Well, it seems that fall has come to the Pacific Northwest.  We woke to a chilly, misty morning in the Squirrel Cove anchorage.  We broke up the raft and waved goodbye to our neighbors for the day.  By this point in the trip, it feels like we’re traveling with our extended family; trading jokes and poking fun at one another.

Today we began our way south back to Bellingham.  We had a longer day today of about 50 miles down the Malaspina Straight to Pender Harbour/Madeira Park.  The day was mostly cloudy and partly rainy, but the winds held off for the most part and we had a smooth ride.

We went out around Harwood Island in order to avoid waking the San Juan Flotilla of sail boats that had been traveling through the same area we were for the past few days, and we were glad that we did!  Once outside of the island and in the more open waters, we came across a group of humpback whales feeding.  One was close to our boats, and we got a good look as it lunge fed and surfaced multiple times.  There were a few other whales further out that were also very active: diving, lunging, spouting and even some small breaches!

Once anchored in Madeira park for the night, some of the crews headed up to the Grasshopper Pub to watch the Monday night football game and have dinner.  A few others went into town to stretch their legs or check out the local shops and stores.  Everyone else settled in on board for a cozy evening in the well protected harbor.