We left home almost two weeks ago with only a vague plan for the summer: head north. We hope to make it up to the northern end of Vancouver Island to visit our friends Cindy and Greg, who moved to Sointula a few years ago, but we’re not following any kind of schedule. After the last few years of careful planning and constant weather watching — I still check the forecast first thing every morning — this feels like a real change for us.
Sharlene has mentioned that she’d like to spend more than one night in places. She doesn’t want to be constantly on the move. That’s fair.
We spent the first week in Vancouver, anchored in False Creek, but that doesn’t really count. We love being there, visiting with our kids and our grandson, but it’s not exactly cruising. The noise, the hustle and bustle, and the challenging anchoring conditions make the boating side of False Creek less than ideal. After a week, we were ready to escape the hubbub.
As I write this, we’re anchored in Smugglers Cove. We’ve been here a couple of nights and will likely stay one more. Smugglers is a popular spot, but it isn’t busy — yet. We actually had the place to ourselves for a few hours on the day we arrived. A small harbour seal has been visiting regularly. A bald eagle has been regularly soaring above the cove. A heron has been stalking the shallows off and on since we dropped the hook. The sun is out. Summer cruising has begun.
Cormacks On Cambria 