June 27 - Crossing to the "Hidey Hole"

Gorilla in the mist!  Osprey behind us in the fog

Fog is lifting and it look like another smoking hot day.  Still flat calm out.
Will be here waiting for Tony/Gayle, Rick/Faye and Paul and Jane!

June 25-26 - Napier Bay

Swimming Mink

"Osprey" and Shaman in Napier Bay Dock

On our way into Napier Bay, I spotted something in the water in direct line of the bow of our boat, I screamed at Mike to stop or slow down, and at it happens, it was a swimming Mink (I think)  Good thing Mike slowed down, or it would have been death by drowning if we hadn't stopped, he/she swam directly under our bow and went to the other side of the bay.

A beautiful 2 days spent on the old logging dock in Napier Bay.  Marred only by a visit from an ignorant "ugly American" - this fellow from Montana thought he owned the place and it took everything I had to not thrown a rotten ham bone at him.  Too bad he didn't get eaten by a bear, would have probably been spit out anyways.  Its people like this that give some of our neighbours to the south a bad rap on the water!  Letter to follow!

Ruby found a bear on the beach today, she was good and came when called and did not entice the bear to come back with her.  We didn't see him/her again.

Moving on to the "Hidey Hole" - foggy day with flat calm seas.  Photos to follow.

Wildlife seen today - 1 Swimming Mink? 1 black bear - Napier beach, 12 Sea Otters (in a large raft) 25 White Sided Dolphins, 5 red-throated loons, 3 hummingbirds and a plethora of birds heard but not seen!

Wednesday July 24 - Shawl Bay

Side by side - water and Sky

A rainy day - good thing, they all need water up here because like the south coast, rain has been sporadic and everyone will be out of water come August.  These few days of rain is enough to top off some of their wells and creeks where the water is piped into these small resorts, marinas and float home communities.  Will slicker up and head out to check prawn and crab traps.  Perhaps Sushi for dinner tonight?  If not, hamburger is out and it will be spaghetti.

A note to those coming up this year to the Broughtons and that are following this blog.  Jennis Bay should be a "maybe" stop.  The cabins and such at Jennis are filled to brim with loggers and the owner of Jennis Bay has sort of put the boating community on the back burner.  They will take mooring customers, but there is nothing to offer the traveller as neither of the girls are there!  No Cajun night, no truck rides to the lake, no pot luck, no singing......might as well anchor off somewhere.  There is rumour that the caretaker is collecting moorage, but then why would you go all the way in there just to tie to a dock, you can do that anywhere.  The allure of Jennis Bay has always been the people!

Old Beauty - Johnston Strait

Tuesday July 23 Port Harvey to Shawl Bay

Morning view at Port Harvey - stellar weather day ahead.  Once I can get capt dumb ass out of bed - we will probably be cruising to our next destination - Shawl Bay for @ 5 hours.  Will check in tonite with today's events.

5:00 pm - We are now at Shawl Bay and the weather is smokin' hot!  Crab trap and Prawn traps have been dropped and now to business at hand!  Mike has gone off to see if he can quieten down the generator......what a noise.  Must be open season on Generators up here....just about everyone up here (as in the resorts/marinas) has had generator problems.  Guess I can try and drown my sorrows with a Lemon Drop Martini!  Might as well before the lemons go off :)

Below is my first attempt at videoing some of the things we see while travelling. A Videographer I am not, but with time, I am sure it will get better. They are just short clips and I hope they can make you feel like you are here with us! :0

Link - Pacific White Sided Dolphins
           Tribune Channel

New toy

So what is it?

 Before leaving Vancouver, many toys were brought on board under the guise of "must haves". This particular toy is "Wi fish".  It has a wireless transducer at the back of the boat and sends signal , much like sonar through a little black "router" box to the tablet.  It has the capacity of taking snapshots along the way. Guess what the shot on the right is of?

Monday June 22 - Port Harvey

Powell River Sunset from my sisters Deck

Up and early - trying to catch the tides @ Campbell River to beat the wind up Johnston Strait.  Up even earlier than anticipated as the clock in my phone is an hour early....hahaha....Betty - One, Lemon Drops - None.  The same can't be said for my bro-in-law and the scotch he consumed and the cigar he smoked....guessing he going to have the sledge hammer effect today!


Seas calm, Sunny, not quite sure if hot yet...too early.  Will check back throughout the day.

Well - it's a few hours since I checked in - stopped in Campbell river for a fuel top up (1.22 plus gst) had a leisurely cruise up Johnstone strait with a nice push until - u guessed it ! Wind came up - 20 knots NW with an ebb tide - same frikkin spot as last year -
Current Passage again! Got the shut kicked out of us with some pretty deep holes. Remind
us again why we do this - this year we calculated it was 10 nm shorter (then going through
the rapids)  so we thought it would would try it again.   Stupid.stupid.stupid - just saying :(

We r safely tied up in Port Harvey and the dog has quit panting and I have cleaned up downstairs.  Looking forward to pizza tonight.

Wildlife seen - add one doe and fawn at the uplands in Powell River from the public docks.
One Orca south of Campbell River, 2 separate pods of white - sided dolphins (around 50 total)

Sunday June 21 - Yea...First Day of Summer

Lots of changes at Pender Harbour - firstly - look at the before photograph to the right.  A bit overexposed from a previous visit.  And then look at the left hand photograph. I feel a complaint letter coming on to the Sechelt Native Band.  What a disgrace that they would allow boat sheds on their water lease and a horrible looking one to boot.  To the upland neighbours who probably were cursing us last night for the loud music and the drunken talk.....it wasn't us.  It was the people in this boat shed or "shed dweller" as I call them :) in the nicest of way of course!  I hope they sort it out and they have to tow it out of here!!!  Guess I kind of sound like "NIMBY" (Not in my Back Yard)

Although it doesn't feel like the first day of summer, today we apparently start the countdown to shorter days.  Just saying!  Oh and happy Fathers Day.  Hope you enjoy your day!

Up early to walk the dog and off to Powell River.  Going to drop in to see my little Sistah, Dorothy.  I gave her the choice of dinner out, dinner cooked by me or just plain "day drinking" and going to bed without eating and starting off her week with a bitter hangover and feeling like someone cracked her over the head with a baseball bat.  Guess what she chose?  All of the above - we are heading up to the house to have a barbeque dinner with the starts of Day Drinking.

Booming Metropolis of Powell River.

Sunny and a bit windy, but only @ 2 foot chop.  Nice leisurely cruise to Powell River from Pender Harbour.  Will report in tomorrow if that sledgehammer effect comes into play!

Wildlife spotted today:  one Doe and her fawn on the road by our Docks in Pender Harbour

Saturday June 20

My seat has been permanently taken

 Sunny, warm and windy this morning.  Off to shore for Ruby's constitutional and a run.  More sheep activity but no interest from Ruby this morning.  The Squeaky Ball has her attention and the sheep are but a distant memory.  So much for instinct!

A performance this morning of epic proportion while getting the stern line back to the boat and the anchor raised.  The new switch which was installed on the bridge to allow Mike or I to raise the anchor from the bridge versus going down to the bow, failed.  So, someone other than Mike had to go to shore to untie the stern line so we could raise the anchor, guess what, there was only "I" to do this job.  Off I go, flip flops on, to scale the rocks, untie the stern line while making sure the dinghy didn't float away! Time to go back to working out.....got the stern line unhooked, dinghy back to boat safely with me in and all the stern line piled up on the back deck and then to stand on the bow to lift the anchor via foot pedal.  Whew....that was a work out and a half.  All this while, Mike is holding the boat off the rocks in the wind and 2 foot chop.

Beautiful Red Dragonfly

Next time we go to a dock first!  Safe and sound on the dock at Pender, wash the boat, water up, install new generator board and go to Maderia Park to see if they have any squeaky balls for Ruby!

Wildlife Seen Today - Herd of wild sheep! rather large red dragon fly....what a beaut!  :)

Friday June 19

Shaman in Long Bay

Sunny, warm, calm seas heading to Pender Harbour from BYC.  A last minute Captain decision took us to Long Bay on Lasquiti Island for the night.  Wind started to pick up as we entered Bull Harbour and it was a bit choppy while we anchored.  Enough chop and wind to give us a great set and we choose a sturdy tree to tie our stern line.

Off to shore go Ruby and Mike to play "fetch ball" and to give Ruby a good run from her 5 hours of cruising-sleeping.  Full herding instinct kicked in when they chanced upon the wild herd of sheep on the island.  Ruby must be growing a brain as she came back on command!

A rocky night from the wind and waves, but its just nice to be away! and no Ruby sleeping on my head!

Wildlife Count - 2 Harbour Porpoise in English Bay and 2 Harbour Porpoise by Thormanby Island and if you can count them @ 15 wild sheep!

And we're off again! 2015 Summer Vacay

Bai, bai Bancouver!

A new boating season is upon us and it couldn't come soon enough.  Its been a busy coupe of weeks loading the boat and doing all the chores associated with going away on a long vacay.  This year we were fraught with repairs on Shaman.  Things surely do come in threes, three items wrong with the dingy and 3 items wrong with the big boat.  Oh well, it's all part of the adventure. 

       Dinghy repairs started with our trip to the Gulf Islands in May of this year where we first learned to row the dinghy.  We were cruising along slowly around Wallace Island when "Bam" we hit a rock and tore the bottom shaft out of the outboard.  3 weeks later for the parts and the Tilt part of the outboard breaks.  Another days for that part to come in.  Then while cleaning up the little white pig, mike broke one of the tube fasteners.....wing and a prayer that it holds together. 

  Now to Shaman repairs....we waited patiently for our new front windows, side windows and dinghy seat, to be replaced with new - yesterday (Friday) it was all put back together.  We had a water leak and we were losing @ 100 gallons a week in water - after Betty was blamed for leaving the shower trickling and taps running, again, yesterday (Friday), Mike discovered the hot water tank leaking through fittings.  Off he goes to get "the" fitting, and when he fixes the leaky fitting, it springs a leak in two other places - off again to get two more fittings and spares.  That's using the noggin Mike!  The generator keeps on shutting down but good news, we bought a new board last month - this morning, it ran for a bit and shut off, guess its time to put that expensive new board in.  Hopefully that is 3 things and we're good to go now and not an omen of things to come!