Our Waddington Bay Anchorage Was Well-protected and Calm–

Waddington Bay Anchorage is on the northeast shore of Bonwick Island within the Broughton Archipelago Marine Park in British Columbia. Kismet spent several days at anchor here because it was so beautiful. We remember the last time we were here: a black bear would come down to the beach every night at low tide and flip rocks while looking for food. No such luck this time.

The rock formations reflected on the glassy water have fascinated me while cruising and anchoring, especially here at Waddington Bay. The images change as the light, tide, and water morph throughout the day. So, you’ll probably be seeing a lot of those kinds of images on the blog posts, especially ones taken at low-tide.

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Pearse Island Satisfied Most of Our Anchorage Needs–

Most of our nights, while in the Broughton Archpegleo, will be at anchor. With only a few good marinas available and our affinity for anchoring, Jim’s research will most certainly take us to some scenic lagoons, coves, bays, islets, and inlets. Jim has an innate ability to plan our cruising days and nights to be as seamless as possible. We’ll throw the hook in the afternoon after a day of cruising and sightseeing. Some days we’ll only anchor one night, but if we really like a spot, we’ll anchor two or three nights.

I can already tell that our MO during this trip, especially while in the Broughtons, will be days of cruising to cover territory. We want to see as much of the islands, mountains, and fjords as possible, followed by well-researched anchor spots in the areas we cover that day. We hope to have a secure and well-protected place to sleep comfortably. Also, we are looking to have a suitable spot to commune with nature and see as much wildlife as possible. Sometimes we enjoy sharing an anchorage with a fellow boater nearby for sharing information about the islands, their boats, or local knowledge. A lot of the boaters we have talked to while in the Broughtons have years of experience cruising these waters.

Pearse Island was a great find!

The Pearse Islands group is in the western Broughton Archipelago (part of Cormorant Channel Marine Provincial Park). The island provided most of our anchorage needs. Well-protected, the anchorage is long and narrow. As we entered the small channel, we caused quite a disturbance with our feathered friends already in residence. A flock of small birds immediately greeted us, chirping loudly, nonstop, and flying helter-skelter above and around our boat as we slowly made our way in, testing depths, to throw the hook. Amidst all that commotion, we also noticed two eagles perched in their nest right above our boat. Soon, they would glide down to sit on a rock to check us out. After a bit, the commotion calmed down; we seemed to be accepted into their space.

The birds certainly satisfied our desire for a wildlife encounter, but then, just after we had dinner, a group of about seven or eight seals showed up in the water by the rocks on the starboard side of our boat. They were busy playing and eating, and a couple of them were rolling around on top of a smooth, exposed rock. They didn’t seem to mind us being there; business as usual for those guys, I guess. We certainly met our wildlife quota for the day!

The other thing I made a note of in this anchorage was the patterns made by the trees and rocks along the shore. It differed from other places we’ve anchored; maybe it was just more decayed tree trunks lying this way and that, but it was quite beautiful.

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Marina at Port McNeill For Supplies & Laundry – With a “Boil Water” Notice in Effect –

If spending more than a few days or weeks in the Broughtons, most boaters, especially those with small boats, will need to visit Port McNeill at some point. Situated at the northern end of Vancouver Island, Port McNeill is a small town within reasonable reach for boaters cruising the Broughton Islands. We were running out of water and food, especially fresh produce, and since we had been cruising for about a month now from Anacortes, we had to do laundry.

We needed to fill both our tanks (34 gal and 14 gal) and all six of the 5-gal jugs we brought with us for this trip. There are very few marinas in the Broughton Archipelago, and most of them only have nonpotable, cedar water available to boaters. We have two refrigerators on board, and at this point, they were fairly empty.

We stayed two nights at the marina, doing our laundry the first day and the next morning, and grocery shopping the afternoon of the second day. Yes, we had that much laundry, and both days the laundromat was very busy. Since it had been so rainy and damp for several weeks, we washed everything washable on the boat.

This is one town where you will see people, mostly boaters from the marina, carrying loads of laundry to or from the laundromat or grocery store in grocery carts. People can borrow the carts to take groceries down the hill to the marina. If you can find one sitting up at the top of the ramp at the marina to cart your laundry to the laundromat. No problem, help yourself!

Not so funny story…

Shortly after we got tied up to the dock, we saw the “Boil Water” notice at the marina office. Not a good sign for boaters heading into the Broughtons for possibly weeks at a time. We were relying on this fresh water supply to see us through three weeks of cruising in the islands.

Jim and I had a system in place to use our fresh water sparingly, just for drinking and cooking, while slowly replacing the jug’s contents as they emptied, with cedar water and use that for bathing and washing dishes, saving the good water in our tanks. We didn’t want to fill our tanks with cedar water. If you’ve seen a filter that has processed cedar water through, you would not want the accumulation of slimy green ooze in your boat’s tank either.

As we were shopping in the produce section…

I noticed all the veggies that are normally sprayed with water all day were bone dry, and some were quite wilted. So, the tainted water was also going to affect the quality of the produce we take with us from Port McNeill as well. It looked like we would have to rely on the very small selection (sometimes that means just a small box of veggies to choose from) of produce offered at the small marinas.

We talked with several people to find out what was going on with the water at the marina. We got good intel from one of the checkout clerks at the grocery store about the timeline and current treatment.

The situation had been going on for about a week. They had been flushing the lines and treating the water. We were concerned! We were counting on refilling our tanks and jugs just before we left the next day. Jim heard that the water samples looked much better, but they would still do one more treatment, but they had not yet tested it before our planned departure. We were all done with our maintenance and chores and didn’t want to spend another day at the marina. Not sure what else to do but fill our tanks, using our water filter, and hope the last treatment, and the water filter, worked.

We are happy to report that the water was fine. We survived!

First Butter Tarts in Canada this trip!

Sister ships (above)!

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Spout Islet, overlooking Blackfish Sound, is located off the shore of Hanson Island in the Broughton Archipelago–

The bay beyond Spout Islet is popular with boaters because of its good holding ground. It is also well-protected from westerly winds. An excellent spot to be on the lookout for whales and to watch passing cruise ships.

As we do at most anchorages, we spent the afternoon watching the antics of the birds and fish jumping out of the water; occasionally, a seal will swim by while checking us out while we cook or play Mah Jongg. Sometimes it’s just entertaining to observe the neighboring boats as they anchor or pull anchor to leave the bay. Many come and go as they set and retrieve crab pots near an anchorage.

Other than that, it was another quiet and calm night at anchor while in the Broughton Islands.

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Our First Humpback Sighting at Blackney Passage and Johnstone Strait, Off Cracroft Island—

Thanks to the kind folks at Lagoon Cove, we knew just where to go to have a pretty good chance of having our first humpback sighting. Apparently, a lot of boaters have claimed to see whales consistently near this island and passage. As soon as we could see around the island, we first spotted a cruise ship slowing down. We weren’t sure why until we spotted the distinctive whale’s tail flap out of the water and disappear. It appeared to be fairly close to the cruise ship, as far as we could tell.

We Got Rocked Pretty Good!

At first, it looked to us as though the cruise ship was going past us, still in the Johnstone Strait. Also, thinking they were just slowing down for their passengers to get a good glimpse of the whale. However, as we were crossing the inlet to the other side, it soon became apparent that the cruise ship was changing course and coming our way through the inlet and into Blackney Passage. Guess we should never assume such a thing, but we kept moving across, faster and faster as we realized the cruise ship kept moving into the inlet and south as well. Too late for us to change course. We made it across, but we got rocked pretty good in the process.

While all this was happening, the whale had made its way over to the inlet and made its appearance right in front of us a few times before it dove and moved to another area, out of our sight.

ADDENDUM: A few days later, when we were in Port McNeil, Jim visited the Marine Education & Research Society, near the grocery store where we re-provisioned. While I continued to the store, he got some very interesting information about the whale we saw that day. All he had to do was show them the photo we took of its tail. Her name is “Ripple” (cataloged as BCX1063). Researchers catalog and document whales in BC using fluke identification.

Just after we left the inlet, we encountered this deer swimming across Blackney Passage (below)

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It was a Foggy Morning at Our Goat Islet Anchorage

Goat Islet Anchorage is a protected cove used by cruisers exploring Knight’s Inlet and Johnstone Strait. By the time we left, the fog had lifted, but what beautiful scenery we enjoyed while anchored there. We just stayed one night, so much territory yet to cover in the Broughton Islands.

Tomorrow we’ll go looking for whales in Johnstone Strait and Blackney Passage. Kelley, from Lagoon Cove, gave us some info as to where people seem to always spot whales, Cracoft Island. We would love to get a glimpse of some humpback whales; the weather is perfect to spot them, with smooth, calm water.

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Potts Lagoon – West Cracroft Island was the perfect spot for our first anchorage while in the Broughton Islands –

Potts Lagoon, named for Murray Clark Potts, the area’s first settler who staked a claim there, way back in 1908, is convenient for accessing the islands closest to Vancouver Island and Port McNeill, in the northern Johnstone Strait / Broughton Archipelago region of British Columbia, Canada. As we headed into the anchorage, we passed a logging business on shore and a few float homes.

Not much to report on our stay there, as we were mostly alone in the anchorage until later in the afternoon when a big Nordhavn joined us at anchor. It’s been raining, however intermittently, with sunshine and patches of blue sky in between. The one thing I absolutely love about this archipelago of islands is how varied the scenery is. On this side, the northwest side, closest to Vancouver Island, there are mostly big and little islands, not very mountainous. We’ll encounter more of those spectacular mountains soon.

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Lagoon Cove is one of the more scenic small marinas in the Broughton Islands.

We started planning this trip about a year ago. The excitement aboard Kismet is palpable. Today, we arrive in Lagoon Cove for the start of our Broughton Islands cruise. This is our first stop in the remote archipelago, after transiting the Johnstone Strait from Forward Harbour. It was appropriate that we picked Lagoon Cove as our first stop, since it was the last stop on our 2016 trip to the Broughtons. Kinda, picking up where we left off!

When we were here ten years ago, it was a little later in the season.

So, the plums on the plum tree and the raspberries are not yet ripe for picking. Too soon for that black bear to make its presence known while he relentlessly climbed the tree for the ripest plum. It was fun entertainment for us boaters to watch, just a few feet away, on the ramp that goes up the hill to Dan and Kelley’s home.

The small marinas in the Broughtons have unique personalities.

Nearly all have a designated place for social gatherings or happy hours. Lagoon Cove’s specialty is the 5:00 get-together on the upper deck by the old shack that houses the sharing library, burgee display, and workshop. Dan and Kelley are formidable hosts who seamlessly gather all the guests together for a memorable evening on the Lagoon Cove deck. The marina supplies fresh prawns and cocktail sauce every night, and boaters chip in with their side dishes. This gives boaters a chance to meet one another and share stories of their experiences in the islands, favorite anchorages, and cruising grounds. We have shared many memorable evenings on their deck, deep in conversation with like-minded boaters.

Most marinas in the Broughtons only have cedar water; the water appears yellow to light brown and is “unpotable.” That means you should boil the water before consuming it; however, we were pleased to find out that Lagoon Cove offers fresh spring water for its guests. Before we leave Lagoon Cove, we’ll fill up our tanks and water jugs with their fresh spring water and try to make it last as long as possible as we make our way through this amazing cruising territory.

Our hosts, Dan and Kelley, have correctly anticipated the needs of the boaters who come to stay at their marina.

Everything you need to clean and cook the crabs you have caught!

Happy Hour commences at 5:00 every evening on the deck. Fresh-caught prawns every night.

The fuel tanks are situated up the hill from the marina, with a special lining to catch any leaks.

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Forward Harbour is the spot we staged ourselves for the trip up the Johnstone Strait. Last time we took that trip, it was very choppy the whole way up the Strait, a very uncomfortable ride I won’t forget. When we checked the weather first thing the next morning, we were pleased to see we would have a relatively calm ride through the strait, with Lagoon Cove as our destination for a three-day stay.

It rained the whole time we were in Forward Harbour, nothing nasty, just a constant drizzle. I think the humidity in our boat was about 95%.

What do we do on a small boat when anchored and raining heavily? We take projects with us to work on, clean, go over charts, read, cook a hearty meal, and most nights we play Mah Jongg. Other than that, we are thankful to have a boat that is cozy inside when it may not be outside. We make do and try to have fun; it’s all part of the adventure.

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Our Return to Shoal Bay – One of my all-time favorite places on Earth!

I tried to capture in photos the magnificence of Shoal Bay, to give our readers an idea of how the atmosphere naturally swallows you up and holds you captive to its charms.

One perspective, as we try to describe the character of the bay, is from the government dock, or from the shore looking out towards the mountains. We secured a spot at the end of the Government Dock, with our bow facing shore, putting the snowcapped mountains off our back deck. The enormous mountain range extends north towards the mainland, creating a cavern of mystical yearning.

The other vantage point draws your attention towards the shore; the lush grassy valley and an endless rocky, tidal beach contrast with the stone-cold and often misty mountain range. And the mountains, along with the grassy meadow, together create a feeling of boundless harmony, working together to make us feel as if we are in some gigantic outdoor theatre.

Hard to believe, but Shoal Bay was once a busy gold rush town in the 1890s; later, logging and fishing sustained the town until the 1950s.

Big Music Festival at Shoal Bay

We have also heard that a big music festival used to be held on the grounds every summer. Not sure if this still happens. I can’t help but think, what a majestic venue to host a music event. The sound created in that special place would be magical, to say the least!

A magical, lush forest backs the valley up with busy creeks making their way to the sea by dancing their way through the mossy woods.

We were at Shoal Bay 10 years ago, and the same couple we met then are still there today, keepers of the realm. The homestead has changed little; it still has the same natural style we came to love during our first stay. Visitors to the dock are welcome to get off their boats to roam the grassy knoll gently, while not disturbing the quiet paradise that the owners, along with Mother Nature, have created.

Mark and Cynthia (The Cottages of Shoal Bay) have a few small cottages for rent on the property. The couple has been there for 28 years. Visitors will also find an outdoor “Boater’s Lounge,” a covered patio for visitors to congregate and enjoy the view, a laundry and shower building with indoor and outdoor bathing areas. There are trails in the woods for guests eager to get away from the confines of their boats and to give their legs a stretch on land.

The garden has the feel of effortless creation

A beautiful garden, with a natural stream running through it, lies at the center of the valley; it looks more like a fairy garden than any forced agricultural construction. While I know some hard work went into those plantings, it has the feel of effortless creation. Flowers, herbs, onions, lettuce, kale, sugar snap peas, broccoli, and more grace the garden, happy to grow in the pristine environment. Visitors to the dock are welcome to enjoy time in the garden, pick produce, and leave a token of their gratitude in the jar provided. We did so twice and had a few freshly picked salads during our two-night stay.

A magical, lush forest backs the valley up with busy creeks making their way to the sea by dancing their way through those mossy woods. The stream is one of the natural sounds you’ll hear while cruising the islands in British Columbia, where nature’s sounds rule the environment.

When we leave Shoal Bay, we will head for Forward Harbour to wait for a weather window to transit through Johnstone Strait and onto the Broughton Islands, where we will spend three to four weeks.

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Our First Bear Sighting Was Certainly Unexpected–

We pulled into Telegraph Cove just to get some fuel. Jim and I have never been in this harbour. We heard it had been in the news not too long ago because there had been a big fire there that did a lot of damage. We were there only to get fuel, so we didn’t get the full scoop. It looked like things were looking up with renovated buildings in progress.

The bear sighting happened just outside the marina office when Jim ran into a big, black bear. He seemed to mind his own business and perhaps was used to people, but it certainly was a close encounter and unexpected.

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Francis Bay was our stop for one night.

After leaving Toba Wilderness, Francis Bay was our stop for one night. The dockmaster at Toba had suggested it as a great anchorage to spend the night before heading through the Discovery Islands and onto Shoal Bay, our next day’s destination.

When we set the anchor in Francis Bay, there was only one other boat there. Later in the afternoon, we watched the sunlight play across the mountains as the day progressed. A few more boats showed up.

Just before we cooked dinner on the grill, the bay filled up with lion’s mane jellyfish gliding by our boat as the tide swirled out of the bay. Lion’s mane jellyfish are huge orange blobs that really stand out in the water. They are extremely poisonous, but beautiful to watch float by on a calm day. They were back to greet us the next morning as well. The only other time we’ve seen jellyfish on this trip was at Pendrell Harbour in Desolation Sound. The morning we pulled anchor, smaller white jellyfish surrounded us; there were hundreds of them swimming their way around our boat.

To end our stay, we enjoyed a clear night sky and a stunning Strawberry Moon over the bay, and a wavy moon river illuminating the anchorage.

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Beautiful Toba Wildernest Sits at the Mouth of Toba Inlet.

The inlet is a deep fjord on the mainland of British Columbia. Directly adjacent to the northern boundary of Desolation Sound

The first time we approached Toba Wildernest, (see how it looked the first time we came). I felt a special energy present as we crossed the still, foamy turquoise waters of Pryce Channel. What we found at the little rustic marina on the edge of a mountain (connected to the British Columbia mainland) was something special, away from the hustle and bustle of the busy world most of us spend most of our time in.

During Our First Visit

We learned about how a couple, or a family, can exist on the edge of the wilderness with only the basics: generators, a well, or water filtered from a waterfall flowing from the mountain above the marina, and small fishing boats, water taxis, or seaplanes for travel around the islands for community and provisions. Of course, everything was new for us that first time. We’ve been back two times since. Different owners each time, something new in the way of upgrading amenities for the boaters who come to spend a few days in paradise. I have to say, one of the most endearing aspects of Toba Wildernest is the spectacular view, with Double Island closest to the marina. You just can’t beat it!

Something new for us this time. We noticed several of the marina offices offer canned horns and bear spray for guests to take on their hikes. Yes, there are bears in these parts, grizzly bears too. Not many sightings this year so far from the marinas we’ve visited, but we are in the area earlier than we were last time.

New Owners Are Updating the Resort

The new group of owners, who take turns overseeing the marina and resort, is updating it to a very unique resort.  Over the years, Toba has slowly transformed. Where we used to enjoy cocktails on the old dock or on the grassy shore above the docks, there now sits an exquisite “Boater’s Lounge.” We can sit and enjoy the view, even if it’s raining, or meet with other boaters to share information about each other’s travels or good anchor spots. A well-appointed shower building has replaced an old shack, and beautiful new docks for tying up.

Many of these small marinas in the islands of Desolation Sound, Discovery Islands, and the Broughton Islands have a unique personality that differs from one another. Toba Wildernest is trending more toward a comfortable, a little upscale, well-appointed atmosphere.

Our hosts, Nahanni and Paul, and their dockhand, Freya (top-left), and Lisa (top-right) and her husband, Paul, gave us a warm welcome to Toba Wildernest.

The big green fuel tank sits just inside the woods near the marina.

The generator building sits at the beginning of the path into the woods.

Not many of these island marinas accept trash. We had to separate our garbage, but we were happy to do so and offload some of it that had accumulated over the last few weeks.

Wherever we go hiking, we feel like we are in a deeply mysterious place. Old-growth woods are a delight and something we are not used to, coming from Michigan.

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We were in for a surprise at Pendrell Sound –

There was a huge forest fire at the northernmost end of Pendrell Sound, to the northwest a ways, right where we like to anchor. It looks as though it had been a while since it happened, as regrowth was already happening. Before, the woods were so thick that you could not even discern the shape of the big rock behind our boat. Now the bottoms of the tree trunks are black. Scorching has removed the needles and leaves from the trees. Even though the backdrop of our stay was different, the sight to the south is still spectacular.

This was our first time stern-tying during the trip to the PNW. We don’t have a dinghy anymore, but we have a paddleboard we keep on top of the boat. Jim used that to take the stern line to shore and tied it to a tree that had fallen onto the shore.

Jim is getting into his drone practice.

The majesty of Pendrell Sound!

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Showers and shopping at Refuge Cove-Desolation Sound –

Last time we stayed at Refuge Cove, they had power and water available for those renting dock space. They have not had those services available for several years now. After two days and nights in Roscoe Bay, we needed warm showers and to get off the boat. Refuge Cove-Desolation Sound offers showers for $5.00. Boats can tie up to the docks for 4 hours, so we took advantage of the showers and the well-stocked grocery store.

The store had a nice selection of produce and frozen meats. I would say it is one of the best-stocked stores in the islands. I was so happy to get some of the produce they offered. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, a couple of packs of chicken, and we were good to go.

Besides the store, they have an amazing gift shop in one building on the cliffside property. A fine selection of Yeti products and high-quality gift items. A separate business offers boaters an opportunity to drop off their accumulated trash on a barge; we did so as we left the harbor.

Here are the things to take a moment to plan on a trip like this, specifically these islands in British Columbia: water, fresh food, holding tank waste, garbage, electricity, and connectivity. I’d also like to add, as a secondary level of importance, entertainment for those rainy days stuck on the boat. Books and access to download movies on Netflix when you have a connection to download them. This usually has to be done at a marina with good Wi-Fi. If your Netflix account is from the USA, you’ll need a VPN to access your account while in Canada.

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Activity at Roscoe Bay–Desolation Sound –

We wanted to go back to Roscoe Bay–Desolation Sound again. The anchorage provides a short walk into the woods that leads to a beautiful freshwater lake. It would be an opportunity to take a swim and freshen up from our sometimes multiple days without a shower. With six five-gallon jugs on the back deck, water has been plentiful and not an issue at all during this trip. We’ll certainly need all of them while we are in the Broughton Islands, even at some marinas that just have cedar water to share. However, both days we stayed there, it was chilly with non-stop rain. We’ll have to come back for a night or two on our way back from the Broughtons.

The anchorage is well-protected and a popular spot; however, since we are a little ahead of the summer stream of boaters to the islands, only a few boats were enjoying the anchorage.

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As luck would have it, we lost the tree trunk on the way. So, we went right into the small town of Squirrel Cove for a short walk and a trip to their grocery store.

Most of these grocery stores are the same; some have more, some have less. It’s interesting and makes me wonder about the selections they have and who they cater to, boaters for sure, and local townspeople. Most of them have the absolute essentials, along with some questionable items, and usually a very limited supply of fresh fruit and vegetables. I picked up some white cooking wine (did not think I was gonna find that for a while, so pleasant surprise), one grapefruit, and some green peppers. Every bit helps me prepare healthy, tasty meals while on the boat.

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Squirrel Cove is on the East Side of Cortez Island –

The anchorage is a mile or two past the little town of Squirrel Cove. We went right to the anchorage; we decided we’d visit the town on the way out. We stayed for two days.

Traveling every day is very tiring, especially when the days are long. We’ve had a couple of days on fairly open water, and it was very choppy. I told Jim after a couple of hours of banging around that I felt like I had spent the day on a horse. So, arriving in a calm cove or bay was such a relief.

A two-day stay was needed. Squirrel Cove was the perfect spot. Jim even had time to get the drone out and take some shots.

We had a little excitement as we tried to pull up the anchor to leave. The chain of the anchor had somehow wrapped around what we first thought was a rock, but upon further inspection, Jim said it actually was a 5-6 foot tree, root and all. We couldn’t get it off in the anchorage and dragged it over to the town dock and tried to wrestle it off there, with our boat securely tied to the dock.

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Lund for a Fuel Stop –

Time to refuel while we can, and we stopped in Lund. Lund is at Mile 0 (often called the northern starting or ending point) of Highway 101, which stretches over 15,000 kilometers to Chile. On the Sunshine Coast.

As we were tying up to the fuel dock, we noticed a sign on the fuel pump, Sorry, power is out. No FUEL! Jim went to investigate, and I still needed a few items from a grocery store. So, after tying up to the fuel dock, I jumped off the boat and headed to the grocery store. They also had a sign that the power was out and that they were closed. I hung around for a few minutes, glad I did, cause in less than 5 minutes, the store owner was coming back to open the store because the power was back on.

I got my few items and headed back to the fuel dock. Jim was just settling up with the attendant, and in a few minutes, we were off. Headed to Squirrel Cove to anchor for a couple of nights.

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Hornby Island features one of the biggest beaches we’ve seen in the Strait of Georgia –

As we pulled into the anchorage at Hornby Island, we could see and hear the beachgoers on shore as they enjoyed the sun and water. Swimmers, kayakers, float-boards, and dinghies zipped around Tribune Bay until the sun gently set behind the island.

I have to mention that we have had the most beautiful weather ever since we launched our boat in Anacortes (5 days so far). Warm during the day, hot in the late afternoon, and welcomingly cool in the evenings, so good for sleeping.

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Saysutshun Marine Park – Newcastle Island is just a short mile or two across from Nanaimo –

We have anchored just outside the mooring field in Mark Bay many times when traversing the Newcastle Island Passage. Before anchoring, though, we pulled up to the day-dock so we could stretch our legs by hiking through the island’s woods. Saysutshun is a beautiful Newcastle Island Marine Park. Lots of campers and boaters are taking advantage of the beautiful day.

After leaving Newcastle Island Passage, we headed into Departure Bay, then the Strait of Georgia.

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On Our Way to Nanaimo, We Sheltered in Pirate’s Cove for One Night –

After Wallace Cove, we spent one night anchored in Pirate’s Cove. Thankfully, we had protection because it was very windy that night. It was a rocky night, but somehow we slept through most of it and woke to a calm morning on the hook. Our plan that morning was to get up early to navigate through Dodd Narrows, tidal rapids, on our way to Nanaimo.

No problems getting through the narrows, and we had a beautiful day to arrive at the Nanaimo Municipal Marina, right downtown. It was a busy day for us. Jim needed to wash the boat while we had access to water, and this would be the first opportunity to provision at a regular-sized store since we entered Canada. We had made a run to Costco while in Anacortes, but there were many things we were careful not to bring into the country, mostly fruits and vegetables. We had not had proper showers in several days, so after doing chores on the boat, we hit the showers, and boy, did it feel good.

Last time we were here, we visited a Greek restaurant. We remember it because it was so good. We couldn’t find that one again, probably closed during Covid. However, it seems Nanaimo has quite a few Greek restaurants to choose from, and as luck would have it, we found one within a 1/4 of a mile from the marina. We have to say this restaurant blew us away. They were so accommodating in helping us get a reservation; the food was top-notch, but most impressive was the atmosphere. It has been a long time since we had that experience. Diners and staff alike experienced the fun vibe. Asteras Greek Taverna, just up the hill from the marina.

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Wallace Island’s  Conover Cove –

Seems like our stay at Wallace Island was the first chance we got to relax and take a breath. The last month has been a flurry of preparation and packing for our trip, along with a grinding 8-day road trip from Michigan to the Pacific Northwest (PNW). Lots of things to remember and take care of before leaving home. We were exhausted! It takes a long time to relax your brain and your body from that kind of stress. No one had to twist our arms to get us to sit back and smell the roses after we tied Kismet up to the dock at Conover Cove. We finally had a minute to remember why we are doing this boat trip. Easy to lose sight of that desire when faced with all the details to get there.

Wallace Island Was Once a private Island in the Southern Gulf Islands

Last time we visited there (2017), we anchored in Princess Cove. It is a short hike over from there to Conover Cove. So, we had seen the dock in that cove during our last visit to the PNW, and this time we decided, if there was room, we would try to get a spot at the dock. It would be our first night in Canada and the Gulf Islands. Because we stayed at the dock this time, we did more hikes in the woods during our two-night stay.

We had a fun two days! There was a lot of activity: boats coming and going, family campers bringing gear to camp in the open, grassy area near the dock. Many boats coming and going all day. What especially surprised us were several adventurous people with decked-out kayaks, some with two little sails, one with pedal power, anchoring or tying up to the dock, one sleeping in her kayak at anchor, believe it or not. She arrived in the middle of the night, at 2:00 in the morning. She said the paddling was so good the night before that she just kept going. As she filled her water jugs up at our boat (there is no water available to boaters on the island), she shared with us that her end-goal was Alaska.

A Fun Story…

The island features a popular driftwood shack well-known to local and visiting mariners. Last time we were at Wallace Island, we did not have any tools or paints to carve a personalized plaque to hang on the shack, so we picked up a nice piece of driftwood from the shoreline and thought we would take it with us and bring it back with us when we returned. We thought it would be on the way back from that trip, but we never made it back that year.

We took that driftwood back home with us, and it sat on a shelf in our garage for eight years. In the craziness of departing, we totally forgot that piece of wood. After locating an appropriate piece of driftwood, Jim put on his McGyver hat and used a mallet, screwdriver, and a punch tool to fashion a rustic plaque for the crew of Kismet to leave behind. He did a great job. We took it over to the shack the night before we left and proudly hung it on the outside near the door.

The leaves of the madrona trees are turning yellow and floating to the ground like butterfly wings (above-left). The old-growth forest is an absolute delight to hike through. We can’t get enough of it.

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On our way, with our bow pointed towards Canada

Prevost Harbor is a great stop before crossing the border to Poet’s Cove, on Pender Island. We have passed customs several times there. Last time we enjoyed time there, we stayed at the dock and could get off the boat easily to hike up to Lover’s Leap, or shorter hikes around the woods nearby. Also, more of an opportunity to meet and chat with other boaters.

This time, we were too excited to get into Canada and make our way to the Broughton Islands, so we anchored out. We have had excellent weather since we launched in Anacortes.

The post On Our Way – One Night in Prevost Harbor – Stuart Island appeared first on Trailer Trawler Life Blog – Cruising USA & Canada.

What a welcome sight that Anacortes sign was. After eight long days on the road (towing our boat from Michigan, we were ready to finally float on water. Right after we launched Kismet, the work began. No rest for the weary! We still had to load more stuff from the truck into the boat, clean her, do laundry, and do some major provisioning.

We spent four days in Anacortes. It is a huge marina in the town of Anacortes. The grocery store is practically across the street. We didn’t have much time to check out the town or sights, as we were eager to push off the dock and head to Canada for our trip to the Broughton Islands.

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