Salt Spring to South Pender

 

We arrived at Ganges Marina on Sunday to find a very busy and discombobulated situation. In fairness, we were early and they were understaffed. After talking with another boater, we are pretty certain that better signage on the docks (even/odd) and an updated marina map in Waggoner could help matters. Anyhoo, we got docked and went to Moby’s for lunch.

We headed to Mouat's (great store!) and purchased a small pan designed for grilling. Worked great for nachos on the Magma! We also grabbed beans from Salt Spring Coffee.

On Monday we took the bikes southwest from Ganges to Fulford Harbour, a small village with one of three ferry terminals for Salt Spring Island. Not a heck of a lot there but a very beautiful ride (the “quiet” route for bicycles) and a really nice lunch at the Rock Salt Restaurant & Cafe there at the wharf.

Ferry terminal:

From the wharf looking back to the village:

Expansive view:

Oh…island whimsey:

We had an awesome conversation with an older couple who live in Vancouver and have a family cottage on Salt Spring Island. They just did a 4-day kayak camping trip with their grandson. They are experienced kayakers and their 21-year-old grandson told them they could do a camping trip because he would be there to help them. Heartwarming.

We took the more direct route back to Ganges so we could visit one of the wineries. We chose Salt Spring Vineyards. Great whites…and a funky establishment. Quite warm.

We might try Salt Spring Marina next time. Or anchoring. It’s a busy and full harbor but there are nooks and crannies with more space than might appear.

The forecast for Ganges for Tuesday was 91 degrees...but ten degrees cooler in Poets Cove, our next destination.

Arrived Poets Cove…again, a little early. Our slip was not vacated, even though check out time had passed. We traveled up the channel a little and had lunch, and then were hailed by the marina that we could head in.

We lounged at the pool for a while yesterday but mostly hung around on the boat where there was a cooling breeze.

Side note: We've seen a few Ranger Tugs heading north for their annual Desolation Sound trip. Should be fun...we'll visit in September!

Off to Sucia today…