Friday July 19th 2019 – We had to wait a while to leave Lund because of all the boats they packed in front us. Everyone was asking each other when the other was leaving but it didn’t matter much for us, everyone had to leave before we could.

Finally, away from the dock we felt freed. Today we are meeting up with some friends in Desolation Sound. But first we took the scenic route out by the Twin Islands where we anchored all alone in Echo Bay. Anchored in the peaceful cove we relaxed in the now little bit of sun and cleaned the boat up. Skylar went fishing in the dinghy and we watched as a pod of Orca whales cruised by the bay.

Then we pulled anchor and continued on to Prideaux Haven where our friends Todd and Tami, and Todd’s parents Bruce and Gloria were already anchored. We just rafted to them and had a great night meeting up with friends.

Saturday July 20th – Everyone wanted some delicious lunch from Refuge Cove, so we all dinghied the 8nm across Homfray Channel to what’s really the only place to get groceries in the area. They even have a restaurant with surprisingly great food. The Kiwi Burger is my favorite. A hamburger with pickled beets and a fried egg, mmmmm… good. Bellies full and dinghies fueled, we headed back to Prideaux Haven where we pulled anchor and moved north to Pendrell Sound. The weather was warming up a little and Pendrell is the place to be when its warm. It is home to some of the warmest water on the coast. Last year we clocked 79 degrees, great for swimming.

We spent the next 2 nights in Pendrell. Julie and I went fishing without those pesky kids, which was a very nice relaxing time even though we didn’t catch a thing. We dropped the shrimp pots and to our surprise actually caught a fair amount. 48 in one pot, a record for us (we’ve never done well). That was a great dinner!

Sadly, some of the Pendrell shoreline has been scorched with fire. We figure it must have been a lightning strike. We decided to try a hike that Skylar had done with his friends in the past. Skylar is famous for getting everyone all excited about a hike or some sort of adventure. He researches where to go, what to do, how far it will be. Then tells everyone his findings but he always seems to omit some details to make it sound more appealing. Only after we commit to some adventure somewhere do the true details unfold. Instead of being 2 miles its 10, or “I thought I knew where to go but I guess I don’t”, which was the case in this circumstance.

Granted, the trail was pretty destroyed from the fire, but Skylar kept saying he knew where he was going as he forged through the burned forest. We all blindly followed until he could hide it no longer. He was lost. Being that his frontal lobe is not fully developed, he suggested that we just continue on in the general direction he thought we should go. That idea was squashed by the adults and we turned around to find our way back. It took some hunting and wrong turns, but we managed to make it. Even though we didn’t make it to the other side, it was still a fun adventure, which I guess was Skylar’s goal all along.

Thursday July 18th 2019 – We departed Princess Louisa at 6am to catch the 6:30am hopefully slack water at Malibu Rapids. The rain had slowed but the inlet was full of debris. This time we had calm water and zipped through the narrow passage no problem.

Just outside the rapids we spotted a fin in the distance, a shark fin! It wasn’t big enough to be a whale so of course it must be a shark. Pushing forward nothing came back up until all of the sudden off our starboard side there they were. Two or 3 baby Orcas playing in the water and a couple adults watching their kids play. They were so much fun to watch as they jumped out of the water and rolled around.

Long day of travel today. We just kept going all the way to Lund, a journey of 70nm. The Lund marina got us in, but it was packed. We didn’t have much choice, we needed groceries and to get rid of garbage. They had us stern in to the dock while rafting to another boat then jammed in another 5 or 6 sailboats in front of us. There was no way we were getting out anytime early in the morning, lots of boats would need to leave first.

After stocking up on groceries and treats from Nancy’s Bakery, we had dinner at the pub as the rain started to fall again. All night the rain dumped. Very weird weather this trip, so much rain.

Tuesday Juy 16th – We were happy to be headed into some new to us cruising grounds. Everyone talks about Princess Louisa Inlet, but we have never gone, at least not on our own boat. Today is the day. The entrance to the inlet is home to the Young Life camp Malibu, where Julie and I went while in high school. It was an amazing place then, so we were excited to go back on our own boat.

The topography of the entrance also makes it a little tricky to get in. First of all, it’s really narrow, and secondly there is only one way for the water to get in or out as the tide rises and falls. This creates very fast flowing water in the narrow channel. It can be very dangerous to try and go through at any other time than slack water (a period in the tide cycle where the current starts to change direction). We calculated slack using multiple sources, but these particular rapids don’t have slack tables, you have to calculate it using other sources. I was confident in my calculation but in these situations there’s always a tiny thing in your head that nags at you, did I do it right?

A few other boats in the area were lining up ready to go through which mostly confirmed my calculation. Ahead of us a fellow American Tugger entered the passage and we followed behind. The tide was low, very low and the current was still running pretty fast against us, but we made it through without any problems.

We were lucky enough to get space at the dock and tied up right behind the other American Tug. After talking with them they were also very surprised at how fast the water was still running. They said they clocked it at 4.2 knots.

The weather was really weird, super muggy and hot, overcast sky with the occasional sunbreak. The falls and mountains above were beautiful! It really is one of the most beautiful settings we have ever seen.

Then that night things started to change. Heavy clouds came in, but it stayed really warm, 70 degrees in fact at 2am. The rain started to come down and not just a little, it dumped all night long and into the morning. Just when you thought it couldn’t possibly keep it up it rained even harder. The falls got bigger and bigger as it continued to rain all day. Just afternoon the falls turned a dark muddy color and that’s when the bay started filling up with a whole lot of debris and cloudy water. We watched in amazement as the falls kept getting bigger and many new falls formed above. A guy was there on his sailboat who said he was a park ranger here for 4 years and he never saw the falls this big. It was pretty cool!

At the slightest break in the weather, Skylar and I dinghied to the Malibu camp to check it out. We got a private tour of the grounds that has seen major improvements since Julie and I were there as kids.

When we got back the falls just continued to grow. We all walked up as close as we could. Skylar took his shirt off and got completely drenched from the spray which was so erratic you had no idea where you were going to get soaked or stay dry.

As the sun set the rain came down harder. We watched the water in the bay get darker and the sound of the falls seemed to get louder in the night.

Monday July 15 – We departed Buccaneer Bay and headed for Back Eddy Marina in Egmont. We had a wonderful cruise northeast where the dock staff at the marina was waiting for our arrival. Egmont is a tiny little town, if you can call it that. After a 15-minute walk to the store, we provisioned up with their limited supply of fruits and veggies. But the real score was the info we gained from the clerk on where to go for dinner. He said we had to go to the West Coast Wilderness Lodge and get the Beef Wellington. On our walk home we stopped by the lodge to check it out and make reservations. Surprisingly, it was a really nice lodge that looked like a great place for dinner.

We chilled on the boat for a while waiting for our dinner reservations then headed back to the lodge. The view from our outdoor table was amazing and the food matched the view. Our informant was right. The Beef Wellington was really good. The only thing a little funky was the waiter who was very talkative in a TMI sort of way. He forgot a few things then blamed it on the fact that he was on prescription pain killers. However, he was very nice, and I guess you get what you get in the wilderness.

Friday July 12th 2019 – Finally leaving the city! And surprisingly no one else caught Ava’s sickness. We were all excited to get out into the wilderness. Even though the forecast was still for some rain and colder than normal temperatures, the wind was going to be calm for the next few days.

Buccaneer Bay sits between North and South Thormanby. It’s been on our list of places to go for the last few years. It’s an anchorage only to be trusted in settled weather because of its exposure to Malaspina Strait and wind whipping across an Isthmus from the Strait of Georgia could get nasty. Its exposed, but also has two awesome beaches, one on each side of the isthmus. We anchored in 80’ of water with views of the Strait of Georgia across the isthmus and Malaspina Strait to our north.

It was the perfect place after being in the city. The first evening we all went fishing for some Ling Cod and Skylar brought one nice fish onboard that was perfect for dinner!

The next day while relaxing on the beach we got a phone call with some bad news. Julie’s mom Lona had passed away. 1 ½ years ago she had a pretty bad stroke that had left her unable to walk and her mind was in and out of reality. She improved some after the stroke but not much in the last year. Even though she was not in good health, she was stable. So, while the news was not a total shock, it was very much unexpected. She lived in Montana with her husband Ken (who is not Julie’s dad). Ken has taken great care of her over the last 1 ½ years and we are so thankful for that! Thank you Ken, she couldn’t have had a better care taker.

Because we had cell service and the wind forecast was good, we ended up staying put for the next few nights while we could still talk to family. It’s been a very odd and stressful trip. Really rainy and weird weather, Ava got the flu, and now the news of Julie’s mom passing away. Lona was cremated, Ken was doing well, and Lona did not want a service. After a few days we decided to continue on with our trip but our plans of going far north to the Broughtons would need to wait until next year. The weather was still pretty bad up there and no cell service in the area forced a change of plans.

We decided to visit Princess Louisa Inlet and Chatterbox Falls. Tomorrow we head that direction. RIP Lona, may God bless you.

Thursday July 11th 2019 – The last day in Vancouver we rented bikes. Ava, still getting over the flu, was going to ride with me on a pull behind bike that she could pedal only if she felt like it. But she would not have it. Even after eating almost nothing for the last couple days she insisted she could ride her own bike. We said no way, but she manipulated every situation to prove to us she felt good enough and had the strength. It was a battle.

Ok, fine! But you will see, it’s not a good idea, we told her.

Not sure how she did it, but she did the whole ride, all the way around Stanley Park without one complaint. At the end she had a little smirk on her face and an attitude that said, “see I told you so”.