Ah, the carefree life!

As we left Powell River/Westview in the afternoon avoiding playing bumper boats with all the commercial fishers in the basin, the sun was shining down and the winds were friendly.

I camped on the bow and basked in the sunshine as Richard cruised us into happy little Finn Cove just a stone’s throw away from Lund.

Finn Cove has a fascinating boat lift operated by a not so small woman. This is the lift that Mithrandir used when getting work done on her engine at the time Dan McCaughan and Richard put in to get repairs during their circumnavigation of Vancouver Island a few years back.

Finn Cove has a government float to which we rafted up along the fishing boat Sea Star III. I have to say that it was a bumping landing so their may not be a Sea Star IV… don’t tell anyone. The wharefinger came in the evening on a beautiful lap strake rowing dinghy to collect our fee. On the point of Finn Cove, there is a huge resort of some sort – looking rather out of place in this working man’s bay. To our delight we found that we could get CBC at 92.5 on the FM channel so we spent the evening listing to “Ideas” and feasted upon some fascinating conversation from the Ceeb.

Next day we made our way to Lund. Now, I think I have more than a passing connection here. The people who established Lund, Charles and Fred Thulin were from Sweden and hand logged Pendrell Sound in 1889 before they settled in the place they later christened Lund after their home town in Sweden. Now, as it happens that is the same home town that my great, great grandmother Eva Kristina Jakobsdatter Lund came from. Her father had been a soldier in Lund. I bet they knew of this family. Must check this out more thoroughly when I have access to my internet data bases.

Helicopter in Lund flying in digital radio parts. Note Rich, Paul & Steve, I hear this one doesn't break down as often as yours.

After fueling up we went in to get our laundry underway, I had a blissfully long hot shower (yum) and we stopped into Nancy’s Bakery (double yum) to have breakfast. Nancy’s had internet so I caught up on the emails including hearing all about Jocelyn’s new apartment that she is looking at leasing. Leslie reports that Michael, having finished writing his exams is out for the summer except to pick up his report card. Aaron still has a few days to go and is looking forward to a wind-up party that his class is having this week. After the better part of the morning doing our chores we headed off to the Copeland Islands. Our way was sunny with glassy waters. We anchored in this beautiful marine park made up of 4 islands and islets. We had a beautiful sunset and after fussing a bit with the propeller magnetic from shore, had a quiet anchorage.

Sunset in the Copeland Islands

In the morning we got cracking early and wandered through the rest of the Copelands on our way to Sarah Point and the entrance to Desolation Sound. I’d heard that a fish was caught off Sarah Point the day before so we trolled for about 2 hours, alas no luck. I wanted to catch a biggie to show Paul but that will come later. I have a new spiffy flasher that the sports shop says is really hot this year – it has a micro chip in it that sends out sounds to fish convincing them that they are hungry. Well, it must have been that those fishes were full up at Sarah Point.

We gunk holed Galley Bay around the corner and saw the remnants of the old orchard that the Finnish Hanson family settled on at the entrance. This bay was also famous for a “co-op” of cabins that were built along the middle shore – started by the free spirit generation of the 1920’s. It was a hard life on these islands and it is said that the women on the co-op would swim out bare naked to the yachties who came up from the south, receiving food and money from the skippers. I am sure the Hanson’s and their 10 children stay well clear of the co-opers. Galley Bay also had a school at one time with 10 students. A pretty little Bay and while part of the Desolation Sound Marine Park, there are private owners still on some parts of it.

An old cabin on Galley Bay

On we went to gunk-hole Portage Cove. A downright pretty little place spoiled by the huge PRIVATE, NO TRESSPASSING signs. It is reported that if you get too close to the private homes that someone will come out and shoot you with a potato gun. Not very friendly. It’s too bad because if one could transit across on land, you can reach a wonderful bay on the other side instead of traveling 9 miles around. No worries, off we went to explore Otter Island and we went through the very narrow pass between Otter and Eveleigh (Rich being the adventurous type). We traversed and further down approached Melanie Cove from this side but this time the Captain agreed that it was maybe a tad shallow and many propeller inspectors were waiting to check us out. So, we went around Eveleigh Island and enter the same way normal people do, anchoring at the head of Melanie Cove near the wall we did 14 years ago when I got the call that Leslie was in labor 6 weeks early and I flew home to see my first grandson, whilst the rest of the family remained. So, it feels like I’ve finally come full circle and completed my vacation.

Rich stern ties to the rock wall in Melanie Cove

We had a gloriously sunny day in Melanie Cove. Dad went for a swim again and reported that it was much warmer than in Princess Louisa (no doubt!). On a row ashore Rich met a couple from the MV Western Leaves and enjoyed a good chat. Melanie Cove was first settled (by a white man) by a man named Mike Shuttler. He was a bachelor who was from Minnesota who immigrated to Canada after a brawl that left a huge scar on his face and from which he spent 4 days unconscious. After he recovered, he decided that he would go away to the wilderness and think about life – and he settled at the head of the Melanie Bay in 1890. He had a huge orchard, vegetable garden, flower garden and kept goats. He was a voracious reader and reported to have the best collection of books in the area.

The head of Melanie Cove where "Mike" had his cabin.

A sunny anchorage in Melanie Cove

Thursday morning met us with a drizzle and overcast skies, the first in several days so no complaining here! (But it does explain why Captain George Vancouver called the place "Desolation Sound" -- he must have been here when it rained)

The drizzle down Desolation Sound

We went round to have a look at Laura Cove which seems a mirror image of Melanie Cove at the head of the bay. A man by the name of Phil Levign lived here in the late 1800’s. He is said to have shot a man in Quebec and come to live here in the Wilderness. History says that he was completely illerate so friends would stop in to read newspapers to him and to write his letters home to his family in Quebec. Interestingly enough when his neighbor Mike (above) from Melanie Cove died, Phil inherited all his books and although not able to read them gave him happy memories of his neighbor.

We’re off the Pendrell Sound today in the hopes of catching some Prawns at our favorite spot and anchor at the end of the Sound where the water temperatures will be in the high 70’s and I shall go for a swim. The weather calls for sunshine, but it’s hard to imagine it burning through all this drizzle.

Our anchorage behind the islet in Desolation -- just in front of the Oyster Bed.

Friday morning and Pendrell is beautiful.

A friend joins us for coffee.

We brought the anchor up and said goodbye to all the sleeping oysters and made our way to the Prawn trap that we set just on the other side of the Islet.

We raise our trap and up comes dinner -- 44 delicious looking prawns!

The water temperature was sublime and Richard went for another swim 'round the boat.

From Pendrell we cruised down to have a look at Roscoe Bay -- a great spot for "next time" and made our way to Refuge Cove and the only spot for provisions before going further North. More later when another internet site is found!