It was a calm, sunny, 70 degree day when we left Gore Bay headed for Hotham Island, Oak Bay. It is an easy 12 mile cruise up through the McBean Channel with an easy entrance between Oak Point and the west end of Hotham Island. This 5-mile long island has 3 well-defined large bays with good depths, mud bottom, room to swing at anchor and protection from all wind directions.I wish I had more pictures, but I often forget my camera as my pockets are now filled with litter bags and dog treats. Exploring by dinghy is always fun especially for checking out tuck-away gunkholes. I barely had this picture taken when Mollie almost scrambled over the side of the dinghy after a seagull.
Here’s a picture of Mount McBean on a cloudy day. We would love to climb it but were told that the surrounding land is owned by the Sagamok First Nation and a few cottagers who do not allow trespassing on their land. Lack of legal shore access could be a big problem with a dog onboard, but our little Mollie is litter box trained. The breeder started her and we’ve continued this skill, using a boot tray filled with wood pellets used for wood stoves. It does the job, smells pretty good and eliminates those early morning and late night jaunts to shore in rain and fog.
Roy Eaton in Little Current hosts the Cruisers’ Net on Channel 71 every morning at 9a.m. You can hear the weather, news, sports, local happenings and boat check-in. Since we had a pretty good radio signal, we called in that Baby Grand was in Oak Bay. It helps build a sense of community amongst boaters and is also good in emergency situations.
