summer: clam bay and ladysmith
Date: July 10, 2017
Time Start: 2 p.m.
Time Finish: 3 p.m.
Cruise From: Conover Cove, Wallace Island
Cruise To: Clam Bay, Thetis Island
Engine Hours Start: 643
Engine Hours Finish: 645
Weather/sea conditions: Sunny with light clouds, clearing in p.m., low 70's
The music from La La Land, Beauty and the Beast, and other movies and shows, serenades us through our breakfast of Dan's blueberry pancakes. Alle Mare and Puffin both leave ahead of us. We linger, enjoying our idyllic spot in Conover Cove on this Monday morning. After lunch in the cove we, too, are ready to move on.
Time Start: 2 p.m.
Time Finish: 3 p.m.
Cruise From: Conover Cove, Wallace Island
Cruise To: Clam Bay, Thetis Island
Engine Hours Start: 643
Engine Hours Finish: 645
Weather/sea conditions: Sunny with light clouds, clearing in p.m., low 70's
The music from La La Land, Beauty and the Beast, and other movies and shows, serenades us through our breakfast of Dan's blueberry pancakes. Alle Mare and Puffin both leave ahead of us. We linger, enjoying our idyllic spot in Conover Cove on this Monday morning. After lunch in the cove we, too, are ready to move on.
It's a quick cruise to Clam Bay. Seals and cormorants are on the small islets near Wallace Island. The clouds thicken as we turn into Clam Bay. It takes us a few tries before our anchor gets set. There is no need for a stern tie, there is plenty of room for many boats to swing on their anchors. A light mist falls for a brief time and it no longer feels like a summer day. Then, the skies clear again, and it is lovely.
Dan makes an excursion in the dinghy to Telegraph Harbor Marina, taking advantage of the tides making the connecting shallow waterway between Clam Bay and the Marina passable.
A lovely trimaran looking like a giant water bug pulls in and anchors near us. The water looks inviting . . . brr! I have a very brief swim, Dan opts out. We have chile for dinner to warm us up!
Sunset is brief tonight, no lingering or intense colors, just a gentle fading away of the day.
Date: July 11, 2017
Time Start: 1 p.m.
Time Finish: 1:40 p.m.
Cruise From: Clam Bay, Thetis Island
Cruise To: Ladysmith, Vancouver Island
Engine Hours Start: 645
Engine Hours Finish: 647
Weather/sea conditions: Sunny, blue skies, 80 degree day.
Oh, what a beautiful morning! Clam Bay is calm, sun is warm, skies are clear and blue. A couple of otters are playing near NORTH STAR.
Time Start: 1 p.m.
Time Finish: 1:40 p.m.
Cruise From: Clam Bay, Thetis Island
Cruise To: Ladysmith, Vancouver Island
Engine Hours Start: 645
Engine Hours Finish: 647
Weather/sea conditions: Sunny, blue skies, 80 degree day.
Oh, what a beautiful morning! Clam Bay is calm, sun is warm, skies are clear and blue. A couple of otters are playing near NORTH STAR.
We take the dinghy and kayak to drift along the shore, watching the life teem below us in the clear shallow water. Eelgrass and other vegetation provide perfect habitat and shelter for fish, crabs, shellfish and other marine life.
Sand dollars are clustered in one area, the live ones a dark black and angled into the substrate, those well past their prime now gray discs on the surface of the sea bottom. Also on the video below.
What a great start to the day! Marine life lies below us, and above us, in the sky and in the trees, eagles soar or perch, sending their shrill voices across the water.
Sated with the wonders of Clam Bay, we pull anchor to move on to Ladysmith. It's another short cruise, this time to Vancouver Island. Along the way we note a group of freighters sitting at anchor between Thetis and Galiano Islands. An open skiff filled with passengers motors past a small islet. We see the mountains of Vancouver Island, then the town of Ladysmith lies ahead.
We have dock space for tonight at the colorful Ladysmith Community Marina. (See 10 Weeks: Vancouver Island, 2016). It really is a community resource, with facilities and events that draw in the local people.
It is an uphill and fairly long walk into and through town to reach the 49th Parallel Grocery. We are in need of provisions once again, and the walk gives us a colorful look at the downtown portion of Ladysmith. The town is still sporting red and white decor and still looks festive from the Canada Day celebrations of July 1 when Canada celebrated 150 years.
We shop for our groceries, and as we are checking out, the cashier tells us that we can have a courtesy ride back to the marina. Yes! What a wonderful service. The driver tells us that he has been making marina runs all day long, saving boaters the long walk back with their purchases.
Hello, Gail and Patrick! Friends since our first cruise to Desolation Sound in 2012, it is great to have these two wonderful people from Ladysmith drop by for a visit.
Hello, Gail and Patrick! Friends since our first cruise to Desolation Sound in 2012, it is great to have these two wonderful people from Ladysmith drop by for a visit.
It's open mike night on the community dock, lots of folk music and very mellow. One of the singers turns the song "Red River Valley" into the "Cowichan Valley" with the "logger" who loved so true. It is a tribute to the residents and firefighters who are currently experiencing a horrific fire.
Next to us on the dock is the sailboat Makana Kai from Port Townsend. I meet Rhonda, turns out they are in the yacht club with our good friends Cindy and Gerry. Small world. And, Dan meets a good pal of Chip Hanauer, the first owner of our Ranger Tug! We also enjoy watching a young boy drop his crab pot off the dock.