This was our first trip out since Kuredu has been on the hard for 7 weeks getting fixed, including a new gearbox. Anneline was busy over the weekend so it was a boys cruise with myself, Rob (my business partner) and Peter (a colleague) and the two boys, each bringing a friend.
I wanted to avoid going through Porlier Pass because of a maximum flood current of 8.3 knots at 5:40 pm but we left Horseshoe Bay quite late on Friday (what else?) and decided to head to Porlier in any case. The cruise across the Strait was pretty flat, with only a little 2ft chop as we approached the Gulf Islands, caused by a 10-15 kn headwind. Porlier pass was still flowing strong when we got there but the water was reasonably flat.
The cruise down the inside of Galliano was a little bumpy with a 2foot chop getting us on the starboard beam, but not too bad. We arrived at Montague at 8:45 pm and still found a spot at the Parks dock. The boys went off to set up camp and we cracked a beer and started the BBQ.
Saturday the weather was iffy - mostly cloudy and a chilly little wind, but it improved as the day wore on. Rob and I dinked over to the Bread Boat and got some fresh sticky buns for breakfast. Later Rob, Peter and I dinked out to the marina store and got some supplies. I decided to fix the electricity supply to the new aft spotlight on the radar mount and Peter suggested we fit the dome at the same time. Thanks for the help Pete and Rob - it's up and looks great.
There is a neat "Nature House" at the foot of the Parks Dock where you can go check out all sorts of interesting marine facts and exhibits. Geared towards smaller kids we all found it quite fascinating. They also had a night "show" where they simulate full moon by shining a light into the water to attract marine creatures. We booked into the 10:30 pm show and had a great time.
Our cruise back on Sunday was relaxed. From Montague we headed North, at hull speed, up the inside of Galiano again to Porlier. The Strait was as calm as I had ever seen it.
A very relaxing weekend with good company.
