forty days: winter cove
Date: July 18, 2022
Time Start: 10:40 a.m.
Time Finish: 3:20 p.m.
Cruise From: Telegraph Cove, Thetis Island
Cruise To: Winter Cove, Saturna Island
Engine Hours Start: 1426
Engine Hours Finish: 1430
Weather/sea conditions: Partly cloudy, S. winds all day, choppy water, mid 60's
We have a final visit with Ellen and Michael before leaving Telegraph Cove. We're heading to Winter Cove today.
Time Start: 10:40 a.m.
Time Finish: 3:20 p.m.
Cruise From: Telegraph Cove, Thetis Island
Cruise To: Winter Cove, Saturna Island
Engine Hours Start: 1426
Engine Hours Finish: 1430
Weather/sea conditions: Partly cloudy, S. winds all day, choppy water, mid 60's
We have a final visit with Ellen and Michael before leaving Telegraph Cove. We're heading to Winter Cove today.
The ferry "Kuper" that services Thetis, Kuper, and other nearby islands does a 180 degree turn in front of us as it leaves Telegraph Harbor.
We spot signs of nesting cormorants on high rock faces of Kuper Island as we cruise.
And then we are alongside Tent Island, where we move in closer for a look at the cormorants on the rock faces. How many birds and how long did it take them to turn these rocks a snowy white color?
The water is choppy in Trincomali Channel, it's salty window time, a rough ride as water splashes over the roof of NORTH STAR. We pass a shellfish operation on the east side of Prevost Island, well marked with yellow lines and buoys.
As we approach the entrance to Winter Cove, we get a radio call from "Strait Watch" informing us that whales are in the area and we need to wait outside the cove. We aren't alone, several other vessels, including wildlife excursions, are drifting outside the cove. We are fortunate, we see the whales breach and surface several times, although at a distance and much too far away to photograph. We see spouts and fins and enough to know that these are Orcas. It's a thrill to see them, to know that they are here, and comforting to know that efforts are underway to protect these magnificent creatures of the sea.
The playground/feeding ground of the whales, a long stretch of rocks just inside Winter Cove:
An hour or so later, the whales have left the cove, and we enter and drop our anchor. We make some efforts to clean up our very salty boat, cleaning salt from windows and rails and seating areas. We can see the opening to Boat Pass across the cove, and we take the dinghy to the public dock where we can access the trails to the overlook of the narrow waterway.
At the overlook, the views are breathtaking! The water rages through the pass from the cove and either into or from the Strait of Georgia. It is a spot you don't want to be in your boat unless it's slack high tide.
The trails start and end at the community park. There are informative signs in the park and along the trails with history, notes on vegetation, etc. And, if you have read about the annual Saturna lamb feed, this is where it is held.
We can actually hear the sound of the water flowing at Boat Pass from our boat. We also hear a lot of geese, herons, oystercatchers, and a hammering woodpecker. Sound travels so well across water!
It's a perfect evening for a bbq in the cockpit as we soak in the views in every direction. It's been an incredible day! And, oh, the sunset! Long, lingering, lots of red.
It's a perfect evening for a bbq in the cockpit as we soak in the views in every direction. It's been an incredible day! And, oh, the sunset! Long, lingering, lots of red.