On to Cortes Island....a Bit Back in Time

Dog Pile....on the Fist Mate's seat!

Our departure from Big Bay is based on slack water at the rapids around the corner.  Exiting with the end of the flood, sends us out with a surprise three knot current boost!  It's 21.4 nautical miles, which will take us about three hours.  Here's the important question:

Q:  Who gets the First Mate's piloting seat?

A:  Who gets there first!  Skipper, with Sparky piling on top in a race to the finish!  But what about Nan?  Ahhh, she turned her back for a moment in time and....

Our first stop is Refuge Cove for the hardware section of the store, looking for a replacement fuel connector for the dinghy outboard engine fuel supply.  It's raining.  Our first rain of the trip, and a reminder about where we are.  i.e.  Not in a warm southern location!

We pass Pacific Yellowfin in Lewis Channel.  Isn't she a beauty?

Pacific Yellowfin

At Refuge Cove we see a local live aboard at the dock that was anchored out at Squirrel Cove last week.  Hum....the same.... but different!  Very different.

As we pass by they shout out: "Nice boat!  I like the color!" Yes, we are both black!  They also have a black and white dog, and a black and white cat and a very black pirate flag.  They win the black thing.

With our dinghy engine back in operation, we are off for Cortes Island and The Gorge Harbour.  This is a new destination for us and we are anxious to experience it.  The water is totally flat today and the only waves come from passing boats.

See the harbor entrance up there?....between the cliffs?

The Gorge Harbour Marina

       This marina has been upgraded in the last few years.  The grounds are amazingly manicured.

Oh the fancy bench!

Live music by the fancy fireplace...view from up the hill on grassy seats.

There is a great grocery store here, music on the grounds three nights a week, a beautiful swimming pool with a great hot tub, and The Floathouse restaurant.  We try all of it!

We discover Dead Frog beer.....

Yes, this was amazing blueberry pie!

Now, "Whaletown" sounds like an interesting place.  There is a government dock there, an anchorage, a ferry landing and there must be a "town"....right?  It's a long, long hike and we find, yes, all of the above, including a post office, library and church.  A town?  No.  The store has been closed for over a year.  The dock is tucked back in there but full of local boats.  Once upon a time, this must have been a bustling place!  Maybe.  No sign of whales....just one carving on the post office.

Whaletown Post Office

Whaletown library...door open!

The folks on Cortes have definite opinions about salmon farming!

Sign found along road on our Cortes Island hike to Whaletown

The next day is explore by dinghy day.  So we think.  We load up and are off down the harbor...for all of 2 or 3 minutes.  The engine dies.  Check the new connector.  Check the fuel line.  Start it again.  And it's a row back to the boat...

Easy to smile if it's downwind!

Drain out the fuel and find....salt water!

This morning, to be extra sure we had enough fuel for the exploration, Steve fills the tank from the extra fuel tank on deck.  Remember all that sea water that crashed over the decks on the trip up Malisprina Strait???  Yep, found it's way into the extra dinghy fuel tank we carry on the bow....and unknowingly, it is put into the day tank.  Outboard engines have no appetite for fuel with sea water in it!

Success!!

With the Cortes Music Festival in full swing, musicians are wandering the dock this evening.  We joke with a young man passing by our boat with a guitar:  "Hey!  You need to pay to pass this section of dock!  One song will do!"  And so, Cameron Gunn sits down on the dock and announces "This is a song I wrote for Alexandra Morton and the amazing work she does and for all the young salmon: "Roe."  He plays, we listen, boaters gather around...and the songs go on into the evening.

Steve listens into the night.

Lullabye for this little guy

Two full days and it's time to head south more seriously.  The weather is good for slipping down the northern part of Georgia Strait.  An early morning departure is planned for this 7 and 1/2 hour trip....back down to Pender Harbor on the Canadian mainland side.

First Nations People used the ledges on this cliff side for burial platforms

Looks narrow...four knot current too!

Once through the "gorge" cut, we look out south across the water of Georgia Strait.  So different from the day we came up.

Beginning the 40 miles for today's journey to Pender Harbor on Mainland coast.

Are we there yet?

It is a long day, but at the end we find fellow Fisher boat owners / Coyote Beach friends Deb and John waiting to catch our lines in Pender Harbour!  And a great dinner together at the Garden Bay Pub.  Rewards!!