#21 Crease Island Cove

We've spent the last three days here in Port McNeill. We expected to leave two nights ago, but on Thursday our new friends on the motor vessel "Hooked Again" invited us for dinner aboard. Tracy and Lorne are very friendly Nanaimo Canadians. Lorne is a diving instructor trainer and director of the renown Edgewood Clinic. Tracy is a beautician. We swapped sea stories over fresh crab and prawns and Lorne's home made wine.

So we expected to leave for sure on Friday, but the Alaska bound crew on the Selene Bonaventure asked us to dinner. You know, when you really don't have anyplace to be, it's easy to be flexible. We enjoyed dinner at Gus's pub with Rick and Liz who plan to leave Saturday crossing the Queen Charlotte Sound and Cape Caution. They are also in real estate development so we had a lot of common ground.

So on Saturday we eventually got off the dock, only to go just 100 yards to the fuel dock. Americans really don't like to take fuel in Canada. The fuel is not dirty or anything, just mighty expensive. We paid $2.54/gallon in Anacortes, but it is near $4.00/gallon here in BC. We bought just 1200 liters worth which we hope to last us around Vancouver Island to Anacortes at the end of July.

Americans don't like to take fuel in Canada as it's so expensive.

Just as we departed the fuel dock, a Pacific Coastal Grumman Goose seaplane landed and taxied to the dock. The plane holds just 8 passengers. Only 345 were built in 1937 but several are still in service with Pacific Coastal Airlines. The Goose is amphibious: it lands on a runway or in the water. After a water landing it's wing float retracts, allowing the plane to taxi and tie at a floating dock. One thinks "equipment failure" when seeing the Goose taxiing.

1937 Grumman Goose taxis to dock with starboard float retracted. It's not broken!

With float down, crew can jump out and pull fuselage to dock for loading. Everything is good!

At last we exited Port McNeill bound for a anchorage tour. We visited the Pearse Islands, then the Plumper Islands, and finally found a nice anchorage next to Crease Island at the foot of Queen Charlotte Strait. The entire cruise lasted less than 2 hours.

Narrow Village Channel leads us to Crease Island Cove.

Our anchorage for today was picturesque.

Pat finds a cove that just fits the Wild Blue tender. She claimed this cove and named it "Pat's Cove." Oh gawd... This means she'll have another big garden here!