June 22, 2022
[ 6 NM, 50 minutes ]
We stayed close to Gorge Harbour Marina for our day. It was a nice change from the morning get up and go that we have had to get here. The sun was in and we took advantage of it with a facility exploration and a breakfast sandwich from the Sunflower Food Truck. A morning walk was in order and while we didn't locate the trail that was recommended to us later in the day (turn left on Whaletown Road, walk approximately .5 miles, and the trail head is on your right) we did see some really beautiful old growth firs and an adorable honor system art stand.
Dave spent the majority of his day assessing the damage from Battle to the Bay and the subsequent repairs. He was directed towards Barnacle, the local fixall for the marina. The parts Barnacle brought to us weren't ultimately what Dave needed, but he added it to his "all good stuff" collection. Barnacle let me know that he likes "the cider in the tall can" at the store in exchange for his efforts. Deal.
While it had worked up until today, and even while we were getting the aforementioned issue sorted out a day earlier, it was now toast.
Dave made friends with a good portion of the staff here while looking for a length of chain to secure the dinghy to the davit differently. They gave him access to their shop to use as he needed, which was much appreciated. He was pleased to see he had kept a pulley from a previous davit system that he could use to part his line and double his weight capacity. Unfortunately, after the fix to the hookup, he found that the winch motor was inoperable. While it had worked up until today, and even while we were getting the aforementioned issue sorted out a day earlier, it was now toast. Assumption being that the motor had seen it's final day after the stress of the weight and continued use of it. See yesterday's post, Gorge Harbour for the full story on our dinghy disaster.
He conceded that he would need to get parts delivered and that we would abandon the dinghy at Gorge Harbour until they arrived, so that we could continue our trip at a diminished capacity. BUT we are again in the land of "How can we help you?!" and the assistant manager made his way to Dave working on the dock. He offered to pick up the motor in Campbell River the next day and deliver it to our boat. He saved our trip timeline for sure! Minds at ease, Dave and I set out for libations on a sunny deck and the kids headed back to the pool. I set up a dinner reservation at the Floathouse Restaurant (necessary!) for one of the few tables we could bring the pups to sit with us. They must be "leashed, under the table, and not barking".
A naked person (there were two opposing opinions on gender) was spotted and a nice woman that pointed them towards the lagoon for the better clam dig.
With some afternoon hours left before dinner, Dave and Cole headed to drop crab pots just outside the harbor at Marina Island. There was suggestion on where to leave the shrimp pot, but the waves were big enough that they skipped it. They did head over to Manson's Landing to scope it out for clam digging. A naked person (there were two opposing opinions on gender) was spotted and a nice woman that pointed them towards the lagoon for the better clam dig. Knowledge obtained, they headed back to join us girls for dinner and corral our gear for the shellfish hunt.
Our dinghy ride to Manson's Lagoon was a little breezy, but a quick 3 miles in less than 10 minutes. The lagoon is shallow and made for time worth our efforts, but getting the dinghy through was a little slow going. The water is warm and pulling the dinghy in and back out was the easier way to get to our dig site. We spent an hour in the easy collecting of tomorrow's dinner of steamed clams and barbecued oysters.
We are staying married and continuing the trip.
Shortly in to our ride back, the dinghy started sounding an alarm. I'll keep this part brief, since Dave and I are in disagreement on the gravity of the situation. The dinghy did not get above 4 MPH, the waves had soaked all us (and even though the waters are warmer, the wind is not), the sun was going down, and we were 3 miles from our boat. I called the Coast Guard, he thought I was over reacting, the Coast Guard didn't reach us before we reached the boat, maybe he was right, I won't say it out loud, I get way colder than he does, and the end of the night had me with no love for that dinghy (I'm still thinking bad thoughts about it this morning). We are staying married and continuing the trip.
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