Broughtons Summer Cruise - Day 27 Snug Cove

We are one step closer to being back home. Today I felt like we were actually returning to civilization. That is not to say I did not love the remote locations and beautiful places we saw but you can really tell when you get back into the Gulf Islands. Today we could see Vancouver in the distance, a BC ferry and lots of boat traffic. The radio was busy with several people requiring assistance for mechanical reasons. We saw a rescue hovercraft go by as well as a barge that reminded me of Noah's Ark so I just had to take a picture of it.  It was fairly rough at times as we cruised along the Georgia Strait and we saw one little sailboat that had no business being out there. In this picture you can't even see the boat because of the waves.

After we arrived in Snug Cove at Union Steamship Co. Marina we decided that the grazing we did on the boat during the rough water was not enough for lunch. We all went to Doc Morgan's which is a favorite for us each time we come. We had a relaxing light lunch and then visited a couple of the shops. We really like this marina with it's quaint shops and the overall atmosphere. It's a great place for kayaking although this time Bob and I decided to stay at the boat and do some reading and blogging.

Tonight we ate on our boats and then got together on the dock by New Era for some brownies and ice cream. We haven't gotten together for ice cream for awhile and we have a pretty good stockpile in our freezers. We had so much fun talking, laughing and reminiscing about the good times (and problems!) we had this past month. It is going to be sad to say goodbye to our friends when we head back home by ourselves. Commitments are waiting for us at home but the others are staying in the islands for a few more days.

Broughtons Summer Cruise - Day 26 John Henry's Marina

I would guess that this post will be my shortest yet! We left Gorge Harbor this morning at 7:30 and arrived at John Henry's in Pender Harbour about 2:00pm. It was a sunny day and a very smooth run for us. There wasn't much to see because we were so far from land. That's one thing I loved about the Broughtons. The channels that we cruised through were narrow enough that you could see both shorelines. Some of our group did spot some whales and dolphins but we were too far away to get pictures. Instead, we sat up on the fly bridge for awhile in the sunshine and enjoyed the view.

After we arrived at John Henry's we treated ourselves to two-scoop waffle cones of our new favorite ice cream that we discovered up here last year - salted caramel!  Then after our snack we took Al in our dinghy to go to the IGA grocery store in the next bay. Jack and Moon brought their dinghy so they could stock up for the grandkids joining them in Vancouver in just a few days. On our way over to the store Bob spotted a 37' Nordic Tug with a gray hull that reminded him of Moon and Jack's old boat. We went over to check it out and it was theirs! It even had the same name on it but with its new hailing port of La Conner. The owners came out and talked with us for a few minutes then we continued on our way.

This evening we ate dinner on our boats and then everyone came over to Synnova for a movie night. We watched Draft Day (about the NFL draft starring Kevin Costner). It's one of our favorite movies and we knew the others would enjoy it.

Broughtons Summer Cruise - Day 25 Gorge Harbour

Today there wasn’t much on the schedule other than a farmer’s market at 10:00. We went to it hoping to find some fresh fruits and vegetables but there was only one person who had a small basket of herbs. We decided we can get by until tomorrow when we can get provisions at John Henry’s like we did on the way up. There were mostly artisans selling their items.

Seaplanes are really a way of life up here. As we were sitting on our boat a Kenmore Air seaplane arrived to pick up passengers and drop others off. They tied up right next to our boats.

Bob and I both did a lot of visiting and reading today and then had dinner on the boat. Gorge Harbour provides a concert every evening so Al, Sue, Cheryl and I went to watch them perform. The others listened to them from their boats. Tonight the theme was classical rock. The audience really got into it with lots of dancing. Even the children had fun out on the dance floor.  As I was sitting at a table with Cheryl, Al and Sue suddenly two little feet were dangling above our table. The mom ran over to apologize but we assured her he was fine to sit there. Our favorite singer was an 18 year old on the piano who sang Mandy by Barry Manilow. There was also a great harmonica player who joined in a couple of times. Bob and Larry sat on our boat and enjoyed the two hours visiting and listening to the concert.

As we were walking up to the concert we saw a little boy with his dad on the dock. They had just caught a jelly fish and he was very proud to show it off.

Another fun day at a new marina (for this trip) but tomorrow it is back to John Henry's and only a few more days of vacation.

Broughtons Summer Cruise - Day 24 Gorge Harbour

We got to sleep in an extra 1/2 hour and only had to get up at 6:15 this time! We left Blind Channel and headed for Gorge Harbour. We had the same three sets of rapids to get through that we did on our way up. All went well and only had mile currents since we hit the first set 1/2 hour before slack and then the next two right at slack.  The scenery was beautiful and we can see it changing as we move south. The hills are lower and there are more rocky beaches along the shoreline (instead of rock walls). One of these pictures shows a cleft in the rocks that I thought was interesting.

The following picture shows all the signs that tugboat captains have attached to the trees showing their boat names as they wait for the slack tide. I took a picture on my way north but that was one of the photos that was lost when my camera disk became corrupted. Some of these signs are so high they had to have used tall ladders or climbed the trees to attach them.

I love being up on the fly bridge IF it is nice and sunny and NO wind! Today we had that so we both enjoyed some time up on top.

As we were cruising along our friends noticed a whale tour boat and three orcas swimming around. We got some great photos of them.

This photo was taken as we entered Gorge Harbour.

After we entered the harbour, this cruised past us. It was strange enough that Bob had to have a picture of it. It is a 24' plywood skiff that someone built a cabin on top of. It has a rounded cabin with porthole windows. They lashed a couple of amas (pontoons) to the sides to stabilize it. The really weird part of it is that at the rear between two tall rudders you can see an airplane engine and propeller mounted air boat style! It also has an old military anchor hanging from the bow. You never know what you are going to see up here!

We were here once before but I couldn't remember exactly what it was like. We believe they have made some upgrades since we were here last but even then it was a beautiful place. It has a definite resort feel and includes a campground as well as the marina. They have a great restaurant where we ate lunch and also a spa, swimming pool, grocery store, playground and sports field, as well as many areas for visiting with others.

We had planned to eat lunch on the boat but as soon as someone said they were going to the restaurant we were all in! We had a great lunch and the view is spectacular!

I got some nice shots of all of our boats. In the first picture Synnova is in front of New Era. The second picture shows Eight Bells in front and then Sunshine.

While we were gathered on the dock for an appetizer dinner we were watching the family on the boat across from us. The teenager daughter was fishing off the side of their boat and caught a huge dog fish (mud shark). They were very excited and after the dad got the hook out they set it free.

This evening the marina provided entertainment and it was a group of four young ladies. They did a fine job and had a pretty good attendance. Many people just listened from their boats as they watched the sun go down.

Broughtons Summer Cruise - Day 23 Blind Channel

It is 5:30am and we are preparing to leave Lagoon Cove and head back to Blind Channel leaving the Broughtons behind us. When you have to be up at 5:30 to get across Johnstone Strait before the winds pick up, you shove a hat over your hair, make the coffee, and throw on a life jacket then you are ready to go. I caught this photo of Sue and I looking at each other from our galley windows as we were getting ready to depart.

The scenery was beautiful as always and the light fog over the hills added to its beauty. Most of the Strait was calm but we had one section where it got a little rough but nothing compared to what we have seen at times in the past.

We watched all the shoreline carefully in case a bear should appear. At one point, Bob noticed movement on the beach and it turned out to be three deer down by the water. That was fun to see and add to my collection of wildlife that we have seen along the way.

We arrived at Blind Channel and were fortunate to be docked stern to stern and side by side. We could stand on our swim steps and visit with each other. The front left boat is Jack and Moon's boat and then the three of us on our boats.