O Canada

Our experience in Prevost Harbor on Stuart Island was near perfection.  The harbor was nearly devoid of pleasure craft -- two boats at the dock and just two more (including us) at anchor.  We had the small shallow opening on Satellite Island to ourselves.  Just 12 feet of water at low tide, requiring just 50 feet of chain.  It was our first anchoring of the season and we were pleased to have a firmly set anchor on a windless evening.  I quickly dropped the kayak over the side for a late afternoon paddle to the public dock.  I walked five miles of trails on Stuart Island along the beach and through the forest to the small schoolhouse.  Stuart Island is definitely “off the grid” with only a handful of year-round residents.  There is no ferry and no stores.  The mail is delivered by boat 3x per week and I can only imagine the number of Amazon orders. 

Canadian Customs at Bedwell Harbor

Poet's Cove at Bedwell Harbor

Woke this morning at 6 and leisurely started our trip across Boundary Strait to Pender Harbor to clear Canadian Customs.  We arrived at the dock at 7:30 and were met by Morning Star (a beautiful wooden sailing vessel built in 1948 and home ported in Port Townsend).  Morning Star cleared Customs last night and warned us that they were boarded and we were likely to experience the same.  Barrie walked up the dock with our Nexus numbers in hand and placed the requisite call to the Canadian Border Patrol.  The agent asked for his documentation number and then asked: Are you Barrie?  “Yes, I am”; Is Karen with you? “Yes”, How much alcohol?  “Just the limit”, Do you have more the $10,000 Canadian?  “No.”  That was it.  The easiest customs clearance ever!

The sun is out, the water is calm and the scenery is magnificent!  We work our way up Trincomali Channel passed Galliano and Valdez islands with the intention of anchoring in Kendrick Bay at the end of Gabriola Island.  We have plenty of time and the weather forecast is good for the next two days.  We change our minds and head through Ruxton Passage to Dodd Narrows and then onto Nanaimo.  We have not taken this route north on our own (years ago we went this way with Josh & Emily on Ursa Major), so we thought we would try something new.  Now we must wait for slack at Dodd Narrows.  We mill about for an hour waiting for slack tide to transit Dodd Narrows and then work our way to New Castle Island where we drop our anchor in 26 feet of water.  We have sailboat neighbors – several appear to be live-aboards and then we are joined by Morning Star.

Nanaimo

Dinner is pasta with leftover chicken from last night, bacon from this morning and the added flavor of peppers and onions.  Pretty tasty.  We settle in to read books.  Barrie opts for an early evening and heads to bed with his book around 7.  I head to bed about 9 and listen to the rain begin to fall.  We’ll see what the weather looks like in the morning for crossing the Strait of Georgia.