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Cinco de Mayo!
Woo hoo! We're on the water & the wind is HOWLING!!!!

We launched yesterday & it took ALL the guys to fend off MOM from crashing into the dock as we tried to get away. We got to the dock & both fell into major tired from the stress.

Today we get our raft/ dinghy ready & on the davits, the windows RAINEX'd, & that's about it. We've got a severe list to the port side & its because of the rice. So we've got some work to do.

We hope to go visit our friends on Orcas island Monday. BUT not holding our breath. Hard to coordinate when you're at the mercy of wind & tides.

Mothers Day

We're on Sucia Island in Fossil Bay after an 8 hour sail from West Sound & White Bay, Orcas Island. It's been beautiful weather, light winds, but still VERY cool. We were gonna take off today to Canada, BUT the hordes are clearing out & we worked so hard to get here & it's really OFF the beaten path, so we've decided to stay another night at least. The neat thing about Sucia is the hiking trails. WOW & the views thru' the trees right onto cliffs are amazing over looking some beautiful stretch of the Pacific inland sea.

We're eating left over corned beef for breakfast. After that we'll put the motor on the dinghy & cruise around the place. The winds' coming up like it did yesterday. BUT it did die down in the afternoon. When we went hiking yesterday & we got HOT & sweaty - a new experience here in the north.

Monday, May 14, 2012
Fossil Bay, Sucia Island

Took another wonderful walk. There are so many flowers right now & the birds are singing. We've seen lots of goslings as well. Yesterday they were still yellow, today, not so much. We took a walk a way out to Johnson Point yesterday. That was a beautiful spot to just sit & look out over the Cascade Range. We saw a seal out there but as yet, no Orca.

Tis morning a Border Patrol came into the anchorage. They actually had 1200 HP engines. 4 outboards that could actually go probably 100 MPH over the water. It was amazing. They wandered around looking at each boat while we were getting off the dinghy onto the dock for our walk. We'd never seen that. Must be some money thrown that way. Hard to believe it's actually that big a deal here by Canada. Not real comfortable - not that we have anything to hide, but weird to have this surveillance thing going. Oh well…. Maybe more going on than we know. That wouldn't be hard!

We think we may go to Canada today but are not sure. We've got a good spot & lots of hiking so hard to go. Carl's making BLT on tortillas right now. YUM & I've been thinking of the croissants in Ganges, Salt Spring Island, Canada. They had the BEST French bakery that we have not been to since we had "Twisted" the wee sail boat. That's the only thing to get me to move on is food!

May 18, 2012
Between Valdes & Kendrick Island

Whew, Whatta rotten anchorage we had last night. This place is only a wind tunnel & the current goes flying through here off the Georgia Straights. I didn't sleep at all. Between the wind in the rigging screaming from time to time & then a light from a tug blared into the V-berth about 2 in the morning. We did see the log boom tug go north outta here a couple of hours ago. We're attempting to go across to go on up to Desolation Sound. It's all a crap shoot. Ya listen to Entrance Island, and then to Halibut Banks on the reports on the weather radio THEN you just go out & see. Seems even just farting around here ya can have a harrowing experience. BUT oh the wind thru' here last night was up to 22 knots that we saw. Not as bad as the 45 knots on the Charlottes way up north. It's been cloudy tis' morning as well. That shows a change in the weather. We love it clear BUT oh the north westerly winds blow with a vengeance when it's like that. I hope the clouds stay & make the winds blow from the south & help us north.

OK, Carl's making his famous BLTTs Bacon Lettuce, Tomato & tortilla sandwiches. YUM ! Oh don't forget the onion! Yum Yum!!! & off we go to see what the Georgia Straights have in store for us. If it goes bad, we can duck back into Silva Bay & see our cute friends, Lynn & Oliver. So either way we win!

May 19, 2012
Anderson Bay, Texada Island, Malispina Straight

WOW, we hadda beautiful sail yesterday. We came over 30 miles from Kendrick Island near Gabriola. We started out with our "Iron Sail" [the motor] & about half way we were able to sail on a south wind! We thought we'd have to go to Smugglers' Cove on the main land & headed towards Merry Island. Just about then we came upon the Thormanby Islands, we tacked towards Texada Island & Anderson Bay. I wanted to see this place perched on the side of the high Texada. However, with that south breeze all day we had quite lumpy anchorage until it settled down after dark. The Straights of Georgia come right in here. I wonder if some of it was ship wake as well. Looks like a good holding perhaps in mud. We took a wonderful walk tis' morning. You can walk the entire length of the island if you were up for it 20 or 30 miles! We found a dinghy seat which was fortuitous. We've only got one in the new dinghy & I had to perch on the transom while Carl rows from the one seat. So we'll see how we can integrate the new seat in. It is a dinghy seat for real. Sad someone lost it. But lucky for us!

We've got a south wind beginning again so we won't be able to stay because of the lumpy conditions that build. DARN! I love it here. But once the northwesterly winds begin in the summer this would be a wonderful spot. So we think we might go on to Sturt Bay & the Vananda Boat Club dock or wherever the wind blows us. I love not having a BIG push like we've had. BUT the boat projects are still not getting done! Oh well….

May 24, 2012
Grace Harbor, Desolation Sound, Gifford Peninsula

We are all alone. There was another boat, Pacific Pearl from Seattle in around the corner out of sight last night & they took off @ 7:30 AM. That was a character boat. An aluminum motorized catamaran. HUGE! It had a large living area then a tall pilot house. He was up in the pilot house reading & she below. The back had a large patio area in which the motor dinghy LARGE was on the side pulled up. Two kayaks adorned the front of the boat. It was amazing.

We have wandered from Muscat Island in the Blind Bay area, sailed up to Powell River/ West view & stayed the night at a marina. We then sailed on up to Desolation yesterday. When we came around Sarah Point out of Thulin Channel it was awesome. HUGE mountains dwarfed the many islands & inlets we are to explore for the next month & a half. An eagle welcomed into the Sound. We always get what we call, "A welcome Eagle" whenever we come near our place to stay. We sailed the last 3 times we moved. It was a bit scary in the Malispina with large following waves & nearly 20 knot winds. But as we got further north the waves diminished.

At West view [$31 for moorage] we walked way up to The Mall. We got veggies & half/ half. Good provisioning there BUT it's a BIG town with many scowly faces rushing about. Plus that was a long walk straight up a big hill. Down at the docks the people were friendly & Jim & his dog, Levi, were nice [wharfinger].

Tis' morning we paddled over to the flat rocks nearby only to be turned back by a goose family. They had 4 goslings & we didn't want to disturb them. So back to our cove we went south of the more open bay in Grace. We found a trail we assume goes up to a freshwater lake BUT we've got to get our gumboots on for the hike. We got up to the saddle & it was full of swampy muck.

We have fond memories of this Harbor. Jacques took us here on the 10 day, 500 nautical mile trip back in 2005 with Chris, LeAnn & Brother Gregg. We had Callie & Bandit as well. What a riot that trip was taking us up to Princess Louisa, Egmont & a hike out to Scocumchuck Rapids, & many places in Desolation Sound. We stayed in Tenedos, here in Grace, & Van Donnup, among others.

May 30, 2012
Roscoe Bay, West Redonda Island, Desolation Sound, BC

Wow, this month is fast approaching an end. It's raining like crazy. We moved a big 5 miles across Homfray Channel & up into Roscoe Bay today from Melanie Cove, Preduix Haven. We had about 4 - 6 boats in Melanie every night. However, most of the time we were left alone until about 3 - 4 PM then the boats would start coming in. Most of them sailboats & only one motor boat.

We did all the hikes you possibly could do in that area. We watched eagles dive bomb mergansers, baby seals fishing, and lots of rain fill our water catchment system. Looks like Roscoe won't fail the rain department.

We explored all the islands around Preduix & found a MSR water bag that must've fallen off some kayakers' deck. It's a nice one & will probably serve as a "sun" shower since its black. That is, if we ever get sunshine!

To get into Roscoe you must come in at high tide since the mouth "dries" at low tide & one cannot leave nor enter. Very cool place. There is a huge lake that's great for swimming with a very short lovely stroll at the end of the bay. There are two beaches of one we call Goose Meadow. The other at the end of the bay has a picnic table and the only other person here is a kayaker from Comox at the picnic table. He built his kayak of beautiful strips of wood. It was a work of art. We felt a bit sorry for him since it began to really rain. We took off in our dinghy and got back to the boat and began building corn beef n' cabbage in the pressure cooker. OH YEAH!

We're anchored in 30 or so feet right next a lovely waterfall. We can look out the bay towards the mountains of Desolation. IF we ever see them with the rain & low clouds. Ah well, we've got good books. & when it stops raining, we hope to take our little kayak up to Black Lake & go for a paddle. We did have sunshine & sit in the cock pit for 3 whole days last week. It'll come around again. BUT for now, we've got NO PEOPLE. This place is PACKED come July & August. So it goes.

May 31, 2012
Roscoe Cove

It rained HARD all night & all the buckets & then some filled with rain. We're drinkin' rain.

A word about the birds
We got a couple of geese come into the bay yesterday & do their "honking duet". It was so cute. One would honk, the other answering right back. They floated on by another goose & then they all commenced to quietly mummer in honk mode to each other feeding. They went back to Goose Gardens [our name for a beach] & all began eating Sea Asparagus. It's very tasty & we picked some last summer from Alaska.

We've had robins as well. I don't know what some of the other birds we've heard in the woods have been. Some we call the "Howler Monkeys". Also some woodpeckers, a red shafted flicker was sighted. I miss the hummingbirds we had in Grace Harbor. I've had my feeder out in Preduix & now here & no takers. DARN! I love them & I get so tickled when they show up.

As with what we've seen years before the Desolation Sound seems to be home to millions of white jelly fish. & as we've been here the numbers seem to be increasing by the day.

OK, Looks like Carl's getting ready to go for our walk. We made Corned Beef, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots last night. Now we're preparing our navy bean soup from the soup juice. We started the heater tis' morning since its SO WET in the cabin. We've got 80% humidity.

In Melanie Cove we were startled by eagles soaring right at deck level. They landed on the waterfall debris. Just then one of um; attacked the merganser pair near by. The mergansers just ducked down into the water deeper but the eagle kept coming at them. The mergansers finally flew away. We couldn't believe our eyes!

Another interesting thing we've seen is the lilacs & fruit trees in just about every cove. There have been homesteads here for over a century. I read about many of them in Desolation Sound, a History.