The morning of September 16th opened with superb weather: Clear blue, cloudless skies, light winds excellent visibility and sparkles on the water.
The transit through Gabriola Pass between Gabriola and Valdes Island was uneventful as our timing was just before slack with some remaining current in our favor. At the Western end of the Pass We entered Pylades Channel. What a glorious day for a passage. In the distance up in Trincomali Channel, just past Thetis Island, we could see several large ships anchored, saving fuel, waiting for their next assignment:
We continued onward. As can be seen… it was arduous indeed! But, we somehow managed to power our way past Thetis Island, Galiano Island, the Wallace Island group, and world famous Salt Spring Island. We took a minor detour and wandered past the mouth of Montague Harbor, a favorite anchorage, then past Prevost Island, detoured around the Orca “VESSEL NO GO ZONE” along the Eastern shore of North Pender Island and finally… we entered Bedwell Harbour, made our way up to the Northeastern corner and anchored close to Medicine Beach with a few other boats. Drinks all around!
In the morning, we raised anchor and left Bedwell Harbour behind, crossed the international border and motored past the Northern shores of Stuart Island, used John’s Pass between Stuart Island and John’s Island so we could spend a few days at Reid Harbor, Stuart Island. Once through John’s pass we tried to check into US Customs using the CBP Roam App, a cell phone application that supports a call in entry to get back into the States. No joy. No workie. We tried multiple times. We deleted the program. Re-entered it as suggested. No joy. So… we made our way to Friday Harbor to check in with human Customs agents. No joy. They wouldn’t come down to the boat while we were parked at the Friday Harbor customs dock. We were forced to use an I-Pad that they had placed in a box on their customs cubicle on the dock. So… Les used it to check in. What a GOD DAMN fiasco. I’ll leave it with that simple statement. We have an interview scheduled to get our Nexus cards which should negate our need to attempt using the GOD DAMN useless CBP Roam app. Yes… that is how I feel about it. Just so you know… I’ve placed 2 quarters in the swear jar.
We made our way back to Reid Harbor, because there was some weather on the way. A soothing place is Reid and the trail out to the Turn Point LIght House is a favorite.
Six weeks of shoulder season cruising. Perfect weather. Choice locations. Old haunts revisited. New locations discovered, soon to become old haunts. A treasure trove of new experiences to become memories to reflect back upon. Fall is upon us. Winter is just around the corner. A perfect time to go cruising, eh?
Salish Sea Cruising With Blair, Les, Leo, and Bliss 