Summer 2021 Cruising Season

Jeff from Valley Marine launches us.

Summer 2021 was similar to the 2020 cruising season. After our extended stay in the States, we arrived in Powell River in mid-July. 

Border crossing rules shortened isolation requirements, so we got our Bayliner 2452 into Powell River's North Harbour earlier for a longer cruising season.

The last 2020 trip ended in a damaged damaged sterndrive so Halcyon Days was raring to go with a new leg and propeller.

We did a sea trial then went salmon fishing. Didn't catch anything, but enjoyed our Sunday on the chuck (salt water).

For our first and last cruises we went to Campbell River on Vancouver Island. It's a favourite destination for us. We stay at the Discovery Harbour Marina next to a large shopping centre. Rather than cook onboard we eat at restaurants like Moxie's, the Riptide Pub and A&W for breakfast. When salmon are running, it's fun to watch the action at the dock's fish cleaning stations.

The Campbell River docks and large floating office.

This was the summer for favourite destinations. Our compressed season and more windy storms than usual kept us close to Powell River. We're so lucky to live next to the Strait of Georgia and its world class boating.

Our second cruise started with a stop at the Heriot Bay Inn and Marina. It's an older resort on the west side of Quadra Island. Usually the docks are full in summer and the restaurant packed. There were only a few boats and the restaurant was closed. It looked like the RV park and pub were keeping them alive. It would be sad to lose them.

Outdoor pub service and ferry watching at Heriot Bay.

On the same trip we motored over to nearby Cortes Island to stay at the Gorge Harbour Resort. Like Heriot Bay, they tap into the RV market. The resort is upscale with a market, entertainment and the Floathouse Restaurant. It's a great spot for boat watching, especially big ones.

Gorge Harbour is protected by a narrow waterway between high cliffs.

Back in the hangar for winter.

After three cruises and several fishing trips (none successful) it was time to get Halcyon Days ready for winter. We contacted Jeff at Valley Marine to come pick her up.

After Jeff winterizes her systems, she'll go back to the airport hangar where she has a runway view and can rest up for the next cruising season. 

Do you go boating? Wayne and I enjoy the fresh air, meeting people, sleeping on board, and eating in restaurants. -- Margy

Available Online: "Up the Strait" by Wayne J. Lutz

A Great Book
for the Boating Enthusiast

Up the Strait

Coastal BC Stories

It's cruising time again. Jump in the boat and head up the Strait of Georgia with us to magnificent anchorages and exciting adventures. Drop your hook in world famous Desolation Sound, discover hidden coves and meet some of the locals. Read Up the Strait by Wayne Lutz and then join us for the cruise of a lifetime. You may never want to leave. 

Go to PowellRiverBooks.com for more information.

 Print for $12.95
Kindle for $2.99
E-book for $2.99 at Smashwords
(prices may vary in Canada)

2020 Year in Review

2020 has been like no other year, filled with stress, fear and isolation worldwide. After an Arizona RV trip, Wayne and I chose to self-isolate in Bellingham until July. Many of my posts included "throwbacks" to better times in our float cabin home on Powell Lake. 

Click the titles to read the complete posts.


1. Dancing in Gumboots by Lou Allison and Jane Wilde -  I read more in 2020. Did you? I like books written by women who homestead or live off the grid. Dancing in Gumboots is an anthology of stories by women who came to live in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island during the 1970s.

Related post: Gumboot Girls by Lou Allison and Jane Wilde was the first anthology of stories by women who settled in Haida Gwaii (formerly Queen Charlotte Islands) and Prince Rupert in the 1960s.


2. Throwback: A Perfect Day Up the Lake -  We finally got back to our float cabin home in mid-July. We were in Bellingham when the U.S./Canada border closed due to COVID. Getting home was wonderful even with a 14-day mandatory quarantine.

Our Powell Lake float cabin home.

Related post: Goin' Home, I'm Goin' Home tells about our most unusual border crossing and the COVID quarantine we completed up the lake.


3. Throwback: Spring Gardening - We missed spring planting up the lake this year. I shared a throwback post about how my floating garden started.

My floating garden in late spring from a previous year.

Related post: What a Difference a Year Makes shows how overgrown and gone to seed my floating garden was when we returned home in July.


4. Refreshing Sourdough Starter - In the first days of the pandemic and yeast was in short supply, making sourdough bread was big thing. I left my starter in the Powell River condo fridge. It had to wait six months for a proper feeding. Amazingly, it refreshed easily and was ready for a new batch of tasty bread.

Active yeast bubbles formed while warming in the kitchen. It's ALIVE!

Related post: Improved No-Knead Sourdough Bread gives you tips I've learned to make easy and tasty sourdough bread.


5. Do you have a kicker?  We made it to Powell River in time for some summer cruising. We socially distanced at marinas and on shore. But we had a few challenges: a leaky new head (toilet), I broke my little finger, and the leg that propels our Bayliner 2452 malfunctioned. Six hours later, and after dark, we limped into Powell River using our emergency kicker motor. Due to COVID back orders, we are still waiting for a replacement.

Putting along at 4.5 knots with the kicker.

Related post: September Cruisin' takes you along on some of our successful summer cruises and a peek at my "busted wing."


2020 was hard, but we had each other for support. We hope 2021 will bring better times for all. -- Wayne and Margy

Do you have a kicker?

Lund fuel dock.

Not everything goes as planned. After morning fog, we headed out in our ocean boat to go to Heriot Bay. Originally we wanted to go to Campbell River, but calm slack water in Discovery Passage was too early.

We got gas at Lund and Wayne delivered Coastal BC Stories books to Tug Guhm Gallery. Despite Covid-19, Deborah had a good summer and sold out.

Almost to Heriot Bay we heard a weird ping and then a banging sound. We stopped and checked the propeller to see if we'd picked up any floating debris. Nope.

Departing Lund with historic hotel in the middle.

Wayne examined the engine compartment but didn’t see anything amiss and all of the gauges were normal. We started again and the periodic bang had changed into a constant thump, so Wayne shut us down.

Putting along at 4.5 knots with the kicker.

Heriot Bay was close but they don't have maintenance, so we started the kicker (our emergency outboard) and headed home at 2:15. At 4.5 knots it was slow. At least the sea was calm. Typically, it's an hour and fifteen to get to Heriot Bay. Wayne estimated between 5-7 hours to get back with the kicker.

All our boats have emergency kickers.

All was well until the kicker quit. Wayne found the fuel line sucked dry. He pumped it back up, only to have it stop a few minutes later. He briefly restarted the main engine to get fuel flowing again and that did the trick.

It sure was a good feeling when we were back moving again. 

Passing Lund hours later and the sun is getting low.

Sunset caught us an hour from the marina. We’ve never arrived after dark. At least we had a track on the GPS to follow. When we got to the breakwater it was 8:30. Wayne started the main engine to have more control. It was the lesser of two evils. Wayne’s window kept fogging so I went out on the back deck and yelled left, right, straight. Good thing there wasn’t a crowd to hear us arrive.

An hour away and it's getting dark.

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And so our cruising season came to an end. We contacted Jeff at Valley Marine and they sent their truck to pull us out. The diagnosis was a damaged sterndrive that would have to be replaced, but like lots of things during the Covid-19 pandemic it is on back order.

We were lucky to have an emergency kicker ready to use. It's the same in all aspects of life. Plan for the best, but be prepared. What kinds of "kickers" do you have and use to get you out of tight situations? -- Margy

September Cruisin'

Crossing the Strait of Georgia.

It's been an unusual year in so many ways. We were self isolating from March through July 15 in our Bellingham condo.

Then we decided it was better to head home to our float cabin on Powell Lake and completed our 14-day quarantine the end of July.

We finally got our Bayliner 2452 in the ocean at Powell River's Westview Harbour in August.

After almost a year stored on land there were a few issues that needed to be resolved.

Moored at the Discovery Harbour Marina dock in Campbell River.

We finally got out for a fair weather cruise on September 3. We decided to visit a few favourite marinas close to home.

A walk to the traditional burial grounds of the Wei Wai Kum First Nation.

Our first stop was Discovery Harbour Marina across the Strait of Georgia in Campbell River on Vancouver Island. To get there, it's easiest to go through Discovery Passage at slack water, either high or low tide. Tidal currents are strong south of nearby Seymour Narrows. Over two days we enjoyed local walks and outdoor dining at the Rip Tide Pub.

Tying up in a prime spot on the Heriot Bay Marina dock.

Next we headed to the Heriot Bay Marina on the east side of Quadra Island. Even though it was Labour Day weekend, there were spots at the dock and outdoor dining space at the Inn's Heron Restaurant. We enjoy eating out and it makes traveling by boat much easier for us.

The Gorge Harbour Marina and Resort is upscale and fun to visit.

Working our way east across the northern end of the Straight of Georgia we stopped in at the Gorge Harbour Marina. We originally planned to be here one night, but wind on the forecast extended our stay and the opportunity for two dinners at the Floathouse Restaurant. Don't have a boat? They offer camping, RV sites and cabins on Cortes Island.

The Squirrel Cover public dock with the store on the far shore.

Our next stop at the Squirrel Cove public dock was brief. Walking to the store I tripped in a pothole. I thought I was okay, but my little finger looked funny. Not ha ha funny, but weird broken funny. We cleaned up my scrapes and motored back to Powell River to get it set. We took a two night break up the lake before resuming our cruise.

My "broken wing" giving a thumbs up to the Refuge Cove Store.

Rather than returning to Squirrel Cove (no I don't hold a grudge), we went to our next planned stop, Refuge Cove. We needed gas, so it made sense to stay for the night. The restaurant didn't open this summer due to COVID-19, but the store had snacks to tide us over.

After Labour Day this popular marina had lots of first come, first serve dock space.

We didn't anticipate the severity of smoke arriving from the fires raging in the United States. It was a good thing we decided to head back to Powell River the next morning. We could see for about a mile, but the next day it was much worse.

Limited visibility traveling through Thulin Passage by the Copeland Islands.

Despite our two interruptions, it was a great September cruisin' excursion. And it will be one we'll remember for years to come.

Have you done any safe and responsible September excursions? -- Margy

Annual Boat Maintenance at Valley Marine in Powell River

Valley Marine boat services in Powell River.

Winter is a good time for annual boat maintenance. The shops are less busy, and long months of inactivity are hard on boats. Having ours in top shape makes us confident it will be ready whenever the weather is good.

Our Bayliner 2452 called Halcyon Days needed to be scheduled for annual winter maintenance, so we asked Jeff Munro at Valley Marine to arrange for transportation from our moorage in Powell River's North Harbour to his shop in Paradise Valley.

This week Jeff called to let us know everything had been completed. He met us at our storage hangar and backed Halcyon Days right into her spot. Now that's great service!

Jeff backing Halcyon Days into her hangar winter storage spot.

Here's Halcyon Days all tucked away for the cold, wet, windy winter months. Looks like she'll have lots of good company and a great view.

Halcyon Days will have protection and good company all winter long,

Halcyon Days will be back in the water in May, ready for new adventures like the ones in Wayne's books Up the Strait, Farther Up the Strait and Up the Inlet (shameless plug).

Thanks Jeff and Valley Marine! If you are in need of excellent boat maintenance and repair services, give them a call:  

Valley Marine
3407A Padgett Rd
Powell River BC,

Phone: 604-485-9257

They also have boating supplies, shrink wrap service, storage and an upholstery shop onsite.

Say "Halcyon Days" sent you. -- Margy

Cruising the Northern Strait of Georgia

Backing into John's side yard.

Our Bayliner 2452 spends the winter on Powell Lake at our float cabin. She gets a fresh water bath and doesn't have to contend with things growing on her hull. On the way back to the Westview Marina we stopped at our friend John's for annual maintenance.

Wayne at the helm.

Once in the water, we used the sunny skies and calm winds to take Halcyon Days out island hopping around the northern end of the Strait of Georgia. It was a spur of the moment trip so we decided to visit marinas near restaurants for easy dinners.

We stay at Discovery Harbour Marina quite often. It takes less than two hours to get there and we can call ahead for reservations. There's a large shopping centre next to the marina where we ate at the Riptide Pub. They have Dinosaur Bones (beef ribs), a favourite of mine.

At our assigned dock space.

Wind was in the forecast so we stayed two nights. I took advantage of the showers in this full-service marina that's an excellent provisioning stop for boats heading through the Inside Passage.

Navigating the Strait of Georgia on a calm day.

We timed our departure for slack water in Discovery Passage and to fish for salmon at the southern tip of Quadra Island. No luck.

Heriot Bay Inn and Marina

Our next overnight was at  Heriot Bay Inn on Quadra Island. We like it so much we visit several times each season.

We got fuel and arranged moorage. We relaxed in the sun until dinner on the outside deck at their Herons Restaurant.

Heriot Bay is on the eastern side of Quadra. The original inn was built in 1895, rebuilt in 1912 and updated since.

Our spot on the dock at Heriot Bay.

We really enjoy staying at this laid back marina. They have diesel and gas, and offer slips for boats large and small. For provisions, the Tru-Value market is within walking distance.

The final stop for our Northern Strait of Georgia island hop was Gorge Harbour. Passing through the narrow gorge entrance we finally spied some of the First Nations petroglyphs.

One petroglyph is the reddish colouration in the middle.

Gorge Harbour is a modern marina next to a full-service resort with cabins, RV park, store and the Floathouse Restaurant. It's very popular for boat club rendezvous and large vessels.

Little Halcyon Days in front of  the big boats at the marina docks.

After a great meal and a restful sleep we headed back to Westview Harbour in Powell River. We stopped at Mystery Reef to try salmon fishing one more time. Wayne hooked one but it got away. That was just as well since it's catch and release until July 15 to give native stock a better chance to spawn.

Thanks for cruising with us on the Northern Strait of Georgia. You can read more about our boating adventures is Farther Up the Strait. Each chapter takes you on voyages to remote inlets and anchorages. E-books are available online in Kindle, Kobo and Smashwords. Print formats through Amazon, many online booksellers and locally in Powell River at Coles. -- Margy

Summer Cruising Part II

Going slow through Thulin Passage.

With calm winds, we treated ourselves to another cruise, this time up the Strait of Georgia to Squirrel Cove on Cortes Island.

We're lucky to live so close to world famous boating destinations. In about an hour, we were looking for a spot on the Squirrel Cove public dock (first-come, first-serve). It's small and popular with islanders and tourists. With power, it cost $20 for our 25-footer. Boaters resupply at the general store and many anchor in the large all-weather cove.

Halcyon Days at the end of the Squirrel Cove public dock.

We were lucky to find a spot on the shore side of the dock even though it was tricky to reach with the extremely low spring time. Not long after we got there, a prime spot on the outside opened up so we pulled Halcyon Days around and tied her up for our overnight stay.

Relaxing and reading in the shade on shore.

We spent the afternoon reading and then went to the Cove Restaurant for an early dinner served by Flying Squirrel Takeout. Crispy calamari and fish tacos hit the spot.

Historic Refuge Cove general store.

The next day we motored across to Refuge Cove on West Redonda Island. We've been here many times for fuel and last year stayed overnight. Refuge Cove has a long history of providing products and services in remote Coastal BC.

In summer, visitors arrive in boats large and small. Overnight moorage is first-come, first-serve at a dollar a foot.

Halcyon Days at sunset with the store and restaurant in the background.

Enjoying a cold one at the Upcoast Summer restaurant.

The fuel dock has gas, diesel and propane. The general store has everything from fresh vegetables to hardware. Other services include a post office, used books, showers, laundromat, garbage service and Internet.

This trip we didn't bring any food to cook. We went to the Upcoast Summers restaurant for pizza at lunch and hamburgers at dinner.

Convenient parking at the Lund hotel dock for $10 for 2 hours.

We started early the next morning so we could stop in Lund to deliver some of Wayne's Coastal BC Stories books to Deborah at the Tug-ghum Gallery and have breakfast in the remodeled historic Lund Hotel, now called The Lund Resort at Klah ah men.

Trolling for salmon near Powell River.

What would a cruise on the Strait of Georgia be without trolling for salmon. When it was catch-and-release, we hooked one. Now that we can keep our catch, not a nibble. But as they say, a bad day fishing is better than a good day __ (you fill in the blank).

Thanks again for cruising with us on the Northern Strait of Georgia. You can read more about our boating adventures in Farther Up the Strait. Each chapter takes you on voyages to remote inlets and anchorages. E-books are available online at Kindle, Kobo and Smashwords. Print formats through Amazon, many online booksellers and locally in Powell River at Coles. -- Margy