A beautiful warm morning greeted us in Okeover Arm.  We shoved off from the dock and traveled out around the Malaspina Peninsula.  We traveled through a small group of islands known as Copeland Marine Provincial Park.  Red-barked madrona trees clung to the cliffsides, and blue herons and oyster catchers hunted along the shorelines.  We watched as kayakers and canoers paddled the calm waters between the islands.

While underway today, one of our boats had an engine overheat.  Our crew sprung into action, launching the dinghy in the middle of the straight and dropping Jordan off with his tool bag to assess the problem.  He stayed on board with them the rest of the way to Pender Harbour to monitor the situation and had the issue diagnosed and fixed before dinner time.  We all agreed that this is the reason to travel in a flotilla.  Having that support allows you to relax, and turns a potentially stressful situation into a minor event.

As we were pulling into Pender Harbour, Grand Adventure spotted an orca whale next to their boat!  There was also a sail boat race taking place in the harbor, though there wasn’t much wind.  As soon as we had anchored the sail boaters designated Inception as the finish line for their race.  Suddenly, there was a fleet of sail boats turning slowly around our boats.  It was fun to watch their slow race pass by.

We took the dinghies over to the tiny community of Madeira Park.  They have everything you could ever want: a grocery store, an excellent coffee shop, and a pub.  Most of our crews made use of the coffee shop and grocery store, grabbing an ice cream cone and some fresh provisions.  It was nice to walk around the small town.  The local art gallery was open and there was even a live concert to listen to.

Our boats chose to have dinner on board this evening.  It was Grand Adventure’s turn to have dinner aboard Deception this evening.  Ann, Ed, Ned and Peter all joined us for a nice dinner.  Afterward, Ned and Peter took the dinghy out for a tour of the surrounding lagoons.  This area is much more developed than anywhere else we have anchored so far and it was fun to look at all of the houses.

The smoke from the BC fires nearby gave the day an eerie look.  It also created an especially beautiful red sunset as the sun went down through the haze.  We settled in early for a quiet night at anchor and full night’s rest.  Tomorrow we start early in order to cross the Straight of Georgia.