We departed Pruth Bay early to press north to Shearwater. Conditions looked good for a smooth transit. (No sun, but we can’t be too picky.)
Coming out of Pruth Bay, Dog Star got some favorable sailing conditions and took advantage of them.
Shearwater/Bella Bella is really the only good provisioning stop along the middle of the north coast. Things like produce are often scarce there, so it’s a bit of a “take what you can find” situation. But, Shearwater has a marine store, a laundromat, a boatyard, a fuel dock, water, and a good pub/restaurant. We were looking forward to having dinner out for a change.
As usual, first order of business upon arrival in Shearwater: check the produce at the market.
Luckily, Ralph and Vincent on Kali arrived a bit earlier and were already in Bella Bella and sent this photo of the market over there.
So most of the group hopped on the next the water taxi/sea bus and headed to Bella Bella to shop.
We walked town briefly and then shopped. Bella Bella is the largest community on the Central Coast north of Queen Charlotte Strait. It is home to the Heiltsuk First Nation, with a population of about 1,400.
After grocery shopping and a few boat projects, the group met for dinner up at the pub/Fishermen’s Bar & Grill. So nice to have a meal out when we can!
Our stop in Shearwater is always a busy day!