A beautiful blue-skied, sunny morning filled with the soft calls of the Basking Carmen: “Wick-wick.” “Wick-wick”

Right around 8:30 powerboats started weighing anchor and by 9:30 we’d lost over half a dozen. That still leaves a dozen boats here, but it has certainly opened up the landscape and it is all that more pretty now. C and I sat in the warm morning air, I in the shade, she in the warming sun, and we watched the slow exodus.

After the coffee and wakefulness settled in, I fitted out the dinghy and rowed over to chat with Dave. The people from next boat over, the 50′ Beneteau from Nanaimo Yacht Charters called Belle Serena, were out in their dinghy trying to start their outboard with very little luck. They called over looking for a spark plug wrench so I grabbed Dave’s and rowed it over to them.

In the ensuing conversations and multi-boat mechanical advice from various neighbours, they eventually gave up and called Ian. I offered them the use of our dinghy while we were here since we could use R Shack’s. Another call to Ian yielded the suggestion we just gave them ours, which was pretty much a nonstarter for me. As it sits now I lent them our dinghy for the day with the option of them keeping it if Nanaimo Yacht charters will deliver a new motor to Rebecca Spit. We will see…

We putzed around for a bit and I decided to make some eggs for a lunch while we waited to hike up to the lake. L bowed out but C suggested mutzy eggs on toast. I pointed out the impossibility of that given the poor toaster output, lack of proper lids for the pan and overall poor cooking utensils. And much to my surprise (not) Carmen argued. After our argument (as usual) I gave in (as usual) and Carmen got her way (as usual).

And, as usual, Carmen was right. The eggs, which involved much improvisation and some black magic, were nigh on perfect. My only criticism was one of my eggs had an uneven portion of whites. Life is hard.

After lunch we sat and sunned until Dave rowed over. He and I headed out to the shoal with his lead line to take a sounding. It was about 5′ an hour before low tide. Not sure if that info will help or hinder our calculations.

After we got back we picked up Margaret and headed back to Baraka Too to tie up the loaner dinghy and get a tow to the mouth of the creek that flows down into this bay. We beached the dinghies and tied them up.

A short hike up along the creek through a shady dense forest brought us to a fresh water lake and we waded for a few minutes in the warm water. Back on the trail we climbed up and then descended down to the lake shore where a series of flat, warm rocks lined the shoreline and a crowd was already swimming and sunbathing.

We joined in by dabbling our feet and sat and enjoyed the beauty of BC. Dave and I chatted in the shade while the ‘women-folk’ sat like pretty maids on the shore. Eventually Margaret was driven from the sun and joined us in the shade and one by one the others joined us. The water was so warm and the lake so so beautiful.

Reluctantly we headed back to the dinghies, smiling and greeting all the people headed for the warm rocks. Back at the creek’s outflow I cut down to walk in the water and yet another snake leaped out to startle me. I seriously need to a send a note to someone. I have a seven-foot snake rule; how hard is that to understand? This is my 3rd snake-startle this trip. Egads!

Dave towed us back to the boat and they went off for a tour of the bay while we indulged in a beer and a sunbath. The fellow from Perigee kayaked by and started chatting to me. A gregarious fellow, he talked through Dave showing up for a beer and Carmen sighing loudly and stripped off her top and diving in. He kept talking while I madly snapped pictures but finally gave up when I started to strip.

I then joined C in the water and left D and L to amuse themselves with beer and their own fine company. After a small swim I crawled out into the warm sun and somehow, with great appeal, C enticed L to dive in and soon they were paddling and dabbling around the boat. That made me happy.

Dave and I figured out tomorrow’s departure and then he finished his beer and made to leave in the loaner dinghy so we could row or paddle around in R Shack’s tender. Instead of rowing back to his boat, Dave got boat-to-boat mermaid tow service. Lucky dude.

After a bit I hopped back in for another swim and then we all hauled ourselves out to dry in the sun like a bunch of beached seals. Carmen open the rosé and we sipped wine and baked. After a bit I hopped in R Shack’s dinghy and rowed off to the shoal for fun. The tide was coming in so after I struggled valiantly through the narrow point I finally started the motor and putted out into the Sound for a look. Not a lick of wind anywhere.

I slowly meandered back to the Baraka Too and climbed up for a little more bake. About quarter to six we all cleaned up and got ready to row over to R Shack Island for dinner.

Dinner was slow-cooked steak with Memphis hand rub, an amazingly fresh garden salad, corn on the cob and wild rice. We had brought a Riesling/Gewurtztraminer blend, which was one to remember. After dinner we retired to the cockpit to enjoy the cooling air and finish off another bottle in one of the prettiest places I’ve been in a while.

All in all a great way to end a great day.