Pierre's Echo Bay First Day

Current weather is "Shadow on Ground"

Our slip at Pierre's Echo Bay Marina

Interesting Motor Sailer

Boardwalk to the office and store

View of Wind Song Marina across the bay

One of the many interesting structures

Information Center

July 30th - Waddington Bay

Decided to stay one more day so we can check the area out in the dinghy. It was just too windy yesterday. The dinghy ride was great - went around the bay here & then out around the neighboring little islands close to us. It got up to the low 60's today & the wind picked up in the afternoon after we got back. The wind calmed down around 7:00pm & the sky turned bright blue & the sun was out in full force.
5 boats left today & 10 others came in throughout the day, so we have a total of 13 in the bay tonight. (I must think I'm the harbor master - checking bosts in & out; also find myself in charge of counting anchor lights when it gets dark...Rod is sure I'm going to jump in the dinghy & handout tickets or perhaps warnings in the morning for those that don't put theirs on. You're supposed to put your anchor light on - usually at the top of the boat - so others know you're there).
Tomorrow we'll go to Pierre's Echo Bay & go out with Nikki, the Eco Adventure friend we made last year, the following day. We went out with her last year & she came down to speak at both the Seattle Yacht Club & the Shelter Bay Yacht Club. She just wrote a book called, "Becoming Wild" from her 2 years of daily journalling when she was out during her survivalist experience. She stayed with us for one night & it was great to hear even more of her amazing stories. Can't wait to go out with her again!
Absolute Deception - Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Bed & Breakfast were the movies tonight.

Waddington Bay via dingy

Good to be off the boat 

This is way too much fun

Deerleap leaving the harbor

Mountains on BC mainland

Alway know where you are

Seagulls in the rocks

Sun protection is a must

Interesting trees on islet

Lady Lynn at anchor

Looking good (note shock absorber in anchor chain)

Stern view of Lady Lynn

July 29th - Waddington Bay

Woke up to bright sun & 62 at 6:30 this morning, 1st day of no fog in awhile - up on the flybridge by 10:30. Finished my 3rd book, not a lot but have been doing a variety of things to keep busy. So far we've seen a very noisy heron flying around the bay, an eagle, a seal, sea gulls & what look like crows. 5 boats left this morning.
The wind picked up later in the morning in the bay - up to 13 knots. A girl off the Deerleap was out kayaking & we saw the dinghy off the other Grand Banks towing her back into the bay & to her boat. The Deerleap fishing boat came back in around 1:00 & after they offloaded people we saw it go over to the GB with "the rescued kayaker" & deliver a salmon - must have been a thank you from their catch...very nice! Saw the couple taking picures of the fish with their camera & Ipad before he started to fillet it.
We had some excitement this afternoon - wind got up to 20 knots (very different than the flat calm water yesterday) & Rod fortunately saw that our boat was drifting (based on our relationship to the other GB), we had dragged anchor & we were getting close to the shore which is rocky. Rod had to reset the anchor & now the alarm is on in case it slips again. The wind had been blowing most of the afternoon. 6 boats came in during the day so we're up to 11. Several came in & then left, possibly because it was so windy or they wanted more room between boats, not sure.
Our dinner was barbequed steak, baked potato & asparagus. Movies tonight were: The Company Men - Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones and Magic of Belle Isle with Morgan Freeman. Wind didn't really die down until 9:30 & then it was 3-4 knots, much better than earlier.

July 28th - Waddington Bay

It was 58 this morning & foggy (marine layer) which has been slowly lifting. Our 2nd movie last night was Catch & Release with Jennifer Garner - another good chick flick.
Our animal/bird sightings here included herons, seagulls, seals & a bear...no eagles & no seals sunning on the rocks. Still an amazing anchorage & one we'll most likely come back to again. We left at noon to head to Waddington Bay by Bonwick Island. We had to get out of the cove a bit in order to get the seaweed/kelp off the anchor. The fog didn't clear until around 11:00.

Got to Waddington at 1:00 - there eventually were 9 other boats here, 4 sail & 5 power. Much different than where we were the past couple of anchorages. It is a very protected anchorage - water is flat calm. 2 fishing boats from 2 of the anchored boats came back around 3:30 while we were finally enjoying the flybridge!!! It eventually got to 73, with little wind. Perfect for the lido deck. Saw 2 ladies out kayaking this afternoon & one from Carousel (smaller power boat) swung by & invited us over for drinks at 6pm with her fellow kayaker off one of the sailboats. We thought it would be fun to meet some new people so down came our dinghy. We'll take our drinks & some smoked salmon.
We had a great conversation on the Carousel. Turns out Denise is single handling her boat (I think its a 37' Meridien). She always goes with a least one other boat & is with the sailboat on this trip. She boated with her husband who passed away in 2000. She loved boating & wanted to continue so has worked her way up to the boat she has now. Both boats are Canadian & they keep their boats in Blaine. I think they're going to come over tomorrow to see our boat. It was interesting comparing stories about the various places up here. denice has been out since 6/30 too.
Tonight's movie is another Sandra Bullock with Ben Affleck, Forces of Nature.

Waddington Bay

The happy Admiral

Very nice day in Waddington Bay

Famous vintage yacht Deerleap

View toward entrance to Waddington Bay

Another Grand Banks anchored with us

July 27th - Cove

Woke up this morning to only 15 feet of water at low tide under our boat in our cove - this is why only 1 boat can fit in here! (We need 5 feet to not go aground). And, Captain Rod did an amazing job of placing the Lady Lynn when he anchored. There are rocks (& seaweed) everywhere that we did not see yesterday. It was 65, blue sky & sun when I got up at 8:00. Low tide was at 9:00 & that's when Rod took pictures to put on the blog.
Last night we did see a black bear on the shore about 9:00, just before the sun went down & we've seen seals in the water (last night & this morning). It's been amazing here this morning - you can hear the seagulls calling, the flap of their wings, the water lapping against the rocks on the shore as the tide comes back in. A black bear came out around 10:30 (maybe the same 1 as last night) to look for food in a tide pool. Another boat came in looked around & left.
It is so beautiful here that we decided to stay another night. We're doing some cleaning (vacuuming, washing teak floors - cat getting old & tracking his litter box sand everywhere...maybe a precursor to what we humans can look forward to???, changing bedding, showering) and then we'll get to enjoy the rest of the day! Perhaps we'll even get to use our seating on the flybridge for cocktails &/or dinner. So far we haven't been able to enjoy it as much as last year - it's either been too hot or too windy/cool.
Well no "Lido deck" today - the wind picked up this afternoon & temperature dropped to 58. Dinner tonight was my corned beef with sauce that we saved this year (thanks to Greg & Vanessa) & froze, as well as cole slaw. Movie will be Key Largo.

Low tide

Tides out, rocks in

Map of Vancouver Island

We are the green boat in the upper left of the map

Last nights well protected anchorage

July 26th - Cove east of Seabreeze Island

Woke up to 64 degrees & fog. It rained most of the night but stopped this morning so maybe the Captain is correct in predicting nice weather. We're moving north today - not sure yet where we'll anchor tonight but the Captain has several possibilities he wants to check out. Last night we watched a second movie - The Proprosal with Sandra Bullock, a good chick flick! (And a good thing to do on rainy nights - didn't get over until 11pm...a late night for me).
We haven't made any water in Cutter Cove as there are lots of stringy looking things floating around the surface - not sure what they are but don't want them going through the watermaker & we don't really need water yet. We've been on the lookout for bears as they are supposed to frequent this cove but haven't seen any yet.
Yesterday a crabbing boat came in to pull pots. Rod watched them through his new super duper binoculars (another story). They did get some crab & lots of star fish. They were Asian, possibly Vietnamese - we remember hearing them talking on the radio the past couple of years so there must be a population up here. This morning a little "tour boat" came in with lots of people on it with cameras & binoculars. Maybe they were looking for the bears too.
Now...the binocular story. So...how many pairs does one need on the boat, or at the house??? That is my question. We currently have 5 pairs on the boat (1 added this year). And, I believe, close to the same at the house. Now, this is partly due to a consolidation from our Seattle & La Conner homes, a desire to have multiple pairs for guest's use AND partly due to my husband's need to add to his collection. When I saw a similar pile on our friend Jon's boat, I made a comment (ok, a little snarky) & was told in no uncertain terms by Jon that each one has a different purpose & you DEFINITELY need them all. I assumed it was part of my husband's hoarding tendencies, apparently not! (By the way, our CA. granddaughter Talia (almost 6) is starting to show the same tendencies...is that hereditary???)
We pulled anchor at 10:45 - it was 72 out, still cloudy but patches of blue sky. We anchored again around 1:30 in 1 of 4 small coves east of Seabreeze Island. This place was described in one of our books on the Broughtons. We looked at a couple different spots here & Rod decided on this spot after making sure we had enough water to swing around & were facing the wind. A Canadian boat came in after us but decided not to stay. Comments in the book suggest that we might see bears, bald eagles, Bonaparte seagulls & seals sunning on the rocks. So far just the seagulls & a couple of seals. We did see one dolphin on our way here but he didn't try to swim with the boat. It's 63 here & partly cloudy. It did clear up around 5:00, the sun came out & it was a beautiful setting for dinner. We had barbequed chicken & a salad made from the 2 kinds of lettuce we picked at the Cortez outstation vegetable garden - very good.

It's very peaceful here

The afternoon sun lights up the water

Anchored just east of Seabreeze Island off Gilford Island

Tonight's anchorage is only big enough for one boat

Foggy morning in Cutter Cove

Our neighbor peacefully at anchor 

Nice reflexion

Evening in Cutter Cove

The only other boat in the cove tonight 

Lots of rain this evening, but a great view

July 25th - Cutter Cove

Woke up this morning to 59 degrees. It started raining lightly last night & has continued on & off this morning. It's supposed to turn nicer starting tomorrow.
Thought I would talk about our cat today (MR Cat/Chardonnay). He has become the perfect boat cat - hanging around the salon no matter who is on the boat! He's been spending a lot of time getting pets, being groomed (by me or him) & sleeping on the settee for a good part of the day - alternating with the floor. Thank goodness for Cat Nap Inn (his boarding pamper parlor) suggesting that we get dog stairs for him a couple of years ago. He uses them constantly to go up & down on the couch - even when company is on the boat. Another favorite spot for him is the deck when it's nice. He walks around the deck & loves to sleep right outside one of the doors. He's also become our alarm clock for his insulin shots & thyroid pills twice a day - 6:00am & 6:00pm. It's like he has an internal alarm clock & comes to remind us to take care of his medicine. This happens even when he's not particularly hungry (he pretty much gets food all day long or else he meows until we obey his commands).
All of the other boats here left by the early afternoon. It rained on & off all day. We read, listened to the radio (music & news) & played games on our Ipads. Rod cleaned the outside windows & railings during one of the rain breaks to remove the salt water from our trip yesterday. Tonight's dinner was the leftover chicken potstickers with the yummy Asian Gozo dipping sauce & frozen vegetable fried rice with the Gozo sauce & canned salmon - all but the salmon from Trader Joes. Very good for an easy dinner! A thank you goes out to my friend, Jan Harper, who went up to Trader Joes with me to consult on things to buy for the boat. She's flying up to the Broughtons in August to spend a week with us.
We watched a movie tonight - Up in the Air, with George Clooney. Just one other boat came in to the cove around dinner time.

July 24th - Cutter Cove

It was 58 at 7:00 this morning with spots of blue sky hiding behind the clouds. We left at 8:30 to make our way to Lagoon Cove Marina. We have 2 sets of rapids to go through this time - Greene Point Rapids & Chatham Channel & are going up the inside route. The wind got up to 30 knots (mostly 25 knots with a gust of 30) going through Chancellor Channel, with lots of white caps & water splashing over the bow. One of the hooks holding up the kayak on the starboard side came undone - hopefully it's secure enough to stay on the boat. We went up Wellbore Channel (20 knot winds) & then ducked into Farewell Harbour at 10:30 to anchor & see if the winds died down before heading into Johnstone Straits. Fortunately the kayak hook was a relatively easy thing for Rod to fix when we anchored. We picked up anchor at 12:30 to head out to Johnstone & then to Chatham Channel for the last rapids on this leg.
When we got to Johnstone, winds were 20 knots most of the way, with 3 ft swells in the beginning. Lady Lynn handles the water quite well so we were always comfortable. We were in the straits for about 2 hours.
Mr. Cat (Chardonnay) prefers to be in his "condo/kennel" in our stateroom when the water is choppier. We've seen quite a few fish farms as well as patches of clear cutting of timber along the shores since we left Octopus Islands.
We got close to Lagoon Cove around 4:30 & there was no room left at the marina. We ended up in Cutter Cove which is across from Minstrel Island, before you get to Lagoon. We were anchored by 5:00. We barbequed cheese burgers for dinner. There were 2 other boats here when we first arrived, 3 boats just came in so now there are 6 of us.

Moving from Blind Channel to Cutter Cove

Chardonnay not too stressed while cruising

Log raft in Johnstone Strait

Tug pulling large log tow in Johnstone Strait

July 23rd - Blind Channel

Woke up this morning to clouds & 55 degrees. We had lunch up on the "patio" area & both had pastrami sandwiches with a side of German potato salad & beans & hocks. The pastrami is cooked & smoked here & so are the beans - it was delicious! We bought a couple of things at the store when we were done & got to meet the chef from the restaurant. He wanted to know what we had for dinner & gave us some info on why he made things the way he does. He's from Russia & used to be the chef here & left to start his own restaurant in Vancouver with smoked Louisiana type food. It burned down last year so he came back to Blind Channel. Lucky for everyone here!

I started some laundry (did one load & had another in the washing machine when we left). The 2nd load was the first time I tried to use warm/cold water rather than just cold. When we got back to the boat, the wash had barely moved in the cycle & Rod saw that the pump did not stop running. Turned out that we were totally out of water (& we hold 500 gallons)! We've been filling up with water when we can & also making water so Rod immediately went into diagnosis mode. Turned out the hot water valve to the washing machine was broken. Will have to be diagnosed when we get home but now I know that I will be using cold water only in the machine! Fortunately we're at a marina where we can refill the tank - plan had been to top off after my 3 loads of laundry was done, now it's totally refilling. It was a good thing that we discovered all of this here as we'll be totally dependent on our water maker while we're in the Broughtons. The water there is cedar water & has tanin in it, so everything comes out of the faucet brown.
This afternoon it started to rain & didn't get above 59 - a big change from yesterday.

Blind Channel views

Blind Channel on our arrival

Blind Channel docks the next day.  (raining) 

Discovery Passage 

Blind Channel flags

Blind Channel Store

Lady Lynn in center of picture

Notice Ranger Tugs in foreground

View from Blind Channel looking toward Johnstone Strait

July 22nd - Blind Channel Marina

This morning was overcast & cool. Carol & I kayaked at 10:00 for about 45 min. They came over to use our phone booster & get internet connection around 12:30 & then we got ready to head out at 1:30, once again to time the Upper Rapids in Okisollo Channel, north of Hole in the Wall. We then headed out into Johnstone Straits for about an hour...both were a non-event. We arrived at Blind Channel about 5:15, with reservations at 6:30 for dinner in their nice restaurant. They also have a nice little store with some gift items & "a post office."
It was 77 degrees at 5:45 when we arrived & got tied up. Much nicer than where we were earlier today. The marina is full - 27 boats here. We had a great dinner with martinis & wine!

July 21st - Octopus Islands

It was beautiful this morning but cooler - 50 degrees at 7:00. It warmed up some to the lower 60's by 11:00 when Carol & I went kayaking for an hour plus. This afternoon we're doing cocktails& appies on our boat.
We'll go to Blind Channel tomorrow afternoon to time the next set of rapids, leaving here around 2:00. We already have reservations for dinner at their restaurant at 6:30.

More happenings in Waiatt Bay

Heron aboard Lucky Too

The Heron up close

Lady at anchor in Waiatt Bay

Heron on the rail

Carol Silhan and Lynn kayaking in Waiatt Bay

Waiatt Bay (Octopus Islands)

Mike & Carol Silhan out for a spin in the new dingy

Sunrise on Waiatt Bay