July 10, 2012  Port McNeill, Vancouver Island, BC
I always feel like we are in home waters when we make it this far back south.

After 2 totally useless, lazy days in Ocean Falls we headed south down Fisher Channel and into Fitzhugh Sound and found, happily, flat water.  (top photo...I hope to go in order).   Ocean Falls was once again kind enough to supply the boat with a hodge podge of flowering weeds to brighten our little ark.   We made our way down to Fougner Bay on Fitzhugh and dropped the hook there in perfectly calm water and awoke to find not even a ripple.  The photo that looks like a primevel totem is the reflection of the rocks on the water....rotated 90 degrees.  Now that is protected water!
As we passed Addenbrooke Island lighthouse the water remained flat and we spent the night in Frigate Bay...not quite so flat but still a nice anchorage.  Gary did have to work at finding a place level enough for the Diesel to go ashore but it all worked out.
Sunshine on the water as we started our always worrisome trip around Cape Caution.  Last time was 
a hold on tight kind of day.  This time we actually stopped about 1/2 miles south of the Cape and Gary fished the rocks.  Now that is a first for us!  Fishing Cape Caution...could be  a reality show.
We slid across Queen Charlotte Strait on what continued to be flat (flat water trumps EVERYTHING) water and into Clam Cove for the night.  Clam Cove (pay attention Emily and Lincoln) is a totally bombproof anchorage on Nigei Island at the north end of Vancouver Island.  Part of the island has been logged and there is an old logging road that leads about a mile inland to two lakes covered with water lillies.  Nice easy walk, good road, pretty rocks and sunshine made us ready for dinner.
Finally after all summer we had salmon on our plates.  Gary manged to catch 4 nice salmon out there in the open waters.  Kept one.  Yeah....salmon once again.
We headed south into Port McNeill and found Bruce and Peggy on Tomahra and Lynn and Duane aboard Emerald Star II.  Felt like a homecoming.  Steve at Port McNeill has built a party barge with Pierre's old tent from Echo Bay so we had a nice happy hour on the dock before going up for dinner.
We have done the laundry and reprovisioned the fridge and larder and dropped a couple of things off at the thrift store....the shoe goo patched rain coat, for one.  We may leave today...may not.
I love this kind of maybe we will, maybe we won't kind of boating.  Just a relaxing way to live.