Weather: Sunny and warm. Winds: Light and variable. Seas: Calm.
Heading to a new place! Butchart Gardens, a famous garden north of Victoria, has a back door for boats. I've avoided going to the Gardens as the entry fee is expensive and the Gardens are crowded during the day with bus loads of people daily. The only way I could see going there is by spending the night somewhere nearby and thus be able to enjoy the place at our own pace vice a bus tour's pace. More on this in a separate entry....
Got a late start due to fog, around 1200. Motored the usual east-west route through Thatcher Pass, Harney Channel, Post Pass, Speiden Channel, across the Haro, then to the north side of Forest Island (what is the large dock on the north side for?) along the south shore of Coal Island then wove our way through the small islands into Canoe Cove.
Just off Frost Island, west of Thatcher Pass, we encountered Richard, Jude and Katya of S/V Sarita. Having departed in April, they were completing a trip to Alaska and had just cleared customs/immigration in Friday Harbor. We knew they were in the area and half expected to encounter them somewhere along the route. Mid-channel we stopped all engines and drifted together for a bit, welcoming them back, exchanging news and knowing how they love them, tossing them asian pears grown in our orchard.
We separated too soon, but we had a long way to go yet. I'd hoped to get all the way to Butchart Cove (locally known name for a small inlet off of Tod Inlet). Cleared entry into Canada via CANPASS off of Roche Harbor (by the way, cell coverage in San Juan Channel sucks) and named Canoe Cove as our port of entry, estimated TOA of 1900. Since Butchart Cove is a couple hours beyond Canoe Cove, we decided to stay there for the night.
Weaving through the small islands off of Canoe Cove was interesting, like exploring an unknown swamp with tight canals and shallow water. Around this island and between the next two and suddenly Canoe Cove was in front of us. Their customs dock is on the fuel dock which is way inside the marina, down the narrow fairway between C & D docks. As has been the norm, customs and immigration officials did not show and we made our way back down the fairway to our assigned slip on E dock.
Canoe Cove is a working marina, none of the flash of other marinas. Still, transient moorage was expensive. Location, location, location. Though we did not try any, they were closed upon arrival, the two restaurants have a good reputation. A quiet and restful night!
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