Local Color -- Billie Proctor

Many of the bays in this area have float home villages. This one is part of the Simoon Village which was made famous when the National Film Board did a film on it I believe in the late 40's. We are told that at one time with the mining, fishing and logging there were over 200,000 people living and working in these islands.

Float Home in Simoon Bay

After the morning of gunkholing the inlets and bays, we met up with our good friends Mya II and Golden Days in Shoal Harbor. We had a great potlock dinner rafted and anchored in the Harbor. About 10:00 PM we uncoupled and set our own anchors for the night. Good thing too -- we had winds up to 40 knots over night -- had we stayed rafted our anchor rodes would have been macrame'd tight!

Mya II and Golden Days in Shoal Harbor.

Next morning aboard a cappella, we arranged to see Billie Proctor who is famous in this area for his collection of "junk" that he has turned into a museum. Billie has gathered his collection by beachcombing and from friends who give him "stuff". It's a great midden of history of the coast. Billie has also written and had published two books on people of this area as well as his own history. For many years, Bill fished and trapped in these islands. Now, at 76, he is a staunch enviornmentalist and is spearheading salmon recovery stream projects in the area. Billie showed us all through his museum in Proctor Bay.


Jack Scannell and Billie Proctor at the Museum

Here's the crew -- Jack, Richard, Bernie, Donna, June (friend of Pat & Bernie), Rhonda, Pat

After a few more hours of cruising and finding the Indian Villages listed in Billie Proctor's book -- we put in to Windsong Marina for overnight. Happy Hour produced many goodies, as usual, and Billie came over to join the group -- regaling us with stories of he and his pals on the coast. A great hamburger BBQ followed on Golden Days. We were serenaded after dinner with a harmonica player from the sailboat Pete's Packet.