forty days: conover cove
Date: July 11, 2022
Time Start: 11:40 a.m.
Time Finish: 3 p.m.
Cruise From: Royal Cove, Portland Island
Cruise To: Conover Cove, Wallace Islalnd
Engine Hours Start: 1419
Engine Hours Finish: 1421
Weather/sea conditions: Clear blue skies, beautiful summer day, to 80 degrees
There is not a cloud in the sky in Royal Cove this morning, and we are the lone boat here. The tide is low, the water calm. The only sounds are of lapping water, the chatter of a kingfisher, and the sounds of boats passing outside the cove. Ferries are plying their routes, sending occasional wakes our way, but mostly we have just a gentle rocking motion on NORTH STAR. We're relaxed, not in any hurry to do anything. Breakfast is lazy in the cockpit, soaking up a beautiful summer morning.
Time Start: 11:40 a.m.
Time Finish: 3 p.m.
Cruise From: Royal Cove, Portland Island
Cruise To: Conover Cove, Wallace Islalnd
Engine Hours Start: 1419
Engine Hours Finish: 1421
Weather/sea conditions: Clear blue skies, beautiful summer day, to 80 degrees
There is not a cloud in the sky in Royal Cove this morning, and we are the lone boat here. The tide is low, the water calm. The only sounds are of lapping water, the chatter of a kingfisher, and the sounds of boats passing outside the cove. Ferries are plying their routes, sending occasional wakes our way, but mostly we have just a gentle rocking motion on NORTH STAR. We're relaxed, not in any hurry to do anything. Breakfast is lazy in the cockpit, soaking up a beautiful summer morning.
Before heading to today's destination, we take a side trip past nearby Russell Island and on into Fulford. There are several boats anchored off Russell Island, a wonderful place to visit. We continue into Fulford Harbor and find there is no available space on the community docks today. We'll have to save a visit there for another time.
We pass the Channel Islands off of Prevost Island and take a peek at all of the inlets of Prevost along the way. We have dropped our anchor in some of these beautiful spots in the past, but today we continue our cruise, heading to Wallace Island. It's a great day to be cruising, calm and beautiful.
And here it is, the entrance to Conover Cove on Wallace Island! We enter the cove and find it too shallow with the super low tides that are ocuring right now for us to drop anchor. Fortunately there is enough room on the dock to squeeze us in next to the dinghy dock.
Our first walk is to the shed with the collection of signs from all of the various boats that have been here over the past several years. We have oyster shells that we hung with information from previous visits and easily find them, They are faded and dirty. We'll clean and update them while we're here.
We continue our walk to see how the old rusty truck is faring. Pretty well, considering how many years it has been sitting out in the open!
The area surrounding the old Conover house is now a camping area, popular with kayak groups. Signs tell the history of the days in the late 1940's and early 1950's when this area of the island had a resort operated by the Conover family. Their house still remains here.
The cove is full tonight, full of fun summer life. The dock and shore ties are all full as is the camping area. We enjoy Greek salads in the cockpit followed by a paddle in the cove. An eagle perches it the top of the trees at the entry to the cove, watching over all.
Date: July 12, 2022
Conover Cove layover day
Weather: Clear blue skies, calm, low tide, upper 70's, beautiful day
The tide this morning is one of the super lows, and one sailboat has grounded in the cove. Sea stars are visible on the exposed pilings of the dock, and kids are having fun finding crabs and other treasures in the shallow water.
Conover Cove layover day
Weather: Clear blue skies, calm, low tide, upper 70's, beautiful day
The tide this morning is one of the super lows, and one sailboat has grounded in the cove. Sea stars are visible on the exposed pilings of the dock, and kids are having fun finding crabs and other treasures in the shallow water.
We get ready to explore from the dinghy. There is so much exposed rock, the high water mark is way above us today, and the entry to the cove is so shallow that boats are hesitant to enter or leave.
There is a lot to see! At first, it is just all of the exposed rocky shore and noticing how small the cove has gotten while the trees and grass have been lifted so much higher. And then we begin to notice the algae that is layered on the rock faces. The browns and reds seem to be at water level with broad leaves, higher up is a layer of bright green, and then above all of them a layer of fucus near the high tide mark. We see sea stars, the purple pisaster at or below the water line, and the orange stars higher up and more exposed, not looking as healthy.
We cross the entry to the cove, noting big areas of eel grass in the shallow water.
We head back to NORTH STAR as the tide begins to turn. It's warm in the cabin, and i break out our small fan to stay cool while I make a salmon pasta salad for later. Dan takes the trail to Panther Point to stretch his legs. and then it is lunch time.
We're completely enchanted by three young kids on the dock. The boy is absolutely adorable as he whistles and sets up his fishing station, sitting on a bucket and dropping a line. The two girls (sisters?) arrive and tell him just how to catch a fish, he is obviously doing it all wrong! But not too wrong, because he does catch a fish a tiny flounder, and is the proudest boy ever. Heartwarming!
It's time to update our boat signs in the shed. Dan cleans the shells, and we enter the dates of this cruise. Our past visits here are now lost to history, we are starting fresh. Our shells are easy to find amid all the wood signs!
Dave and Sue on Bristol Buoy move their boat to the spot ahead of us, and we start to get to know this fun couple from the Delta area of B.C. They keep their boat at Point Roberts. There is a possibility of strong winds tonight, and we are on the more protected side of the dock. One boat is anchored in the super low tide danger zone, but opts not to move to the dock.
We get our usual after dinner dinghy cruise going out of the cove and along the outside edge of the island. It's lovely. with "water music".
We get our usual after dinner dinghy cruise going out of the cove and along the outside edge of the island. It's lovely. with "water music".
The winds kick up for awhile, the sunset kicks up, too. Colorful! We're looking at three islands - Wallace, then Salt Sprinng, and the mountains of Vancouver Island in the distance.
Date: July 13, 2022
Conover Cove layover day
Weather: Clear, calm, super low tides again, S. wind in p.m., mid 70's, nice day
It's another super low tide morning, and all of the sailboats left early to avoid getting grounded. The wind that was predicted for overnight? A no show!
The captain is whipping up some of his blueberry pancakes as we wait for the sun to reach the cove and warm us up. The eagle has returned to its perch in the treetop overlooking the cove, its bald head a beacon in the sunlight. Sea stars are exposed on the dock pilings once again.
Conover Cove layover day
Weather: Clear, calm, super low tides again, S. wind in p.m., mid 70's, nice day
It's another super low tide morning, and all of the sailboats left early to avoid getting grounded. The wind that was predicted for overnight? A no show!
The captain is whipping up some of his blueberry pancakes as we wait for the sun to reach the cove and warm us up. The eagle has returned to its perch in the treetop overlooking the cove, its bald head a beacon in the sunlight. Sea stars are exposed on the dock pilings once again.
Kayaks that were at the water's edge are high and dry.
The usual daily changes of the neighborhood take place on the dock and in the cove. We decide to stay put for one more night on this friendly dock. Dan takes the trail to Princess Cove at the north end of the island, otherwise we spend lots of time chatting with our dock buddies.
And then, to everyone's joy, a spontaneous happy hour takes place on the dock. This hasn't been a happening for us since the beginning of COVID. It's pretty wonderful! Dave and Sue are there from "Bristol Buoy", Kelly and Don off "Obsession", and two couples from Maple Bay. How we have missed this social part of boating!
Dock chats continue past sunset. We have managed to solve all of the problems of the U.S.A., Canada, and the world!
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