Desolation Sound Flotilla - October 6, 2010 - Grace Harbour to Bargain Bay

We woke to a morning mist, which cleared as we exited Grace Harbour. Today, we said good-bye to Desolation Sound and began our southbound journey. Soon we had blue skies and stunning views of the snow-capped mountains on Vancouver Island, including a great view of the Comox Glacier. This spine of mountains on Vancouver Island provides a barrier from the Pacific Ocean, giving the mainland coast some of the most benign weather in BC, hence its nick-name, The Sunshine Coast. It was definitely living up to that name today.

We cruised down Malaspina Strait, along the east coast of Texada Island this time, just to be different from the up bound voyage. We passed the town of Van Anda on Texada, and could see many signs of the mining and quarrying industries on the island. It was so clear, we could also identify some of the mountain peaks on the mainland which we had seen on our trip up Jervis Inlet to Princess Louisa. We had a nice push from the current, and soon found the entrance to Bargain Bay, which is on the outside coast of Pender Harbour. This is an anchorage, but we are back in civilization, with lots of large homes surrounding the bay. (It is always a bit of a shock when we leave the wilderness areas to suddenly be seeing auto traffic and lots of built up areas.)

As it was almost high tide when we anchored, there was enough water for dinghies to cross through Bargain Narrows, the rocky little channel that connects Bargain Bay to Pender Harbour. A sight-seeing and grocery store run was made to Madeira Park over in Pender (rumor has it that lattes were consumed), while other folks relaxed and enjoyed the late afternoon sunshine on their fly bridges. Ahhh….