8 Sep 23

We bolted out of bed with the alarm at 05:55 and, after a hasty breakfast, had the anchor aweigh at 06:45. It was a cold (43F), clear, calm morning and we pulled out of Miles Inlet just after 07:00. The motor down and across Queen Charlotte Sound was uneventful, except for dodging a small cruise ship and a bulk freighter in the intermittent fog. I finally heard back from Pacific Marine; we have moved the haul-out date up to the 5th of Oct - that is the earliest slot they have available. After filling up with 90 liters of diesel on the way in, we were tied up at the Port McNeill Harbour dock, right behind “M5”, at 12:35. After lunch, we visited IGA and did a major grocery shop. For dinner, we went up to Devil’s Bath Brewery and had a vegetarian pizza; very nice. Terri talked to Laurie; they are planning on catching the 06:30 ferry to Nanaimo on Sunday, so they should be here shortly after noon.

50-35.540’N, 127-05.372’W; Log = 38.4, Sum (2023) = 27612.2; Eng hrs = 5.7, Sum = 3548.3

9 Sep 23

Happy birthday to our son, Dan - now 37 (how can that be possible?); wish he was here, with Joyce and Henry and Emily. We slept in a bit and did not really get moving until 09:00. After breakfast, we walked up to the laundry and did a couple of loads. Then, we came back to clean up the boat and get it ready for John and Laurie’s arrival tomorrow. Just before lunch, I fell into conversation with a couple who happen to be the lighthouse keepers at Ivory Island Lighthouse. They knew the Kerrs, who we met last year at the Nootka Sound Light House; the Kerrs are in the process of relocating to Pulteney Point Lighthouse, just across the way at the west end of Malcolm Island. In the afternoon, we went back to IGA for a top-up on groceries, and visited BC Liquor on the way back to collect a couple of bottles of wine. For dinner, we went back to Devil’s Bath and enjoyed live guitar music on the patio. Astros beat the Padres 7-5.

10 Sep 23

We slept in and woke up to a cool, overcast, windy morning. After breakfast, Terri did one more load of laundry. Then, we waited for John and Laurie to arrive. The Astros beat the Padres again, 12-2. They got in about 13:30. We sat around the boat all afternoon chatting and swapping boat stories. After happy hour on the boat, we went up to Devil’s Bath Brewery for dinner. Back at the boat, John and Laurie went to bed early, having gotten up at 04:30 to catch the early ferry from Horseshoe Bay. We were in bed ourselves by 21:30.