Thursday August 15th 2019 – We left Silva Bay and headed south at slack water through Gabriola Passage. Continuing south we made our way to Montague harbor in the southern Gulf Islands. A nice provincial park anchorage but pretty busy. Hung out on the beach and did some hiking before dinghying to the sore for some ice cream.

Friday August 16th – Skylar’s knee was hurting so the 3 of us went on a little hike around island. Tried to make some calls and get email but not very good reception. Explored some more beaches then went to a funky little place for dinner called the Crane & Robbin.

Saturday August 17th – Today we decided to leave the big boat and dinghied 45 minutes to Ganges. Out in the open water the wind had kicked up throwing some spray over the dinghy. We pressed on but I was kind of nervous for the ride home. If it gets any worse, it will be a miserable ride if not dangerous. The weather was cloudy, windy and almost rainy but lunch outside around the firepit at the Oystercatcher was perfect. The farmers market provided some fun shopping, but I couldn’t shake the thought of bad weather for our ride home. We left the protected harbor concerned with what lie ahead but thankfully things had actually calmed down some.

Getting back to the big boat we decided a late departure was in order. Back to the USA! We crossed the US/Canada boarder while Ava walked from the back of the boat to the front saying “now I’m in Canada, now I’m in the US” several times. My newfound iPhone app which should make clearing customs easier didn’t work. So, I had to do it the old-fashioned way at the Roche Harbor customs dock.

Our friends TnT were already there so we met up with them and some of their friends who were staying at a cabin on Pearl Island. Great time with everyone sitting on the beach watching their dog Lilly roll in some nasty stinky something on the beach. We had a very late dinner at the Madrona Grill & watched colors.

Monday August 12th 2019 – Time to put those newfound fishing techniques to the test as we head out to the Strait of Georgia for some salmon fishing. Skylar and I were all jacked up on our newfound knowledge from a salmon fishing techniques book be recently acquired. Soon the line went zinging and Skylar grabbed the pole for a fight that left the squirmy Coho swimming off with his life just as he got to the boat. But at least we know they are around. Then the line went off again. This time we were prepared for their sneaky ways and managed to get one in the net just before it was time to head to our destination for the night.

We managed to make our way south to Silva Bay’s Pages Marina where we snagged a nice dock spot for the next couple nights.

Tuesday August 13th – Our friends Todd and Tami were also making their way south, so they met up with us for the night in Silva Bay. Julie and I decided we would make everyone dinner using the bounty of the sea and land. We prepped the salmon caught the night before and set some shrimp pots. Ava and Julie headed off to pick blackberries for a cobbler and came back with more than we knew what to do with. We cooked it all up and had an amazing dinner with friends.

Wed Aug 14th – Our friends continued south while we decided to stay put for another night. Julie and I went salmon fishing in the dinghy and caught one nice pink that fought like crazy.

Friday August 9th 2019 – The second night in Forbs Bay was a wet one. Not the saltwater type of wet but the rain squall type. So much rain this summer!! However, mid-morning cleared up to a pretty nice day that couldn’t let Julie and Ava get away without one more swim before we leave the warm water and head south. A long cruise today all the way to Pender Harbor where we securely tied to the Painted Boat Marina dock and had dinner out after many days at anchor.

Saturday August 10th. We left the Painted Boat docks just as the sun was coming up to catch an early and hopefully smooth Strait of Georgia crossing to Nanaimo. The plan was successful, and we arrived on the other side in time for lunch, some book shopping and a trip to the clinic for Skylar’s staple removal. After a 2 hour wait, the doctor popped them out of Skylar’s leg like they were barely in there. He said his leg was healing nicely!!

Sunday August 11th – One more day in Nanaimo to get stocked up on some provisions and Skylar and I obsessed over a salmon fishing book that we bought yesterday at a used bookstore. The lady at the store said the book is regarded locally as “the bible for salmon fishing techniques” so we studied all we could and prepped our gear for catching.