Friday, July 3: Day 30: Leaving Prideaux Haven for Refuge Cove

Into the Fog and Anchoring in Refuge Cove

I don’t think it rained last night. And it hasn’t rained yet this morning. We left the anchorage at about 10:40 AM and are now on our way to Refuge Cove.

[Photo: Cockpit windows fogged up]

It cleared up beautifully in Prideaux Haven just in time, so it looked like a great window to leave.

[Photo: Clear now in Prideaux Haven]

We’ve decided we’re going to meet up with some friends in Lund tomorrow (Saturday) for dinner. Seeing that those fish and chips at the boardwalk were so good, we thought it would be a perfect location to meet since they are in Powell River on vacation.

But the weather had other plans for the transit. It is getting very foggy out here. I’ve never sailed in the fog before, so this may be interesting! We do have radar, though we've never actually had to use it for heavy fog.

[Photo: The FOG - there really is fog there]

After being out on the water for about an hour, we realized that we are headed in the only direction that isn’t foggy. Yay! And the sun is coming out. How about that?

[Photo: Cleared up where we're headed]

I’m a little bit nervous about coming into the dock at Refuge Cove. The last time we were here, I was lucky. I got the last spot on the dock right in front of the seaplane. (Greg says that we were behind the seaplane, but I think he's lost his mind!)

Here is what happened: we came into the very end of the dock and moved up into the last available space a boat could park. The seaplane would then taxi in and tie up right behind our stern. So, dear readers, I need you to settle a dispute for us in the comments: Would you say that I had the last spot on the dock and the plane was behind me, or was it in front of me? I don't think I've lost my mind on this... have I?

If we can’t get a spot on the dock, we will anchor in the little bay just to the left of the harbour. But it would be nice to get electricity for the night so we can use Starlink without draining the batteries. We will have to keep an eye on Artemus though. There’s lots happening there in Refuge Cove, so hopefully, the bustle will keep him on the boat!

Update: Greg has just informed me that he wants to anchor now because he realized that he doesn’t have the proper setup for the 15-amp shore power that they offer there. We only have a 30-amp cord, so we wouldn’t be able to plug in for Starlink after all. Well, I’m just fine with anchoring instead. It will be much better for Artemus too!

We made our entry into the Cove and motored slowly around all the anchorages. It turned out the spot we were in last time seemed to be our best bet, so we returned there. (I think we went through this exact same procedure last time!)

We have good holding, but we are kind of close to the shore. Greg figures the boat won't swing that way because of the wind, so we'll just keep an eye on it and see how it goes. So far, it's 5:18 PM and everything is A-OK.

[Photo: Orange ball is closer than it looks]

[Photo: Everything looks further away than it is. Looking out of the anchorage towards the strait]

[Photo: Looking back towards the inside of the anchorage. There is an official looking building there - wondering if it is a yacht club]

[Photo: Looking out again in the other direction - just around the corner to the left is Refuge Cove marina.]

Shore Excursion in Big Mack

After we were settled and had some confidence that our anchoring will prove okay, we headed to the marina in Big Mack. Artemus stayed behind to watch the fort!

We picked up a few items in the general store. There wasn't anyone manning the ice cream stand, so we bought a pint of Häagen-Dazs to take back with us instead. Before we got the ice cream though (we went back for it after we were completely finished at the marina), we popped into the little gallery store. I found a bottle of liquid hand soap just like the one onboard that we really like! It's made by Salt Spring Island Soap Works. Ours is getting near the end, so I bought a backup bottle. It's Rosemary Mint—smells so nice and gives the head a lovely aroma (together with the mint craft bar soap I bought on Thetis back in May).

On the way back, we passed a poster for some entertainment happening in the local islands.

[Photo: Some things happening around the area in the entertainment business]

Now it's time to sit back on Lil' Ollie, unwind, have some hummus and a cold beverage, and get back to enjoying the evening.

[Photo: The General Store with it's cool destination direction sign out front.]

[Photo: Backed up a bit to show the pretty flowers lining the guard rails.]

[Photo: Artemus led the way to bed after our usual episode of The Resident]

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