole crew aboard Blackdragon (we ate in shifts).  The kids ditched the adults for Capaz and a movie.  The adults drank tea (no kidding) and played cards!!

Swiftsure Yachts Board Meeting

September 1, 2010

I am pretty sure that we had quorum for a Swiftsure Yachts Board meeting last night aboard Pete and Kirsten’s boat, Charlotte.  We actually tried not to talk about work too much since the crew of Charlotte are trying to have a vacation while Ryan holds down the fort in Seattle.

SV Charlotte in Genoa Bay

Timing could not have been more perfect.  As we came into the Satellite Channel from south side of Portland Island on our way up from Victoria, Charlotte came into the channel on the north side of the island on their way over from Bedwell Harbor.  We followed them around the south end of Salt Spring Island back into Vancouver Island’s Genoa Bay. 

It was great to catch up and the boys had kids to play with most of the afternoon and evening.  Besides Alden who seemed pretty psyched to see his big boy friends, they were joined by another young man a little older than Bryce from Puffin out of Portland.  Though the weather was definitely an improvement over Tuesday, it still turned very chilly when the sun dipped below the high hills surrounding the harbor. 

This morning dawned gorgeous and we parted ways with Puffin and Charlotte as they turned south and we continued north.  We only went as far as Ovens Island in Ladysmith Harbor.   We left early to catch the pushing tide in Sansum Narrows and arrived before noon.  Though we have been to Ovens Island several times, we have never been to the town.

   

While the boys played and Brad took care of a couple of boat jobs, I took the dinghy across the harbor to explore.  I am sure the weather will not turn too cold any time soon, as I am now outfitted with three pairs of long warmer pants courtesy of the sale at the local thrift store.  At the grocery store I finally found box milk (aka bilge milk) and when the cashier offered up the van for a free ride back to the dock, I bought out the store.  All in all, Ladysmith is a very nice little town!

Ladysmith from Ovens Island