If you’ve read our past blogs you know we are into waterfalls. We are still looking for the ultimate waterfall photo. So when we heard about a special waterfall up Toba Inlet from a charter boat skipper, we decided to investigate.

On the Canadian charts this is not named. Just the usual squiggly line coming to the shoreline from inland.

We refer to this as the waterfall north of Snout Point. The water is deep right up to shore, and we washed our foredeck in this fresh water bath. Best of the summer? We’re not sure, but close to the top of the list.

We’re always on the look out for new ways of doing things, and this is certainly a different approach to cleaning the anchor chain. If you look closely at this woman’s hand, you will see a…

…tea kettle! Can you imagine how clean the bilges must be on this yacht?

Something in this part of the world attracts serious cruisers to water and land. Velocity‘s owners, South Pacific veterans, have a British Columbia home base on land, while they keep their sailing options open. We have lots of other cruising buddies who have settled in this region as well.

We have friends coming to visit in a week who have a small dog. As we’re allergic, Ace has to stay with relatives. Ace’s parents are concerned about his "needs" so we’ve been working up a system which should do the trick. Here is a mock up using the outboard davit on Velocity. Ace can just hang out here, we’ll work a plate for water and food into the design, and as long as we are not in a "no discharge zone" all his needs will be met.

A new way of dealing with the ends of light lines. We learned this years ago as a "firemen’s braid" which we sometimes use on electrical cords.

Where to put solar panels is always a conundrum. Here there are opposing panels – three to a side. This is a highly inefficient layout as half or more of the panels are not aimed at the sun and all are subject to shading from their neighbors and rigging. These would be better arrayed off the stern rails.

Can you spot what is wrong with this photo of a main sheet block? Nothing is securing the clevis pin on the shackle. All running rigging blocks should have their clevis pins secured with a nylon wire tie of bit of seizing wire.

Water toys are a big issue during summer vacations, especially if kids are aboard. These folks have one of the larger collections. Look at the floating toys, as well as those on deck. We count at least ten waterborne forms of entertainment.

Cruising as a preteen, this could rate as great fun.

Rotation molded plastic kayaks are tough, and give you the option of exploring places that a dink can’t get into.

We keep running into pilots as we cruise. Being into gliders ourselves, talking about airplanes is always interesting. We caught this scene in Laura Cove. That’s a nice little Cessna on floats taxiing out while the Beaver is tied off the stern of the mothership. In this part of the world a float plane makes a great dinghy.

Bug screens are always a hassle. If you build them in, they are expensive and require headroom. But if they are a bit of mesh, held down with light chain around the outside perimeter of the hatch, they are easy to make, deploy, and store.

Modest supplies are available in many of the coves. This floating bakery resides in Squirrel Cove.

Place your order the night before, and…

…this young lady will deliver the output of her granny’s oven the next morning.

OK, it is crowded – but in a couple of weeks school starts and you would have this anchorage all to yourself!