What a difference a couple of days make! Coming into the bay we had 30+ Knot winds with 3 to 4 foot waves. Coming out a few days later there was barely enough breeze to tickle a cat’s whiskers. We motored out of Fishermans Wharf under partial sun and flat calm seas. As we reached the entrance I rolled out the sails as Linda rolled her eyes. I knew it was wishful thinking but a guy’s gotta try! We ended up motoring all the way across but it was pleasant.
We entered Active Pass with the current and met a large pleasure craft and of course a BC Ferry coming the opposite way. Those BC ferries are huge compared to the ones we have running around Puget Sound.
We rounded Phillimore Point and tucked in behind Parker Island to enter Montague Harbour. Obviously this is a very popular anchorage and marina. Their is a huge mooring field in the NW of the bay and an anchorage and marina in the SE side. There must be 150 mooring balls in this field. 
If we have a chance to secure a mooring ball as opposed to throw the anchor out I’m all for it as long as the weather is settled. Once we got Pellucidar secured, we did some quick pick up around the boat and lowered the dingy to register.
View of the mooring field looking South
It was later afternoon when we arrived so after registering we took the dingy over to the marina and grabbed some lunch. They have what some call a coffee shop but the menu provides a variety of fare to satisfy most any pallet and a nice store to pick up some needed items. No cruising meal is complete without a sampling of the local ice cream. By the time we got back to the boat we were ready to relax and turn in for the evening.
Originally we were only going to stay overnight but with so much to see we decided to spend the next day exploring the island. In addition we had heard a rumor about some crazy guy named Tommy Transit. He picks you up in an old school bus and takes you across the island to a local pub. This we gotta see……
More on this later…..
Next morning we took the dingy to shore to give our surroundings a little deeper scrutiny.
The path begins here. Did I mention Linda had a knee replacement in March? Actually she was doing great by this time in our trip and scaled this incline in no time.
Here are a few shots of our walkabout……
We had a great afternoon wandering around the island. We got back to the boat and prepared for our ride to the marina and our trip with Tommy Transit.
We were guided up the hill behind the marina by a series of arrows and flyers. The group grew as we all waited for this bus and the anticipation seemed to build the longer we stood there. As well known as this event is, it seemed that no one in our group had experienced this event before. When I say experienced, that is exactly what I mean. As Tommy came around the corner you could hear the Beatles blasting from the open windows. He pulls up to the stop, flings open the door and welcomes you with a big toothy grin. As you board the bus everyone is handed a percussion instrument. Music is cranked and you are swept up into Raytheon as it courses through the bus. Above Tommy is a full compliment of cymbals, bells, wood blocks, etc. Anything that can carry or accept a beat.
Tommy transports us not only to the pub across the island but into an entirely new dimension.
Here is a little sampling of our ride….
The pub was just as much fun. We sat on the back deck on a nice summer evening enjoying the various birds, squirrels and flowers that surrounded the restaurant. You were welcome to stay as long as you liked as long as you caught the last bus home. The ride back was just as much fun. Tommy was a bus driver for the Vancouver BC transit authority and made it his mission to have a positive impact on the people he served each and every day. I bought and read his book. It would not hurt any of us to pick up a little part of Tommy’s mission and make it our own. You can contact Tommy at http://www.tommytransit.com if you want to pick up a copy.
The dingy ride back to the boat was un-eventful. (That is a good thing in a dingy at night) We hit the rack later that evening in anticipation of crossing back into the United States tomorrow.
More on that with the next installment…….
SV Pellucidar 