August 16, 2010 - Leg 6, Day 15 - Secret Cove to Montague Harbor

Today we crossed the Strait of Georgia, the large open body of water between mainland BC and southern Vancouver Island. It was a long straight heading as we made our way to the Gulf Islands and Montague Harbour. The good news was that the strait was very calm, with smooth glassy seas; it can be very rough. The bad news was that the smoke haze still blocked our view of the mountains on the mainland. Emmelina warned us that animal sightings were usually pretty rare during this part of the trip, but there were some fleeting sights of Dall’s Porpoises.

Once across the Strait of Georgia, we cruised along the outside of Gabriola and Valdes Islands, spying some “rock sausages” (aka: harbor seals) basking in the sun, and then passing through Porlier Pass into Trincomali Channel. Now we were in the heart of the Gulf Islands, and had to mind our helms as we watched out for kayakers, other boats and ferries. We cruised almost the length of long, skinny Galiano Island into lovely Montague Harbour, a large protected anchorage which can handle a lot of boats. We all settled in, Deception refilled Navigator’s water tanks, and into the water went the kayaks and dinghies. We had a chance to relax before dinghying to shore to catch the funky pub bus to the Hummingbird Pub – a Galiano Island experience, indeed! We had a delicious dinner with a touch of local flavor (not to mention the excellent halibut), and returned to our boats as a glowing red sun slipped behind the trees. Aahh!