Desolation Sound, British Columbia (see our blog for more information)
There are just have-to go places when visiting Desolation Sound and one of them is Squirrel Cove on Cortes Island. This large cove can accommodate many boats without the feeling of being too crowded. There are no docks or marinas inside the cove; anchoring is the rule and using a stern tie to the shore is especially helpful. Typically beginning in mid-July and lasting through August, the floating bakery is opened and operated by a local couple who bake pies and bread nearly every day. The price is right, the quality is incredible and the convenience of having this at the cove is magical.
New Places and Familiar Ones
For this trip, we launched at Campbell River and allowed the winds and the currents to dictate where we would go. We spent a night in Roscoe Bay (the second photo from the top), a place that is only accessible at high tide and then walked to the nearby fresh water lake. We had been to Manson's Landing (above photo) years ago and would spend a night there to enjoy the absolutely best tide pools in the whole region that contain millions of sand dollars and sea stars. An overnight at Grace Harbor (photo below) is always delightful and we found a new place at Gorge Harbor, spending two nights discovering a protected cove and a wonderful full-service marina that is not snooty at all.