Mother Goose Leg 1, Day 4- Bamfield to Effingham Island

After yesterday’s reveille before the break of dawn and a long day of cruising, it was relaxing to be able to sleep in this morning on day 4 of our trip. We casually awoke to a beautiful morning in Bamfield. This lovely little town has a very quaint feel with no roads, only a boardwalk which stretches along the shoreline. The boardwalk curves along the town, weaving in and out of people’s gardens, above the docks, and occasionally meanders into the tree line. Beautiful flowers boxes line the walk and friendly dogs of all breeds happily greet you along the way. As you get near the end of the Bamfield boardwalk, near the only market and Coast Guard station, there is a separated area just on the inside of the railings designated as “The Bamfield Cathouse”. This little piece of the hillside has been turned into an adorable cat sanctuary. There must have been about 7-10 cats just roaming around their little cat town. The Bamfield Cathouse is actually made up of many cat houses, a cat market, a cat hotel, and little alleyways connecting them all. It was not enclosed so the skittish felines were free to come and go as they please but they were all very well fed and groomed, quite a unique way to handle the stray cat problem.

At about 9 am Casey led those interested in a hike through the woods to Brady’s Beach. After coming down a rather steep hill in the woods, the sky opened up to a beautiful beach surrounded by jagged rocks. Affixed high atop one of the jetted rocks is a bench seat with a magnificent view. That’s about as peaceful of a place as one could ever hope to be. As calming as Bamfield and its surroundings are, it was time to continue our journey north. We said our farewells to this quaint oasis, and hoped it wouldn’t be our last visit.

The cruise to Effingham Bay was just a quick trip through the Deer Group and into the Broken Group, a mere 9 miles north. Our anchorage was nestled in a little cove amongst several small islands, one of which was home to several harbor seals. Most of this cove was so well protected from wind and waves that the forest grew all the way down to the water’s edge. The vegetation stopped in a perfectly straight horizontal line, marking the farthest point reached by the high tide.

Once Deception anchored, Mystic Eagle and Arctic Star rafted up against us, one on each side, and then Inside Passage rafted up against Mystic Eagle. The Smiths on Navigator decided to anchor as well. When everyone had settled themselves into Effingham Bay, Jordan ferried people over to one of the islands and Casey led the group on another nature hike. This walk followed a trail that cut across the island at its narrowest point, meandering through a beautiful old-growth forest. All along the way, the trail was marked with pieces of flotsam and jetsam that previous hikers had collected from the beach and hung from the trees and bushes. On the other side of the island, the trail emerged onto a beautiful, sunny beach. We enjoyed the warm rocks and explored the plentiful tidepools which were teeming with huge green anemones and sea stars in various shades of purple and orange. After an hour or so, our growling stomachs drew us away from the warm beach and hiked back through the forest to the bay where the boats were anchored.

With everyone ferried back to their boats after a good hike, it was time for our first big social gathering. Prior to leaving on this trip, the Crees on Mystic Eagle had about 28 pounds of chili shipped to NW Explorations and tonight we were having a feast - Texas style. The country music was a rockin’, margaritas were flowing, and the air was thick with wafts of spices from cayenne walnuts, stuffed jalapeños, hot tamales, and venison chili. Laughter filled the air from both the stories being told and the Texans’ amusement at us sensitive-stomached northerners. Good times were had by all and it was as if we were all old friends. By the end of the night our bellies were full, our hearts were happy, and with the winds having died down, we were all ready for a peaceful night’s sleep at anchor in Effingham Bay.

Mother Goose Leg 1, Day 3- Victoria to Bamfield

It’s Day 3 and we had a 5 am departure time so we could make sure to get through the breakers near Bamfield before the afternoon winds picked up. Victoria Harbor was calm and serene with just the sounds of our engines slicing the silence. Inside Passage and Mystic Eagle were able to get out of their cozy little nooks with few to no issues, thanks to the excellent teamwork between Captain Brian, Jim and Rick. Once again we were off. Today involved a 12-hour stretch to Bamfield. The sun rise was beautiful with rays of pink and rose creating a mystical halo over Victoria. The shoreline along the west side of Vancouver Island was breathtaking with its eroded cliffs, waterfalls, and expressive sprays of water breaking on its edges. The weather was with us once again except for somewhat larger swells once we got out of the straights of Juan de Fuca and into the Pacific Ocean. Bamfield was a welcomed sight as it was our first stop out of the “city” life and it couldn’t be more adorable nestled in its calm little cove. Deception hosted a cocktail hour for everyone to unwind from a long day of boating. Tomorrow we are departing around 11 am for Effingham Bay which is just a quick hop skip and a jump away at only 8 miles north. Prior to departing, our naturalist, Casey, is planning on leading everyone on a hike along the beach to get our first immersion into the natural beauty this area has to offer and hopefully see some interesting local wildlife as well.  Right now, the crew of Deception is savouring the wafts of whatever delicious treats Gayle is baking tonight and hoping a plate makes its way over to us... we've begun to get spoiled by this nightly enjoyment! 

Mother Goose Leg 1, Day 2- Lay Day in Victoria, B.C.

Today is Day 2 of our excursion around Vancouver Island up to Ketchikan and it’s a lay day. Last night the Smiths and the Selyems decided to enjoy their Grand Banks and the gorgeous view from Victoria Harbor by cooking dinner onboard after a brief walk into the city. The Crees and Brantley’s decided to make their way to the Bengal Bar inside of the very prestigious Empress Hotel. We were probably a little out of place in our Keens and fleece but that’s never stopped us before! After a few signature drinks of their Empress 1908 (a vodka and spiced tea concoction) the Brantley’s decided to take a walking tour of the city while the Crees decided to take a tour of the nearest Scottish and Irish pubs.

Today several of the group members ran into each other at the market to finish provisioning, mostly for fresh produce and alcohol which couldn’t be brought through customs. It was a beautiful day and the harbor was alive with activity from street performers to whale watching tours to couples strolling and bicycles rides being offered around the city. At 4 pm Deception hosted a women’s only cocktail hour which was… well, what happens and is talked about at women’s cocktail hour, stays at women’s cocktail hour.  In the evening, most people decided to eat in so they could spend more time with each other and enjoy their wonderful surroundings. After all, we do have the best seat in the house.

Mother Goose Leg 1, Day 1 - Bellingham to Victoria, B.C.

We awoke this morning like kids on Christmas morning. Only this year we didn’t get a Red Rider, we got an Alaskan adventure! The gray of yesterday disappeared throughout the night and the sun rose to a beautiful, clear day on Bellingham Bay. Everyone was anxious to get going and after making final preparations to our vessels, which would serve as our homes for the next 23 days, we set sail for Victoria, B.C. NW Explorations staff and friends came down to wish us fair winds and calm seas and helped to see us off. The morning was so clear that even the majestic Mt. Baker, North Cascades and Olympic mountain ranges came out to wish us a safe and wonderful trip. As we cruised, we received several phone calls of excited friends on various islands we passed who noticed the handsome group of Grand Banks cruising and called to say “it must be Mother Goose time”!

As we got closer to Victoria the skies started to cloud over but our vision along the horizon was still spectacular. We were even able to see Mt. Rainier in the distance. As we continued north through the straights of Juan de Fuca, the water started to get a little choppy however we were still able to make out a few harbor porpoise sightings. We were also able to see rhinoceros auklets that had breeding plumage; they are quite the remarkable little birds. As we pulled into Victoria there was a line at the customs dock so the five flotilla boats had to wait their turn. It must have been an amusing sight from shore to see a convention of Grand Banks idling in the harbor, continually circling each other and playing musical boats. Docking was quite the experience as well. Deception was the first to dock behind a 100+ foot yacht which was moored right in the middle of the guest dock. Navigator and Arctic Star rafted up next to us with no problem at all. So not to take up too much room in the channel, we had to squeeze Mystic Eagle in front of the 100+ ft yacht. When I say we squeezed in, I mean Rick managed to nestle her into this spot with perhaps six inches to spare; Those Cree’s are some truly talented boaters (as RJ will be sure to let you know :) )! Oh, but we weren’t done yet… we still had to raft Inside Passage up next to Mystic Eagle. The Brantley’s were able to smoothly position IP right up next to Mystic Eagle without any problems (let’s just hope the boat behind them doesn’t have to get out in the next day or two!). Now we’re officially through customs and in Victoria, B.C.! Some of the people are planning to take it easy and relax on the boat, some are going into the city for a walking tour and dinner, and some are looking for the nearest establishment to get a martini. Overall, it was a great day and an excellent start to our trip. Tomorrow is a lay day with plenty of time to explore, relax, and continue to get to know each other. Mother Goose has officially begun.

Mother Goose 2010 - Orientation Day kick off!

Mother Goose 2010 is finally here! The clients are pre-boarded, Little Jordan is maneuvering boats, Emmo is being her super woman self, Brian is in full preparation mode, and Deception is provisioned, fueled and ready to take the lead! Bellingham is gray, dreary and rainy right now, but spirits are high and the excitement in anticipation of our upcoming adventure is contagious. We have reserved the private room at Anthony’s Restaurant for the ceremonial kick-off orientation presentation and dinner. Then tomorrow we depart bright and early for leg 1, 23 days up to Ketchikan via the outside of Vancouver Island. We will head to Victoria to clear customs, do any final provisioning, and do some sightseeing, shopping, relaxing, mingling, and whatever else happens to spark our interest!