The Gulf Islands
The Gulf Islands lie just north of the San Juan Islands; actually they are the same group of islands but on the Canadian side of theborder. To our fortune Larry and Joanie toured these islands with us and again showed us some special spots and explored some new ones.
July 20
The weather has been spectacular; sun shinning, clear blue skies, little wind, and warm days. We are off to Canada and we know it must be Canada because there are so many logs in the water. While in the United States waters we saw very few logs, but then the difference is that Canada is still logging. Our first stop is Bedwell Harbor on South Pender Island in Canada to check in at customs. Before we left we updated our passports to make sure there wouldn’t be any problems getting into Canada. When we arrived in Bedwell, where their Customs office is located, I brought everything up from the boat; registration, driver’s licenses, passports and my purse just in case there was something else they wanted. There was no one in the office, nor would there be. There were two phones attached to the building and they gave instructions to pick up the phones and call the Customs office. A young girl answered, asked a few questions and that was all there was to checking into Canada. It was an easy and pleasant experience but it didn’t give me a warm fuzzy feeling about our security. There was more security twenty years ago when
we
bare-boated up here and checked in at the same office. The first anchorage in the Gulf Island was Winter Cove on Saturna Island. It was interesting little anchorage because it had an opening to the Strait of Georgia, which is a large body of water and used by commercial boating, without the protection from the weather that these little islands have. Took a lovely walk around the end of the island and we could see this opening into Winter Cove; it had a strong current running through. As several of us stood on the rocks, up high, we watched one boat go through, the pass, it looked like a small river and it seemed to spit the boat through the opening. After we got back into our respective dinghies, both Larry and Boris decided they wanted to challenge this pass, so away we went. The adrenalin was pumping a little, but as usual it went much easier than anticipated.
Time to tour the rest of this little cove. Back in the opposite corner from the pass was a small circular cove, fairly shallow with a lot of moss hanging on the seaweed and we were shoving this yuk out of our way and ready to leave when Joanie & Larry yelled for us to come on back further. This cove was called Church Cove and we saw why – there was an old small wooden church, sitting on stumps of trees with a beautiful stained glass window that looked like an Orthodox cross on the peak of the roof. Larry went ashore to take a closer look, the rest of us didn’t want to walk through the muck, and he reported back that it looked as though it was in use and in good condition. No one seemed to know when it was originally built but it was rebuilt about seventy years ago. When we woke up the next morning Boris and I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat out in the cockpit enjoying the beautiful scenery. There were many bald eagles in flight and we snatched up the binoculars and watched them gather on the shore across from us. It was another beautiful morning, warm and sunny. I thought the young eagles were flying with the parents because they were as big as the bald eagles but didn’t have white heads. Boris looked through the binoculars and saw that some of these large birds had tiny little red heads – they were vultures, not bald eagles. Well there were a few b
ald eagles sprinkled
in, and
they were all enjoying a feast on the beach. We sat there and enjoyed
the interaction with all these different birds for the longest time.
Fun. The time had come for us to move along, we needed to get to our next location, which was Ganges on Saltspring Island. They have an enormous Farmers Market every Saturday and we wanted a good anchoring spot before the hordes of other boats arrived. This town is a little hub of activity from restaurants, grocery stores, Internet cafes, banks – they had it all except for good reception for my cell phone, but they did have pay phones. Joanie and I re-provisioned, did laundry, Boris and Larry checked out the hardware stores and ice cream shops, Boris downloaded our e-mail and the four of us went to the Farmers Market. The weather is hot for up here, but I am not sure how hot because the measurement is in Celsius and I cannot convert the numbers, but I do know that the Canadians are wilting from the heat. There are a few places that have air conditioning but not many. When I went to church on Sunday morning they had all the doors open but there were still many flushed cheeks sitting in the pews. A woman spoke to me at church and it turned out that she and her husband had lived in Manhattan Beach as school teachers when we lived there. It’s a small world.
Annette Inlet on Prevost Island is our next destination, so we pull up anchor and are ready for some small quiet cove away from the hustle and bustle of a busy town. Or at least that was what we thought, but there were a few exciting adventures waiting ahead for us. The wind has been up all day and this particular anchorage is a long thin inlet and is touted to be an all weather anchorage. That evening we had dinner on Joanie & Larry’s boat and played Mexican Train, a game with dominos, that they have us hooked on. An older couple came in and anchored fairly close to Larry, then to us, and finally anchored further away, which made all of us more comfortable.
Around 4:00 a.m., it is still dark outside, we woke up to howling wind and because our boat is so light she just slides back and forth on the water, they call it sailing at anchor. She would slide to one side and the anchor would jolt us to a stop, which is good, and then she would slide to the other side and the anchor would jolt us to a stop again. The wind whipped us back and forth. By 4:30 there was no way we could stay in bed any longer, so we were both up and doing anchor watch. It is just getting a little light, even though the sun is not up yet, but Boris notices a boat had lost its anchor hold and was swiftly moving down this long inlet, through the anchorage, and it looked like it was heading straight toward Larry and Joanie’s boat. Boris gets on the channel 16 and tried to get in touch with Larry with no luck. As we look on in horror the boat, about our size, looks as though it is going to hit Larry’s boat. Just then Larry walks out the back of his boat and sees the boat is on a collision course, and as Larry told us later, he hit the top of the bow with his hand and yelled for the owner to get up. Luckily it just barely touched them. Boris sounded our foghorn five times, which is the sound of danger, to catch the attention of the boater also. Just about that time we saw the guy pop up out of the cabin, start his engine, pull up his anchor and re-anchored further up the inlet.
Now we turn our attention to the older couple who had trouble anchoring the day before. There they were, at the end of the bay.
Their
anchor had drug till they were at the end of the inlet and apparently
they just kept sleeping. As it got light, Larry and Boris took our
dinghy
and went to check on the boat. They said they were fine, but now they
were sitting in mud and would remain there till high-high tide, which
wouldn’t
be for another twenty-four hours, plus the fact that the wind had
pushed them
as far onto the shore as it could. Larry and Boris suggested that they
call the Canadian Coast Guard, which they finally did. This man was in
the
mud trying to dig out his anchor, it was a mess. I am sure it finally
got
resolved but we left before we saw the end results. Another large sailboat also drug his anchor, but slowly, and when they finally arose they quickly reset their anchor and a short time later left the anchorage. As I sat in the anchorage with a cup of coffee, inside Journey On’s protective cabin, I watched the swaying of the branches in the strong winds and it looked like the trees were dancing. It was pretty darn windy. Larry was not able to start his engine that morning, so he used our generator to recharge his batteries before we could leave. Thank heavens their anchor held because it would have been tough if they had drug and couldn’t start their motor. The four of us decide that it is time for a marina for two reasons; one, to recharge their batteries and two, to get some relief from the wind. Little did we know that more excitement lay ahead.
Larry called ahead on his VHF to see if there were slips available at Montague Harbor Marina on Galiano Island. There were but we would have to wait till noon when the other boats had to leave. Around 11:30 we pulled up anchor and headed for the marina.
This marina is just a few miles away. As we approach Galiano
Island, Boris asks me if that is smoke or fog ahead on the
island. I reply that it looks like smoke. About this time we see an
enormous plane, apparently taking off like the other seaplanes do
around these waters, except this plane is sooooo big and the engines
are deafening. It leaves and we continue on. Within minutes here it
comes again, real low and I am thinking that maybe it is doing touch
and goes, practicing landings and take
offs. Well the realization finally hits us that this plane, a Martin
Mars
sea plane built in the 50’s, a trans-Pacific plane, is taking on water
to fight
the fire that is directly in front of us, of which we only see the
smoke, not
the flames. The weather is hot and windy, unfortunately just perfect
for
a fire. This plane dominates the day because the fire is right on the
other side of the high ridge in back of the marina. There is smoke
drifting all around the marina, giving us an uncomfortable feeling
about
staying here, but we do. To my dismay we find out that there are no
showers or potable water, the salt water has seeped into their water
supply,
but I am still happy to be tied up with these winds. We have tied up next to Fred and Sharon, about our age, on a 36-foot Monk motorboat. The six of us hit it off right away. Most of the afternoon was spent eating ice cream and sitting in the shade of the trees up the hill from the marina just trying to stay cool. We were told that they were not letting tourist onto the island because of the fire, so we figured that we would not be able to engage in a little outing that we had heard about from several sources. Turned out that if you were at the marina it would be OK. Here was the little outing. First of all you were to catch an old school bus that usually arrived about once an hour starting in the early evening. Most of us got up there in plenty of time, milled around, visited, and smelled the smoke from the fire. A very old school bus came roaring up, blaring 60’s music. All of us were packed on this bus like sardines, all singing to the 60’s music, bouncing down this small two lane road through the forest, by farms and small junctions with a store or two.
After maybe twenty minutes we reached what looked like an old rustic house that had a large sunroom in the front and on one side. There were covered picnic benches on the large spacious lawn where we decided to eat because it was to hot inside that lovely old building. It was around 7:30 p.m. There was one young woman sitting at the only available table and we asked her if she minded if we sat with her. She didn’t seem thrilled and announced she had been evacuated from her home because of the fire, but it appeared her home would be OK. Since so many of us came on the bus at once, it took about an hour to get our food but we had a great time visiting with each other and our new friends, Fred and Sharon; and evacuated Emily seemed much better after our visit than when we arrived.
By the time we left to go back to the boat it was dark and as we all were hurrying to finish up and get in the bus when the driver announced that he was also driving the fireman back and forth so his regular schedule wasn’t quite so regular. He said he would be back in a while, which he was, and loaded the same group of people back on the bus with again standing room only. The ride back was even more fun than the ride in; the music was louder and so was the singing. They even played, “You were My Thrill on Blueberry Hill”; sure brought us baby boomers back to our youth. What a kick.
Since the facilities were sparse at this marina the six of us decided to leave and go over to Telegraph Harbor on Thetis Island; we are now getting toward the top of the Gulf Islands. Larry called on the phone to make sure there was room for the three of us; not only was there room, we were all on the same dock and they had young guys taking our lines as we pulled up. What a treat. Fred and Sharon had been here before, so they showed us around. Up at the marina office it looks like a park with picnic tables, swings, tether balls, horse shoes, barbecue grills to cook on and a small restaurant with a veranda that had tables and chairs to sit on outside. It also had showers, laundry mat, and potable water. What else does a cruiser need.
Fred and Sharon wanted to show us some of the sweet places around this area, so we put on our sun hats, sunglasses, and walking shoes; it is still warm and sunny here. The first place we stopped was down the road a bit and we walked on a little wooden bridge over a ditch up to a one-room building with beads hanging in the door; it gave you that hippy feeling, but the beads are actually great for keeping the flies and mosquitoes out. Inside they had freshly baked pies, breads, muffins, vegetable, frozen meals in a freezer and a refrigerator with perishable items. The interesting thing was this was on the honor system; there was no one in this little store to take our money. We all bought something, wrote it down in a notebook and left our money. The items were grown or baked on the island, most at the farm next to this building. Then
back
towards the marina again we saw the house that makes fresh donuts every
morning and another house further down the road where you could buy
fresh
ground coffee. Next to the marina there is a small break between the islands that looks like a small narrow river that divides these two little islands. The following morning Larry and Joanie picked us up and the four of us headed for another house that was suppose to make donuts that was located at the point on this narrow inlet. The distance was maybe one-half mile down this curvy inlet; it was shallow and getting on to low tide. It became so shallow that Boris and Larry were using paddles with the motor lifted up out of the water. As we got close to the house we see a man walking towards the dock and we ask him if this is where we can buy donuts. He says, “No, we sold that business a year ago.” So Larry, Joanie, and Boris get out of the dinghy and walk us through the mud, we are now in extremely shallow water and the three of them move us out to deeper water. I had boat shoes on and they had sandals, so I couldn’t get out in the mud and push. Oh darn. We took the dinghy back through the waterway to the marina and found the first donut house. She had a dedicated kitchen in the backyard next to their pool. She proceeded to describe the different donuts and which ingredients were grown on the island. Larry bought a dozen and we all met at their boat and enjoyed these home grown donuts.
The six of us decided that another day at this marina was in order and it would be fun to take the ferry over to Chalmainus located
on Vancouver Island.
It is a cute little touristy town that used to be a lumbering center.
After we arrived, which was about a forty minute ride, we all walked to
the park where there was a Farmer’s Market in
progress. Chalmainus used to be full of sawmills, but is now known for
the murals on the buildings and all their little shops and restaurant.
The
murals captured the lumber industry and the people who worked in them
between
1900 and 1984. Caught the ferry back to Thetis Island and enjoyed the walk back to the marina. The sun had gone down but it was still light outside and the mosquitoes were outside too. The following morning Joanie and I walked up to the coffee house, which was down the road a little ways. We walked up their driveway to the back of the house and there was another building where they sold the coffee. As the owner told us to come in we saw that this was quite a business. They had a large roaster in the middle of the room and bags of coffee beans on the floor. Off to the side were large copper canisters for coffee beans and on the counter paper bags that had been separated into the type of coffee, in maybe one-pound containers. Their business included mailing out special blends to clients in Canada. Joanie bought a one-pound bag and we were on our way.
Three boats left Telegraph Marina, Fred & Sharon, Larry & Joanie, and Boris and I, for Private’s Cove on De Courcy Island. Even though it was a beautiful day, mostly sunny with clear blue skies, it was windy and it was coming from the North, so we had a rough ride for a couple of hours. Larry at one point lost his GPS connection and asked us to take the lead. Boris and I were the first ones to Private’s Cove, which had a tricky entrance with a reef that extends beyond the entrance marker. As I was in the cockpit pulling the dinghy forward, all of sudden the big outboard motor popped up and then popped up again. I quickly looked down and saw the reef directly under the boat. It was practically over before I knew what had happened. The motor skeg has a few scars but the engine did what it was suppose to do and that is pop up, so fortunately no damage to the propellers. Needless to say I was not happy but then Boris wasn’t thrilled either.
The other two boats, having seen us, gave the entrance a wide berth. After we got into the anchorage we dropped our anchor and waited to see what the other two boats wanted to do. The wind was blowing directly into the cove so we decided we did not want to stay there, so the six of us left for Silva Bay on Gabriola Island. This is the most north island of the Gulf Islands. We needed to go through Gabriola Passage to get from the inside of the Gulf Islands to the outside, which is the Strait of Georgia and we needed to have slack water at Gabriola Passage, which we did. Now Fred and Sharon took the lead and we all snaked around the small islands at the edge of the Strait of Georgia called the Flat Top Islands. We kept our eyes peeled for all the
different markers; there were many
rocks in
this area and some pretty skinny passages. Again, it was windy and the
dockhands were there to catch our lines and get us to the dock safely.
We
were tucked under the bow of Fred and Sharon’s boat. Boris and I have
to
keep reminding ourselves why we bought this cute little boat; on the
water our
boat looks like the dinghy to most of the other boats.We are having such fun with our newfound friends, Fred and Sharon. That is one of the perks of cruising, meeting new friends. The six of us hiked around Silva Bay to check out the area, wasn’t a whole lot to see. When we got back to the boat we piled into to our dinghies, three in each one, and since Larry had his motor on we rafted up to him and we toured the other marinas. I thought we were going to be on the end of a whip but Larry did a great job of maneuvering the three dinghies through the marinas. At the top of the next marina, there was an office, which had many books, many local by authors, and paintings that were hung all through this house, also for sale. This turned out to be someone’s home. That evening we all went out to dinner at the marina restaurant because Joannie and Larry would be leaving us the following morning for home. It has been great fun tooling around the Gulf Islands with them but they have other obligations and we have to say good-bye.
From here all of us were going out separate ways; Joannie & Larry for Bellingham, Fred & Sharon up to Campbell River on Vancouver Island to meet other friends, and Boris and I to cross the Strait of Georgia to Pender Harbor. The previous evening we discussed the fact that we would leave early, around 6:00 a.m. because usually the waters are calm in the morning; we both agreed that it was a smart thing to do. Around 4:00 a.m. I awoke to the whistling of the wind. Not a good sound. The next hour I lay there feeling anxious about our leaving. You usually do not sleep well the night before you have an early crossing and the wind noises weren’t helping at all. After we arose, we decided not to leave till 7:00 a.m., maybe the wind would be calmer. At 7:00 a.m. we said good-bye to our friends, they pushed us off the dock and away we went. As soon as we got out in the Strait of Georgia, about fifteen minutes from the dock, it wasn’t good. The wind was coming directly down the strait with two-foot wind waves close together. Two feet doesn’t sound like much but it is actually four feet because you have two feet up to the crest and two feet down to the trough, so we would go over the crest of one wave and drop into the trough of the next. They call that bashing and it is rather unpleasant. After maybe twenty minutes we decided we didn’t want to do this for the next five hours, thirty-six miles to our next destination, so we turned around and give Larry & Joanie a call to catch our lines at the dock.
Several other boats, after seeing us come back, decided not to leave until the wind settled down. The weather report said the wind would change direction in a few hours. Larry and Joanie were going south so they wanted to get underway so that they would be going with the wind. We said our good-byes again and now pushed them off the dock. Since I had a little time before the wind would settle down I hurried up and did a couple of loads of laundry since this marina had laundry facilities. Now it was time for Fred and Sharon to leave and they were off to Nanimio, Vancouver Island; they had a short run. We hope to connect up with Fred and Sharon again in a few days. The wind calmed down and we are off again and this time the seas had laid down; it was a pleasant thirty-six mile run in following seas to Pender Harbor on the mainland of British Columbia in Canada.