Journey to Princess Louisa - Day 2 at Poets Cove & Customs at Bedwell Harbor

Because of the shallow entrance to Fisherman's Bay, we departed at 6:30 before the water got any lower. Boats are constantly getting caught up on rocks or the bottom of the channel. The three of us were some of the first to leave and we had no problems. It helps to stay in the middle of the channel where you are told to be! Later on the radio, we heard someone in a 22' SeaSport call the Coast Guard wanting to be "rescued" from the rock they were on. They were told that they needed to either call Vessel Assist or sit there until the tide came in. There is a restaurant on shore with outdoor seating that is a great place to sit as the tide goes out. It seems like there is always someone who runs into trouble by cutting corners or ignoring the buoys.

Once we were underway, we had breakfast and then tackled the crazy riptides near Spiden Island, a mysterious island with high security and many conspiracy theories surrounding it. The current gave us a good bouncing around. It was nothing serious but added some interest to an otherwise uneventful trip to Bedwell Harbor. Nugget and Afterlight followed us through the rapids.

 

 

 

We arrived at Bedwell Harbor only to face very strong winds and a current that made it very difficult to dock the boats. First, we pulled up to the customs dock where we called in and cleared customs. After a few basic questions such as "do you have any firearms, alcohol or tobacco?" we were ready to settle in at the marina.



 

 

 

Our slips were not yet available since checkout is noon so we tied up to the breakwater dock. It was so windy that many boats had a lot of difficult and there were several near misses as well as a few boats getting bumped into. One very sad occurrence was a 60+ boat that was supposed to share a slip with one of our club members, the Whiteheads. Jim and Jill joined EYC a couple of months ago and were looking forward to going on the Commodore's Cruise this week. They have a beautiful, new sailboat that they live on 5 days per week. The slip was very narrow and the 60 footer ran into the back of their sailboat and pushed it into the dock. Both ends of the boat were severely damaged and it began to take on water. It was very upsetting to all of us and they now have to return to Anacortes and arrange for repairs. They are trying to locate a surveyor here locally who can make sure the boat is seaworthy to travel to Anacortes.

Poets Cove Resort and Marina is located on the Southern Gulf Islands, and offers a mix of pristine wilderness and cozy warmth. The resort offers opportunities for outdoor adventure, a relaxing spa retreat or just an escape from everyday life. Pender Island provides the best beach access of all the Gulf Islands.

EYC rented some vans and shuttled us to the grocery store in a nearby town. We were unable to bring fresh fruit and vegetables across the border so we were happy to be able to stock our refrigerators and even pick up something yummy from the bakery! Tonight we grilled our own meat and then had a potluck of side dishes. It was a lot of fun and we enjoyed getting together to talk about the day.