september: portland island
Date: September 14, 2017
Time Start: 10:55 a.m.
Time Finish: Noon
Cruise From Sidney, Vancouver Island
Cruise To: Portland Island
Engine Hours Start: 705
Engine Hour Finish: 706
Weather/sea conditions: Sunny, mid 70's, wonderful!
We caught a mouse! Now we can put all of our provisions back where they belong. Hopefully this one was a loner and didn't bring any friends aboard.
We are saying farewell to Sidney today, but first we are off to the local bakery for breakfast goodies to go with lattes. We enjoy our treats sitting on a sunny bench along the waterfront. Fresh produce from the nearby grocery and fresh fish from the wharf are added to the provisions for NORTH STAR.
Time Start: 10:55 a.m.
Time Finish: Noon
Cruise From Sidney, Vancouver Island
Cruise To: Portland Island
Engine Hours Start: 705
Engine Hour Finish: 706
Weather/sea conditions: Sunny, mid 70's, wonderful!
We caught a mouse! Now we can put all of our provisions back where they belong. Hopefully this one was a loner and didn't bring any friends aboard.
We are saying farewell to Sidney today, but first we are off to the local bakery for breakfast goodies to go with lattes. We enjoy our treats sitting on a sunny bench along the waterfront. Fresh produce from the nearby grocery and fresh fish from the wharf are added to the provisions for NORTH STAR.
Goodbye to the beautiful town of Sidney, to the beautiful boats in the marina, to new friends. We love visiting this town.
It is a photogenic morning for cruising and for heading to a new destination. Today it is lovely Royal Cove on the N.W. side of Portland Island (also known as Princess Margaret Island). We have visited before and have a great love for this island. (See September Cruise: Gulf Islands, 2015.)
Our anchor is dropped and we stern tie just across from the dinghy dock, hopefully in a spot that will be somewhat protected from the wakes of passing ferries. With the afternoon ahead of us, we pack a picnic lunch to take ashore. Right away we spot colorful feather worms along the sides of the dinghy dock.
Information signs along the trail give the history of the island. It was a gift from Canada to Princess Margaret in the 1950's, but she later returned it to Canada. It is now a marine park with moorages, camping for kayakers, picnic areas, wonderful beaches, and miles of trails.
It is a short walk to Arbutus Point, where there are a number of campsites. We actually camped here several years ago when our boat was an aluminum skiff. We would load our camping gear in it, cruise to islands with campsites, and haul our gear ashore. No more, thanks to our Ranger Tug! We spend a few hours enjoying this scenic spot, with gulls, cormorants, oystercatchers, and turnstones to entertain us. It's a great lunch spot! Mt. Baker is in the distance, ferries pass by, too. (Ask Dan about the extra protein in his sandwich today, he managed to eat a yellow jacket. How do we know? They were around, he complained about something sharp inside his cheek as he chewed, and later in the day had swelling and redness outside on his face as well.)
We take time to read the informative signs posted at Arbutus Point. One sign gives a kind of calendar of activities that the First Nations people would follow throughout the year, based on what was happening in the natural world. Another sign is of great interest to us. It describes the bone game. We actually have a set of game bones that were passed on to us from Dan's mother, who collected native artifacts.
While reading the signs, we meet the crew of "Small Change", an R 25, from south of Sidney. They are moored on the other side of the island at Princess Cove. We share our stories.
While reading the signs, we meet the crew of "Small Change", an R 25, from south of Sidney. They are moored on the other side of the island at Princess Cove. We share our stories.
More boats have joined us in Royal Cove. It's time to relax and enjoy our surroundings from the cockpit. Dan grills the fish from the Sidney market, and we put together fresh lingcod tacos for dinner. Sunset is quiet, we see stars galore, and a quarter moon.
Date: September 15, 2017
Portland Island layover day
Sunny, but cooler. Pleasant.
We pack our lunch once again, this time preparing for a longer walk, first to Arbutus Point, and from there, following the shoreline trail as it goes up and down bluffs, through the forest, and to beaches along the way. Arbutus Point is not quite as busy with bird activity today, but we take time for a little beach exploration.
Portland Island layover day
Sunny, but cooler. Pleasant.
We pack our lunch once again, this time preparing for a longer walk, first to Arbutus Point, and from there, following the shoreline trail as it goes up and down bluffs, through the forest, and to beaches along the way. Arbutus Point is not quite as busy with bird activity today, but we take time for a little beach exploration.
We are being watched!
Along the trail:
Remnants of an apple orchard planted by Hawaiians over 100 years ago remain at Princess Cove. As we are reading the information signs, we meet the park ranger. He is a wealth of information on the island, telling us of its role during prohibition, of when horses were raised and raced here, and more. Today, you would hardly know of these events, as nature has erased most of the traces of past inhabitants and their activities.
The dock and moorage at Princess Cove:
We take the trail that cuts across the island for our return to Royal Cove. Day ends with a glow in the sky.
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