What better way to celebrate summer coming to a close than spending a few days aboard a lovely sailing boat with good friends and glide over quiet waters under a brilliant sky to anchor in secluded coves backed by spectacular scenery?
Take out a map of British Columbia's coast, and look where the 'Inside Passage' of the meeting of Johnston Strait and Georgia Strait separate Vancouver Island from the Mainland.
Dozens of Islands lay betwixt the two sides. Deep fjords reach for dozens of miles into the imposing coastal mountain ranges. Rapids, narrows and passes conduct immense volumes of waters to and fro on tidal ranges and demand skillful timing of passages from sailors when transiting rapids. But, the rewards are worth every effort. To swing at anchor in a secluded cove, watching wild life, listening to bird song, observing fish jump and armies of translucent jellyfish pulsate in the clear waters, to gaze at a bright moon in a glittering night sky, sharing with friends...and enjoying a freshly caught fish dinner....it comes close to living in Paradise.
Let the photos speak for themselves.
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| Rebecca Spit, Quadra Island, looking east over Georgia Strait towards the impressive Coastal BC Mountain Range. |
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| Pebbly Beaches, strewn with giant logs, on Quadra Island invite to a leisurely stroll along the shore. |
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| At the south end of Quadra Island feared Cape Mudge looks over both Vancouver Island and BC Mainland. It is flat calm today. When tidal streams from the north and the south collide here dangerous currents swirl and race, pulling boats into unwanted directions and often putting them into danger. Add to that frequent strong winds, and Cape Mudge turns into a broiling death trap. Today deceiving calm reigns, dozens of pleasure fishing boats ply the waters to catch at least one of the thousands of salmon which run to their spawning grounds. |
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| Cape Mudge Lighthouse....many sailors are happy to pass it quickly and lose it from sight. |
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| Heading north from Heriot Bay towards Beasley Passage, the first we have to negotiate at 'slack tide'. Even at slack tide, the 36 foot boat is kicked around by small whirlpools, upwellings and the shear of opposing currents. The passage is just wide enough for one boat to transit at a time. A half submerged rock, marked by floating kelp but still hardly visible, lays mid stream and seems to suck vessels towards it. A generous avoidance maneuver takes us safely past and we enter the quieter waters beyond. |
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| It does not look like a submerged rock, that narrow dark line crossing mid photo - but numerous boats have found out the hard way, that indeed it is a rock. The current seems to enjoy sucking boats toward it; the prudent sailor give it a very very wide berth. |
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| Another boat entering the calm narrow passage into Octopus Islands, a marine park at the north end of Quadra Island. |
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| A fat Lincod fresh from the sea. A couple of hours later, fileted and BBQ-ed he turned into a delicious dinner... |
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| Woodpecker checking out visitors in Octopus Islands |
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| Shore leave in Octopus Islands |
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| The local residents on a food foray... |
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| Mirror smooth and quiet, Indian summer and no crowds.... |
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| Staying with good friends on Juniata, a sturdy 36 foot Crealock sailing vessel |
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| Heading towards Hole in the Wall, a narrow pass between two cliffs, where skippers have to time passage for slack tide. Looking at the smooth water surface, it is difficult to imagine how turbulent it gets, when actually sneaking through the Hole in the Wall. |
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| Heading South to Van Donop Inlet on Cortez Island. |
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| Crossing from Van Donop Inlet to Heriot Bay on Quadra Island, on a cloudless, calm and beautiful sunny day. |
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| An afternoon on Goose Spit near Comox... |
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| Walking the dog on Goose Spit |
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| Odd passengers waiting for the ferry to arrive at Comox Ferry terminal... |
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| Heading to Powell River on a BC ferry to 'embark' on a little land based exploring along the SunshineCoast |
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| Mile Zero of Highway 101, which starts in Lund and ends near Puerto Montt in southern Chile, nearly 15,000 miles away. Funny feeling, as I stood at the other end of this epic highway a few months ago, when I passed through Puerto Montt. |
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| Lund, the originating point of Highway 101 - the Chileans claim of course, that it starts at their end. Lund is a pleasant stop to visit Nancy's Bakery, which has evolved from a dock side shack to a high end large building with wrap around terrace. Every cruiser heading north to Desolation Sound, the Broughton Archipelago or Alaska stops here to consume one of the world famous cinnamon rolls, which are large enough to feed a crew of twelve. |
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| And the journey continues, this time on another BC Ferry from Saltery Bay to Earl`s Cove. |
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| Numerous secluded freshwater lakes dot the mainland`s landscape. I saw a large, well fed black bear here, whose glistening fur just rippled over his powerful body, when he crossed the road at a leisurely pace in front of my car - no camera handy, so you just have to believe my latest bear story. |
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| Ruby Lake near Pender Harbour. |
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| The Garden Bay Pub in Pender Harbour. I ordered fish and chips here, expecting another delicious meal of freshly caught halibut. It was not to be. The fish part of the meal looked like a dark brown brick that had weathered the passage of time. When opening the breading, the part that looked - and tasted - like a brick, I actually found some fish. Not fresh, mind you, more or less like something that has floated around in a Costco freezer for a while. The chips? Don't ask! Well, it took a couple of days to digest, but the view from the patio of the Pub was superb. |
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| Leaving Pender Harbour early morning |
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| Fresh Water Lake Indian Summer |
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| Reflections in a wetland's pond |
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There are plenty of wetlands around, where wild fowl makes its home, reeds and water lilies fill the ponds, and trunks and branches of dead trees reach into the air.
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| A last rose of summer among a bush tipped with rosehip... |
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| A sentimental journey into the past. My good old Millennium Dragon docked in Sechelt. She is now sailed in these waters by her owner of two years. To think, that I spent the summers of almost two decades on this trusty little ship! |
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| And then comes the last leg: Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo. Ferry traffic mirrored summer rush. Even after I arrived early by almost two hours to catch the next scheduled ferry, my car and I did not make it aboard, and another wait of two hours for the next ferry stretched travelling time. But, time to reflect, and enjoy the last ride across Georgia Strait back to Vancouver Island. |
