                        DAY 19

Our 17th wedding anniversary. The kids were up early making us wonderful
cards which took them 2 hours to do!!
I raced up to pay our moorage fees (ouch) and pick up some milk before we
eased out of Campbell River. We were careful not to scrape past "The Life of
Riley" docked opposite us which was a $6m pleasure boat with at least 3 crew
on board from Dallas, Texas.
I'm sure we were having more fun on our boat than they were on theirs.
We headed straight out against the currents and were only able to do 2knots
until we cleared Mudge Point!! A very slow start.
It was a beautiful sunny day as we made our way to Lund.
Crossed above Savary Island and came into Lund Harbour, glad to have found a
spot on the inner dock as there isn't much room in here for big boats.
David and Nonie were there to greet us which was nice. He kids threw Gramps
the lines, so there was no rush for me to jump off.
Brian discovered the heat exchanger for the transmission had a hole and was
leaking. We will have to get that fixed before we leave here.
David and Nonie treated us to lunch at the Lund Hotel. They had brought the
kids their marked school work and reports which was exciting. They were both
positive reports with lots of stickers so they were thrilled. Even the home
tutors got a good report!!

Brian and David found a jack of all trades in Mike Saunders who took the
heat exchanger away and promised to fix it overnight.
The kids took off to explore the banks at low tide and create some rock
sculptures. We had fried rice cooked on the deck along with all the
mosquitos.

                      DAY 20

Woke up to rain, fog and choppy weather. Spent a bit of time in the
pilothouse listening to the marine forecast. Hoping to leave tomorrow with
David and Nonie but will see what happens with this weather!!
Boats are coming in out of the weather left, right and centre. Not much room
left and a fair bit of rafting going on. No-one seems too keen to raft
beside us!!
Mike came with our fixed heat exchanger and also looked at the heater/ac
units to figure out how they would best work over here.
Mike also offered to drop off his rastor charts  for us to copy later!!
Brian was most pleased!
The weather isn't going to settle....another front coming through. We have
delayed our departure due to this. We spent the day fiddling on the boat
while the kids explored. Tem and I picked some wild blackberries.

                   DAY  21


Up fairly early. The kids  and I lined up for a shower. David arrived for
breakfast (French toast) before taking us all back to Powell River to get
some errands done.
The kids fell in love with a puppy at Marine Traders (which started the
debate about WHEN we were going to get  a dog!!)
We bought a 20amp plug ($100) and a filter coffee machine so I can make more
than 1 cup at a time. $19 at Walmart!!!
Oh the joys of civilization!!
We went back to the condo for a visit and then David drove us all back to
Lund.
Brian and I cleaned out the storage area downstairs (after we wiped all the
spilt POOP from the black water tank that had exploded some time back!!! Oh,
the joys of owning a boat!!!)
Listening to the marine forecast informed us that it would clear up
tomorrow, so we let David and Nonie know to be ready on deck by 9am!!
Most of the other boats here are heading south as they finish up their
holidays....we are the only ones going back up to Desolation Sound. The
couple across from us came over to have a look at the boat. They have
restored their 40 foot DeFever on their own for the past 2 years!!
They thought our boat would be great for them to live on!

                                    DAY  22

Dave and Nonie arrived, all packed and ready to go. They were given Tem's
room and Tem has bunked in with Lindsay. The marine forecast predicted the
strong winds and rain would ease by the afternoon, so that was good enough
for us!
We had untied and pulled out by 10am.
Our plan was to get up to Peter and Martha Hollenbecks for the night to see
if we could tie up at their dock, but to go at "gunkhole" pace
We came up the inside of the Ragged Islands, past Bliss Landing with some
very fancy homes along the water. We went up and into Refuge Cove and tied
up here, hoping for a coffee from the "Upcoast Summer" caf that sells
Starbucks coffee. This was not to be, as the owner had decided she had had
enough for the summer and had closed it the weekend before. The general
store was still open for another week, so we bought a few things and hung
out at the front door like locals!!
We had lunch on the aft deck  before heading off again. David and Nonie have
found their sea legs and don't seem to have any trouble moving around the
boat.
We cruised up Lewis Channel and did a detour up Teakerne Arm. What a
wonderful spot! We decided to anchor here for awhile and check it out. The
holding ground wasn't the greatest, so we left Dave and Nonie on board with
a walkie talkie while we took the row boat and went exploring on shore.
Cassell Lake waterfalls drops into the sea here and it was  surrounded by
steep cliffs. A trail went by here so we could get a good look ( a bit too
close to the edge I thought!). We walked on into Cassell Lake which was warm
enough for the kids to strip down and have a swim. The lake was lined with
steep rock, so to get out they had to haul up on some ropes left tied up to
the rocks. Great fun!
When we got back to the row boat, Lindsay decided to swim back to the boat
on a $2 dare. He jumped right in and swam back with us cheering him on
alongside. (plus Gram and Gramps from the big boat!)
Both the kids then decided to swim around the boat and jump from the bow
into the water then clung onto the back of the row boat for a free ride.
We finally pulled up the anchor and kept on going north passed Rendezvous
Islands and Raza Island. In order to go through the Yuculta Rapids at slack
tide (where Hollenbecks place is) we had to wait it out for awhile
somewhere. So we pulled into an abandoned Indian village which is now mainly
populated with large grizzley's (I've seen the poop!!). The current was very
strong so we ended up hanging from a rope thrown over an abandoned boat and
attached to our bow.
Started to barbeque some chicken but had to leave before this was finished
as we didn't have a very large window for getting through Yuculta in our
boat. We headed for Stuart Island at 7:30pm. As soon as we entered the
passage we were greeted by thick soupy fog and approaching darkness.!!! We
could see a small tug on our radar, but he obviously didn't have any radar
as we suddenly saw his starboard light and he was coming straight into our
path!! Stupid bloody idiot!! We had to suddenly stop to avoid a collision
and he saw us at the last minute and probably still shudders when he thinks
about it!
Our antennaes were on full alert now!! We couldn't see anything and were
wondering how in hell we were going to pick out Hollenbecks!
Having been here last year, we tried to remember some landmarks and although
the fog was low in the water we could make out some roofs.
Aha!! There it was!! Brian eases the boat in carefully alongside the dock
and there were a few tense moments ( and perhaps a few swear words by the
captain!) as I quickly tied us up!! Oh, what  a relief it is to be nicely
tied up for the night!!
I continued cooking the chicken and we decided that this two stage method of
cooling worked very well!!
We checked the tides before crawling into bed to make sure that at 3am we
weren't high and dry. There wouldn't be much clearance but enough!! We hung
off the end of the dock a bit (must complain to Peter about that!) but felt
secure for the night.

                                         DAY  23


We were up early, mindful of having to leave at slack tide again. We opened
up Peter and Martha's cottage to leave them a thank you note.
We said "thanks for the moorage....would like power hook up next time!!"
David had not been here before so had a look around. The net loft was a good
place to get some photo's from.
The sun was shining on the mountain opposite the rapids as we eased out and
headed out and further up Stuart Island to Big Bay.
We came in too close to the shallow and had to back up and come around again
(with some advice from a friendly local on the wharf!)
We docked easily and decided that we should stay here the night!
David went up and booked us into the marina restaurant!
David and Nonie stayed wandering around the resort while we took to the
trails. There was a trail to a lake nearby with a casual warning about the
local black bear!! So, it was a noisy walk to the lake with Tem and I
singing the whole way! We saw a deer and baby on the way which was cool.
At the lake there was a row boat full of water. We had been told it was for
anyone's use, so Brian spent half an hour bailing all the water out!! We
then all jumped in and rowed to a float in the middle of the lake.
The kids had packed a little picnic for us so we sat in the sun for a little
relaxation!!
We found we had to bail again before we got back into the boat as it was
leaking!
When we got back to shore we continued our hike and our singing! We were
rewarded with a lovely view of Dent Rapids from our viewpoint. As we trudged
back we discussed renaming the boat and decided we all liked "Walkabout".
Then we thought the motored boat should be called "Runabout" and the row
boat "Skippy". (not officially as it's too much hassle but for our sakes)
There wasn't much of the afternoon left when we returned. Brian went for a
bike ride. The kids spent the remainder of daylight collecting kelp and
measuring the length along the dock. The record was 18 metres. ( a good
maths activity!) I also played skippy with the kelp with them and won!!!
David and Nonie watched the boats come and go.....a few fishing charters
with some nice salmon coming in.
We had a lovely meal at the restaurant. Tem and Lindsay took off when they
saw a deer on the lawn outside. Their ice cream sundaes were a bit lower in
the bowl when they returned!
We put on a James Bond dvd but most of us fell asleep before it was
finished!!

                              DAY  24

We woke up early to get out of here at slack tide but were greeted with a
blanket of fog!!
Our 8am departure was changed to 9am as we wanted to wait until we could see
ahead of us!
We went north along the shore and pointed out Washington's lodge and 9 hole
golf course to David and Nonie. Quite a spread he has complete with totem
poles and tee-pees.
We turned into the Aaron Rapids and came down them with no problem. At the
end of the rapids Brian and kids went fishing while I  kept the boat going
in circles for them. This was the spot we had caught our two salmon last
year!! Lindsay caught a trout, but that was all after an hour of casting.
We had chosen a course going down the inside of Rendezvous Islands then
along the west coast of Cortez Island. David steered the boat for much of
this while we all sat on the front deck and pretended we had our own crew!
It was another beautiful sunny day!
We headed west and went over to Quadra Island, pulling into Heriot Bay and
docking at some very dilapidated docks!!
The kids and I got on our bikes and went in search of the general store and
ice-creams! Brian got the run- about down and we took off for Rebecca Spit
(a marine park) across the bay. This is probably one of our favourite spots
to visit so far.... A beautiful spit that sticks out from the island with a
trail that goes to the end. It has wonderful anchorage here as well and a
few boats were enjoying it.
We walked the length of the spit and back again along the beach. There had
been a hut here long ago but after an earthquake in 1946 that end of the
spit had disappeared!!
We returned to the boat and cooked up Lindsay's fish and some halibut for
dinner. Yummo!


                                DAY  25

Up early as John and Lee Dolmage were coming over for an early visit!
John and Brian discussed boats and engines for 2 hours!! Was nice to catch
up with them.
We pulled out as soon as they left and headed toward Lund as this was David
and Nonie's last day with us.
We scooted over to Gorge Harbour (through narrow Uganda Passage) and slowly
went around the harbour. We passed the B&B we had stayed at last year. Not
much has changed. We motored over to Manson's Landing and had to raft up
alongside an old steel freighter as there was no where else to dock. The
freighter was there permanently and a  family was living on it. The engines
didn't work!
Unfortunately it was difficult for David and Nonie to scramble over the
other boat ( a bit higher than ours), so we gave them the walkie talkie and
went off for Hague Lake. It was quite warm when we got there, so we stripped
off most of our clothes and enjoyed the warm water. Lindsay got thrown in as
he was appearing a bit too sluggish!!
Truck loads of white sand had been left here and lined this section of the
lake. After drying off we walked back to the boat via the lagoon and spit.
Found a dead seal buried in the sand. His skull was bleached white.
Back at the boat David and Nonie were chatting to a chap who had sailed down
from Sointula. His poor dog fell trying to jump from the freighter to the
dock but swam safely to shore.
We pulled out and headed for Lund which took 2 hours. On the way over we saw
a pod of dolphins, so we detoured and idled beside them. They must have been
feeding as they went back and forth in the same spot, oblivious to us. Great
to see......lots of photo's taken!
We finally got to Lund and had to temporarily dock at the fuel dock as there
was no space. David and Nonie jumped ship. It was great to have them on the
boat and they seemed to have enjoyed themselves!!
Brian raced over to ask a few boats to move so we could squeeze in at the
main dock. We moved over there, but it was a very tight squeeze. I had to
stand on the boat behind us with our stern line so we wouldn't hit it.
Another good docking job....everyone watching thought we must have had bow
thrusters!
We decided it was time for a restaurant meal as we hadn't had to fork out
any money in repair bills for  a few days!!!

                                      DAY  26

Up early to organize laundry and clean the boat. Brian put the washing
machine timer part in our machine so we can now use it while the genset is
on!! Yahoo!
The kids and I went to the general store (quite well stocked) and bought
some provisions. Not very fresh fruit though!!
By noon we had our chores out of the way and it was time to head off again.
The kids got some school work done on the way to Squirrel Cove. We anchored
here and took the boat ashore to take a hike through to Von Donup Inlet on
the other side of Cortez Island. It was a lovely trail that meanders through
ferns and birch trees. At the other side we saw a 62' Nordhaven anchored.
Nice boat, but too big for me.
The inlet was larger than we expected but the shore was slippery with mud at
low tide.
We bumped into a rather strange man on the trail who had lost his cat while
walking him along the trail. Had we seen it?
We walked back to our little boat and back out to the boat. We weighed
anchor and headed across to Galley Bay, east of Sarah Point.
There used to be a commune here but was now dotted with summer cottages. All
were empty now. There was one other boat anchored here so we had no trouble
fitting in. We anchored 10 metres off shore and  decided to stern tie. Brian
rowed ashore and looped it around a big log. Coming back he didn't have
quite enough rope coiled in the boat, so I had to alternate between letting
out more rope and pulling him in. Well, we got mixed signals and in between
fits of giggles managed to get both him and the rope back to the swimgrid!!
Success! At least we didn't have an audience!
Brian and Tem went to check out the bay while I organized dinner. We had
hamburgers on deck. The kids went to bed and Bri and I read up on where we
could go tomorrow.

                                     DAY  27

Slept in until 7:30!! Woke to a cloudy sky, a very low tide and glass calm
water. Brian and I enjoyed our ritual coffee on deck with absolute peace and
solitude until the kids woke up!!
The wind picked up and our stern line was very taut out of the water. I made
pancakes for breakfast then waved my family off for an explore of the beach
while I stayed on the boat as "anchor guard". We are finding the walkie
talkies very handy!! They came back with clams for dinner!!
We eventually weighed anchor around noon. Had a short jaunt over to Minke
Island before ducking into Tenedos Bay. We anchored in the NE corner near
the creek and put out a stern line. After lunch on deck we jumped into
runabout and went ashore.
There was a great little spot for kayakers here with a campfire and a
section of the creek dammed up for taking baths!
There was a group of 4 kayakers using it. We hiked along the creek and came
to Unwin Lake. It is a large lake and the wind was howling across it. The
trail was great under the huge trees...very springy.
We met a nice couple from Sidney (Van Isle) who who sailing with their two
blue heeler dogs.
Back at the boat we discovered our anchor was dragging and we were moving
closer and closer to shore!
With the wind blowing strongly, we decided to try another anchorage across
the bay which might be calmer.
It was getting fairly busy now (about 8 boats), but we finally found a
little indent between two cliffs we thought would do nicely!
I let go the anchor in about 25 metre depth. We felt the anchor hold and set
about putting out the stern line to keep from swinging.
Brian paddled with the rope to a tree and  then proceeded to come back.
"Brian, we are swinging closer to the cliffs"
"No we aren't. The boats stopped swinging"
"Oh, okay".     Ten seconds pass as I continue to send out more stern line.
"Brian, I'm worried about how close we are getting to the cliffs. I think
our anchor may be dragging"
"You always worry.It's just the swing!"
He (the captain), proceeds to tie the stern line then looks up.
"Oh FUCK!! The anchors dragged!!"
He runs to the pilothouse yelling and swearing. I jumped on the swimgrid and
tried to push us off the rocks with my feet. (We were now about 8 inches
from the rocks).
"Untie the stern line NOW" I hear above the noise of my heart pounding. Oh
yeah right!! Trying to untie a very taut stern line that Brian has tied? God
knows how I did it. I then ran out to the front deck to deal with the
anchor. I pulled it up while Brian kept us off the rocks.
He had to run back to haul in the  rest of the stern line so it wouldn't get
caught up in the prop.
We eased out of there, deciding to go back to where we were in the
beginning!!!
We dropped the anchor further out in the bay and successfully tied a stern
line to shore. We felt much better now, but I quickly went in search of that
bottle of red wine we had somewhere on board!!
The steamed clams were yummo served with garlic butter and red wine!!

                                       DAY 28

I was awake at 6:30 to check our anchorage!! There had been a 10 foot tide
overnight. We were still okay!
After breakfast the kids took off in the row boat and went exploring. They
hiked up "Moss Rock" and saw squirrels, telling us all about it on the
walkie talkie!!
We got into runabout and inched our way around the port side of the boat
while I scrubbed and Brian held us to the boat. My arms were aching by the
time I finished. The work the First Mate has to do!!
We decided to weigh anchor and move on to Prideaux Haven. We crept around
Otter Island which was a very narrow passage on the way.
We arrived within an hour. We crept into Melanie Cove and were surprised to
see only one other boat anchored. We anchored in 7 metre depth with a mud
bottom. I think we deserved this good and easy anchorage!!
What a fantastic spot! So calm and peaceful!! The kids went off in the row
boat exploring again and found a trail. They had 2 squirrels scurry right in
front of them!
When they returned we all went ashore and found a trail that lead around to
Laura Cove. Another beautiful trail with ferns and old growth cedar trees
covered with moss. There used to be two homesteads here around 1930, but no
sign of them now (mentioned in "The Curve of Time". When we got to Laura
Cove, Tem says
"Shouldn't there be a tearoom here?" Just goes to show what the focus of our
walks usually are!
We barbecued our dinner and Brian and I ate on the front deck watching the
other boats (now 7 anchored). We banished the kids to eat inside as they
were too noisy!!

                                     DAY  29

Up early, sitting on the deck with a coffee, waiting for the sun to come up
and warm us.
We weighed anchor and mosied out of here at low tide, watching for bottom.
The com port wasn't behaving so we didn't have the GPS and Nobeltec working
together. I slowly drove the boat in the right direction while Brian cursed
modern technology and fixed it up. (he still doesn't know how he did this!)
We came along the inside of Ragged Islands heading south (3rd time) and
passed Lund, heading down to Powell River.
It felt quite strange coming into familiar waters in this boat!
The kids got some school work done until we docked. David had phoned and was
there ready to take our lines!
We were able to plug into 30 amp here which is nice. Very friendly
wharfinger.
We had a late lunch and walked up to Rocky Mountain to have a mocha and
check our emails. The kids palyed charades in the shop!
We walked up to Gram and Gramps for a visit and ended up staying for dinner!

                                    DAY 30 and 31

Don't ask me where the days go when we are docked!! More boat chores and
making contact with Dan, the boat broker. We phoned Vancouver trying to
organize where we could leave the boat for the winter. We had the use of
David's truck which was great. We went to Lang Bay and got a large piece of
fir from Bill and Rory to make new chaulks for the row boat. (washed off by
a wave coming over )
We had a lovely roast beef dinner at David and Nonie's. Had a few people
over to check out the boat.
Started to sort out a few things and took on board stuff we'd left at Lang
Bay. Took the 6 foot Christmas tree off and left it at Lang Bay!
A nice stop! Now onward we go!!




