Yesterday we woke up at 5 AM to raise anchor off Newcastle Island and go into a marina to take on water. We had to be kind of sneaky because we technically weren't supposed to be on their dock without checking in. To make matters worse the water pressure was very low and it took forever to top up the tank even though we were less than half empty. But we managed to get in and out of there without anyone coming after us.
Departed Nanaimo at 0630 and motored to Desolation Sound - 72 miles in 13 hours. We looked at Copeland Islands Marine Park first but decided the best spots were taken and it was too deep everywhere else. So we continued on to Galley Bay which is really only good for stopping when it's too late in the day to go on to somewhere else. The other factor is that we have the dinghy on the foredeck and were too tired to launch it and mess with a stern tie, so we needed to find someplace where we could swing on our anchor.
There were lots of other boats making the crossing during a perfect weather window. Flat seas and light southerlies, compared to the day before when it was very windy from the NW and we could see lots of white caps during our hike around the perimeter of Newcastle Island. Today is the first time it's rained during the day. Depending on how it looks this afternoon we will either sit tight or move on to Rebecca Spit Marine Park in Drew Harbour.
Fishing Report: Yesterday John caught a small shark on our way across the Straits of Georgia. After dinner he caught one rock fish after another here at anchor in Galley Bay. All catch and release so far, though we'll need to keep one soon for crab bait.
Wildlife Report: Over the past week we've seen mink and raccoons on the beach, a mother raccoon and small baby in the forest, several bald eagles, auklets (surprisingly few sea birds), harbor seals, a few porpoise/dolphins, but no whales yet.
Weather Summary: Our first week was hot (mid to high 70's - that's hot for Canada!) with increasing overcast the past few days. Light rain today.
Fuel costs are very high this season (almost $4.00 Canadian per gallon for diesel), so we hope to do more sailing and less motoring. They say the high cost of fuel is keeping the crowds down, but having been here before when there were no boats in the anchorages, it seems crowded to us.
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