This is a guest blog from Noel – on Eldean for Leg 1 of the Mother Goose Alaska Flotilla.  Enjoy!

What time is it?  Oh…right, we’re in Fury Cove and the morning has greeted us with a silken glow.  It’s beautiful here and another day spent in this idyllic place would not be a chore.  But, Jordan, our intrepid leader, is moving about and making sure all of us are up and ready to move on.  “We need to up anchor at 0940 and the last boat needs to be off the raft by 1000 hours.”  We’re headed to Shearwater today and some time at a dock with all the amenities that docks provide.  Noise, confusion and pubs.  This pub is really good, as most of the eateries are in this neck of the woods.  What’s not to like, eh?

However, today on the way up Fitzhugh Sound we enjoyed miles and miles of not much but beautiful scenery.  By this time in the cruise the group has become a family and the bonhomie that comes with being so close comes through on the radio in the friendly banter and gentle kidding we give each other.  Johnny called out the first whale sighting of the day.  A big humpback whale has breached right in front of Grand Adventure, then it sounded.  That got our attention.  Chelsea promptly lit up the VHF radio and filled us in on the particulars of that species.

Our flotilla travels a bit faster than most of the sailboats that had been anchored in Fury Cove so we got to greet some of them when everyone had arrived in Shearwater. This quaint village is on Denny Island.  Originally Shearwater was developed as an antisubmarine bomber reconnaissance post during World War II and later grew into a thriving fishing resort. We tied up with the expert help of Chelsea, Brian and Jordan, hooked up the ‘lectricity, and congratulated ourselves on another successful day of boating. Chelsea got a group together and led a hike along the shoreline.  There is always the chance of spotting that elusive critter.  Most of us had a nice meal at the local pub and talked about each others backgrounds while we watched the Warriors beat the Cavaliers. Very interesting stuff as we come from all over the world.  Dessert was fresh chocolate chip cookies baked by Bonnie on Eldean, along with a wee dram of single malt. Tomorrow before we leave, Chelsea will be leading another walk.

We are in the back of beyond and headed further up the line.  Tomorrow it’s another anchorage.  In Rescue Bay we will anchor individually rather than in a collective raft like last night.  Then it’s in the dinghy.  We have friends to see and dinner to have on someone’s boat.  Stories to share and friendships to cement. See you tomorrow.