Baywolf goes to Wallace Island, April 23 to 25

Exactly 6 months ago, we ran to Wallace before my knee replacement surgery on November 4. While I lounged on the couch all winter, waiting for my knee to heal, Holly went down to the boat to check for leaks and ran the engine periodically. Last month, we had the boat hauled out and the bottom cleaned and repainted (a bi-yearly job that boaters can’t escape!). We were looking forward to a dry and reasonably warm couple of nights at one of our favorite local anchorages!

We left Maple Bay around 10:00 and had a very enjoyable cruise along the west shore of Salt Spring Island before turning the corner around Southey Point to get to Wallace Island and our favorite anchorage at Conover Cove. But here is where our plans changed. As we approached the entrance to the cove, we saw a large recreational boat headed in ahead of us. We had a look on AIS and found it to be a local vessel (North Saanich) named Dark Side. It’s length is listed at 59 feet. The dock at Conover Cove has a large sign on the end of the dock which says, [Maximum Boat Length on the dock 36’]. We know this rule is ignored by others and have seen pictures (taken by his drone in the marine park) of a 42’ trawler on this dock and he states he often stays there. There were two other boats on the dock but there still may have been room for our 26’ Tolly. I suppose, with the same attitude of ignoring rules, we could have taken the Park Host position. We were in a moral dilemma… live and let live, you do your thing and we’ll do ours, turn a blind eye, can’t beat them so join them? What would we say to them on the dock? The mooring balls placed by BC Parks in various marine parks are also limited to 36’ and there is a fee to use them as well as the docks. What are these people paying to stay there? If they calculate the actual amount they owe based on 59’, they are admitting non-conformance to the maximum length rule. Do they even pay? Is it even any of our business as fellow mariners and BC Parks users?

In these days of selfish narcissistic behavior, endorsed and demonstrated by a current world leadership and more, we wonder what our responsibilities should be with respect to improving our world and helping it’s citizens. Are we headed toward an anarchic society where we all become isolated and left alone to defend our own family, property and rights? Unfortunately, a phrase I seem to use more often is proven true all the time, “A rule without enforcement is merely a suggestion”. This could go on and on but we want the blog to be about playing outside and enjoying the world that we live in!

So, we motored right past Conover Cove and about 45 minutes later, ended up on a mooring ball at Montague Harbour North! We had little competition for a mooring as there were only 4 or 5 other boats in the anchorage. We took the dingy to the dock and had a short walk in the provincial park. For dinner that night, I used the gas BBQ, a blue tooth temperature probe and the Meater App on my phone to reverse sear a beautiful bone-in ribeye steak. It made the cost of fuel cheap in comparison but it was amazing!

As is typical, a few games of crib (I couldn’t win a game that night even if I cheated!) followed by a couple episodes of Merlin which we downloaded onto the IPad and it was time to call it a day. Perfectly calm and quiet!

The next day provides perfect weather! We set out to hike to the Hummingbird pub. Nearly 11km later (and 300 meters of climbing!), we were back aboard the good ship Baywolf and enjoyed a fantastic dinner of deluxe nachos that Holly prepared in the oven.

That evening we put our folding chairs into the dingy and took the short hike from the dingy dock to the gravel beach on the other side of the Provincial Park. We were not alone and it felt like we were all lined up for a concert. The headliner tonight was the sunset which was amazing to see. Dingy ride back to the boat, a charcuterie snack with crib (my turn to win tonight!) and a couple episodes of Merlin and Friday was declared a success!

The morning brought more sun and calm blue skies! We headed toward home by 9:00 as we had a concert to attend in Victoria. Our friend, Allan, sings in a soul and gospel choir and we are looking forward to hearing him entertain us! It was a great "early season" boat trip!

More pictures from our stay at Montague Marine Park.