Starting our day in the sun and enjoying our mornings with our crew, we all gathered along the beach front of Waiatt Bay and began our stroll over to Small Inlet in the late morning, watching the sun move over us and casting golden greens among the forest around us.

After enjoying the low-tide wonders of Small Inlet we continued through the forest and hiked our way up to Newton Lake. The trail up met us with empowering incline and the harmonious chatter from the local forest critters, immersing us in our first journey through what feels like an untouched trail since the winter season has come and gone.

Although the forests are starting to dry up, we were still able to see many species of mushrooms scattered throughout the forest brush making for a fun(gi) game to keep our eyes wandering around the trail.

After the trek to our destination, we all soaked up the sun on a lakeside granite rock and ate some snacks, shared some stories, and a few of us took a swim in the frigid fresh water.

Back down from the lake we all chatted, sharing commonalities and growing closer hand in hand when we were met with obstacles. Round trip the hike was 4.6 miles and a very beautiful way to spend our day.

With the sun still high in the sky we made our way back to our vessels, ate lunch and began our afternoon activities with the biggest smiles on our faces.

With little winds and warm skies we continued to explore our anchorage with our crews and see how what the Octopus Islands have to offer changes as the tide shifts.

Back at home we all wound down, sun kissed and resting well for our venture into Forward Harbour tomorrow morning. Life on the flotilla is never boring and always comforting in the ways we make our fleet our family.