Photo: the Gorge.

The next morning we ride the last of the ebb the rest of the way out Oskiollo Channel, through Surge Narrows and into Beazley Pass. It's only a few minutes past slack water but already we can see swirls of water and overfalls near the shore. A small high-speed skiff with four or five young people waving gaily as they pass, whizzes by at 20+ knots, forcing us to the left. The people onboard are clueless as to the poor seamanship they've shown and the risk they've put themselves into. Earlier that summer there was a horrendous collision between a houseboat and a speedboat on Lake Shuswap B.C. At the time the papers were full of talk about the need for better boater education. We can attest to that!

We're heading for Gorge Harbour because at Shoal Bay we met a sailor who invited us to the annual Sharks Spit Regatta there, mentioning that another Annapolis 44, Amity (the former Haida), will be racing in it. Steve can't pass up an opportunity to race against another Annapolis 44 and the informal race, which takes place every August at full moon no matter what the day of the week, sounds like fun. We hope we can find additional crew to help us.

We're just about to enter the Gorge into Gorge Harbour when we see a familiar-looking white boat coming out with its mainsail up; it's Amity. The wind is just coming up so we turn around, raise sail and join them. Steve is thrilled when we pass them. We sail in tandem for awhile, then turn around and go back towards Gorge Harbour. We motor through the Gorge, a narrow pass with steep cliffs on both sides.

We've no sooner anchored in the harbor when a man in an inflatable dinghy comes up to us. He introduces himself as Angus of the sailboat Nootka Rose. At various times in the last 15 years or so, we've come across him while sailing. He always recognizes us because of our distinctive boat and calls us on the radio. It's good to meet him in person for a change.

While we talk to Angus, we watch an old sailboat with torn sails and peeling paint drift closer and closer to us. They clearly have a lot of scope out on their anchor rode, much more than is needed in this quiet anchorage. Angus leaves and we up anchor and move farther out in the harbor. We've just put the anchor out again when another dinghy comes up to us. It's fellow Puget Sound Cruising Club members Judy and Steve Dauzenroth from the sailboat Code Blue. They too are planning to race tomorrow but are hoping to crew on a faster boat instead of Code Blue. Osprey fits the bill for them.

After Judy and Steve D. leave, the sailboat with the torn sails motors past us out of the harbor. At its helm a long-haired young man steers with his feet while strumming a guitar.