September 17, 2013 - Our Five Month Odyessy Ends !

As the sun slips from the sky over Ganges Harbour, our five month adventure is nearing it's end. Tomorrow we will return to whence we came and the circle will be complete.  Our minds and hearts are forever enlightened by our experience. We will continue to revisit our memories through our stories, photographs and reminiscence with friends and family. We feel so fortunate to have seen the many incredible spectacles of nature revealing the beauty of our Earth.  We entered the watery world of the many creatures we encountered from a vulnerable prospective of "floating on a boat" through their environment. We observed  the migration of salmon returning to their place of birth in a self sacrificial circle of life and the process of natural selection. "Survival of the Fittest" ! Before our eyes we inconspicuously witnessed all that benefit from this process and entered the world of bears in their natural habitat.  

This experience reiterates the importance of Human Stewardship of our planet  to protect and preserve nature in all it's glory!

 

                                                    Ganges Farmers Market

On Tuesday's local farmers display their organic vegetables grown on their farms.

I purchased two of these beautiful "Heritage" tomatoes.

They weighed two pounds apiece !

The colors were brilliant in the afternoon sun.

The variety was amazing!

They called this HUGE mushroom:
"Chicken of the Forest"
The vendor claimed that when cooked it tastes
JUST LIKE CHICKEN!

So for dinner we had :
Saltspring Organic Greens
Giant Heritage Tomatoes
Fresh Side Striped Shrimp from Cowichan
Saltspring Balsamic Vinaigrette with Virgin Olive Oil
Fresh Grated Parmesano Reggiano

September 12 thru September 15, 2013 - Nanaimo to Genoa Bay

In the morning we departed Pender Harbor and heard the announcement on our VHF radio from the Canadian Coast Guard that the military test site called "Whiskey Golf" was active.  Whiskey Golf is jointly operated by the U.S. and Canadian Governments.  There are approximately 400 hundred Torpedoes tested at this site annually.  When the area is active NO VESSELS OF ANY KIND (with the exception of Military Vessels participating) are allowed and must stay clear by 1/2 mile.
http://midislandnews.com/whiskey-golf-military-test-range

Port of Nanaimo
We spent the night and provisioned for our trip to Genoa Bay.

DODD NARROWS

In the morning we enter the narrows.

We are always cautious about navigating Dodd Narrows.  It is necessary to transit the narrows at slack tide. The opening is 60 yards across and currents can reach 10 knots at max tide.

                                                       

                                                              GENOA BAY

We were happy to return to Genoa Bay to visit with our dear friends.

The food at the Genoa Bay Cafe is wonderful!

I encountered this very large jellyfish commonly known as "Lion's Mane Jellyfish" while walking on the docks of Genoa Bay.

Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Cnidaria
Class:	Scyphozoa
Order:	Semaeostomeae
Family:	Cyaneidae
Genus:	Cyanea
Species:	C. capillata

Kingdom:

Animalia

Phylum:

Cnidaria

Class:

Scyphozoa

Order:

Semaeostomeae

Family:

Cyaneidae

Genus:

Cyanea

Species:

C. capillata

It is the largest known species of jellyfish.

The largest recorded was in the East Coast with a diameter of 7 ft. 6 ins. with tentacles 120 ft long. This one was about  2 ft. in diameter.

Genoa Bay now has a shuttle that ferries guests across  the bay to the charming village of Cowichan.

The "True Grain Bread Bakery" has an incredible selection of breads, rolls, pastries and cookies.
I purchased 2 whole grain baguettes.

The variety is amazing !  and the fresh baked bread smells fantastic!

As I was returning to the shuttle with my fresh baked bread and some artisan cheese, I noticed a hand painted sign:   "SHRIMP FOR SALE"

I purchased 5 lbs. of  very "FRESH SIDE-STRIPED SHRIMP".

Our dear friend Michael and I be-headed and shelled the shrimp.

Michael  sauteed the shrimp in a very hot Wok in unsalted butter,  garlic, coarse ground pepper and finishes the dish with "Franks Louisiana Hot Sauce" and fresh lime zest.
YUM !

Michael also supplied Fresh Organic Kale from his garden.
Steamed and finished with Balsamic Vinegar, Fresh grated Reggiano Parmesano Cheese and Almonds.

September 9, 2013 - Gorge Harbour to Lund - September 10 & 11 - Pender Harbor

 Lund has the distinction of being the end of Pacific Coastal Highway 101 that runs from Chile in South America to Lund, Canada a total of 9,445 miles. The "End of the Road" is near the entrance to spectacular Desolation Sound.

Lou had a very strange hamburger at the "Boardwalk Restaurant" in Lund.  The Flying Saucer looking thing is actually cheddar cheese that has been melted on the grill.  We were not pleased with our food and Lou told them why by writing the details of the credit card slip.

The evening was beautiful but the MOSQUITOES were tenacious and I ended up with 14 bites on any part of me that was not covered !
The tallest mast to the right is that of Seventh Heaven.

In the morning we departed Lund and sailed along Texeda Island on Malispina Strait past Powell River and then onto Pender Harbor.

It was a very hot day between 75 and 80 degrees.  We tied up at "Fisherman's Resort" .

I made Seafood Pasta with Fresh Broccoli for dinner.

Flowers must love this part of the world!

Louie is having WAY TOO MUCH FUN !
Do you think  it could be the FLOWERS?

"Beautiful"Gabriel's Trumpets" or "Angel's Trumpet's" hang from their bush in all of their splendor HOWEVER they are on the list of the 10 most poisonous plants in our region.  They contain toxins such as tropane alkaloids, scopolamine and atropine. If ingested you would hear the trumpet for the last time!

This was the view from the stern of Seventh Heaven as evening melted away into a pathway of gold.

September 3 2013 - Port Harvey to Blind Channel, 9/4 - Thurston Anchorage - 9/5 - Campbell River - 9/6 - 9/8 - Gorge Harbor.

We felt fortunate that we did not encounter debris from the landslides as it had not hit Johnstone Strait during our passage.

We pulled into fog enshrouded Blind Channel off of Johnstone Strait.

It was good to see the familar Blind Channel Marina.

We had missed having dinner in their lovely dining room by one day.

Docked next to Seventh Heaven was another familiar image.
Marine Link ToursAurora Explorer
http://www.marinelinktours.com/

As advertised on their website, there are a total of 12 passengers plus crew.
We had seen the Aurora in the Broughtons a few years age.
The passengers raved about the food and the experience:

Embark upon an "Adventure of a Lifetime" aboard a 135-foot working freight boat - the MV Aurora Explorer, transporting a wide variety of freight throughout the inland waterways along BC's beautiful & remote central coastline. Enjoy the uniqueness of small group cruising, discovering new friends, savouring fantastic cuisine & witnessing spectacular scenery, abundant wildlife & marine life. Observe activity on the freight deck, pour over charts and mingle with the captain & crew in the wheelhouse, or from the cozy viewing lounges explore the nautical & historical library describing the early explorers, settlers & native populations of the regionall pleasures of cruising aboard the Aurora Explorer.

The water in Blind Channel is crystal clear and a beautiful Azure Color.

Since the Blind  Channel  Restaurant was closed for the season, I whipped up:
Chicken Breast
Mixed Green Salad
and Peas.
We will depart at 10 AM to Thurston Anchorage off of Discovery Passage for the night.
  The next morning we will navigate Seymour Narrows and then off to Campbell River.

THANK YOU !

Campbell River Casino

We spent the night at Discovery Marina and had dinner at the local Casino.
It was my lucky day!

In the morning we departed Campbell River for Gorge Harbor.

It is one of our favorite places.

We enjoyed the beautiful grounds, swimming pool and hot tub.

We had White Spot Prawns for Hors d'oeurves and dinner at the
Öld Floathouse Restaurant with some new friends we met on the dock. 

Our dock mates have a beautiful young male Swiss Mountain Dog
named "Cade""

In the morning I baked Croissants for Breakfast.
We will spend anouther night at Gorge!

September 3, 2013 - Huge Landslides in Knight Inlet

When we departed Port Harvey, we were very concerned about the massive slides in Knight Inlet.  We had heard  reports from boats that had made it through that three story high log jams were blocking the entrance to Lagoon Cove, Blow Hole Narrows was completely blocked and debris was everywhere in the entire Region.  Echo Bay Resort and Lagoon Cove became inaccessible and had to close until debris can be removed.

 Here is the web site for the CBC news report:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/09/06/bc-knight-inlet-slide.html

Massive landslide rocks B.C. grizzly bear country

No 

Debris could affect salmon in a nearby channel where grizzlies feed. Heavy rain on a logging site after a dry summer may have triggered a massive landslide north of Campbell River this week, local guides say.

The slide happened on the southern edge of the Great Bear Rain Forest near Knight Inlet.

“We could hear an unbelievable rumbling and we didn’t know what it was, thunder or what,” said Dean Wyatt, owner of the Knight Inlet lodge.

“We woke up the next morning more than a dozen slides all at once, all in the same place.

No one was hurt, but Wyatt says there is concern how the debris could affect the salmon in the Glendale Spawning channel – the main food source for the grizzly bears in the area.

September 1, 2013 - We Depart Port Mc Neill - South on Johnstone Strait - Overnight at Port Harvey Marina

We enjoyed dinner at the  local Sushi Restaurant
and sat under the portrait of the:
"Smoking Geisha"

I had wonderfully fresh Sashimi and a Prawn and Avocado Roll

We enjoyed our last glorious Port McNeill sunset.

In the morning, after the fog cleared, we headed south on Johnstone Strait.

The weather was beautiful and we encountered several pods of Orca Whales.

This large female was near Robson Bight.

We were the only boat on the dock at Port Harvey.  There had been massive slides near Knight Inlet and boats were trapped in Lagoon Cove and Kwatsi Bay.

We enjoyed some Peach Cider on the Port Harvey Resorts Float and warmed our weary bones in the Autumn sun.