A very interesting wood sailboat in Prideaux.
Lilly had full reign over the boat while we were at anchor and would often go on the swim step and jump on to the skiff and sit at the bow of the skiff - that was when she wasn't getting into trouble!
We left Prideaux very early Tuesday morning - up at 5:30 AM to pull the anchor for 6:00 to catch slack water at "The Dents". A set of three rapids with very fast currents.
Our plan was to go through The Dents and stay at one of our favourite little docks- Shoal Bay. As we got into Shoal Bay we discovered the dock was completely full. It seems there was some Gale force winds that had been keeping boats from travelling and most people were staying put until the winds died down in Johnstone Straight. We decided to go to Handfield Bay and anchor up. Another spot we liked and not too far away. And it was early in the day still.
We saw this wood sailboat in Handfield Bay. They were there waiting out the winds. This boat if from New Zealand and the couple sailing her had come to Canada via the Aleutians. Quite the adventure they were having. Unfortunate the west coast is not a great place to sail as the winds are often blowing in the opposite direction of where you want to go!
The wind was down enough for us to leave Handfield Bay this morning and motor up Johnstone Straight to Port Harvey. It was a bit windy and bumpy and poor Lilly was a bit sea sick.
We were here at Port Harvey a of times last summer. A nice dock and and nice little store and restaurant well known for great home made pizza.
The next night we went to a dock at Kwatsi Bay. The dock there is getting quite run down. But it's a nice little spot. Not much of a trail to walk Jenny. And there - just after Jim was walking Jenny we saw a cougar on the shore! That was a little disconcerting.
Eagle on a tree in Stopford Bay
The next day we left Kwatsi and planned to go to a little anchorage called Stopford Bay. When we arrived there was a logging camp set up and signs to indicated they were blasting in the area! So we left there and spent the night at Pierre's in Echo Bay. I like Pierre's a lot, it's a great spot - clean and well managed. Large docks. Great people. There were only 3-4 boats there for the night. Not quite the season yet. They have planned a pig roast for the start of the season on June 27th. There are Halibut and chips some nights - Prime Rib night! Great spot.
Phoenix Hunter at the dock at Pierre's
After Echo Bay we motored to Monday Anchorage. It is a nice quiet little spot with the occasional kayaker on the Midden Beach.
After we dropped anchor Jim took Jenny to shore and she was bitten by something - wasps we think - on her face and her foot. I never saw anything on her face but her foot was quite swollen and she was limping a bit on it. She came back to the boat and was almost unresponsive for a few minutes. She was shaking and staggering and her foot was spasming. We debated pulling the anchor and heading to Port McNeill. We gave her half an aspirin and let her rest a bit. She recovered completely. I think the aspirin helped. Then later in the afternoon - while having a little sit out in the cockpit - Lilly wandering about the skiff as she like to do - Lilly fell into the water! Boy can she swim! She was going like the wind! Jim grabbed the halibut net and was able to net her along the starboard side of the boat. So she was completely soaked in salt water - we gave her a shower with fresh water and a good towel dry. Hopefully she has learned a lesson there. We need a little re boarding device for her! Some people will hang a little piece of carpet off the swim step for their cats to grab. Of course we have the halibut net at the ready for that exact reason. What a day that was!
We spent two nights at Monday Anchorage. Jim went fishing yesterday and hooked a small harbour seal. He tried to get it close to the skiff to pull out the hook but couldn't manage to do that. So had to cut the line. He felt terrible about that. The hook was just in the outer skin, so it will most likely work it's way out over time. Jim and fishing just don't seem to be coming together as he hoped.
This morning we are off to Booker Lagoon.
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