Pender Harbour to Secret Cove

July 3 – Pender Harbour to Secret Cove

Pender Harbor to Secret Cove, 10.75 nautical miles

Total this trip to date: 523.36 NM

We had a favorable weather forecast for Georgia Strait this morning, so we hoisted our anchor and left Pender Harbour at 0645. As we entered Georgia Strait, we found about 1-2 foot swells. As we turned toward Nanaimo, the swells were increasing and were on our beam. We started rolling and it soon became uncomfortable. So, rather than having another 2 hours of uncomfortable conditions, we decided to stop at a nearby anchorage, and made our way to Secret Cove. We decided to anchor just in case we saw conditions improve and we could head for Nanaimo. However, the wind increased, and, like yesterday, the weather forecast was changed at the 1030 update. Now the forecast was for NW 15-20. So we decided to stay in Secret Cove, and realized that the swells we encountered were announcing the wind that was on the way. Our anchor spot near the head of the bay north of the Secret Cove Marina was very comfortable.

We had a very nice day in Secret Cove. The sun came out, and it was a pretty spot and a quiet day. Today was our 8th consecutive day of rain (early this morning), so the blue sky and sunny afternoon felt wonderful. The kitties enjoyed the quiet time too. After many days without WiFi, we finally found an Internet connection and have been able to update the postings on our blog.

We think we’ll give Georgia Strait another try in the morning, as it looks as if we might have a day of settled conditions…however, it will depend on what we find once we get out there!

Secret Cove Marina and Store

Phoenix at anchor in Secret Cove

Mickey with the stuffed crab in his mouth
(Sorry it's a little fuzzy, he was moving pretty fast!)