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Today was a dry, low-wind day in Lund, so I was able to put on our boat Vestri's three piece cover. With just a bit more tweaking and tightening, it will be ready for the winter.

Boating season is over, and Vestri is up on the hard Jack's Boat Yard. The fall weather was getting a bit stormy, so we decided to head in, but it was a great boating season. Now, we will move all our stuff into the Cougar, winterize the boat, and prepare to head south in the RV!

It's late in the British Columbia boating season, and we have the popular Walsh Cove Provincial Park anchorage all to ourselves. Here is a panorama of the view after a late summer rain storm passed. The ocean was calm, casting pretty reflections.

While exploring the shores in our dinghy, I finally got quite close to a Black Oystercatcher. Neat bird!

We pulled up the anchor today and moved deeper into Desolation Sound. The clouds lifted, and a sunny afternoon took hold. Here are a few shots of the epic mountain views on many boater's bucket lists. We are so lucky to have this as our boating backyard.
#britishcolumbia #BoatingLife

Since the day was mostly gray and drizzley, Mother Nature was kind enough to throw us a bone. A beautiful splash of color out towards the mountains!

Maybe the last swim of the summer yesterday as the ocean temp was down to 18C (64.4F) Took a little while to get in but not bad after that and great views!

Different zoom-ins of the view of Desolation Sound last evening from our latest anchorage in Galley Bay.

Anne's grizzled old First Mate

Lund Marina and entering Desolation Sound, BC

Today, we left Shoal Bay at 9:30am to time our passage through Dent and Yuculta Rapids. A picture-perfect summer day on the BC coast, with low wind and temps up to 25C. Anne and I have never seen this part of the coast. WOW! The scenery is gorgeous. The richie rich folk know about it, though, as the shores are dotted with huge estates and fancy lodges/resorts, and look at that yacht!. I took lots of video footage of our transit through Dent and Yaculta Rapids and Gillard Passage, so I will have a video out soon after I edit the footage from Charles Bay. Falling behind. :)

We left Charles Bay after another enjoyable visit and crossed over to the Blind Channel Marina to refuel and fill up on fresh water. Tied up tonight at the government dock at Shoal Bay. What a gorgeous view down Philips Arm. Tomorrow morning, we will transit tricky Dent and Yaculta rapids areas known for strong currents and deep whirlpools. We have to time the tides just right! I have faith in Captain Anne. :)

Look what floated into our anchorage at Charles Bay in Blind Channel BC today. A huge jelly called a Fried Egg Jelly! Took some underwater video footage for the next video. It's the first time we've seen one.

The clouds are clearing, and some sunny, warm weather is on tap. We've made our way down the coast a bit to a favorite little anchorage called Charles Bay in Blind Channel. Fed by several little freshwater creeks and flushed by the tidal currents, it has a ton of life, amazing clear water, and a cute little islet called Eclipse. Gonna stay a few days and enjoy some late summer warmth. :)

We have left the Broughtons and are returning to the lower Discovery Islands and Desolation Sound for September. Temps will be warmer, and there should be less fog and cloudy days.

This video features footage from a long 8-hour day cruising Vestri down most of Johnstone Strait. We took advantage of mostly benign sea conditions, though it was a cloudy, coolish summer day. The brisk southeast wind drove us off the flybridge and to the lower helm most of the way.

https://youtu.be/VbydIWd-ABU

We pulled in and anchored in Charles Bay off Blind Channel about 6 p.m., just before the rain started. The rain lasted a good 16 hours and added up to several inches, but we look forward to a sunny, warmer forecast in the coming days!

We returned to Kwatsi Bay a few days ago, as it looked like a good soaking of rain was on the horizon. With the steep mountains all around, it's supposed to be awesome when the waterfalls run. Well, we got a ton of rain, and sure enough, the spigots were turned on! Oh, and the dolphins were back. :) Here are a few snapshots, working on a video soon.

A moody start to the morning in our sheltered little cove in the Broughtons. Lots of rain yesterday as a summer storm front moved through, but the sun is back! Although a stiff southeast breeze is still out there, so we have decided to stay another night before moving on. Stay tuned. :)

There was a lot of rain this afternoon, but it was very pretty with the fog off the ocean when it subsided, and the sun peeked out a little. Scenes from Lady Boot Cove on the BC coast, north end of Vancouver Island.

After an overnight and restocking of fresh supplies, fuel, etc., in Port McNeill, we recrossed Blackfish Sound back into the Broughton Archipelago Marine Park and anchored in Dusky Cove right on the edge of Blackfish. It's a fair-weather anchorage, so we are taking full advantage of the low winds forecast for the next few days. The crossing of Blackfish to and from Port McNeill was terrific regarding wildlife viewing. Multiple Orca sightings, dozens of Humpback whales, with lots of tail slaps and breaches! And more cute fuzzy sea otters. Video in the future from me and keep watch on Anne McKinnell Photography for her photos, but it will take some time to edit, waiting for the next cloudy, rainy day. Got to take advantage of fair weather up here. A few pix from today, just a gorgeous dinghy ride with a sighting of a momma black bear and three cubs.

Loving it up here in the Broughtons so much! Yesterday, we headed back to Port McNeill for more fresh foods, water, and fuel so we can cruise and explore a couple more weeks. Along the way a good size pod of Orca passed right in front of us, and we saw a huge raft of Sea Otters! So cool. I've always wanted to see that.

Interesting find on our dinghy explorations of the shoreline today. Mussels and barnacles had attached themselves to a tree that had fallen into the ocean and died. Nature is amazing!

We moved to a new anchorage yesterday. It is at the head of Simoom Sound and offers a great view of Bald Mountain.
Today, we explored the area in our dinghy and spotted a black bear foraging on the shore. I'll post some video footage later today.