I got the opportunity to go on a 54' sailboat up to Desolation Sound.  The Nawalak is owned by Emerald Isle Sailing Charter, captained by Dave Lutz. It was a magical experience to be aboard a sailboat, touring some of the most beautiful spots on earth.  The winds were calm, so we ended up having to motor much of the way, but it was still beautiful.  Our first stop was to clear customs in Bedwell Harbor.  A River Otter kept us entertained for much of our wait. We motored north and spent the night in Pirates Cove, a beautiful protected harbor.  Before departing the next morning, we took a hike on the island.  My favorite find was an Anemone in a tidepool eating a crab.  Who knew? While motoring north to Nanaimo, we passed by a huge sandstone cliff loaded with nesting Cormorants.  As best I could tell, there were both Pelagic and Double-crested. The double-crested were the most interesting, as there was a leucistic chick: After leaving Nanaimo the next morning, we were even more surprised to find a leucistic Great Blue Heron (what is in the water?): The next day was our best day for wildlife photography. We saw many harbor seals and their pups: And one of my favorites, the Oystercatcher: Apparently there was something dead up on the cliff, because there were lots of Turkey Vultures: That evening we had a spectacular smoky sunset, then a smoky full moon rise: This area was also rich in wildlife.  Lots of harbor seals and oystercatchers, but also a new bird for me, the Black Turnstone: There was also a Bald Eagle nest on the adjoining island. The folks were hanging out trying to relax a bit: That day ended up being a long journey to our destination: Desolation Sound. The sky was smoky, creating an element of mystery as we sailed (yes, we finally sailed a bit, but the winds died again): The water up there was the most spectacular color blue: The terrain is so steep, we had to use a stern tie for the first time in the trip: We spent the entire day the next day swimming in the warm waters of Desolation Sound.  I got a tremendous sunburn, as I kind of lost my head swimming in these lovely waters. The next day we motored down to Refuge Cove. We only stopped for provisions and ice cream, but I think it was one of my favorite spots.  Really pretty spot, and very friendly people: That evening we anchored in probably the prettiest harbor of the whole trip. We were in Prideaux Haven, and there were at least 30 other boats anchored there when we arrived.  We found a fine spot to anchor and did not have to do a stern tie. The next morning, after a wonderful kayak trip around the area, we motored out into Georgia Straight.  It was dead calm and glassy smooth.  In this gorgeous calm water, we got our best sighting of Humpback Whales: There were 4 whales total, each pair was a juvenile and its mom. They had been breaching before we got there (darn, I missed it again), but we got the closest views I have ever had of a humpback: The next day we had to motorsail back across Georgia Straight. By now the wind had picked up, and I got to learn first hand how rough it can get out there.  It was only blowing about 15mph, but the trip over to Nanaimo was pretty rough.  I loved it, and actually took a nap so that I could enjoy the feeling of being rocked to sleep.

We spent the night in Nanaimo harbor, and then headed south.  We passed by the Cormorant colony again to look for the Leucistic chick again. No luck (it had fledged), but I got some great shots of a Pelagic Cormorant flying around with nesting material in its mouth: The final night out, we had a beautiful sunset, the end to an idyllic trip: