Saturna Island

Winter Cove is a very sheltered anchorage in the Gulf Islands of British Columbia. It's a popular place with boaters, especially on July 1st, Canada Day, when celebrations include a lamb roast and fireworks. However, this year the cove was very quiet as all celebratory events were cancelled. 

The entrance to the cove is through Plumper Sound to the east, or via Boat Passage, seen above, to the west. The latter is a narrow passage, best crossed at slack tide. 

We took the dinghy to shore and hiked a short distance to the point overlooking Boat Passage. The water rushes out into the Strait of Georgia, and in a few hours, rushes back in again.

 

We spent a peaceful few days in Winter Cove, reading, hiking, and relaxing. Saturna Island is the land mass surrounding the cove, and one day we walked up to the Saturna General Store. 

The island was named for the Spanish schooner, Santa Saturnina, by Spanish explorers in 1791. Ironically, the vessel was formerly a British ship called Northwest America, and was renamed after her capture. There are many Spanish place names on the west coast of Canada, along with those of English and Indigenous origin.

Canada Geese are plentiful in the cove, swimming placidly until someone gets too close and one honk begins a chorus of cacophony carried across the water. 

I picked berries before leaving home, and brought along a small jar of lemon curd and some plain Greek yogurt. I mixed the yogurt and curd together on a whim and ended up with a creamy dessert that we enjoyed twice while out. It's something I'll be repeating. 

There was heavy rain that began one evening and carried through the night. In between the rain showers a golden sunset glowed and bode well for the next day. 

On our way home we spent one night in Bedwell Harbour, off Pender Island. There was a bit of choppy water to cross and dull skies turned the scenery to grey. 

Other than the young couple who paddled the kayaks seen above, we saw no other humans on our short hike on the island. A startled deer hurried past us, and there were plenty of birds singing in the quiet forest. 

After returning home, we spent one night there, then boarded the ferry for a quick trip to the mainland. We stayed two nights with my parents, who we've not seen since Christmas. It was wonderful to be together. 

Home again, and I've spent some time in the garden and will be spending lots more time there. All the cool rain we've had has made the weeds thrive!