After spending a restless night in Roscoe Bay with strong winds funneling through the narrow entrance, Tom suggests we make a run for it at high tide, back across the Sound to the safety of Grace Bay or ‘Graceland’ as he now coins it. What a different vista, gone are all those majestic peaks, everywhere we look is grey; water, sky, mountains blended in various shades of grey. Grey clouds hang above us shedding their droplets into the void. Everything seems to be made of water. The rain forms a mist obscuring Hytta as she leads the way. I peer into the darkness trying to see her as we fight the wind, waves toss us, water spraying from the bow as we make our way across. We eventually round the point into Malaspina Inlet expecting a respite, only to find we are still battling the wind & now we have the current against us too. The trip seems endless but we eventually make the sheltered waters of Grace Bay, whose arms envelop us once more, time to finish dinner…..

After 2 straight days on the boat I am going stir crazy, & when I spot a break in the clouds I drag Ron away from his chores to get some fresh air & exercise, we decide to explore a nearby trail. Once again the first thing we spot is bear scat all round a crab apple tree, so start making noises as we head along the trail which becomes wetter & wetter as we go. We stumble upon some old logging machinery, abandoned long ago, trees growing up through the axles of a Cat complete with gears & bearings. I realise we are just above a grassy spot at the end of the bay & we scramble down to discover two beautiful waterfalls below us. We decide not to venture further when the path & the stream become one, choosing instead to return to explore the camping area on the rocky ledges above the bay. We have a great view through the trees of the boats anchored below. The rocks are covered with beautiful green mosses & lichens, and as we venture further into the forest from here we discover small clearings full of toadstools. Before returning to the boat we are able to harvest enough of the small, sweet crab apples to share with Tom & Karen, all the while listening carefully for any nearby intruders.

We weather the storm in Grace Bay, as we keep track of the forecasts & weather reports from Georgia Strait. Winds of up to 50 to 60 knots are expected, & we carefully check Parsifal to make sure everything is battened down, before heading over to Hytta for supper. Tom braves the elements and barbecues pork tenderloins, together with sweet potatoes & cabbage salad, the dinner is delicious. Karen produces pumpkin loaf to finish off, it’s delicious. We leave early when the wind starts gusting & Hytta bucks around. We can’t see Parsifal as we leave, there is absolutely no moonlight, but once we spot the light that Ron left burning, the trip becomes easier. Cosy on the boat Ron & I drink tea & play scrabble till after midnite, we eventually fall asleep although the wind is still gusting & whistling around us.