Our first Five Days!!

Early Friday morning May 30^th we awoke to complete our final item on our “to do” preparation list – cleaning the boat. Our aim was to leave Shelter Bay and make Deception pass as it was roaring out, and we did exactly that. The current was pretty strong in the direction of Friday Harbor on San Juan Island so we decided to wrap it up early and anchor in beautiful MacKaye Bay on Lopez Island where we enjoyed the first coastal sunset of our trip.

Saturday morning at MacKaye Bay was something out of the twilight zone with a thick blanket of fog eerily surrounding the boat. It burnt off about 9:00 a.m. and a beautiful blue sky awaited us for our trip to Friday Harbor. We toasted a cuppa Java to Dan McCaughan’s 50^th Birthday day and off we went.

We moored at Friday Harbor Marine around noon and headed up to town. A visit to the hardware store for various needs and then to the little West Marine store for various wants – including a two man kayak for our further pleasure! A quiet evening aboard and away Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m. to Canada.

We landed at Canada Customs in Bedwell Harbor (Poet’s Cove) South Pender Island for clearance. We phoned in and were told we had to surrender our 4 potatoes, 1 pear and 1 apple and we did so. After getting our clearance we headed through the pretty Pender Pass to Browning Harbor, North Pender Island.

We moored at Browning Marina for a few hours while we walked to the store about ½ mile up the road, past Nosey Point B&B sporting a big black frying pan off their porch with a “Vacancy” sign. I suspect the other side of the pan says “No Vacancy”. At the store we purchased the food the Customs took away and bought my fishing license. On the way back to the boat, we stopped at the Marina for a wine and beer; then off to the boat to anchor out for the night.

Monday, June 2^nd and we raise a cuppa Java to our Leslie on her 42nd Birthday! Rowed the dinghy to the beach and walked back to the store in search of a cable to upload these pictures!! We found it at the pharmacy which, to my surprise is owned and operated by Marty Swan, a former ISM Operations Manger of mine when I worked there. A great time catching up with where everyone is and what they are doing and leaving with cable in hand. Next to the book store where we bought David Spalding’s (of David & Andrea Spalding Edmonton neighbor fame) latest book – Enchanted Isles – it is all about the Southern Gulf Islands and is dedicated to daughters Jane, Penny and Lucy. Jane was a friend of Leslie’s; Penny was a friend of Buffy’s and Lucy was smitten with William. All enjoyed Jocelyn’s baby antics at the time. Jane babysat once in a while as well. Andrea and David still live on the Island. The girls are all living in Victoria.

Early afternoon we had a play on the beach and discovered the carcass of a Seal. Richard suggests that the big Orca monster devoured the seal’s head (hence no skull in evidence) and he washed up to shore. I believe that it was a kindly fisherman who did us all a favor by destroying one of our competition!

Anchor up and off to Winter Cove for tonight. Hopefully I will get to an internet site to upload this in the morning.

Update: It's Tuesday and we are on Saturna Island at the Co-Op store which, thankfully has free wireless! Last night we spent at Winter Cove -- it was a gorgeous spot and we remember it from 10 years ago.

Here's our route in Canada so far: