Friday Morning

Our morning began with the Captain’s favorite breakfast – challah french toast.  The rest of the morning was spent relaxing, reading and writing.  The Captain played with a bottle of bubbles on he found onboard.

Around midday we went for a 3-hour kayak around PLI.

We stopped by the dock and chatted with Mike and Angie onboard the Sealestial.  They are from Flagstaff and have retired and now live on their boat that they keep moored in La Conner.

We also chatted with the Ausie couple onboard the Tuzi (pronounced “two-zee”).  They plan to take their beautiful Ocean Alexander boat back to Australia next year.  They’ve already sailed the world and have now switched to a 60’ powerboat.  Although we have no interest in “blue water” cruising, their stories and knowledge are fascinating.

We ended our day with more quiet repose, reading and napping while watching an afternoon storm pass us by but then circle back for and give us some brief, light rain.

Realizing it was Friday night we lit our candle, said our Sabbath prayers, and gave thanks for our time together in one of the most remarkably beautiful places on earth.

The fridge is definitely emptying, but we are still eating well.  I combined some heated up Trader Joe’s gnocchi in tomato sauce with pesto smoked turkey sausage and sautéed onions from the grill.  Pretty darn good!  The leftovers will make a yummy omelet tomorrow.

After dinner we were settling down to a game of chess when the Captain noticed that the debris field from a winter avalanche had dislodged and was slowly drifting towards the True Love.  Some of you might remember that last year we were woken at dawn by a large fallen tree entangled in our anchor chain.  So, to preempt a repeat of that situation we headed out with the tender and a water ski rope to wrangle and move the debris past us.  We were moderately successful moving the heavy tangle of timber about 100 yards past us. The tide should pull it away from us and out towards the entrance.  It will be interesting to see where it is tomorrow.

Trapper’s Cabin Hike!

This morning, I spent time reading the manual for my new Nikon D600, trying to master some of the intricacies.  I’ll see how I do on the next round of photography.  This afternoon we are contemplating hiking the trappers cabin trail for the first time.  We will see how far we get.  It sounds like a lot of work.

We did it!  The hike begins with a sign that says Caution don’t do this hike: it isn’t marked, it isn’t maintained, it can be slippery, blah, blah, blah.  We talked to the ranger, Craig, on the dock to let him know we were doing the hike (in case we didn’t come back).  Unfortunately, he had just put a nail into his foot and was taking his skiff to town to get x-rays and a tetanus shot.

But we had our portable VHF radio with us and he said our radio could reach Malibu Camp if we had a problem.  After the hike/scramble we learned he had asked the other boaters at the dock to keep an eye out for us in case we didn’t return in about 4 hours.

With our poles and hiking boots, Julie treats, water, flashlights and first aid kit we felt ready for the challenge. The weather was perfect with light overcast so it didn’t get too warm.  The dry conditions made the trail as easy as it gets.  It’s not that the trail was unhikeable; it is just that it’s very steep with lots of fallen timber and other debris so that you rarely get a break from “the next obstacle.”

Tree roots cascade down rock faces, creating great handholds for scrambling up and down the steeper places on the trail.  Fallen logs create many opportunities to test all the cross-fit training we have been doing.  The hike/scramble is in the woods and extremely vertical the entire two hours up until the last ten minutes when you finally plateau at a small space where the old trapper’s cabin is located that’s mentioned in the book Curve In Time.

Although it’s a beautiful spot, I can’t imagine schlepping stuff up there. We made the top in just under 2 hours.  The Captain and First mate felt very accomplished and strong.  We took about 20 minutes to take in the views of the waterfall and Princess Louisa Inlet far below us.

The hike down would be almost impossible wet, but it was very doable dry and we made it back to the docks in under an hour and 45 minutes.

Our fellow sea travelers at the dock greeted us with great enthusiasm.  They of course were beginning to get concerned that we hadn’t made it down yet and were contemplating how on earth they would launch a rescue.  But, no need.  We shared photos of the top and then headed off proudly on the True Love tender to our private, perfect anchorage.

Once on board we stretched on the bow and then enjoyed a well-earned supper.   I made a delicious summer salad with some smoked salmon, cheese, avocado, blueberries, sunflower seeds and a little bacon.  It all tasted so delicious. After dinner we enjoyed some homemade strawberry ice cream and a game of chess before bed.

Princess Louisa Inlet:

Every time I enter PLI I’m struck by a different sense.  The first time it was the overwhelming grandeur.  This time it was the pure, clean, fresh smell in the air. We entered the rapids at the end of a perfect cruise down Jervis Inlet.  When we approached our favorite anchorage it was clear of any other boats.  We arrived at high tide and anchored and attached our stern tie with ease.  From our anchorage we are graced with the sounds and site of two waterfalls with a perfect view of Chatterbox falls in the distance.

Yesterday was as perfect as it gets in Princess Louisa Inlet.  We slept well and woke up to a glorious sunny day.  We entered our day slowly listening to the stereo sounds of the waterfalls surrounding our anchorage, reading and enjoying our usual elixir breakfast.  The captain/barista made us wonderful coffee and he enjoyed his cinnamon role the First Mate had stocked for just this occasion.

I did my Gyro/Yoga stretches on the bow of the True Love listening to the soothing sounds of the waterfalls.  We spotted a mother seal and her pup about 100 feet off the bow of the boat.  The pup was very small and couldn’t have been more than a week old.

Then we went for a swim.  The water is cool, about 67 degrees, but healing.  We floated, played and swam until we were hungry for lunch.   I grilled some tofu and we enjoyed a beautiful fresh salad with Avocados, blueberries, radishes and sunflower seeds.

Then we went for a wonderful long kayak around the bay enjoying the views from the other side of our anchorage.  All that kayaking made us hungry again.  I grilled chicken, zucchini and mushrooms to toss in with rice noodles and spicy sauce.  Yum.

The evening brought some clouds and some unusual wind, but no rain.  We read our books until we couldn’t keep our eyes open and slept soundly once more.

We did it! We crossed the Georgia Strait and it was glassy calm.

 As we passed Pender Harbour we noticed that the Caper was there and we stopped by to say hello the Barlows.  Now we are having lunch at the Back Eddy in Egmont.  We won’t have any internet or ability to communicate for at least 4 or 5 days.

It’s sunny and so beautiful here!

     Every year when we leave the dock we begin a transition from the pace of our regular lives to the rhythms of sea.  It takes a few days and usually some “issues” to focus on why we are here on this journey north.

Friday afternoon as we were leaving the states we were boarded by the US Coast Guard for a safety inspection.  This happened to us once before on our very first journey out of the marina on our first boat.  The men on the boat were friendly (clearly just learning this procedure) and we went through each item on their check list.  It turns out we are very safe and up to code including extra fire extinguishers but, we did not have a written “waste management plan”.  That is correct.  We did not have a piece of paper on board that explains our plan for our garbage.

We would like it on the record that we always put our garbage in our trash and recycle bins and when we go ashore we transfer this stuff to the big bins on shore.  The Captain takes full responsibility for this enterprise.  We do not throw our garbage overboard, ever.  This is a solemn promise.  However, because we did not have it in writing we were “cited” but not fined.  We know the Coast Guardsmen didn’t make these rules and they realized this was a silly request.  But the bureaucrats that made this rule clearly do not have enough to do and are overpaid.

     The Coast Guardsmen left the True Love practicing a moving transfer to their boat while Jim and I both took photos and videos like proud parents.  We then headed up to Canadian waters taking our time on a beautiful afternoon.  Customs was easy and we headed through the Pender Island channel to anchor for the night in Port Browning Bay.  This was a first for us.  It a sweet little bay on just north of Pender Harbour that’s perfect for overnighting with easy anchorage .

We settled in, I made some yummy quesadillas with left over grilled vegetables.   We experienced the good food, Sade playing on the Ipod, the sunset and a peaceful end to a successful day.

I always look forward to the cruise up the Southern Gulf Islands.  The weather is usually calm and the views beautiful.  When we lifted the anchor we had a bit of a problem with water control on the bow of the boat where we use a hose to wash off the mud and seawater on the anchor and its chain as we bring both back up.  The bit of a problem was that the handle just came off.  So the Captain turned off the water pressure and we proceeded to our next stop with the hope of finding a fix.

Although the sun was bright and warm and the tide was with us we did have a pretty stiff northwest wind.  Both Jim and I did our exercises on the stair stepper, sit-ups, push-ups and stretches.  We couldn’t get a dockside reservation in Nanaimo so we decided to head to another first stop for us: Silva Bay on the southeast side of Gabriola Island.  By the time we got there we had some serious winds.  Docking was a real challenge as the gusts increased to over 25 knots.  But the Captain did a fantastic job and with help of the people on the dock we got ourselves into our slip and prepared to relax again for the night.

Silva Bay is a charming little place with a wonderful waterfront restaurant, pretty views and nice people.  We settled, plugged in the power and then headed to shore to see if we could repair our water faucet.  We were directed to Vince.  Vince is a sweet, if somewhat rough handyman for the marina.  I showed him the faucet top and he proceeded to take it apart using only his box cutter.   It really was a thing of beauty.  I love this part of being on the True Love.  Not the breaking of things of course, but the fixing.   It seems that society has in so many ways devalued the everyday problem-solving skills and personal responsibility skills needed in life, especially in a times of crisis. The little things that inevitably break while boating in remote areas hones these skills.

At first we thought we might have to do a “McGuyver Fix” with some plumbers putty and some aluminum foil but the Captain retrieved a small second piece from the True Love that we had left on board.  With that Vince was able to put it all back together and viola — it worked again!  We tried to give Vince some money but he asked only for our good wishes.  We accepted his generous help and plan to “pay it forward.”

With the faucet fixed and our water pressure on, we showered and headed in for a yummy liner at the café.  It’s almost impossible to find this kind of sweet little outdoor restaurant in the Seattle area.  All the outdoor patios are too big or too busy.  I love this part of our trip . . . the sun, the good food, the views, the quiet.

We did some chores at the dock before heading back to the restaurant for some late dessert and sunset.  Our plan was to leave at dawn and hopefully catch the typically lower early morning winds to cross the most difficult waters on our trip:  the Strait of Georgia.

We woke at 5:30 to a beautiful sunrise and leaving the dock was a breeze.  As we turned north into the Strait we encountered very strong winds and 3 – 6 ft seas.  It wasn’t smooth, but we felt we could make the bouncy 3-hour crossing until we got an alarm and warning lights from our inverter panel.  Our inverter changes DC battery power to AC when the generator isn’t running.  Now this was new and not something we wanted to deal with in these conditions, which were not fun at all.  We turned off all the AC power and turned around and headed back to Silva Bay.  Again the strong winds made docking a challenge, but with the help of dock mates we were pack in port.  We discovered one of our bedroom portals had leaked from the strong waves and water got on an old phone charging plug which had done a self destruct sequence and ruined the outlet.  So, our new rule in crossing open water . . .  no plugs in the sockets especially near portals!

After chilling a bit we headed to enjoy the omelet bar on the deck of the restaurant, process our unsuccessful crossing, call our boat guru Ben Rhoades for advice on the next step to repair the outlet and make new plans.

We headed to Nanaimo where we settled, refilled our water, plugged in and headed to our favorite Greek Restaurant where we ate well and drank Ouzo enthusiastically.

Sunday felt like two days, but we were rewarded with a stunning sunset.

Today we did  laundry, grocery shopping, purchased our needed supplies to repair the outlet and our water pressure valve.

We are currently enjoying  frappuccinos  and Starbucks free internet.  For dinner we will enjoy leftovers from last nights yummy dinner while we make our final preparations  for our Strait of Georgia crossing Tuesday morning.  The predictions for wind are lower, but if they aren’t we will adapt and enjoy more of what Nanaimo has to offer.

We’ve decided the melting plug was a sign to unplug from our regular lives and enjoy our vacation.  So other than some quick check-ins and writing our blog we are now officially on vacation.

The last week has been a blur while we prepared for our annual jaunt  north to Canada on the True Love.  Jasmine, David and James made a last-minute trip home to find a house for their mid-August move back to Seattle. They decided last Thursday to fly out on Saturday.  With the help of Katherine Ghiglionne, a wonderful friend and very talented Seattle real estate agent, they were able to find the perfect house.

They are now “pending” on a wonderful house in north Seattle and the Captain and First Mate got to enjoy a bonus grandparent fix with Baby James.  He is growing so fast and is so interactive now.  We can’t wait to have him and his parents back here full time.

Jim and I began our vacation yesterday afternoon by cruising to Poulsbo to enjoy the July 3rd fireworks there in Liberty Bay.  Ben and Lisa Slivka joined us on the first leg of our trip from Elliott Bay Marina bringing on board their alacrity and a collection of wonderful wines.

Bathed in sun we all enjoyed the quick jaunt to Poulsbo where we launched the dingy and the kayaks.  The Captain piloted the dingy to pick up two more friends, local Poulsbo residents Andrew Coulson and Kay Krewson to join our gathering.

Although we had munched all afternoon on hummus, chips, nuts, truffle cheese and pears, we were still able to enjoy our grilled salmon and  vegetables accompanied by the wonderful collection of wines.

With the sunset and darkness came the fireworks.

The pyrotechnics begin with  the private fireworks surrounding us from every direction.  The Captain decided to test our flares and we all decided that they would be remarkably ineffective in a true emergency given that they only stayed up in the air for about 20 seconds.  When we get a chance we need to buy the better flares that use a small parachute to slow their descent.

At 10:22 the Poulsbo display began!  While listening to Jazz and enjoying Kay’s cookies we oohed and ahhed throughout the display.

After saying our goodbyes the Captain returned our guests to the nearby shore where Andrew and Kay dashed Ben and Lisa to the Seattle ferry with only seconds to spare.

The Captain and First Mate rallied to bring up the dinghy, clean the dishes and prepare for a dawn departure to ride the tide north to Samish Island where we plan to spend the afternoon and evening with Doug, Julie, Chad, & Dani, as well as our friend Dick Spink, at the Wallace family’s beachfront home there.

While cleaning the dishes we discovered that the hot water tank was not working without running the main engines.   We are hoping it is just the fuse.

Happy Independence Day everyone!

The Captain & First Mate of the True Love

A long voyage to Tod Inlet & Butchart Gardens:  Definitely Worth it.

We left Nanaimo and went through Dodd Narrows on Monday afternoon.  It was the busiest we’ve ever seen it because a small sail boat decided to go against the tide south bound and it almost got stuck in the 5 knot, northbound tidal rapid.  This created quite a backup, but no real problems.

If you remember from the last posting, our Monday journey began at 6:00 AM on the north end of Lasqueti Island.  After finishing our crossing of the Strait of Georgia, we made a quick stop at Nanaimo for supplies, and internet, while waiting for a strong northbound tide to wane.  The Captain and the First Mate decided after reviewing the reference texts and the charts to try to make it all the way to Tod Inlet and the seaside entrance to beautiful Butchart Gardens.  We knew it would be a long day, but we felt it would be worth it for a relaxing two-days at Tod Inlet.

Stuart Channel, the passageway between the southern Gulf Islands and our destination was very pretty, with several winding passages, more like a river than an inlet, with steep undeveloped ridges on both sides.  This eventually opens up to a big open bay (Brentwood Bay) and tiny Butchart Inlet and nearby Tod Inlet.

Score!  We were tired when we finally made it to Tod Inlet at 7:00 PM.  But it was worth it.  We only share this magical find with you, our dear readers of the True Love Adventures, but anchoring in Tod Inlet and then taking the dinghy to Butchart Gardens is such a wonderful experience!

Tod Inlet is magical.  It’s very close to a pretty substantial city (Victoria – the capital city of British Columbia), but when you venture into the narrow inlet you feel like you’re in a nature preserve.  The inlet does not fit many boats, but we found a perfect anchorage and the Captain went out by kayak (Saul’s invention) to complete the stern tie to shore.  As the Captain entered his kayak he went for an unexpected swim.  That definitely woke him up.  But like the trooper he is, he completed the perfect stern tie by kayak even after he was soaked in the 65 degree water.

Settled, we enjoyed a light salmon salad dinner and watched a little Olympics coverage before we collapsed.

Tuesday morning we slept in and woke to warm sunshine.  The First Mate did her yoga on the bow while the Captain read the Seattle Times and Wall Street Journal on his Kindle.  We needed phone service for a phone conference the Captain needed to take, so we took the dinghy for lunch to the Brentwood Pub and Resort.  Lunch was yummy and the sunshine on the deck was delicious.  After the conference call and lunch we headed the dinghy to Butchart Bay and our trip to the gardens.

Now I thought I had visited the gardens 26 years ago, but I have no recollection of them.  They are spectacular, so either

1. I never visited them and just thought I had
2. They’ve changed and improved dramatically
3.  I had a complete memory loss of the event.

It was a perfect day to visit the gardens, sunny and not too hot.  We were most enchanted by the sunken gardens both in daylight and at night.  Clearly this has got to be the best possible use of a former limestone quarry.  Mrs. Butchart had real vision!

I took a ton of pictures with many lenses at the gardens.  Here are just a few!

The reference text suggested boaters return at night to see the gardens in the evening with the lights.  It also turns out there was a ballet in the amphitheater that night.  So we headed back to the True Love for some kayaking and dinner before returning to the gardens for the evening.  While we were kayaking we watched a king fisher doing some dramatic fishing channeling the Olympic platform divers.  Again we ate a lite dinner and then headed back to Butchart Gardens for our nighttime adventure.

A night visit to Butchart Gardens is a must do!  First, the ZarYevka Ballet was quirky and delightful and you sure couldn’t beat the setting.  The full moon rose during the show and when it was over we explored the truly enchanting gardens again by the soft glow of a thousand lights.  While watching the enchanting water element in the sunken gardens, with its changing color lights and mist, a child came by and exclaimed, “WOW”! with perfect alacrity.  Everyone laughed in agreement.  From the mouth of babes.

The full moon lit our way as we traveled the short distance back to the True Love for another great night’s sleep.  Today we are heading to Victoria to spend two nights.  It’s sunny and beautiful once again.  That’s two days in a row!  It really is amazing how close San Juan Island is to the south end of Vancouver Island and Victoria.

The winds were mostly calm during this part of the voyage but the forecast “late day” winds in The Strait of Juan De Fuca came early.  To avoid the spray from the four foot waves, the Captain and the First Mate left the fly bridge to navigate the end of our voyage into Victoria from the security of the lower helm.

The waves were pretty big and the winds blew the surf over the bow, but the True Love handled it like the champion she is.  The waters turn calm as soon as you turn into Victoria harbor and we had a wonderful spot at the main dock directly in front of the famous Empress Hotel and close to the Parliament Building.

We spent yesterday walking around Victoria and did a progressive meal through some fun restaurants.

The day ended back at the True Love with a great view of the Parliament Building a lit up and an intense game of scrabble.

We are posting the blog this morning from Willies Café, where we are enjoying a delicious breakfast of omelets, waffles, good coffee and high speed internet.

The scene last night, Sunday:  The sea is liquid silver.  The sunset is spectacular.  A family of seal’s frolics.  Eagles settle in for the night.  Only two other boats are in view.  There are no winds.  The temperature is perfect.  We’ve just finished our salmon dinner (thank goodness for professional fishermen) and are enjoying the end of a great day on the fly bridge.  Michael Franks plays from the stereo quietly in the background along with the sounds of the surf on the island 300 feet off our side.  The ¾ moon is rising.  Life is good.

We’ve had a wonderful 2 days adventuring to new territory at Gorge Harbor and now anchored on the north side of Lasqueti Island (which is a few miles from the southwest side of Texada Island).

The last couple of days have been wonderful. After spending the morning doing some chores on the boat we left Octopus Island and easily passed Beazley passage and quickly made our way into Gorge Harbor. Gorge Harbor was a lovely protected bay with a fantastic little resort. The entrance has tricky little sand spit entrance, but the Captain navigated it perfectly.  After the sand spit you turn through a little “gorge” entrance and into a perfectly protected, circular harbor.  The resort has been recently remodeled and expanded.  It’s a perfect spot adults as well as for children and grandchildren.

We enjoyed an afternoon of sun and then headed by dinghy for a very nice dinner at the restaurant.  Luckily for us there was also entertainment at Gorge Harbor on Saturday night.  Judy and Bruce Wing played wonderful guitar music and songs that included mellow covers as well as music written by Judy Wing.  Her angelic voice and witty lyrics were wonderful.  Judy and Bruce were very special.

We slept in and after breakfast and then headed for a run on Cortes Island.  It’s a quaint island community, frozen in time.  We passed big trees, very few people, a very old little library, and even a little bakery.

When we were done running we took the dinghy out to the sand spit.  The tide was low and the water on the sand spit relatively warm.  The Captain even went swimming! The First Mate waded.

Our time in Desolation sound this year comes to an end with the change in the tide.  After our swim we returned to the True Love and raised the dingy, brought in the kayaks and headed with the late day tide south towards Texada and Lasqueti Islands.  The night before we had reviewed the tides and the schedule and possible late evening anchorages.  Taking into account the late sunset, the tides and our travel speed the Captain chose Scottie Bay on the northeast corner of Lasqueti Island.  But as we got closer we noticed the little Islands on the north side of Lesqueti Island called the Fegen Islets, and that’s where we anchored. The chart showed possible anchorage there so we decided to check them out and reconnoiter.

The sky is darkening and the seals and birds have settled.  We have left the fly bridge (dusk’s mosquitoes had discovered us) and are now listening to Nora Jones while waiting for the sunset to end and the stars to appear.

The anchor held perfectly although it was a bit wavy during the night.  We woke to a pretty sunrise.  The trip to Nanaimo was a bit choppy do to the opposite northerly tide and a 10 knot southerly wind.  But we made good time.  Currently we are using the Starbucks high speed internet to catch up on mail and postings. I love high speed internet.   We’re here for a few hours and then we head south with the tide and continue into the Gulf Islands.  Our goal is to reach Victoria by Wednesday night and head back to the USA on Friday.

The Captain and First Mate of the True Love like to plan each day’s voyage around the tides and the winds.  Our recent time on the sea has filled us with a sense of connectedness with nature and the waters we are traveling.  With are filled with a sense of awe and wonder for the beauty and powers of the waters we are so lucky to travel together each summer.  Five more days!

Octopus Islands

Princess Louisa Inlet is rugged and dramatic.  The rapids, waterways, eagles and mountains surrounding Dent Island are exciting.  The Octopus Islands, in contrast, are calm and peaceful.  They are a series of small low islands that make up a British Columbia provincial park just west of the Hole-In-The-Wall tidal rapids.  We were unable to come back here last year because we lost our anchor in Bute Inlet and had to “dock-hop” back to Seattle.

With two anchors on board this time, we chose the same spot we used two years ago.  We also chose to use our stern anchor instead of a stern tie to keep our boat from spinning with changes in the wind and tides.

We did so much yesterday.  Our day began with our pre-dawn contact with a floating tree in Mermaid Bay followed by fishing and napping.  Then we headed out for Calm Channel turning down the channel heading to the rapids at “hole-in-the-wall guided by an Osprey. We then anchored at our previous spot at the Octopus Islands and went kayaking.

Time for fishing again – this time for salmon.  Doug (Jim’s brother) and his employee Shawn at Doug’s Boats and Sports had set us up with everything we needed to fish.  So we headed out on the dinghy to waters nearby where we had seen other people fishing.  I remembered most of what Shawn had told me about setting up the lures and tying them.

Our test run was successful in the sense that we had a good time and didn’t lose anything or stab ourselves (or each other) with khooks.  We did seriously tangle our two lures together.  First fishing lesson learned: our dinghy is too small for two fishing poles.  And we didn’t catch any fish.  Good thing I had defrosted a rack of lamb, which we later ate for dinner (deliciously grilled).

After dinner we took the dinghy out to watch a mellow sunset befitting the peaceful energy of the Octopus Islands.  We came back to the True Love and did a little cleaning and vacuuming. I took out some Trader Joe croissants from the freezer to rise overnight.

The Captain got the satellite phone to work and we called Walt to check in.  Dick hadn’t been feeling well lately, but Walt said he was doing better and we toasted his improved health.

It was a full and wonderful day and we both slept well and long.

Friday:  Day Two in Octopus Islands

We lazily woke to low marine clouds and popped the fluffy croissants into the oven.  The Captain/Barista made lattes and combined with some healthy elixirs we had a filling and delicious breakfast.  Jim and I are pretty addicted to “Words With Friends” on our i-phones.  But, with no internet and no cell service we pulled out the old scrabble board and began a game that we played on and off all day between fishing (no tangles, but also no fish), sunning, reading and kayaking.

Tomorrow we plan to leave after lunch to head for our first-ever navigation through Beazley Passage, a narrow rapids at the south entrance to Okisollo Island. We are heading towards Gorge Harbor for the night – an anchorage recommend to us by Jack and Ruth.  This begins our transit south back to Seattle.

We have a week to get home and plan to include our first stop in Victoria (the capital of British Columbia at the south end of Vancouver Island) on Tuesday.

We haven’t used our satellite TV much this trip, but we will watch the opening of the Olympics tonight.  During the 2010 Winter Olympics we had a great time visiting Vancouver, BC.  Although we aren’t in London for the 2012 Summer Olympics, we will be there is spirit, marveling at the athletes who seek to prove that they are the best in the world at what they do.

We woke at 4:30 this morning to a strange noise.  The Captain went to look and a huge fallen tree had entered Mermaid Bay and settled in next to the True Love.

At first, it was caught on our anchor and along the port side of the boat.  Well that’s new.  It was still too dark to deal with it so we tried going back to bed.  The First Mate couldn’t relax so we got up again at first light about 30 minutes later.  The shifting tides had already pushed the tree away from the anchor, but it’s root system was now getting tangled in our stern line.  No worries (as they often say here in Canada).  We untied the stern line and the tree floated away.  Throughout the encounter, our amazing new anchor and anchor chain remained solidly attached to the bottom of the bay.

The sun was now rising so I thought why not try to fish?

I immediately caught two small rock fish (the first fish I’ve caught since I was a child), but they were too small to eat so we unhooked them and set them free.

By 6:30 AM we had solved the tree problem, caught two fish, and had breakfast.  We both feel very accomplished.  Today our plan is to cruise from here, through “hole-in-the-wall” (a narrow channel with tidal rapids) to one of our favorite spots from two years ago: Octopus Islands.  We expect to hang out there, kayak and enjoy our third day in a row of beautiful, warm, sunny weather.

Yours Very Truly,

The Captain and First Mate of the True Love

P.S.  Here are a couple of sunset shots from last night at Dent Island.