Gorge Harbour Marina…


What a beautiful place… but first, a little history. Our first visit was many years ago, when Kathy's parents were still camping. We arrived by boat (in dear SV Shannon) and they arrived in truck and camper. The reason I mention this is that we (and SV Shannon) were the first guests to arrive by water at the newly renovated, landscaped and reopened marina and resort. The (then) new owners had done a great job and the place was beautiful. It was so new the docks weren't attached to land yet and we had to make the short hop by dinghy. It was all very exciting and photos were taken of the owners kids sitting on Shannon at their new docks.

Over the years since we had heard the Marina was sold, the lovely restaurant was closed (it still is) and all had fallen in to disrepair. I am happy to report. The new (new) owners have done a wonderful job of returning the resort and property to its splendiforous self. Even the pool and hot tub are open and, yes, the docks are attached to land :-). As well, the store is well stocked and there are washrooms, showers and a laundry room available to guests

We are here to visit old friends and have decided to stay an extra couple of days. Even sailors like to be spoiled from time to time 😀. Best wishes always… CJ

PS: the huge motorboat is called 'After Eight'. it's a family yacht and we've seen it in a few places. If you look very carefully and closely, you will see Shannon's Spirit on the dock closer to you. You can find her by looking for the green and white striped cockpit cover.

Sat. Friday 14

The day after one of the worst Friday the 13th (s) internationally speaking.

However, while we wait to learn of the future … our sailing vacation continues.

We have had a very pleasant stay at Prideaux Haven. None of the anchorages are crowded and most folks are very nice. We've had sunshine every day and the water is warm enough for swimming. We have even managed to keep Maddie entertained and exercised. She surprised us yesterday though. She and Kathy had completed a short hike and Kathy whistled for me to come and pick them up. As I rounded the point Maddie caught sight of the dinghy, leaped into the water and swam out to meet me. Quite a shock but neat to see. I hoisted her into the dinghy and we carried on to shore to collect Kath.

We weigh (sp?) anchor today ; provided the boat that anchored too close to us yesterday while we were away foraging (even though there was an almost empty bay to choose a suitable location in) hasn't dropped his anchor chain over ours, and head for Refuge Cove. Sure hope the garbage scow is open. We've done pretty well policing our garbage but it still builds up over time. Garbage and good water are two constant challenges on trips like this.
Must go now. Time to ferry M to shore for a short 'walk' before we begin our travels today. Wishing you all a good day and peace on earth. CJ

Connectivity…


The problem with connectivity is that in these beautiful Desolation Sound anchorages… there isn't any. At least there isn't any consistently. We can answer all kinds of emails, hit send and watch them zoom right into our Outbox. They sit there until the boat swings on its anchor to some invisible spot we cannot predict and, as it continues to swing with the tide or the wind, we sometimes have a brief moment of connectivity. Emails fly out and others fly in and poof! We re back in touch (for that moment). Some times if I stretch my hand holding the phone up as high as possible and circumnavigate the deck, I can get two bars; and sometimes I don't. Other times I give up and set it down and a couple minutes later I look and there's a new email. 😜

I tell you this in the hopes you will understand any delays in hearing back from us. We came to enjoy the peaceful, quiet beauty and serenity of these anchorages and to do so we must let go of the 24/7 connectivity of that other life.

A quick story…. Decades ago when I used to sail with my parents we came to Desolation Sound for summer vacations. The one, most favourite anchorage, was Laura Cove (not named after my baby sister as I had once thought :-). My mom and dad were great sailors and boaters and really enjoyed being tucked in to Laura Cove and we spent many happy days there. One of the things my dad liked to do was to climb up the bank, grab hold of an ancient rope that was hanging from a tree and swing out from shore, then let go and crash into the water. It was quite the spectacle and one of the father/daughter dares I always lost (rope swinging wasn't in my skill set… but it sure was in his).

We are currently in Melanie Cobe, adjacent to Laura Cove and we took a dinghy ride to see how things were next door. Today's photo is that same swinging rope (possibly renewed at some time) on the same tree, over the same rocks that my dad used to test his mettle. There you go dad; it's still there.

That's it for today. Hope you are enjoying your day and finding some peace and tranquility. TTFN CJ

Emerald sea



Relaxing in an emerald green sea..


is one of the many reasons we love to get away on the boat. Roscoe Bay provides us with the clear emerald water, meeting a few friends (old and new) and the opportunity to relax, swim, hike, snooze, and relax with a good book. We're not too far away from other great anchorages either. We head to somewhere new tomorrow (Sunday) destination to be determined. TTFN. CJ

Emerald sea



Roscoe Bay. Ta Da!!


Second try worked. We have arrived in Roscoe Bay without incident. 😁. All going well we will be here for a few days. It's a beautiful spot; not to be rushed.