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.

A very nice man & a very brave woman…


Saved the day.

Yesterday was not our best day. Sure, we've had a few that didn't live up to our expectations… but yesterday takes the cake so far.

The dastardly high winds were finally abating and we felt confident it was time to leave beautiful Grace Harbour and carry on with our itinerary. Roscoe Bay was selected as our next destination. We were looking forward to a swim in Black Lake and the quiet ambience provided by the shallow entrance requiring careful planning to arrive at a high enough tide.

Up early and ready to go - tick. Motor out into Malaspina Inlet - tick. Finding literally no wind, carry on under power and head for Roscoe Bay (approximately 12 nautical miles away) - tick.

All was going well; it was a beautiful morning and we were very pleased with ourselves for getting up and getting going. We were motoring along at a steady pace of 5 knots and so close to our destination we could see the entrance and two sailboats coming out of the Bay (actually two solo sailors we had met in Grace Harbour the day before). They passed by us heading west and we continued on our course.

And then…. everything changed.

I expect the worst fear of every sailor is sinking your boat or worse, falling off it. No, we didn't fall off or sink. We did, however, hit something. The water was flat. There were no floating logs in our path, but we hit something submerged. I was at the helm and I heard and felt … a 'thunk' and then the vibration started. What a sinking feeling those two occurrences can cause. There's only so much you can do; put the engine into neutral and coast; check for any water coming in; gently go back into gear and try forward and reverse to try and rid the prop of whatever has grabbed on to it; hoist the sail even though there is no wind in case it does come up and allow you to get going.

Realizing we were effectively dead in the water I turned the boat around intending to motor slowly to Refuge Cove (about 10 miles west of us) but I quickly realized the vibration was too violent and the potential risk to the drive shaft etc quite clear. I shut the engine down and we drifted.

Having run out of self-help ideas except maybe trying to tow our 34' sailboat with an inflatable dinghy and a 4HP outboard, I tried calling one of the sailboats that had passed us as we were putting up our mainsail; and lo and behold a 'very nice man' answered our call.

After hearing our story Bill quickly agreed to give us a tow to Refuge Cove while we attempted to locate a diver in the area to clear our prop; and so the fun began.

Towing a boat doesn't actually mean towing as we know it. It requires significant lashing of the two boats side by side so that the towee (with no brakes) doesn't ram the tower at any given time. Thank goodness it was a warm, windless day with flat water.

Bill saved us from a bleak future and delivered us handily to the dock in Refuge Cove. He would not accept payment for his time or his fuel but we were able to force a bottle of good red wine into his hand, along with a promise to pay his kindness forward at every opportunity.

Enter the brave woman. After many calls to potential links with a diver, we realized there were none to be had… unbelievable. The closest possibility was in Campbell River! I won't bore you with details of all we called without success but suffice to say our independent nature took hold and Kathy (the very brave woman) stepped up and became the hero of the day. She dug out her snorkel and her mask and donned her neoprene vest. She found her under water camera and over she went, into the fairly chilly water. With the help of a boat hook Kathy was able to clear away the long pieces of cedar bark that had spun themselves around our prop and shaft. She was and is, amazing. We tested the engine…forward and reverse; no more vibration…phew! Vacation back 'on'.

I can't tell you how relieved we both are. This could have been a show stopper. Thanks to a very nice man and a very brave woman we are back on vacation. I continue to be amazed and grateful for the wonderful people in my life… our dear friends and the strangers we meet along the way.

I hope you also share life with good friends and kind strangers. Adios Amigos. The adventure continues. CJ

Hanging out in Grace Harbour…

This place called Grace Harbour is something very special. Yes, we were ducking some major North west winds but are we ever glad we chose to visit this hidyhole. From 'to die for' scenery, brilliant tropical green waters, one of the highest populations of jellyfish in the world, trails that lead to a small lake, friendly fellow boaters and a mama bear and her cub… this place seems to have it all. We may move to Roscoe Bay tomorrow or stay here. It all depends on Mother Nature and she's playing her cards close to her chest… so we shall just have to wait and see.

Hope your days are flowing smoothly and your winds are steady. Always. CJ