Sunday August 24, 2014

Sunday August 24 up in the Morning and Out on Job. Not yet, time for coffee and a listen to CTV weather report. We are basking in the first sun and I find it difficult to comprehend the weather persons predicting RAIN AND HIGH WINDS. What to do, forge on with the project while it’s dry or soak up the sun. We have filled and painted one side and only have to do under the guard rail, this can only be done on the tidal grid at BYC or on a the very low dock somewhere. Well I settle on light projects today, cleaning up the stainless and Penny restarts her varnishing that requires sanding the teak.

Converted Life Boat

There has been about twenty ft. converted life boat on the hook in the bay. He came the other day to visit us on the dock and collect fire wood for his cooking and heat stove. He introduces himself as Gary. He is about sixty-four years old and not a hippy or an extremist. He has talked about doing a lot of things in life, a fish buyer, electronic and video equipment supplier etc but said he was retired. He is putting about above Stewart Island in the north of Desolation Sound. The boat is a small double ender pilot house with a mast and has an aluminum stern pulpit were he stores propane, gas, crab nets BBQ and a large water bottle. His tender is a RIB more than half the length of his main boat with a twenty five HP Merc to push it.

He has been fishing with some luck and living off the land where possible. He is low on drinking water and I offer to him to fill them up from our tanks. He refuses my offer as he says he needs the routine of doing this and hikes over to the small creek.  A short time later he returns with his large water bottle full. We have a short discussion about Beaver Fever and he responds that in his discussion with the locals, the water is all safe here to drink .I point out there is a fish spawn happening here and the creek is very small and the salmon die off after they do their thing. We suggest that a couple of drops of bleach in the water may save him a trip to the hospital and a minute later out comes the bleach.

Another Fabulous Sunrise

 

A signboard (professional made) with the words “BC EXPLORER MAN .COM” is mounted on the cabin sides. I surmise after a conversation with him he is working on a video documentary about NORTH OF DESOLATION SOUND. He plans to live aboard at a logging camp above the YUCULTA RAPIDS part of the time and explore this area through the winter. The reason for this area is its direct access to CEL and Internet at the camp. He said that he has several thousand hits on his site even before it is under way. I must admit that there are people with “a back to nature” desire so strong they would be keenly interested in this. You would be hard pressed to find a cruising area more desolate and dangerous so close to a major metropolitan area in the winter. There are no shortage of water funnels, ice conditions, horrendous winds, torrent creeks, and mountain slides, not to be light on the mention of cougars, wolves and wolverines. Because the weather is undetermined grizzly come out of their winter sleep and are hungry looking for a meal. Most writers and film makers expound about the summer fun in this area. Maybe he is on to something with this. He did say that he wanted to start of small.

Penny is off on a hunt for black berries with her side kick Chevy. The dog is slowly acquiring a taste for these tinny morsels and has started to pick her own. We do happy hour on the dock. Gary brings his own beer and we supply the chicken appies. The wind is still high and somewhere out there it is rough water, the host will be Mr. Johnstone of Johnstone and company, proprietor of the narrow body of the water that you head north through to Alaska.  

I finish my pecking on the computer and contemplate what tomorrow will bring. AGAIN I THINK ABOUT, if there is any one following this drivel on the Blog it is a little frustrating to follow day to day. This due to the scarcity of cell towers in paradise. For my part of the drivel I am up to date. Penny will post a number of times the same post and it is a hit and many misses. Good old Telus meters the amount of data they are accepting on wireless even though we have unlimited data. We can only snag a signal were we would prefer not be for any length of time Zzzzzzz.