Cruising on the Central Coast is mostly about anchoring, so the occasional visit to a marina is usually accompanied by a flurry of chores. No other marina or town on the Central Coast offers the convenience and capability of Shearwater. Within just a few steps of the top of the dock is a surprisingly well stocked grocery and liquor store, coffee shop, pub and restaurant, excellent laundromat, chandlery, and boat yard. It’s been a week since we were in Campbell River, and we all had at least a few chores to take care of.
We pulled away from Ocean Falls by 9:00 a.m. for the three hour cruise to Shearwater. Our route took us through Gunboat Passage, a narrow, winding, shallow cut that looks intimidating on the chart but is easily navigated with the aid of modern electronics. We all made it into Shearwater in good time and began our chores. Several boats topped off the fuel tanks and we cleaned out the fresh produce at the grocery store.
Canadian Coast Guard cutter Vector was at the dock, along with a fast RIB and helicopter. We couldn’t resist “What’s your vector, Victor?” jokes!
We had a group dinner at the pub…good food and really nice to let someone else do the cooking and dishes!
Today’s total: 22.1 nautical miles, 3 hours 2 minutes underway
Flotilla total: 388.7 nautical miles, 55 hours 28 minutes underway
