May long week end cruise

May 21, 2011 We left our slip in Nanaimo, BC in the early morning and made our made north. We did not have any distinct plan of where we were going, we just wanted to go. We realized that we had not been in Drew Harbour at Quadra island for several years, so we drew a line to our anchor spot and put Springer on auto pilot. 10 hours later, we pulled in and dropped anchor. Along the way a pod of porpoise came out and swam along in our wake. I never get tired of seeing that. Simply amazing.We enjoyed a beautiful evening with a glass of wine and a good book.

The next morning we pulled anchor and drove over to Gorge Harbour on Cortes Island. A short 2 hour drive and we were there. The marina has been given a new face lift by new owners and they have done an incredible job. The entire grounds have been done with new large slips, retaurant and swimming pool. The site has a store with a liquor store attached. There is also cabins available if you want to bring a large family along. We have reservations for supper that nice and I had some of the best hallibut that I have ever had. This is definitely a must stop for anyone coming to to Desolation Sound.

We left early in the morning and dove south to Lasquetti Island and anchored in the NW corner in a place called False Bay. There was approx 10 boats anchored. This a large bay so we had lots of space. We have been using our Rocna anchor since last year and I must say that it has given us great solace knowing that our boat is indeed anchored. It has not slipped even a meter from the original hold spot. I would recommend this anchor to anyone.

Tuesday morning we left the anchorage and meandered back to Nanaimo and our home slip. Spent all afternoon washing and cleaning. Good times.

Poets Cove, Bedwell Harbour

It has been a long winter working away, but we are back now and ready to shake the barnacles off Springer. Our last cruise was new years. Springer is always inspected weekly for leaks, batteries,etc, so there wasn"t to much for preparation other than cleanup and stocking the food pantry. The weather is still unsettled so Poets Cove is a great place to go in protected water and relax. This time of year, there are few boats on the water and you have your pick of slips to tie up. This easter week end will no doubt kick start other cruisers and get them going. The weather is still not that warm. I love sitting up on the fly bridge, however I ended up moving to the pilot house in short order.

Poets Cove is a great place. Pools, hot tubs, great docks and friendly staff. First class restaurant. I have never stayed in their rooms,however it is apparently a 4 or 5 star rating. We are here for 2 days. Good times.