No creature pictures–I “otter” try again another time

Thursday, April 21, was gray, rainy, and chilly, and Walt and I put in a good chore day while docked in the very attractive and well-appointed Union Steamship Company Marina in Snug Cove on Bowen Island. During the afternoon Walt took up the floorboards in Braesail’s “saloon” (the “living room”) and worked on our two water tanks to see if could find a reason for some problems we’ve been having with the starboard tank’s not filling the way it should. I took two shopping bags of laundry up the dock, past some colorful float houses, and up the stairs to the Boaters’ Lounge above the marina offices inside a well-stocked little chandlery (a shop specializing in boating-related goods). On the way, I noticed a sizeable sea otter swimming along, and then I saw that he’d climbed up on a float near a moored boat and was munching on a small fish held in his mouth. By the time I was ready to take his picture, he’d finished his lunch and was slipping back into the water. Sorry–no photo to share!

In the chandlery, I was able to exchange a Canadian $20 bill for 20 “loonies” (a loonie is $1 coin bearing an image of a loon, a wonderful waterbird with a very distinctive call), four of which I fed to the hungry washer in the Boaters’ Lounge, a commodious space containing fascinating furnishings made from parts of an old wooden rowboat, and all the comforts a boater might need during a stopover. While I waited for the washer and dryer to complete their tasks, I chatted with an elderly seafaring gentleman who entertained me with amazing tales of some of his harrowing experiences at sea.

After some 24 hours, the rain finally gave up and went to play elsewhere, and sunshine bathed the marina in the late afternoon. With laundry done, I walked around the marina “village” to enjoy the shops and gardens and the entrance to beach-side Crippen Park.

By suppertime, Walt had decided that he needed a small square of plastic for his water tank project, and the helpful lady in the chandlery found one in her storage area that she gave to Walt–how kind! We enjoyed a hearty hamburger dinner at Doc Morgan’s Pub before walking back down the dock to Braesail. Walt completed the current phase of his project using the square of plastic, and we’ll see if more work needs to be done later.