Shoal Bay

A very early start today, as I had to traverse three sets of tidal rapids. Just before the first one, Yuculta, there were two humpback whales feeding, a mother and calf, but I was too busy with whirlpools to take a picture. In Gillard Passage there were sea lions but again I needed both hands to steer. Dent Rapids, the most difficult ones, I hit right at slack with perfect timing and shortly after there was a large pod of white sided dolphins, too fast for a picture. I stopped at Shoal Bay on East Thurlow Island and hiked up to an old gold mine, and the bluff close by was a perfect spot for lunch. The picture shows the view, the white blob is Ancient Murrelet. And then, Mark and Cynthia, who manage the place, have a pizza night to night. Great to recover from a strenuous day!

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Gorge Harbour, Cortes Island

A day tied up, doing chores. I came into Gorge Harbour today and am tied up at the marina now. Unfortunately, none of my friends are around, but it was sunny and great to do laundry and other chores. The view from the restaurant is very nice and we plan to be here a few times this summer.

Squirrel Cove

Another short move, into Squirrel Cove on Cortes Island. The morning was cool and wet, but the afternoon turned nice and sunny. I went for a nice hike on the island. There are wolves, bears and cougars here, but I only met people with dogs.

Prideaux Haven

Short hop this morning, to Prideaux Haven. There were a few showers earlier, but now the sun peaks through the clouds quite a bit. It is very windy though, there are the occasional white caps in this totally enclosed anchorage. I took the kayak for a spin, but it was hard work. There are quite a few boats in here, maybe due to the strong wind, or there are more people out and about this year?

http://map.iridium.com/m?lat=50.140537&lon=-124.688125

Grace Harbour, Desolation Sound

I flew back to Campbell River yesterday and took the boat into Desolation Sound today. I saw some humpback whales on the way, but they were traveling quite quickly. For the night I am anchored in Grace Harbour. Today was sunny and warm, tomorrow it is supposed to rain.

http://map.iridium.com/m?lat=50.051693&lon=-124.742967

There is a nice walk to a lake and waterfall here, which I did today. No bears, but a loon.

Orcas in the harbour

When we have the boat in Vancouver, we sometimes take a trip through the harbour into Indian Arm for a lunch there. This morning, a group of orcas had the same idea. When I was walking around Stanley Park, I saw them crossing under the Lions Gate Bridge. In the last few months this has happened a few times and is probably related to the considerable increase in the pinniped (seals and sea lions) populations here in BC. The transient killer whales, or Bigg´s Killer Whales eat pinnipeds and are doing very well here (in contrast to the resident groups that eat salmon). There are some good sized seal colonies in Indian Arm, and I guess some of the whales have found them and are stopping by on a regular basis.

Orca close to Lion´s Gate Bridge

Vancouver

I am enjoying my time in Vancouver, though our place is a bit of a mess. But Sheila is making great progress with the renovation and I am busy with meetings. Tonight we went together for a business meeting close to the Convention Center, and sitting in the sun chatting with friends was rather enjoyable.

Campbell River, BC

I came into Campbell River today, where I will leave the boat for two weeks. The day was busy with maintenance tasks and a trip to the chandlery. While it was still sunny, the strong wind made it quite cool.

Gowlland Harbour

The night at Rebecca Spit was nice and quiet, but for tonight the forecast is for strong winds. I came into Gowlland Harbour, close to Campbell River. This is very protected, pretty and has lots of seals, eagles and harbour porpoises. On the way I saw a small group of humpback whales. The weather continues to be hot and sunny and I spent the afternoon on the Hobie kayak.

Rebecca Spit, Quadra Island

Wolfgang left yesterday morning, Sheila in the evening, and today I headed north. It was a very hot and sunny day, with a fair bit of wind. I stopped at Mitlenach Island, a marine park in the middle of the Strait of Georgia. On the way I saw a small pod of orcas, but did not get a good picture. Very noisy sea lions welcomed me at the island, the park wardens were very friendly and the seagulls worked hard at being noisier than the sea lions. It all smelled a bit fishy too. I walked around the island, which was great. The anchorage there is only good in certain conditions, holds only a boat or two, and this is the first time it all worked out for me. Fantastic!

Welcoming committee of sea lions

The outhouse did not smell

After lunch I continued on to Drew Harbour on Quadra Island and now am anchored behind Rebecca Spit. It is so hot here that quite a few people went swimming, but not me.

Ancient Murrelet behind Rebecca Spit