Gorge Harbour - June 23, 24 and 25, 2011

We arrived in Gorge Harbour late afternoon on Wednesday.  It was about a 4 hour motor from Toba Wildernest Marina through some beautiful passages and great scenery.  To our surprise, our friends Julius and Susan aboard Emerald Steel were already at anchor.  It's always good to see boats and people that you recognize.  Rain kicked up shortly after our arrival, so we decided to hang on the boat the balance of the day, saving any off  boat excursions for tomorrow.

In the morning, the rain had let up and we rowed over to the marina and walked up to Funky Trudes Cave for breakfast.  A nice break from being on the boat.  We were able to pick up wifi to check mail, weather, etc.  Late in the day Susan brought over some freshly made bread, baked in Emerald Steels home made bread oven.  They came on board for a beer.  While we were chatting, s/v Sabbatical came motoring into the harbour.  Bill and Claudia, Janet's brother and sister in law, had found us.

After they got settle, they came over on their brand new dinghy with a bottle of wine in hand.  After the wine and a few beers, we decided to do a pot luck dinner.  Bill and Claudia brought steaks and a crab, freshly caught from the back of their boat the day before.  Janet and I provided the vegies, potatoes, salad and beer. It turned out to be a fantastic evening enjoying some great food and getting caught up.

This morning we awoke with batteries that are in desperate need of a recharge.  A re-charge is an absolute must, but showers and laundry are on the agenda as well.  We are on shore now, so are taking advantage of the wifi and waiting for the laundry to finish up.  We haven't decided yet, but as soon as we get back to the boat we will need to address the battery issue.  Options include motoring over to the docks for the balance of the day where we could plug into shore power, running the engine for a few hours, or leaving and heading to our next port (the time in route would allow the batteries to charge).

Day 3 at Gorge Harbour:

After figuring out that our low battery status was a result of accidentally leaving the water heater on, we decided that simply running the engine to re-charge the batteries was the best option.  A partial charge was all that was needed, so we ran the motor for about an hour and 15 minutes.  Problem solved and all is well.

Day 3 at Gorge Harbour was spent mostly relaxing on the boat.  Paul did make a run out in the dinghy with Bill to drop a crab pot.  Bill dropped his near a rocky shoreline and Paul placed his in the center of the harbor behind two islets.  Each selecting what they thought would be the prime place to catch crab.  Feeling quite confident, the two fishermen returned to their respective boats with plans for a crab feast.

Later in the day, Bill and Claudia came over for another pot luck dinner aboard Talos IV.  Following dinner, we headed for shore where the marina was hosting their nightly bonfire.  It turned out that we, along with a group from other boat, and the local Department of Fisheries Agent were the only attendees.  It was a fun evening listening to the stories, especially from Mr. Agent Man.  He had a way about his story telling that just captivated you and held your attention.

The following morning before making preparations for our departure, Paul and Bill made a run out to retrieve their catch.  Bill’s trap came up first with only two small star fish, but no crab.  Still feeling confident, Paul pulled his trap only to find it completely empty.  The crab feast was put on hold due to lack of crab for the hungry mob.  The whole process was a learning experience and both expect better results next time.

Elizabeth Island.  We thought our friend Elizabeth in
Seattle would enjoy knowing that their was an
island bearing her name.

Laundry drying indoors.  Normally we hang it on the
rail, but with the rain you have to do what you can.

Motoring through the Gorge as we enter Gorge Harbour.

Louie hanging out on the deck enjoying a bit of sunshine.

s/v Sabbatical arrives in Gorge Harbour.

Paul heads off on a crab catching adventure.

The two crabbers prepare for the catch.