From Victoria to Sullivan Bay, B.C.

Month One of this cruising season has flown past us in the blink of an eye.

First and foremost, we should report that our two kitties, Ash and Crooked, seem quite comfortable aboard compared to last season. They hang out with us while underway (unless it’s very sporty) and run to the door as soon as the anchor is dropped, in order to check out the new anchorage. They’ve also been enjoying some primo bird window-hunting.

We stopped in Ganges, on Saltspring Island, a busy but charming small town.

After waiting for slack current at Dodd Narrows along with a dozen other boats (!) we spent a night in Nuttal Bay, then crossed the Strait of Georgia bound for Pender Harbour. We dinghied from our anchor spot over to Madeira Park for a pub meal.

Next stop was Backeddy, a small marina at the end of the Agamemnon Channel. The West Coast Wilderness Lodge and its fabulous restaurant are located a short walk up the hill, so we made sure to partake of dinner there. The expansive view from the dining room was stunning despite the lack of sunshine that evening.

I love to cook, including on our boat; but it is such a treat to have somebody other than us cook and do the dishes once in a while!

From there we spent a few nights in Princess Louisa Inlet, a holy grail when it comes to cruising in British Columbia. Getting in requires entry through Malibu Rapids at or near slack water. These rapids can run up to 9 knots, and have a narrow S-curve in the middle, so are not to be trifled with. Inside the anchorage near the famous Chatterbox Falls, there’s a dock for boats to tie up, but the Buffalo is too big to tie up there, plus we preferred the relative privacy of our mooring ball right next to a beautiful secondary waterfall (there are about 60 falls in the 4-mile-long inlet, I believe.)

Our opposite-side view was of 3,000-foot high mountains plunging nearly vertically into the water.

New this season is our small dinghy, Penny, a carbon-fiber OC Tender made in New Zealand. It weighs only 75 lbs without our 5 hp outboard, and has integral folding wheels for beaching. We love it! Of course, both cats had to thoroughly inspect it before certifying it safe for our use.

We still have Plug Nickel, our big workhorse tinny, but it’s nice to have an option that is easier to deploy and retrieve, and beachable. Nice that we have room for both on our aft deck without any inconvenience.

I mentioned cooking earlier. This past winter while she was berthed in Victoria, we had access to our boat by car for the first time since casting off lines from the U.S. in 2009. That allowed me to prepare a bunch of meals and sauces ahead of time, vacuum pack and freeze them. The pic below shows one: I adapted a recipe for braised beef short ribs in dry vermouth and white wine to sous vide, and brought several batches to the boat. Now all I have to do is heat it up (also via sous vide, because OF COURSE I have one on the boat, duh!) garnish with some fresh mint and some quick-pickled shallots, and Bob’s-your-uncle! Enjoying a delicious dinner in a remote anchorage is one of the true joys of the cruising life.

A short trail through the forest leads to Chatterbox Falls.

Pictures never seem to capture the majesty of a robust waterfall, the way the earth-shaking sound and the misty spray can make you aware, even joyfully so, of your relative insignificance in the universe. Nevertheless, here are a couple of photos.

We spent a wonderful few days in this special spot.

We visited several anchorages in the Desolation Sound area: Galley Bay, Prideaux Haven, Von Donop Inlet, and Gorge Harbour, before continuing northwest.

Had some humpback whale action on our way to Blind Channel Marina on West Thurlow Island, and saw a black bear walking the beach while anchored off Mound Island.

On North Broughton Island, Sullivan Bay was an interesting stop. Disappointing in that their restaurant doesn’t open until July 1, and so, or also, their store was very poorly stocked. But the setting is unique because all of the small community’s homes are on floats, and the residents are refreshingly quirky.

What we are most pleased with so far this season is that we have no particular schedule to keep, and only ourselves to worry about. The ability to maintain a relaxed pace and to wander at will is something I don’t think we have enjoyed like this in some years… since Fiji, maybe? But we are so here for it! The nice weather hasn’t hurt either. Our heart rates are slow and our dreams are sweet!