Nice Men in Uniform Dropped by for a Visit...

A couple of local denizens (sea lions) watched us as we slowly motor on by, between Bella Bella and Shearwater, BC.

Underway and southwest bound in Mathiesen Channel.

Yumm!   Mex breakfast.  2 fried eggs in chipotle and cumin seasoning, chorizo, refried black beans, cherry tomatoes, cheese, tomatillo salsa, with bacon and love.   Does it get better than this?   I don't think so!

Oh, wait - it does.   A fresh cinnamon roll, courtesy of Nicki.   I swear I've added at least an inch and 4lbs to my girth and weight this week!
In Reid Passage, the fog set in pretty thick.
And then it cleared up.   Don't hit that rock!
Which way do I go?  The channel is on this side of the marker (above), the other side is only 4' deep.  Hmmm.
Nicki & Bill, watching from the flybridge.


At least for a short while, until abandoned by Nicki, Bill succumbed...  Sun, warmth, the flybridge = naptime.

Unfortunately, this was courteously interrupted by the Canadian Coast Guard...

Here, the Canadian Coast Guard is boarding us to inspect fishing licenses and our fishing gear.

As you know, we don't fish, but some of our guests do.  Unfortunately, Bill didn't have a license.   They want you to have a license regardless of whether you actually catch fish or not.   No pity for unsuccessful fishing...

Additionally, unlike Alaska, in Canada, you cannot use treble hooks and you can't use hooks with barbs when fishing for salmon.   This was an expensive lesson for us.

I will say that the Coast Guard were very polite, proper, and professional.   We were in the wrong and we readily admitted it and accepted their fine.

Darn!
Off to get another boater for doing improper things in Canadian waters.
The lightstation at Dryad Point, just north of Bella Bella, BC.

And across from the lightstation in the prior photo is this cool totem.

We pulled into the marina at Shearwater next to Explorer IV, from Newfoundland!   Yup, what a beautiful old Romsdahl troller (North Sea fishing boat design).   She is beautiful and kept in beautiful condition.

Bill & Nicki went off for a walk/hike on land through the resort (?) at Shearwater.
A standoff...   My money is on Bill, only because the bear is bronze.
What a great couple of people, guests, and fellow human beings.
Dinner aboard Blue Redd this evening.   Chicken ravioli in a Bolognese with mushrooms, olives, and spicy Italian sausage.   Man, that was great eats.

We had a couple of wines, a 2021 Malbec/Cab Franc blend from Argentina and a 2023 Cab Sauv from Coonawarra, Australia.   All pretty darn good.






Sunset.   I don't have words for this...

Tomorrow, we bid farewell to Bill & Nicki.  Way to short.  While my caloric intake will (needfully) plummet with Nicki's departure, I will likely go into complete muffin/pastry/cake/loaf withdrawal.  Maybe my expanded waist will soon recover.  What delightful girth abuse!

As a reminder to ourselves, next year, we vow to hire a fishing guide immediately upon their arrival, catch our limits, and then fish for pure pleasure rather than suffer the immense peer pressure of fishing for dinner.   And, maybe we will learn something about fishing up here too.

Good Night, My Friends.

Comments

  1. AnonymousAugust 23, 2026 at 3:14 AM

    Learning to fish for salmon successfully seems like a very useful skill when one is on the water nearly 100% of the time.

    … and the sunset images are spectacular! -CM

    ReplyDelete

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