Pender Harbor to Desolation Sound

At 7:00 am, we left Pender Harbor and began our trip to Desolation Sound. I’ve been so excited to get to the area. I’ve been reading different books (Curve of Time, Passage to Juneau, Spillsbury’s Coast) about the area in preparation, and all of these authors have been smitten with the area.

The passage from Pender Harbour to Desolation Sound was a bit rough for me. It was the first time I’ve felt any seasickness on the trip. I’ve been taking my ginger pills regularly, and eating candied ginger (that some very dear friends gifted to me prior to my departure) and I’ve been feeling great. When the seas got a bit rough, I felt better after moving to the front of the boat and focusing on one landmark. Thankfully, the seas grew calmer after about an hour when we moved into a more protected area.

As we officially entered Desolation Sound, I saw immediately that all of the hype as merited. Great big mountains fall straight down into the salt water. There is not a house or sign of people as far as the eye can see. I understand that in the high season, the area is just packed in with boats, all dumping their wastewater directly into the coves and bay, which sadly pollute the pristine area they have come to enjoy. But thankfully, during our stop, there were only a few other boats in the area, besides ours. And our boats carry their waste in tanks, so we aren’t dumping straight into the water.

Participants enjoyed the day swimming, kayaking, fishing and crabbing. One participant knows the area very well, and he went by dinghy to a secret spot to collect oysters. Chef held a cooking class on board Sanctuary for ten participants. The two hour class was really well received, and the food that was prepared was a hit at the potluck dinner that was held immediately afterward, as were the oysters that were generously shared by our oyster hunter. The potluck was great and it was really fun having a chance to get to know the participants better. We have such a fun group of really interesting people.

After the potluck, we clean Sanctuary, where the event was hosted, and after everyone went to bed, staff (and our adopted journalist) headed upstairs to work while we shared a bottle of wine and more giggles. Our photographer worked on the pictures that he’d taken, preparing them for the company blog. Chef and I were tickled when we shared the photos we’d taken with the two professional photographers, and they gave us the greatest compliment when they asked us each if they could use the images we had taken on the blog. We tried in vein to get a satellite connection, but were unsuccessful, so finally went to bed very late without posting to the blogs.