We woke before sunrise this morning in order to time the rapids on the way out of the inlet.  The air felt fresh, cold and clean and Orion’s belt still shown in the sky above us.  The mirror still water reflected the surrounding mountains as the sky began to brighten.  We cruised through the rapids without a problem and waved goodbye to the tranquil waters of Princess Louisa Inlet.

Our trip back through Jervis Inlet was lovely, as the sun hit the tops of the mountains and warmed us through our windows.  The strong katabatic winds that hit whipped up the waters on the way in had died down and the ride was calm and pleasant the whole way.

With the help of the ebbing tide, we made good time to Madeira park and were settled in by early afternoon.  Bonum Vitae, Aquila and Grey Lady all rafted with Deception in the middle of the bay, while Nauti Otter chose to have some solitude and anchored on their own.  When we stopped here on the way up, it was a cloudy, rainy evening and in the bright sun of this afternoon we barely recognized the place.  Our crews headed off to shore to stretch their legs, find a bite to eat and poke around the small town.  We also took a cruise into the back of the lagoon and watched the harbor seals lounging in the warmer waters.

A few of the crews headed up to the Grasshopper Pub for a meal and a drink and to take in the view of the harbor from the top of the hill.  The rest of us settled in on board for our last night out at anchor on this trip.  We all enjoyed a beautiful sunset and a restful night in Madeira Park.  The forecast for tomorrow looks good for our crossing of the Strait of Georgia.