Back to the USA
We arrived in Pender Harbor after more than six hours of travel time. That is a long day of moving on the water. We try to keep our journeys to no more fours at a time for fatigue and time for the fun factor at our destination. I know what some of you are thinking - you’re just sitting on a boat. That is true but, like driving in a car, you have to stay alert, watching for debris in the water and stay vigilent. It gets tiring after a while.
We all got on the dock at John Henry Marina and made it in time to take a quick run through the store. Then it was time for happy hour on the dock.
South from Lund to Pender Harbor on the Sunshine Coast, 43 miles. For reference, our average speed is 8 knots or 9 mph.
The following morning we head out early, southwest across the Strait of Georgia to Nanaimo. Winds weren’t too bad and the autohelm worked great.
We were all able to get a spot on the dock at Newcastle park. It was a good thing we got there early. By mid-late afternoon, boats were circling trying to find a spot. It appeared we weren't the only ones trying to outrun the storm. Several of our group took a hike around the island and we made a run to town to get some supplies.
South from Pender Harbor, across the Strait of Georgia to Nanaimo, 34.5 miles
Slack tide through Dodd Narrows was at 8:00 am the following morning so it was going to be another early rise. Winds were blowing from the north right into Newcastle channel … (read “Stuck in the middle with you” blog for that harrowing adventure). Next stop, Maple Bay.
South from Nanaimo, through Dodd Narrows to Maple Bay, 32.8 miles
Again, we were all able to get on the dock at Maple Bay. Not to many boaters coming through after Labor Day we were told. We had the afternoon to do laundry, fuel up, water up, and even rinse some of the salt off our boats.
Happy hour ended up being a planning session for the next several days as we arrived back in the US. We all look so serious - trust me, we were not at all.
Poor Dave was trying to show us on the map which route to take but we couldn’t stop laughing and pay attention due to how the map was strategically placed over the various body parts.
We finally figured it out and the following morning, two boats left early to go with the current, and the other two left a little later. Passage back into the US was uneventful. Yea, all boats were cleared to return without a visit to a customs dock. Destination: Stuart Island - Reid Harbor. The main floating dock at Reid was wide open so we got another chance to all hang out together. Stuart Island has some of the best hikes.
South from Maple Bay and east to Stuart Island, Reid Harbor, 27.5 miles
In three days, we traveled over 138 miles. That there are some long travel days. The blessing was the wind was at our back and while the waves were tough in some places, it helped keep our speeds consistent.
This was our last meal together in Maple Bay and it was a fun evening. What an incredible group to travel with. We all enjoyed our times together immensely.
We got to talking about our favorite music and our song came up…. we had to dance, it’s what we do!
