June 23 was a gorgeous warm sunny day with a light breeze and a 2.5 foot minus tide forecast. I departed from the slip at 0915 about one hour before maximum ebb with 2.6 feet beneath the keel at the slip. It is about 200 yards to the marina entrance into Swinomish Channel. Half way there the depth meter read two feet, one and a half feet, half a foot, a third of a foot, then Belle-Vie slowly slid to a halt in the mud bottom. Patti got quite a yuk watching from on shore as I waited for the tide to change to lift Belle-Vie off the bottom. Two hours later we (Belle-Vie and I) headed north through the channel and into open waters to rendezvous with John Lund in Prevost Bay on Stuart Island about 40 miles away. Motored all the way due to unfavorable winds. The next day John and I, mostly under sail, cast off for Bedwell B.C. to clear customs, weather still holding. After clearing customs we experienced a spirited beat at times doing nine knots up Swansons Channel all the way to Ganges where we joined up with Wassail (Colin Banks) and Mariposa (Bob Barker). We anchored out for the evening after spending a few hours ashore. June 26 a 17.6 mile sail up Trincomali Channel to Clam Bay for the evening. The next day we arrived in Nanaimo Yacht Club guest dock after a lumpy sail through Dodd Narrows due to gale force winds in Georgia Strait. Used our reciprocal moorage at the Yacht Club the first night then moved over to Protection Island and dropped anchor in front of Dingy Dock Pub. After spending a few days in Nanaimo (purchased a dream catcher and incense sticks at the local thrift store), on June 30 we sailed to False Bay on Lasqueti Island. July 1 is Canada Day (similar to our July 4th). The islanders have a big day planned for their Arts Festival where the entire island is in attendance; about 250 people. The highlight of the event is the marching band; what a hoot. Stilt walkers, clowns, acrobats and one young man with nary a stitch of clothing banging away on his base drum. Frank, a local, has launched his homemade 40 foot barge of fir, spruce and yellow cedar wood salvaged from their shoreline, gave us a dime tour of his handy work. A scrap heap if you ask me. The pub has a new deck, Frank split with his significant other and toke smoke aroma is in the air. July 3 we sail a 37 mile leg to Lund where we stay over night at the float dock. Then on to Malespina Inlet where we buffet dine at the Laughing Oyster restaurant, home of Cougar Nancy, a renowned homesteader of long ago. The restaurant sits high up on the hill over looking the Inlet and Bunster Hills in the background. The fare included new york steak, roast lamb and assorted seafoods. We anchor in Grace Harbor on July 5 and have dinner on Colin's boat. Left over curry chicken with raisins, parsnips, carrots, and beets (Bob hates beets). July 8 we sail over to Squirrel Cove only to find that Marlyn"s Place is closed where we dined on salmon cooked First Nation style on cedar plank last year. Arose the next day to a minus tide with my rudder in the mud a few inches. On to Big Bay where the local association is slowly expanding their marina to draw boaters back after Big Bay Marina closed two years ago. Counted 48 eagles on Dent Island as we waited for slack water to traverse Yuclatas rapids. As we turn up Welbor Channel towards Forward Harbor I spot a large black bear browsing on marine life beneath rocks he turns over. Then out into Johnstone Strait to Port Neville. We are greeted by Lorna, a delightful fourth generation woman of the Hansen family. Moorage is free at the government dock and later she gives us a nickle tour of the old two story store and post office built by her great grandfather in the mid 1800s using hand hewn and fitted yellow cedar planks. July 13 a short motor sail from Boughy Bay to Cutter Cove. Nice anchorage but open to westerlies. Then a short motor over to Lagoon Cove amid occasional showers, a delightful marina. Bill and Jean are the owners who give everyone a warm welcome by helping us dock and an invitation to attend a potluck happy hour at 1630 in the barn. About 50 people show up with assorted dishes and the owners providing a five gallon bucket of freshly caught and cooked shrimp tails. Their small home sits atop a 10,000 year old First Nation camp site and midden. So much history, which we will see when we arrive at Village Island tomorrow. July 14 we tour the famous abandon First Nation Mamalilacula village area. Decaying evidence of the old long house and fallen totem remain for us to wonder. A small rock beach yields a good catch of little neck, steamers and horse clams, which I grind up for fritters. On our sail over towards Alert Bay the next day, as I'm watching an adult and juvenile eagle fish the waters for salmon, a large humpback whale (about 45 feet long and many tons) rises out of the water right next to Belle-Vie (15 feet) to blow. His unexpected appearance surprised me almost to death, but I dashed for the camera to capture videos of him and many others that appeared in the following days. July 18 after staying the night at Double Bay we arrive at Alert Bay on Cormorant Island, a small First Nation community with lots of history and a cultural center that included a potlatch (similar to our religious festival) walking tour. Weather clearing and warm. Visited with local Indian mask carvers in the basement of the old Residence school built in 1929 where First Nation children attended to be taught in the white man's ways. Also saw lots of totems and friendly locals. This is where Shirley joins us; Colin's significant other. July 24 spent several days at various nondescript uneventful anchorages such as Waddington Bay and Shawl Bay. In O'Brian Bay I dug about two dozen fist size cockle clams and ground them up for fritters. We reach Turnbull Cove, our northern most point of the cruise. Our GPS odometer reads exactly 400 miles at this point. Then on to Sullivan Bay, Watson Cove, Kwatsi Bay then free moorage at the abandoned Minstrel Island Marina. It seems about two years ago the Royal Canadian Mounted Police did a drug raid, jailed the owners and closed the place down. Since then the locals have trashed the place and left all the buildings in disrepair. Nice place once upon a time with a motel, pub, restaurant, fuel dock and moorage. Along the way we stopped to meet Billy Proctor and tour his museum. A delightful person with much to say about the salmon industry devastation. He has so many First Nation artifacts collected over the years. Stone arrow heads, bone whirls, bone needles, wooden spears, etc. He is in his 70s now with his wife ailing. July 29 Motored to Potts Lagoon, a very nice but shallow anchorage, then to Robson Bight in Johnstone Strait a restricted salmon estuary and Orca whale sanctuary. The whales go there to feed on the salmon and clean their skin on the pebble shoreline. We saw several Orcas passing through, some very close (100 feet). We're heading south stopping at Port Neville again for the evening, from there to Billy Goat Bay on Helmken Island where we watched several seals with their barking young pups, then to Granite Bay on Quadra Island. The next day, August 2, we sailed south through Seymore Narrows to Campbell River where Patti will fly in to join AMEE flotilla. She arrived safely on NW Float Planes at 1045 a.m. on August 4 in an orange DeHavelan Beaver. We set sail as soon as we board Belle-Vie for Rebecca Spit on the east side of Quadra Island, a wonderful anchorage loaded with oysters. We have lunch at Hariet Bay Hotel, then head for Westview, just south of Powell River, Garden Bay, Smugglers Cove, all on the mainland side of B.C. August 9 we head down the sunshine coast to Gibson Marina in Howe Sound just north of Vancouver B.C. The next day we had a very lumpy sail to Point Roberts, but made good time and cleared customs. Had dinner at the Dock Side Cafe. August 11 we sailed to Echo Bay on Sucia Island but could not find the Fossil Baykery boat. They made wonderful warm sweet rolls on and sold directly from their old fire boat. Their two young daughters would bring your fare out to your waiting boat in their kyaks. It was flat and calm all the way to Shelter Bay on August 12, so we ended up motoring. It's great to have Admiral Patti aboard for at least part of the cruise. Portal to portal was 758.6 miles. I prepared fried chicken and pepper corn gravy with corn and cucumber salad. What a wonderful cruise. Met many friendly people, saw lots of marine life, weather held up with good sailing breezes, all in all a great many neat experiences. I wonder what's in store for next year?
