We were underway by 8am this morning and headed south toward Pender Harbor.  As we cruised through the harbor, the morning sun made it over the top of the surrounding hillsides and lit up the other boats still at anchor.  Kingfishers chattered and dove along the shorelines.  Todd has been doing a photo study on these beautiful birds, and he got some great shots.

We had another beautiful, sunny day for cruising today.  We traveled along what is known as BC’s Sunshine Coast.  This area gets less rain than Vancouver and is a popular vacation and retirement area.  We passed the towns of Lund and Powell River.  It was fun to see the many different styles of homes that dotted the hillsides, from tiny, off the grid cabins to enormous mansions.

For most of the day, we worked our way south through Malaspina Straight.  The wind was behind us all day so it was a smooth ride.  At one point a humpback whale surfaced right next to Change of Latitude!  Seeing the whale right next to the boat gave us perspective on their size.  Otherwise, we were kept entertained by the many other boaters coming and going around us.

Change of Latitude chose to head over to the other side of Texada Island and anchor at Jedadiah Island.  The rest of us continued on to Pender Harbor.  As we entered the harbor, we watched as many sailboats cruised around on the light breeze.  This is a busy little harbor with many houses along the shore and boats in the water.

We anchored the boats, and went ashore to explore the small community of Madeira Park.  It was a warm, sunny afternoon perfect for grabbing an ice cream cone and strolling around.  The small town doesn’t have much more than a coffee shop, grocery store, art gallery and a small marina.  Still, it felt good to get off the boats for a while and enjoy some creature comforts.