Sam Cooke, where are you when we need you most? (Yeah, I know. Cat Stevens and Jimmy Buffett did it, too. But Sam did it FIRST.) Besides, it's totally irrelevant.

Departed Otter Bay about 1000, making a beeline across Swanson Channel to minimize our exposure to BC Ferry traffic. Then we throttled back and "beachcombed" up the shoreline at low speed. We still got to Fulford Harbour at 1130. But the whole crowd from the night before was pulling out and there was plenty of room.

It feels like maybe we've gotten "over the hump" in terms of the crowds. There were a few empty slips at Otter Bay last night. No way that would have been the case a week or so ago. Could be that a lot of the people with school-age kids are heading for home for the "back to school" sales. Oh, scratch that. Those sales would have taken place in June. Now the stores are busy decorating for Christmas, right?

Weather is still pretty blah. Not cold. Not raining. Just overcast and, well, blah. "Fulford Days" is going on across the bay at the park. They're roasting various small animals and have a beer garden. Not sure we'll make it over there, but it looks like at least half the population of Saltspring Island has.