Gorge Harbour

On  Wednesday we left  Von Donop Inlet. This is the view north -- we will be heading in the direction, eventually.

But first, we are heading counter-clockwise around  Cortes Island. This is looking SW over Sutil Channel and Quadra Island. The snow-covered mountains are on Vancouver Island. We are heading to Gorge Harbour.

A sailboat beats us to the narrow opening, where it is near max ebb, meaning the current we must go against is speeding about 4 knots. We typically cruise at just over 6. Al says that in 'Pirate Mode' we can do about 9. We are uncertain the level of power this sailboat has, so we hang back. We don't want to get too close in case they are tossed a bit in the current.

I think Gorge Harbour gets its name from the sheer rock cliff that guards the entrance.

We made it!

Our first night at anchor this family was out for a sunset cruise.

They are the first, and only, goslings we have seen this season so far.

We settle into our routine of observing and commenting on anything and everything. There is quite a community living on the water here, and we have 'named' a few -- the Pirates, Santa, and ...

Noah's Ark. 

I say 'That's a pretty boat!' and Al says 'Have you ever noticed how the prettiest boats are usually wood boats?'

'See?'

 Our geese friends have come to visit every evening, but this morning they came at breakfast time. A short time later, I see an eagle swooping and I jump up, hoping to see him grabbing up a fish. But I yell 'OH NO! An eagle is hunting our geese!' Al hurries to watch the circle of life with me. I love eagles, ,but this time I was cheering for the geese. The babies were diving and staying down as long as they could, and both adults would LEAP out of the water when the eagle made his dive.

This is the only shot I got. The adults are splashing with all their might, and the eagle leaves with empty talons.

The family stays in tight formation and slowly makes their way to shore. We counted all seven as they made their way to the lawn to rest and recover.

After our showers, Al and I took our books to shore to sit in the shade. Later we bought a few items at the store, and headed back for the boat. We saw a goose family again on the lawn, but this one only had 5 goslings. We hope it is ANOTHER family. But, we think perhaps a couple little ones were injured in this mornings attack? We'll see if we have evening visitors again tonight.

We are planning to move on tomorrow, or the next day. We'll listen to a current weather report and decide accordingly.

Von Donop

From Roscoe Bay, we turned left to travel north on Waddington Channel.

Looking NE into Pendrell Sound, we can see layers upon layers of mountains.

We are surprised to find a bend in the channel reveals a pretty large ship anchored at Doctor Bay.

We fairly often run across features that bear the name of someone close to us. Today it was my brother Dean! Dean Rock is not visible, and the chart says we won't hit it -- 2 fathoms, 4 feet = 16 feet deep.

The view out front at the point in the above picture, so that is Dean Point we are coming up on at the left.

Entering the bigger water of Pryce Channel, this looks up Toba Inlet. 

I zoom in to see a sailboat at the Toba Wildernest Marina. They have cabins too, but we are just passing by this time. They generate electricity from the waterfalls above.

Looking back the way we've come as we enter Deer Passage. The wind is blowing 15 knots, which hits us broadside as we near the head of Cortes Island. We're glad we stayed in Roscoe Bay when it was supposed to be blowing a gale.

A greeter? Spike.

The guide books say to stay far right, even if the branches try to brush the side of the boat. There is a large rock in the middle of the narrow channel, only 6 feet deep. We are probably okay, but better safe than sorry!

Perhaps the most interesting feature off Von Donop Inlet is the 6-ft fall of water from a saltwater lagoon.

Our overall impression of Von Donop is 'meh'. It seems very dry, and we did not see abundant bird life, though there is ONE eagle we've observed swooping toward the water, and I have heard a loon. It IS a large inlet, with room for lots of boats. Even this early in the season, there were boats already in place where we would have liked to be. We went all the way to the end and dropped our anchor in the 'j', and had company there too.

Birds of Roscoe Bay

We sure enjoy the bird life here in Roscoe Bay. There were pictures of geese and mergansers in the previous post. We have also seen widgeons.

And...

Maybe my best picture yet of an eagle in flight. It must have broken a feather? And it must be younger -- the head and tail have some white feathers, but they aren't brilliant yet.

Scoters! They are usually pretty shy about getting very close, but as our days in Roscoe Bay became many, they got a bit closer. We have learned to love scoters here where it was quiet enough to hear their grunting to each other, and the whir-whir-whir of their wings when they flew off. The boys' bright orange bills make me think of Daffy Duck.

But we got to know THESE birds by their first names! They are Kiwis!

John and Peter

They are in a kayak that John designed and built. 

They left on the morning high tide. We aren't far behind them.

John and Peter arrived yesterday afternoon and I saw them coming with a bright sail flying! I wish I'd taken a photo. They gave a wave as they passed Viking Star and went to set up camp at the back of the bay.  After a time we saw them approaching, and when we learned they were scrounging for items to make a repair to their sail mount, we invited them aboard! While Al set them up with screws, bits, and a drill motor, I boiled water and steeped some tea. We all had a nice chat together.  We passed our boat card to them and hope to hear from them again!

Roscoe Bay

Entering

We set our anchor -- we have the place to ourselves!!!

The sun pinks the snow on the distant mountains as the shadows climb those near.

 Beautiful sunny days and the solitude tempt me to do some nude sunbathing! It is a small bay with a very narrow entrance that dries at low low tide. We should be able to hear any power boat arrive. Kayaks can be sneaky though. Al works on changing the fuel filters, then is surprised when he comes to the back of the boat. The next morning, he takes HIS turn. It doesn't last long, as his skin is more tender. We each got some blackmail photos, but you won't see them here!!!

After the tide rises, we finally head to shore to explore.

Remnants of a log flume in the SHORT pass to Black Lake

SO pretty! and a perfect seat...

...to sit and look at the sparkling water.

BC's provincial flower, Pacific Dogwood.

We just celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary. Still happy!

We pass the boat on our way to 'the meadow'.

I want to go climb THOSE steps!

I post this one extra large so it's easier to see the little otter reaching to take a drink of the fresh water flowing down. If you need help, he's in the middle of the most left green area.

Geese, and mergansers.

We've seen lots of wildlife today. There are now wolves on this island, but we haven't seen or heard any.

And those steps are a LOT bigger than they look from the boat! 

Elderberries? Huckleberries? Funny to see berries of any kind at this time of year.

Al walked over to the park bulletin board while I did the wildlife photography.

It won't be long before the evening shadows reach the boat, so we head for home.

We had planned on leaving Roscoe Bay this morning, but yesterday when I checked the weather, it sounded like a blustery day for a long trip through passages we don't know. So we decided to stay until the outlook is better -- a couple of days, probably.  

I had hoped to be in a place with a little better internet access, hoping to talk to my kids on Mother's Day, but the sketchy internet will not allow phone calls. I'll have to settle with emails, or be VERY patient on facebook. 

Hoping this post doesn't take too long to load either!

Visiting Another Waterfall!

We expected rain in Prideaux Haven, but we didn't expect it to bring another Waterfall!

Actually, we HAD been watching the progress of our friends aboard their boat, Waterfall, as they departed and make their way to Alaska. Yesterday morning, we looked to see how far they had gotten and AIS said they were in Squirrel Cove! So we put out a radio call, and they answered. They had just pulled anchor, and were heading for Yuculta Rapids, but were willing to side track to come say hello.

There they are!!!

The prettiest shot, under the mountains.

Closer...

...and rafted up.

Lauresa and Mark on Waterfall. A coffee meeting, and they will be underway soon.