Happy Foraging at Cortes

June 9, 2013

Another long push awaited us, about 45 miles to reach Cortes Bay, but first we had to return to the government dock since, enraptured by rowing, I had forgotten to refresh the wine supply. The dock had room where we could back in, but a small homebuilt cabin cruiser was in the way, drifting just off the far end. An ancient man stood stooped on the foredeck trying to throw his painter or anchor rode, a line of all uses I guess, to people on the dock. When all efforts failed, I suggested we tow him. Charlie backed up and I took the line. It was very short. Gratitude’s engine pulled him close enough for someone to take the line. When we returned, pushing a heavy shopping cart to the dock, we found him carrying a pump. Later it turned out he’d called the coast guard for assistance with his sinking craft!

Once past the entrance to Pender, we settled in for one hour on duty, one hour off, up the long passage off Texada Island. It was dead calm again, Malaspina Strait as flat as an ironing board. Having cruised other waters for the past 8 years, we were astonished at the number of new houses and little developments along the mainland coast.

We arrived, as at Garden Bay finding ourselves the only sailboat at Cortes Bay SYC outstation. Charlie looked forward to unloading a large crated computer that’s planned for an AIS (automatic identification system, that is, it identifies ships that send out signals with their name, speed, and size) information relay from here. 

The new Cortes managers have instituted some good ideas including a whole new system of recycling and composting. Heather also has a lovely garden fenced off from the deer with a nice area growing peas and greens for cruisers to harvest! For dinner we immediately fell on the fresh lettuce. 

July 10, 2013

Part of Bruce's antenna farm next to SYC water tower.

The day started cool and windy. We were busy with laundry and a meeting with Bruce Jacobson, the next door neighbor who has agreed to help the club with setting up the new AIS relay and maybe a repeater for HAM radio. Bruce proved to be a most fascinating individual. He took us to his basement, also a ham shack and wine cellar, where he entertained us with descriptions of several projects including the current tracking collar with homemade beam antenna for locating his wandering cat! Having owned his place since 1968, prior to electricity let alone the SYC outstation, he is a fund on information about the history of Cortes Bay. He fought the building of a 35 house development on the point and was delighted that SYC bought Red Granite Mountain, really a hill above his house, to keep it from future development.

Picnic view

As we had never walked out there, we made sandwiches and took the trail to the top for lunchtime views. Maybe someday there will be a repeater on one of those wind dwarfed trees at the height of land.

Panorama from the top of Red Granite Mountain. Which tree should host the repeater antenna??

Lettuce and peas in Heather's garden for us cruisers.

Lacking proper tools Charlie knocks oysters
off rocks with traditional digging stick.

After lunch the tide was nearing low. We were informed that the shellfishing ban had just been lifted so off we went with our little bucket. Charlie chipped oysters off rocks while I burrowed through beach rocks looking for clams. We both were successful though I was fooled by several mudclams. Dinner was oysters on the half shell for him, chowder for us both and garden salad. It’s been years since we foraged for dinner!

Paint scraper turned shucker worked pretty well.