July 5, 2008

Early retirement allowed the time needed for extended cruising. We sold our houses and belongings and became live aboards
Living aboard a boat is a unique experience. There is the sense of freedom as we venture out for months. The carefree serendipitous of this lifestyle lifts the soul. Every trip is an adventure, breathtaking scenery, tranquil anchorages and the never ending supply of natures entertainment.
You witness or participate in the coastal communities.
Yet, as romantic as it may sound there’s the weather with its reminders of who is the true boss of our destinies. The worst weather will always be at night. You can count on it, leaving the crew blurry eyed in the morning. Last night we found our anchor dragging. Never does this seem to happen during a reasonable hour. SE winds blew with gusts of 25knots last night with pouring rain. We pulled the anchor only to try twice before planting it firmly in the mud. Just as we would put the anchor down we would cast a light over the water to see crab pots in our swinging area. The problem being in this anchorage is that it is proliferated with commercial crab traps. A night watch may not have been necessary but I implemented it anyways. Things always look and sound different at night.
I voted that this is not my favourite anchorage. Ironic since the cove is called God’s Pocket and even a boat named Genesis had a problem
The weather has been generally cool, overcast and windy on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. While the East Coast of Vancouver Island is having unusually warm weather.
We visited Hot Spring Coves with its natural hot springs. It has become quite the tourist attraction unfortunately. Float planes and fast boats coming and going every 3 – 5 minutes from Tofino dropping off tourist for a few hours. We chose to walk the one mile boardwalk later in the day when it was less busy. It was well worth it. The springs have a small waterfall and 4 pools that get cooler as you get closer to the ocean. The falls probably range around 110, the first pool around 104 degrees. (It felt like the temp we kept our hot tub at home)
We are currently in Tofino, known for its enviro-tourism, fishing and surfing. We will spend a few days here doing maintenance, laundry etc., waiting for our next weather window to head to Barkley Sound.