The last few months have sped by, and we are excited to be off the dock and back to life on the anchor. We stayed on Salt Spring Island until the last week of January, and then spent a few days sailing around the Southern Gulf Islands before heading over to Vancouver. We were fortunate enough to get a few sunny days for exploring, which definitely took the edge off the cold.
Our first stop was Winter Cove, a well-protected anchorage on the north side of Saturna Island. We spent a few nights here, which allowed us to take a (very!) long walk to the East Point Lighthouse at the south end of the island. In summer, this is a prime Orca viewing location… but of course because I was there, the whales definitely were not!
Another stop on this trip was Russell Island Marine Park, a little island off the south end of Salt Spring. The anchorage isn’t super protected here, so it requires calm weather with gentle winds from the south. This is a popular anchorage in the summer months, but once again we had the place almost to ourselves (the benefits of off-season sailing!).
In February and March, we stayed in a sub-let slip at the Spruce Harbour Marina in False Creek. Our previous sailboat, No Bad Days, is moored in this marina, so it was a little like coming back home for a while. Having easy access to the city for a few months meant we could get to work on a few outstanding boat chores – refinishing some water-damaged wood around the hatches, taking apart the boom to fix some rigging issues, repairing a wiring issue with the heater, etc., etc. It was also a great chance to catch up with friends and family after so many months away.
We left Vancouver on April 1st, and have spent the last few nights at anchor – a few nights in Montague Harbour, Galiano Island, and now on Portland Island. Although it’s spring, it is still cool on the boat – especially with the windy rainy weather that came through last night and today. We are looking forward to sunnier skies and fewer storms to avoid – our new kayaks are calling out to be used, but it’s no fun kayaking in 25 knot winds, even if you are just paddling around an anchorage!
Now that we’re back on the move, look forward to more regular posting. I’m sure you’d much rather see photos of beautiful scenery instead of freshly stained window framing!