(Written by the campers!)
After leaving Nanaimo, Carlyn and her crew sailed to Pender Harbor, the last calm, muddy harbor we could count on before Princess Louisa Inlet. Following a good night’s sleep, the crew was ready to make the 40 nautical mile journey up Jervis Inlet to Princess Louisa. Near the entrance of the temperamental Malibu Rapids that guard the Inlet, the crew found an unnamed waterfall, now known to the crew as Carlyn Stark Falls, where they went for a nice swim in the 72 degree water. Once slack tide came around, Carlyn was ready for the last bit of the trip up. Upon entering the incredible fjord, we spotted Schooner Martha, an old Camp boat with not one, but two songs written for her that campers still sing today. After spending time with Martha and her crew, the campers got one last swim in before bed. The next morning, the crew woke up ready for the hike up to the abandoned cabin atop a small mountain. The crew was disappointed to find that the previous night’s rain had made the steep dirt trail too muddy to traverse safely. Instead, the crew hopped around on the rocks of Chatterbox Falls until they regrouped to present a camper with his Polaris Pin! The ceremony was lovely, and the team returned to Carlyn all warm and fuzzy inside. The next morning the crew woke up at 4:00 AM to catch the slack tide on the way out of Princess Louisa. A few naps and 40 miles later, Carlyn returned to Pender Harbor. Later that afternoon the crew hiked to Garden Bay Lake, where they went for a refreshing swim in the warm fresh water. The kids woke up the next day to the singing and muffins of Gypsy Day, appreciative that the older crew had not forgotten camp’s important holiday. The adults on board took care of the camper chores while the campers picked blackberries and salal berries for a pie and cobbler. The next morning, the Carlyn set off for Lasqueti Island, where Capt. Ryan’s friends, the Ryding Family, own a cabin. After a day of hikes, food, s’mores, music, sparklers and general fun, the girls camped out on land and the boys returned to the ship. We left the Rydings the next morning and went to Powell River to get water, do laundry, shower, buy food and charge the ship and our personal batteries. We had a big pizza dinner with friends we made from Orcas Island, and walked to an ice cream shop for desert. Today we left Powell River, dodging rainstorms, stopped for fuel in Lund, and are now in Gorge Harbor warming ourselves in the hot tub at the resort. Its supposed to be a bit rainy for the next couple of days, but the rain simply makes the northwest look more beautiful. We will be going straight from here to Desolation Sound for the next few days, and then to our friends’ home on Quadra Island on the 11th. We will try to send an update from there. Hope all is well at camp!