Although the howling wind woke me up a few times during the night, I had a very good sleep right until 0900 hrs. Still very windy this morning as gale force winds are forecasted again for today. Around noon, I sailed right from anchor to dock, to the store in Squirrel Cove. Prices there are very reasonable indeed, if one considers the remoteness. Provisioned enough to last me for a while.

Called Jules and was filled with good news. She will try to find out if she can still take two weeks off come sailing to Princess Louisa.

Although it looked like a promising sail down to Prideaux, I decided to return to anchor in Squirrel Cove and to take it easy for a while. I will try to call home again try to get Dan to bring me the missing stuff to Comox. I could then cross over and get it there. I will bring the list with me the next time I call.

Georgette tending the flowers

My God there are some nice boats in this bay! Besides Y-Knot, of course, there is the 'Surfin' from Victoria, a beautiful two-masted schooner, all painted white... That one is about sixty feet of sheer beauty. I must have spent two hours, just watching that boat swinging about. What a sight.

Another ocean-going yacht of some 150' came in the cove to make a 'power-pass'. If that bucket didn't sport ten antennas of various kind all about it, it didn't have one. I am ready to bet that floating palace even had a depth finder, by golly! One thing for sure, they had good navigation equipment as they made it that far and their port of registry was Philadelphia, of all places. The owner must own a chain of shoe-shine stores out there!

Early tonight, I spent over two hours transcribing notes from the sailing books to the charts. There's no time to read the book when you're tacking in 25 knot winds. As a matter of fact, there's barely enough chance to read and interpret the charts. Oh well, that's part of the fun.

For supper, I pigged out! In order to celebrate the good news from home and also, the 26th day of my cruise, I even allowed myself the luxury of a cold beer with my Riz Pilaff, mushroom and cream of tomato. I had bought two beers today. At the price they charged, that's all that 'le petit moi' could splash on that item. I save the last beer to drink at the head of Toba or Bute Inlet, whichever comes first.

I was not planning on going to neither of those inlets but, after re-reading the sailing book: tall mountains, thundering boulders into the sea, ice for the icebox right on the shore, etc, etc ... I was sold. They say there are no safe anchorages to speak of in those inlets, with depths of up (or is it down) to 1800 feet in the channel but, as usual, I am sure that Y-Knot will find some safe place somewhere. If not, it's going to be a helluva long sail there and back because Bute Inlet is over 40 miles long, from its entrance! As usual, we'll see, eh?

We are still swinging madly in the cove. E. Lee is anchored right next to me and , he too swings. I can't talk to Clyde on the VHF for now because, as is his habit, they already have hit the sack!