Friday, June 19, 2020. Port McNeill, North Island Marina
What started out as a relatively uneventful day turned quite interesting in the end.
We got up early, aiming to get started in the laundromat right when it opened at 0800. We managed to be there at 0804, and I dropped Sara off to do some laundry. She settled in with the good internet, and managed to get everything washed within a couple of hours.
I stayed on the boat, and used the internet and phone access to dictate pulmonary function tests. Of course, just as I thought I was getting caught up, another 30 were dropped in my inbox. Since it was slow going with the internet, I managed to get about 20 done by lunchtime. I also caught up on emails, banking, etc.
Sara came back to the boat for lunch after checking out the rest of Port McNeill. Sara had an omelette, and I had a bagel and some snacks. Then, we went out for a walk to stretch our legs. As we walked, we discussed the idea of taking the bus up into Port Hardy to check it out. It turned out, the next bus was at 2:40, and the last bus came back at 5:25, which was only an hour away. So, we headed back to the boat, grabbed our stuff, and made haste to the bus stop. As we left the boat, we ran into Bruce from Sea Raven, who was on the dock across from us. He was very chatty, and we walked with him back toward the bus stop, as he was heading to meet up with friends at the pub near by.
Monashee at the dock, with Sea Raven behind her
We grabbed the bus for the half hour ride into Port Hardy. We have ridden buses in third world Central American countries, and this bus ride would have fit right in with any of them. No shocks, a windy road, and bus driver determined to get to her destination as fast as possible all made for an exciting trip. I was more seasick on the bus than I have been on the boat yet.
We were dropped off at the Thunderbird Mall in Port Hardy, and after buying a label maker at the office supply store, we headed downtown, where we had heard rumors that Café Guido was a coffee shop worth checking out. It was, in fact, very cute, with a book store and what looked like an interesting menu, but unfortunately, it was not serving anything due to COVID-19. We spent the next two hours wandering along the Port Hardy waterfront, seeing the Coast Guard station, and the very industrial marina, which was almost all filled with fishing boats. In the west coast drizzle, we made our way back to Thunderbird Mall, with about 45 minutes to spare for the bus.
The only photo we took in Port Hardy?
We stood outside the Dollar Store, waiting to be allowed in, then went and bought a couple of plastic containers to help Sara in her ongoing quest to organize every item on the boat. We then stood in a long line outside Save-On, but only ended up buying an iced tea and a box of mints, since while we were waiting we decided to try and go out for dinner once we were back in Port McNeill.
After Save-On, we walked across to the drug store, and Sara bought some earrings so she could keep up with the high level of fashion demanded aboard Monashee III.
Back on the bus, we got chatting with our bus driver, who’s name was Laurie. She sped along and chatted through her protective COVID plastic screen. We tried to hear her over the bouncing of the bus and tried to respond appropriately as our queasiness took hold. She was actually very pleasant, and gave us a bunch of interesting historical information about he Port Hard and Port McNeill areas. It was fascinating to find out that until the 80s, there were no roads connecting Port McNeill and Port Hardy to the southern part of the island. It was necessary to take a ferry into Telegraph Cove, then drive up north. We also learned about the large gravel mine operating just north of Port McNeill, and the huge military base that used to exist on the west coast of the north island.
Once back in Port McNeill, we stopped by Gus’s Pub. All the restaurants are running at ½ capacity right now, so unfortunately, no tables were available. As we turned to leave, though, some folks seated near the door told us they were finishing in a few minutes, so we waited outside until the table was free. We shared a Caesar salad and a chicken burger with fries for dinner. So-so at best, but it was nice not to have to cook or do dishes.
Over dinner, we pondered the weather some more, and decided to stay an extra night in the marina, as the weekend doesn’t look good, and our earliest good opportunity to go around the top of the island looks like Wednesday. Since we aren’t in a rush, and I have a fair bit more work today, we decided to pony up the big bucks, and stay an extra night. As we passed the marina office on the way back to the boat, we stopped in, and the fellow at the desk said it would be no big deal to stay.
Just as we were getting on our boat, Bruce stepped out on the aft deck of his Selene 50 across the dock, and invited us aboard. We were a bit surprised, but keen to see the inside of a large powerboat, which is brand new to Bruce (he just bought it a couple of week ago), we gratefully accepted. Once on board, we met Bruce’s wife Hedy, and their dog Lucy. Also on board was his friend, who’s name I think was Currie, who is on an Erickson sailboat parked two behind us on the dock. We had a lovely conversation, and learned that the folks on the other boat they are travelling with would be coming over soon as well. Before long, Ray and Anne, who are on the Beneteau Oceanis 45 just behind us, came over, and they filled us in on details of their trip around Vancouver Island in 2015. It was both encouraging and intimidating to hear some of the details, but we picked up lots of valuable intel about things to see and what to watch out for.
We had several “small world” exclamations during our conversation. Anne used to work for UBC Medicine Alumni, and knew several folks that I know as well, including Erik and Mark Vu. Also, of interest, when they rounded the outside of Vancouver Island they buddy boated with Alcheringa, who we met in Waddington Bay a few nights ago.
All in all, it was a lovely evening, and it was extremely pleasant to meet these other folks with boating interests. Here’s hoping the rest of our trip will be filled with similar encounters!
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