Jedediah Island, BC

There's alot of history along the coast of BC. The First Nation tribes maintain indian reservations in many of the areas even today. Fishing is big business as can be witnessed by the traps sprinkled across the Strait of Georgia, or the Malaspina Strait and the mixed heritage seems to all go back to the outdoors.
Jedediah Island is an example. A small island, with several coves and inlets, deep forests and on the eastern shore a former homestead recently donated to the Marine Park Service. Here you will find a few wandering sheep and goats, apple and pear trees full of fruit and trees reminding those hiking along the trails of the Redwood Forests of California. There are no facilities or staff to monitor ones activities, as the people here in British Columbia savor their summer times outtings so much tthat hey never leave a trace .
After saying that, upon close observation, we discovered Clue #5 left by a Nora Jones under the skull as part of a scavenger hunt she was having with some of her friends. As we exited the area after several hours we noticed the Clue had been removed. 

Oooh Canada!

Words cannot describe the majesty and the beauty among the islands of British Columbia. Each inlet and cove seems to have its' own personality, offering something new to explore and experience. The calm and stillness was only enhanced by the clear blue skies, mild temperatures and the absence of humidity.
The mornings tended to become my favorite. With a fresh cup of coffee you can witness seals splashing about, or bald eagles soaring overhead and there was nothing to disturb the calm.
Desolation Sound is a popular destination. A few Americans, mostly Canadians and the boats were of every size, shape and configurations - all were extremely well maintained. Everyone seemed to have a kayak, and a dog; if not, they carried prawn traps, and were well equipped for crabbing or fishing. West Canadians are a healthy lot for sure, and they savor every opportunity to enjoy the outdoors.
Our friends Romer and Susan Shewchuk, now living on Vancouver Island, were our tour guides in and around Desolation Sound. Susan did the trip planning while Romer set the prawn trap, and while anchored at Prideaux Haven we dined on fresh prawns and toured several of the coves by dinghy.
After a few nights we have become more comfortable with deep water anchoring. Thus far we have managed 75 ft. ,without a stern tie, and were pleased we marked the anchor chain ahead of time. Plans are to move on to Vancouver Island and visit Schooner Cove, home of Romer & Sue's yacht club just north of Nanaimo and Nanoose Bay.
Our Victoria shipping date has been delayed a little, but how can anyone complain about that!
Until next time.  

Ship Shape in Vancouver

As is normal, there was work to be done when we arrived in Vancouver. Despite our preparations in Atlanta there was much to be done - spare parts, provisioning and learning the systems aboard Sea Island Girl. We also finalized plans with Jensen signs in N. Vancouver for the graphics and until we read Sea Island Girl on the transom it was just another nice boat.
Granville Island in downtown Vancouver served as our base for the first few days. West Marine was close by, a dock neighbor kindly drove us to Costco and to the government bottle store and there was a variety of stores with access via bus. Trevor Brice, of North Pacific Yachts, provided the Captain with a few docking lessons and following a visit by friends from Atlanta we were prepared to depart to tour the coast of British Columbia.
There were so many options for places to visit. Our first night out we thought we would make it an easy overnight by staying at a public wharf, as tales of anchoring in 75 ft. and stern-tying to a tree along the shore was a little more than we wanted to tackle our first night. Pender Harbour was our choice - a quaint harbour just fifty miles north of Vancouver and nestled among the mountainous and distant snow capped mountains.
Public wharfs are common in the area and are inexpensive alternatives to private marinas. As we learned everything is first come, first serve however, rafting is permitted. That first night Sea Island Girl was rafted to a 45 ft. fishing boat (nets and all). Thankfully, the owner was away and there was not resident fishy smell.
That first evening in Pender was quite enjoyable. A string quartet performed a concert in a local art gallery and the next morning we "toured" the grocery, coffee shops and even found a garage sale to benefit the local 30 bed hospital - they were trying to buy a CAT machine. Carolyn picked up a "typically British" tea pot at the sale and we found several books that had come highly recommended enabling us to learn more about the people and the area.
Our Vancouver visit had been enjoyable, however now that we "cut the lines" and are cruising the coastal waters, we can truly enjoy the splendor of British Columbia and savor the comfort of Sea Island Girl in style.