Whales & Gorge Harbor
Gorge Harbor is a great little resort community in protected waters on the west side of Cortez Island. Our fleet mates had reservations for several days and we joined them for one.
On our way down, there were three different groups of humpback whales in the channel. We were about 1-1.5 miles away from the closest group and could easily watch them slap and breach. What an amazing treat.
The entrance to Gorge is a narrow passage. At high tide, two boats can pass in opposite directions but probably not a good idea at low tide. We came in at high tide.
Apparently, there are petroglyphs on the wall in the channel. We were told to look for the “red” spots and then you’ll see them. We found lots of red spots but no drawings. Gratefully, others did.
Our three companion boats had reservations on the dock and we anchored out in a bouy area where there was plenty of room. This is a protected bay so there were thousands of jelly fish again. They are impressive to see, but we had to be careful they didn’t get sucked up in our generator or engine filters.
In these small bays, you often see locals living on their boats. Its not uncommon to see 2-3 boats rafted together to create either a multi-family compound or just a larger living space. Many of the boats are derelict and look like they shouldn’t even float but somehow they do. This bay had two such compounds that were covered in marijuana plants. There was also the pirate wannabe boat. These little bays are always so interesting and diverse.
Each night during the summer, there is music on a waterfront patio that can be enjoyed both on land and on the docks. Because our boat was out in the bay, Lucky Penni shared chairs with us to relax abs enjoy the tunes from the dock. The artist that plsyed that night was ok, and we all enjoyed ourselves.
Winds were picking up and we wanted to get back over to Desolation Sound for the last few days our friends were with us. We headed out first thing the next morning and the others stayed behind to wait out the weather, which was a wise decision. The winds were clocking at 25-30 mph and 5-7+ waves created a rather harrowing trip. Waves were continously crashing over the bow and it was a slow and steady slog. At one point, the Captain was heard to say “please fasten your seatbelts and return your tray tables to the upright position and locked”. It was a crossing we don’t want to do again anytime soon, but we made it safely into Desolation Sound to Melanie Cove.
