A couple of posts back, I introduced my friend David that took us out on his boat when he and his family came for a visit to Galiano. Now David is a much better friend then we deserve. He has another boat, a much smaller one on a trailer that he offered us to use for the rest of the summer! On this trip we took the boat out for a maiden voyage…

Taking the boat over on the ferry - our first time towing with the boat.

David’s “other” boat is a 15’ Boston Whaler with a 60hp outboard motor. It’s a nice, stable easy little boat - perfect for Justine and I to get comfortable on the water in. We’re a bit nervous, as neither of us has a lot of experience with boats, and zero experience backing a trailer up into the water!

We decided to take the boat out on Saturday, and we had a perfect day for it! It was sunny and calm as we headed down to Montague Harbour to try and launch the boat. Let’s just say our first attempt was a bit… rocky. I eventually managed to back the boat into the water (low tide did not help), but it was not graceful or quick.

Once I parked the truck and trailer, it took us a while to get the boat running. It required a call into David, and after a couple of minor quirks of this particular boat were sorted out, we were running smoothly! We pushed off, and our day on the water began!

And we were off and cruising on a beautiful day.

We didn’t really have a plan for the day. We wanted to take the boat out and see how it did in the waters around Galiano. We thought we’d explore the coastline of the island, as well as maybe some of the smaller islands around the area. We brought lunch and beverages, and would take the day as it came.

As we headed up the west coast of Galiano, we checked out all kinds of neat things!

One of Galiano’s most famous features, Mushroom Rock as we cruised by.

The scenery along the coast is beautiful. All the cliffs and sandstone make for amazing forms.

This is the cool house we’ve seen from shore a number of times over the years. It’s a great spot.

The sandstone makes for some crazy formations.

Close to the Galiano Conservancy, this amazing sandstone formation might have been the most interesting feature we saw.

A couple of different views of the formation.

We saw lots of wildlife on the cruise. Momma seal and her pup were pretty much undisturbed by us cruising by.

A little while later, we made it as far north as Retreat Cove. This is pretty close to our place, and a regular spot that we like to go to. There are sand caves there that we’ve explored regularly.

The lovely Retreat Cove and its public dock.

We cruised into, and then out of the Cove and back out into the channel.

As we continued north, we noticed a flotilla of whale watching boats cruising north. That seemed like a positive development! Not long after we cautiously caught up with them (and stayed well outside the closest one), we saw what had attracted them - a humpback and her calf! It was quite amazing to have seen this, and we cruised along for a while, staying a safe distance away but enjoying the site for these amazing creatures.

After watching the whales for a bit, we let them get far up ahead of us and crossed the channel to go explore some of the nearby islands. There are a whole string of islands just off of Galiano, and we started working our way back south along the little islands.

As we pulled up to one of the small islets, an eagle took off, then flew over to a tree on the small islet.

Eventually the eagle didn’t want to hang out with us.

As we cruised further south, the little rocks and islets were covered with harbour seals. There were so many of them, many with small pups. So cute!

It was getting close to lunch time, and we needed a spot where we could ideally tie up and take a break. We were close to Wallace Island (the place David took us to last trip), and so we thought we’d try and see if there was a spot at the dock for us.

On the way in, I spotted a couple of porpoises cruising up the channel. We were having such a good day for wildlife!

We cruised into the cove and were lucky enough to get the last spot at the dock! There were quite a few large boats all tied up, and many looked like they had been there for a few days at least.

Success at our first docking!

Heading up the dock to find a spot for lunch.

It was a beautiful day, and we enjoyed the view from the picnic table in the shade.

There was lots to see as we sat at the picnic table and enjoyed the afternoon. In addition to all the boat traffic and people coming and going, there was a juvenile bald eagle up in a tree over the dock. We also saw a mink patrolling the shoreline, despite how busy it was around the dock.

The next interesting thing was a seagull that was in the middle of eating a purple sea star. It’s so awkward looking, and it’s amazing that they seem to eat them so regularly. We’ve seen this a few times.

We spent a couple of hours at the dock on Wallace. We had our lunch in the shade, then went for a swim off the dock. The water was amazing and we paddled about and enjoyed the water for a while. Eventually it was time to continue our adventure.

We headed down Wallace, across the channel and along the outside of Parker Island. There wasn’t a lot to see, but the scenery was nice.

Some cool little islands along the way.

Kayakers and seals!

One of the many beautiful little cottages along the way.

One last eagle.

Eventually we got back to Montague Harbour, and the second of our great trials. For whatever reason, I could not back the empty trailer down the boat ramp. Justine did better, and after some serious struggles, we got the boat back out of the water.

We celebrated with a beer on the beach and another swim. The water here was a bit colder but still amazing, as we enjoyed wrapping up our relaxing day on the water. Thanks David!