A beautiful sunny Sunday (October 2) brought Braesail and her crew to pretty Princess Cove on Wallace Island (another of the many Canadian Gulf Islands that we’ve visited and enjoyed in past years) after about two hours of motoring from Pirates Cove.
We found it to be rather crowded, however, so we went on to Conover Cove, also on Wallace Island, but we decided that it was a little too shallow, given that water levels would be decreasing by about eight feet overnight, they were at about 13-14 ft. when we drifted through the cove, and Braesail’s keel reaches down about seven feet below the water’s surface. We therefore decided to motor on to Montague Harbour on Galiano Island.
As we were traveling, we saw that Northern Dancer V, a beautiful cutter ketch owned by Alfy Vince and based in the town of Ladysmith, was heading our way! Alfy produces very beautiful, entertaining, and educational videos detailing his explorations of the northern B.C. coast, and we have watched and enjoyed them very much over recent years. His video series is called “Life is Like Sailing” (http://www.lifeislikesailing.com/), and we saw one of his stickers on a small buoy hanging with many others in the shelter surrounding the hot mineral springs in Bishop Bay. As Alfy’s boat approached, Walt tried to contact him by radio, but he didn’t seem to have his radio turned on. I could see him standing at the helm in Northern Dancer V’s cockpit as our boats passed one another. I waved, and he looked my way and waved back–I, his fan, was pleased!
In large and lovely Montague Harbour South, we cruised slowly around, checking to see if we’d have enough connectivity for the singing of the Compline service in the evening, but we didn’t find a good “live” spot (Braesail’s keel scraped over an unnoticed submerged rock while we searching, with no ill effects–the noise startled the crew, however!). We motored on, as a result, to the northern portion of the harbor, on the other side of a narrow neck of land, to drop our anchor, and the Compline service was a blessed time, as it always is.
A little earlier in the evening, Paraiso and her crew dropped by to say hello, and we were happy to encounter one another again. Tom and Michelle and an onboard friend will be visiting Ganges Harbour on nearby Saltspring Island on Monday, and they very kindly offered to do a little shopping for us. All we needed was a dozen eggs, which they will bring to us. We plan to anchor in Ganges Harbour later this week and will purchase more provisions then. Boating friends are such a gift (as are all of you reading this)!
Braesail - A grand yacht in the Salish Sea 
Ah, Montague Harbor. My very first overnight sailing adventure.
It must have been 1983 or 4. Barb and I weren’t even married at the time. One of my college roommates and his wife invited us to join them in a rental sailboat from Sydney. Of course we did. They slept in the forward berth; we slept on the seats on either side of the main cabin.
In Montague Harbor we got a crab in a little one-crab pot that came with the boat. Good eats.
Another day we went into the really little cove just below Butchart Gardens so we could climb the stairs and enjoy the gardens. I think there was only one tie-up at the dock there, so we anchored in the middle of the cove for the night. Low tide was about 3:30AM and we were both aground and atilt. Barb and I slept together the rest of that night — on the floor of the main cabin up against one side.
By the end of the trip, Barb and I both knew that my friend and his wife were headed for a divorce. I think we both learned a lot about how not to be with someone you’re living with. AND we learned to consult the tide tables before making any sailing decisions!
LikeLike