Letter 5 July 23, 2000

We sat in Squirrel Cove for 2 days, mostly just vegetating. Al and Judy were in Refuge Cove, just across the channel and came over by dinghy to visit a time or two.

Next we motored up to Teakaren Arm. It has a big waterfall that falls into the ocean. There is a trail up to the lake above the waterfall. We walked up and went swimming there. The water was cool, but not as cold as the ocean. It is about 57 degrees here in the open water. Just in front of the waterfall it is 61. Muffy went swimming with us. She loves to walk along the edge of the water and fetch sticks and leaves that float near the edge. She wil swim out 5 or 6 feet to fetch the ones we throw back. We can't tell if she gets cold or just shivers with excitement while she is searching for something else floating in the water!. She will keep at it for hours if we let her.

I put the prawn traps out, but only caught 20, then 6 then 25. A poor showing. We meet a nice couple on a small sailboat anchored next to us, Harry, Lenora and son. I gave them the prawns. They were really happy. I think they may go buy a trap now. Again we stayed two days.

We motored up Lewis Channel again to Toba Wilderness Resort. It is a favorite place of Al and Judy. They were there when we arrived. It has a small dock, water and 15-amp electricity. Our boat likes 30 amp so we threw their circuit breaker a couple of times. I set the traps again and caught a lot of squat lobsters. They look like crawfish I have heard, but I don't recall seeing a crawfish up close. They are too little to eat and just fill up the trap! They seem to be a little deeper than prawns so I must have set the traps too deep.

The little marina gets their electricity from a homemade hydro-electric plant. There is a waterfall about 200 feet elevation up the side of the hill above the resort. They put in an 8 inch pipe down to their house and had a twin water turbine at the end of the pipe. They take their drinking water after the turbine. Al and I hiked up to the waterfall and inspected the waterworks. It was beautiful, and the waterfall was pretty too. As an engineer, I really enjoy the unique and creative ways these people figure out how to get their utilities in these remote places.

While we were there, Trinda had me inflate her kayak. I tied it to a vacant spot on the dock while she and Judy went to gather oysters and mussels. When we all came back, a German guy had tied his 18' fishing boat up against her kayak and ripped the canvas cover! The whole side of the dock was EMPTY! We never figured out why he parked on top of it. He refused to admit that he hit it or had any responsibility for the damage. Al almost threw him in the water. The next morning the German guy and his friends canceled their stay two days early and left. Trinda and I set her sewing machine up on the dock and sewed a patch into the kayak so it is OK again.

The next day, after I had pulled the traps and reset them from the dinghy, Judy wanted to go anchor in a spot they had stayed last year, so off we went. I pulled up the prawn traps on the way, both of them at 300 feet each, again. Then we went the 8 miles to the other bay. Al decided to fish along the way so we got there first. Al said he knew where to anchor so he would go first. It is one of those really deep places where you have to drop the anchor in 100 feet of water and back up to the shore and tie a rope from the stern to a tree to hold the anchor in the ground. I put the traps out while we waited for Al. He tried to get his anchor to catch 3 times and gave up! He offered to pay our moorage for us if we would go back to the Toba Wilderness again with them. I pulled the traps again and back we went. I didn't bother putting them out again! I was too tired.

The next day we went to Roscoe Bay, still in the Desolation Sound Marine Park area. It is a nice little bay with a reef that sticks up all across the entrance at low tide. Once inside, there is plenty of water to anchor. About a 1/2 mile walk up the creek, is Black Lake. It was really warm, so we swam a couple of times. Muffy enjoyed the swimming again. I had decided that it wasn't worth it to put the prawn traps out here because the current looked too strong. Judy was talking to a local guy and he said he really like this bay, because the fishing and swimming and prawns were so good. I immediately went back out with the dinghy and put out the traps! The next morning (about noon) I went to check the traps. I had over 130 in the first one! 201 all together! That's the most I have ever caught!

 I had gotten a telephone message from my friend Eldon and his wife Barb. They were on their way to this bay today. Al and Judy had also found some friends from last year here. So we had a prawn feast and the 8 of us ate the whole catch and nearly finished the margarita mix! It was another great day!

Swimming and prawn catching again. for two more days. I didn't find the place I put the traps the first time even though I tried 4 more times. I only got 40 or 50 each time. How disappointing! I was spoiled! Prawns sell here for $20 for 15 to 20 prawns, so I shouldn't complain, I guess. 

Eldon wanted to go over to Laura Cove next, an hour for us from Roscoe Bay. It has been raining this morning, hard short showers. I had the prawn traps out, and the tide is only high enough for us to leave the bay for one hour. We need 6 1/2 feet for the keel, eight to be save. Just as we started out it began to pour and the wind really picked up, so we went around in circles a few minutes hoping it would stop. The wind did, but it kep drizzling.  We started out again. We had 8.3 feet of water over the reef. The prawn traps were just outside the entrance to the bay and a little around the corner. In the 15 minutes it took to get there it clouded up really dark and began to rain in earnest. I thought it would rain all afternoon, so I began pulling the traps. It really let loose! I was drenched before I got the first one up. Just as I got the second trap on board, the rain quit for the day! A little patience could go a long way! 

We went on over to meet Eldon again at Laura Cove. Judy and Al went back to Refuge Cove to get more supplies and visit friends. We anchored and stern-tied next to Eldon. We had margaritas again. He must be a bad influence, I haven't had cravings for margaritas like this for a long time! Barb says he doesn't either. Maybe it is the atmosphere!

The night before, we planned to all go back up to eat the roast duck. Barb was really excited about it. I thought Al and Judy were too. Trinda and I started off at 10:00 because it was going to take 6 hours to get to the rapids (Dent and Gillard Pass). We had to be starting the rapids at 4:10 in order to get through. The restaurant is one hour past the rapids.  The current was not as strong as I thought it would be, so we arrived at the beginning of the rapids an hour and a half early. No one else was here yet. I called Leon at the restaurant on the VHF radio and told him that there may be 6 of us for supper and maybe 4 wanted duck. It takes 3 1/2 hours to cook the duck and we weren't going to arrive until around 6:00pm. We fished until I looked in the fishing guidebook and discovered that the whole channel in front of the rapids was closed to ALL fishing! I kept calling Al and Eldon on the radio, because I didn't see them coming yet. Finally, Eldon called back. He was going to be 30 minutes late, and Al didn't leave in time to make it. Al can only go 6 knots with the motor and there wasn't any wind. Eldon has a 38 foot power boat, a Bayliner, and can go 16 knots. I called Leon back and tried to tell hin only two ducks, as Trinda and Eldon decided to try his pork chops that were also on the menu. He couldn't understand me, and already had four ducks in the oven.

We started on through the rapids. We have to go through the first one an hour before slack water in order to make the second rapids at exactly slack. It was really rolling and bouncy. Eldon caught up with us in the middle of the first rapids. He put on his autopilot when he was beside us, and eased the throttle back until he was going backward. The current was running about 3 1/2 knots. We were struggling to stay straight and get through while he PLAYED! He was disappointed that the second rapids were completely flat when we got there! Trinda and I weren't! It has a place called Devils Hole that opens up as a giant whorl pool that can eat whole boats when the currents are really strong. We didn't want to take any chances.

We made it on up to Leon's at 6:10. We visited a while then Leon asked if we were ready to eat. Since he had cooked so many ducks, I had another one too. Trinda and Eldon enjoyed the pork chops. Barb really liked the duck and the chocolate cake. I supplied a bottle of wine too. Since he had cooked 4 ducks, he gave us one to take back to Al. And an extra cake for him too! They also make really good bread. Last time I had gotten her bread recipe. The cookbook had a list of things that can go wrong with the bread and I found that I needed it too! Trinda talked Ruth into divulging her secret recipe for the chocolate frosting on the chocolate cake. It is really good!

When we were here before, I had worked on Ruth's (the owners wife) sewing machine. I could not get it fixed. Barb let it out that Eldon's father had been a sewing machine repairman for years nad Eldon kenw how too. So out came the machine again. We worked until midnight, but between us, we could not make it sew. Also, before I had loaned Leon a flairing tool to fix his propane tank and stove. Eldon bought him one in Seattle and brought it for him. We had quite a time working and visiting.  Ruth is a crafts person, like Trinda. They had to show and exchange all the craft ideas since we were here last! Trinda gave thir daughter a needle point she had finished. And a piece of red plad material that has large ants printed on it. Ruth made it into a table cloth for her patio table on the dock. Leon gave us a BIG fish. It is called a Red Snapper, but it is a bottom fish, not the same as the Texas Red Snapper. It was maybe 30 inches and weighed about 8 pounds. They are rare and quite the delicacy here. It was pretty good.

Eldon left early the next morning for Campbell River, and the Seymore Narrows rapids to play in. He went through at 22 knotts, not the measly 15.7 that we did last week. We went the other way around Quadra Island, by Hole in the Wall and Surge Narrows. We were to meet Eldon in either the Octopus Islands Park or In Rebecca Spit that night. The current was with us by Hole in the Wall at 3 1/2 knots. It was werse than Seymore for under toe and rapids, but not too scary. We were going sideways too fast to stop at Octopus Islands, and Eldon didn't answer the radio, so we went on. We got to Surge Narrows at exactly slack. It was smooth. Just afterwards, we heard Eldon. He was on his way to Rebecca Spit.

We got there just after Eldon had anchored, so we just tied up to the side of his boat. They call it rafting up.
That way we can just step from boat to boat and not have to row the dinghy back and forth to visit. Eldon had  hurt his leg  getting out of a small plane the week before, so he didn't want to walk much. They planned to go back to Desolation Sound the next day, after Barb got a walk on the beach. Trinda and Barb had a good walk, while Edlon and I sat in the grass and visited. When we all got back to the boats, Trinda and Barb decided to go shopping by dinghy. It took several margaritas to ease the pain in Eldon's leg. After three of them and it was too late to leave for the day, Eldon turned and asked, "Is this what its like to be retired?". I said, "If you mean, the hardest question of the day is, do we pull up the anchor and leave or have another margarita?, the answer is YES"! 

That night when I got hungry for supper Trinda got out Al's roast duck. We weren't sure when we would actually meet up with him again, so I ate it! We also had some of his cake.

The next day Eldon and Barb left for Refuge Cove to visit Al and Judy. We moved the boat closer to the ferry nad I took the ferry back to Campbell River to do some more shopping. I had to go buy the secret ingrediant for the cake frosting! Later, we motored back to Desolation Sound too. I got hungry on the way so we ate the last of Al's chocolate cake! Trinda tried to make another cake for him while we motored along. It turned out that when Ruth gave me the recipe from memory, she seems to have gotten some of it wrong. No liquid in the frosting at all doesn't sound right. Maybe it should have 4 tablespoons of cocoa instead of teaspoons too! Trinda will figure it out, I'm sure.

We wound up in Squirrel Cove again. Al and Judy were still in Refuge Cove across the channel and Eldon and Barb were back in Laura cove again. Al called on the radio and said he had "major mechanical problems" again. After a brief explanation I discovered that his "major problem" was that he just couldn't quite get the knots in his dock lines untied from the dock. Summer has officially come to Alfons! He just sat around reading books, his financial news and visiting. He didn't even work or clean on the boat!

We had discovered that some of the wood in the forward shower was rotting. While we sat in Squirrel Cove this time, we got out the paint stripper and began cleaning the walls so it will be ready to repaint. Al and Judy came over in their dinghy to retrieve their substitute cake before we ate it too! Also Ruth had given us a dozen oysters for them. Judy really likes oysters. 

After two nights, we motored across to Refuge Cove to do some laundry, get fuel and visit Al. In the afternoon, we went on back to Laura Cove to see Eldon one more night before they were to leave for home. The water in Laura Cove was warm enough to swim, so Trinda jumped in and tried to splash Eldon. She slipped and hit the water wrong and pulled a muscle in her leg. More limping! So then we all jumped in and swam. Trinda even put Muffy in to swim between the boats. She wasn't sure she liked not being close to the shore where she could find sticks and walk out every few minutes. 

The next morning we all left to go south. Alfons and I headed towards Nanimo, and Eldon just south. About noon we heard on the radio, "Katie Lee, haul up and prepare to be boarded!" I turned out to be our neighbors from F-dock in Seattle. They were on their way to Desolation Sound for a few weeks. We visited a little, then we were on our way again. 

That night we only made it to Pender Harbor on the Canadian mainland side. Al and Judy were there too. Eldon made it to the end of Texada Island. Early the next morning, 6:00am we left for Nanimo again. The wind came up and we had a nice sail almost half of the 25 miles across the straits. Just before we got there, we heard Eldon on the radio again. He was just arriving at the fuel dock in Nanimo. We all decided to anchor out in the bay in front of Newcastle Island Park, just in front of Nanimo. 

This turned out to be a big weekend for Nanimo. They have had bathtub boat races for 22 years.
But that's another story. I'll mail this today in Ganges Harbor and finish it later!

Larry and Trinda and Muffy