Day 20 - Silva Bay

It was another clear, sunny, and warm day. We went ashore this morning and had showers then washed a load of laundry. After lunch I emptied out the 20 liters of spare diesel fuel into the main tanks then motored to the fuel dock to fill them up again. The fuel cost $25.00 and I noticed that the next pump had $720 on it.

We then set off on the Zodiac for some exploration of the area. We took the non-navigable channel between Tugboat and Sear islands then circumnavigated Sear island. Proceeding up the very narrow "Small Boat Passage" between Sear and Gabriola Island I considered then rejected the idea of shutting down the outboard motor and drifting quietly with the breeze back to Silva Bay. Good thing I didn't. I heard a roar and saw only about 300 meters away the sea plane at full revs heading our way for a takeoff. I altered course for the shore but the plane was gaining speed and I had to use the throttle to clear the channel quickly. The plane lifted off maybe 30 meters behind us. I'm pretty sure that the pilot knew that we were there and had evasive moves up his sleeve, and I am just a sure that he uses this technique to clear his air strip of unsuspecting visitors in small boats.

We then motored through Silva Bay and past Pachuca and landed on Vance Island after being attracted by a wild deer and a derelict shack. We walked through the heavily wooded island to the other side to get spectacular views of the Strait of Georgia and the snow-covered mountains on the mainland. There were plenty of otters in the water. We then circumnavigated Vance Island and returned to Pachuca.

We returned to shore at 6.30 PM and I was able to use the local WiFi to upload some photos of Silva Bay. Then we had dinner at the restaurant which has spectacular views, reasonable prices, and great service.

We have found Silva Bay to be a delightful place and are glad that we decided to spend the extra day here.

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