Discovery Cove, Troup Passage

We moved back through Troup Narrows traveling a few miles south down Troup Passage to a niche in Discovery Cove. This anchorage was another quiet spot behind an island, protected on one side by a low, rocky reef. I was at the helm and slowly ran the big boat in to the cove while RL tended the line towing the skiff (keeping it clear of the propellers). There was an exciting minute or two when I could not spot a charted island that Nobeltec, the navigation program, lists as visible, dry land. Surprise! in real life it covers at a 5' tide, not a comforting thought when Rhapsody draws 5 feet. Just one more reason to stay alert, and keep comparing real-world views with the computer screen.

We couldn't wait to hop in the skiff and go exploring. Our dinghy excursion turned up two other boats in neighboring niches, nothing like the crowds on the other side of the narrows. We viewed wide expanses of shoreline grass with beaten down paths, maybe game trails, but no animals ever appeared. Several dry creek beds could carry snowmelt runoff in spring or even be seasonal creeks, but during this unusually dry summer not even the ubiquitous pink salmon have been drawn to spawn here. Not yet anyway. No rain = no runoff to attract returning salmon runs = no bears fishing/feeding at the shoreline. Drat.

RL worked on several boat maintenance projects, installed the new battery in the RIB and designed some rigging and an improved method for towing the Whaler. I baked bread, began a new knitting project and worked on some blog posts... hoping to find an internet connection... soon... somewhere.