July 4 was spent in Bellingham Squalicum Harbor anticipating the Fire Works and wondering if we could stay awake until 10:30. The days are long as we head north toward the land of the midnight sun… light at 5am and dark around 10:30. One of the locals told us that there is actually eight and half hours difference in daylight between the Winter and Summer Solstices.
Around 5:15 a fire started on a boat across the harbor. The flames were 30 ft high and the smoke very black. Three boats were destroyed in this fire. Two burned and went to the bottom; the third is still afloat, but badly damaged. What a catastrophe for those boat owners.
We managed to stay awake for the short firework exhibition – 20 minutes. We watched from the cockpit in our fowl weather gear in order to stay warm.
We took our usual route through the San Juans via Wasp Passage, under partly sunny skies, and checked into Canada at Bedwell Harbor. This year they asked us how much, and what type of booze we had aboard… then we were off to anchor for the night.
The next morning we headed for our 13:30 slack tide appointment with Dodd Narrows. The trip was smooth and uneventful, and we saw few boats until arriving at the narrows when dozens of boats appear out of nowhere.
Within an hour after going through Dodd Narrows, we checked the anchorage at Newcastle Island for folks we knew, then went into Nanaimo Harbor for two nights. We anchored at Newcastle Island the next night.
Our next leg north will be 52 miles through the strait of Georgia along the east side of Vancouver Island to Comox.
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© 2006 George Benson. Reproduction of any of the material on this log without written permission from George Benson is prohibited.
